Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

3 PM.

After finishing his work, Jiang Fan picked up his phone and sent a message to Su Yuyan.

"Five o'clock, Fanyin Studio."

The other party replied instantly with "OK".

-

4:50 PM.

When Li Cheng returned from outside, he had an expression on his face that said, "The matter was done, but not completely."

He slammed a document onto the coffee table.

"We've found a variety show. Hunan TV has a music program called 'The Voice of Heaven,' which will start recording next month."

Jiang Fan flipped through the documents and glanced at them.

The lineup of mentors and singers, as well as the competition format, are all top-tier.

"But," Li Cheng rubbed his face, "they said the crew is full, and I'm not familiar with the people at Mango TV. The earliest we can have a similar variety show is two months away."

two months.

Shen Nian's case will go to trial next Monday.

If the lawsuit is won, the window of opportunity for public opinion to reverse the situation will be at most two weeks.

If you miss this window of opportunity, once the hype dies down, the difficulty of making a comeback will triple.

Jiang Fan didn't say anything.

He closed the document and placed it on the corner of the table.

"Wait a minute."

Li Cheng opened his mouth, but didn't ask what he was waiting for.

During his time partnering with Jiang Fan, he learned one thing—when Jiang Fan says "wait," it doesn't mean there's no other way, it means the cards haven't been dealt to him yet.

It was exactly 5 p.m.

There was a knock on the office door.

Zhou Yutong went to open the door.

Su Yuyan was standing outside the door.

He wore a baseball cap pulled low, a black face mask covering half his face, and a khaki trench coat that reached his knees.

Judging from her attire, she doesn't want to be recognized.

But the beauty mark under her eye is very distinctive.

Zhou Yutong froze for a moment, then screamed in surprise.

"Teacher Su...?"

Su Yuyan took off her mask, nodded to her, and walked straight in.

Li Cheng stood up from the sofa and glanced at Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan raised his chin, gesturing for him to leave.

Li Cheng pulled Zhou Yutong out of the office and closed the door behind them.

As the door closed, Zhou Yutong whispered, "Brother Li, why is Su Yuyan here? Isn't she from Times Media?"

"Shh." Li Cheng raised his index finger. "Don't ask, don't say, and don't post it on social media."

-

There were only two people left in the office.

Su Yuyan sat down on the sofa and unbuttoned her trench coat.

A familiar perfume scent followed.

Inside was a simple white knit sweater, with the neckline slightly open.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Ice water." Su Yuyan tilted her head, a slight smile on her lips as she looked at him.

Jiang Fan took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and handed it over.

Su Yuyan took it, her fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing against the back of his hand.

She unscrewed the bottle cap, took a sip, pressed the bottle opening against her lower lip, and slowly opened her mouth.

"You should have seen everything about the 'Acacia' poem."

"I saw it."

"I introduced Chen Weiyang to Times Media. I bear responsibility for this incident." Su Yuyan spoke at a moderate pace, as if admitting her mistake, yet also as if she were being coquettish.

Jiang Fan leaned back in his office chair and didn't reply.

"This industry doesn't care about the process, only the result. The word 'following the trend' is now inextricably linked to me."

She looked up, her gaze falling on Jiang Fan's face, her voice trailing off, "So I need a song."

She leaned forward slightly, causing the neckline of her knitwear to slip down a couple of inches.

"A song that belongs entirely to me, by Su Yuyan."

Jiang Fan looked at her.

The Fairy Queen, who usually smiles charmingly on stage, now sits in front of him, her pleading posture exuding a seductive allure.

"Name your price." Su Yuyan tilted her head to look at him, her voice slightly cloying at the end, "As long as you're willing to write, any price is fine."

"I don't lack money."

"So what are you lacking?" She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Me?"

Jiang Fan did not answer immediately.

His gaze fell on the line of golden characters above Su Yuyan's head that only he could see.

[Target: Su Yuyan]

[Compatibility: SS]

What's missing? Life.

Jiang Fan withdrew his gaze, picked up the document Li Cheng had brought back from the table, turned to the first page, and pushed it in front of Su Yuyan.

Su Yuyan glanced down.

Information from the program "The Voice of Heaven".

She looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Fang Yiming's show?" She hooked her index finger around the corner of the document page and slowly flipped through it. "He and I have a good relationship."

She paused, then glanced at Jiang Fan out of the corner of her eye.

"What, do you need my help?"

"I need a favor." Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair. "I have a singer who wants to be on this show. But the production team said they're full, and I need you to help me get him on."

Su Yuyan propped her chin up with her fingertips and tilted her head to look at him.

Who is it?

"Shen Nian."

Upon hearing the name, Su Yuyan paused for a moment, tapping her finger on her chin.

Of course she knew about Shen Nian's situation.

Her song was stolen by Hua Xingyu, she was cyberbullied by the entire internet, and she suffered from severe depression and left the entertainment industry.

The man behind the copyright case that caused such a stir some time ago is the man in front of us.

"Shen Nian?" Su Yuyan drawled, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Given her current state, would you really let her appear on a variety show?"

"Whether it can be done or not is none of your concern. Just focus on paving the way."

Su Yuyan stared at him for three seconds.

This man was unlike any other twenty-year-old she had ever met.

"If you do me this favor," Jiang Fan held up one finger, "I'll write you a song."

One song can earn you a spot on a variety show.

Su Yuyan quickly weighed the options in her mind.

Fang Yiming is an old friend of hers, and adding a spot is just a matter of making a phone call for her.

How much is one of Jiang Fan's songs worth?

Just ask Xu Qingya.

"Red Bean," "Easily Hurt Woman," and "Legend"—these three songs propelled Hsu Ching-ya onto the fast track to becoming the best album of the year.

It's obvious who profited from this deal, even with their eyes closed.

Su Yuyan stood up.

"I'll get back to you about the quota within three days."

She picked up the mineral water bottle and took another sip, showing no intention of leaving.

"I drank all the ice water." She placed the bottle on the coffee table, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Want to have dinner together tonight?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"My treat. You choose the place."

Jiang Fan got up and picked up his coat.

"Let's go."

Su Yuyan smiled and put her mask and hat back on.

As the two walked out of the office, Li Cheng was carrying two cups of coffee from the other end of the corridor.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw Jiang Fan and Su Yuyan walking side by side toward the door.

Su Yuyan walked past him, took off her mask, and smiled at him.

"Manager Li, I'll treat you to drinks another day."

Li Cheng stood there stunned, only coming to his senses after the door closed.

He glanced down at the two cups of coffee in his hand, turned around and walked back to his office. He handed one cup to Zhou Yutong and gulped down half of the other cup in silence.

"Yutong".

"Um?"

"How do you think someone would die if they provoked both Xu Qingya and Su Yuyan at the same time?"

Zhou Yutong thought for a moment.

"He should have died a spectacular death."

-

7:30 p.m.

A Japanese restaurant in a quiet alley in Shanghai.

Su Yuyan picked up a piece of salmon and put it in her mouth, then suddenly spoke.

"Jiang Fan, what position do you intend to place Shen Nian in?"

"Where she should be."

Su Yuyan put down her chopsticks. "I've heard Shen Nian's voice; it's indeed quite good. But her mental state and the burden of public opinion are ticking time bombs. What if she collapses on stage if you put her on 'The Voice of China'?"

"She won't collapse."

"Are you that confident?"

"The songs I wrote for her, I won't allow her to break down."

Su Yuyan was stunned for a moment.

She understood the weight of those words.

It's not blind confidence, but absolute certainty about the impact of one's work.

Just like "Nocturne" blew up Tencent's servers, just like "Easily Hurt Woman" caused the entire Greater Bay Area to fall.

Su Yuyan picked up her sake cup and gently touched the cup in front of Jiang Fan.

"I'll get the spot sorted out within three days."

Thank you.

After Su Yuyan finished her drink, the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was faintly visible in the warm light.

Jiang Fan picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

I had just put down my cup when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

He took it out and glanced at it.

Xu Qingya.

The message contained only five characters.

Where are you? With whom?

Jiang Fan looked at the screen.

Across from him, Su Yuyan leaned back in her chair, looking at him with a smile.

"Is the diva checking up on things?"

Jiang Fan flipped his phone over and placed it face down on the table.

"Eat your fish."