Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Eight o'clock in the morning.

When Su Yuyan woke up, Jiang Fan was already dressed and standing in front of the French windows looking at the Huangpu River.

The morning light shone from the east, slicing a sharp line into the profile of his face.

Su Yuyan propped herself up on her arms and sat up, the blanket slipping down to her waist.

She glanced at the bedside table—there were no sticky notes.

This time, however, they didn't leave.

"You're not leaving notes anymore?"

Jiang Fan turned around. "You woke up too early."

Su Yuyan snorted, got out of bed barefoot, walked to the wardrobe, and pulled out a bathrobe to wrap herself in.

As she passed the sink, she glanced at the mirror.

Again.

Her skin is unbelievably good.

The lines at the corners of her eyes, which even cosmetic procedures can't remove, are so faint they're almost invisible.

Her whole face glowed.

She touched her cheek and then pinched her chin.

It's too elastic.

Su Yuyan stared at the mirror for five seconds before walking out of the bathroom.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um."

Do you have any particular constitution?

What's your constitution?

"My skin will get better after sleeping with you."

Jiang Fan picked up the bottled water on the coffee table and took a sip.

"Then sleep a few more times."

Su Yuyan glanced at him sideways.

He didn't say a word.

But the curve of his lips was impossible to suppress.

-

An hour later, Su Yuyan picked up her phone from the bedside table, scrolled through her contacts, and found a name.

Fang Yiming.

The chief director of "The Voice of Heaven".

His show has made at least ten singers famous.

Su Yuyan pressed the dial button.

It rang three times, then I answered.

"Sis? What's up so early in the morning?" Fang Yiming's voice was grumpy from being woken up.

"Yiming, can we add another person to 'The Voice of Heaven'?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end. "Who?"

"Shen Nian."

Silence again. This time it lasted even longer.

"Shen Nian? The Shen Nian who was ruined by Hua Xingyu?"

"right."

"Sis, are you kidding me? How many times has this girl been trending on social media? All negative stuff. My show just landed a sponsor, and the brand withdrew their investment the moment they saw her name."

Su Yuyan leaned against the headboard, with one leg draped over Jiang Fan's waist.

"Yiming, when have I ever asked you to do anything unreliable?"

Fang Yiming remained silent.

"Shen Nian's copyright case goes to trial next Monday, and she has a very good chance of winning. Once the verdict is released, public opinion will reverse. By adding her now, you're essentially preemptively securing a talking point. The show hasn't even aired yet, but the buzz is already there."

Fang Yiming lit a cigarette on the other end of the phone and took a puff.

"Who gave you this idea?"

"Who cares who paid for it? Just tell me, are you adding it or not?"

A long exhale came over.

"I can add her. But let me make this clear beforehand: if anything happens to her on stage—I won't edit it out; it will air directly. I do variety shows, not charity."

"Nothing will go wrong."

How can you guarantee that?

"The song she sings was written by Jiang Fan."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for several seconds.

"Jiang Fan?"

"right."

Fang Yiming held the cigarette between his fingers, not bringing it to his mouth.

He also watched the live broadcast of "Nocturne" that night.

The three songs on Xu Qingya's album have cemented her name in the minds of all music professionals.

"Okay." Fang Yiming stubbed out his cigarette. "I'll reserve the spot. The recording date remains the same, the 15th of next month."

"no problem."

Su Yuyan hung up the phone and waved her phone at Jiang Fan.

"nailed it."

Jiang Fan nodded. "Thanks."

"Just a 'thank you'?" Su Yuyan tapped his shoulder with her phone. "Where's the song?"

I'll send it to your email this afternoon. I'll also include a Cantonese song as a bonus.

Su Yuyan glanced at him and tossed her phone back onto the bedside table.

He didn't say anything.

The curve of her lips was exactly the same as before.

-

10:00 AM.

Fanyin Studio.

When Jiang Fan pushed open the door, Li Cheng had already arrived.

It's rare to see someone without dark circles under their eyes; they seem to be in good spirits.

"Brother Li, there's been progress on Shen Nian's matter."

Li Cheng was pouring coffee when his hand trembled, and a few drops spilled out.

"You got it sorted out?"

"The recording of 'The Voice of Heaven' will be on the 15th of next month, and the spots have already been reserved."

Li Cheng put down the coffee pot and stared at Jiang Fan for three seconds.

"Who helped you with this?"

"Su Yuyan".

Li Cheng's expression was complicated.

That kind of complicated feeling of "I know what method you used, but I don't want to ask in detail".

"...Alright then." He sat down. "But you need to talk to Shen Nian first. You know her situation; going on variety shows puts a lot of pressure on her."

I'll go see her this afternoon.

"And another thing," Li Cheng pulled out a message on his phone, "is from Shen Nian's lawyer. Sheng Hai Media has given their approval."

Jiang Fan stopped what he was doing.

"What did you say?"

"The investigation into Sheng Hai's tax issues is getting deeper and deeper, putting a lot of pressure on the higher-ups. They're currently too busy dealing with their own problems to fight Shen Nian's case to the death. The lawyer said the other side might make concessions during the pre-trial mediation stage."

"How much should we give?"

"Copyright return, plus financial compensation. The specific figures are still under negotiation."

Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair.

"Pre-trial mediation is fine. But there's one condition—Hua Xingyu must issue a public apology."

"A public apology? Hua Xingyu has already been suspended from the entertainment industry, so an apology shouldn't be a problem. I'll talk to the lawyer."

Jiang Fan turned on his computer and began organizing the lyrics and music files for "Poisonous Perfume".

The sheet music, chord notation, and lyric segmentation were all completed in twenty minutes and sent to Su Yuyan's email address.

After sending it, he glanced at his phone.

He hasn't replied to Xu Qingya's message from last night, "Where are you? With whom?"

Fourteen hours have passed now.

Two more messages appeared below the main message.

Posted at 11 PM: "?"

The message posted at 7 a.m. this morning reads: "Jiang Fan, you'd better give me an explanation."

Jiang Fan stared at the screen.

This diva's desire for control is expanding at a visible rate.

He typed a few words: "I drank too much last night, I didn't see it."

The other party replied within three seconds.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Here's another one: "Su Yuyan went to your studio yesterday. Zhou Yutong's WeChat Moments post reads 'I met a big star today,' and although the picture is blurred, her beauty mark is still visible."

Jiang Fan turned his head and glanced at Zhou Yutong, who was organizing documents at her workstation.

Zhou Yutong felt his gaze, looked up at him, and gave him an innocent smile.

Jiang Fan withdrew his gaze.

Okay. I'll have to give this colleague a lesson on secrecy later.

He replied to Xu Qingya with a message: "Su Yuyan came to discuss cooperation and helped Shen Nian get a spot on 'The Voice of Heaven'."

This time, it took a minute to get back.

"Cooperation? You're cooperating with Su Yuyan?"

"She helped me make the connection, and I wrote a song for her. It was an equal exchange."

The person on the other end continued typing for a long time.

In the end, only six words were sent.

"What song did you write?"

"Poisonous Perfume"

Typing mode has reappeared.

It lasted for about ten seconds, then disappeared.

Then, a voice call came in.

Jiang Fan answered the call.

"Empress Xu—"

"Is the perfume poisonous?" Xu Qingya's voice was very low, but every word seemed to carry a spark.

"You wrote a song for Su Yuyan called 'Poisonous Perfume'?"

"This song suits her style."

"Style? What's her style? A fairy-like style? What are her lyrics?"

"love song."

Read it to me.

"It's not appropriate to read song lyrics over the phone."

"read."

Jiang Fan glanced at Zhou Yutong in the office and Li Cheng, who had just returned.

Both of them were pretending to look at the computer, their ears perked up.

He took his phone, went into the inner room, and closed the door.

The first sentence was, "You smell of her perfume."

There was a full five seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um."

"Did you do this on purpose?"

Jiang Fan leaned against the wall and didn't answer.

Xu Qingya took a deep breath on the other end of the phone, her voice returning to calm—the calm before a storm.

"I'm flying to Shanghai this Saturday. Make sure you have time for me."

"what?"

"Exploring music."

The phone hangs up.

Jiang Fan stared at the black screen, thought for a moment, and then sent a message to Li Cheng.

"Clear my schedule this Saturday."

Li Cheng replied instantly: "? What now?"

"Xu Qingya is coming."

Li Cheng has not replied to the message.

About thirty seconds later, there was a knock on the door to the inner room. Li Cheng poked half his head in.

"Hey bro, I just have one question—do you have insurance?"

"roll."