Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Chapter 61 Queen: Who said I wanted to sleep in the bed?

Saturday.

It rained all day in Shanghai.

Jiang Fan stayed in the studio until 4 p.m. before receiving a call from Xu Qingya.

"I've gotten off the plane, send me your address."

Jiang Fan gave the studio's address.

Li Cheng listened to the whole thing from the side.

"Let her come to the studio? Su Yuyan just came a couple of days ago, and Zhou Yutong, that spendthrift woman, still has her picture on her WeChat Moments."

Jiang Fan glanced at the sofa.

The seat where Su Yuyan sat that day.

He walked to the cabinet, rummaged through it, pulled out a can of air freshener from the bottom, unscrewed the cap, and sprayed it onto the sofa a dozen times.

A misty, lavender-scented vapor spread out.

Zhou Yutong poked her head out from her workstation: "Brother Fan, what are you doing?"

"Shut up, delete your posts on WeChat Moments."

Which one?

"The one with the beauty mark under its eye."

Zhou Yutong looked down at her phone, her expression gradually freezing.

"It's too late... Qingya's assistant, Yang Lele, gave me a like."

Jiang Fan almost dropped the air freshener in his hand.

"You and Yang Lele are still following each other on social media?"

"We're just online friends..." Zhou Yutong shrank back, her voice growing softer and softer.

Jiang Fan realized that a confidentiality system really needed to be put on the agenda.

Li Cheng took the air freshener and sprayed it a few more times in other places before stuffing it into the cabinet.

"I'm leaving now."

Why are you running?

"If I don't run, am I supposed to stay and become cannon fodder?" Li Cheng was already picking up his bag.

He walked to the door and then turned back.

"Zhou Yutong, let's go!"

"Huh? It's not time for me to leave work yet—"

"Let's leave work early today! Let's go!"

The two rushed out of the office one after the other, their hurried footsteps echoing down the corridor like someone fleeing a disaster.

Jiang Fan sat on a swivel chair outside the recording studio and rocked it twice.

The office fell silent, with only the sound of rain hitting the windows.

A moment later, the office doorbell rang.

He got up to open the door.

Xu Qingya stood at the door.

Wearing a black trench coat, sunglasses, and a mask, fully armed, and carrying a dark blue paper bag.

She took off her sunglasses and glanced past Jiang Fan, scanning the room.

The new 680-square-meter office still smells of fresh paint.

The front desk was empty, and the computer screensavers on the workstations were still lit up; no one was there.

Where are they?

"get off work."

Xu Qingya walked in, her high heels clicking crisply on the wooden floor.

As she passed the sofa, her nose twitched.

"What does it taste like?"

"Air freshener." Jiang Fan said without changing his expression. "The new office smelled strong, so I sprayed a little."

Xu Qingya looked at him for two seconds and didn't ask any more questions.

She took off her mask, sat down on the sofa, and crossed her legs.

Jiang Fan sat down next to her.

The two people were about a fist's width apart.

Xu Qingya took a square box out of the paper bag and opened it.

A watch lay on a dark blue velvet background.

Patek Philippe, Nautilus series, blue dial with steel bracelet.

"This is for you."

Jiang Fan picked it up and looked at it.

He doesn't know anything about watches, nor does he know how much they're worth.

"What do you mean?"

"It doesn't mean anything." Xu Qingya's tone was casual.

"Stop dressing like a college student every day when you go out in public. You're a champion now, so pay attention to your image."

Jiang Fan put on the watch and turned his wrist.

The watch face reflected a cold light under the fluorescent lamp.

Thanks.

"Just one word, 'thank you'?"

"So what do you want?"

Xu Qingya tilted her head and looked at him for a few seconds before finally smiling.

"Shall I have a tour?"

The two walked around the corridor.

The route included the office area, meeting rooms, a tea room, and finally, the recording studio.

The recording studio was newly renovated, and Li Cheng spent a lot of money on soundproofing and acoustic treatment.

A Steinway piano sits in the corner, next to a monitor speaker and a mixing console.

Xu Qingya sat down at the piano, her fingers gliding lightly across the keys.

"What should we play?"

Jiang Fan walked over and stood behind her.

"What do you want to hear?"

Xu Qingya did not turn around.

"casual."

Jiang Fan leaned down and reached his hands over her sides, placing them on the piano keys.

In this position, his chest was pressed against Xu Qingya's back, and his chin was almost resting on her shoulder.

Xu Qingya's shoulders tensed for less than a second before relaxing and leaning back.

The back of her head was right below his collarbone.

Jiang Fan opened the system shop with a thought.

Enter "famous piano pieces" in the search bar.

A long list pops up.

"Wedding in a Dream" - Exchange Price: 300 Life Points.

This piece was played in music stores on every street corner in my past life; it was romantic, but not cloying.

[Redeem or not?]

"exchange."

[After deducting 300 life points, remaining life points: 17900]

The melody and fingering unfolded in my mind.

Jiang Fan's fingers landed on the piano keys.

As the first note of the prelude was played, Xu Qingya's breath hitched for a beat.

The melody of this piece is different from all the songs Jiang Fan has played before.

The texture of a classical piano carries a clean, melancholic quality.

As the piece progresses to the middle section, the chords in the left hand thicken, while the melody line in the right hand moves towards the higher register, pushing the emotions up layer by layer.

One minute. Two minutes.

After the entire piece was played, the last note dissipated between the walls covered with soundproofing cotton.

The recording studio was silent for several seconds.

Xu Qingya's eyelashes were already wet.

"What's the name of this song?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Wedding in a Dream".

Xu Qingya turned her head and looked up at Jiang Fan.

From this angle, you can see the curve of his jawline and the outline of his Adam's apple.

"What do you mean by playing this piece?"

"You told me to play whatever I wanted."

"Don't pretend with me." Xu Qingya grabbed Jiang Fan's hand, which was resting on the edge of the piano keys, and dug her fingers between his.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um."

"Su Yuyan, what are you really thinking?"

"She helped Shen Nian."

"So you're repaying a favor with your body?"

Jiang Fan dragged a chair over from the side and sat down opposite Xu Qingya.

"Xu Qingya".

He rarely called her by her full name.

Xu Qingya raised an eyebrow.

Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?

"The truth."

The truth is, I can't make any promises to you.

Xu Qingya's expression gradually softened.

It's not anger, it's the kind of reaction where you already know the answer, but still feel uncomfortable when you hear it with your own ears.

"but--"

Jiang Fan continued.

"When it comes to songwriting, you and she are different."

Xu Qingya stared at him.

"The song for Su Yuyan is a deal; one song in exchange for one spot," Jiang Fan said in a low voice.

"The song I gave you shouldn't be compared to hers."

Xu Qingya remained silent.

The silence lasted for more than ten seconds.

She stood up, walked to the door of the recording studio, and the lock clicked shut from the inside.

"Your recording studio has good soundproofing."

Jiang Fan watched her retreating figure.

The trench coat is cinched at the waist, accentuating a sexy figure.

"There's a lounge next to my office, and the bed there is new."

"Who said they wanted to sleep in the bed?"

Xu Qingya turned around, leaned against the door frame, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and her eyes still held a hint of jealousy.

"Come here," she said.

Jiang Fan obediently stood up from the chair.

The recording studio isn't big; it only takes two steps.

Xu Qingya reached out and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling him close to her.

This recording studio is very well soundproofed.

Li Cheng insisted on using double-layered soundproof doors and floating flooring.

In retrospect, it was a worthwhile investment.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The rain is still falling outside.

The office building corridors were deserted.

Li Cheng sat in the coffee shop downstairs, with two lattes in front of him.

Zhou Yutong sat opposite her, taking small bites of a piece of tiramisu.

"Brother Li, how much longer do we have to wait?"

"Wait for Jiang Fan to send me a message."

"What are they talking about, and why have they been talking for so long?"

Li Cheng glanced at her.

"Let's talk about music."

"Oh." Zhou Yutong nodded, took another bite of cake, and said, "Then why did you chase us away when you were talking about music?"

Li Cheng picked up his latte, took a swig, and didn't answer.

The phone lit up.