Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

The penthouse at Tomson Riviera.

Xu Qingya was wearing a black silk nightgown and walking barefoot on the cold wooden floor.

The neon lights of the Huangpu River shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating her face, which showed no signs of sleepiness.

She held a glass of red wine in her hand, her brows furrowed.

These past two days, she has felt a long-lost surge of energy.

Her skin was in such good condition that even the makeup artist exclaimed in disbelief, and she showed no signs of fatigue while handling her schedule.

She had been suffering from severe insomnia for three years and once thought she had miraculously recovered.

But tonight.

When she finished showering and lay down on that million-dollar handcrafted mattress.

That desperate sense of clarity returned.

I closed my eyes, but I couldn't fall asleep; all I felt was endless restlessness.

Now, she has drunk her third glass of red wine and is still not sleepy at all.

Xu Qingya walked to the sofa and sat down, placing her wine glass heavily on the coffee table.

She reached up and rubbed her temples.

Why?

In that dilapidated security room, on that sweaty single bed, she was sleeping so soundly.

The images from that night flashed uncontrollably through Xu Qingya's mind.

That security guard, a certain quality about him.

It should have an absolute suppressive effect on her insomnia.

This realization filled Xu Qingya with a sense of panic, but more than that, it stirred an irresistible desire within her.

For three years, she has relied on medication to maintain her outward appearance.

His body was already riddled with holes.

All anyone saw was the national diva Hsu Ching-ya standing on the stage, radiating brilliance.

No one saw the torment she endured, staying awake all night until dawn.

She picked up her phone and dialed her assistant Yang Lele's number.

The phone rang for a long time before being answered, and Yang Lele's groggy voice came from the other end.

"Qingya-jie? What's wrong? I don't have any schedules tomorrow morning..."

"Lele, go and do something for me now."

Xu Qingya's voice sounded particularly cold in the quiet living room.

"Now? Two in the morning?"

"Yes, now. Go and investigate that young security guard at EE-Media."

"He was fired a few days ago, and I need to know his contact information and where he went after leaving the company."

The person on the other end of the phone instantly snapped to attention: "The security guard? Qingya, why are you looking for him? Did he steal something from you?"

"Don't ask so many questions. Tomorrow, I want to see all his information."

Xu Qingya hung up the phone and threw it on the sofa.

She walked to the full-length mirror in the entryway.

The woman in the mirror, her black silk pajamas accentuating her prominent collarbones.

The rosy complexion I had a few days ago has mostly faded.

A bluish-gray shadow reappeared under his eyes, and his lips were a little dry.

Although my skin was still better than it was before that night, its luster had visibly faded.

She stared intently at her increasingly haggard face in the mirror.

It's been ten years.

From her debut at the age of twenty until now, she has used every means to stand at the top.

Opponents, capital, public opinion—there's nothing she can't handle.

But insomnia won't do.

Three consecutive years of insomnia have been destroying her from the root.

My memory is declining, and my reaction time is slower when recording variety shows.

If this continues, she'll be overshadowed by newcomers in less than two years.

She needs him.

No.

She was just going to find out what was going on.

If that man does indeed possess some kind of special constitution, she can resolve it with money.

Offer a price and get him to cooperate; it's that simple.

Finally, she opened the drawer and took out a brown bottle.

The pill tasted a bit bitter when she swallowed it, so she drank half a glass of water.

Back in bed, she stared at the ceiling, waiting for the medication to take effect.

A jumble of images flashed through my mind.

The arrangement of her new song, the script for the variety show, her manager urging her to get cosmetic surgery...

The final image captured was of that security room.

She turned over and buried her face in the pillow.

That damn security guard...

Yang Lele stared at the end-of-call screen on her phone, her mind racing.

Qingya called me at 2 a.m., asking me to investigate a security guard who had been fired.

It's not the security department that's investigating; it's her, her personal assistant, who's investigating.

This means that this matter cannot be known to a third person.

Yang Lele jumped out of bed and started making phone calls.

............

In the afternoon, at the top-floor lounge of EE-Media.

Xu Qingya sat in front of the vanity mirror.

The sleeping pills she took last night only allowed her to sleep for less than three hours.

The makeup artist was using concealer to cover the dark circles under her eyes.

The foundation is a layer thicker than it was two days ago.

Seeing Xu Qingya's cold expression, the makeup artist didn't dare to ask anything.

The door was pushed open, and Yang Lele walked in with a troubled expression.

Xu Qingya raised her hand, signaling the makeup artist to leave.

"Have you found it?" Xu Qingya leaned back in her chair, her voice tinged with urgency.

"Sister Qingya..." Yang Lele stammered, "Sister Qingya... I couldn't find anything."

Xu Qingya suddenly opened her eyes: "A living, breathing person, and we can't find anything about her?"

"I asked Manager Zhao from the property management department, and he said that this guy was hired temporarily half a year ago. At the time, they said they were in dire need of manpower, so they didn't follow the proper procedures."

Yang Lele wiped the sweat from her forehead. "As for his address, he registered it as the company dormitory. He moved his luggage away the day he was fired."

Yang Lele's voice grew softer and softer as she spoke.

"Where's the phone?"

"The number is not in service; it has probably been changed."

Xu Qingya's fingers tightened on the dressing table.

With a "click".

An expensive eyebrow pencil was broken.

Anxiety and disappointment welled up inside me.

"Keep searching."

Xu Qingya's voice was extremely cold.

"Check the surveillance footage, trace his route after leaving the company, and hire a private investigator."

"I don't believe he can just disappear into thin air."

"Yes..." Yang Lele replied with her head down.

Just then.

The door to the dressing room was suddenly pushed open.

Agent Chen Lan strode in.

She was in her early forties, dressed in a smart business suit, and usually calm and composed, but at this moment her face showed barely suppressed excitement.

"Qingya! Look at this! A video of a resident singer has gone viral in the industry!"

"Sister Lan, I'm tired, I'm not in the mood to listen to any bar singers."

"You have to see this!" Chen Lan handed her the tablet. "This song is going to be a hit! The whole internet is searching for this mystery singer! We have to get our hands on him before anyone else!"

Chen Lan pressed the play button directly.

The tablet screen lights up, and the volume is turned up to the maximum.

The image is dark and has a lot of noise.

The camera was shaking violently.

I could only make out the silhouette of the singer and a pair of hands plucking the strings.

"One cup to the rising sun, one cup to the moonlight..."

A deep voice came from the speaker.

Xu Qingya's gaze casually swept across the screen.

next second.

Her pupils suddenly contracted.

My breathing stopped for a moment.

The image is blurry.

But that familiar silhouette, that nonchalant posture.

And those long, strong hands.

That's the security guard she dumped for 18,000 yuan, warning him that if he dared to utter a single word about it, she'd make him disappear.

Xu Qingya stared intently at the screen.

My heart clenched suddenly.

"Qingya, what do you think? That voice, those lyrics! God has blessed her with talent!"

Xu Qingya looked at Jiang Fan's hand on the screen.

Those hands.

That night, he roamed freely along her waist.

It pushed her to the brink of losing control.

She suppressed her turbulent emotions.

His voice trembled slightly.

"try to find."

"What?" Chen Lan didn't hear clearly.

Xu Qingya suddenly stood up.

The chair slid backward with a screeching sound.

She stared at Chen Lan, speaking slowly and deliberately.

I said, "Dig three feet into the ground."

"Find this person for me!"