Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Jiang Fan lay motionless on the bed.

The phone screen lit up and then dimmed, dimmed and then lit up again.

The messages kept popping up at the top.

Jiang Fan picked up his phone and opened the top message.

"Li Cheng: We're trending at number one! #ShenNianTheWindIsHere# has over 100 million views."

"Li Cheng: When Tencent Music asked when 'The Wind Rises' would be released, Zhang Lei made the call personally."

Li Cheng: Brother, at least reply to my message!

Jiang Fan typed two words: "Asleep."

Li Cheng: ...You really have a lot of composure.

Jiang Fan exited Li Cheng's chat window and scrolled up.

News about Xu Qingya.

Xu Qingya: I watched the live stream.

Xu Qingya: Who wrote this song well?

Hsu Ching-ya: My concert is already in preparation, would you like to be a guest?

Xu Qingya: Jiang Fan?

Xu Qingya: You're dead?

Five messages, spanning twenty minutes.

From reserved to irritable, this is Xu Qingya's standard way of speaking.

Jiang Fan rubbed his temples and typed: "Just got back to the hotel, my phone is on silent."

The message was sent, and within three seconds, the other party replied instantly.

This means she had been waiting.

Xu Qingya: When are you coming back?

"tomorrow."

"Xu Qingya: Come to my place for dinner the night you come back. Don't refuse."

"it is good."

The other person didn't say anything more.

Jiang Fan exited Xu Qingya's chat window and scrolled down.

Su Yuyan.

Su Yuyan: Shen Nian's song is good, no wonder you insisted on including her in it.

"Su Yuyan: When will my 'Poisonous Perfume' be released? I'm getting a little anxious after watching this episode [sad face]"

Jiang Fan replied, "Go ahead and post it. The hype will pick up just in time."

Su Yuyan replied instantly with a kiss emoji, followed by, "Then I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."

Jiang Fan tossed his phone next to his pillow and rolled over.

Two divas, one invited the other to dinner.

I haven't even returned to Shanghai yet, and my schedule is already packed.

-

The next room.

Zhou Yutong lay on the bed scrolling through Shen Nian's phone, too excited to sleep.

"Sister Nian, look! A Weibo super topic has been created! 'Shen Nian Global Fan Club'! It already has 30,000 members!"

Shen Nian had just come out of the shower; her hair was still wet, and the belt of her bathrobe was tied loosely.

"Stop scrolling, go to sleep."

"Aren't you excited? First place!"

Zhou Yutong rolled over and brought her phone closer.

"Look at this comment—'I cried three times when Shen Nian sang "The Wind Rises." The first time I cried because of the lyrics, the second time because of her experiences, and the third time because of myself.' 20,000 likes!"

Shen Nian didn't reply, and picked up the hairdryer to dry her hair.

Zhou Yutong scrolled through a few more articles, then suddenly hissed.

"What's wrong?"

"Someone dug up...about your past with Hua Xingyu, and there's a commotion downstairs."

Shen Nian turned off the hair dryer.

"What's all the noise about?"

"Half of them say you're a victim and deserve to turn things around, the other half..." Zhou Yutong hid her phone behind her back, "Never mind, they're all idiots."

Shen Nian held out her hand. "Let me see."

"Stop looking at Sister Nian, it'll ruin your mood late at night—"

"Zhou Yutong".

Zhou Yutong obediently handed over her phone.

Shen Nian scrolled through a few screens, her expression remaining unchanged.

It's nothing more than accusations of "playing the victim," "hype," and "writing songs based on men."

A month ago, these words could keep her up all night.

now--

"Sister Nian, are you alright?"

"It's okay." Shen Nian turned the hairdryer back on. "Yutong, you grind your teeth in your sleep at night, it keeps me awake. You should go back to your room."

"Huh? Sister Nian, that's impossible, I don't grind my teeth!"

"Why not? I said you'd grind your teeth, so you grind your teeth."

Zhou Yutong opened her mouth, then looked at Shen Nian's expression.

Is Sister Nian trying to be alone?

"Alright... I'm off then?"

Shen Nian hummed in agreement.

Zhou Yutong picked up her old-fashioned mobile phone, got out of bed, and shuffled towards the door in her slippers.

Halfway there, I glanced back and saw Shen Nian blowing her hair in front of the mirror, her profile outlined softly by the warm light.

Goodnight, Sister Nian.

"Good night."

The door closed.

The humming of the hair dryer stopped.

The room fell silent immediately.

Shen Nian sat in front of the dressing table for about two minutes, her hair half-dry and draped over her shoulders.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes a little red.

It's not that I feel wronged.

I've been on edge for too long today. All the tension, fear, excitement, and pride from the whole day have been building up. Now that the audience has left, I can't even hear the applause anymore.

She couldn't finish the rest by herself.

Shen Nian picked up her phone and opened Jiang Fan's chat window.

I typed two words and sent them.

"come over."

-

Jiang Fan had just finished showering and lay down when his phone vibrated again.

Shen Nian.

Just two words: Come here.

He stared at the screen for three seconds.

Without replying to the message, I got up, put on a T-shirt and slippers, grabbed my room key, and went out.

The corridor was empty, and the carpet swallowed up all footsteps.

The door to the next room was ajar, with a crack in it.

Jiang Fan pushed the door open and went in, then closed it behind him.

Most of the lights in the room were off, except for the one by the bed, which was dim and yellowish, covering only half of the bed.

Shen Nian huddled under the covers, only half her face showing. Her hair was spread out on the pillow, not yet completely dry, leaving a small dark water stain on the white pillowcase.

Where is Zhou Yutong?

She said she wanted to sleep alone tonight.

Jiang Fan didn't expose him, but walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Shen Nian didn't look at him; her eyes were fixed on the landscape painting that was a standard feature of the hotel on the opposite wall.

There was a moment of silence.

"When Tang Yingxue said those words on stage today, I actually wanted to cry for a moment."

Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

"It's not because I feel wronged. It's because I've asked myself the same question she raised."

Jiang Fan didn't reply.

Shen Nian turned over and faced him.

The blanket slipped down a bit, revealing her collarbone and the neckline of her bathrobe.

"Jiang Fan, if I hadn't gone through those experiences, would this song have won first place today?"

"able."

How did you know?

"Because I wrote the song."

Shen Nian was stunned for a moment.

Then he laughed.

His eyes were still red, but the corners of his mouth were turned up, and his whole face was contorted in a funny and infuriating way.

"You really are..."

"What really is it?"

"How shameless."

Jiang Fan looked down at her.

She was tense all day and only now has she been able to relax.

There was still a little bit of water stain clinging to my eyelashes—

Shen Nian reached her hand out from under the covers and grabbed Jiang Fan's wrist.

My five fingers feel cool.

Jiang Fan kicked off his slippers, lifted a corner of the blanket, and lay down.

Shen Nian's body tensed up for a moment, then slowly relaxed.

She pressed herself against him, her forehead against his collarbone.

Through the T-shirt, you could feel the warmth of her body after her shower.

"I don't want to be alone."

The sound was very soft, with a slight nasal tone. It was muffled against his chest, the vibrations transmitted through his skin.

Jiang Fan's hand moved up from her waist, his fingers stroking her still-damp hair.

Her hair was damp and smelled of flowers.

Shen Nian raised her head.

The two were so close that their breaths mingled.

Her eyes shone excessively bright under the dim light, reflecting a small patch of light in her pupils, as well as his face.

Shen Nian tilted her head back and kissed him.

The lips were soft, with a slightly sweet taste.