Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

Pushing open the conference room door, Lu Chuan was already sitting inside.

He was in his early forties, wearing a dark gray casual suit, his hair combed back, and he looked clean and neat, with the kind of aura you'd see in an art film.

Sitting next to me was a middle-aged man wearing glasses, Zhao Peng, the film's music director.

"Director Lu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Lu Chuan stood up and shook hands with her.

"No, no, I just happened to be in the area discussing something today, and I was thinking that I should also catch up on the theme song."

Su Yuyan sat down opposite him and placed the USB drive on the table.

"The songwriter recorded it and gave it to me directly. I've been busy with the release of my two new songs these past few days and haven't had a chance to tell you yet."

Lu Chuan's gaze fell on the USB drive.

Who wrote the song?

"Jiang Fan".

Lu Chuan leaned back in his chair, his expression changing.

"Jiang Fan? The one who wrote 'Poisonous Perfume' for you?"

"right."

"My assistant played your new song for me in the car today, and it's really amazing." Lu Chuan stroked his chin. "This person's control over a singer's voice is too precise. I felt the first time I heard it, that no one but you could sing that song."

Su Yuyan smiled, picked up the USB drive, and plugged it into the playback device in the conference room.

There is only one audio file in the folder.

Su Yuyan pressed play.

The intro begins.

The sound of a piano, just a few clean notes.

Then came the guitar and the cello.

There's no unnecessary build-up, no fancy arrangement; it's just a few simple chords playing out, like turning the pages of a yellowed diary.

Then voices came in.

Su Yuyan's finger hovered in mid-air.

That voice—clear, resonant, with a restrained yet deep emotion in its enunciation.

Each word landed steadily on the beat, with clean and crisp breath control.

She knew that voice all too well.

Xu Qingya.

Su Yuyan's lips twitched.

It was suppressed again.

Lu Chuan did not notice her unusual behavior.

The director sat up straight from the very first sentence.

He crossed his arms and rested them on the table, completely focused on his work.

Zhao Peng, standing next to him, also stared intently in the direction of the speaker vent, remaining motionless.

"How many times did we say goodbye in those fleeting years, only to postpone it each time—"

"Unfortunately, whether or not one has loved is not a eloquent debate about the seven emotions—"

Xu Qingya's voice flowed through the conference room.

She sang the verses with restraint, her emotions tightly controlled, as if recalling an old story she dared not touch.

In the chorus, the emotions build layer by layer, pushing upwards until the climax—

She sang with restraint and emotion, conveying a sense of regret and reluctance. Just when she was about to explode, she pulled back, turning it into a soft tremor at the end of the note.

Su Yuyan stared at the USB drive on the table, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye twitched slightly.

A song lasts three minutes and fifty-eight seconds.

After the broadcast, the meeting room was quiet for about four or five seconds.

Lu Chuan and Zhao Peng exchanged a glance.

Zhao Peng spoke first, saying only two words: "Absolutely amazing."

Lu Chuan stood up, took a couple of steps around the conference room, slapped the edge of the table with his palm, and then turned back.

"That voice, that emotional delivery—it perfectly matches the female lead's temperament in the movie. The feeling of regret it conveys is a natural fit for the rainy breakup scene in the script. Mr. Su, who sings this song?"

Su Yuyan picked up her water glass and took a sip.

Use this action to calm your mind.

"Xu Qingya".

Lu Chuan was stunned for a moment.

Everyone in the industry knows about the rivalry between Xu Qingya and Su Yuyan.

Both are among the Four Heavenly Queens, yet their fans fight each other every year.

Marketing accounts frequently bring up the two of them for comparison.

"Xu Qingya? Xu Qingya from EE-Media?"

"right."

Lu Chuan opened his mouth and glanced at Zhao Peng, who also looked surprised.

"President Su, you are truly magnanimous!"

Lu Chuan rubbed his hands together, carefully considering his words for two seconds.

"You actually took the initiative to bring Xu Qingya into your project. I admire your magnanimity. I won't bother with formalities. If you need anything in the future, feel free to contact me anytime. I'll remember this favor."

Su Yuyan smiled.

Active recommendation?

She's recommending nothing!

Lu Chuan, unaware that he was getting more and more excited as he spoke, began pacing back and forth in the conference room.

"Zhao Peng, think about it. With Xu Qingya's popularity and the quality of this song, the buzz during the promotional period will at least triple. If we could get her to sing during our roadshow—"

"Director Lu, we can talk about the roadshow later." Zhao Peng pushed up his glasses, unusually rational for once. "Let's sign the contract first."

"Yes, yes, let's sign the contract first."

Su Yuyan sat in the chair with a polite smile on her face.

She gripped the water glass in her hand tightly.

You bastard Jiang Fan.

It's agreed that you decide who sings.

If you've decided on Xu Qingya, you should have told me.

They insist on waiting until the rice is cooked.

Lu Chuan was still discussing with Zhao Peng: "The lyrics of this song are so good. When editing the trailer, we just used the chorus as the base, and the visuals were all there..."

Su Yuyan took out her phone from under the table and sent a message to Jiang Fan.

"Jiang Fan".

The reply came instantly: "Hmm?"

I just listened to "The Fleeting Years".

Jiang Fan: How is it?

Su Yuyan typed a line of text, then deleted it.

I typed another line, then deleted it.

Finally, five words were sent:

"You just wait until tonight."

Jiang Fan replied with an "innocent" emoji.

Su Yuyan placed her phone face down on the table, looked up at Lu Chuan, and gave him a perfect business smile.

"Director Lu, the theme song is settled then. I'll have my legal department handle the contract details with you."

"Good, good, very satisfied." Lu Chuan said "good" three times in a row, pulled out a chair and stood up, then remembered something.

"By the way, Ms. Su, could you please talk to Xu Qingya for me and see if we can coordinate a joint promotion during the publicity period? If she can attend the premiere—"

"no problem."

Su Yuyan stood up to see the guests off, shook hands, exchanged pleasantries, and watched Lu Chuan and Zhao Peng enter the elevator.

The smile vanished the moment the elevator doors closed.

He turned and walked back to the conference room, closing the door behind him.

A person stands in an empty room.

The screen of the playback device was still lit, and the file name was stuck on "Fleet of Time".

Su Yuyan glanced down at her phone.

Jiang Fan sent another message.

"Congratulations to Queen Su, 'Poisonous Perfume' is number one on the new song chart."

Su Yuyan stared at those words for five seconds.

This man really needs to be taught a lesson.

First, use two songs to win her over, then use the theme song incident to pull this stunt on her.

Su Yuyan unplugged the USB drive from the device and held it in her hand.

Sigh, what's the point of waiting? Should we yell at him? His skin is thicker than a city wall.

Ignore him? The three million project has been finalized, and Lu Chuan was so satisfied he almost jumped for joy.

Ultimately, Jiang Fan's choice of Xu Qingya is perfectly logical from a business perspective.

Xu Qingya's voice is indeed more suitable for this kind of campus youth theme than hers.

She understands the truth.

But even though I understand, I still can't swallow this anger.

Su Yuyan took a deep breath, opened the conference room door, and walked out.

Assistant Xiao Zhao greeted her: "President Su, there's another one at 3 PM—"

"It's cancelled."

"what?"

Xiao Zhao opened his mouth, nodded, and ran away.

Su Yuyan returned to her office, closed the door, and spun around in her chair twice.

She picked up her phone again and scrolled to Jiang Fan's chat window.

That innocent-looking emoji is still hanging on the screen; it just makes you want to punch it.

Su Yuyan typed a line of text and sent it:

"The usual place tonight."

Jiang Fan: "Received, President Su."

Su Yuyan shoved her phone into her bag, opened a drawer, and took out a small mirror.

The woman in the mirror had exquisite makeup, but her eyes still held a hint of lingering annoyance.

She looked at herself in the mirror for two seconds and then suddenly laughed.

"Xu Qingya, oh Xu Qingya."

She put the mirror back in the drawer and closed it.

"You are so lucky."