Life countdown begins, ice queen bursts into security room

The next morning at 10 a.m., Jiang Fan took a taxi to the Tianyu Media Building.

The security guard at the entrance has been replaced.

The previous security captain, Zhao Guoqiang, was gone. In his place was a middle-aged man in his forties, wearing a walkie-talkie, standing ramrod straight, and treating everyone with utmost politeness.

Jiang Fan glanced at it, didn't think much of it, and walked straight inside.

The receptionist saw him and stood up reflexively.

"Hello, Teacher Jiang!"

"I'll call Lan for you—"

Before he could finish speaking, the elevator doors opened.

Chen Lan happened to come out, carrying a stack of documents. She saw Jiang Fan and waved, "Come on up, Qingya is already here."

The two entered the elevator, and Chen Lan pressed the button for the top floor.

"Qingya has urged me to come downstairs three times already." Chen Lan flipped through the documents in her hand. "I've never seen her care this much about any song before."

Jiang Fan smiled but didn't reply.

The elevator has arrived.

The recording studio door was half open, and the air conditioning was on inside.

Xu Qingya sat in a swivel chair, legs crossed, holding a glass of iced Americano in her hand, the straw deformed from biting it.

He raised his eyelids slightly when he saw Jiang Fan come in.

"You're here?"

"Um."

Where are my songs?

Get straight to the point, not a single unnecessary word.

Jiang Fan didn't argue with her, took out a USB drive from his bag, and handed it to her.

Xu Qingya took the USB drive, twirled it between her fingers, and tapped the metal casing twice with her fingernails.

Chen Lan had already turned on the computer, and Xu Qingya plugged in the USB drive.

There is only one file in the folder.

As You Wish

double click.

The prelude begins—a piano, a few clean chords, laid out with a layer of strings, spreading out layer by layer.

Xu Qingya's gaze fell on the scrolling lyrics file on the screen.

You are the light on the long road, in the thick fog of the mountains—

I am a child, walking in your eyes—

The chorus melody builds up, the orchestral accompaniment unfolds in layers, and the trumpet bursts in from the middle, elevating the song's emotional tone to an extremely high level—

If you've ever tasted bitterness in my sweetness—

I wish to live up to your wish—

Four minutes and twenty-five seconds.

The song has ended.

The recording studio was silent for about ten seconds.

Chen Lan stood behind the mixing console, her hands supporting her on the surface, her mouth agape.

Hsu Ching-ya read the lyrics again from beginning to end, her gaze lingering on the line "I wish to live as you wish" for a long time.

"Play it again."

Chen Lan dragged the progress bar to start playing from the beginning.

This time, Xu Qingya closed her eyes, placed her right hand on the armrest, and tapped her index finger lightly in time with the rhythm.

After the second playback, she opened her eyes.

Her eyes were a little red.

She turned her chair around to face Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets: "How is it? Do you like it?"

"How was it?" Xu Qingya stood up from her chair. "Do you know what level of quality this song is?"

She took two steps, flicked her ponytail, and stopped in front of him.

"This is ten times better than Tang Yingxue's 'Light Years'."

Chen Lan finally shut her mouth and interjected, "Qingya is right. This song has a different scope—it's not written for any one person, it's written for everyone."

Xu Qingya took a sip of her iced Americano and put the glass on the table.

"Start recording."

Jiang Fan walked behind the mixing console, sat down, and put on his headphones.

Xu Qingya entered the recording studio and stood in front of the microphone.

She retied her ponytail, making it tighter to reveal the lines of her face and neck.

Chen Lan helped her adjust the in-ear monitor and gave her a thumbs up.

Jiang Fan pressed the call button: "Ready to go?"

Xu Qingya closed her eyes and took two seconds to adjust her breathing.

The intro begins.

The first sentence.

"You are the long road ahead—"

The voice was restrained, as if speaking to someone one hadn't seen in a long time.

It was very light, but each word was firmly held on the breath, without a single note faltering.

In the second paragraph, the emotions begin to rise.

Xu Qingya's breath control is textbook-level.

The ending sounds of each word are handled perfectly, with the right balance between emphasis and release.

refrain.

*And I will love the world you love.*

*May your smile be as you wish—*

As the song reached its climax, her voice was lifted by the orchestra, rising to an almost unbelievable height.

*The mountains and rivers are safe and sound, and life is as normal as ever.*

*But you got to gaze upon it as you wished*

*May the children sleep peacefully in their dreams.*

*Like you love so much—*

When the last note fell, she finished with a very restrained vibrato, and it fell softly.

There was a three-second silence in the recording studio.

Jiang Fan took off his headphones.

"How is it?"

Xu Qingya's voice came through the intercom.

Jiang Fan pressed the call button.

"Very good." Jiang Fan paused for a moment, "The last note of the second line of the chorus, 'May your wish be fulfilled,' should be drawn down a little further."

Xu Qingya hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

"What about the others?"

"The others—" Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair, "Teacher Xu, your voice is just born to sing this kind of song."

Xu Qingya turned her head away, pretending to adjust the position of her in-ear monitor.

But Jiang Fan noticed that the corners of her mouth were turned up.

Stop flattering me. Do it again.

The second time, the ending of the chorus was handled more cleanly. Xu Qingya added a semitone slide to the long note before the coda, which was beautiful.

The third time, perfect.

Jiang Fan pressed the call button: "Done."

The door to the recording studio opened, and Xu Qingya walked out, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

She picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and then looked at Jiang Fan.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um?"

"When did you start writing this song?"

The night before last.

Xu Qingya looked at him for two seconds.

"I really want to crack open your brain and see what's inside."

Jiang Fan didn't answer the question. He stood up, unplugged the USB drive from the computer, and handed it to Chen Lan.

"I've written a note for the post-mixing on a USB drive. Your arranger can just follow that for the string section."

Chen Lan took it and nodded: "Don't worry."

Xu Qingya sat cross-legged on the sofa, her chin resting on her knees, staring at Jiang Fan for a long while.

"You said that this song could make me surpass Tang Yingxue."

"Um."

"What if it really exceeds that limit?"

Jiang Fan turned around to look at her.

"Then let's keep going up. The second one isn't the end."

Xu Qingya stared at him.

"Ye Anran?"

Why not?

Ye Anran's position remains unchallenged in the entire Chinese music scene to this day.

But when Jiang Fan said it, Xu Qingya actually felt that it wasn't impossible.

Xu Qingya stood up from the sofa, walked over to him, and reached out to straighten the wrinkles on his shirt collar.

"Then I'll wait."

Chen Lan coughed and walked out with the folder in her hand, saying, "I'm going to arrange the post-production work. You two talk."

The door closed.

There were only two people left in the recording studio.

Xu Qingya's hand was still on his collar, and she didn't pull it away.

"Jiang Fan".

"Um."

"You wrote such a great song for me, I should thank you, right?"

"How will you thank me?"

Xu Qingya let go of her hand, picked up the car keys on the table, and shook them.

"go home."