117: Chapter 117 Jiang Fan? You think you can call me that?!

At 10:00 AM the next day, Jiang Fan left the Studio with a USB drive in his pocket.

The Times Media headquarters occupied the entire thirty-seventh floor of the Lujiazui Financial Center.

It was his first time at this place too.

As the elevator doors opened, a massive logo wall stood directly in front of him, and two girls in uniforms sat behind the reception desk.

One of them looked up, saw Jiang Fan, and dropped the pen in her hand onto the desk.

She quickly lowered her head to whisper to her colleague.

"Look, look, that guy is so handsome..."

"Oh my god, is he a newly signed artist?"

Jiang Fan walked to the reception desk and set his phone down on the counter.

"I'm looking for Su Yuyan."

The two receptionists exchanged a glance.

In this building, the number of people who dared to call this leading star by her full name without adding "Teacher" or "Director" could be counted on one hand.

The one on the left reacted first, putting on a professional smile: "Sir, are you referring to Teacher Su? May I ask if you have an appointment?"

"She told me to come."

"Uh... may I ask your name?"

"Jiang Fan."

Upon hearing the name, the receptionist on the right let out an "ah" and nearly fell as her chair slid backward.

The one on the left hurriedly grabbed her arm.

She picked up the landline, dialed an extension, and spoke a few words in a low voice.

After hanging up the phone, the courtesy on her face instantly turned into obsequiousness.

"Teacher Jiang, please come this way, I'll take you there."

Jiang Fan followed her through the open-plan office area.

Along the way, they passed many workstations; some people looked up at him, but upon making eye contact with Jiang Fan, they quickly lowered their heads.

Only after he had walked far away did soft murmurs of discussion start behind his back.

Su Yuyan's private office was at the very end.

The receptionist knocked on the door, and after hearing "Come in," she stepped aside.

Jiang Fan pushed the door open and entered.

Su Yuyan was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window making a call; she turned around and nodded at him.

Today, she was wearing a black suit dress.

The cinched waist cut accentuated her waistline aggressively, and she wore black silk stockings paired with Valentino pointed-toe high heels on her legs.

Her hair was put up, revealing her fair nape.

This aura of a shrewd and capable capitalist was a far cry from the way she acted like a spoiled brat in front of him.

Jiang Fan looked around the office.

Su Yuyan was not only the top star of Times Media but also a core shareholder.

A fortune had been spent on the office renovation; the massive floor-to-ceiling window faced the Huangpu River, and the room reeked of money.

"...Cancel that engagement, the schedule conflicts. Yes, I said cancel it, so cancel it. Tell them that if the timing doesn't work, it doesn't work; don't try to pressure me with the contract."

He walked over to the leather sofa, sat down, crossed his legs, and rested one foot casually on the edge of the coffee table.

He took out his phone and started scrolling through Douyin.

Su Yuyan hung up the phone and turned around.

Her gaze fell directly on the leather shoe resting on her expensive coffee table.

"Put your foot down."

Jiang Fan continued to swipe the screen with his thumb, not moving.

Su Yuyan walked over in her high heels, sat down on the single sofa opposite him, and crossed her legs.

Her eyes were fixed directly on him.

Five seconds later.

Jiang Fan finally moved his foot back onto the carpet.

"Where is my song?" Su Yuyan extended her jade-like hand.

Jiang Fan fished the USB drive out of his pocket and tossed it onto the coffee table.

Su Yuyan picked up the USB drive and turned to walk toward the large solid wood desk.

She plugged it into her laptop and opened the folder.

There were two files inside: a demo audio track and a lyrics document.

She opened the lyrics first.

Her gaze scanned down from the first line, not very quickly.

When she reached the chorus, her finger paused on the trackpad.

"This song... was it written specifically for me?"

"What else?"

Su Yuyan didn't respond and clicked on the demo.

The prelude flowed out from the speakers.

The guzheng strings were plucked, the tone clear and bright, with a light layer of electronic drum beats underneath.

Su Yuyan leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.

The demo was sung by Jiang Fan himself; the male voice was kept very low, merely outlining the melodic framework.

After listening to it once, Su Yuyan dragged the progress bar back to the beginning.

"Let me try it."

She didn't use a microphone, just sang acapella while sitting behind the desk.

From the very first line, her voice slid out from the depths of her throat, naturally carrying an inseparable sense of fluidity.

Jiang Fan sat on the sofa, his phone already tucked back into his pocket.

When she reached the chorus, Su Yuyan's entire demeanor changed completely.

She stood up, supporting herself with one hand on the desk, her body swaying gently with the rhythm.

"Forget, forget, let it all be forgotten, sway with my rhythm—"

"Sway, sway, and sway again, the faint, flickering light—"

That allure seeping from her very bones didn't need to be acted out.

Her singing echoed in the spacious office.

Jiang Fan stood up.

He walked straight to the office door.

Click.

The door locked shut.

Su Yuyan's singing stopped abruptly.

She opened her eyes, watching Jiang Fan lock the door behind him and walk toward her.

"What do you want?"

Jiang Fan didn't answer.

He reached the desk in three steps, gripped her waist with one hand, and pressed her directly onto the large solid wood table.

The cumbersome laptop was roughly pushed to the side.

"Jiang Fan, are you crazy?! This is an office! There are people everywhere outside—"

Su Yuyan tried to push herself up with her hands on the desk, but she was pressed down firmly.

She raised her leg, her high heel kicking Jiang Fan's calf.

She didn't use any force, and the shoe fell off first.

The zipper of her suit dress was pulled down, and her stockings were ruined.

The solid wood desk was extremely sturdy.

But under the violent shaking, it still emitted a faint sound of protest.

Several folders on the desk slid onto the carpet.

Su Yuyan's unfinished latte wobbled twice, and the coffee spilled out, soaking directly into the commercial contract pressed at the bottom.

"My contract—wait a minute—don't get it on the contract—"

No one paid her any mind.

"Jiang Fan! You bastard—ah—"

Two hours later.

Jiang Fan adjusted his shirt collar and pulled the door open.

Su Yuyan followed behind, leaning against the door frame.

She tugged at the wrinkles in her suit dress, barely making it look presentable.

Her hair, which had been put up, was half loose; she smoothed it with her fingers and tucked it behind her ear.

The black stockings were gone from her long, slender legs.

A flush that hadn't quite faded remained on her cheeks.

"I'm leaving, Director Su." Jiang Fan didn't even turn his head.

"Get lost."

Su Yuyan gave him a kick, not using any force.

She walked Jiang Fan to the end of the hallway and pressed the elevator down button.

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open to both sides.

Standing inside was someone.

He had a buzz cut, was wearing a trendy oversized hoodie, and had a pair of Beats headphones hanging around his neck.

He was holding a cup of Starbucks.

Zhao Tianyu.

He saw Su Yuyan outside the elevator at first glance.

"Sister Yuyan!" Zhao Tianyu lifted the coffee in his hand, putting on a flattering smile, "I was just about to find you to talk about that engagement next week—"

Before he could finish, his gaze swept to the man behind Su Yuyan.

Zhao Tianyu's Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice cut out abruptly.

"Jiang Fan?!"

Zhao Tianyu's voice went up half an octave, and he nearly dropped his Starbucks.

His gaze flickered back and forth between Jiang Fan and Su Yuyan.

"Zhao Tianyu." Su Yuyan's expression turned cold instantly.

"Is Jiang Fan someone you can call by name? Call him Teacher Jiang."

The muscles at the corner of Zhao Tianyu's mouth twitched.

Asking him to call Jiang Fan "Teacher"?

The image of him being trampled under this person's feet on the Tomorrows Star competition stage was still vivid in his mind.

Now, in his own company, he had to respectfully call him "Teacher"?

He looked at Su Yuyan.

The expression on the face of this core shareholder of the company held no hint of a joke.

Zhao Tianyu gripped the cup in his hand, forcing out a smile that was uglier than crying.

"...Teacher Jiang."

Jiang Fan stepped into the elevator.

He raised his hand and patted Zhao Tianyu on the shoulder casually twice.

"Little Zhao, keep up the good work."

The elevator doors slowly closed.

At the very last moment before the doors closed, Jiang Fan clearly saw Zhao Tianyu's face flush the color of a pig's liver.

Su Yuyan turned and left, leaving Zhao Tianyu standing stiffly in the hallway alone.

The elevator descended.

At the edge of his retina, a pale blue system panel appeared silently.

[Deep Compatibility ×1, Lifespan Value +1000]

[Current Lifespan Value: 35400 points]

[Remaining Lifespan: 124 days]

Jiang Fan walked out of the building's revolving door.

The phone in his pocket vibrated twice.

He took out his phone, and a message from Su Yuyan popped up on the screen.

[Compensate me for my stockings.]

[And my contract, it's soaked through with coffee, the legal department has to reprint it!]

Jiang Fan typed with one hand and replied with three words.

[I'll be careful next time.]

Su Yuyan replied instantly: [Careful your head! You want a next time? [Kitchen Knife][Kitchen Knife][Kitchen Knife]]