Chapter 1

At the United Mall, the largest and most luxurious shopping center in Jiangnan City, the spacious and opulent hall on the first floor was bustling with people, the noise of the crowd almost deafening.

At this moment, a high-end jewelry exhibition was in full swing.

On the long T-shaped runway in the center of the hall, young and beautiful models with graceful figures and tall statures walked in fashionable dresses, adorned with expensive jewelry. They swayed their alluring waists and strutted their sexy catwalks, showcasing their charming and captivating allure on the long white runway.

In front of the snow-white runway, over a hundred journalists with their cameras snapped away, the sound of shutters clicking continuously, and the blinding flashlights dazzled the eyes.

Around the runway, the crowd was dense, the onlookers excited and agitated. Many people raised their hands high, waving and shouting, the screams and whistles never ceasing, as if they were going mad. If it weren't for the security personnel in uniform firmly guarding the runway, these excited and frenzied people might have broken through the defenses and rushed onto the runway.

The one causing such a frenzy was not the alluring models, but a beautiful lady who was the spokesperson for the evening gown of this brand jewelry event.

She was the absolute star of this high-end jewelry exhibition, the true queen of the event.

Her name was Tang Chuyi, the most popular singer in all of Asia. She had a face as beautiful as an angel, and her demeanor was like a delicate orchid, fresh and elegant. From the moment she debuted, she captivated the hearts of millions of fans with her beautiful and fresh image, elegant demeanor, and heavenly voice.

Now, she was at the peak of her fame, even breaking out of Asia and gaining a significant following in Europe and America.

More remarkably, in the chaotic entertainment industry, she had never been involved in any scandal.

She was the undisputed superstar, the pure and innocent idol in the hearts of countless otakus and the national goddess!

Her every move, every smile, could electrify the entire event, driving the crowd to the brink of madness.

When her soft, gentle, and magnetic voice echoed through the hall via the microphone, the frenzied scene miraculously fell silent.

Everyone at the scene loved to hear her voice and longed to hear it, even if it was just a simple phrase.

At this moment, Tang Chuyi was sitting on a luxurious leather swivel chair. Her posture was casual, her hair elegantly tied up, and her figure graceful. From any angle, she exuded an indescribable elegance and charm.

As the star of the event, it was impolite for her to sit during the event, especially in front of so many fans and journalists.

Strangely, no one found her impolite; it seemed to be taken for granted.

This was because the luxurious and comfortable swivel chair was a gift from her loyal fans and was part of the event's arrangement.

However, shortly after she sat down on the luxurious leather swivel chair, an unexpected incident occurred!

The luxurious swivel chair suddenly ejected several bright steel rings, which tightly bound her to the chair, rendering her immobile.

Ironically, this happened when she adjusted her posture, placed her hands on the armrests, and pressed the button at the front of the armrest according to the instructions in the chair's manual. Then, tragedy struck...

The crowd was stunned by this sudden incident, and even more shocking was the electronic voice from the chair's built-in voice control system!

"Attention, attention, explosive device activated, blast radius 300 square meters, five-minute countdown..."

"Attention, attention, explosive device activated, blast radius 300 square meters, five-minute countdown..."

"Four minutes and fifty seconds..."

"Four minutes and forty seconds..."

The electronic voice continued to sound, and as people recovered from their shock, they initially thought it was a prank!

However, when the chilling electronic voice sounded every ten seconds, the crowd no longer thought it was a prank and began to panic. No one dared to stay in place, and soon, the crowd surged, turning the entire hall into chaos!

Pushing and shoving, the hall was filled with screams, cries, and curses!

Fortunately, the United Mall had sufficient safety exits, and in just over a minute, the entire event area was restored to calm.

In the hall, the surging crowd, the models, the journalists, and even the deep-voiced event host, who had a hint of incitement in every word, were all gone.

On the ground, there were scattered promotional flyers, beautifully packaged CDs, and even various shoes of different shapes and colors, leaving the scene in disarray.

On the quiet runway, only the spokesperson for the event remained, sitting alone on the luxurious and comfortable swivel chair.

This chair was called a "acupressure massage chair," with a luxurious and grand design, comfortable to sit on, and equipped with health functions, making it a high-tech product.

However, no one could have imagined that this high-tech massage chair, a gift from her fans, had a hidden agenda!

"Three minutes and thirty seconds..."

"Three minutes and twenty seconds..."

The entire hall was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard, forming a stark and eerie contrast to the previous frenzied and chaotic atmosphere.

"Two minutes and fifty seconds..."

Time ticked by, and only the electronic voice, sounding like a death knell, echoed in the quiet hall every ten seconds, clear, cold, and despairing.

Listening to the death knell, Tang Chuyi felt as if she were in a dream, unable to believe that this was real!

A few minutes ago, she was the beloved star under the spotlight, adored by the crowd. A few minutes later, she was cruelly abandoned on the long runway, even her most trusted manager had vanished without a trace.

How could this be?

Tang Chuyi's angelic face had turned extremely pale, her captivating eyes clouded with a faint mist. Her eyes were filled with despair, fear, sorrow, and helplessness...

Where are the people?

Why is no one here? Why is no one coming to save me?

No! This must be a prank, a prank!

"One minute and fifty seconds..."

The cold electronic voice sounded again, mercilessly.

Tang Chuyi's heart tightened, and her delicate body trembled involuntarily. At this moment, she felt a great danger enveloping her, and she sensed that the chair really did contain explosives!

Tang Chuyi's sorrowful eyes looked toward the entrance of the hall, still harboring a glimmer of hope, hoping that someone would appear, someone would come to save her.

Unfortunately, reality was often cruel. The entrance of the hall was quiet, and no one she hoped to see appeared, nor did she hear the piercing sirens she longed to hear. She was utterly despondent...

With just over a minute left, even if the police could arrive, it would be too late.

Is my life about to end?

Am I really going to end up in pieces?

Tang Chuyi gently closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks. As her life was about to end, her tense body relaxed involuntarily, and extreme despair made her accept her fate...

"Click!"

Suddenly, a faint sound echoed in the hall, as if something had been crushed.

The sound was not loud, but in the quiet hall, it was very clear and jarring!

Tang Chuyi heard it, and the sound struck her heart like a thunderbolt. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw a young man with a clear face peering out from behind a large pillar on the right side of the runway.

The young man seemed to be stepping out from behind the pillar. At that moment, one of his feet had already stepped out and was on a CD that had fallen on the ground, producing the "click" sound.

Seeing someone hiding behind the pillar, Tang Chuyi was stunned.

At that moment, the young man's face showed a hint of embarrassment, and he said awkwardly, "Uh, sorry, I accidentally stepped on your CD..."

As he spoke, the young man lifted his foot from the CD and carefully stepped around it, then cautiously climbed onto the runway.

"You! Who are you?"

The sudden appearance of the young man, and the somewhat eerie manner, made Tang Chuyi momentarily forget that she was sitting on a ticking time bomb.

"That... I'm Ning Xiaofan, a loyal fan of yours..." The young man looked shy, his expression a mix of shyness and excitement, and his hands fidgeted nervously.

"Fan?" Tang Chuyi was stunned, but the young man's expression gave her a familiar feeling. Fans who met her up close often either became extremely excited or shy and nervous.

"One minute and thirty seconds..."

The death knell sounded again, and Tang Chuyi's face turned pale.

"The place is about to explode!" Tang Chuyi cried out, her eyes filled with fear.

Her cry was a warning to him, but the young man, who called himself Ning Xiaofan, showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he walked toward her, saying, "Don't be afraid, there's still over a minute, don't be afraid..."

Ning Xiaofan spoke softly, and Tang Chuyi didn't hear clearly. Seeing him approach her, muttering to himself, she shouted, "Hurry up and escape! It's too late if you don't leave now!"

"It's in time, it's in time..." Ning Xiaofan mumbled, stopping in front of her.

"What did you say? What's in time?" Tang Chuyi heard clearly this time and was slightly stunned.

"One minute and ten seconds..." the electronic voice sounded again.

"Oh, I mean it's still in time to defuse the bomb..."

Ning Xiaofan gave Tang Chuyi a shy smile, then turned his gaze to the luxurious chair she was sitting on...

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