My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 116

“Mengying, girl! Go get the master yogurt from the fridge!”

In the small apartment at dusk, Cheng Mengying and Ruan Ying sat with Xia An’ge on the living room couch, watching TV and enjoying a peaceful evening, if not for the occasional, out-of-place shout from the other room.

Cheng Mengying pouted and was just about to get up when Xia An’ge gently held her back.

This was already the fifth time!

Xia An’ge got up herself, went to the fridge in the kitchen, and took out some yogurt. The door to the room was ajar, and the sound of a keyboard being rapidly typed on could be heard from within.

Gu Zhinan was inside working on The Legend of Sword and Fairy, eyes focused on the screen, completely unaware of who had come in. When he felt the yogurt being brought to his mouth, Gu Zhinan mentally awarded Cheng Mengying the honorary title of “qualified handmaid.”

Sure enough, yell often enough and they’ll start coming on their own!

“Now that’s what I call getting with the program.”

He took a sip through the straw before reaching to take it. But the moment his fingers brushed against the hand holding the yogurt, Gu Zhinan turned his head in surprise.

He hadn’t touched Cheng Mengying’s hand before. Only one person had hands that were cool and soft like that. Xia An’ge.

At the doorway, Cheng Mengying and Ruan Ying were peeking in curiously, checking out Gu Zhinan’s room. It was simple and clean, not nearly as bad as Gu Zhinan had described before. Xia An’ge wore her usual calm expression, though the tips of her ears were slightly red. 

This was her second time in Gu Zhinan’s room. Nothing about the layout had changed, but her own feelings certainly had.

“Does it taste good?” Xia An’ge asked softly, looking at Gu Zhinan, a hint of laughter flickering in her peach blossom eyes. She stood beside him, soft and gentle.

“Uh…” Gu Zhinan still had the straw between his lips, yogurt in hand, while Xia An’ge stood right next to him. He braced himself and replied, “It’s good!”

Seeing Gu Zhinan so awkward, Xia An’ge couldn’t help but laugh. She glared at him playfully. “No more bossing Mengying around!”

“You tell him, An’ge!” Cheng Mengying’s head popped out from the hallway, voice full of righteous support.

Gu Zhinan glanced sideways at the door, and Cheng Mengying immediately ducked back out of sight. But Xia An’ge stepped in front of him again, blocking his line of vision. All he could see now was her delicate waist, slim enough to hold in one hand.

“You’re being unfair, landlady. Remember when your manager set me up? That landed me fourth on the trending search list, for a whole day!” Gu Zhinan defended himself.

“So what do you want, then?” Xia An’ge looked slightly flustered at the accusation of favoritism, her peach blossom eyes darting uncertainty.

Gu Zhinan gave her a once-over, eyes narrowing slightly with a mischievous gleam. His gaze made Xia An’ge visibly uncomfortable, but she stood her ground, fixing him with a determined look.

“Heh heh heh…” Gu Zhinan gave a devilish grin. Xia An’ge swallowed hard and stared at him.

“Well? Spit it out!”

“I didn’t expect that… So I’ll collect it later, Landlady.” Gu Zhinan sipped his yogurt and grinned.

“You still owe me a meal and now, a condition.”

“When did I owe you a meal?” Xia An’ge tilted her head, confused. Then after a moment, realization dawned. “Oh right, I never asked about that!”

“It was only a matter of time.” Gu Zhinan waved his hand smugly, as if everything was going exactly as planned. Xia An’ge puffed out her cheeks and left the room, clearly defeated. She now owed him one condition too!

“Sorry, An’ge!” Cheng Mengying rushed up and grabbed Xia An’ge’s hand, shaking it in apology. She was sure An’ge had suffered inside.

Xia An’ge looked at her, then pulled her close and pinched her cheeks the same way Mengying always pinched hers. “Do you realize your mistake?”

“Yes ma’am!” Cheng Mengying allowed her face to be squished, grinning all the while.

Dinner was noodles cooked by Xia An’ge, which made Gu Zhinan overjoyed. He’d thought he was going to go hungry, but it turned out the landlady wasn’t so heartless after all. Sure, she had decided last night that she wouldn’t cook for him anymore, but that was last night.

Tonight was a new day.

With Ruan Ying and Cheng Mengying keeping her company, Xia An’ge sat outside in the evening and strummed the accompaniment to Love Song on her guitar.

The two girls clapped and swooned like devoted fans, creating a cheerful and cozy atmosphere. Even with his door only half shut, Gu Zhinan could hear the music clearly.

Xia An’ge had already mastered the guitar accompaniment to the song. Gu Zhinan could tell that her rhythm was becoming flawless, good enough to satisfy even the pickiest ear. What made it worse was that she occasionally hummed parts of the lyrics. 

It was torture. Mesmerizing torture.

Gu Zhinan considered closing the door but then thought better of it. Maybe he’d let himself enjoy this little pleasure between writing sessions.

It wasn’t a bad life. He was thinking just that when the door opened again.

He turned his head and saw her. Still in her casual homewear, her graceful figure mostly hidden by the loose fabric.

Some things you couldn’t see, only feel. Like that slender waist from the night before. So soft.

“What kind of voice do you think suits this song?” Xia An’ge walked in hugging her guitar, cheeks slightly flushed. She had come in to ask a serious question.

“What kind of voice?” Gu Zhinan knew she was talking about how, with The Summer Wind, he’d suggested she sing with a slightly lazier tone and it had worked surprisingly well.

He thought carefully, recalling the voice of the girl who had sung it in his past life, and compared it to Xia An’ge’s singing today. After a while, he looked up and shook his head.

“You don’t need to use any special voice. Just sing with your natural feeling. The song is exactly what the title says, Love Song.”

My natural feeling? Xia An’ge stared at Gu Zhinan and, after a long pause, replied, “Got it, Young Master Gu.”

“…” Gu Zhinan was speechless. He was just about to tell her to stay out of the comments section on his story when his phone rang.

♪ “Why aren’t you here, when the mountain wind asks if you’ll return…” ♪

The ringtone filled the room. Gu Zhinan scrambled to grab his phone, a blush rising to his cheeks. Xia An’ge’s mouth fell slightly open, her face instantly turning pink.

That was the first recording she’d ever given him. 

Back then it had only been the guitar version. And he had actually made it his ringtone?!

Xia An’ge glanced at him holding the phone, his expression awkward. She didn’t say anything. She just gave him a look, then walked out and gently closed the door behind her.

Only then did Gu Zhinan answer the call. He had already seen the name, it was Lai Jingming.

“Fatty?” There was no response at first, just the sound of heavy breathing, like he was outside in the wind. Gu Zhinan didn’t understand and called out again.

Finally, Lai Jingming spoke. “Zhinan, can you come have a drink with me?”

His voice was calm. Too calm for Lai Jingming. The calmer he sounded, the more serious it must be. Gu Zhinan suddenly remembered, two weeks ago, Lai Jingming had mentioned his girlfriend and business partner were out meeting sponsors together.

A bad feeling crept into his chest.

“Right now?” He glanced at the time: 7:30 PM.

“Yeah. I think… you’re the only one I can call.”

“Send me the location. I’ll see you soon.”

It took about an hour by high-speed train from Lin City to Hangzhou. Gu Zhinan didn’t hesitate.

“Thanks.” Gu Zhinan didn’t reply. He simply hung up.

Lai Jingming sat not far from the spot where he’d last met Gu Zhinan, on a grassy slope, staring at the moon reflected on the lake. Scattered around him were dozens of beer cans, some opened, some still sealed, all piled together.

He didn’t move.

Only a single tear tracked down from the corner of his eye.

That was his youth, now gone.