My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 119

The four of them each had their own thoughts, only Gu Zhinan looked like a complete fool.

When he said he came for dinner, he really meant just that, dinner. It was only now that Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi got a clear look at Gu Zhinan’s face.

Compared to Lu Gao Chi, who only had a refined aura, Gu Zhinan had both good looks and a clean-cut vibe, not to mention he was tall.

“He’s quite the handsome young man. Where did Lai Jingming meet him?”

Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi couldn’t recognize Gu Zhinan. After all, Lu Gao Chi had been in the desert until recently, and although Lan Fang hadn’t gone, she’d been busy trying to break into Nation’s Star Entertainment, one of the biggest entertainment companies in the country.

She had put everything on the line for a shot at getting in. Besides, she didn’t pay much attention to the trending topics. 

When Gu Zhinan trended during China’s New Song Chart Awards, they’d been too busy negotiating their deal with Nation’s Star Entertainment to care about pop music news.

And let’s face it, no matter how talented Gu Zhinan was for composing The Summer Wind, a Golden Songwriter Award would never get the same attention as Xia An’ge’s Golden Song Award for an idol performance.

His buzz only lasted a day before it was crushed by Wang Yuyan. Only Xia An’ge managed to stay trending longer. That’s why neither Lan Fang nor Lu Gao Chi had seen Gu Zhinan in the news or on Weibo since.

It was only a few days ago that they found out he and Lai Jingming had joined Nation’s Star Entertainment as B-list directors.

And Nation’s Star had even given them an excellent script. Lu Gao Chi had gone so far as to invest 10 million yuan of his own family’s money!

With the boost from Nation’s Star Entertainment, their sci-fi romance film Magic City had secured a total investment of 20 million yuan. This was the first film for both of them.

Lu Gao Chi was the head director, Lan Fang the assistant director and second female lead, this was their big break into Huaguo Star.

Everyone had ambitions. Lu Gao Chi’s was to make Magic City the most outstanding debut by a new director in China’s film history.

That’s why they thought of bringing in Lai Jingming. His directing talent had been the reason they approached him in the first place, and it was the very thing they envied most. His insights into screenwriting and cinematography were always several steps ahead of theirs.

If Lai Jingming stayed onboard, this movie could be twice as successful with half the effort.

But Lai Jingming’s creative vision didn’t align with theirs, so they forced his hand. They pressured him to dissolve the studio, and since all the studio’s resources were registered under Lu Gao Chi’s name, Lai Jingming was left with nothing.

Jia Zhengkang even believed Lu Gao Chi was the one with real directing talent, and Lai Jingming had become the discarded pawn. What disgusted him most was that the two people he had trusted so naively had been using him from the very beginning.

From the moment he confessed and she accepted, Lan Fang had been acting. And he had been foolish enough to believe her whole “keeping herself pure until marriage” nonsense.

What a goddamn idiot he was!

“How about it, have you thought it over?” Lu Gao Chi asked, the smugness gone from his face as he tried to look sincere.

“This is really a great opportunity. People should always strive to move up, don’t you think?” Lan Fang added, trying to persuade him.

Gu Zhinan, watching them, was a bit shocked by how shameless they were. How were they planning to keep him after pulling all this? Turns out Fatty really was that talented.

He’d thought the guy was just bluffing.

The fact that Lai Jingming had held back this long to save Gu Zhinan from embarrassment touched him deeply.

In that case…

Gu Zhinan wiped his mouth, smiled, and said, “I’m full now. Thinking things through takes time, right? How about I sing a song for the three of you?”

“You can sing?” Lai Jingming was surprised. He’d never heard Gu Zhinan sing before, but then he remembered, this guy did write The Summer Wind.

Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi both looked annoyed but forced a polite response. “If it makes you happy, little bro. We’ll listen.”

“Great! Listen carefully, my singing is really good!” Gu Zhinan winked at Lan Fang. She stiffened.

Was this kid crushing on her now?

Figures. Anyone hanging around Lai Jingming couldn’t possibly have big ambitions. Probably just another simple-minded loser.

Lan Fang sneered inside. She and Lu Gao Chi had liked each other since college, he liked her boldness, she liked his money.

It wasn’t until they met Lai Jingming that Lu Gao Chi came up with the idea to use him.

They deliberately befriended the overlooked but highly talented director, and when Lai Jingming started showing feelings for Lan Fang, Lu Gao Chi had told her to accept him.

This got them full access to Lai Jingming’s skills. Lu Gao Chi’s directing suddenly improved by leaps and bounds, while Lai Jingming faded into the background, willingly becoming the ghost director.

Gu Zhinan ignored them and stood up, pulling his mask back on.

Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi frowned. Why the mask again?

Gu Zhinan patted Lai Jingming on the shoulder. Lai couldn’t see his smile, only those dark eyes.

“Listen up, this one’s for you. Remember what I said in the park?”

Said what? Lai Jingming looked confused.

Gu Zhinan went downstairs. The band was on break, so he approached the lead guitarist and smiled.

“Mind if I sing a song?”

The lead singer glanced at Gu Zhinan’s masked face, puzzled but nodded.

“If you want to request a song, it’s 200 yuan. You can order it at your table, and someone will let us know.”

Then he watched Gu Zhinan casually pull out his wallet and hand him five 100-yuan bills.

“I’ll sing it myself. And I’ll borrow your guitar.”

Before the singer could react, Gu Zhinan had already taken the guitar from around his neck.

“What song? We can back you up.” The rest of the band finally caught up.

“No need. You can’t.”

Gu Zhinan said softly. Then he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head.

“We can’t?” The band members looked at each other, confused. They weren’t famous, but they could play just about anything.

“It’s my own original song.” That shut everyone up.

Original? Say no more.

Gu Zhinan walked to the mic and cleared his throat. Up until now, only a few tables had noticed him, one of them being Lai Jingming’s group.

But that single cough drew the attention of half the restaurant. People stared. Who was this masked guy in a hoodie? Was he really that scared of being recognized?

Gu Zhinan did want to avoid being recognized… for now.

Upstairs, Lai Jingming opened the window and leaned out to watch. Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi joined him. They were curious to see what this mystery man would do.

Gu Zhinan looked up, found Lai Jingming, and waved.

Then he turned to the mic and said, “Today I learned what it means to be shameless beyond comparison. So I wrote a song for them, and to remind my brother, there are a hundred kinds of flowers, but people and dogs are not the same.”

“Hell yeah!” Lai Jingming slammed the wall beside him so hard his knuckles bled. If he’d hit the window, someone downstairs might’ve been hurt.

Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi’s faces turned bright red. They looked at each other, stunned and ashamed. Lan Fang glared down at Gu Zhinan. The guy she thought was cute just moments ago, she now wanted to rip him apart.

Gu Zhinan had no idea what they were thinking. All he knew was that the entire music lounge had gone quiet. He took a deep breath through his mask, a bit short of breath, but it was fine.

He looked down at the guitar, fingers finding the right position.

Ding da-ding ding.

A crisp, carefree melody rang out. The crowd quieted. The tune had piqued their interest. Lai Jingming hadn’t expected an actual new song. He clenched his fists in anticipation.

“No matter how you spin it, I still think it’s fake. Been by your side so long, you call it a burden. From start to end, who do you think I am? You fickle little butterfly!”

Gu Zhinan’s voice was raspy and a bit hoarse thanks to the booze, but the mic carried it across the whole lounge. People straightened up in their seats. 

What song was this?

“Last night we drank, you left my heart in pieces. And now you say we don’t belong? Have you forgotten those sleepless nights tangled with me?”

Lai Jingming’s eyes reddened. Lan Fang was dumbstruck.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss. You kissed too damn real! Made me believe fake love was something to feel. Should’ve known better than to fall for the deal!”

“I wanted to ask, ask, ask, ask, ask, how do I break free? But you say, ‘In a world this wild, don’t take it seriously.’ How cruel. To make me fall for your heartless lips.”

The guitar kept playing. The crowd burst into applause.

“Great song!”

“Awesome!” Lai Jingming shouted.

Gu Zhinan grinned. The alcohol let him drop his guard. The song itself called for emotional release.

“What kind of heart faces kindness with indifference? Have you ever thought how much your love has hurt me?”

“Your love’s like a perfect poison. it ruins, yet leaves you dazzling. I can’t believe how many real nights I spent with you. And now, I’m broken, post-passion.”

“Whoa-oh!”

He sang louder, strumming with fire.

“You used up my love, tossed it in the wild to rot. No one saw the crimes you wrought. But your kiss, your kiss was crueler than I thought!”

That last part was practically a scream. Raw, off-key, but utterly real. Lai Jingming, upstairs, was already in tears. He remembered what Gu Zhinan had told him in the park. “Go say goodbye. That boiling feeling of love in your heart needs closure.”

“F**k!” Lai Jingming roared, scaring the hell out of Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi.

They turned to see him wiping his tears, growling, “Lan Fang, we’ve known each other for two years. I liked you for a year and a half. We were together for a year. A whole year! I never once crossed the line. But I never expected…”

He suddenly laughed. “Fine then. A hundred kinds of flowers, people and dogs are not the same. From now on, we’re done!”

He came to say goodbye. Not to be mocked.

Gu Zhinan was wrapping up the song. He grabbed the mic and shouted, “I’m out!”

“Hell yeah!” Lai Jingming echoed from upstairs, turning and storming out to follow him.

Most of the crowd had started recording the moment Gu Zhinan sang the first chorus. Even now, they were reluctant to stop. His voice wasn’t perfect, it was hoarse and cracked.

But his emotion was real. And it struck a nerve.

Everyone had once been in love. Been foolish. Been played. They thought of their past youth. What song was that?

A giant question loomed in everyone’s minds. Lan Fang’s face had gone completely purple. Lu Gao Chi looked just as awful. They never imagined a stranger would gut them with one song.

“Let’s go.” Lu Gao Chi finally muttered.

“I want him ruined. Forever,” Lan Fang spat, eyes full of venom.

Lu Gao Chi’s gaze darkened. He stared at the door where Lai Jingming had left. “He’s nothing without me. All the glory was mine.”

As they stepped out, a smiling server approached. “There’s still some liquor that needs packing. Please wait a moment.”

“Liquor?” Lu Gao Chi blinked. They hadn’t ordered any.

“Your friend ordered ten bottles of Farolan Rémy Martin,” the server beamed. “Discounted price is 88,000 yuan!”

“What?!” Lu Gao Chi and Lan Fang shouted in disbelief. The server simply handed over the receipt.

Sure enough, ten bottles added.

“F**k!” Lu Gao Chi cursed. He had the money, but this was a waste—especially mid-film production. He paid. His face looked like he’d eaten crap. “Where’s the liquor?”

“Right here.” Another server came out carrying a small water drum filled with yellowish liquid.

“Sir, is this a new trend, pouring good liquor into these?”

Lu Gao Chi nearly popped a vein. His breathing quickened, face turning red, Lan Fang had to steady him. Her face was just as ugly.

“Throw it out,” she said coldly. Then she dragged Lu Gao Chi away. The two servers stared after them, shocked.

Expensive liquor in a water drum? Just tossed?

The world of the rich, they’d never understand.