My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 121

“Last night, a mysterious singer stunned a live music restaurant in downtown Hangzhou!”

“A heartbreaking love ballad shook the entire venue to its core!”

“A song so good it blew everyone away discovered at a live music bar!”

“Mysterious singer, mysterious song — an original track that lit up the night!”

While Gu Zhinan and Lai Jingming were still deep in their dreams, the song Gu Zhinan had performed, ‘Kiss Too Real’, had already gone viral.

A guest had recorded his performance on their phone and uploaded it to Weibo last night. The video spread like wildfire overnight, and by morning, it had been picked up by major media outlets. It rocketed to the top of the trending searches!

The owner of the music restaurant even posted security footage showing the part where Gu Zhinan stepped on stage and started singing!

Everyone online was blown away!

The full performance, complete with Gu Zhinan’s spontaneous a cappella at the end, instantly exploded on Weibo’s front page.

All the media outlets and netizens shared it like crazy.

“Holy crap! This song!”

“Damn, it’s so good!”

“What song is this? Does anyone recognize it?”

“Tried song ID apps, nothing shows up!”

“Stop searching! The bar’s house band vocalist confirmed it’s an original and hasn’t been released yet!”

“Insane! Who is this guy? Why’s he covered up so well?”

“Showing off, obviously. If I sang like that, I’d show off too!”

“Nah, if I had a song like that, I’d sing it naked!”

“Wow, you’re a freak… but I kinda like it!”

“!”

Reactions were explosive. Some people discussed the melody, others speculated about the mysterious singer’s identity.

Of course, some criticized the performance, the hoarse voice, a few cracks toward the end. But those comments were quickly drowned out.

“If you think you can do better, go on stage yourself. If not, shut up!”

“If you can write something like this, I’ll pee on my own head!”

“Right! Once you’re done, I’ll go after you! Ridiculous how people talk out of their ass!”

Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi saw the trending post early this time. They were fuming. Gu Zhinan had backstabbed them brutally and publicly!

But they couldn’t expose his identity even if they wanted to. The problem was, they didn’t even know who he was!

Gu Zhinan never said his name the whole night. Lai Jingming hadn’t called him by name either!

So Lan Fang and Lu Gao Chi could only pretend ignorance. Plus, Gu Zhinan had gone out of his way to cover himself, clearly not looking to be identified. If he wanted to name names, he could’ve done it last night.

He clearly still cared about Lai Jingming, he wouldn’t drag things out in such a roundabout way otherwise.

“Do you remember what that guy looked like?” Lu Gao Chi asked coldly. Gu Zhinan had kept his head down while eating, and Lu hadn’t paid close attention.

“I’d recognize him if I saw him again,” Lan Fang replied, though not too confidently, she had only glimpsed him when he took off his mask briefly.

Lu Gao Chi’s eyes darkened. “Let him enjoy his fifteen minutes. No one knows who Lai Jingming is. He can’t stir up much trouble.”

Meanwhile, in Beijing on a business trip, Lin Xi also saw the viral post early that morning. After watching the video, he immediately contacted his assistant.

“Get in touch with the music bar from the video. See if we can find this mysterious singer and invite him to appear on the next episode of Masked Singer ZheJiang.”

Lin Xi was a musician himself and also one of the producers for Zhejiang TV’s Masked Singer. As the station’s flagship program, Masked Singer was filmed in Hangzhou. As a talent scout for the show, Lin Xi’s job was to find interesting new voices.

There were no restrictions for guests, no age, no profession, no gender limit, only talent mattered. They operated on an open application model, if you could sing well, they wanted you, no matter who you were.

The show was a real-people challenge style, where contestants from all over China wore masks and competed live. No one knew who their opponents were, not the audience, not even the judges. From the moment you stepped into the filming venue, you had to wear a mask that fully covered your face.

Lin Xi was eager to find this mysterious singer from the music bar. The hoarseness didn’t matter, as a pro, he could tell this guy’s vocal tone was something special.

Lin City.

Xia An’ge had woken up early in a good mood.

Ruan Ying and Cheng Mengying arrived precisely on time, more punctual than they ever were for work. “An’ge-jie! You’ve gotta watch this amazing video!”

Ruan Ying bounced over to the still-groggy Xia An’ge, holding out her phone showing the full clip of Gu Zhinan’s bar performance.

“Last night at this Hangzhou music bar, a mysterious singer appeared! The song was so good! And look, he’s wrapped up tight, it’s hilarious!”

Xia An’ge blinked her peach-blossom eyes, rubbed them, and took the phone.

“No matter how I think about it… it all feels fake…”

The camera angle was from far away. The singer looked like he was several meters off. When zoomed in, the footage turned blurry.

Even with the volume maxed out, the voice was only just audible.

Xia An’ge frowned slightly once the singing started. The hoarseness was obvious from the beginning. She hadn’t heard the song before, and the notes were slightly off.

She quickly lost interest but still watched through the 3-minute clip. Just as she was about to return the phone, a line popped up, “I’m out.”

The voice wasn’t loud, but it was crystal clear in her ears. Her sleepy eyes suddenly widened.

She walked to the sofa and sat down, rewound the video, and listened to that line again. Then she skipped back to the start to the moment the singer began.

She stared at the figure on screen.

Her mind went blank. “Gu Zhinan?!” She was shocked, both inside and out. 

Ruan Ying noticed and thought Xia An’ge was amused too. She laughed. “Funny, right? I’ve never seen someone so wrapped up while singing! It’s just like a Masked Singer! And he totally cracked at the end!”

Cheng Mengying rolled her eyes. As a professional manager, she gave a more critical view. “Just attention-seeking. Sure, he’s blowing up on Weibo and trending, but no one knows who he is. What’s the point?”

Xia An’ge pressed her lips together. Ruan Ying and Cheng Mengying had never heard Gu Zhinan sing. They didn’t recognize his voice. And he had cracked on a few notes. But she was 80% sure, the person in the video was Gu Zhinan.

Didn’t he say he was out comforting a friend? How did he end up singing in public?

To confirm the remaining 20%, Xia An’ge freshened up, came out, and immediately sent Gu Zhinan a message, “How much did you drink?”

No reply. Xia An’ge’s expression turned cold. He was clearly out getting drunk!

But Gu Zhinan wasn’t drunk, he was exhausted. Lai Jingming, who suddenly started singing in the middle of the night, had tortured him all night. Gu Zhinan had seriously considered selling him to a butcher and making him tomorrow’s morning special at the local market.

“Zhinan! Zhinan! Wake up! How the hell are you still sleeping?!”

Gu Zhinan opened his eyes to see a fat hand shaking him repeatedly, his gaze murderous. Lai Jingming backed off in a panic.

What the hell is this waking-up rage?!

Gu Zhinan sat up, ran a hand through his messy hair, and muttered, “I’ve contacted a slaughterhouse. I’m sending you there today. Think of it as the last good thing I’ll ever do for you.”

“???” Lai Jingming was horrified. “Dude, don’t mess with me!”

“Mess with you?” Gu Zhinan grabbed a pillow and smacked it into Lai Jingming’s face. “You fat idiot! You cried and laughed all night, and then kept singing ‘Kiss kiss kiss too real!’”

He slipped on the hotel slippers and walked toward the bathroom. “Next time you get drunk, I’ll make sure you’re tomorrow’s morning special.”

Lai Jingming shivered in the early autumn noon, whispering, “It’s not my fault you sang so damn well…”