My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 130

Gu Zhinan couldn’t stand the smell of alcohol on Lai Jingming, so he simply booked two rooms and kicked him into the other one to sleep, enjoying the peace and quiet himself. That way, he wouldn’t have to deal with another overly realistic kiss in the middle of the night!

After taking a shower and changing into the clothes he’d just bought downstairs, Gu Zhinan lay on the bed, trying to carefully recall the melody of Blue and White Porcelain, its instrumental accompaniment, and some of the vocal techniques.

Lai Jingming had said earlier that one of the directors was his teacher. Tomorrow, the plan was to first appeal to emotion, then play the trump card, Blue and White Porcelain, and finally extend the invitation to collaborate. He was determined to win over Lai Jingming’s teacher, Liu Nian!

Ding! Just as he was reminiscing, his phone rang. Without thinking, Gu Zhinan picked it up.

Meanwhile, Xia An’ge had just returned to the artist’s apartment. Back in her room, she lay down on the bed, her graceful figure on full display. She took out her phone and sent Gu Zhinan the demo of the song she recorded today. But the moment the file was successfully sent, she regretted it.

She suddenly remembered how the first version of The Summer Breeze had been set as Gu Zhinan’s ringtone. In a panic, she quickly withdrew the message, trying to pretend it had never happened.

So, what Gu Zhinan saw was a music file just as he opened the message. From the file type, he could tell it was a love song. He tapped it.

Then it vanished!

“Message has been withdrawn.”

“…?” Gu Zhinan was stunned, he had just heard the first strum of a guitar!

“Why did you withdraw it? I didn’t get to listen!”

“Listen to what?” Xia An’ge pretended not to know, though her ears immediately turned red. Why was he staring at his phone so intently? Listen to what? Don’t tell him you don’t know what you just sent?

“The song, of course, big sis!”

“I didn’t send anything!”

“…” Gu Zhinan found himself helpless against his landlady’s stubbornness. He couldn’t win against her. “Can I just listen to it once?”

He began coaxing her softly, hoping to get that withdrawn love song file. But Xia An’ge ignored him and typed something else on her screen instead. “I’m going to Beijing tomorrow morning. I have an event in the afternoon.”

The landlady was coming to Beijing?

“What kind of event?”

“An interview segment for a show, should take about an hour. Then there’s another activity, also about an hour.”

After sending the message, Xia An’ge thought for a moment and typed another one, “Are you going back to the small apartment tomorrow?”

“No, probably staying for another two days.” 

He still needed to finish up the Blue and White Porcelain project at Huayang TV, find an actor, and scout locations. Even though Situ Hongwei said he’d help, Gu Zhinan didn’t want to rely on him completely.

“Oh.”

“Don’t change the subject. You sent me the Love Song earlier, I want to hear it. I need to know if you sang my song properly, don’t I?” Gu Zhinan really wanted to hear how the love song sounded as a studio recording.

Xia An’ge frowned at the message. “I didn’t sing it badly.”

“Then send it to me.”

“Send what?”

“…” And they were back to square one.

“Forget it, then. I’m going to sleep.” Gu Zhinan sighed. Such a shame, he’d heard the guitar start playing, and then it was gone.

So frustrating!

“I want to go to the amusement park.” He said he was putting his phone down, but his hands betrayed him and kept holding it. When he saw that message, he was confused.

With Xia An’ge’s current popularity, she couldn’t just go wherever she wanted anymore. She was already on par with some second-tier singers. Plus, she was busy promoting her new album, with back-to-back events. 

The last time she returned was only because Ruan Ying said she needed a break.

“If you’re not afraid of getting mobbed, then go.” Still, Gu Zhinan replied.

Xia An’ge pouted. She knew there was a luminous night amusement park in Beijing. If there was time tomorrow, she wanted to check it out, even just looking would be enough.

She had never been to an amusement park in her life. “You still owe me one condition.”

When Gu Zhinan saw that, he knew he was cornered. But suddenly he remembered, she owed him a condition too!

She had walked right into this. “Ahem. You owe me one as well.”

Xia An’ge’s lips parted in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to bring that up now. He was clearly going to say that he was not going to the amusement park!

Her peach blossom-shaped eyes dimmed instantly.

“I want the recording from earlier. And this time, no taking it back! Otherwise, your condition doesn’t count.” Gu Zhinan typed out his demand slowly, confident he had her right where he wanted.

“Oh.”

So he wasn’t refusing to go to the amusement park. Xia An’ge instantly perked up. She opened the file and sent over the love song with the guitar accompaniment she’d recorded today. Her cheeks turned bright red.

As the file arrived, Gu Zhinan smirked. So this was how he used that favor. Why did she even withdraw it in the first place?

“You said you didn’t have it?”

“I never said that.”

“…”

“I’m going to sleep now.” After typing that, Xia An’ge added another line, “Good night, Gu Maniac.”

“…” A new nickname every day. Gu Zhinan felt a little overwhelmed. Who knew what she’d call him tomorrow? 

“Good night. I’ll sleep after listening to the song.” He chose to download it right away, just in case the landlady tried to retract it again. This way, it’d be saved.

“Don’t set it as your ringtone again!!!” Xia An’ge suddenly remembered and turned beet red. If Gu Zhinan set it as a ringtone again and Ruan Ying or the others heard it, she’d kill Gu Maniac!

“Uh…” Gu Zhinan’s finger hovered guiltily. How did she know he was trying to set it as a ringtone? And she even used three exclamation points.

He had just been scrolling to the line “Across the universe, trade it all for a single red bean…” to set it as a ringtone… but thinking about the landlady’s furious eyes, he reluctantly gave up and opened the file instead.

He put on his headphones and listened from start to finish.

The crisp guitar was even clearer than at the apartment. Gu Zhinan could imagine Xia An’ge sitting in the recording studio chair, lips pressed together as she strummed the strings, each note full of gentle warmth.

“Time is like amber…”

Her soft voice began, and Gu Zhinan felt like he was back in his past life. The first time he’d heard this song, it wasn’t the audio, it was watching the original MV.

A boy sat quietly at the beginning, playing his guitar with care, singing softly along. He found himself unconsciously humming with Xia An’ge, soft and light, almost like a duet.

“Sing with me, your love song, a cappella.”

Gu Zhinan sang along quietly, a smile creeping onto his lips. In the video, the boy sang with feeling, and so did the girl. They had never been together, yet each poured out their longing and heartache in their own way.

After finishing the song, Gu Zhinan fell into a deeply melancholic mood. The landlady’s voice, paired with this song, was devastatingly beautiful. She was made for emotional songs like this. Gu Zhinan even began to wonder, what if he wrote her a song bursting with girlish charm?

Would she sing it? Probably not… but Gu Zhinan wanted to try. People needed to break out of their own boundaries. 

He felt the landlady shouldn’t be confined to just one genre.