My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 148

The morning sun rose gently.

Gu Zhinan was being relentlessly pestered by Lai Jingming. When he glanced at his phone, it was barely eight in the morning. He also saw the last message from the landlord lady that had come in late last night.

“I’m not afraid. Sweet dreams.”

Gu Zhinan wasn’t sure if she was actually afraid or not. Hopefully she wasn’t. After all, since the founding of the nation, spirits and monsters were supposedly forbidden, he hoped she understood that principle.

He turned to open the door, only to find Lai Jingming already standing outside. Seeing Gu Zhinan’s disheveled and sluggish appearance, Lai Jingming was a little surprised. “What were you doing last night? You look totally out of it.”

Gu Zhinan yawned, stretched, and mumbled, “If you’ve got something to say, say it. Otherwise, I’m going back to sleep.”

“Sleep my ass! Brother Situ called me, he said the company’s already under renovation. My teacher just called too. We need to head to Beijing Film Academy to meet him. He’s taking us to scout for actors!” 

Lai Jingming sounded quite excited. “With some luck, we’ll spot a few promising young talents. Best case, they’re willing to work without demanding high pay!”

Gu Zhinan glanced at Lai Jingming. He felt this guy was becoming more and more like one of those shady bosses, almost like a pyramid scheme recruiter.

“I’m going to wash up first.” Tossing that out, Gu Zhinan turned and headed for the bathroom.

He wondered if the landlord lady was up yet. She’d be heading back to Haipu City today. He’d wanted to have breakfast with her, he’d skipped breakfast with her last time and she’d ignored him for days because of it.

By 8:30 AM, Gu Zhinan and Lai Jingming had finished packing and checked out of the room. Gu Zhinan pulled out his phone and sent a message to the landlord lady.

“Wishing you a smooth recording session for your album in Haipu this afternoon. Looking forward to hearing the final result. I’ve got to leave first.”

To anyone else, this message probably had the flavor of a heartless man sneaking away before his lover woke up, “I’m up, I’m gone. You wake up and leave on your own.”

The album’s sales probably wouldn’t be bad. He had been keeping an eye on the music scene; there were a lot of artists releasing albums lately, but love songs never really went out of style. And the landlord’s singing was the last thing he’d ever worry about. If her love songs sold well, he could pay off his debts. At least if the film flopped, there’d be a backup plan.

As he mulled this over, Gu Zhinan glanced at Lai Jingming beside him. If this fat bastard’s film tanked, Situ and the others would probably sell him off at the morning market just to make a little money back.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lai Jingming felt a chill, Gu Zhinan’s gaze didn’t feel very friendly.

“Nothing. Just looking.” Gu Zhinan grinned, but that only made Lai Jingming more uneasy.

At 9:30 AM, the two got out of the car and stood in front of the grand, imposing gates of the Beijing Film Academy. Lai Jingming immediately called his teacher, Liu Nian.

Liu Nian told them to wait for a bit and that “bit” turned into almost twenty minutes.

“I’m telling you, around here you might spot one or two young idols you often see in TV dramas or movies.” Lai Jingming said proudly. After all, this place has produced countless big-name stars and directors.

“Heh… so you’re saying all the stars outside are old then?”

“??” What kind of weird angle was that? Lai Jingming felt like he could never win in a conversation with Gu Zhinan, one careless slip and you’d end up in a verbal trap.

The two continued waiting by the gate. People came and went, and both the guys and girls passing by were easy on the eyes. Gu Zhinan felt like he was enjoying some fine scenery.

It was Beijing Film Academy, after all. He mentally gave the average attractiveness here an 8.8 rating. He wondered what the rating would be for Haipu Drama Academy. He’d have to stake out the gate there sometime to check.

As he was thinking, sharp-eyed Lai Jingming spotted a campus cart driving down the path, with Liu Nian sitting in it. Liu Nian waved at them. Lai Jingming nudged the distracted Gu Zhinan, who only just noticed and gave an awkward smile before walking up with Lai Jingming.

“Get in, I’ll take you inside.” Liu Nian didn’t waste words and told them to hop in. The driver turned around and drove deeper into the campus.

“I showed your script to my niece last night. She really liked it and wants to meet you. She hopes to audition for the female lead role.” Liu Nian got straight to the point. 

Gu Zhinan was a little surprised. Was this old guy pulling some strings? But then again, they were just a broke little production team. What could he possibly get from them? Gu Zhinan spoke up right away. “Master Liu, we’re running a proper production here. No backdoor dealings.”

“Get lost!” Liu Nian shot him a look. This kid really said whatever was on his mind.

“My niece is the real deal. If your script wasn’t such a perfect fit for her, I wouldn’t have shown it to her. Otherwise, just her fee alone could wipe out your entire budget!”

“Then why even bother? I can’t afford her!” Gu Zhinan gave a bitter laugh. The cost of hiring her could probably burn through his entire 4 million yuan budget. What would be left to shoot the movie? Photo stills?

“Don’t worry. You guys set the pay, whatever’s within your acceptable range is fine. What matters now is that you meet and see if you’re a good fit.”

If it were up to me, I’d gladly hire her for free without even meeting. She could go straight to the company! Gu Zhinan thought that to himself but nodded on the surface. “Alright.”

“Teacher, just the female lead? You’re not recommending any male leads too?” Lai Jingming rubbed his hands together eagerly. He felt like his personality had changed ever since hanging around Gu Zhinan.

“What’s the rush? There’s plenty of time for that.” The cart rolled along for about ten minutes before stopping in front of an office building. Liu Nian got off first, followed by Gu Zhinan and Lai Jingming. They trailed him up to the third floor.

“This is my office at Beijing Film Academy.” Liu Nian said as he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Gu Zhinan and Lai Jingming exchanged a glance and followed.

The room was simple, just a bookshelf, a desk, and a tea table. At the tea table sat a young woman quietly making tea. She wore a light yellow dress, looked charming and lively, and radiated a fresh, vibrant energy. When she saw the three men walk in, she immediately stood up with a bright, cheerful smile.

“Uncle! These two are the directors of A Little Thing Called First Love, right?” Yun Yinxue greeted playfully. “Hello! I’m Yun Yinxue. I’d like to audition for the female lead in A Little Thing Called First Love!”

“Hello, I’m Gu Zhinan.” Gu Zhinan smiled and nodded. This girl looked pure and sweet, exactly the type they’d imagined for the role. The only question was… how expensive was she going to be?

“Yun Yinxue??” Lai Jingming’s expression changed. “Child star Yun Yinxue? The one who starred in The Wanderer, Rescue Vanguard, and that recent drama Confession?”

Yun Yinxue nodded, looking pleased. “You know me!”

“Alright, enough, Xiaoxue is my niece. No more daydreaming. Sit down, let’s have some tea and talk.”

Of everyone here, Gu Zhinan was probably the only one who felt totally clueless. But he’d gotten one very useful piece of information. She’d starred in so many films. 

Wouldn’t that make her expensive? He couldn’t afford someone like that! Might as well go back and beg the landlord lady to act instead, at least that’d be more realistic!

He glanced at the old fox Liu Nian. Was this guy and his niece trying to scam him out of all his money?