My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 161

“Go to sleep. By the time you wake up, the rain will have stopped, and someone will have come to fix the power.” Gu Zhinan suggested. With the power out, there wasn’t much point in singing anyway.

“No!” Xia An’ge firmly objected.

“Why not?” Gu Zhinan didn’t get it. The electricity was out, the only light came from a candle, so what was the point of staying in the living room? Wouldn’t the bed be much cozier? Surely the landlady knew how nice it was to fall asleep in weather like this?

“Just no!” Xia An’ge shook her head.

“So what, you’re going to sit here and contemplate life? Fine, I’m going to sleep. When you’re done thinking, remember to blow out the candles.” Gu Zhinan reminded her. He’d already wedged the candle with a plate, but better safe than sorry. He’d been through water once, he wasn’t about to let fire be next.

“No! You’re not allowed to go!” Xia An’ge grabbed his arm tightly, not letting him stand up.

Gu Zhinan was baffled. What’s there to contemplate about life? “I remember you’re not afraid of the dark, right?”

The first time he ever saw her, she’d walked into the apartment in pitch black without flinching. He turned to her peach-blossom eyes glaring at him, and suddenly realized, “You’re not… scared of the dark because of that haunted house, are you?”

“I am not.” Xia An’ge lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, but her grip on his arm didn’t loosen.

Even with the windows closed, she could still hear the howling wind outside. Back in her room it was even darker and she had that little balcony.

“Mm… I think you are.”

“I am not!”

“Then let go so I can go to sleep.”

That only made things worse. Xia An’ge immediately changed tactics, like back in the haunted house, hugging his arm tightly, refusing to let go.

“…..” Now Gu Zhinan was sure that the haunted house had left her traumatized, and she still hadn’t recovered. “So in Haipu… how did you sleep? Did you make Xiao Ying stay with you?”

“I slept with the bedside lamp on.”

“Ohhhh~” Gu Zhinan deliberately drew out the sound.

Xia An’ge realized too late she’d been tricked. Frustrated, she bit down on his arm. “Damn!”

Gu Zhinan winced. His instinct was to pull back, but he forced himself to stop, grimacing as her head stayed buried against his arm.

When Xia An’ge finally looked up and saw his pained expression, she realized what she’d done. She rolled up his sleeve and saw a row of deep teeth marks, one nearly breaking skin. She quickly released his arm, suddenly unsure who the real brute here was.

“…Sorry.” Xia An’ge whispered, head lowered, not daring to meet his eyes. He must be angry. “You should just go back to bed.” Her voice grew even smaller, like she wanted to hide her face in her knees.

“Wow! Landlady, look at your bite mark!” Gu Zhinan suddenly shouted. Xia An’ge blinked and raised her head, only to see him holding his other hand over the bite mark.

“Your lower teeth left a little crooked mark, looks just like a rabbit’s!” He smiled at her guilty, downcast face. “And you still say you’re not a rabbit?”

“I’m not a rabbit…” Xia An’ge puffed out her cheeks, voice barely audible.

“Come on, look at this mark. Where’s my phone? I need to take a picture!” Ignoring her protest, Gu Zhinan grabbed his phone off the sofa. While she was still frozen, he snapped several shots, the flash going off like crazy.

By the time Xia An’ge realized what was happening, she dove for his phone, practically throwing herself onto him, but she couldn’t snatch it away. Her guilt was instantly replaced by flustered embarrassment and anger.

Gu Zhinan froze too, because she was practically sprawled across him, shifting around nonstop.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xia An’ge finally snatched the phone, her face lighting up with triumph. But when she tried to open it, the screen locked. She didn’t know his password.

She turned toward him, screen glowing on his face. Gu Zhinan didn’t flinch, letting her wave it at him.

“Why won’t it unlock?” Xia An’ge asked in confusion.

Suppressing his laughter, Gu Zhinan replied lightly, “Ever heard of facial damage?”

Xia An’ge froze. Gu Zhinan casually reclaimed the phone. No way he was telling her the truth, that the face ID had stopped working the very night he went looking for her. He’d never even bothered to fix it.

“Delete the photos.” Xia An’ge looked at him, her voice tinged with grievance.

“No way. If I delete them, your bite would be wasted. Look how deep it is.” He stretched out his arm. The teeth marks were still there, red and vivid.

Xia An’ge felt even guiltier. She bit her lip, then suddenly held out her pale arm, as if steeling herself. “Then… bite me back.”

“???” Gu Zhinan stared at her snow-white arm. One bite of his could probably leave a whole circle! “You serious?”

Xia An’ge nodded, but kept her gaze averted, eyes fixed on the candle instead, clearly nervous. Gu Zhinan chuckled. Lowering his head, he pressed his lips lightly against her arm. Xia An’ge only felt a faint tickle. When she turned her head, she caught him smiling.

“There. I bit you. Now we’re even.”

“Oh.” Xia An’ge pulled her arm back quickly. But the sensation still lingered, her body burning all over, especially her ears, red hot like fire. “Did this Gu ‘Straight Man’ just kiss my arm?” Her face flushed so badly she had to bury it deep in a pillow.

“…Now you can delete the photos.” Her muffled voice came through. Gu Zhinan looked surprised.

Calmly, he replied, “No way, that’s my trophy. Why would I delete it?”

“You!” Xia An’ge shot up, her face red with anger.

Gu Zhinan only chuckled, stood up, and pulled the balcony curtains aside. The storm outside still raged, lightning splitting the sky, thunder shaking the room. He frowned, will this rain ever stop?

Xia An’ge looked too. Her little balcony also lit up every few seconds by flashes of lightning.

“You have to believe you’re not afraid of the dark.” Gu Zhinan turned to her.

“I’m not afraid of the dark.”

“Then why won’t you go to sleep in your room?”

Xia An’ge glanced at him, then said faintly, “Why are you afraid of heights?”

“I only have a mild fear! Remember that day on the Ferris wheel? Wasn’t I brave, going up there with you to see the fireworks? You should be brave too, face the dark and conquer it!”

Xia An’ge didn’t reply. Hugging the sofa pillow, she just stared at the flickering candle, muttering, “If you want to sleep, go ahead. I’ll stay here.”

“You sure?”

“Mm.”

“Alright then, goodnight!” Gu Zhinan grinned, then headed back to his room.

Xia An’ge caught a glimpse of him disappearing, and a flicker of loneliness crossed her eyes. It wasn’t darkness she feared, but this stormy night, which made her feel terribly unsafe.

She sat staring at the burning candle. His phone still lay on the table. Hugging the pillow, Xia An’ge lowered her head with a muffled sigh.