My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 163

“You recorded me?” The smile that had been on Xia An’ge’s face instantly turned into embarrassed anger. Gu Zhinan actually sneaked a recording of her while she wasn’t paying attention?

“No, I didn’t. The screen was on, I thought something was wrong, so I just turned it off.” Gu Zhinan lied through his teeth as he quietly put his phone away.

“Give it to me.” Xia An’ge didn’t believe him. She shifted closer, stretching out her little hand to check for herself. She was sure she saw a recording interface earlier!

“You have to trust me. Really, I didn’t. If I want to hear you sing, can’t I just ask you anytime?” Gu Zhinan held onto the phone tightly, refusing to hand it over, his expression perfectly serious.

Xia An’ge stared at him with eyes full of disbelief. As for “anytime you sing for me,” as if she’d ever agree to that! “Give it to me!”

“I’m sleepy, I’m going to bed now. Sleep early.” Gu Zhinan rolled over on the sofa, already used to the landlady’s death glares. 

Just as he was about to pull the blanket over himself, Xia An’ge quickly rushed over. She grabbed at the phone in his hand, ending up pressing her whole body onto him.

She ended up sitting directly on him, trying hard to pry his fingers open. Lying flat on the sofa, Gu Zhinan’s eyes widened in shock. He couldn’t use much strength in that position, and she successfully snatched the phone away.

Xia An’ge raised the phone triumphantly, but then remembered there was a passcode. She looked at him, her peach-blossom eyes glaring.

“Password!”

“Can you… get off me first? It’s uncomfortable.” Gu Zhinan’s gaze shifted nervously, unable to look into her eyes. Only a thin blanket separated them.

It was only when he said that, that Xia An’ge realized their position. Flustered, she scrambled to her feet, but in her panic pushed off his stomach with her hand. Gu Zhinan let out a pained groan.

“The dinner I ate almost came back up thanks to you!” He curled up helplessly, feeling all his illusions shatter under the landlady’s move.

Xia An’ge’s face burned red as she hurried back to her own sofa, looking a little lost.

“Give me the phone.” Gu Zhinan sat back up, stretching his hand out helplessly toward her bowed head.

“No.” Xia An’ge was stubborn. She had finally gotten hold of it. She pulled the blanket up to shield herself, scooting farther away.

“Fine, I’ll give you the password. But you can’t delete anything, photos or recordings. If you delete them, you’re a little puppy.”

“So you did record me!” Xia An’ge glared furiously at him. This brute always tricked her!

“Do you agree or not?” Gu Zhinan shrugged, putting on a “whatever” attitude.

“Say it!” Gritting her teeth, Xia An’ge looked adorably fierce. Gu Zhinan couldn’t help but laugh.

“040115.”

When she heard the string of numbers, Xia An’ge froze. She entered it into his phone, and it really unlocked.

The screen showed the recording interface. But instead of deleting it right away, Xia An’ge lifted her gaze to him, her expression complicated.

“Is that… your birthdate?”

“Yeah. Strange?”

“Solar or lunar calendar?”

Gu Zhinan was confused. In China, most people celebrate by the lunar calendar. Some observed both, but he used the lunar one.

“Lunar. January 15, my birthday. By the way, I didn’t see your birthday on your Weibo?” He knew many celebrities avoided using their real birthday online, some even changing their age. But he hadn’t found hers listed.

(Note: If you’re wondering about 040115 being January 15? The 04 would be assumed as 2004. I had someone ask me what the 04 meant, so this might be a not much needed note, but for some who are curious, I’m leaving this in. ^^) 

“It’s already passed.” Xia An’ge glanced at him deeply, then lowered her eyes to the phone screen. Her heart was a mess of tangled threads.

“Oh.” Seeing she didn’t want to elaborate, Gu Zhinan didn’t press. He already knew some of her background anyway.

“Mm.” Xia An’ge tapped the recording and turned up the volume. She placed the phone on the table, and the duet they had just sung, Lime, played out clearly. The quiet room had recorded the music and voices perfectly, without the storm outside bleeding in.

As Xia An’ge listened to her own singing, she hugged a pillow tightly, half her face buried in her knees, only her eyes peeking out, fixed on the phone. Her fingers clutched the pillow tighter, especially when the part with their duet came on, making her whole body tense up.

When the song ended, she snatched up the phone and opened the gallery. She immediately found a photo of the bite mark she had left on Gu Zhinan’s arm. Zooming in, she saw how her lower teeth were slightly crooked.

It really wasn’t that obvious, yet he insisted it was!

She was about to delete it when suddenly the phone was plucked from her hands. Gu Zhinan stood before her, holding it with an “I knew you’d try that” look.

“Want to be a puppy?”

“Delete it! Why keep it?”

“Why can’t I? I think it looks nice.”

“Then send me the recording.”

“Why should I?”

“None of your business!”

“…” Gu Zhinan looked at her oddly. Her cheeks were flushed, but her tone was calm. In the end, he sent her the Lime recording. Then he opened the balcony curtain to check outside. The thunder had stopped, but the rain still poured heavily, probably till morning. He went back to sit on the sofa.

“Your album is about to go online. Confident?”

At the mention of her album, Xia An’ge’s fingers stilled on the phone. After thinking for a moment, she nodded. “It probably won’t beat Summer Wind, too many big-name singers are releasing albums at the same time. But it won’t do badly. The title track is really good.”

Her confident yet slightly proud expression made Gu Zhinan smile.

“Get some sleep. When we wake up, the storm will have passed, and your new album will be on the charts. Isn’t that nice?”

Without waiting for her to respond, he blew out three candles in one breath, leaving only the one he’d lit earlier. He considered extinguishing that one too, but instead dripped a little water at its base.

The living room fell half into darkness. Only Xia An’ge’s glowing phone lit up her delicate face.

“Gu Zhinan!” She frowned unhappily, but the man lying with his back to her gave no response. She snorted softly, put her phone aside, and curled up under her blanket.

She stared at the lone candle burning on the table, then at Gu Zhinan’s back on the other sofa. He looked as if he’d already fallen asleep.

Ten minutes later, “Gu Zhinan,” Xia An’ge whispered. No response, she pouted and turned to face the sofa the way he did.

A few minutes later, she rolled back again.

“Gu Zhinan?” Still no response. Was he really asleep already? She was surprised. How could Gu Zhinan fall asleep so quickly!?

“Gu Straight Man? Gu Straight Man?”

“If you can’t sleep, get up and make breakfast. Just porridge will do. That way we’ll have food in the morning. The kitchen uses gas. Thanks, landlady.” Gu Zhinan’s muffled voice finally came, half-asleep.

“Was Sunny Day written for you to sing on Masked Singer?” Hearing his voice, Xia An’ge perked up, her eyes bright as she looked at his back.

“If you like, I’ll write your next album for you. Lime too. You can find someone to do the duet.” Gu Zhinan turned toward her, looking helpless. He had been on the verge of sleep, but her calling him “straight man” had snapped him awake. He felt that these days, her cold and aloof act only lasted when they first met.

This afternoon she had come back with a frosty face, but now she was like a little girl.

“I don’t want that. You should sing it yourself. Sunny Day sounds best in your voice.” Xia An’ge refused, though the smile tugging at her lips wouldn’t fade. Gu Zhinan hadn’t even hesitated before saying he’d give it to her. But she knew Sunny Day suited him best. As for Lime, she didn’t want to sing it with anyone else. “Why’d you think of writing a song like Lime?”

“To change your singing style.” His voice was low, weighed down by sleepiness.

“Oh.”

But… Lime was a duet.

“Can we keep Lime for now?”

“Keep it?”

“Mm.” Xia An’ge gazed at the candlelight, her eyes shimmering with hope.

“If you like it, then fine, I don’t mind. Now sleep, one more word and you’re a puppy.” His drowsy voice trailed off. He sounded like he could barely stay awake.

“Gu Zhinan, do you think you’ll make it to the fourth round on Masked Singer?” But Xia An’ge ignored his warning, whispering like a girl chatting secretly at a sleepover.

This time, he didn’t answer. She called his name twice more, but still got silence.

Xia An’ge pouted, glaring at the clueless Gu Zhinan, then turned her back and hugged her pillow, finally drifting off.