My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 168

After the first contestant, Pink Rabbit, stepped down, the second contestant came on stage. Same process again, singing a more sentimental song. The online reactions were mixed. But this time, the votes were much lower, only 1,300.

Following the program’s script, the judges asked the same question: had he received professional vocal training?

The second contestant shook his head, widening the possibilities. All anyone could do now was hope he’d survive long enough to eventually reveal his face.

More contestants went up one after another.

Xia An’ge was so bored she had collapsed on the sofa, hugging a pillow, half-asleep. There were still two people before Gu Zhinan would appear. She was dying of boredom!

She wanted to message him, but worried it might break his focus. Singing required the right state of mind, if that slipped, a song that could’ve been sung beautifully might only come out thirty to forty percent at best.

What she didn’t know was that, in the waiting room, Gu Zhinan was already dozing off. Waiting was torture. And patience was never his strong suit.

“Here we go!” At Natural Entertainment in Hangzhou, Lai Jingming suddenly shouted at Situ Hongwei, who had been busy since the start.

The others, who were also getting sleepy, perked up instantly at his call.

“Is Director Gu about to perform?!”

“One more contestant, then it’s his turn!”

“Finally!”

Meanwhile, in Haipu City, at Xia An’ge’s artist apartment, Ruan Ying had just brought Cheng Mengying back. The two of them sat protectively on either side of Xia An’ge.

“Did you miss me, An’ge-jie?” Cheng Mengying snuggled against Xia An’ge’s arm, rubbing her cheek against it. Xia An’ge shoved her off, her face flushed pink. “…A little.”

“Only a little? I thought about you the whole time on the way back! I sent you messages and you never replied! Don’t tell me you like Xiao Ying more than me?”

Xia An’ge shot her a glance and said coolly, “You’re just like Xiao Ying. And besides, your messages were… indecent. That’s why I didn’t reply.”

Seven out of ten of Cheng Mengying’s messages called her wife. How was she supposed to answer that…

“Hehe.” Cheng Mengying knew she was guilty, so she didn’t argue.

The three of them sat on the sofa watching TV. On screen, a contestant in a frog mask slowly stepped out.

“Didn’t think An;ge-jie also liked Masked Singer! Are you planning to join too? Who’s leading in votes right now?” Cheng Mengying asked curiously.

Xia An’ge thought for a moment, she remembered overhearing while half-asleep earlier. “From what I heard, the Monkey contestant is in the lead with 1,850 votes.” Then she hugged her pillow and sat up straight, face serious. “Focus on the TV. No talking.”

Gu Zhinan’s turn had come. After Xiao Li practically dragged him out, he stepped from the lounge toward the stage. 

“Bro Frog’s here!”

“Hand clasping the bright moon, plucking down the stars, there’s no one like me in the world! Bro Sun and Moon Frog, charge!!”

“Not gonna lie, I’m hyped!”

“Hyped? I’ve been waiting since he dropped that line, duh!”

“Let’s see what this arrogant guy can actually sing, huh?”

The livestream chat instantly became livelier than for any contestant before. After all, Frog had climbed to the top of the popularity rankings with just a single line of poetry. And even if he got eliminated, there was a revival chance waiting for him.

He was now officially more popular than Monkey, the former frontrunner.

“Our eighth contestant, Frog! Let’s check out his pre-show interview!”

The host announced. The big screen lit up with footage of Gu Zhinan’s earlier interview, silent, reserved, saying almost nothing.

Until he turned around. The viewers went wild. It was coming, here it came!

“Hand clasping the bright moon, plucking down the stars, there’s no one like me in the world!”

There he was, calmly dropping the line again before striding away.

“Ahhh, so satisfying!”

“Hear it again, still cocky as hell!”

“Who’s this guy? Why’s he so badass?”

“Newbie, don’t bother asking, we don’t know either!”

Ruan Ying and Cheng Mengying were both surprised. Neither noticed Xia An’ge quietly smiling to herself. To them, the frog contestant just seemed outstanding.

“He’s got such a knack for hype!” Cheng Mengying muttered. Just one line and the whole crowd was hooked.

“A poet?” Ruan Ying glanced at Xia An’ge. She’d been watching the whole time, after all.

Xia An’ge felt their gazes. She just whispered, “Keep watching.”

Back on stage, Gu Zhinan appeared as the pre-recorded interview ended. The host quickly went up to introduce him. “Our eighth contestant is special, he’ll be performing an original song! That’s extremely rare in Masked Singer!”

He glanced at the cue card in his hand, frowned at the unusual title, but read it anyway. “The song is called Give Me a Song’s Time!”

Turning to Gu Zhinan, the host smiled. “Ready?”

Gu Zhinan nodded. The host stepped off, leaving the stage in silence.

“An original? Wow, last time someone did that was season two, right? Over a year ago!”

“Give Me a Song’s Time? Bro Frog, are you serious?”

“That title’s way too on-the-nose, haha.”

“What’s wrong with that? My Sun-and-Moon Frog delivering raw, real lyrics, what’s wrong with being unique?”

“I’m already excited! Go for it!”

“Hmph, hand clasping the bright moon, plucking the stars…”

Not just the audience, even the judges were stunned. Original songs were risky. Unfamiliar tunes made it hard to judge, and poor reception often meant elimination.

Only Lin Xi’s eyes gleamed, this was a jackpot. If Gu Zhinan nailed this, the 100,000 appearance fee he’d paid him would be worth it, maybe even a bargain. He was already thinking of raising the price for future rounds.

“Original?” Ruan Ying and Cheng Mengying exchanged glances. Xia An’ge, on the other hand, straightened up completely, eyes locked on the screen. “Would Gu Zhinan sing Sunny Day, or one of the piano pieces he’d played at the house?”

He hadn’t said a word, leaving her obsessively guessing for days.

At Natural Entertainment in Hangzhou, everyone was stunned too. Just as they were about to discuss, the backing track began. It opened with piano, joined by synth and drums. As the accompaniment started, all eyes turned to Frog.

Gu Zhinan, hidden behind the mask, finally appreciated it, it shielded him. If he bombed, no one would know it was him. His face was safe. 

He took a deep breath and began to sing.

His voice poured into the hall, tender and steady. The accompaniment was fresh, crisp, and when his chorus came, it lifted the entire atmosphere.

The audience fell silent, caught by the melody. Even the chat slowed down. The song fit perfectly with mainstream taste, pulling everyone in.

Lin Xi and the judges were all stunned. This wasn’t just “good.” Released as a single, it could top the charts.

Though his technique wasn’t flawless, he stumbled on transitions, missed notes, none of it mattered. The song broke the stigma of weak original performances.

The five hundred reviewers on-site were spellbound. They knew the climax was still coming.

Gu Zhinan himself was swept away. Once, in his endless 9-9-6 workdays, he had dreamed of standing on a stage like this. His voice cracked, faltered, but he didn’t care. He was free.

For the first time, he was performing. And when the last note rang out, his throat raw and rasping, he thought, “Even if I couldn’t fully control it, I sang. I owned it.”