My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 172

By the end of November, even in the south, the touch of winter could already be felt. A Little Thing Called First Love had moved into the second half of production.

Lai Jingming and Sitong Hongwei took a team out to shoot supplementary scenes, covering the locations needed for the latter part of the film. At the same time, they gave the actors two days off, because once work resumed, it would be a relentless grind until the end.

The Beijing Film Academy students all went back for a short trip, and even Yun Yinxue returned. After all, they had been away from home for a whole month.

Since receiving Gu Zhinan’s promise to help release his song on music platforms, Yan Sangluo had become even more diligent with work, sometimes so much that even Sitong Hongwei couldn’t rein him in.

But Sitong Hongwei felt comforted. He could already tell that once filming wrapped, Yan Sangluo probably wouldn’t return to the bridal shop. His new home would be Natural Entertainment.

Then again, he thought about himself. Considering Gu Zhinan’s character, the same Gu Zhinan who had voluntarily donated the profits from Legend of Sword and Fairy and Blue and White Porcelain to charity, he began to wonder.

Over this past month, their temporary crew had grown into something like a family. Even the two kids from Beijing Film Academy, not yet graduates, were already hoping to officially join Natural Entertainment. Could he really just go back and run his bridal shop in peace? He wasn’t sure anymore…

Gu Zhinan, meanwhile, was the saltiest “dead fish” in Natural Entertainment. He might as well just stay in his tiny apartment, roll around like a salted fish by day, and video-call his landlady at night to ask for singing tips.

After all, his performance on Masked Singer carried an obvious air of laziness. But this time, his appearance fee was 150,000. He couldn’t keep slacking off, he had to at least live up to the money.

“You’re off-pitch here.” Xia An’ge frowned slightly. She had been busier lately too, but she always waited for Gu Zhinan’s video calls every night.

Sitting on her bed, legs swinging, she listened to his awkward singing through the phone and found it to be the happiest part of her days. Beside her lay the nearly finished strategy guide she’d been reading, while on her screen was the very man she wanted to “strategize” in real life.

“Aiya, I’m exhausted. I even finished my throat lozenges…” Gu Zhinan flopped onto his sofa, looking like life was meaningless. Singing really was hard!

“Where are you right now, landlady?” The decorations behind her made it obvious she was in a hotel.

“Chang’an.”

“Chang’an, huh.” Gu Zhinan felt a flicker of longing. Since arriving in this world, he hadn’t had a chance to really travel. At first, he’d resisted the idea, wanting nothing more than to hole up in his apartment like a salted fish.

But now, it seemed he had no choice. Lai Jingming’s dream, Sitong Hongwei’s fiery enthusiasm, though it looked like he was only helping Gu Zhinan, he knew that his passion burned no less than Fatty Lai’s.

As for himself, was he doing this for his own sake? Or for the sake of Natural Entertainment’s name? At this point, even he wasn’t sure.

“What’s wrong?” Xia An’ge asked curiously. Gu Zhinan had leaned back but said nothing.

“Nothing, just thinking about the second round of Masked Singer.” Gu Zhinan smiled. It was true though, it was a problem. He had to head over tomorrow, but he still hadn’t decided which song to use. Having too many in his library was its own kind of headache.

He debated whether to ask Bro Zhou for another chat, or maybe steal, no, borrow, from someone else’s catalog. Annoying.

Xia An’ge bit her lip. She thought he was lacking confidence. After all, his results in the first round hadn’t been that great. The main reason he advanced at all was because his original songs were simply too strong.

“Actually, your singing is really beautiful. I like listening to you sing.” After saying this, Xia An’ge quickly tilted the phone away so Gu Zhinan wouldn’t see her flushed cheeks.

The corners of Gu Zhinan’s lips lifted into a faint smile. “Alright then. Sleep early, don’t stay up late.”

Xia An’ge nodded. Gu Zhinan waited for her to hang up first, something she greatly appreciated. “At least he knows how to read the room!”

She didn’t ask what song he planned to perform in the second round. What was the point? He’d only tease her with, “Guess, landlady!”

Guess your ass! It was better to just wait for the performance and see for herself.

After hanging up, Gu Zhinan put away his guitar, went back to his room, and started up a ranked match. Sleep? Impossible. He was young, the nightlife was just beginning!

He knew he was letting himself go, but he couldn’t stop.

November 28 – Hangzhou High-Speed Rail Station

Xiao Li picked up an exhausted-looking Gu Zhinan and immediately began doubting his sleep schedule. “Teacher Gu, just like last time, we have two days to prepare. We’ll grab lunch, then head to the recording studio this afternoon. You can rehearse tomorrow. The day after, at 5 p.m., is the competition. This round is eight into six. This week, your Frog persona is still holding the number one spot in popularity rankings.”

Xiao Li was doing his best as a temporary assistant agent, analyzing the current situation for Gu Zhinan. “That line of yours was just too domineering. I even want to use it after showing off!”

“I know, I saw the news. Back-view poser, wasn’t it?” Gu Zhinan cracked an eye open, amused by Xiao Li’s antics.

He remembered when Xiao Li got blocked by reporters while boarding Lai Jingming’s car. Instead of panicking, he turned his back to them and casually threw out the line, ‘Hand clasping the bright moon, plucking down the stars, there’s no one like me in the world!’

The two reporters had been stunned speechless.

“Hehehe, you taught me well.” Xiao Li rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed. That line had even trended on hot search.

“No, no, you acted it out well. I couldn’t compare.” Gu Zhinan gave him a deep look. Who could possibly outshine himself at acting cool in person?

Xiao Li quickly shifted back to the current situation. “In our group, the top spot is Bro Monkey. followed by Sis Rabbit. The Cow and Horse are trailing, then it’s you. The point gap between you and the others isn’t big. But right now, the easiest one to get unmasked is Sis Rabbit.”

“Mm.” Gu Zhinan remained calm. What did any of that matter to him?

Xiao Li pressed on. “In the other group, things are just as heated. Out of the eight who advanced in the first round, three identities are practically confirmed. The top-ranked is the Lion Singer, completely crushing the rest. But his identity is still a mystery. Right now, it’s basically him and Bro Monkey at the top. Teacher Gu, you’ve gotta give it your all.”

“Xiao Li, we can’t let winning or losing cloud our minds, understand? Singing is about joy. If you obsess over victory too much, you lose the meaning.” Gu Zhinan spoke with great sincerity, like a mentor imparting wisdom. Wasn’t Xiao Li younger than him? Or… maybe older?

Xiao Li looked stunned. He hadn’t expected Teacher Gu to see things so clearly. Just as he was about to respond, Gu Zhinan leaned forward eagerly, “So… when’s the appearance fee being paid?”

“???” Xiao Li’s expression was like he’d just eaten shit. He knew it! This was the man who had written Legend of Sword and Fairy, with all those complex characters. Of course he wasn’t normal himself!

“Bro Lin asked me to tell you, it’ll be in your account tomorrow morning. And if you advance again, the next round adds another 100,000.”

A few minutes later, after hanging up the phone, Xiao Li muttered under his breath. This was Lin Xi’s decision. Clearly, he saw huge potential in Gu Zhinan, after all, Gu had already created major talking points.

One line turned him into the most popular contestant. On top of that, he performed original songs on stage and good ones at that. His Give Me a Song’s Time had already exploded on the KuLe platform. Even if the rest of his singing wasn’t perfect, that opening hook and melody were irresistibly catchy.

How refreshing.

Gu Zhinan, however, was dumbfounded. This evil capitalism had him by the throat. He felt like the simple life, marrying a village beauty, having kids, and a warm kang bed at home, was drifting farther and farther away…