My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 173

Xiao Li couldn’t figure out why Gu Zhinan’s expression kept changing so quickly. Maybe this was just the kind of romance a great writer had, constantly weaving stories in his head, even inserting himself into them.

Xiao Li really wanted to know what kind of scene Gu Zhinan was imagining now. But if he knew that what Gu Zhinan was really tangled up over was simply deciding what song to sing this round… he definitely wouldn’t think it was romantic anymore.

“Teacher Gu, what do you plan to sing this time? Don’t tell me it’s another original?” Xiao Li asked, his tone uncertain. By now, he had no clue what kind of “moves” Gu Zhinan would pull next.

“Mm, still thinking about it.”

“Still thinking?!” Xiao Li’s face froze in shock. Thinking about the Sword and Fairy plot, or the song?

Gu Zhinan really was still thinking. He wanted to “borrow” from Bro Chen, but since he’d already “sheared” Bro Zhou for so long, maybe he should stick with him one more time?

“In the end, I’ll keep it original. I don’t really know how to sing other people’s songs.” After a few minutes of serious thought, he took a deep breath and made up his mind, he’d play with Bro Zhou again this round, then consider someone else next time.

“Does that mean you won’t sing Xia An’ge’s songs either? From what I’ve heard, this time Sis Rabbit is going to sing one of her newly released Love Song,” Xiao Li said, relieved to get an answer.

“I can sing them, sure. I know the ones she used to cover. But where’d you ‘hear’ that? Aren’t things like that supposed to be kept secret? Xiao Li, we’re decent people, we don’t do shady things.”

Gu Zhinan’s tone was calm, but he was a little surprised. So this Sis Rabbit was trying to latch onto his landlady, huh?

Xiao Li’s face went red. He stammered, “The girl managing Sis Rabbit… we get along well. She slipped up once and said it. But I didn’t tell her what Teacher Gu was going to sing, mainly because I don’t know!”

“Oh~” Gu Zhinan gave him a knowing look. Xiao Li could only smile wryly.

It really had been an accident. He’d run into the girl at the TV station, and while chatting, she’d just blurted out that her singer was probably going to keep singing Xia An’ge’s songs.

“Forget it. Teacher Gu, what’s the name of your original this time? Can you tell me yet?” Xiao Li asked expectantly. He still hadn’t gotten over “Give Me a Song’s Time,” the song stuck in his head every single day.

One day without hearing it and he felt restless. It was still sitting at the top of Masked Singer’s special category chart on KuLe. And it was the weirdest case, where the singer’s performance wasn’t particularly amazing, yet the melody and lyrics alone carried it onto the charts.

Even with the recording quality far from professional studio level, it hadn’t stopped netizens from playing it on repeat with wild enthusiasm.

“‘Sea of Flowers.’” Gu Zhinan said lightly, lying as smoothly as ever. “Wake me up when we arrive. I’m gonna nap a bit, I was up all night writing.”

Xiao Li nodded, touched by his “dedication.” On the book forums, readers of Sword and Fairy were already joking that if Gu Zhinan ever joined Masked Singer, however many days he participated would equal however many days of “explosion-level updates.”

Xiao Li wanted to refute them, but he couldn’t, revealing Gu Zhinan’s true identity too early would ruin the fun. So he could only keep quiet and wait for the big reveal, imagining the day all the readers’ jaws dropped.

At Hangcheng TV station, once again, Gu Zhinan met David and the others. Their expressions were almost giddy, he was doing another original!

How was this man’s brain built? Other people would need months to churn out one high-quality song. But him? Every time he showed up, he had one ready.

And this “Sea of Flowers” was ridiculously good too. As long as he didn’t mess it up on stage like last time, there was no doubt he’d make it to the next round.

“Teacher Gu, tone it down a little this time. Your voice is great, but you still don’t have full control. It’s easy to lose it,” David reminded. If he blew this one like the last, it’d be a tragedy.

Gu Zhinan nodded, a little embarrassed. But he had been improving, the nightly video lessons from his landlord weren’t for nothing.

He left the accompaniment arrangements to David and the others again, only offering occasional input. By late morning the next day, the backing track was finally done. It still wasn’t quite as full as the original version, but the missing bits were only details. With time, they could re-record it properly.

What struck him most this time at Hangcheng TV was how much more attention he was getting, even under the frog mask. Not just the staff, but even the other costumed singers seemed extra curious about him.

“Could it be… that even with a mask, his handsomeness couldn’t be hidden?” Gu Zhinan was puzzled.

After Xiao Li explained, he realized it was just because he’d become so popular. No wonder reporters were camped outside every day, mostly for him. But he wanted no part of it. Every time, he sent Xiao Li and others forward while he bolted.

Not once had reporters managed to corner him. To him, they were like the plague. He ran faster than a rabbit at the sight of them!

Other contestants at least played coy, half refusing, half giving in, but some, whose identities were already nearly exposed, directly chatted with reporters.

What Gu Zhinan didn’t know was that his line, “Hand clasping the bright moon, plucking down the stars, there’s no one like me in the world,” had exploded online. No matter what social media you opened, those two lines were everywhere.

The frog’s popularity had shot so far ahead that people began to suspect he was a plant from some entertainment company. Maybe the originals were company-written, all designed to create hype.

Was he really some rookie actor, being heavily promoted by his agency? Were even those lines scripted for him? Was everything just manufactured momentum? 

Some people got sour. Others scoffed. With no real skill, packaging wouldn’t save him. Unless Masked Singer rigged it, this Frog wouldn’t last past the third round.

After a few practice runs, Gu Zhinan felt he’d grasped the rhythm and decided to rest. Adequate rest was key to good singing, his landlady had taught him that.

Xiao Li nervously reminded him not to overdo it again. The last time had left him shaken. But Gu Zhinan just brushed it off with the same line as always, “People should trust each other more.”

That night, just past nine, his landlady’s message came, she’d returned to Haipu City, had no events scheduled tomorrow, and would be watching his performance.

He replied that he’d do his best, and this time even told her the song title in advance, “Song: Sea of Flowers.”

Xia An’ge was delighted by his honesty, then found herself guessing what kind of song “Sea of Flowers” would be. She couldn’t read his songwriting process at all. Other than “Lime,” none of his songs had ever matched their titles’ imagery.

Would this one be bittersweet too, despite its romantic name? But even “Sunny Day,” such a romantic-sounding title, was all about rain and regret.

That was just how Gu Zhinan was. She couldn’t see through him, sometimes his thoughts were deep beyond his years, nothing like a 22-year-old, and other times he was childishly stubborn, always bickering with Mengying and never once winning.