My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 179

Xia An’ge hadn’t even parked her car properly, hadn’t even bothered to put on a mask, before she stormed inside. And there, in the corner, she spotted Gu Zhinan sitting with a woman. That woman was saying the nastiest things to him, each sentence sharper than the last!

Her delicate, frosty face quickly shifted into one of burning anger.

“How—” Gu Zhinan had just spoken one syllable when Xia An’ge shot him a vicious glare. The next second, she snatched up his coffee and threw it right at Wu Dandan!

“Whoa!” Gu Zhinan rushed forward, blocking it with his hand and stepping in front of Xia An’ge. Startled, she quickly pulled her hand back, but a bit still splashed, straight onto him.

“You—!” Xia An’ge froze, staring hard at him. He had actually shielded the woman who was insulting him! Her eyes went icy. She set the cup down and turned to leave. But Gu Zhinan grabbed her hand, pulling her back.

Turning around, he looked at the dumbstruck Wu Dandan. Clearly, the sudden appearance of this woman had shown her the true meaning of refined beauty. Xia An’ge tried to yank her hand free, but Gu Zhinan held tight. “Let go of me!”

Gu Zhinan gave an apologetic smile to his landlady, then turned to the stunned Wu Dandan, pointed at Xia An’ge, and said seriously with a grin, “Sorry, this is my girlfriend. She’s a little temperamental, but I spoil her. Anyway, do you really think you can compare to her?”

Xia An’ge’s body went stiff. Her lovely face flushed bright red in an instant. But this time, she didn’t lower her head. Instead, she lifted her chin proudly, staring at Wu Dandan with peach-blossom eyes, half frosty, half unable to hide her joy.

Wu Dandan said nothing. She only clenched her fists hard. Gu Zhinan ignored her, calmly released Xia An’ge’s hand, pulled a mask from his own pocket, and helped her put it on.

Her lips parted slightly. She watched blankly as he hooked the straps around her ears, his fingertips brushing her skin like fire. Why did this brute always have a mask ready in his pocket? He didn’t even need one in public anymore!

“Please tell your mom, we’re not suitable. We’re not from the same world. I’m not your backup licking dog, Miss High-Quality Woman.” When he was done, Gu Zhinan turned Xia An’ge by the shoulders and said softly, “My beautiful miss, shall we go eat?”

Together, they left the café. Behind them, Wu Dandan’s face turned pitch black, her breathing sharp and uneven. She hadn’t even had time to react.

Her plan had been simple: reel in a backup licking dog. With her looks, she thought she could easily snare Gu Zhinan, especially after hearing he supposedly made half a million a year. That would give her plenty of money to burn!

The way his gaze had flicked at her “best asset” when she first sat down only strengthened her confidence. He was a good-looking guy with a delicate face. Surely he’d fall right into her net. But to her shock, he didn’t buy her act at all. He was even arrogant and in debt!

So she’d only wanted to crush his pride and then walk away smugly.

She never expected Xia An’ge to appear out of nowhere and crush her instead! Other than being a little curvier, she had no advantage at all. Wu Dandan refused to believe that a nobody novelist like Gu Zhinan could possibly land a girlfriend that beautiful.

She’d only been back in the country for a little over a month. Since when were the women here this “high-quality”?

Outside, Gu Zhinan spotted the landlady’s car and strolled over.

“Sorry. I used you as a shield. But… how did you even know I was here?” He wiped the coffee stains on his clothes as he spoke. He had only told Lai Jingming and Situ Hongwei. His landlady didn’t even have their contact information.

“I went to your film crew.” Walking at his side, Xia An’ge still felt the lingering warmth of his hand gripping hers. She lowered her head and mumbled. Hearing his words, her eyes dimmed.

“Ohhh!” No wonder she had called earlier. But why had she gone to the crew?

“Have you eaten?” She shook her head.

Gu Zhinan pulled out his phone and found a hidden little private restaurant. “Let me treat you, then. Think of it as a thank-you. I can’t handle so-called high-quality women. You, landlady, are much prettier!”

“Oh.” At first, when he blocked her, Xia An’ge thought he might actually like that kind of brainless, overstuffed type, which had made her furious. But then he suddenly held her hand and claimed she was his girlfriend. Her heart had skipped a beat.

“Why didn’t you let me splash her? She was awful, slandering you when she didn’t even know you!” She was still pouting. Gu Zhinan was laid-back, but she wasn’t. She couldn’t stand people insulting him.

“You’re a big celebrity. Luckily, there weren’t any customers or staff around just now. If someone had recognized you, and then if that shrew made a scene… imagine the headlines. It’d be a mess. Besides, she wasn’t worth it. I didn’t even take her seriously. Good thing she didn’t recognize you either. If you were any more famous, even a ‘high-quality woman’ like her would know you.”

“Pfft—!” Xia An’ge burst out laughing. She tugged off her mask, focusing on the road while her shoulders trembled, her smile blooming like a flower. 

Way prettier than that “high-quality woman.” And way better company for dinner!

“Your guitar.” She remembered the guitar in his bag. The bag was hers. But the guitar?

“It’s yours. Don’t worry, I was super careful! If there’s any bump or knock, it’s me who gets knocked, not it. No damage at all!” He explained in a rush.

“Mm. So you’ll play and sing for the third round?”

“Yes. Just me and the guitar. I wanted to give it a shot. After all, I made it this far.” He grinned, glancing at the guitar in the back seat.

“You’ll make the fourth round.” She spoke seriously. Her eyes stayed on the road, but he could feel she meant it.

He straightened his face and nodded. “I’ll work hard, so landlady can see me perform one more time.”

“Mm.” Her soft reply carried an eagerness she couldn’t hide. She was really looking forward to seeing him on stage.

The private restaurant lived up to its name, high quality, but expensive. They got a small private room. The dim yellow light made the place feel warm and cozy. Gu Zhinan ordered five dishes, three meats and a light soup.

When the food arrived, Xia An’ge finally took off her mask. Seeing the spread, her appetite stirred. This was her first time eating out with him. Was this… a date?

“Eat. You’ve gotten thinner. When I held your hand just now, it didn’t feel as soft as it did at the amusement park.” He urged her to eat more meat.

Her face flushed red. She glared at him in annoyance. What did he mean, “not as soft”?! She had never been fat! She only weighed 92 pounds now! Yet one minute he said she was chubby, the next he said she was too thin. Still, with so much delicious food right in front of her, she couldn’t resist.

“If Xiao Ying finds out, I’ll be trapped in the gym for sure.” Her cheeks puffed out as she complained softly. Every time she was with this brute, it felt like he was fattening her up, ordering all her favorite dishes.

Wait.

“How do you even know what I like to eat?”

He shrugged, ladling soup for her as he answered, “Back at the apartment, whatever I cooked that was left over, that was what you didn’t like. Same thing at the Jinghe Hotel, you always picked around certain dishes.”

“Oh…” She didn’t dare lift her head again, quietly eating with a little smile tugging at her lips. So this blockhead could be attentive after all. He’d actually remembered what she liked.

“Eat some greens. Aren’t you afraid of getting fat?”

“You said I was thin.”

“Balanced nutrition is how you last on a treadmill.”

“Gu Brute!”

“….”

Seeing her little face flush bright red, he couldn’t help chuckling, but still spooned her more soup to help her digest. The bill came to 506 yuan, pretty expensive, but worth it. Xia An’ge finished everything.

No doubt her stomach was round under that coat. She lowered her head, realizing she’d eaten too much. Even walking felt bloated, half satisfied, half miserable.

“Hello, your total is 506. We can round down. Just give 500.”

“Oh?” Gu Zhinan’s eyelid twitched. He tested the waters. “What if it’s a little over?”

The cashier blinked, then kept her professional smile. “That’s fine too.”

“Then I’ll take a Sprite, thanks.”

“….”

Later in the car, Xia An’ge eyed him as he popped a straw into the Sprite he’d gotten through “rounding down.”

“You’re so bad.”

“….” He slid it over to her.

“Want some?”

She almost said ‘no way!’ but when the words reached her lips, they changed into a quiet “Mm.” She nodded. She hadn’t had Sprite in ages, ever since her diet was tightly controlled. She held the can and sipped slowly, sneaking glances at him as he looked at his phone.

Then she asked softly, “Your Legend of Sword and Fairy readers said your recent chapters are a little… watery. What does ‘watery’ mean?”

His hand froze. He looked at her in shock, then after a pause, replied carefully, “It means… full. Every word and sentence is written with love. They say it’s ‘water,’ but really, most of the time, it’s as solid as it gets.”

“Really?”

“Why would I lie? Landlady, you shouldn’t read my book reviews. People there aren’t serious. Don’t let them mislead you.” He spoke with a straight face, spinning nonsense.

“Not serious, like looking at black stockings?” Her clear, pure eyes stared right at him.

His face felt like it was on fire. He dared not meet those peach-blossom eyes, turning instead to the window. “No! I don’t look at that stuff. I’m not interested!”

Lies! He screamed inwardly. I only look at it with an appreciative eye! Beauty deserves to be appreciated!

Little Theater with the Author: 

Xiao Gu: Can’t you learn from me? When you pad for word count, at least make it longer.

13: Okay, boss.

Xiao Gu: You’ve gotta learn to pad just to pad. Stuff it with words. Got it? You don’t need me to teach you that, right? Let’s let it slide this time. Next time, do better.

13: Okay. Next arc, I’ll have you and Xiao Xia do a blood-recognition ritual and drag it out for 100,000 words.

Xiao Gu: ???????