My Landlord is an Idol Singer - Chapter 189

Ruan Ying knew for sure that Teacher Gu must have sent the candid photo she took to An’ge-jie. Otherwise, why would An’ge-jie blow up her messages in the middle of the night with so many exclamation marks, ending with, “Pack your bags tomorrow!”

Ruan Ying’s heart went cold. But then a thought struck her, so late at night, and Teacher Gu was still chatting with An’ge-jie??? Could it be… they really were something? How far has it gone already? She had only wanted to test them a little, but instead she’d fished up such a shocking piece of gossip?

Landlady and tenant… Ruan Ying’s imagination was running wild. She was determined to become their very first CP fan!

“Delete the photo!” Lying on her side in bed, hugging a hotel pillow, Xia An’ge buried her flushed face into it.

That Ruan Ying actually snuck a picture of her and she hadn’t even noticed! Worse, she’d sent it to that Gu Brute! Why on earth did she send it to him?!

“No sprain? Then why did Xiao Ying ask me to teach her how to massage for blood circulation?”

As soon as Gu Zhinan brought that up, Xia An’ge recalled how Ruan Ying had threatened her earlier, demanding to know why her swelling last time had disappeared so quickly, even squeezing her ankle hard when she refused to answer. The pain had her brows twisting into a knot. That kind of barbaric behavior was exactly the same as Gu Zhinan’s!

Only then had Xia An’ge stammered out the truth, confessing it was Gu Zhinan who had helped her. The shock on Ruan Ying’s face had left her burning with embarrassment.

“Just delete it already!”

“I didn’t save it.”

“Really?”

“Mm…”

“You!” Of course she didn’t believe him. That brute definitely saved it!

“Delete it! It doesn’t even look good!”

“Actually, I think it looks pretty good. Do you believe me?” To Gu Zhinan, the landlady had no bad angles. How could she be so lacking in confidence? If this were ancient times, wars would have been fought over her already.

“I don’t believe you! Delete it! Xiao Ying just snapped it randomly!”

“I’ll delete it tomorrow. I always keep my word.”

“Really? You can’t lie about this.”

“Well, even if I don’t delete it, what can you do to me, right?”

That was what Gu Zhinan typed before realizing it was too late to retract. The landlady’s reply was just two words, “Pay up.”

“…I’ll delete it, I’ll delete it right away! I just wanted to check Xiao Ying’s photography skills, see how she managed to capture the beauty of the landlady. I’ll scold her later. She shouldn’t have taken it secretly.”

“Oh.” Knowing how she thought, Gu Zhinan figured she’d probably forget about it tomorrow anyway. Just like that time at the apartment, when she’d sworn she’d delete the bunny-bite photos at sunrise once her phone was charged. In the end, she forgot completely, and the pictures were still sitting quietly in her album.

Delete it? Not happening. He’d just muddle through. It’s not like she could check.

Xia An’ge half-believed him, though she made a note to herself, next time she saw him, she’d check his phone. She already knew the password anyway! Then she remembered, they would both be on Masked Singer. She was his guest performer.

“What song are you going to sing on Masked Singer?”

Gu Zhinan glanced at the guitar leaning against the sofa and typed back:

“Sunny Day or Lime. Landlady, you pick one? Or should I write something new?”

He has been in good form lately. With the landlady there, he wanted to try Sunny Day. Maybe he could present it in this world even better, and not let Bro Zhou down.

Of course, Lime was fine too, would shut up those who said all he could do was write tearjerkers.

Sunny Day… Xia An’ge pressed her lips together. She loved that song. When Gu Zhinan had first offered it to her for her album, she’d been tempted. But when she saw the joy and focus on his face as he sang it, something she’d never seen before, she decided she wanted him to keep it for himself.

As for Lime, she wanted to save it, to sing it together with that brute someday. But not now. Not yet. Landlady and tenant. Debtor and creditor. Collaborators on songs.

But not the kind of relationship she really wanted.

“Is that okay?” When she didn’t reply for a long time, Gu Zhinan thought maybe she didn’t like either choice.

“Yes. Sunny Day. I really like that song.” She liked all his songs. If it was written by Gu the brute, she liked it without exception.

“Don’t forget to delete the photo.”

With the song settled, drowsiness soon overcame her. She fell asleep curled on her side, careful not to move her injured ankle. But just before drifting off, she reminded him one more time. When no more messages came, Gu Zhinan figured she must have fallen asleep. It was late, after all.

Delete? Instead, he quietly moved the photo into his hidden album, where he kept other pictures he’d saved. All in one place now.

Hengdian. A celebrity bar, the kind where running into stars was nothing unusual. Most of them came after shoots, looking for entertainment.

Yue Wen, who had been absent from Starlight Entertainment for some time, was sitting there scrolling through Weibo headlines. Masked Singer’s Frog had entered the fourth round with Xia An’ge after performing Tianxia.

What annoyed her most was that the Frog had picked Xia An’ge directly as his partner, not even considering anyone else. That contestant was most likely that man, Gu Zhinan! 

The same man who’d mocked her during the Chinese New Songs chart event! The same man who’d written yet another song for Xia An’ge, pushing it straight to fifth on the charts!

Her hand tightened around her glass, veins standing out. Luckily, the glass was domestically made, sturdy quality.

“Miss Yue Wen, what are you looking at?” Beside her, Lan Fang swirled a drink, noticing Yue Wen’s sour expression and thinking she was tipsy. They still had filming tomorrow. Their movie Magic City was already in post-production, with far more investment poured in than expected, almost over the limit.

But the arrow was already notched; they had to keep going, no matter how much more money it took. The payoff would come at the end. That was when they’d make their big splash.

“Nothing, just something annoying.” Yue Wen smiled faintly, ready to put her phone away, but Lan Fang caught sight of the screen.

“Masked Singer? It’s all over the trending list tonight. Didn’t they change the rules?”

Checking Weibo herself, Lan Fang saw the trending tag, Xia An’ge. The singer’s looks made her feel a stab of envy. “Is this about that Xia An’ge? I heard you’re both in the same company, but don’t get along?”

“Just a petty slut.” Yue Wen’s tone was icy. She clearly didn’t want to hear the name Xia An’ge.

“Heh. No need to worry. Once the movie’s released, you’ll be a top-tier singer and actress. And if our talks go well, we’ll be in the same company too. As for Xia An’ge, in the company she’s just a pawn, nothing more.”

“Her contract’s nearly up, she won’t be renewing.”

“That’s not up to us. It’s up to the higher-ups. However they choose to keep her, or not, has nothing to do with us.” Lan Fang downed her drink.

“Look at it this way: in the future, your world won’t include Xia An’ge at all. Just like Gao Chi and me, we’re going to rise. Magic City is just the beginning.” She thought of that fat guy and the delicate-looking man who had boasted they’d release their movie the same time as hers.

Could they really pull it off? Most likely, they were still out in some backwater, struggling to cobble together a cheap 4-million-yuan assembly-line film.

Lan Fang had checked, Lai Jingming wasn’t in Hengdian. That meant they were shooting elsewhere.

Yue Wen listened, her spirits lifting slightly. She downed her glass too, though her eyes, reflected in the empty cup, were filled with jealousy.

She had gone to great lengths to persuade her father to convince Starlight’s shareholders to partner with China Star Entertainment, investing heavily to secure her role in this movie. She would use it to climb into the top ranks, no longer stuck in the second tier.

It wasn’t just Yue Wen who was shaken by the trending news. At Starlight Entertainment, General Manager Lian Mingzhi stared at the hot search for several minutes in silence. Only now did he understand why Xia An’ge, who had refused all along, had suddenly agreed to join the show!

He’d originally thought of sending Qu Taoyu to Masked Singer, maybe grab a wave of attention, since she had no new album.

Xia An’ge was red-hot, while Qu Taoyu could only take scattered gigs, still basically a freelancer. She’d even recently gone to Hengdian to play a bit part in Magic City, just to get her face on screen. But he hadn’t expected Masked Singer to invite Xia An’ge!

It baffled him. Back when they’d frozen her out, she would never have been approved. And now? With her work still topping the New Song Chart, she shouldn’t even qualify as a contestant. But the producers had explained they would change the rules, bringing her in as a guest in episode three, and as a guest partner in episode four.

And behind it all… Gu Zhinan! Again, it was Gu Zhinan! Always tied to Xia An’ge, and always just when her contract was about to expire. An original song every episode, too! Now he’d boosted her reputation even further. If their next performance exploded in popularity, Xia An’ge’s fame would skyrocket again at year’s end, precisely what Starlight least wanted.

Lian Mingzhi’s gaze darkened. Xia An’ge’s rise was all thanks to this so-called novelist, Gu Zhinan. Why did he have such astonishing talent? And now he was stepping into the entertainment industry too?

What, did they want to play lovebirds in showbiz?

Lian Mingzhi sneered. “Starlight won’t last forever. You want to escape? Let’s see if he can really take you with him.”