Although he told himself otherwise, knowing that an idol singer was living in the master bedroom just across the hallway made Gu Zhinan’s mind restless.

  Eventually, he couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. He opened Huaku Music, typed in "Xia An’ge" in the search bar, and hit enter. As expected, a dozen songs appeared, but they were all covers of cssic hits.

  He clicked on the first song, Longing. A quiet melody slowly flowed through his headphones. Rarely did he turn the volume up to 80, but this time, he did. The song was warm and soothing—it was originally the signature track of a veteran singer.

  "I’ve lost count of the times…"

  A soft and ethereal female voice entered at just the right moment. Gu Zhinan froze. It hit him instantly. He never expected someone who looked so cold and distant to sing with such warmth and emotion.

  The song was about missing one's family. As Xia An’ge’s voice wrapped around him, Gu Zhinan was completely drawn in. Memories of his past life surfaced—his father, always joking around, and his mother, a traditional and conservative woman. Their family wasn’t wealthy, but those twenty years had been happy.

  But all of that was now just fleeting memories. His thoughts shifted back to his current life. His parents in this world were factory workers in a small town, spending their entire lives working hard just so he could finish college, buy a house, and start a family. They had no big dreams.

  In both lives, he was an only child. In both lives, he was surrounded by love.

  "This is really nice…"

  When the song ended, he pyed it again. Then, he checked the comments section—there were over ten thousand comments, proving just how captivating Xia An’ge’s voice was. He clicked on the top-rated ones:

  "This is absolutely stunning! This song makes me so homesick. Compared to the original male version, the female vocals feel even more touching!"

  "What is home? Home is where our parents are. Mom, Dad, I miss you!"

  "Xia An’ge’s voice is truly angelic! I'm crying!"

  An angelic voice. Gu Zhinan fully agreed and didn’t hesitate to like the comment.

  He continued listening, one song after another. Each had a unique emotion behind it. But no matter how good they were, he felt that Longing carried the most heartfelt emotion. It was also the song with the most comments.

  She’s beautiful, sings well, but her personality… hmm, no comment. It was hard to believe that someone with such an icy demeanor could sing so passionately. Who would’ve thought?

  Did her fans know what she was really like? Gu Zhinan suddenly had an amusing thought.

  With a voice like this, how could she have been hidden from the public? The entertainment industry must be truly ruthless. As an outsider, Gu Zhinan could only specute.

  …

  The early July heat was unbearable, and since Gu Zhinan didn’t keep his air conditioner on all night—only setting a timer—he woke up sweating. Frustrated, he decided to extend the timer by an hour tonight.

  Looking at his phone, it was already 10 AM. He scratched his head, got out of bed, and sleepily walked out of his room.

  In the living room, Xia An’ge was sitting cross-legged on a small rug in front of the sofa. The guitar she had carried back that day y ft beside her—it was a natural wood-colored guitar. The coffee table was covered with sheets of paper, and she was writing something on one of them.

  She was probably working on a song.

  Gu Zhinan already knew she was an idol singer and that she needed to release original music soon. Watching her quietly from behind, he resisted the urge to ask about it. After all, the photos from that news article didn’t lie.

  The girl who smiled gently at the camera was none other than his ndlord—Xia An’ge.

  Xia An’ge had also noticed him. The summer heat made her room feel suffocating, so she had moved to the living room. Occasionally gncing at the blue sky and white clouds outside helped clear her mind. Her balcony was blocked by walls, making her room feel even more stifling.

  She didn’t acknowledge Gu Zhinan but found it strange—why did he never seem to go to work? He was always in his room. What did he even do for a living?

  She had no idea that Gu Zhinan was a web novelist who didn’t need to leave home for work. He was a hardcore homebody.

  Xia An’ge had been stuck on a short melody that kept repying in her head. It was like a humming tune, a summer song she had envisioned weeks ago. But she couldn’t quite capture the essence of summer, nor its fleeting thoughts.

  And right now, all she could feel was the sticky summer heat.

  After washing up, Gu Zhinan grabbed a bottle of milk and a piece of bread from the fridge. The fridge was clearly divided into two territories—one side dominated by his groceries, the other by hers.

  She had even arranged things the same way he did, which amused him. Both of them pced their milk cartons on the top shelf.

  Today was payday. He checked his bance st night—over 9,000 yuan. He was finally making over 10k a month. Compared to the grueling 9-9-6 grind from his past life, this was absolute bliss.

  With his savings, he pnned to send 10,000 yuan to his parents back home. He wanted them to quit their exhausting factory jobs. Those jobs barely paid anything and were incredibly tiring.

  As he prepared to head out to transfer the money, he passed by the living room again. The sunlight stretched his shadow long across the floor, reaching Xia An’ge’s papers.

  She lifted her head, looking slightly puzzled. Her delicate face had a faint flush from the heat, and her hair was pulled to one side.

  "Ahem… so, uh, Landlord, you’re an idol singer?" Gu Zhinan asked awkwardly. His curiosity had finally won.

  Xia An’ge hadn’t expected that question. She thought for a moment before replying, "A singer is not an idol."

  Her voice was as cold as ever.

  Oh. Same thing, same thing.

  Satisfied with her answer, Gu Zhinan nodded. She really did sing beautifully, especially Longing—it had hit him right in the heart.

  He quickly added, "I just happened to see your news. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s actually kinda cool—having a ndlord who sings so well."

  Though… he probably couldn’t tell anyone about it.

  Realizing that, he quickly waved his hands. "Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. I was just, you know, making an observation. You get what I mean, right?"

  What the hell am I even saying?

  Gu Zhinan felt like an idiot.

  Xia An’ge didn’t look at him again and simply responded with a quiet "Mm."

  Gu Zhinan felt like a fool, but at least his curiosity was satisfied. That was something.

  Silence filled the room. An awkward tension lingered in the air.

  Then, remembering he had things to do, Gu Zhinan quickly made his escape.