Chapter 543 - Not a place for staying
After Su Tao and Ni Jingqiu separated, his phone rang, which left him stunned when he saw the caller. It was actually a call from Ah Jun, who was always with Sire Shui. Could it be that something happened to Sire Shui?
But when he heard Sire Shui's voice, he felt relieved since the latter didn't sound sick.
"Old man, what instructions do you have?" Su Tao asked with a smile.
"There's nothing, can't I just call you and have a chat?" Sire Shui sounded happy from his tone.
"Of course it's fine, but there must be something special for you to call me personally." Su Tao continued to probe.
As Sire Shui fell into a brief silence, he smiled. "Then, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. Since you're done with your matters in Beijing by obtaining the National Healer title, return to Huainan Province quickly!"
Su Tao knew that Sire Shui wanted him to immediately leave this dangerous place. After a brief silence, he replied, "I have to wait for my branch in Beijing to open for business before I can leave!"
"You've done well on this trip to Beijing. You've saved the Ni and Ye Families from a crisis, and they owe you one. But at the same time, you've also offended the Qin Family. I'm worried that the brat from the Qin Family might take it too far. But if you're back in Huainan Province, then I won't have to worry about you." Sire Shui sighed.
Sire Shui's meaning was clear, he wanted Su Tao to lie low. Qin Jingyu was someone who even dared to set up Ye Yilong and Ni Buwei, not to mention Su Tao.
"Is the Qin Family really that terrifying?" Su Tao grew curious.
"The situation is complicated, and I'm not in a position to discuss it with you. Return once your branch is open in Beijing. I'm not discussing it with you, but this is an order!" Sire Shui smiled.
As a wry smile rose on Su Tao's lips, he replied, "Old man, I'm not your subordinate. I have the authority to ignore your orders!"
In all of China, only Su Tao dared to speak to Sire Shui in this manner.
Sire Shui was briefly stunned before he sourly replied, "I'm not free to argue with you. Anyhow, Beijing is not a place that you should stay in for long."
Su Tao knew that Sire Shui was thinking for his sake. After all, Qin Jingyu's ability was evident after he caused the Ni and Ye Families to suffer so much.
Although he had been under the secret protection of the Shui Family, this was the territory of the Qin Family's Dragon Group, so there's nothing the Shui Family could do to help if the Qin Family was determined to cause trouble for Su Tao.
When Su Tao hung up the phone, he passed by the garden and saw a familiar person.
Gu Rushan was sitting on a stone bench, playing games from her phone.
Ever since Gu Rushan entered the production team, her temperament has been secretly affected. She slowly became more fashionable and modern. Her sitting posture had a matured flavour and she was wearing a light-blue skirt, paired with her elegant white skirt that permeated a sex appeal.
Standing to the side, Su Tao purposely waited for a long time. When he saw how focused she was and did not realise that he was beside her, he felt somewhat disappointed.
"Are you waiting for me?" Su Tao sat beside Gu Rushan and cast a glance over, watching Gu Rushan playing her mobile game.
Startled by the sudden voice, Gu Rushan recovered and glanced at Su Tao.
"Yeah, let me finish this round first. Otherwise, I'll be called names by my teammates!"
Looking at how Gu Rushan was focused on her phone with her mood changing along as she played, Su Tao inwardly sighed. Gu Rushan had no pretence nor did she disguise her feelings at all.
Gu Rushan was actually a kind-hearted woman, she's just more hardworking and persevered more than others. This was the reason why she would make herself seem so dominant and cunning.
When she finally finished the round, Gu Rushan stowed her phone and raged, "What a bunch of kids! They're constantly dying, and I can't even carry them even if I wanted to!"
Shaking his head, Su Tao smiled. "It's just a game, you don't have to be so serious about it. Actually, there are also many people using the same words to flaunt themselves and devalue their teammates. In the game world, we would always consider ourselves as the protagonist and neglect others. We will only think that other people are bringing you down, but most of the time, you're the one bringing others down."
As Gu Rushan fell into contemplation, she asked, "Are you criticising me?"
Waving his hand, Su Tao smiled, "I'm just giving an example. You're substituting yourself in my words again!"
After a brief silence, Gu Rushan took out a handwritten paper that was torn out of a book.
"IOU?" Su Tao was a little surprised as he looked at Gu Rushan.
"That's right! I will return your money within two years!" Gu Rushan smiled. "We're just neighbours, and I have to give you a promise, at the very least, for buying me a house, right?"
After a brief pondering, Su Tao stowed the IOU in his pocket and nodded his head. "At least you still have a conscience, I initially thought that you would just laugh it off without any pressure. But you still haven't stated what happens if you fail to return me the money."
Rolling her eyes at Su Tao, Gu Rushan replied, "Are you really going to make a fuss over this matter?"
"Even neighbours have to clearly calculate their debt!" Su Tao held onto his chin with a lecherous expression as he pondered for a long time before he suddenly slapped on his thighs. "If you fail to return me the money in two years, then you can just give yourself to me!"
However, Gu Rushan did not behave emotionally, as he expected. She fell into a long silence before she nodded her head. "Alright, I'll give myself to you, then! Two years later, I'm already a woman in my thirties, so it's good that I can find a lover to take care of me."
Hearing her words, Su Tao was rendered speechless and replied, "I thought that you would reject it!"
"Why would I?" Gu Rushan crooked her head as she smiled.
Sniffing his nose, Su Tao answered, "Because, in my heart, you're a woman that's vigilant against men."
"That's for other men!" Gu Rushan replied.
When she finished her words, she blushed.
"It looks like you've looked at me in a different light. That's our deal, then! Since you've promised me, then I will naturally treat it seriously. I will come back to collect my debt in two years. If you don't have the money to pay me, don't blame me for being a tyrant like Huang Shiren!"
Glaring at Su Tao, Gu Rushan argued, "So be it, then!"
"Alright, since we're done discussing our flesh deal, can we leave now? It's already evening. The sunlight from a setting sun is extremely poisonous. For a celebrity, it's not good to have your skin damaged by ultraviolet rays." Su Tao smiled as he stood up.
"What do you mean by flesh deal!" Gu Rushan found that term prickly, so she stood up and pushed Su Tao.
Losing his balance, Su Tao stumbled and nearly fell with his face on the ground. After he stabilised himself with great difficulty, he wasn't angry. Instead, he turned around and chuckled, "A transaction of flesh for a house, isn't this a flesh deal?"
"You can continue your rubbish yourself. I will definitely pay you back!"
Although Gu Rushan was in a disadvantageous position, she stood up for herself well and kicked on the grass patch, causing a piece of dirt to fly.
Looking at Gu Rushan's silhouette, Su Tao let out a light sigh. Although he only spent three months with Gu Rushan, those three months were filled with memories.
Become a celebrity quickly! Su Tao inwardly pondered. At that time, I will teach you how to respect your benefactor!
As the two of them got up, Su Tao called out to Gu Rushan and smiled, "Why don't we eat out together tonight?"
"Then, wouldn't I become a third wheel?" Gu Rushan's face turned red.
Waving his hand, Su Tao replied, "We can get more dishes with the three of us eating, and that also adds to the atmosphere."
Gu Rushan subconsciously nodded her head. Ever since she took the keys from Su Tao, she would feel that she's in a lower position whenever she interacted with him.
Cai Yan was currently cleaning up the house, and she had also decided to eat out tonight. When she heard that Su Tao wanted to bring Gu Rushan along, she did not overthink it since she was already immune to Su Tao's playboy ways. But she still felt happy that Su Tao wasn't lying to her.
They did not go anywhere far. They ordered five dishes in a district nearby that tasted pretty good. As the three of them ate, Su Tao noticed how Gu Rushan and Cai Yan happily chatted amongst themselves while he was being neglected.
Cai Yan seemed more mature than she was in the past, but she still had the temperament of a young girl in her bones. So she was extremely curious and started talking about how Gu Rushan played mobile games with a famous celebrity.
"Rushan, being a celebrity must be tough. Do you often have to stay up late?" Cai Yan held onto the chopsticks, but she wasn't eating as she stared at Gu Rushan.
"I still can't be considered a celebrity. I'm only an actress. But filming is really tiring since I would often have to stay up late. Occasionally, there are also days where I only rested for two to three hours. The celebrities also lead a simple lifestyle. We would often eat boxed meals together, and they would also share snacks with us if they have any." Gu Rushan patiently fulfilled Cai Yan's curiosity.
"Oh, right! Can you help me get a few signatures?" Cai Yan smiled as she continued, "You've no idea that I've been chasing after celebrities back in Junior High School."
"No problem! Actually, celebrities aren't arrogant. They're exaggerated with malice by reporters at many times, or intentionally blown up by someone." Gu Rushan straightforwardly agreed.
Picking up a piece of chicken meat, Su Tao placed it in Cai Yan's bowl and bitterly smiled. "Can you stop being so infatuated? Can't you just get Rushan to bring you to the production team with her when there's an opportunity?"
"No problem. If you wish to visit the production team, I can give you a referral!" Gu Rushan nodded her head with a smile.
Hearing those words, Cai Yan grew even more excited.
However, Su Tao wasn't happy about it. He could be considered a celebrity himself, and Cai Yan could just be infatuated with him, so why did she have to be infatuated with other celebrities?
Coming out of the restaurant, Su Tao paid for the meal by the cashier while Cai Yan held onto Gu Rushan's wrist and pointed at a billiards club nearby. "It's still early, so why don't we play some billiards to aid digestion?"
"I also like to play billiards!" Gu Rushan was pleasantly surprised as she smiled. "It has been years since I last played!"
Turning around, Cai Yan thought of Su Tao and asked, "What about you? Are you coming along?"
"Alright." Su Tao heavily sighed as he tragically realised that he's the third wheel here!