Su Tao let out a deep breath as he tried his best to calm his mind. He inwardly told himself that he has to be calm and smiled. "Girlfriend? Is there someone as beautiful as you?"
"Of course!" Gu Rushan looked at Su Tao and smiled. "There are lots of gorgeous ladies where I teach dancing. Not only are they upright, but they"re also blessed with voluptuous figures!"
Smacking his lips, Su Tao smiled. "What conspiracy do you have to treat me so well?"
Pointing her finger at Su Tao"s nose, Gu Rushan charmingly smiled. "Don"t worry about it, it"s not a plot. I just feel that I should treat you better. After all, you"re the most powerful friend that I have, so I feel that I have to get on your good side."
"Since you want to get on my good side, then you can just offer yourself to me. Why bother introducing someone else?" Su Tao smiled.
Waving her finger, Gu Rushan chuckled, "I"m not a fool! Women must never sacrifice themselves. The moment they become easy, they will only drop in their worth from a tender cabbage to withering daylily. So I will not put myself at risk so easily."
"You"re pretty cunning trying to use other women to tempt me. You"re not being loyal as a friend here." Su Tao sourly replied with a smile.
"I can"t help it. Everyone fights for themselves. How about this, I"ll introduce three gorgeous ladies to you? They"re guaranteed to be natural and fresh. So? What do you think about that?" Gu Rushan sighed as she pretended to be helpless.
Knowing that Gu Rushan was rambling nonsense on purpose, Su Tao glanced at Kim Jung-yeon, who was lying on the desk and continued, "Rushan, why do I feel that you"re a pimp here?"
Hearing his words, Gu Rushan was briefly stunned before she blushed and unhappily responded, "I"m trying to offer you some benefits here, and you"re insulting me?"
Shaking his head, Su Tao sighed, "How are these benefits? Offering three in one go; I can"t handle all of them!"
As Gu Rushan burst into chuckles, she wiped the tears off the corner of her eyes, "Not bad; you can withstand temptation pretty well."
Sending a sour glance at Gu Rushan sourly, Su Tao snorted, "I have high standards. But if you"re offering yourself to me, I might reconsider."
Hearing his words, Gu Rushan lowered her head and fell into silence. Even Su Tao couldn"t see the expression that she"s showing.
Thus, he could only try and change the topic. When he heard Kim Jung-yeon"s snores, he helplessly asked, "You purposely got her drunk, right?"
"That"s right! Otherwise, how can we speak so intimately if she"s not drunk?" Gu Rushan gave a satisfied smile.
"I"ll send her back. Her drool is staining the tablecloth." Su Tao knew that he couldn"t continue chatting on this topic with Gu Rushan, or he would have a hard time controlling himself from the temptation.
"Why don"t you let her sleep here tonight?" Gu Rushan smiled.
"Why?" Su Tao was left baffled by her suggestion.
"Firstly, it will be too troublesome to move her about since she"s drunk. Secondly, she"s a girl, and both of you have no blood relations. I"m afraid that something might happen to her now that she"s drunk. After all, I"m responsible for her safety since she got drunk at my place." Gu Rushan might be getting a little tipsy, but her mind was still clear and her words were logical.
"Why don"t I sleep here as well?" Su Tao purposely touched his forehead and continued, "I drank a little too much, and I can"t move anymore."
Tapping on her chin, Gu Rushan pondered for a long time before she agreed, "Alright, but I have a condition!"
"What condition?" At this moment, Su Tao finally knew that Gu Rushan had her motive.
"My relatives will be coming in a few days, and I told them that I have a boyfriend. So I need you to act the role of my boyfriend when they"re here." Gu Rushan playfully said before she continued, "I couldn"t help it. I might not be considered old in Beijing, but it"s rare for girls to be single at my age back in my hometown. So they have been rus.h.i.+ng me to get married, and I can only lie to them."
"Not only are you lying to a stranger, but you"re also lying to your family? Can"t you live an honest life?" Su Tao sourly replied.
Clenching her fists, Gu Rushan said, "Everyone has their own difficulties, and I don"t want to hide in a third-tiered city at such a young age to get married and bear kids with a dull life."
Hearing her words, Su Tao sighed. Although he didn"t have any good impression of the entertainment circle, he could understand Gu Rushan"s difficulties. She was stubborn when it came to pursuing her own dreams. She might seem ambitious in the eyes of others, but wasn"t she just chasing after her dreams?
Many people lived dull and mediocre lives, but Gu Rushan wasn"t satisfied with that. Despite resorting to lies to achieve her motive, she contained no malice. Furthermore, it"s unavoidable for people to be crafty in their paths to success, and Su Tao could understand her reasons.
In terms of social status, there"s a ma.s.sive difference between Su Tao and Gu Rushan.
Gu Rushan was only someone that has just stepped into the entertainment circle, while Su Tao was already known as the future star of the TCM industry.
But Su Tao has also gone through his fair share of experiences to get to where he stood today, so he knew that Gu Rushan needed support at this moment. It was just like how Cai Yan, Yan Jing, Vera, Di s.h.i.+yuan, Tang Nanzheng, Song Sichen, and Dou Fanggang helped him without any hesitation back then.
Suddenly, a bold thought rose in Su Tao"s mind. Since she wanted to become an outstanding artist, why doesn"t he help her? In this manner, he could personally witness how someone ordinary rises to fame. He should have a strong sense of achievement if that came true, right?
"Alright, I promise you." Su Tao finally agreed after a long hesitation, then he reminded with a smile, "But I have to emphasise that we"re only acting, so don"t fall for me for real."
Letting out a snort, Gu Rushan countered, "You just watch yourself and don"t fall in love with me instead. I"m a professional actor, and I"m pretty confident in myself."
When she finished, she tossed coquettish glances over and goaded, "You dare to carry on drinking?"
Although Su Tao didn"t have a habit of using alcohol since he paid attention to his health, that didn"t mean that he couldn"t hold his liquor. The liquor capacity was related to the metabolism in the body, and since Su Tao had a good physique, his metabolism was naturally much better than an ordinary person"s. Thus, he could hold his liquor well.
"Then, I"ll go along with the lady here!" smiled Su Tao.
Taking out a bottle of Jinfeng Wine, Gu Rushan smiled, "This is a local product that I brought from home. Do you dare to give it a try?"
Su Tao wasn"t afraid of drinking white wine after drinking red wine, but he had a concerned look as he looked at Gu Rushan and smiled. "I remember that you can"t hold your liquor well. Are you sure that you can take it?"
Waving her finger, Gu Rushan responded, "Are you not a divine physician? With you here, why would I be afraid of anything?"
Letting out a sigh, Su Tao could tell that Gu Rushan was genuinely happy today, which was the reason why she drank so unrestrainedly. In the process, Kim Jung-yeon actually regained her consciousness and drank the Jinfeng Wine before pa.s.sing out again.
While Gu Rushan drank, she shared her life story with Su Tao and he patiently listened.
Gu Rushan"s family was doing pretty well. They"re located in a county in Shanzhou Province. Her father was a Section-Head level official, while her mother worked as a music teacher. Since young, her family imposed a strict education on her. Thus, Gu Rushan only knew how exciting the outside world was when she was studying in university, which resulted in her drifting here for so many years.
"My parents feel that I"m getting nowhere, and the salary that I"m getting is nothing in their eyes." Gu Rushan weakly sighed before she continued, "If I return, my family can surely get me a job as a teacher through their relations.h.i.+ps or open a dancing cla.s.s for me. Although it will be a stable life and I"ll be earning more money, that"s not my dream."
Su Tao couldn"t help taking a sip of the white wine and asked, "Have you ever considered failure?"
"I have already failed numerous times, and I"m already indifferent to it! But the more I fail, the more I have to persevere through it. After all, it"s a path that I"ve chosen." Gu Rushan looked at Su Tao and asked, "Do you think that I"m blinded by greed?"
"I don"t! It"s natural for people to be greedy. Although you"re thirsty for success, you have your own bottom line." Su Tao smiled as he continued, "You"re far better than many people out there!"
"Actually, I don"t have any bottom line!" Gu Rushan took a sip of the white wine before her brows locked together. Soon after, her expression loosened up as she reminisced from the lingering taste and explained, "But I couldn"t accept those people who tried that with me. Why don"t you try it?"
As she spoke, she playfully winked.
"Sure!" Su Tao replied straight away, then he continued, "You"re my woman now, and you can just call out my name whenever you"re in trouble."
"Haha!" Gu Rushan couldn"t hold back from her laughter and continued, "Then may I ask how much money you are going to provide me?"
Shaking his finger, Su Tao replied, "You"re wrong. I"m not going to keep you, but I"m going to nurture you! Money-wise, it"s not appropriate for me to tell you about it now. But please believe in me, since I don"t give out promises so easily. Since I have given out a promise, I will surely fulfill it."
However, Gu Rushan considered those words to be drunken spurs and smiled. "Then, I have to thank you for it. May I ask what service you need tonight? I will try my best to satisfy you!"
"Service?" Su Tao sourly glanced at her and continued, "I have no thoughts about those things!"
But before Gu Rushan could speak, she felt her head swelling and she laid down on the table.
When Su Tao stood up, his legs felt like dead weight before he jabbed her arm and smiled. "What"s wrong? You"re drunk already?"
"I"m not… I"m just resting for a bit…" Gu Rushan muttered.
Letting out a sigh, Su Tao tried his best to sober up as he carried Gu Rushan back to her room.
Gu Rushan might be his neighbor, but it was the first time he came to her room. Upon entering, he was surprised. She was more narcissistic than he had imagined. There were three large posters hanging on the wall that recorded her dances. She wore red silk clothes with her legs spread apart in the air and her chin raised and a confident smile on her lips, which gave her a graceful vibe.
But just when Su Tao wanted to put Gu Rushan down on the bed, she held onto his neck, which threw him off the balance and he fell on his b.u.t.t on the floor.
In the process, Su Tao went a little overboard as he threw Gu Rushan over to avoid injuries. On the other hand, Gu Rushan was murmuring as she rolled around on the floor with her eyes closed.
The fragrance of a woman mixed with alcohol was akin to a blazing wave as it swept over.
Truth be told, Gu Rushan looked incredibly alluring at this moment.
Su Tao was trying his best to remind himself not to fall for the enticement and brainwashed himself to believe that she"s just a disgusting slug…
"Kiss me!" Gu Rushan murmured.