Her Wild Rose - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Meeting the Parents
As soon as Su Qian dragged Tang Tang out of the banquet hall, Tang Tang yanked her hand away. She staggered back a few steps, her cheeks flushed bright red from excitement and alcohol.
“Su Qian, you’re going too far! We already broke up, so why are you still bothering me?”
Right after saying that, whether it was the alcohol affecting her nerves or Su Qian’s infuriatingly calm expression, Tang Tang grew even more agitated. She pointed a trembling finger at Su Qian’s nose.
“That face again! Su Qian, do you think you’re so cool pretending to be so unfazed all the time? You’re so annoying when you look like that!”
???
Su Qian frowned throughout her incoherent rant.
Back when they were together, wasn’t this expression exactly what Tang Tang liked the most? She used to say Su Qian looked cool and handsome that way. How did her taste suddenly change just because they broke up?
Su Qian didn’t get it, but that didn’t stop her from swatting away Tang Tang’s accusatory finger.
“Tang Tang, don’t you know it’s rude to point at people like that?” she muttered before deciding not to waste more breath on a drunk. She reached out to support the girl leaning on the wall. “Where’s your room key? I’ll take you back to your room.”
“Don’t touch me.”
Drunk courage made Tang Tang unexpectedly stubborn. She once again evaded Su Qian’s touch and leaned against the elevator wall, drawing a clear line between them. “We’re already broken up. If you keep touching me like this, it’s…”
The alcohol seemed to short-circuit her brain for a second. She paused, then suddenly remembered what she wanted to say, puffing out her chest and glaring. “That’s harassment!”
Su Qian couldn’t help but laugh inside. Did someone as gorgeous as her really need to harass a drunk like Tang Tang?
Feeling a bit mischievous, she leaned in and pinched Tang Tang’s flushed cheek, pretending to scold her. “Then how about this? Should I call the cops on myself?”
The unexpected cheek pinch left Tang Tang momentarily stunned. Realizing it was Su Qian who did it, she quickly backed away. “You! That’s too much!”
Her eyes turned red as she swatted Su Qian’s hand away. She pouted and mumbled, “We already broke up. Why are you still clinging to me? What kind of ‘good ex’ does that make you?”
“Good ex?”
Not a good ex?
Su Qian was more amused than offended. She opened the door to her own hotel room with a swipe of her key card and unceremoniously tossed Tang Tang onto her bed.
“Su Qian, are you trying to kill me?!”
Tang Tang, now more sober after being thrown, glared at Su Qian. “This isn’t my room. Are you planning to sell me?”
Ignoring her nonsense, Su Qian tossed her suit jacket on the couch and turned back. “Exactly. I plan to sell you off and then eliminate the evidence.”
Despite her teasing, she still took pity on Tang Tang. Not wanting her to suffer a massive hangover, she placed some hangover medicine on the nightstand. “Here, brat. Take this or don’t blame me when your head’s pounding tomorrow.”
“But… we already broke up. Su Qian, why are you still being so nice to me?”
Tang Tang took the water but her tears started to fall. As she wiped them away, she looked utterly aggrieved. “It’s been three years, but you still let me throw tantrums at you, gave me your sneakers at the party, and now you’re even giving me medicine. Su Qian, what do you want from me?”
Each word stabbed straight into Su Qian’s heart like a dagger. She sighed and sat down beside her.
“Silly girl. Then tell me, why did you disappear without a word back then?”
“I…” Tang Tang’s lips trembled. Tears streamed freely as she clutched the glass tightly, her knuckles white from the pressure.
Had she… gone too far?
Seeing her so fragile, even Su Qian’s tough heart couldn’t stay hardened. She gave in and changed the subject. “Then let me ask you something else, Tang Tang. Do you still like me?”
Su Qian looked at the drunken girl nervously. Seconds felt like hours as she waited for an answer. She could even count the number of rhinestones on Tang Tang’s dress.
“Forget it,” she murmured, the bitter ache in her throat making it hard to breathe. “Why am I even asking a drunk?”
She reached out to take the cup from Tang Tang’s hands. “The water’s cold. I’ll go get you a fresh one.”
But just as she was about to stand, Tang Tang grabbed her arm, clutching it with both hands and tearfully begged, “Su Qian, don’t go, okay?”
Her eyes were red and puffy. “I like you. But you… you don’t like me anymore. So what’s the point of me chasing after you?”
Her tears fell one by one, smudging her delicate makeup and soaking into the bedsheets. It was like the dam finally broke, and she sobbed uncontrollably.
“I waited every day for you to come back to me. I waited three years but you never responded. At the last party, I thought we were finally getting back together—you even gave me your shoes! But then you turned around and questioned why I left three years ago… But you’re the one who abandoned me first…”
So, she had been carrying her own pain all these years too.
Su Qian’s heart ached. She gently pulled the girl into her arms and softly asked, “Silly girl, then why didn’t you wear the dress I picked for you?”
“Because… you gave everyone a dress, not just me.”
Hearing her say that, Tang Tang snuggled into Su Qian’s arms and smiled contentedly. She patted the stunned Su Qian and bossily commanded, “Now go turn off the lights. Time to sleep!”
So that was the reason she didn’t wear the gown.
Su Qian looked at Tang Tang’s sleeping face and smiled for the first time in relief. That dress had been custom-made by a famous designer overseas—meant to be a wedding dress for Su Qian to propose in on her birthday three years ago. But things hadn’t gone as planned.
Thinking about that dark birthday, Su Qian closed her eyes.
For the past three years, aside from work, she had been living like a ghost—half hoping Tang Tang would come back and apologize, so they could live peacefully ever after, half afraid that Tang Tang would eventually move on and find someone else.
Both had carried their own wounds from that moment.
But thankfully, she had accepted the dress after all.
Su Qian chuckled to herself. So Tang Tang could still get jealous—that must mean her feelings were still there.
“No more fighting, okay?” Su Qian whispered, kissing her gently on the forehead. “Let’s live well from now on.”
In her sleep, Tang Tang seemed to sense her presence and reached out to grab Su Qian’s hair, mumbling drowsily, “Mm-hmm…”
“Then pinky promise. No take backs for a hundred years.” Seeing her nod, Su Qian smiled and tucked the blanket in around her. “Goodnight, silly girl.”
…
After settling Tang Tang, Su Qian sat alone in the dark living room with her phone.
The contrast between the pitch-black room and the warm light of the bedroom lamp was striking.
So, had she truly forgiven Tang Tang?
She glanced toward the bedroom, and the answer became clearer. Maybe it no longer mattered who was at fault back then. The present was more important now.
Tomorrow, she needed to start planning how to win her back.
Looking at the detailed travel itinerary her manager had sent her, Su Qian’s face showed a determined smile. Sure, making the first move might feel like a loss of pride, but losing that pride to the one she wanted to spend forever with didn’t seem so bad.
With that thought, she opened her contacts and called her mother.
“Hello? Mom, you still up?”
It was noisy on the other end of the line—background music and what sounded like mall announcements. Su Qian frowned slightly and reminded her, “It’s already almost nine. You should head home. Dad’s waiting.”
“We’re just watching your new variety show with the ladies!” her mom said cheerfully. “Su Qian, the girl sitting next to you on the livestream—was that Tang Tang? I haven’t seen her in years!”
Mrs. Su had always sensed there was something going on between the two, but Su Qian had never discussed her private matters at home.
“It was her.” Su Qian smiled faintly and looked down, her ears flushing red. “We’re filming this show together. Living together for a month, traveling to more than ten destinations.”
“Oh, that’s great! Traveling is the best way to rekindle feelings!”
“By the way, Mom…” Su Qian hesitated but then decided to share her secret. “You and Dad should tidy up this month… I’m bringing my partner home to meet you both next month.”