Her Wild Rose - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: Nightmare
…
All the guests more or less knew about the rumors surrounding Tang Tang and Su Qian. After all, their drunken interaction last night had stirred everyone’s imagination, so now they were all silently looking down, pretending they knew nothing.
“Hahaha, this moment of silence is dripping with meaning.”
“The more Tang Tang freaks out, the more I believe it’s real. What do I do? I’m totally shipping them!”
“All guests, please follow the game rules, okay? You can’t randomly swap teammates…”
“Exactly! First time I’ve seen the rules used this way…”
“I’m dying. Might as well rename the show to “Travelling With Your Ex”, since everyone seems to be paired off!”
…
The livestream chat was buzzing, and the hot topic was none other than the relationship between Tang Tang and Su Qian.
The restaurant had gone quiet because of Tang Tang’s outburst. She was still holding her hand up, now completely numb. She stole a glance at Su Qian sitting beside her, who was smiling like nothing was wrong. Following the principle that she couldn’t lose face no matter what, she straightened her back and held her hand even higher.
Su Qian gently pushed her arm down and pointed at the camera. Then, in a voice loud enough for all the guests to hear, she said meaningfully, “Tang Tang, everyone’s watching. Let’s stick to the game rules. Come on, no need to be so serious. Just play along and save face.”
“Y-Yeah…” Director Li Xiang finally caught on and chuckled, joining in. “The core of Besties is about facing the impossible. What now, Tang Tang? Want to wave a white flag and quit already?”
“No way!”
Tang Tang glanced guiltily at Su Qian, just about to find herself a graceful exit, when suddenly the usually quiet Tian Qingqing spoke up.
“How about this, Su Qian-jie, I’ll team up with Tang Tang, and you can switch to my partner?”
“No!”
“No way!”
Tang Tang and Su Qian spoke in unison, then froze as they realized they’d both said the same thing.
“Well, it seems everyone’s satisfied with their group after all.” Li Xiang smiled, clearly excited to see sparks fly between Tang Tang and Su Qian. “Now that we’re rested, let’s head to our first destination: Ke’an Ancient City. Your plane tickets are in the drawers in your rooms. Be on time!”
“Hey, dummy. When was the last time we flew together?”
Because they were now grouped up, Su Qian stuck to Tang Tang like glue. She sat atop her flashy Cinnamonroll suitcase, kicked off with both feet, and glided forward. Dressed in a creamy-white dress, she turned around and waved at Tang Tang.
“Let’s have fun, okay? Don’t go around sulking at your age. One day you’ll be too old to smile even if you want to.”
“Be careful not to knock your front teeth out!”
Tang Tang shot her a glare and rolled her suitcase toward the gate. She glanced at the carefree Su Qian and suddenly whispered, “Su Qian, are you serious… about us now?”
The airport was bustling and noisy. Her voice was swallowed instantly, disappearing into the chaos.
“What did you say?” Su Qian turned, flipping her curls off her shoulder. “Too noisy. I didn’t catch that.”
“I said…”
Tang Tang cupped her hands around her mouth, like a megaphone. She stared at the crowd rushing toward the gates, and her eyes started to redden.
She didn’t want to say it again. Some things required a lot of courage.
“I said… it’s been a long time since we flew together.” Her voice trembled, and she pulled her suitcase, hurrying ahead. “Come on. We’ll miss the flight.”
“Hey!”
Su Qian reached out instinctively to grab her, but Tang Tang had already slipped away, leaving her clutching only a corner of her jacket.
That girl…
Su Qian sighed and massaged her temple, dragging her suitcase forward. She figured Tang Tang was just throwing a little tantrum, like always.
“Ahhh, Su Qian you dummy! Your wife’s mad! Go after her!”
“Did I mishear? I swear Tang Tang said, “Are you serious about us?” Noooo, I don’t want my ship to sink!”
“Su-jie needs to get her hearing checked. I’m losing it here.”
“Just when things got sweet, are we going back to angst already…?”
…
Tang Tang boarded the plane with the crowd and quickly realized she and Su Qian were seated in the last row. She sat down and closed her eyes, trying to calm her mind.
Everything around her gradually quieted. She could hear Su Qian rustling next to her, pulling things out. Annoyed, Tang Tang shifted to the side with a huff.
“Asleep?”
Su Qian leaned closer, her warm breath brushing against Tang Tang’s ear. Her ears instantly turned red.
This woman… flirts and runs? How is that any different from a player?
Tang Tang gritted her teeth. Her mind was in turmoil — like a nervous flutter from first love mixed with the insecurity of unconfirmed feelings.
So, did Su Qian actually like her?
The same question circled her thoughts. If it had been anyone else, she might’ve asked directly, clear-cut, “Are you serious or just playing games?” But this was Su Qian — and with her, Tang Tang lost all her courage.
She was more afraid of Su Qian’s vague indifference than any answer. She feared the moment Su Qian would ask about the truth from three years ago.
Three years ago… the reason Tang Tang had left without a word — did it matter so much?
Tang Tang couldn’t figure it out. All she knew was that her chest felt unbearably heavy, like a boulder pressing on her lungs.
Just then, a jacket was gently draped over her. She reached up to touch it — a soft, plush fabric she loved.
Well, that was something. The gloom in her heart lifted a little. A small smile appeared on her lips, not realizing that her every emotion now revolved around Su Qian.
Her vision blurred. Before she knew it, a familiar scene appeared before her eyes — the commercial street in front of Liao’an University.
…
“So, you’ve really thought this through? You really want to go into the entertainment industry?”
Back then, Tang Tang was just a junior in college. She walked beside Su Qian with a canvas bag on her back, her fingers digging into her palms. “Aren’t we fine now? Your books are always in the top five bestsellers. I’m in the top twenty. We could have a great future.”
Her words were laced with hidden affection, subtle enough that Su Qian, busy answering messages, didn’t catch it.
“But we need a better life.” Su Qian kept her head down, a strand of her curled hair slipping over her cheek. “This is a great opportunity for me right now. Don’t you want us both to shine?”
But…
Tang Tang lowered her gaze. She couldn’t say out loud what was in her heart.
But once you shine… you won’t belong to just me anymore.
She stared at her coat’s button, her fingers nervously picking at it. The stitching wasn’t strong. After tugging on it repeatedly, it finally came loose. She froze, then carefully tucked it into her pocket.
“Upset?”
Su Qian noticed her low mood and smiled, gently pulling Tang Tang’s hand from her sleeve. She traced her nails lightly across her palm, the polished tips leaving a teasing tickle.
“No,” Tang Tang turned away awkwardly, trying to sound cheerful. “So when are you going to that company?”
She asked indirectly, sensing this departure might be the beginning of their end.
“Not sure yet.”
Su Qian flipped her hair, then tucked Tang Tang’s hand inside her oversized wool coat. She rummaged for a bit, and finally, Tang Tang let out a surprised “Huh?”
“It’s a key!” Her eyes lit up. She studied it closely, then tucked it away like a treasure. “For me? This gift’s pretty serious.”
“Yeah, your Valentine’s Day present.” Su Qian nodded, her brown eyes full of affection. “Come live with me, okay? The place is small, but one day it’ll hold all our stuff, our shared memories. And when we earn more, we’ll buy a bigger place, get a dog… maybe a cat too…”
Su Qian’s eyes sparkled with dreams. Tang Tang saw her reflection in them — two tiny versions of herself, shining.
She’s… asking me to live with her. Who could resist that kind of romance? Her heart pounded wildly. She pressed a hand to her chest, feeling like joy was about to overflow.
“Okay, I’ll move in.” Tang Tang stood on tiptoe and kissed the corner of Su Qian’s lips. “But can you stop leaving me alone in that empty house all the time?”
“Okay…”
Before Su Qian could finish, the dream began to fade — first the familiar street, then the key, and finally… Su Qian herself.
Tang Tang reached out desperately, but Su Qian’s figure crumbled into dust in her palm.
“Tang Tang… Tang Tang?”
Back on the plane, Su Qian noticed her tossing in her sleep and was about to fix the slipping jacket. As she leaned down, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
Tang Tang looked like she’d fallen into a terrible nightmare, her voice trembling even in her sleep.
Su Qian leaned closer and finally made out her whispered words:
“Su Qian… can you not leave me…”