Her Wild Rose - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Us

“Aaaah, Tangtang is absolutely stunning—truly a beautiful soul inside and out!”
“That perspective—so inspiring! I’m tearing up here!”
“When is the charity performance? I’ll definitely support it!”
“These stone sculptures are amazing. I’ve added Feng County to my notes—definitely going there during my next vacation!”
“These two are just so full of love… they’re both shining stars!”
“Some people are truly worthy of admiration…”

…

The comments in the livestream scrolled nonstop. What started as general discussions about the other guests had now shifted to pure praise for Tang Tang and Su Qian.

Sitting in her hotel suite, Tian Qingqing slammed her phone down on the bed, her eyes flashing with barely concealed resentment.

Why should Tang Tang and Su Qian receive so much praise? She had known Tang Tang longer—and they were obviously more suited to each other!

Tian Qingqing couldn’t figure it out, and instead, she poured all the blame onto Su Qian.

Three years ago, she hadn’t dared confess her feelings, losing her chance—she blamed Su Qian. Her poor temper and mistreatment of staff had led to her studio’s closure—she also blamed Su Qian. Now, stuck in a hotel room with an unfamiliar partner and unable to communicate—again, she blamed Su Qian.

It was as if the very existence of Su Qian as a scapegoat gave her the peace of mind to accept how poorly her own life was going.

She couldn’t let Su Qian be ahead of her in everything.

Watching the growing flood of praise directed at Su Qian, Tian Qingqing bit her lip hard.

She picked up her phone and called Gu Qiqi.
“At ten o’clock, contact a gossip site and pay to get us a trending topic. Spin it like Tang Tang and Su Qian planned this charity thing in advance—it was all for show.”

“But…” Gu Qiqi, her assistant, was currently staying in a drafty garage. After using all her savings to help Tian Qingqing attend the show, this was all she had left. She pulled her puffer jacket tighter around herself and hesitated, her breath visible in the cold. “But we don’t have any money left, and… wouldn’t that hurt Tang Tang’s reputation?”

She asked cautiously, fearing a wrong word might provoke Tian Qingqing.

“If we’re out of money, then figure something out! If I have to handle everything myself, what use are you as my assistant?”

Tian Qingqing didn’t care about the desperation in her assistant’s voice. Her tone abruptly sharpened.
“I’m telling you: right now—immediately—go find the money and contact the gossip accounts!”

Her fists pounded on the table as she spoke. The heavy thuds reverberated through Gu Qiqi’s phone, making her flinch.

When would these days finally end? If not for love, she would’ve never…

Gu Qiqi lowered her head, thick bangs shadowing her eyes. She wiped away her tears and nodded,
“Okay. I’ll contact them.”

The cold wind blew through the gaps in the garage door. Gu Qiqi pulled her little space heater closer and tucked a warm mug of water against her chest, trying to stay warm.

“Why are you here all alone?”

Through tear-blurred vision, a memory rose before her—her first month overseas. She’d trusted the wrong people, been scammed by her housemates, and wandered alone with her luggage at a subway station.

“I…”

Turning toward the voice, she saw a handsome girl wearing a black wool coat and a gray plaid scarf. The girl extended her hand kindly.
“You’re from Huaguo, right? Did something happen?”

“I… I’m basically homeless now.”

Maybe it was the relief of meeting someone from home in a foreign land. Gu Qiqi broke into sobs and grabbed the outstretched hand—it was so warm.
“Can I stay with you for a few days? Just until I find a job. I’ll leave as soon as I do.”

“Of course. You can stay as long as you want.” The girl smiled warmly and handed her a tissue.
“By the way, I’m Tian Qingqing. I’m a photographer.”

“Gu Qiqi. An international student.”

…

Maybe that memory gave Gu Qiqi some kind of courage. She picked up her phone and sent a message to a group chat. The moment she hit send, the long-silent chat buzzed to life. One by one, replies came in: Got it.

Her Tian Qingqing had always been a warm, kind little sun. And if she was harsh now, it was only because Tang Tang and Su Qian had pushed her too far.

Gu Qiqi closed her phone. A tear slipped from the corner of her eye.

She knew she was lying to herself. But if it meant continuing to believe in Tian Qingqing, she was willing to keep lying.

…

“Saying we’re faking it? If we really wanted to stage something, we could’ve done anything—why choose something as tiring and thankless as a charity performance?”

Back in the taxi to the hotel, Tang Tang stared at the trending search results in disbelief, her bl00d pressure rising fast. She stamped her foot in frustration. Because the driver was still in the car, she held her temper.
“Do netizens not have any brains? Who the hell wrote this ridiculous ‘open letter’ calling us fake?”

She said us.

Su Qian, in the front seat, ignored most of what Tang Tang said—except that one word. She smiled faintly, finding even the nasty trending tags less offensive than before.

“Probably some bitter fellow contestant. That’s the nature of live-broadcast variety shows.”

She casually locked her phone screen, her smile slowly cooling.

If someone dared target Tang Tang, she wouldn’t be polite in return.

“You focus on preparing the charity event. Leave this to me.”

Su Qian reassured the still-fuming Tang Tang with her usual calm. Her eyes glinted with something sharper, “If someone wants to mess with us, then we should…”

“Mess them right back!”

The girl behind her caught up with a determined stride and shot Su Qian a bright grin.
“And we’ll make sure they get smacked down—clearly and publicly!”

Just like before.

Su Qian blinked, stunned again by Tang Tang’s spirited reaction. She looked down at that familiar face, for a moment feeling like they had gone back in time.

“Ahem, it’s getting late. Let’s get some rest.”

Maybe she was just in too good of a mood, but Tang Tang had forgotten all the previous awkwardness. She found herself lowering her guard again—and once she realized it, she grew embarrassed.

Why did she never learn? Su Qian gave her the tiniest bit of sunshine, and she started glowing like the whole world was hers.

Grumbling at herself for being so easy, Tang Tang trudged into her room with a grimace.

Finally, she could check how bad the online backlash really was.

Maybe it was Su Qian’s unshakable calm that rubbed off on her, but Tang Tang suddenly felt strangely optimistic. That was, until she saw the discussions on Weibo—and her bl00d pressure shot right back up.

@NoLemons: I’ve been side-eyeing Tang Tang and Su Qian since the beginning. Always trending for nothing. Now they’re using a charity gig to manipulate public sentiment.

@JumpingMelonInGossipFields: Can’t believe I actually shipped them for real. So it was all fake, huh? The entertainment industry really needs to raise its standards.

@PeaceAndHappiness: Honest question—what’s the issue? Their whole purpose in joining this variety show was exposure. If they’re using their celebrity status to promote Feng County’s sculptures, what’s wrong with that? How is that “clout-chasing”?

@StanTian7: Uh oh, here come the moral centrists again. Why should someone earning 2K a month empathize with stars worth 250 million…?

…

Public opinion had clearly shifted. Tang Tang scrolled through tweet after tweet, unsure how to release her growing frustration.

She pulled out her phone, about to log into her alt account and fight back—but her phone buzzed with a new message.

“Don’t act rashly. Leave this to me.”

Just one short message from Su Qian—but Tang Tang stared at it over and over again, her smile slowly curling upward. Her round eyes crinkled into crescent moons.

She poked at those annoying posts again and whispered with conviction, “Run your mouths all you want—for now. Let’s see what Su Qian does to shut you all up.”

She was practically glowing with sweetness, even if she didn’t realize it herself.

…

Elsewhere, Su Qian exited the elevator and carefully avoided the hallway cameras. She stopped outside Tian Qingqing’s door and knocked.

“Who is it?”

Tian Qingqing opened the door in her pajamas. The moment she saw Su Qian, her eyes flickered with unease.
“This late? What do you want?”

“To settle scores.”

Su Qian had no intention of going inside. She blocked the door with her foot, arms crossed, towering over her.
“I’m just here to give you a warning—control your mouth, and those of your little minions. Or you won’t be able to afford the consequences.”

She knows?!

Tian Qingqing’s heart dropped. For the first time, she realized just how dangerous Su Qian could be.

Still, she forced herself to stay calm, lifting her head with a stiff smile.
“Consequences? Su Qian-jie, are you delusional? I haven’t done anything—what consequences?”

“Really?”

Su Qian sneered coldly, her eyes sharp enough to freeze the air between them.
“You should be grateful that three years ago, you called me ‘jie’ a few times. Otherwise, what you just did would already be splashed across the trending page.”

She didn’t wait for Tian Qingqing’s expression to crumble any further. Pulling out her phone, she sent a message to her assistant:

“Tomorrow, arrange for a few media outlets to follow and film the charity performance. And make sure Tian Qingqing’s father is there on the day.”

Then, she posted a new message on Weibo:

@SuQian
#SuQianAndTangTang Charity Performance# Correction: It’s not Su Qian and Tang Tang—it’s us.

Also, tomorrow at 6 p.m.—see you in Feng County.