Her Wild Rose - Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Disagreement
“Ahhh!”
Lying on her bed, angrily scrolling through her phone, Tang Tang saw Su Qian’s Weibo post. She covered her face and rolled around on the bed, slapping her cheeks while rereading Su Qian’s post several times.
Su Qian really knew how to speak. She loved it!
A sweet smile spread across Tang Tang’s face. Her finger hovered over the screen for a long time, and in the end, she shyly gave Su Qian’s post a like.
What should she do? Even though they had already broken up, her heart still fluttered…
Just as Tang Tang was lost in her thoughts, WeChat buzzed again. This time, Su Qian had sent her a file. She opened it and found it was a list of staff members involved in the charity performance.
She hesitated whether to thank her, but before she could act, the “typing…” indicator popped up. A moment later, Su Qian sent a message.
“Rest early. We have to get up early tomorrow.”
Maybe it was because text on WeChat lacked tone, but Tang Tang couldn’t help imagining Su Qian’s nagging, motherly voice like when they were still together.
“Got it. You should rest early too. I didn’t even hear you come back.”
The corners of her mouth curled up. Her fingers danced across the keyboard. The meow-meow typing sounds from her phone filled the empty room, echoing the cheerfulness in her heart.
“I’m on the way back.”
Su Qian leaned against the elevator wall while replying to the message, retouching her makeup as she waited. She still had a late meeting about the charity performance, and it would probably last a while.
When the notification from her “special contact” chimed, Su Qian looked at the chat window and smiled as if an iceberg had melted. Her eyes narrowed, already picturing Tang Tang’s current state from just that short message.
That girl was probably holding her phone, standing by the door, ear pressed to it, waiting to hear the sound of her heels in the hallway.
Just like before. Su Qian tossed her hair, a smile twinkling in her eyes. She really had a filter for Tang Tang—no matter what that girl did, she just liked her from the bottom of her heart.
The elevator doors opened. Su Qian walked out, and as she passed Tang Tang’s room, she deliberately made her footsteps louder.
“Eh? Did they not come back together? Did I miss something?”
“Anyone record a clip? I feel like Su Qian did something we don’t know about…”
“Exactly! Why did Su Qian walk heavier past Tang Tang’s door? Was she trying to tell someone she was back…?”
“Upstairs comment unlocked a whole new way to ship them. This sugar is hard, but soooo sweet!”
At that moment, Tang Tang, standing behind the door, frowned as she read the endless stream of comments and pulled her head back from the door.
Why were these CP fans so sharp? Were they all raised by Sherlock Holmes?
Tang Tang muttered under her breath, cheeks puffed in frustration like a chubby little milk cat.
She heard the door close next door, followed by the sound of a light switch flipping on. Something heavy inside her chest seemed to quietly settle. She opened WeChat and sent Su Qian a message.
“Good night.”
The room returned to its familiar darkness. Tang Tang lay on her bed, staring at the moonlit ceiling, her thoughts floating far away like a balloon.
She actually knew where Su Qian had disappeared to for that half-hour. But she didn’t want to think too hard about it.
She knew Su Qian had probably gone to confront Tian Qingqing, avoiding all cameras. She also knew tonight’s sudden trending topic most likely came from Tian Qingqing.
Maybe… she had her own reasons.
Tang Tang folded her arms behind her head, her heart clouded like it was covered in mist. Her thoughts drifted to Su Qian’s tearful rant at the hot pot restaurant. The urge to confront her disappeared.
Maybe the four years of being classmates was fake, but the frustration and pain in Tian Qingqing’s voice that day must have been real, right?
Tang Tang sighed helplessly. She finally realized that even if they set aside the past from three years ago, there would still be conflicts between her and Su Qian.
Like right now—Tian Qingqing.
They would always have to keep compromising through countless clashes. Only then could this fragile but cherished relationship survive.
But… how long could that last?
Knock knock knock.
Just after 7 a.m., before the time she and Su Qian had agreed to meet for the venue prep, Tang Tang was woken by loud knocking on her door.
Half-asleep, she groped for her phone and yawned when she saw the time.
“What do you want?” she asked, opening the door a crack, her messy long hair covering most of her face. “No morning jogs, no market runs, if it’s nothing urgent, just go away.”
Geez, someone really didn’t want to get out of bed.
Su Qian chuckled helplessly and instinctively moved to block the camera in the hallway.
The sleepy little fool was too cute—but only she could see that.
“Good morning, silly girl.” Su Qian leaned lazily against the doorframe, head halfway through the doorway, nearly face to face with Tang Tang. “Do me a favor and have breakfast with me?”
Breakfast? At 7 a.m.?
Tang Tang stared at her flawless makeup and hair, completely confused by her logic. Her temples throbbed.
“No way,” she tilted her head up and glared at Su Qian, who was half a head taller. “I’m booked!”
Maybe it was the height difference, but what Tang Tang thought was a fearsome expression looked like something else entirely to Su Qian. In her eyes, the little fox was just glaring with round eyes, tilting her head, practically asking for chin scritches.
What should she do? So adorable. She wanted to ruffle her hair so badly.
Su Qian’s heart melted. She blocked the closing door and gave her a pleading look, “Come on, just keep me company. We’ll need energy for rehearsal…”
“AHHH!!! Was I imagining it, or was Su Qian just acting cute to Tang Tang?”
“Did we just witness that?!”
“Not gonna lie, their chemistry is really addictive. One’s a cool beauty and the other’s a cutie—straight out of a drama.”
“Same here, can’t wait for tonight’s charity performance!”
…
Uh-oh… Was this turning into a horror film?
Tang Tang suddenly felt her scalp tingle. She stared at the cutesy Su Qian across from her, wondering how many seconds she had left before she’d be silenced.
She frowned, ready to refuse, but then remembered the charity performance tonight—the one nobody was optimistic about. Even though she trusted Su Qian had arranged everything, she decided it was best to check the venue herself.
Unless she saw it with her own eyes, she’d keep worrying about slip-ups.
“Fine, let’s go.” She turned and grabbed a hat and coat from her room, raking her fingers through her hair. “After breakfast, we’ll check out the venue.”
As they walked toward the hotel restaurant, they ran into Tian Qingqing carrying a tray, heading straight toward them.
Of all the times—what terrible timing.
Tang Tang froze, unsure whether to keep walking or stop.
Behind her, Su Qian lowered her head and frowned at the food. She criticized the wilted red cabbage and overcooked eggs.
“This cabbage looks like it’s been abused,” Su Qian muttered while chatting casually. She took a step forward—and bumped into Tang Tang.
“What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?” she teased, looking up—only to lock eyes with Tian Qingqing.
Yeah, definitely a horror movie now.
Su Qian’s perfectly made-up face cracked for a second—clearly she wasn’t ready for this surprise.
“Tang Tang, long time no see.”
Tian Qingqing greeted them with a bright smile. Following the “don’t hit a smiling person” rule, she gestured toward her table. “Want to sit together?”
“Uh… sure.”
Tang Tang’s smile was strained. She sat opposite Tian Qingqing, and even her millet porridge tasted like cardboard.
“Some people really have no shame, doing anything for fame.” At the next table, Lu Piaopiao sneered at Tian Qingqing. “That face must be thicker than the paint on my wall.”
“Mind your words.” Across from her, Gu Shuangran in a silk blouse tapped her bowl with chopsticks. Behind her gold-rimmed glasses, her gaze was gentle. “If you don’t like it here, we can eat elsewhere.”
Their voices clearly carried to Tian Qingqing’s ears. Though she smiled on the surface, she was grinding her molars inside.
Lu Piaopiao, huh? She’d remember this.
“Tang Tang, how’s the charity show prep going?” Tian Qingqing broke the tense silence. “Is there anything I can help with? I’m ready whenever you need me.”
“Um…”
Before Tang Tang could respond, Su Qian’s trademark mischievous smile appeared. She lazily peeled a tea egg and spoke softly.
“We need an audience member tonight. And it has to be you.”
Her voice was so low only the three of them could hear.
“We invited Mr. Tian. So please—do us the honor.”
“You!” Tian Qingqing turned pale. She stared at Su Qian, fists clenched. “If you dare, I’ll hate you forever.”
“Then let’s wait and see.”
Su Qian crossed her arms, watching Tian Qingqing storm off with a triumphant smirk. She turned, ready to share the joy with Tang Tang—but her smile froze.
“This time… you really went too far.” Tang Tang’s eyes were red, filled with sorrow. “I hate you too now, Su Qian.”