Her Wild Rose - Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Reverse Scale
Tan Qingqing left?
Su Qian was briefly stunned, and her expression instantly darkened.
Leaving at a time like this—she was probably up to some drama again.
“We might need to go back and check.”
Su Qian didn’t bother to enjoy the warmth of their recent reconnection. She raised a hand to hail a taxi. “Her leaving alone like this is bad for everyone.”
She didn’t finish the rest of her sentence, and Tangtang didn’t catch the implication. She simply followed Su Qian into the cab and then fluently gave the name of their hotel.
Artists dropping out of variety shows wasn’t some huge scandal in the industry. As a minor figure herself, Tangtang had always stayed clear of such matters, feeling it had nothing to do with her.
But this time, sitting in the backseat, Su Qian seemed visibly shaken.
“What’s wrong?” Tangtang clutched her phone, carefully observing her. “You really don’t look well…”
This silly girl… she’s growing up.
Su Qian smiled faintly, her gaze still on the screen as her fingers began swiping at a quicker rhythm.
“It’s nothing,” she said, her voice soft and reassuring. “Just a bit tricky.”
Tricky, not impossible.
Tangtang rolled her eyes, internally weighing the difference between the two. “Tricky” meant tough but doable. “Impossible” meant… well, doomed.
She comforted herself with that logic, but couldn’t shake the unease in her heart. Ever since Su Qian surprisingly let Tan Qingqing off the hook during the charity performance, something had subtly shifted.
Tangtang couldn’t fully make sense of it, but deep down, she had a strong feeling—Su Qian had truly given something up.
The taxi stopped and started along the congested evening roads. After nearly half an hour of bumpy riding, Tangtang and Su Qian finally arrived at the hotel lobby.
As soon as they pushed open the door, they were met with the sight of nearly all the guests sitting on the lounge sofas—clearly waiting for them.
What the… What’s going on?
Tangtang panicked a little. She quietly tugged at Su Qian’s sleeve and edged behind her.
“You’re back—good. Come, sit. Let’s talk about Tan Qingqing.”
Sitting directly across from the entrance, Director Li Xiang was the first to spot them. He gestured toward an empty seat beside Lu Piaopiao, his tone lacking its usual ease.
Clearly, the current situation had him feeling the pressure too.
“She did something that hurt the production team. Isn’t it only right that she left?”
Before they could sit down, Lu Piaopiao blurted it out. She was still dressed in a rather alien-looking Lolita outfit and calmly adjusted her wig while speaking.
“If you ask me, you’re all making a big fuss. So what if she’s a returning photographer? What kind of storm could she even stir up? She was in the wrong first…”
Lu Piaopiao, unlike most of the cast, was just a Lolita fashion blogger and didn’t have all the scheming or subtle agendas of others.
“Piaopiao!”
Seeing the girl get more and more out of line, Gu Shuangshuang beside her finally snapped, calling her name sharply. Piaopiao immediately shut up and sat up straight, pouting.
“What she said isn’t wrong though, is it? Tan Qingqing was the one at fault.”
This time it was Li Xinxin who spoke. She was a mildly popular online bartender. “We’ll just post a statement. The public isn’t stupid.”
The words of these two non-industry folks quickly annoyed the other entertainers, who all stood up and began arguing back.
Tan Shen? That kind of big shot? Even if we banded together, we wouldn’t catch his eye.
Tangtang watched coldly from the side, but her gaze couldn’t help drifting toward Su Qian. The more silent Su Qian was, the more anxious she felt.
Su Qian was always the calm and capable one. Normally, she’d be the first to step up with a solution in situations like this. Her current silence could only mean…
It really was serious.
Thinking this, Tangtang couldn’t stop her nerves from creeping in.
“How about… I give Qingqing a call?” She softly offered amidst the tense atmosphere. Instantly, everyone’s eyes landed on her, making her shrink back a bit. “We knew each other before, so maybe I could…”
Before she could finish, a woman in a black qipao cut her off. Chen Zhi sneered, eyeing Tangtang up and down with disdain.
“Do you even know who Tan Qingqing’s father is? Famous photographer Tan Shen. A man who, if he stomps his foot, the entire entertainment industry shakes. And you think you can mediate?”
Chen Zhi had been mediocre in the industry for over ten years. She hadn’t learned much acting, but her skill in flattery and kicking people when they were down had grown immensely.
She gave Tangtang a mocking look. The resentment she’d built up from losing the spotlight these past days finally had a target.
“You’re just a rookie clinging to Su Qian’s thigh and now think you’re some phoenix risen from the ashes?”
Her blunt words sent a ripple of scrutiny through the room—some skeptical, some curious.
Knowing Su Qian was one thing. Knowing Tan Qingqing was another. But knowing both as a rookie? Now that was something worth pondering.
“That’s enough—everyone, stop.”
Just as the focus shifted from Tan Qingqing to Tangtang, Su Qian finally stood up. She pulled Tangtang behind her and swept a cold gaze across the room.
“I brought her here. If there are any consequences, I’ll take them. But if a single word from today spreads, I will hold you all accountable.”
“Su Qian, you…”
Tangtang was still dazed when she was dragged into the elevator. Her expression full of worry, she looked at Su Qian.
“Should I talk to Qingqing? I mean… her father might actually listen to her.”
As she spoke, she pulled out her phone and was about to dial that familiar number—when it was snatched out of her hand.
“Su Qian, what are you doing?!”
Tangtang looked annoyed, her work being interrupted. She tried to tiptoe to grab it back, but the height difference made that impossible.
“You don’t need to help me like this.”
“But you can’t afford to cross Tan Shen.”
Tangtang was new to the industry. Everything she knew about Tan Shen came from gossip and Dong Yu’s sighs. He was known for being vindictive—anyone who offended him would vanish from the industry.
The last person who got blacklisted was a fellow idol trainee who dared to ask for edits to a photo Tan Shen took because he didn’t look as good as the retouched version.
The next day, Red Star Entertainment announced he was going abroad for study and dropped out of the finals.
Fans were furious but didn’t dare say a word online.
“It’s fine. There’s always a way.”
The elevator dinged as they reached their floor. Su Qian rubbed Tangtang’s head gently.
“I’m heading back. Don’t go wandering off.”
The phone was somehow returned to her hand, and Tangtang stood there, stunned, watching Su Qian disappear into her room.
She rubbed my head… and comforted me.
Only after she flopped back onto her familiar bed did Tangtang fully process what had happened. She happily logged into her alt account to post a giddy update—only to be hit by the storm of discussions about Tan Qingqing quitting.
She felt conflicted again.
She hadn’t been in the industry long, but she wasn’t oblivious. She knew Su Qian was in a difficult position—she just didn’t know how to help her.
If only… I was as capable as Su Qian.
Then a thought struck her—there was someone she knew who was just as capable.
Shen Jia, her boss.
Tangtang scrolled to Shen Jia’s contact at the top of her WeChat list and, after much hesitation, finally sent a message.
“Shen Jia-jie, is it okay if I call you? If you’re busy, I can just leave a message.”
There was no reply for a while—clearly, Shen Jia was occupied.
Meanwhile, inside Su Qian’s room, Shen Jia was indeed on a call—with Su Qian.
“Su Qian, I’m telling you—if you were going to do it, you should’ve gone all the way. You shouldn’t have let Tan Qingqing go yesterday,” Shen Jia said, clearly aware of Qingqing’s departure. “That girl’s manipulative and plays the victim well. Aren’t you afraid she’ll team up with her dad to bring you down?”
Su Qian silently nodded, not denying her friend’s concerns.
Tan Qingqing would retaliate. And by now, she was probably already cozying up to her father.
“Of course I’m scared, but what can I do?” Su Qian held her phone with one hand while doodling absentmindedly on a blank paper with the other. “Besides, none of that’s actually happened yet.”
“It will happen soon. Even volcanoes need a build-up before they erupt.”
Shen Jia was so frustrated with Su Qian’s indifference that she stomped her foot. She paused, then continued, “Need me to send people over to do some damage control? I’ve got enough staff.”
“No need. If Tan Qingqing wants revenge, she can come at me directly.”
Su Qian glanced toward Tangtang’s room with a soft expression.
“She’s my reverse scale.”