Her Wild Rose - Chapter 19
Chapter 19: Yes, Girlfriend
“…You really…”
On the other end of the phone, Shen Jia was stunned for a few seconds. She irritably ran her hand through her mid-length hair, instantly ruining the neat hairstyle.
“Su Qian, I used to think you were smart. I didn’t expect you to be this crazy behind the scenes.”
“Thanks,” Su Qian replied with a smile as she shifted positions — her feet were numb after sitting too long in high heels. “Not bad, you’re my bestie after all. You know me so well.”
“Su Qian, you know I wasn’t complimenting you.”
Shen Jia slammed the table in frustration. Her expression carried an uncommon trace of confusion.
She had known Su Qian for five years. All this time, she thought Su Qian was a ruthless operator who always settled scores. She never expected that someone as clear-headed as Su Qian would act so irrationally.
What was so great about Tang Tang?
Frowning, Shen Jia began recalling the few times she had met Tang Tang. Her impression of the girl had always been: sweet-looking, an excellent writer, a top student. As for personality… Shen Jia thought hard and finally came up with one description from those few encounters:
A spoiled kitten.
The type that would swat at its human when upset, who would hide shyly behind its owner instead of apologizing, and who, at its happiest, would roll over and purr with its belly exposed—utterly adorable and begging for affection.
That kind of personality… yeah, totally Su Qian’s type.
Even so, Shen Jia’s worries didn’t ease. Over the years, Su Qian had built up some industry connections, but compared to Tian Shen, she was still completely outmatched.
“So what’s your plan moving forward?”
Shen Jia rubbed her aching temples. With the phone on speaker, she was typing frantically with one hand, trying to leverage every contact she had to reach Tian Shen and hopefully resolve the issue peacefully.
“Just take it one step at a time,” Su Qian replied casually. Then out of nowhere, she said, “If I end up quitting the industry, I’ll go inherit my hundred-billion fortune.”
This woman. Still joking at a time like this?
Shen Jia couldn’t understand how Su Qian could be so calm. Even as a semi-outsider, she could feel the fire licking at their heels.
“What good would quitting do? Go home just to be bullied by your stepmom and leeched off by your stepsister?” Shen Jia’s tone was sharp, like she was scolding an employee. Realizing it, she softened a bit. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to come off that way.”
“If worst comes to worst, I’ll cry and beg to become an influencer. Doesn’t Red Star Entertainment also handle influencer business? Save me a spot,” Su Qian said breezily.
Shen Jia sighed silently. She knew that the reason Su Qian hadn’t exposed Tian Qingqing during the charity performance was entirely because of Tang Tang. She couldn’t bear to see Tang Tang sad—so much so that she’d rather play with fire herself.
“You’re such a hopeless romantic,” Shen Jia muttered.
Everyone’s going crazy. Falling in love like it’s some contagious disease.
“Talking about me, aren’t you the same with your ‘boss lady’?” Su Qian’s voice came through, followed by the rustling of a plastic bag and the crack of sunflower seeds being eaten. “Okay, gotta go. That silly kid will probably come looking for me soon.”
“Yeah, bye.”
When Su Qian mentioned the “boss lady,” Shen Jia instinctively glanced toward the kitchen, where Chen Yining, wrapped in an apron, was finishing dinner. Her face unconsciously softened with happiness.
Yeah… who hasn’t done something reckless for love when they were young? Maybe she had just grown too old and rational now.
She recalled the bittersweet ups and downs she had gone through with Chen Yining, and now, years later, the only emotion left was amazement: “I was so extra back then… and she actually liked me.”
Her phone buzzed again. Shen Jia glanced at the name on the screen — as expected, it was Tang Tang, secretly checking up on Su Qian.
“Hello?” she answered. Maybe it was because she’d grown fond of young love, but Shen Jia’s tone was warmer than usual. “What’s up? Did someone at the studio tick you off?”
Stretching, Shen Jia’s voice carried a rare hint of leisure, very different from her usual serious work persona.
“No…” the girl on the other end hesitated a long while before cautiously speaking. “Shen Jia-jie, is Su Qian okay? I heard…”
“Aren’t you two staying in rooms next door? Just go ask her yourself.”
Shen Jia cut her off. If Su Qian didn’t want to say anything, there was nothing she could do either.
“But… she won’t tell me…” Tang Tang’s voice trailed off, sounding distinctly aggrieved. “And Tian Shen… he seems really scary and untouchable. Are you sure he won’t go after Su Qian?”
What kind of—Shen Jia’s mouth twitched. Then she realized: Tang Tang wasn’t asking for facts. She just wanted someone to reassure her.
She sighed, feeling like she was suddenly stuck babysitting a group of hormonal teens.
“Tang Tang, I think you should focus more on Su Qian herself.”
Shen Jia’s eyes drifted toward Chen Yining, who was plating food. After a pause, she added, “Red Star Entertainment isn’t that big, and I’m just a small-time boss. I don’t know everything…”
If you don’t know, who else in the industry could? Tang Tang rolled her eyes silently, at a loss for words to end the call.
“Jiajia, are you done? Dinner’s ready.”
Suddenly, a voice came through the phone. Tang Tang froze — it was the boss lady’s voice. Shen Jia was home?
Covering the mic, Tang Tang held her breath, completely silent.
“Just a sec — comforting a kid.”
Shen Jia chuckled. “Paid leave or not, work still needs to get done.”
Chen Yining carried over a bubbling clay pot. The moment the lid opened, a rich tomato-and-beef aroma filled the air.
Shen Jia closed her eyes blissfully. From beside her came Chen Yining’s teasing voice, “Leave the grown-up stuff to the grown-ups. They’re in their twenties — a few harsh words won’t kill them.”
She reached out to smooth down Shen Jia’s messy hair and, completely ignoring Tang Tang still on the line, leaned down and kissed Shen Jia’s cheek. “Alright, no more working. Eat first. Then we can do some… adult things after.”
“…?”
Tang Tang’s eyes widened in shock, her face frozen in horror like she’d just heard something illegal. She immediately hung up, clutching her chest.
God, thank goodness I’m filming a show right now…
“Poor kid’s probably not sleeping tonight,” Shen Jia looked at her screen, then back at her lover with a fond gaze. “Why’d you scare the poor girl?”
“She interrupted our dinner,” Chen Yining replied seriously, handing Shen Jia a bowl. “Eat first. No more work tonight!”
…
Elsewhere, the sleepless Tang Tang knocked on Su Qian’s door. When it opened, she immediately clung to Su Qian’s arm.
“Su Qian, let’s go get some late-night food. We didn’t have dinner earlier.”
She tried to act like nothing was wrong. Having grown up independent, she didn’t know how to comfort someone. Even just asking “are you okay” felt like a lump stuck in her throat.
“Okay.”
Su Qian figured Tang Tang had something to say. Without fussing, she grabbed her coat and followed her into the quiet, sealed-off city night. They eventually stopped in front of a street food stall.
“This… is where we’re eating?”
Su Qian raised an eyebrow, incredulous. It wasn’t that she was picky — this just seemed really random.
“Yeah, here.”
Maybe from nerves, Tang Tang didn’t notice anything off. After ordering, she sat across from Su Qian and cautiously observed her.
Expression… normal.
Tone… not sarcastic.
Mood… stable…
Tang Tang mentally gave her a score and finally began to relax.
“So…” After three years of rivalry, she’d forgotten how to act normal around Su Qian. Too proud to admit her concern outright, she cleared her throat awkwardly. “Um, are you… okay?”
Su Qian had been watching her like a puppy for so long that her hand was itching to reach out and pat her head. She forced herself to stay calm and coughed, “I’m fine. What could be wrong?”
A counter-question! That meant something was wrong!
Tang Tang’s heart skipped. At a loss, she secretly pulled out her phone and typed into the browser:
“How to make your girlfriend happy?”
The page spun for a moment, then loaded a hundred ways to cheer up a girlfriend. Tang Tang scanned them, picked one she could manage, and leaned forward.
“Um… Su Qian, I’ll tell you a joke. So, this baby dinosaur got scolded by its mom—because she caught it watching Jackie Chan movies.”
Su Qian: ???
The air grew awkward. Tang Tang hesitated. “Not funny? I can try a different one…”
Oh no. These eager puppy eyes are too cute.
Su Qian fought the urge to shriek in glee and instead smiled warmly. “No, I thought it was funny.”
Phew…
To keep the mood from sinking again, Tang Tang quickly changed the subject. “Su Qian, what were you trying to tell me that day at the charity performance?”
“I’ll tell you after the variety show ends.”
Su Qian gave a wry smile. Her face in the shadows looked weary.
Sorry, Tang Tang… That confession of love… might never get the chance to be said out loud.