Her Rose on Camera - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Going Public

Tang Tang watched herself completely lose the upper hand with Su Qian and rolled her eyes. Feeling bored, she flopped onto the carpet and began spacing out.

Everything that happened today had come on too fast. Now that she’d calmed down, she belatedly realized she might’ve been a little too emotional.

I’m 25 years old this year. I should be an adult who’s learned to keep a straight face and rein in my emotions!

While mentally scolding herself over and over again, Tang Tang lazily stretched out her hand like a little cat stealing food and grabbed a piece of chocolate from the fruit tray to pop into her mouth.

“Tang Tang-jie, you’re sneaking snacks again.”

Dong Yu, currently handling PR, shook her head helplessly and affectionately pushed the fruit tray farther away. “That box of ice cream just now already exceeded the calorie limit Sister Shen Jia set for you. If you keep eating, all those pretty dresses and skirts won’t fit anymore.”

“So what?”

Tang Tang had long since forgotten what ‘elegance and grace’ even meant. She rolled over on the carpet with no regard for her image, resting her chin on her doll-like face and looked seriously at Dong Yu. “I think I’d still look good going out in a potato sack.”

…

Dong Yu paused in the middle of her report to the boss and reflexively typed “narcissist” to send to Shen Jia. By the time she realized she’d sent it to the wrong person, the WeChat message had clearly already gone through.

“Tang Tang-jie, if you’re gonna slack off, at least do it in another room.”

She stared helplessly at the “The other party is typing…” indicator in the chat box. Half helpless, half doting. What could she do? Her artist was this cute—of course she had to go all in.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Tang Tang stood up in her bunny pajamas, hugging a carrot-shaped pillow and grandly gesturing like she was making some political speech. “I’m this adorable, and you’re still trying to kick me out?”

Tang Tang seemed to find this little roleplay fun and was about to put on a cutesy voice when her phone—thrown off into a corner—suddenly started vibrating.

“Boss is calling, boss is calling!”

The familiar ringtone rang out, and both Tang Tang and Dong Yu’s faces immediately changed.

Shen Jia, chairwoman of Red Star Entertainment and the boss of both Tang Tang and Dong Yu—if this demon woman was calling, it was definitely nothing good.

“Hello, Jia-jie,” Tang Tang carefully picked up her phone, sitting up straight like a student waiting for a teacher to inspect her desk. “What’s up, calling on a weekend and all…”

Her pleasantries didn’t even finish before Shen Jia’s lion’s roar came through the phone. “Tang Tang, so you do know it’s the weekend, huh? You go trending when netizens are the most free—are you trying to help marketing accounts hit their year-end KPIs or what?!”

“Well, not exactly…” Tang Tang nervously pulled her phone a bit further away from herself and cautiously replied, “It’s just… I got a little mad and couldn’t hold back…”

Every cell in her body was practically vibrating with fear. She put the call on speaker and pushed the phone away with her fingertips before Shen Jia could really let loose. “Jia-jie, as long as you don’t come over right now, I’ll do anything you ask!”

“Really?” Shen Jia sounded skeptical.

“Really,” Tang Tang nodded devoutly as if Shen Jia could see her. “Swear on it!”

“Alright, then I do have something for you.” Shen Jia sounded surprised by how easy this was. She let out a long breath and began assigning, “Tomorrow there’s a live event for Azure Literature City. Originally, Su Qian was supposed to be the surprise guest, but she canceled last-minute due to ‘adjusting to the local climate.’ So the site wants you to fill in.”

“What? Why should I cover for that delicate princess?!” Tang Tang immediately exploded. “She’s obviously off sightseeing and now claims she can’t adapt—why does someone that unprofessional still get covered for? And what does Azure mean by this? Are they saying I’m less famous than Su Qian? Why am I the substitute?!”

She huffed and puffed out her long-held complaints. It seemed the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she became. She strengthened her refusal: “Anyway, I’m not going! If they want someone, they can go find anyone else.”

“You promised me you’d do anything I asked,” Shen Jia calmly cornered her. “We had a deal. I’ll send a car to pick you up at 3 PM tomorrow. Spend tonight getting ready. I’ll have a stylist and dresses sent to your place—you can pick whichever one you like.”

Without waiting for a response, she hung up.

Only the dial tone was left for Tang Tang to stare at in disbelief.

“Um, Tang Tang-jie, I’ve got something later this afternoon,” Dong Yu said quickly, clearly seeing the incoming storm and wisely bailing out. “So I’ll head back early and sync up with the wardrobe department to lock in styling.”

She grabbed her down jacket and bag from the sofa. On her way out, she even took the chocolate off the table.

The room went quiet again once the door closed.

Tang Tang had lost her earlier energy. She sat numbly on the carpet, staring blankly at her phone.

Truth be told, she didn’t want to be tied to Su Qian in any way. Unless…

Unless what? Even she didn’t know.

Should Su Qian apologize? Should she grovel and be obedient to her from now on? Tang Tang had imagined all kinds of scenarios over the past three years. But in the end, she had to accept the harsh truth—that what remained between her and Su Qian was nothing more than a clichéd standoff where queens never meet.

Standing at the top doesn’t always mean you’ll see each other clearly. Sometimes, you’re just standing on different mountains.

Realizing this, whatever lingering regret she felt for Su Qian had been gradually swept away by time. It was just youthful foolishness. When you get older, you laugh it off as a joke.

Sigh.

Tang Tang sighed and walked to the window, watching the snowfall outside. Liao’an hadn’t seen snow in a long while. Maybe this one would bring her something new.

At the very least—anything better than this.

She sighed again silently, hoping tomorrow’s event would go easy on her.

It had been three years since she last attended Azure’s writer gala, all because of Su Qian. Now that the two of them had just been publicly announced to appear together on a reality show, Tang Tang couldn’t help but wonder whether the paparazzi would be aiming their long lenses at her, the little nobody of the entertainment world.

…

Sunday morning. Lunar December 31st—the last day of the year. A day perfect for closure, or perhaps for starting something completely different.

Tang Tang sat expressionlessly in the nanny van as the makeup artist applied layers of makeup on her face.

“When you walk the red carpet, remember to greet the fans. Our studio photographer will be front row, so make sure to give them a few good shots,” Shen Jia reminded her personally just before the entrance. “And if any reporters ask about your relationship with Su Qian, do you remember what to say?”

“Su Qian-jie is my senior. I’ve always respected her and I cherish this chance to be on a show with her.”

Tang Tang opened her eyes and replied dully. “Shen Jia-jie, the internet has a long memory. Those fans aren’t dead—just older.”

“Well, hide it for as long as you can.”

Shen Jia sighed helplessly. Everyone’s entitled to their own mistakes in youth. She just hadn’t expected someone as rational as Su Qian to make such an emotionally reckless choice.

No explanation, no denial—just declining every invitation that might result in seeing Tang Tang again. Wasn’t that just self-inflicted punishment?

“Tang Tang, your turn.”

A staff member came up with a name card for seating.

“I’m going.” Tang Tang accepted the card and lifted the hem of her oversized gown. “Tell Dong Yu not to wait for me. I’ll go back on my own.”

The event was held at Liao’an’s largest sports stadium. Tang Tang walked the long red carpet in a black evening gown, flashbulbs popping around her nonstop.

“Is this your first time attending Azure Literature City’s gala? As one of their evergreen authors, do you have anything to say to the audience?”

The host was a viral personality who shot to fame by dishing celebrity gossip. He smiled while holding out the mic, his bad intentions practically written all over his face.

“First, I want to thank Azure Literature City for signing me, giving me a platform and traffic, and letting more people get to know me.”

Tang Tang locked eyes with fans waving her name placards. For some reason, she suddenly thought of Su Qian. Her nose tingled, and she blinked fast to stop tears from spilling.

If they weren’t strangers now, would Su Qian be among those waving fans?

“Second, I want to thank the seniors who helped and guided me when I was unknown.” Her voice thickened with emotion, and she silently repeated Su Qian’s name to herself again and again.

“Can you elaborate? Do those seniors include Su Qian, who shares a similar writing style and genre with you?”

The host smirked, tossing out a question that was bound to top the trending list the next second.

“Um…”

Tang Tang was caught off guard. She stood frozen on stage, staring at the crowd with her fingers tightly gripping her skirt.

What could she say to give a perfect answer?

“Of course she does.”

A familiar, lazy voice suddenly rang out beside her.

Tang Tang turned and saw Su Qian stepping onto the stage in the same fuzzy white dress from the photo. Her presence was so commanding that even the smug host immediately lowered his head in guilt.

“Well, I am Tang Tang’s senior, right? Plus, she calls me ‘Master’ in private,” Su Qian said with a polite smile, naturally looping her arm through Tang Tang’s. “Whenever she runs into problems, she always comes to me. Like her current work Asking the Flute—we discussed it at length before she started writing.”

Every word Su Qian said was a mix of truth and fiction, but each line precisely matched Tang Tang’s situation. It left people suspicious—but with nothing to actually challenge.

The reporters who’d just put down their cameras quickly raised them again to snap a frenzy of photos, making Tang Tang want to bolt offstage.

But Su Qian seemed to anticipate that. She reached behind and pinched Tang Tang’s dress hard, then whispered so only the two of them could hear:

“Stupid kid. We’re working right now—smile.”