Her Wild Rose - Chapter 21
Chapter 21: Your Little One
Su Qian’s reassurance had completely robbed Tang Tang of sleep. She lay in bed, endlessly scrolling through live updates about Tian Qingqing and Su Qian’s situation, only putting her phone down and trying to nap when daylight began creeping in through the window.
Birdsong occasionally came from outside. The hotel room wasn’t well soundproofed, and someone—probably a fellow guest—had already gotten up and started clattering about packing.
The noise only made it harder for her to sleep, so she simply got up and joined the packing brigade, flipping open her suitcase.
Today marked the end of the program team’s visit to Fengcheng. Next, they would head to a new location to continue filming.
Tang Tang hadn’t brought much for this trip—aside from the gigantic starry sky-themed gown Su Qian had given her, there were only a few scattered outfits and a bag of cosmetics.
She packed her suitcase neatly and efficiently, then got the gifts prepared by the production team for each guest, waiting to hand them out once filming began.
The idle moments of the morning didn’t last long. Soon, Director Li Xiang sent a message in the WeChat group telling everyone to gather in the dining room for the day’s live broadcast.
Tang Tang replied with a simple “Received,” then waited by the door. Once she heard Su Qian’s door open, she pretended to just be stepping out at the same time.
“Morning.” Su Qian had no makeup on today and wore a black face mask, which for some reason made her look especially haggard to Tang Tang.
“Morning.” Since the hallway already had cameras, Tang Tang couldn’t express her concern right away. She had to keep everything she wanted to say buried inside.
They finally made it to the elevator, where they bumped into Lu Piaopiao and Gu Shuangran, who had just come out as well.
“Su Qian-jie, you look really off today,” Lu Piaopiao said bluntly—she was young and had always been straightforward. She glanced at Tang Tang, then suddenly looked shocked. “Tang Tang-jie, you don’t look too good either. Wait, don’t tell me… did you two go to a hotel last night?”
“Lu Piaopiao!” Gu Shuangran’s face turned cold. She glared at the younger girl, then turned to the other two and apologized, “Sorry, Piaopiao’s still young. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Seriously? Tang Tang felt like she was going crazy inside. This wasn’t just about whether they minded—it was affecting the filming now! Were all post-2000s this daring?
“No worries, we understand.”
Su Qian noticed Tang Tang’s shy expression and finally felt a little lighter. She had spent all of last night in meetings with staff, but they still hadn’t come up with a plan that wouldn’t affect Tang Tang yet could stop Tian Qingqing’s retaliation.
“Thanks.”
Because she’d done tarot readings for so many celebrity wives, Gu Shuangran always gave off an aura of mystery and aloofness.
They eventually arrived at the dining room. Li Xiang and the other guests were already seated. The camera zoomed in with a full 360-degree close-up.
The live stream’s bullet comments immediately exploded again.
“Am I seeing things, or has Su Qian really gotten haggard overnight?”
“Yeah, she’s not wearing makeup today. Did something happen?”
“But Tang Tang looks exhausted too.”
“Exactly! Her eyes are red. Looks like she didn’t sleep at all.”
“Bold claim: Tang Tang and Su Qian did something off-camera.”
“Can y’all not be so dirty-minded? They’re just good friends!”
“Wait, aren’t we missing a guest?”
“It’s Tian Qingqing. She didn’t come to the charity performance a few days ago either.”
“Guys, I heard gossip: that trending scandal about Su Qian and Tang Tang was orchestrated by Tian Qingqing. Su Qian retaliated, but then it turned out Tian Qingqing’s dad is a bigshot. Now both of them have been warned off.”
“…Excuse me? Are we making up soap operas now?”
“Yeah seriously, stop spreading nonsense. Scroll past this bad energy.”
“What if she just overslept or had a breakout? Why are y’all jumping to drama?”
…
Li Xiang, watching the audience chatter on his tablet, saw where the public sentiment was headed and decided to address Su Qian’s barefaced appearance.
“We’ve got a tight schedule today, and I can see everyone’s pretty well prepared. Only Su Qian looks a little tired.”
He already knew why Su Qian looked like that—she had messaged him late at night, saying that if public opinion turned against the program or Tang Tang, she’d just announce her withdrawal.
“Nothing serious, just had to handle some company business yesterday.”
Su Qian took off her mask and clarified the reason she wasn’t wearing makeup. She glanced at Tang Tang and saw concern in her eyes.
“Knew it! Su Qian’s just tired. Everyone who made dirty guesses better apologize.”
“Su Qian’s always so busy—running her company, attending events, writing novels… Just thinking about it makes me ache for her.”
“Exactly! Some people’s minds are just full of soap opera plots.”
…
Seeing the situation calm down, Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. He took out a few envelopes and started handing out travel allowances to each group.
“Everyone did a great job in Fengcheng, and the charity event was a big success. These envelopes are the travel funds based on online vote rankings. Since Tian Qingqing suddenly dropped out, we’ve decided to donate her share, along with what we raised from the charity, to the Fengcheng Cultural Heritage Department for maintaining the stone sculpture memorial.”
“?! No way, did Tian Qingqing really quit? Someone in the comments called that!”
“OMG, that gossip post might actually be true.”
“Please nooo. Don’t let anything happen to Tang Tang and Su Qian!”
“Help… today’s livestream feels like a heartbreaker.”
…
As expected, the envelope for Tang Tang and Su Qian was the thickest of all. Tang Tang couldn’t stop grinning as she held it. For the first time, this relatively small amount of money felt more meaningful than anything before.
“Everyone’s got their travel funds now, and after a week of bonding in Fengcheng, I think you’re all familiar with each other. Next, it’s time to exchange gifts.”
Li Xiang finally wrapped up the itinerary. He took a deep breath and slumped in his seat.
Before the show began, he’d thought Tang Tang and Su Qian would be the key to boosting viewership—and that Tian Qingqing would stir up extra buzz. Well, buzz they got… more like a detonation.
“I didn’t prepare anything fancy,” Tang Tang was still tired and didn’t want to get caught in social expectations. She took out a gift bag. “Just some postcards and small items. Hope no one minds.”
She handed the bags out one by one, until she reached Su Qian. Blocking the camera with her body, she whispered, “Open it tonight. I picked it just for you.”
Su Qian raised an eyebrow but took the bag with a half-believing smile.
Just then, Tang Tang’s phone vibrated in her coat pocket. She glanced at the name on the screen, frowned, and gestured to the director to mute her mic.
“Hello, Qingqing?” She stepped to the side by the window, positioning herself so the cameras couldn’t read her lips. “How have you been?”
Maybe it was knowing what the girl had done, but Tang Tang found she couldn’t treat her like a friend anymore.
She frowned and absentmindedly wiped dust off the window.
“I’ve been… not good.” Tian Qingqing’s voice came through raspy and hoarse, and Tang Tang’s heart clenched. Something about that tone felt dangerous.
She pulled the phone slightly away and chose her words carefully. “Um… Why did you suddenly leave? We were all really worried about you.”
“No one cares about me! You’re all just scared I’ll drag you down with me!”
Tian Qingqing sounded triggered. A crash of glass rang out, followed by a girl’s shriek—Tang Tang recognized it as her assistant, Gu Qiqi.
“Qingqing, are you okay?” Tang Tang’s voice sharpened with concern. Now she was starting to worry for Gu Qiqi’s safety. “Look, what do you want? Let’s talk.”
“I want you to come find me,” Tian Qingqing suddenly laughed, the sound eerie. “But tell me, Tang Tang… do you dare come? Would Su Qian let you?”
“That’s not your concern,” Tang Tang replied faster now, worried Su Qian might notice. “How about this—you send me the address, and I’ll come as soon as I see it.”
Meanwhile, Su Qian, growing impatient with how long Tang Tang had been on the call, was about to get up when Gu Shuangran stepped in front of her.
“This is for you.” The woman handed Su Qian an envelope, her gestures graceful as ever. “Your little one seems to be hiding something from you. And you… want to know what it is.”
“You—”
Su Qian stared at Gu Shuangran in surprise, her usually languid eyes suddenly alert. “How do you know that?”
“Lovers. Reversed.” Gu Shuangran opened the envelope and pulled out a tarot card. She waved it in front of Su Qian, then leaned close and whispered, “Don’t be nervous. I’m just a tarot reader. The cards told me.”