Her Wild Rose - Chapter 22
Chapter 22: Jealousy
“Then… do you know what she…”
The tarot card in her hand felt like a thorn stabbing straight into Su Qian’s wound—one that would never fully heal. She looked at Tang Tang, who stood not far away talking on the phone, and for a fleeting moment, she desperately wanted an answer.
Like, what exactly was Tang Tang hiding from her?
“Forget it, it’s nothing.”
Su Qian forced a bitter smile, suppressing the impulse to dig deeper. She knew a single tarot card couldn’t prove anything, and more importantly, she was beginning to lose faith in her own ability to protect Tang Tang.
“Su Qian, what are you doing?”
Tang Tang finally hung up. Perhaps because it was her first time hiding something from Su Qian, she felt terribly guilty.
This woman was sharp—what if she figured it out?
Tang Tang tightened her grip on her phone nervously.
She should’ve deleted the call log earlier. Now it might become evidence and make Su Qian suspicious.
“Nothing.”
Su Qian instinctively smiled at Tang Tang, reaching out to stroke her hair gently. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for you.”
“Did Tang Tang just mute her mic just now?”
“I have a hunch… that call was important.”
“Did Gu Shuangran give all the guests tarot cards? No wonder she’s our queen of tarot readings…”
“You missed it. The gift box she gave Piaopiao was huge, not a tarot card at all.”
“Is this our second couple forming in this variety show?”
“Is this even a travel show anymore? It’s starting to feel like a wedding agency…”
“Hey, shhh. Let’s not ruin the illusion, okay?”
The heated discussion in the bullet comments made director Li Xiang lose a few more strands of his already thinning hair. With a tired look, he wondered whether he should film a sequel titled “I Married My Bestie.”
Honestly, when guests got too comfortable, it wasn’t always a good thing.
“Next, we’ll begin our next destination journey. As the saying goes, ‘Behold the northern lands, a thousand miles of ice, ten thousand miles of snow.’”
“We’ll now leave the warmth of Fengcheng and head to Lü Teng, the city of snow castles, to witness the magnificent icy landscapes.”
Li Xiang rattled off the script in one breath and began handing out mission cards.
“Each of you now holds a task card. When we arrive in Lü Teng, you’ll need to complete the missions listed on them.”
It was still morning, and there were a few hours before their flight. The guests looked at each other and unanimously decided to use the time to plan for their missions.
Under everyone’s curious gaze, Tang Tang opened her mission card. Her eyes widened at the long list of tasks.
“First, find your own lodging for the next seven days. Second, build your own ice fishing gear and catch 10 fish. Third, carve an ice sculpture and take photos with 50 strangers within a week…”
Tang Tang looked up in disbelief, her expression stunned. “Director, are you messing with us? These missions vary so much in difficulty, there’s no way to split them evenly…”
“It’s clearly meant to make us work together.”
Su Qian glanced at Li Xiang and saw the sly glint in his eyes. “Each mini task requires at least three to four people to accomplish.”
“Knew it. The blackest thing in this show is still the director’s heart.”
Lu Piaopiao grumbled, then turned to Gu Shuangran as if remembering something.
“Shuangran, you have a villa in Lü Teng, right? Why don’t we all stay there? It’ll save a ton of money.”
It was the first time Lu Piaopiao mentioned “saving money,” and Gu Shuangran raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
Everyone here seemed to have grown a little.
Tang Tang had shed her “vase” label.
Su Qian was learning to take responsibility.
And Piaopiao…
Gu Shuangran glanced at the twin-tailed girl and smirked proudly.
She finally learned how to bother me.
“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.”
…
By evening, the group had finally been shipped by the production team from the eternally springlike Fengcheng to the freezing cold Lü Teng.
As soon as she got off the plane, Chen Zhi wrapped her coat tightly around herself, shivering like she might turn into an ice sculpture at any moment.
“What’s wrong with the production crew? Not even a pickup van?”
Frowning, Chen Zhi kept smoothing her windblown bangs.
She was annoyed beyond words. She’d been in showbiz for over ten years, and now she had to film a reality show with a bunch of rookies and amateurs—how humiliating.
“Wake up, Auntie. If it weren’t for Gu Shuangran and Tang Tang, you’d be sleeping on the street.”
Lu Piaopiao, after all, had clawed her way to the top of a competitive streamer scene. Her tongue was naturally sharper than most.
Besides, streaming and variety shows were just one of her countless side gigs—she worked in a research lab in real life. So, when she roasted people, she didn’t hold back at all.
“You! How can a junior like you be so rude?”
Chen Zhi was so thrown off by being called “Auntie” that she nearly dropped her sweet persona. She took several deep breaths and, seeing no one come to her defense, stayed quiet.
“LOL. What is going on? This show’s getting better and better.”
“What’s the name of that savage rookie? I don’t think she had much screen time before.”
“Lu Piaopiao. She’s the top-ranked Lolita streamer on that fish site.”
“This episode’s highlight should be: “When celebs decide to stop playing nice…””
…
When they arrived at Gu Shuangran’s villa, it wasn’t too late.
They waited as the production team installed cameras in the living room and hallways before starting to assign rooms.
Su Qian and Tang Tang picked the leftmost room on the top floor, with Lu Piaopiao and Gu Shuangran next door.
Li Xinxin and Zhou Yu had to pinch their noses and room with the picky Chen Zhi downstairs.
It had been a while since Tang Tang and Su Qian roomed together, and she felt a little uneasy walking in.
Seeing the bunk beds in the room made her visibly relieved.
At least they weren’t sleeping on the same bed—less awkward that way.
Her phone had no new messages from Tian Qingqing.
Tang Tang couldn’t tell what that girl might do next and kept refreshing their chat history over and over again.
She wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt Su Qian. Or rather—she wouldn’t allow anyone to hurt Su Qian in front of her.
But in Su Qian’s eyes, Tang Tang’s restlessness felt more like evasion.
Was it because of that phone call?
Su Qian’s phone suddenly buzzed again. It was news that several projects were being reassigned after the New Year.
Since Tian Qingqing left the show, Su Qian had lost track of how many endorsements and partnerships she’d lost.
This hit much harder than any fake scandal online.
Frustrated, she tossed her phone aside. For a moment, a terrible thought flashed through her mind:
Maybe she really couldn’t protect Tang Tang.
Her silly little girl would continue to shine in the entertainment industry, while she herself would fade from the public eye—just a forgotten blip in this fast-changing era.
How could someone like her deserve someone as dazzling as Tang Tang?
A tightness formed in Su Qian’s chest. It was fear—pure and full.
“Tang Tang, that call earlier…”
Su Qian hesitated before asking in a gentler tone, “Was that your company assigning you something?”
“N-No… Nothing.”
Tang Tang instinctively clutched her phone and pointed behind Su Qian. “Su Qian, it’s late. Why don’t we get some sleep first and unpack tomorrow?”
As expected—deflection again.
Su Qian turned off the light and lay in bed, stewing in her frustration.
Why was it that the first thing this girl did when there was a problem… was hide it from her?
She didn’t know how long had passed. Just when Su Qian was about to fall asleep in her own bitterness, a buzz broke the silence.
It was Tang Tang’s phone.
She watched silently in the dark as Tang Tang slipped out of bed, put on a coat, and quietly left the room.
A moment later, Su Qian turned on the light and sat up, trying to calm herself down.
When the person you like starts keeping secrets… it sucked. Really sucked.
At that moment, her own phone lit up.
Su Qian thought it was another termination notice, but it was a private message from Tian Qingqing.
That woman sent a photo with a smug message:
“Guess what? Do you think she’ll come?”
Su Qian’s hands trembled as she opened the picture.
It showed a bloody arm, carved with one name over and over—Tang Tang.
“You crazy b1tch!”
Su Qian cursed—rare for her. She grabbed her phone and rushed out of the room, chasing after Tang Tang.
Tian Qingqing was a madwoman.
If Tang Tang saw that bloody arm, would she stay out of pity?
She couldn’t take that risk. She wouldn’t gamble on how much Tang Tang cared about her.
The freezing midnight wind of Lü Teng stung like needles.
Wearing only a thin coat, Su Qian ran after the girl ahead, watching her rush onto the street to hail a cab.
At that moment, Su Qian collapsed against a wall, clutching her aching chest, her eyes full of despair.
Tang Tang… what does that woman have, that’s worth you doing all of this?