Her Wild Rose - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Three Years Ago

Tang Tang carefully got into the taxi, watching as Gu Shuangran’s villa grew smaller and smaller behind her until it disappeared from view. She couldn’t help but lean back against the seat and let out a long sigh of relief.

Good thing Su Qian didn’t find out—otherwise, she would’ve detonated like an atomic bomb on the spot.

She thought nervously, then suddenly smiled at the memory.

“Atomic bomb explosion”—Tang Tang couldn’t help but recall how Su Qian once caught her skipping class back in college, so angry that her lips were trembling. Somehow, the metaphor felt oddly fitting.

The taxi sped through the empty streets, and as the buildings outside the window gradually became sparse, Tang Tang’s suspicion grew.

She knew Tian Qingqing had always cared about her quality of life. For her to be living in a place like this now, she must really be in some kind of trouble.

“We’re here.”

A few days ago it had snowed, and then the weather had suddenly warmed, turning the unpaved road into a muddy mess. The driver was kind enough to stop in a clean spot, sparing Tang Tang the embarrassment of stepping into a puddle.

She paid, then followed the red dot on the map until it overlapped with her location. Tang Tang found herself standing in front of a still-lit garage. She knocked, and Tian Qingqing’s voice came from inside.

“It’s not locked.”

The darkness around her made Tang Tang nervous—she felt like she was stepping into a haunted house. She carefully pushed open the iron door. The long-rusted hinges creaked loudly, sending chills down her spine.

Finally, the door opened and the scene inside came into view. It was just as she suspected—a garage converted into a temporary room. Surprisingly clean, except for a few takeaway boxes left behind, suggesting someone had been tidying up.

A single dim yellow lamp hung on the wall, the only source of light. Tian Qingqing, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, sat at the edge of the bed, seemingly focused on some sort of craftwork.

“You’re here.” Tian Qingqing turned to face her. Even in just a few days, her face had turned pale and her lips were bloodless. “I’m glad you could still come.”

Why wouldn’t she?

Tang Tang had already been suppressing her frustration, but Tian Qingqing’s passive-aggressive tone made her want to snap. Still, the woman didn’t look right, and Tang Tang didn’t dare to agitate her further.

“What? Afraid to come in?”

Noticing Tang Tang still frozen in the doorway, Tian Qingqing’s voice turned mocking. She turned around, and her bandaged hand came into view.

She was injured, and the bandaging looked sloppy at best.

Tang Tang flinched. For a moment, she didn’t know if she should step forward to re-dress the wound.

“We’ve been classmates for years, haven’t we? Tang Tang, how could you be so heartless?”

Tian Qingqing stepped forward, stopping just half a step away from her. Without flinching from the pain, she began unwrapping the gauze, revealing the still-unhealed wound beneath. The skin was red and inflamed from infection, and yet Tang Tang could clearly see that her name was carved repeatedly into Tian Qingqing’s arm.

Her heart clenched with pain—so tightly it was hard to breathe.

“You…”

Tang Tang’s lashes trembled. For a moment, she was speechless.

She wanted to say, “Sorry, I didn’t know it would get to this point,” but that would sound like she was shirking responsibility. She also thought about saying, “There are better people out there for you—people who are a better match,” but that sounded like the excuse of a scumbag.

She stood there, frozen—her usually talkative mouth suddenly struck dumb.

“What? Surprised I ended up like this?” Tian Qingqing sneered. “I bet you’re wondering when it all started. Just like that old bastard Tian Shen once asked my mother. But unlike him, you’re kind.”

Tian Qingqing walked past Tang Tang and pulled down a cream-colored curtain with little bears printed on it. Behind it was a wall completely covered in photographs—hundreds of them—all of Tang Tang.

“You… you spied on me?” Tang Tang gasped, covering her mouth. Her eyes were full of alarm as she instinctively stepped back, widening the distance between them.

If she’d felt guilty before, now she just wanted to get as far away from this lunatic as possible.

But she couldn’t leave—not when Tian Qingqing was still a threat to Su Qian’s career.

“You’re scared of me, aren’t you, Tang Tang?” Tian Qingqing still wore a smile. She reached out and grabbed Tang Tang’s arm. The gentle mask fell away, revealing something twisted beneath.

“I’ve loved you since the first time we met. Tang Tang, did you really never feel it?”

She looked into Tang Tang’s terrified eyes and laughed—a crazed, unhinged laugh. “Of course you didn’t. In your eyes, someone like me doesn’t even deserve love. You think you and Su Qian belong to the same world—high and mighty—while people like me are just invisible.”

No, that’s not true.

Tang Tang looked at the crazed woman and wondered where things had gone so wrong between them.

They could have just talked it out. Why had it turned into this nightmare?

“This isn’t love,” Tang Tang yanked her arm free, her eyes rimmed with red as she enunciated each word clearly. “This is obsession. You don’t love me—you just want to own me. You don’t care what I want.”

She looked at the bl00d dripping from Tian Qingqing’s wrist and, despite everything, knelt down and gently cleaned and dressed the wound. The warm light from the lamp fell softly across her back, just like that night in their first year of college.

“Qingqing, your arm—why is it bleeding?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I bumped it.”

“No matter how small the cut, you have to disinfect it. Also, if anyone bullies you again, just say your roommate is Tang Tang—they’ll all back off.”

…

The memory resurfaced vividly in Tian Qingqing’s mind. She couldn’t understand—how had the girl who used to look at her so kindly now treat her like a monster?

She was just expressing her feelings. Why was that so wrong?

“Don’t let the wound get wet,” Tang Tang said as she stood up. Realizing they had nothing left to say, she took a step back toward the door. “Once you’ve calmed down—when you really understand what you’re doing—then we can talk again.”

There was no point continuing this conversation now.

“Wait,” Tian Qingqing’s eyes flickered with a cold light. She hugged herself and stepped in front of Tang Tang. “You’re really going to walk away? What about saving Su Qian?”

Tang Tang took a deep breath and looked at her impatiently. “So what is it that you want?”

“Stay with me—until filming in Lvteng is over.”

…

Tang Tang stepped out of Tian Qingqing’s place and stood in the muddy street, too stunned to move.

She finally found a nearby road, squatted on the sidewalk, and started racking her brain for a convincing excuse to feed Su Qian in case she couldn’t find a ride back.

Just then, a black Hyundai pulled up, its high beams flashing. Clearly, it was here for her.

“Su Qian?”

Tang Tang walked over to the car, and when the window rolled down to reveal Su Qian’s familiar face, she gasped. Only now did she remember that she had snuck out without telling her. She lowered her head, leaning pitifully on the window.

“You came to pick me up? I knew you wouldn’t leave me in this freezing hellhole.”

Her round cheeks puffed up with just the right amount of guilt, and Su Qian couldn’t help wanting to pinch her. But she remembered the little brat had snuck off behind her back, so her face remained cold.

“Get in.”

Oh no. She’s mad.

Tang Tang’s heart sank. She quietly opened the door to climb in—only to find Shen Jia sitting in the back, smiling at her.

“Shen Jia-jie? What are you doing here?”

Tang Tang was startled and immediately wanted to disappear—what if her boss found out she had a double life? Panic.

“Su Qian was worried sick after you left. I happened to be nearby, so I tagged along,” Shen Jia said breezily. But only they knew how Su Qian had practically dragged her out of bed in a frenzy.

After that, the car fell into an icy silence.

Tang Tang knew Su Qian was angry and immediately leaned in to act spoiled.

“Su Qian, I was wrong. Please forgive me, okay?”

She batted her eyes at her.

Suddenly, the car screeched to a stop. Su Qian’s temper, already held back with difficulty, finally exploded thanks to Tang Tang’s attempt at acting cute.

Going out alone to see Tian Qingqing in such a remote place—did Tang Tang really trust that lunatic so much? Or did she just not take Su Qian’s concern seriously?

“What exactly did you do wrong?” Su Qian asked coldly.

“I… I didn’t tell you what was going on? I acted alone? And…” Tang Tang carefully tested her reaction. Seeing no change in her expression, she added, “And maybe… I still don’t think I was wrong.”

Not wrong?

Su Qian’s hands trembled on the steering wheel. For the first time, she felt like there was a fundamental disconnect between her and Tang Tang.

“Tian Qingqing? She’s a leech who eats people alive. And you think she’d just let you go? Is it because you think her sick crush on you is some kind of twisted protection? Or do you think you know her better than I do?” Su Qian’s voice was sharp, her anger overflowing. “And you—do you think all this ‘sacrifice’ you’re making for me makes you noble? Do you know how much damage I’ve had to clean up because of your recklessness?”

The words hit Tang Tang like a whip. She sat there, stunned, as if seeing Su Qian for the first time.

“Su Qian… that was too much.”

Shen Jia pulled Tang Tang into her arms, frowning at her friend. They had agreed not to explode like this—and yet Su Qian had lost control anyway.

“So that’s what you really think?” Tang Tang’s voice trembled. “Wasn’t what happened three years ago enough? Are you really planning to repeat it?

Let’s not contact each other anymore, Su Qian. I’m done.”