Her Wild Rose - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: Confession
“Su Qian!”
Tang Tang’s face instantly turned bright red. She didn’t dare meet Su Qian’s bare, intense gaze and just kept her head down, trying to quickly pull the woman back into the room.
So many people were watching—could she please show her a little mercy?
“What? I’m not going back!”
Su Qian was playing her drunken act flawlessly. She swayed and stumbled as if being dragged by Tang Tang, but when she turned to look at Chi Yu, her eyes were perfectly clear.
Chi Yu was momentarily stunned—Su Qian’s eyes were a warning:
Don’t touch what’s mine.
Well then. Chi Yu’s hand paused on her wine glass as a spark of excitement rose within her. What was this strange feeling that these two actually seemed more compatible?
One was soft and naive, the other was cunning and black-bellied. A perfect match, really.
Meanwhile, the livestream viewers were equally stunned by Su Qian’s sharp glare.
“Did I see that right? Did Su Qian just glare at Chi Yu?”
“LMAO, three parts teasing, two parts cold indifference, and five parts warning. That’s our queen Su.”
“This is some high-level manipulation—playing pitiful while going straight for the kill. Su Qian’s got this act perfected.”
“Tang Tang really is just too innocent…”
“Chi Yu, unintentionally getting roasted: “I should be under the car… not here…””
…
Tang Tang didn’t care about the wild barrage of comments. Right now, she was just struggling to pull her sleeve out of Su Qian’s grip, but the woman wouldn’t let go.
“Su Qian, the show is still filming. I can’t be away too long.”
When Su Qian didn’t respond, Tang Tang finally raised her head—and found herself staring into a pair of unfocused, tipsy eyes.
Forget it. Why was she trying to reason with a drunk?
Tang Tang sighed and squatted down, softening her voice as she tried to negotiate. “Su Qian, let go of my sleeve, okay? I promise I’ll come back in half an hour.”
Half an hour…
Su Qian could tell that was the absolute earliest Tang Tang could return.
She resisted the urge to smile and shook her head. Half an hour was too long. She didn’t want her silly girl spending too much time alone with Chi Yu.
“Well then…”
Tang Tang bit her lip. When they came upstairs, the other guests had just started dinner. Considering drinks and conversation, half an hour was already the best she could do.
She thought of Chi Yu, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and for some reason, felt a twinge of guilt. She did want to talk more with Chi Yu. But Su Qian—ever since she got “drunk”—had been unusually clingy.
“Twenty minutes, then,” Tang Tang finally decided. She spoke firmly, with no room for negotiation. “Just twenty minutes. No less.”
…
It was clear Tang Tang had given the matter some serious thought.
Su Qian was about to concede when Tang Tang suddenly leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. A burst of citrus fragrance hit Su Qian’s nose, and she suddenly realized—
This might be the hardest acting role of her life.
The kiss didn’t carry any romantic weight. Instead, it felt like a parent consoling a child. As if rewarding her for finally behaving, Tang Tang even reached up and pinched Su Qian’s cheek before getting up.
Don’t be fooled by Su Qian’s usual cold and serious appearance—when she was “drunk,” she really could be soft and kind of cute.
Finally doing what she had always wanted to since the moment they met, Tang Tang happily went downstairs and sat beside Chi Yu.
“Sorry about earlier, Chi Yu-jie. Su Qian isn’t usually like this.”
Tang Tang had guessed why Su Qian was drinking and looked apologetically at the elegant woman beside her, feeling guilty that her mess had dragged Chi Yu into discomfort.
“It’s fine,” Chi Yu replied breezily, waving her hand as if it was nothing. “She’s just got a strong possessive streak. I get it.”
…
Tang Tang stared at Chi Yu and sighed deeply.
What now? Even Chi Yu’s shipping me with Su Qian? This is getting out of hand…
Maybe it was because they hadn’t seen each other in years, but Tang Tang and Chi Yu chatted well into the night. They saw the other guests off to their rooms one by one, then took the last bottle of sparkling wine to a stone table in the courtyard.
Tang Tang was a little tipsy, resting her chin on her hands, her gaze dreamy as she looked at Chi Yu. “Chi Yu-jie, why haven’t you come back these past few years? Family stuff? Or did some tycoon hide you away in a love nest?”
She meant no harm with the question. Rumors of Chi Yu being blacklisted had been floating around for years, and each time, Tang Tang had worried about her.
“What tycoon? I was just tired.” Chi Yu poured herself a glass, her beautiful eyes dimming slightly. “These past few years, I’ve spent more time in hospitals than on sets. I just couldn’t focus on work anymore.”
“You were sick? Are you better now?”
“Not me. My… my partner.”
Chi Yu lowered her gaze, gently touching the jade bracelet on her left wrist. Under the soft glow of the courtyard lights, the bracelet shimmered faintly. It was clearly something she cherished deeply.
“After filming After School, I got secretly married to my assistant. But Zining… her health was bad. A few years later, she passed away.”
Tang Tang couldn’t help feeling sad with her. And for some reason, she suddenly thought of Su Qian—and grew afraid that she and Su Qian might someday face the same kind of tragedy.
“Anyway, let’s not talk about me. What about you and Su Qian? Are you ever going to clear up what happened three years ago?”
Chi Yu’s gentle voice pulled them away from sorrow just in time. She looked Tang Tang straight in the eye. “You two have been awkward for three years. You’re filming together again, even confronting Tian Shen together. Don’t you realize how much you still care about each other?”
Care?
Tang Tang blinked, suddenly remembering that possessive kiss from Su Qian, that mischievous grin, and the way she’d declared—“Tang Tang, mine.”
Her ears flushed red. She looked away, unwilling to let Chi Yu see her joy.
“Let it be. I’ll leave it to fate.”
Tang Tang had thought deeply before she gave that answer, and her smile was one of quiet acceptance.
The events of three years ago had become increasingly blurred. Now, when she looked back, she remembered the despair and confusion, but the actual truth? That had faded with time. It didn’t seem as important anymore.
And she believed—Su Qian probably felt the same.
“So, will you two get back together?”
“Not now. But someday, I think we will.” Tang Tang smiled as she said it.
“Yeah, Su Qian’s really not bad,” Chi Yu downed the last of her wine, her eyes glimmering faintly with emotion. “Even if we are rivals.”
Upstairs, Su Qian—who had been waiting all this time—quietly made her way downstairs. She walked through the dark living room and peeked through the kitchen window at the two chatting outside.
Chi Yu said something funny, and Tang Tang laughed until she almost doubled over.
So… her silly girl could be happy even without her.
Su Qian’s eyes flickered in the dark. For the first time, she realized that in the three years she was gone, Tang Tang had made plenty of new friends.
A sense of urgency—a fear that Tang Tang might no longer be hers—rushed through her. Su Qian bit her lip, suddenly regretting that she hadn’t confessed earlier when she was “drunk.”
Out in the yard, Tang Tang and Chi Yu finally finished their conversation. Their voices drifted back into the house. Su Qian snuck back to the bedroom, hoping to surprise Tang Tang when she returned.
…
Tang Tang tiptoed into the room, guilt bubbling inside her. She had promised Su Qian she’d be back soon, but ended up staying out far too long.
“Su Qian? Su Qian?”
She called softly, then spotted the “drunkard” rummaging through drawers. Tang Tang thought she hadn’t sobered up yet and hurried over, worried.
“It’s really late. Let’s get some rest, okay?”
She spoke gently, like coaxing a child—but the next second, the supposedly drunk Su Qian pressed her against the wall.
“You…”
Warm breath hit her skin. Tang Tang froze, waving a hand in front of Su Qian’s face. “Su Qian, do you know what you’re doing?”
“Yeah.”
Su Qian replied with a low grunt. She slowly let go and gently pressed Tang Tang onto the sofa. One by one, she laid down a stack of colorful cards on the coffee table.
“Are these… for me?”
Tang Tang’s eyes widened in surprise. Among the flashy cards, she noticed several understated yet luxurious-looking ones—bank SVIP cards. She’d only ever seen those before with Shen Jia.
“Yes. For you.” Su Qian kneeled on the floor, handing each card over with care. “This is my personal savings account. This one’s for company operating funds. This one holds all my film payments…”
She introduced each card one by one, serious as could be.
Tang Tang’s head began to spin. She reached out and pressed down on Su Qian’s hands, stopping her. “Wait, are you sober right now? Do you understand what you’re doing?”
“I do. I’m completely sober.”
Su Qian straightened her back, clearly stiff from nerves. For the first—and probably only—time, she braced herself and said it all in one go.
“Tang Tang, I’m showing you these cards to prove that I really do have the ability to give you a good life. So… would you consider being with me?”
Tang Tang was stunned by the sudden confession. She still had Su Qian’s bank card between her fingers and had no idea how to respond.
After a long pause, she pulled out a blue card from the stack with a look of despair.
“Um… Su Qian… why did you give me your health insurance card?”