Her Wild Rose - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: A Long, Long Night

The weather in Liangcheng was different from Lvteng. Being closer to the equator, even in the coldest month of January, it still felt like summer—heavy with heat and humidity.

“What are we doing today while they all have things to do?”
Tang Tang looked at Su Qian, who was already dressed in a flowy dress, her voice tinged with excitement. This kind of purposeless travel always brought her back to their university days—when Su Qian wasn’t yet buried in work, and they had all the time in the world to waste together.

But later…

Tang Tang thought of the three chaotic years they spent apart, and the brightness in her eyes suddenly dimmed. If there really were such a thing as a memory eraser, she would have wiped that entire period without hesitation.

“Today, let’s treat it like a vacation,” Su Qian said with a smile as she looked at Tang Tang.
She casually pulled out a few dresses from her suitcase, holding them up one by one to compare against Tang Tang. Finally, she settled on a white one.
“Wear this, and put on a nice bit of makeup.”

Wait a second—wasn’t this a couple’s outfit?

Tang Tang glanced at Su Qian’s dress, the same design in black. She suddenly felt like ever since she joined this reality show, she’d fallen straight into Su Qian’s net.

Just the thought made her a little annoyed.

She had been worrying herself sick during the early stages, unable to eat or sleep properly, while Su Qian was here playing her like a fool?

“Are you mad?”
Su Qian instantly sensed the shift in her mood. With a soft smile, she pinched Tang Tang’s cheek and gently pushed her toward the dressing room.
“Hurry up and change, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

A surprise?

Not another one of those ridiculous baroque pearls, right? What did Su Qian think she was, a mermaid?

Despite the sarcasm in her heart, Tang Tang couldn’t help but feel a bit of anticipation.

Su Qian stood waiting in the room, nervously glancing toward the changing area. These dresses had been custom-designed during her shoots overseas in the past three years, made to their measurements. But she wasn’t sure if Tang Tang would like them.

Just as she grew uneasy, the door opened from the inside.

Tang Tang stepped out wearing the white dress.
Seeing Su Qian staring at her intently, she blushed and self-consciously covered her chest.

The white fabric draped gracefully, highlighting her figure. Floral embellishments adorned the chest and waist, showcasing the gown’s exquisite craftsmanship. Under the soft lighting, the dress emitted a warm glow, making her look like an angel.

“What, is it not pretty?”
Tang Tang rarely wore anything this form-fitting in front of Su Qian. Under her blatantly heated gaze, she grew even more self-conscious, goosebumps rising on her exposed skin.

“I suddenly don’t feel like letting you leave the house,” Su Qian muttered, slipping an outer layer over Tang Tang’s shoulders before biting gently at her collarbone.
The fair skin quickly flushed red, and soon the pink hue spread across her whole body.

Tang Tang pushed her away in mock anger, putting some space between them.
“Su Qian! What on earth is going on in that head of yours? Can you focus for once?”

““Focus for once,” lol”
““What’s going on in your head”—I read this so differently than she meant”
“I’m terrified Su Qian’s about to drop some CEO-level, not-safe-for-broadcast line”
“Tang Tang’s dress is so pretty! But didn’t Su Qian post it on Weibo once?”
“Just did a little digging—that’s a custom order Su Qian had made two years ago. Proof they were already entangled way back when.”

After her outburst, Tang Tang realized how that sounded.
She glanced awkwardly at Su Qian, worried the woman might misunderstand.

“It’s exactly what you think,” Su Qian murmured with a smile, clearly enjoying Tang Tang’s flustered expression.
She lowered her head and kissed Tang Tang’s earlobe—not a fleeting peck this time, but a teasing graze of her teeth.

It felt like electricity zipped through her body. Tang Tang clutched Su Qian’s sleeve, nearly collapsing into her arms.

“Are you a dog or something?”
The microphones they wore kept her from saying what she really wanted to. She merely held Su Qian’s wrist tightly to keep from melting into a puddle.

“Mhm, I’ll be anything when it comes to you.”
Su Qian answered smoothly, still “stamping” little kisses on her.
In no time, Tang Tang turned red like a cooked shrimp.

“Seriously, I don’t want to let you go out.”
Su Qian leaned into her ear again, voice low and hot.
“Letting so many people see you like this—I might actually lose my mind from jealousy.”

Her tone was unapologetically possessive, as though the calm and elegant Movie Queen Su Qian was just a façade, and this possessive, intense woman was the real her.

“Then let’s not go out.”
Tang Tang’s eyes sparkled under the light like they were filled with clear water. In them, Su Qian saw two miniature versions of herself—miserable and begging.

“When did you start liking me?”
The timing of the question and Tang Tang’s soft tone made it sound like she was acting spoiled.

Su Qian gently covered her eyes with her palm and leaned in for a kiss. The familiar scent of jasmine spread between them as a new haze of emotion took over their gazes.

Neither knew how long the kiss lasted.
Only when all the oxygen between them seemed to vanish did Tang Tang finally push Su Qian away, gasping for breath.

“I’ll let you owe me this one.”

Su Qian touched her lips like a wolf who’d just eaten and was now unwilling to take responsibility.

“You’re the one who started it!”
Tang Tang pouted, fixing her makeup and dress in the mirror.
“Had I known you were such a biter, I would’ve bought edible cosmetics.”

Su Qian didn’t respond.
For once, silence filled the walk-in closet.

“Actually… I liked you from the very first time I saw you,” Su Qian suddenly said.

“You were wearing a duffle coat over a hoodie, looking like a chubby little duckling.
I remember thinking, which family’s clumsy child wandered out like this?”

A soft smile lit her face as she recalled the memory.

“You picked up a book that day, I think it was Chen Xiang (Agarwood). And I was thinking: if I sold this sapphic novel to a clueless kid, would that make me a terrible person?”

“I only thought you were pretty.”
Tang Tang’s words were bolder than usual, likely due to their earlier closeness.
She looked Su Qian up and down with wide, bright eyes and gave a meaningful smile.
“I just couldn’t believe someone could look that good.”

As soon as she said that, their eyes locked again.

Su Qian tapped Tang Tang’s forehead with a teasingly fond look.
“You little flirt. You had your eye on me from the beginning, didn’t you?”

“Yes and no.”
Tang Tang’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“I liked you, but I didn’t think you’d ever like me back. So at the time, it was just admiration. Until the day I found out you were our platform’s top-selling author… then I thought, maybe I should bring you home.”

It was the first time Tang Tang admitted to Su Qian that she’d once schemed just as hard for this relationship.

“I wanted to bring you home too—from the first moment.”

And with that, Su Qian kissed her again.

Their freshly applied lipstick smudged between their lips, leaving behind nothing but a rosy blur.

The answer comforted Tang Tang. She closed her eyes and didn’t resist like before.
The strap of her white dress slid down her arm, but the two of them remained locked in their embrace as if unaware.

Time felt suspended—everything else in the world disappeared.

No one knew how long it lasted before a knock on the door startled them.

“Can… can you get that?”
Tang Tang, flustered, nudged Su Qian, who still managed to keep her cool.
Who the hell was knocking at this moment?

“Um… Su Qian-jie? We’re about to head out,” Dong Yu called through the door. Not seeing Tang Tang, she tried to peek into the room.
Su Qian blocked the view with her body and let out a displeased cough.

Startled, Dong Yu quickly looked away and pointed awkwardly at the others busy loading things outside.
“Do you want to come with us? There’s a van…”

Oh. That’s what this was about.

Su Qian frowned.
For a moment, she suddenly understood why Dong Yu liked Chen Zhi.

They really were alike in some ways—especially in how dense they could be.

“No.”

She rejected the offer flatly. Then she leaned slightly out the door to glance at the other guests, shooting Dong Yu a warning look.

“Unless it’s important, stop bothering your Tang Tang-jie.”

With that, Su Qian smugly shut the door in Dong Yu’s confused face.
She didn’t know Tang Tang was already dressed, watching from the side and laughing like crazy.

“Su Qian, she’s just doing her job as a manager!”

Tang Tang shook her head, walking over—only for Su Qian to cover her mouth before she could go on a rant.

“You silly little thing,” Su Qian murmured, voice low and hoarse from restraint.
“You’re playing with fire right now.”

Her tone sent a shiver down Tang Tang’s spine.
Su Qian reached for the sash of Tang Tang’s freshly tied dress, and for the first time, she felt like minimalist fashion had its own kind of allure.

“Su Qian! Can you please focus?”
Tang Tang’s face flushed again.
She glared at Su Qian, teary-eyed, lips trembling.
“The guests and audience are going to start wondering where we are. How are you going to explain it?”

“Not going to.”
Su Qian answered like a willful tyrant, pressing her weight against Tang Tang again.

With a familiar lazy tone, she added,
“After all, the night is long… and no ‘proper task’ is more important than a little mischief.”