Her Wild Rose - Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Drowning
“Hey, Chen Shen, how long are you planning to keep me trapped here?”
After being cornered by Chen Shen’s gang in an alley, Tang Tang had been forced into a car and brought to a small wooden cabin by the moat.
The dim candlelight flickered over everyone’s faces, casting shadows that made their expressions hard to read.
Tang Tang sat in a wooden chair with her hands tied behind her. Two bleached blond punks stood guard behind her, both looking like trouble.
“That depends on when your Su Qian decides to show up,” Chen Shen replied nonchalantly, lounging nearby while scrolling through his phone, looking smug and self-assured.
He used to be just a background extra, scraping by on film sets. If it hadn’t been for Li Xiang, he might have lived his whole life like that. But some people, the more insecure they are, the more arrogant they become after being favored. Once he became Li Xiang’s kept lover, he was moved into a luxury villa in Liang City. At first, he just bullied the maids and chefs. Then he started frequenting bars, picking fights with customers and owners, eventually becoming a notorious menace in the area.
This time, he hadn’t intended anything serious—he just thought Su Qian was pretty and wanted to embarrass her. But the way she and Tang Tang had reacted had wounded his pride, and he was determined to teach them a lesson.
In the whole of Liang City, who didn’t fear Chen Shen? Probably just these two outsiders.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became. He had already opened Su Qian’s message thread but decided to hold off. He had time—might as well let her stew a bit longer.
Tang Tang noticed the look on his face and smiled, knowing he wouldn’t do anything rash just yet.
“What if Su Qian never comes? Are you planning to wait here with me until the end of time?”
She casually flicked her long hair back and tapped her fingers against the chair arm as if she were on vacation. “You don’t look like a student, or maybe you’re either rich or powerful?”
Her words caught Chen Shen off guard. His eyes widened in a panic—just for a moment, he felt like she saw straight through him.
Yes, he had some money, or he wouldn’t have this gang of followers. And yes, he had climbed the social ladder. But none of that could be said out loud, especially because Li Xiang never let him show his face in public.
A flash of sadness passed through his eyes. Then, rage took over. He slammed the table, sending dust flying.
This Tang Tang—tied up and still running her mouth!
“Judging by how angry you are, I must’ve hit the mark,” Tang Tang smirked. “Let me guess again—do you have a sugar daddy?”
The rest of the gang perked up, clearly intrigued by this spicy gossip.
“Tang Tang, watch your mouth!” Chen Shen, flustered, grabbed a knife from the table and held it near her face. The sharp blade glinted as it hovered over her skin. With a twist of his wrist, he cut her neck, leaving a long, bloody scratch.
Beads of bl00d slid down like pearls, staining her white dress in blooming crimson roses.
Tang Tang didn’t flinch. Her wide eyes stayed locked on his, as if she could see through everything.
“If it is a sugar daddy, then you should be careful, Chen Shen. If he could fall for you, he could fall for someone else. One day, you’ll be tossed away like garbage.”
Tang Tang had the perfect voice for storytelling—low and hypnotic. “Are you sure he really only loves you? If he could afford to keep you, keeping someone else probably wouldn’t be much harder.”
“Impossible! Sir would never do that to me!”
Chen Shen snapped. His whole body trembled with rage. “He told me he’d love my face forever. As long as I keep it, he won’t leave me!”
“You’re just a pawn.”
Tang Tang shook her head sadly. Sweat dripped down her neck, stinging the cut. She clenched her fists tightly, nails digging into her palms. Su Qian, if you don’t show up soon, I might actually die here.
Just then, Chen Shen’s phone rang.
He staggered over, picked it up, and held it in front of Tang Tang with a smug look.
“See? He’s calling me. That proves he loves me. You’re just trying to stir up drama.”
He answered and put it on speaker.
“Chen Shen, are you fucking insane? You kidnapped an artist? Are you trying to go to jail? Return her immediately! And you’re grounded—don’t you dare leave the villa for the rest of the month!”
—Li Xiang’s furious voice exploded from the speaker.
More foul language followed. Chen Shen’s arm dropped. His phone slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor like a spiderweb of broken glass.
He stared at Tang Tang, his eyes red and filled with rage.
It was her fault. All because of this woman! Li Xiang had never yelled at him like that!
“It was her fault, sir! She provoked me!” Chen Shen wailed, striking seductive poses toward the broken screen, completely ignoring the looks of disgust from the others.
That was what his “sir” liked—he couldn’t lose him now.
“What woman? Call her Miss Tang!”
Li Xiang sounded like he was about to puke. “And stop making that disgusting face! You make me want to vomit!”
“Sir! Sir—!”
But the call had already ended. Only a busy tone echoed from the phone.
The room fell silent. Half the silence came from Chen Shen’s odd reaction, the other half from shock at what they’d just learned.
The once-feared tyrant of the city… turned out to be a sugar baby?
Tang Tang hadn’t expected to be such a good guesser. She looked at Chen Shen cautiously, already sensing something was about to go wrong.
Love is a delicate thing. And for someone like Chen Shen, whose entire identity hinged on his pride, being publicly humiliated like this was too much.
Sure enough, after a long silence, he raised his head and saw that some of his gang were trying to sneak away.
“Anyone who dares leave—I’ll make sure you never survive in Liang City again!” he shrieked, pointing at Tang Tang like a madman. “So what if she’s a celebrity? Once my sir forgives me, even if she wins an Oscar, she’ll still bow to him! We’re all in this together now! Even if you run, kidnapping is kidnapping! We’re all going down!”
His logic made no sense, but the gang members hesitated.
Tang Tang tried to reason. “Chen Shen, just let me go. I won’t say anything to anyone. Your sir already knows what happened, which means Su Qian found him. If this keeps going, none of us are walking away clean.”
“So what?!”
A twisted grin stretched across Chen Shen’s face. He cut the rope binding her wrists and dragged her toward the riverbank.
It was already midwinter, and although Liang City wasn’t that cold, the moat’s water level was high and bitterly cold. Chen Shen shoved Tang Tang toward the railing, eyes wild with madness.
“If it’s going to end badly, we might as well die together!”
Die together? No way…
Panic spread across Tang Tang’s face as she stared at the dark river, calculating her escape.
Should I jump first? Or wait for a chance to run into a crowd?
“You want to run?”
Chen Shen seemed to read her thoughts instantly. He gripped her wrist so tightly it left marks. His voice cracked with hysteria.
“Sir said he loves my face—that it was perfect, no need for surgery. But the truth? He only liked it because it looked like someone else. I followed him for months… and finally discovered who it was. A man who’s been dead for years! I’m a living, breathing person, but I still couldn’t compete with a box of ashes!”
“I didn’t know what to do. But I loved him. The only way I could keep him… was this face.”
“I bought photos of that man from different ages, got surgeries, injections. One day, he looked at me and called out that man’s name. That’s when I knew I’d won.”
“He even promised to marry me next month—if I changed my name to Shen Xing!”
“But now, because of you, because of Su Qian, he doesn’t want me anymore! All my effort… wasted! So tell me, Tang Tang—don’t you think you deserve to die for this?!”
“My life’s already ruined. But I won’t let you off easy. Let’s die together. Let’s see if Su Qian can save you in time!”
Chen Shen’s eyes burned red with hatred. He dragged Tang Tang with him into the river.
The freezing water surged over her head instantly. Gasping and flailing, Tang Tang fought to break free from his grip. Only one thought remained in her mind:
I’m about to die. Su Qian… why haven’t you come yet?
……