Her Wild Rose - Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Coaxing the Wife
“Wait, Tangtang.”
Just as the two were about to leave, Chen Shen’s voice suddenly rang out behind them. Tangtang turned her head and saw the boy in a hospital gown running toward them, panting heavily. Even though it was the dead of winter, sweat glistened on Chen Shen’s forehead.
He reached up to wipe the sweat away hastily, then stood before them, still catching his breath.
“Um…” Chen Shen knew what he was about to ask was unreasonable. Nervous, he lowered his head, his voice as soft as a mosquito’s, “I… I just want to see him one last time before I leave. Is that okay?”
He didn’t say the name, but everyone present knew exactly who he meant.
“You probably won’t be able to see him,” Tangtang replied, glancing at Su Qian, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes. She lowered her head, and her voice grew quieter, “Li Xiang’s situation is quite serious. It’s beyond what we can intervene in now.”
Tangtang hadn’t wanted to tell Chen Shen about Li Xiang’s investigation. Before coming, she and Su Qian had even discussed whether they should tell him. But in the end, they had agreed—keep it from him for as long as they could.
After all, the relationship was already over. Talking about it now would only bring more pain.
But as Tangtang looked at the lost and despondent Chen Shen, she suddenly felt that hiding it from him was its own kind of cruelty.
“It’s really that serious… Well, he didn’t just hurt me…”
Chen Shen’s eyes turned red quickly. He held back his tears, but his voice still trembled, “So… I won’t be able to see him before I go, right?”
As he said this, his eyes full of hope shifted from Tangtang to Su Qian. But when both of them remained silent in hesitation, the light in his gaze dimmed. He took a small step back and gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile. “I guess… I figured as much.”
“Not necessarily. He’s just cooperating with the investigation right now. Once it’s over, he’ll be out,” Tangtang quickly said, unable to bear seeing others upset. She subtly tugged Su Qian’s sleeve, signaling frantically, “Right, Su Qian?”
“R-right,” Su Qian nodded. She usually hated emotional, weepy scenes and had been standing aside with her arms crossed, playing the role of a bystander. But she hadn’t expected Tangtang to pull her into a lie just to comfort someone. With a smile in her eyes, she glanced at Tangtang and nodded, her tone slightly forced, “As long as he hasn’t broken the law, he should be out before you leave.”
It wasn’t technically a lie. If Li Xiang really hadn’t committed any crimes, he would be released soon.
But judging by the current leaks—he definitely had, and it wasn’t minor.
Hiding in the corner, Li Ye unconsciously clenched his fists. Although he had prepared himself for the fact that Chen Shen still had feelings for Li Xiang, watching him grieve over Li Xiang still made him feel like a joke.
He was the one who had given up his job, his future, everything—just to take Chen Shen away. Yet in Chen Shen’s heart, he still couldn’t compare to Li Xiang, who had only ever treated him like a substitute.
The strength in his grip deepened, leaving bl00d-red marks in his palm. Hiding around the corner, Li Ye suddenly felt like he was the true lunatic here.
He’d thought he would be Chen Shen’s savior. He hadn’t expected that, in Chen Shen’s eyes, the only salvation that ever mattered was Li Xiang.
“But… I never even got to say goodbye to him.”
Chen Shen’s voice was soft and filled with resignation. His frail body looked even thinner in his hospital gown, like a gust of wind might blow him away. Suddenly, as if recalling something, he reached up, removed the protective charm from his neck, and handed it to Tangtang.
“Can you give this to Li Xiang for me? I prayed for it the day I met him. It’s always brought me luck.”
“Okay.” Tangtang nodded and carefully tucked it into her pocket. She knew this was the last shred of hope Chen Shen was holding onto. Trying to lighten the mood, she cracked a half-hearted joke. “Chen Shen, you better think this through. Once you leave, Boss Li will have nothing but this charm to pine over.”
Yeah—just him and the charm.
Li Ye’s fists clenched tighter. Through his gold-rimmed glasses, he stared daggers at the charm in Tangtang’s hand, almost wishing he could burn a hole through it. He bit his lip hard to stop himself from saying anything spiteful.
Li Xiang, that scum—he was already in jail, and yet he still haunted Chen Shen’s heart like this.
In that moment, Li Ye didn’t feel like a psychiatrist at all—but a deranged man, obsessed to the point of madness. In just a few days, his growing obsession and possessiveness over Chen Shen had become pathological.
“I should go back now.”
Seeing Tangtang carefully pocket the charm, Chen Shen let out a long sigh. He seemed to realize how lovesick he had just acted, and sheepishly pointed toward his room. “I’d better head back before Dr. Li gets worried.”
Su Qian raised a brow, her expression teasing.
A doctor worrying about his patient? Well, that relationship certainly wasn’t ordinary.
“Chen Shen,” Tangtang called out again, studying him carefully as if checking whether he was really okay. “Are you sure you want to go with Li Ye? If you don’t want to, we could—”
Before she could finish, Chen Shen cut her off hastily, as if afraid he’d change his mind.
“I know how Dr. Li feels. I want to go with him. Even if I can’t accept it now, maybe I will eventually. And besides, whether I stay here or you send me abroad, I’ll still have the hope of coming back. But if I stay… it’ll just mean more people coming after Li Xiang with pitchforks.”
So, even if it means leaving everything behind, I don’t want Li Xiang to be hurt anymore because of me.
“Then…” Su Qian looked at Chen Shen, hesitating for a second before voicing what was on her mind, “You don’t blame him?”
Hearing this, Li Ye—still eavesdropping—strained his ears. He pressed himself flat against the wall, desperate to catch every single word Chen Shen said.
“I guess I do,” Chen Shen finally answered, after a long pause. “But if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be who I am now. If I hadn’t met Li Xiang, I’d probably still be in some low-budget crew, with ash smeared on my face, not even knowing if my character would make it to the final cut. But because of him, I saw things I never dreamed I’d see in my life. He may have lied to me, but what we had was real. The people we met, the places we went—they were real too. And that’s enough.”
He said this with a smile, and it really looked like he was letting go.
Hiding in the corner, Li Ye felt utterly defeated. He slid weakly down the wall. The pen in his white coat slipped out and clattered loudly across the floor.
The quiet hallway echoed with the sound. Everyone turned toward the source of the noise, looking at the corner.
Chen Shen immediately realized what was going on. With a hint of embarrassment, he turned to the two women.
“I really have to go now, or Dr. Li will be mad.”
“Take care.”
Tangtang nodded toward him. She and Su Qian stood silently, watching him walk farther and farther away. Outside, the wind carried snowflakes into the corridor—Liao’an had quietly welcomed another snowfall.
“Let’s go too,” Tangtang said, her tone noticeably lighter now that Chen Shen had left. She grabbed Su Qian’s hand, heading toward the main exit. “I didn’t think Chen Shen’s feelings for Li Xiang ran so deep.”
“Maybe,” Su Qian glanced back at the corner where Li Ye had hidden, a knowing glint in her eye. “But he’s not the only one who’s lovesick.”
“What about you?”
Once they were in the car, Tangtang looked at Su Qian curiously. Her gaze lingered on Su Qian’s sharp jawline, then her high nose, delicate lips, and finally rested on her deep, soulful eyes.
When she thought seriously, her light brown eyes looked so clear it was easy to get lost in them.
“I’m even crazier than he is,” Su Qian looked Tangtang up and down, then suddenly licked her lips and gave a dangerous smile. “I’d tie you up, lock you in a little cabin, and keep you there until you give in and never run again.”
She said it seriously. But Tangtang’s mind immediately jumped to something spicy, and her cheeks flushed pink. She glared at Su Qian—but the expression was more bashful than angry.
“Su Qian! You’re too much!”
Tangtang raised her hand to hit Su Qian, but the next moment, her slender wrist was caught. Su Qian pinned her hand down, leaned in, and quickly captured her lips in a kiss—one that deepened with every second.
Just as the air between them ran out, Tangtang’s phone rang at the perfect time. She pushed Su Qian away to answer the call, while Su Qian sat back in the driver’s seat, satisfied, touching the lipstick left on her lips.
“Tangtang-jie, are you…?”
Dong Yu didn’t even finish her sentence before her jaw dropped at the sight on the screen. Tangtang’s lips were swollen, her hair was messy—she looked exactly like…
Well, Dong Yu didn’t dare say what exactly.
“You! You’re filming right now?” Tangtang saw the guests behind Dong Yu and immediately panicked. She shut off the video and fumbled with her words. “Wh-what’s wrong?”
“Just that we all missed you and wanted to video chat,” Dong Yu cursed the drama in her head but still followed the production script. “Tangtang-jie, when are you coming back?”
“As soon as I finish coaxing my wife,” she said, “I’ll be right there.”