Her Wild Rose - Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Back Then
“White lotus? So that’s what you think of me in your heart, Su Qian?”
If Tang Tang was only a little angry earlier, now her fury shot straight to her head. She glared at Su Qian, her figure just a blurred outline in the darkness. For a moment, Tang Tang suddenly realized she might have never truly seen Su Qian clearly—at least, not when it came to their relationship.
“It was you who approached me first, but now you’re blaming everything on me. Su Qian, they were right—you really don’t have a heart.”
Tears had already soaked the front of her shirt. In the pitch-black interior of the van, Tang Tang finally let out a self-deprecating laugh. “How ridiculous, Su Qian. I really thought the two of us were already together. But looking at it now, I was wrong. I’m the dumbest fool in the world to believe you when you said you liked me and would always love me. Su Qian, let’s break up—before things get even uglier.”
The only sound in the nanny van was the low hum of the air conditioner. Tang Tang’s voice rang sharply through the empty space.
The vehicle finally exited the tunnel, and the darkness gradually gave way to the amber glow of the setting sun. Su Qian looked at the faint red hue on the horizon and sighed deeply. Something between them had clearly shifted during that heated exchange.
“Yes, I have no heart.”
Su Qian sighed again, feeling that any explanation now would be utterly useless in the face of Tang Tang’s anger. She turned her gaze to the window, her eyes filled with nothing but sadness.
Once Tang Tang had made up her mind, there was nothing Su Qian could say to change it.
“Hey, we finally got out of the tunnel. Let’s stop at the next rest area and take a break.” From the passenger seat, Dong Yu lowered the visor and turned around, ready to make small talk. She noticed both of them looking downcast—Tang Tang even had red marks at the corners of her eyes—so she quickly turned back and asked with concern, “Oh no, little boss, what happened? Did Su Qian bully you?”
“It’s not bullying—it’s a breakup. From now on, I have nothing to do with Su Qian.”
Tang Tang took the wet towel and pressed it over her eyes as if complying obediently. Paparazzi were probably already waiting at the next rest stop. It was best not to air too much dirty laundry in public.
“You two… are you just fighting or is this for real? Weren’t you just back together?”
Dong Yu was younger than both of them, and despite working with Tang Tang for a year, she still had a bit of naïve energy. Carefully observing their expressions and realizing they weren’t joking, she widened her eyes dramatically. “You’ve got to be kidding me, ladies. All this because of one Chen Qi? Why ruin years of affection over him?”
Was this a line from a period drama or something?
Tang Tang rolled her eyes. Even in the middle of her rage, she still had the presence of mind to wonder if they’d been getting too many ancient costume scripts lately. She sneaked a glance at Su Qian in the corner. Seeing that she remained stone-faced and silent, Tang Tang couldn’t help but bite out harshly, “What affection? After all these years, all that’s left is resentment.”
She said it with her chest still filled with rage. Seeing Su Qian frown only made her more furious, and she added fuel to the fire: “Dong Yu, remember this: don’t date someone with connections. Find someone who’s clean both inside and out.”
“Tang Tang-jie…”
Dong Yu felt Tang Tang had gone too far, and couldn’t help calling her softly. She’d seen couples break up before, but never quite like this.
Before Dong Yu could finish, Su Qian sneered and snapped back, “Dong Yu, let me tell you this—don’t date someone young and emotionally unstable. Otherwise, you’ll be dragging a burden around all day, ruining your own mood.”
“Su Qian-jie, you two…”
Dong Yu looked from one to the other, completely overwhelmed. She wished she could turn into an ostrich and bury her head in a hole.
These two patrons were fighting, and she, the poor assistant, was caught right in the crossfire.
“Dong Yu, did you hear me?” Su Qian pressed her again when Dong Yu didn’t respond. “What, your boss gives you life advice and you pretend you didn’t hear it?”
“I…” Dong Yu bit her lip, holding back the tears that were threatening to fall. “I got it, boss.”
Whether she wanted to or not, the grenade had already been tossed into her lap—she had no choice but to catch it.
Seeing her accept Su Qian’s words, Tang Tang gritted her teeth and said, “Dong Yu, who exactly is your boss? Me or her?”
Suddenly, the tension in the van hit a boiling point. Tang Tang and Su Qian glared at each other through Dong Yu, neither backing down, and the poor assistant was practically riddled with the sharp daggers in their eyes.
“Ladies, please, can you stop fighting? If this keeps up, I might as well quit. At this rate, I won’t even have time to write my will before I die…”
Dong Yu finally snapped and turned around, swearing to herself that she wouldn’t get involved anymore.
She finally understood—when other stars date, it’s their fans who suffer. But when her two bosses fall in love, it’s her—their assistant—who suffers.
“You two are fighting over Chen Qi, but it’s tearing you apart.”
Dong Yu sighed, glancing at their stormy expressions before finally revealing the truth. “Yes, Su-jie invested the most in this variety show, but the one who really decides which celebrities get invited is Sister Shen Jia. Chen Qi was invited by her. She said some past issues should be resolved sooner rather than later.”
So… it was Shen Jia who invited him.
Tang Tang’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly. But remembering Su Qian’s cold attitude earlier, her heart still simmered with anger.
People always say that the things said in a moment of anger are the truest reflections of what lies in the heart.
Tang Tang scoffed in frustration, turned to look out the window, and said nothing more. She didn’t know how to face Su Qian anymore. She just hoped the journey would be over soon—less time alone together, less awkwardness.
The nanny van sped along the highway for a while longer before finally pulling into the rest area Dong Yu had mentioned. Tang Tang and Dong Yu got out of the car and sat shoulder to shoulder in front of the convenience store window, dazing out.
Inside, a few people with phones in their hands loitered around sneakily. Tang Tang didn’t need to guess to know they were probably paparazzi who’d gotten hold of her itinerary.
“Tang Tang-jie, should I ask them to leave?”
Dong Yu had just been scolded by Tang Tang and wasn’t sure of her mood anymore. Lately, she’d vaguely felt Tang Tang’s temper had changed, but she couldn’t say exactly how.
“No need.” Tang Tang bit her straw in frustration until a row of teeth marks appeared on the plastic before finally letting go. “Let them shoot whatever they want. It’s not the first time we’ve fought. What’s the point of hiding it?”
She shut her eyes like she’d given up on everything, not even glancing at the breaking news about her being played on the convenience store TV.
Dong Yu wisely stayed silent. Seeing that Tang Tang wasn’t in the mood to talk, she sighed and silently complained in her heart—these days, being in love was hard. But being an assistant to a couple in love? Even harder.
Normally, those two were all over each other, but the moment that gossipy older guy was mentioned, they both exploded.
“So… Tang Tang-jie, why do you hate Chen Qi so much?”
The gas station was crowded with people heading home for the holidays. Dong Yu sat beside Tang Tang, bored out of her mind, and couldn’t help asking the juicy question. “He has a wife and kid now—he doesn’t really pose a threat to you two anymore, right?”
“Who said I hated him?” Being reminded once again that Chen Qi had a family only made Tang Tang feel even more bitter. She wiped her face, and her wool coat’s sleeve was dampened by her tears. “Liking or not liking someone isn’t based on something so simple. I’m disappointed in Su Qian, that’s all—it’s not because of Chen Qi!”
The words were clearly contradictory, and with Tang Tang’s usual arrogance, it was obvious how sour she sounded. Dong Yu paused, and for the sake of her humble salary, quickly agreed, “Right, right—not because of Chen Qi. He’s old and practically blind now. How could he ever compare to our young and beautiful Tang Tang-jie?”
…
It sounded like a compliment, but why did it feel so… off?
Tang Tang took a deep breath and suddenly felt like even if Su Qian didn’t piss her to death, Dong Yu just might.
“You’re still a kid. What do you know about love?”
Tang Tang sighed, not wanting to keep talking about feelings with a child. Honestly, even she wasn’t sure what exactly she was angry about. Maybe it was the answer she’d been searching for all these years.
Her eyes dimmed slightly. In the end, she had to admit—what she was most fixated on was one thing:
What exactly did she mean to Su Qian?
She didn’t want to hear it just once. She needed Su Qian to say it again and again—for the rest of their lives.
“I do understand,” Dong Yu said with a sparkle in her eyes. “Love is about unconditional trust. No matter how many stupid things that person does, you always choose to stand by their side—even if it means going against the whole world.”
As she spoke, she subconsciously touched the bracelet on her wrist that Chen Zhi had given her. Her gaze softened as she seemed to remember something.
“Oh right, Tang Tang-jie, why did you fall in love with Su Qian back then?”