Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 17 - What Does it Matter if He Kept His Beauty Hidden Away in a Golden House for Years?
Chapter 17: What Does it Matter if He Kept His Beauty Hidden Away in a Golden House for Years?
Chen Die left.
Chen Shao followed shortly after.
This summer was the hottest in Yan City in recent years. The air was stifling, making it hard to breathe, like summer burning itself.
Chen Die tied her long hair into a high ponytail.
Her neck was long and slender, like a swan’s.
Chen Shao looked at her for a moment, then recalled Wen Liang’s dark expression earlier and chuckled so hard that the hand holding his cigarette trembled. “Damn, I’ve known Wen Liang for almost 20 years and I’ve never seen that look on his face. That was so satisfying.”
Chen Die asked, “You know him?”
Right after she asked, she remembered—guys like them, they all probably knew each other.
“Middle school, high school, even college,” Chen Shao said, tapping off some ash. “We were classmates, but he got sent off to the military in the second year of college by his father.”
He flicked the cigarette to the ground—not very environmentally friendly—then stepped on it and sighed, “The grudge goes way back. That guy’s always had that arrogant face since he was a kid. Who the hell could stand him?”
Chen Die looked away, not responding.
Even without a response, Chen Shao kept rambling happily to himself. He pointed at a spot on his neck and said, “See this scar? That bastard Wen Liang’s the one who left it on my precious neck.”
“…”
When they got to the garage, Chen Shao pointed at his car. “Want me to give you a ride back?”
Chen Die was indeed exhausted, so she thanked him and got in.
She leaned back in the seat, tilting her head and staring out at the passing view.
Towering buildings, traffic on overpasses—her six years in this city had all been spent with Wen Liang.
She watched for a while, then quietly turned her head away.
Chen Shao chatted the whole way and dropped her off at the complex she’d mentioned. He leaned over and took a look, then scoffed, “You live here?”
“…”
It wasn’t like Xia Ying’s place was that bad.
Chen Die calmly said, “Yeah. Thanks for the ride.”
“Hold up.” Chen Shao grabbed her and leaned back to pull out a folder from the rear seat, tossing it onto her lap. “The show I mentioned before.”
Chen Die picked it up.
It was an outdoor cooking variety show. She was invited as a guest for the final episode.
The show had five regular members—three were currently trending idols, and the other two were a popular variety show personality and an older actor famous for his temper.
Chen Die’s eyes paused on one name—Qi Cheng.
“Isn’t that…”
“Yep, the male lead in your upcoming film. Since you’ll be working together anyway, might as well meet ahead of time,” Chen Shao said, suddenly more serious when talking about work.
“Alright.”
Chen Die sincerely thanked him and got out of the car.
A week later, Chen Die boarded a plane to the filming location.
Chen Shao had arranged a manager-assistant for her named Fang Ruan, a few years older than her, with a baby face but a very professional attitude.
“Did you watch any episodes of <Wilderness Kitchen>?” Fang Ruan asked.
“I caught up the last few days.”
Fang Ruan leaned into her seat in business class, stretching out her legs. “The company had a meeting about you yesterday. We’re going to market you with that cool school beauty image from four years ago. Gotta protect your reputation—we’re not doing the whole controversial attention-seeking route. When you join the crew, be mindful of your behavior. The biggest mistake for newbies is being too eager to please. Audiences can tell right through the screen.”
Chen Die thought to herself, Huh, turns out Chen Shao’s company is actually run pretty professionally.
After the flight, they took a bus to the filming site.
Fang Ruan reminded her of a few more things before Chen Die got off and stepped into the shoot area.
She was dressed clean and fresh—light blue short-sleeved shirt and skinny jeans. Pretty, but not flashy.
The crew had already been informed she’d be joining today, and under the camera’s eye, they naturally greeted her with enthusiasm and friendliness.
Chen Die introduced herself.
Everyone was getting ready to cook. The show’s theme was rustic outdoor living, so all the ingredients for meals had to be foraged or fished from nature.
“How about this—Yunxi, go gather some firewood and stones for cooking over river rocks tonight,” said He Sheng, the eldest cast member. “Our new friend Chen Die and Qi Cheng can head out to catch some fish, and the rest of us will go pick veggies from the hillside.”
“Got it,” Qi Cheng answered first.
Chen Die looked up at him.
The last time she saw him was at the <Hairpin Flowers> script meeting. He’d been wearing a mask and hat, completely bare-faced. Today, he had light makeup on and a freshly buzzed haircut.
Everyone split up.
Qi Cheng handed the small basket beside him to Chen Die.
“Thanks,” Chen Die slung it across her chest. “Where are we going to catch fish?”
“The stream up ahead.” Qi Cheng picked up two fish nets and walked ahead. “Fishing’s probably the most fun part—come on, I’ll teach you.”
The environment here was beautiful—winding mountain paths, terraced fields in shades of yellow and green, and a stream flowing between two hills. It reminded Chen Die of the small town she used to live in.
They both wore flip-flops and rolled up their pant legs.
Qi Cheng stepped into the stream first and reached out a hand to Chen Die.
She held onto his arm and followed him down. The water was cold, just ankle-deep, but it felt nice in the summer heat.
The stream was crystal clear. Tiny fish darted back and forth, easily visible.
“See, fishing is about slowly getting the net under them like this. You can’t rush,” Qi Cheng explained while demonstrating—he moved the net slowly toward the fish, then suddenly scooped.
The fish got away.
Chen Die let out a small laugh.
Qi Cheng scratched his head and smiled. “Well, that’s awkward. I was just giving you a lesson.”
Chen Die spotted a fish, made a ‘shh’ sound to him, took the net from his hand, and reached out slowly.
The little fish flicked its tail rapidly, splashing water onto Chen Die’s face.
“Whoa, nice one, Chen Die!” Qi Cheng’s eyes widened as he grabbed the fish and dropped it into her basket. “You’re the only guest all season who managed to catch a fish this quickly after getting in the water. That’s awesome!”
Chen Die smiled and spotted another fish, gently herding it toward Qi Cheng’s side. “My parents were fishermen when I was a kid. I used to catch fish with them—I didn’t think I’d still remember how.”
That answer caught Qi Cheng off guard.
He’d been in the entertainment industry long enough to develop a decent read on people.
With Chen Die's elegant vibe, he had always assumed she was a rich girl just dabbling in showbiz for fun.
“Ah, that explains it. Now I don’t feel too embarrassed,” Qi Cheng joked. “I gladly admit defeat.”
Thanks to Chen Die, they finished the fishing task quickly.
When they returned, the others still weren’t back yet.
Since he was more familiar with the place, Qi Cheng grabbed two drinks from the kitchen fridge.
Chen Die had just washed her hands when he handed her one. She thanked him as she took it.
Qi Cheng asked, “By the way, did you meet Yunxi earlier?”
“Yeah.”
Wang Yunxi was the leader of a girl group known for her sexy image.
“She’s playing Bei Luo in <Hairpin Flowers>.”
Chen Die recalled the script. Bei Luo was the second female lead and shared a lot of scenes with her own character.
But she distinctly remembered that Wang Yunxi wasn’t originally cast in that role.
Chen Die frowned slightly and asked tactfully, “She wasn’t at the script meeting, was she?”
Qi Cheng responded just as subtly. He gave a brief glance toward the cameras inside the house and said calmly, “They changed the casting.”
Chen Die got the hint—it was probably a behind-the-scenes deal driven by money or influence.
She didn’t show much reaction, just nodded and let it go.
As night fell, everyone returned and began preparing dinner.
Since it was the season finale, the atmosphere was intentionally tinged with melancholy. Chen Die quietly sat on the side, sipping milk.
She wasn’t naturally outgoing and didn’t initiate conversations, but the others were kind and made sure to include her—everyone except Wang Yunxi, who mostly ignored her.
The next day marked the official wrap-up of the show.
The production team even recorded solo departure clips for each cast member.
Back in the business van, Fang Ruan was waiting for her and asked, “How’d it go, getting along with everyone?”
Chen Die hadn’t slept well and yawned. “Not bad.”
“You really treated this like a vacation, huh?” Fang Ruan said helplessly.
Chen Die thought back on everything from the day before. It wasn’t hard to guess how the footage might be edited. She added, “I got along well with Qi Cheng.”
Fang Ruan nodded approvingly. “You didn’t clash with anyone, right?”
“Wang Yunxi, maybe.”
Chen Die paused. The night before, the two of them had shared a room—as the only two women, they naturally bunked together. There weren’t any cameras in the girls’ bedroom, so Wang Yunxi had shown her true colors.
Her chin was practically pointed at the ceiling.
Fang Ruan frowned slightly. She probably already knew about Wang Yunxi’s reputation, but didn’t say much. “I’ll contact the production team and make sure they don’t edit that part maliciously.”
In the following days, Chen Die attended the performance classes arranged by the company.
Unlike school acting classes, the company’s acting coach guided Chen Die based directly on the script of <Hairpin Flowers>, helping her grasp the character’s image and development.
<Wilderness Kitchen> was a weekly-recorded, weekly-broadcast variety show.
A week later, the finale aired. With the addition of three top-tier celebrities, the show’s ratings had remained strong throughout the season, and the final episode had been heavily promoted in advance.
Even before airing, it had already taken up three trending spots on social media.
It had to be said—this opportunity that Chen Shao gave her was truly rare and valuable.
Once the episode aired, viewers started to notice Chen Die.
[Wait, who is this woman? I don’t think I’ve seen her before?]
[Is she even in the entertainment industry? That face is exactly my type!!]
[What kind of goddess is this?!]
[Oh! I remember now! Isn’t she that film department’s beauty who won a national campus belle contest years ago? I just recall her name had a ‘Die’ in it too—she was insanely beautiful, like unfairly so! Personally, I still think sister Yunxi fits my aesthetic better—she’s such a powerhouse on stage!]
[Just saying quietly, this newcomer’s aura is totally on par with Wang Yunxi’s.]
……
Those were the early comments during the start of the show, but things changed drastically during the segment of Chen Die and Qi Cheng fishing together.
Chen Die had already guessed that the show’s editors would guide the narrative a certain way, but she didn’t expect them to go that far—romantic background music, manually looped slow-motion edits, and a whole atmosphere full of pink bubbles.
She distinctly remembered they barely even spoke that day. Yet the edit made it seem like they had amazing chemistry, were totally in sync, and maybe even… flirting?
[Excuse me??? Is she just trying to ride Qi Cheng’s popularity wave???]
[Can the production team have some dignity? It's the finale—do we really need this kind of manufactured drama?]
[*I take back what I said about her being prettier than sister Yunxi :) *]
[Who even is this girl? Never heard of her before, and now she’s debuting through <Wilderness Kitchen> while leeching off my Qi Cheng?]
[As a pure fan of the show, I actually think they have great chemistry. This kind of casual CP content isn’t new—what’s wrong with a little eye candy?]
[Absolutely not. NO ONE touches my Qi Cheng!!!]
As the show aired, Chen Die’s long-dormant Weibo account began gaining followers at lightning speed.
After signing with the company, her account had been managed by the team. Just an hour before the episode aired, it had even reposted the show’s official promo post.
The number of comments under her post was climbing fast.
After all, not every viewer was a Qi Cheng fan—many were total face fans who had already fallen for Chen Die’s floral dress charm.
[Waaahhhh sister please notice me!!]
[She’s just too stunning—cool and sultry, she’s literally shooting bullets into my heart!!]
[I am visually speechless.]
[Sister Chen Die, I’ll do my own foreplay—you can trample the rest of me however you like!!!]
[Her collarbones look like they could hold water. If I drank it, I swear I’d stay young for a thousand years.]
Chen Die: “…”
Everyone’s rainbow praise (flattery) skills were on full display.
Meanwhile, news of Wen Liang being dumped had spread among their circle.
For the longest time, people only heard rumors of Wen Liang keeping a woman hidden away—he never brought her out to meet anyone, but it seemed their relationship had been solid.
Occasionally, they’d overhear him calling someone named ‘Lingling’, his voice completely different from usual—gentler.
This group of people loved to play around and most leaned toward not getting married.
And Wen Liang, with his cold, aloof aura, never seemed like someone who’d even consider ‘marriage.’ Especially now, having taken control of Wenyuan Group, he had zero need to worry about family-arranged marriages.
Everyone had just assumed the two would carry on like that—affectionate and low-key.
Even if Wen Liang eventually got bored, the woman had already gained plenty of benefits from the relationship.
What no one saw coming… was that Wen Liang was the one who got dumped.
The woman was beautiful, radiant, confident, and unbothered—she said goodbye cleanly.
Although Wen Liang didn’t try to stop her or express any regret, the way she walked away so gracefully made it feel even more like he was the one left behind.
For several days, everyone tiptoed around him, terrified of saying the wrong thing and setting him off.
But gradually, they realized—Wen Liang didn’t seem to care at all.
He was eating, drinking, and partying like usual, temper still the same.
So what if he’d hidden a woman away all these years? Did it even matter?
That evening, Xiao Shi invited Wen Liang out for dinner.
Wen Liang hadn’t returned to his Western Suburb villa in days and had been staying in a nearby apartment close to the company. With no dinner waiting at home, he agreed.
Aunt Zhang had offered to go cook for him at the apartment, but for some reason, Wen Liang declined and told her to stay at the villa.
Xiao Shi brought along his younger sister. The Xiao family doted on this youngest daughter—she’d just had a lavish coming-of-age birthday party not long ago, and Wen Liang had met her once.
“Hello, Brother Wen Liang,” Xiao Xuanyi waved and greeted him cheerfully when she saw him.
Wen Liang responded with a faint nod.
He had been swamped these past few days—completely overwhelmed. The project he had snatched from Chen Ke was already set to begin, and preparations had to be made immediately.
He sat down, casually ordered a few dishes, unbuttoned the top of his shirt, tugged at his tie, and slouched slightly into a more relaxed posture.
“No ice cream. And switch the watermelon juice to room temperature,” Xiao Shi instructed the attendant nearby.
Xiao Xuanyi immediately got annoyed. “Why no ice cream?! It’s so hot, and you’re making me drink juice at room temp!”
Xiao Shi pushed her back into her seat, nodded to the attendant to finalize the order, then turned to her and said, “Weren’t you the one who had a cold and a runny nose just yesterday? Gross.”
Xiao Xuanyi argued back a little but failed to change his mind, so she huffed and sat back down, pulling out her phone to play.
Wen Liang and Xiao Shi started casually chatting.
Suddenly, Wen Liang heard a familiar voice—coming from Xiao Xuanyi’s phone.
His expression subtly shifted. He lifted his gaze.
That familiar and beautiful face appeared on the screen, glowing under the sunlight, her expression gentle and humble as she greeted others and introduced herself: “My name is Chen Die.”
Xiao Shi noticed it too in his peripheral vision.
That kind of stunning beauty was hard to forget. Xiao Shi recognized her immediately and was momentarily stunned.
Xiao Xuanyi turned to glance at him and laughed, “Do you think she’s pretty? Do you like her or something?”
That was a serious accusation.
Xiao Shi quickly replied, “Like hell I do.”
“She’s not pretty?” Xiao Xuanyi didn’t see anything wrong, thought for a second, then added disdainfully, “You guys all probably like someone like Wang Yunxi—that sexy bombshell type—but I think she’s so fake. Her face just screams diva. She’s nothing like this pretty sister—so much more likable.”
What the heck was that comparison?
Xiao Shi didn’t even know who this ‘Wang Yunxi’ she mentioned was.
He looked up at Wen Liang—who had already looked away, his interest seemingly gone.
If he hadn’t seen Chen Die with his own eyes that day, he really might’ve thought they didn’t know each other at all.
The food arrived, and Xiao Xuanyi continued watching her video while eating her plate of pasta.
After the self-introduction, the video cut to a scene of Qi Cheng and Chen Die by a stream, catching fish together.
Inside the private dining room, the overly sweet background music played on repeat: ‘I think I’m slowly falling for you, because I’ve finally found the courage to love…’ Accompanied by visuals that were just as saccharine and blinding.
Every time the BGM played, Xiao Shi’s heart sank a little lower.
Across from him, the King of Hell’s expression grew darker and darker—any sign of earlier calmness, as if they were strangers, had completely disappeared.
Finally, when the music came on yet again, Xiao Shi reached over and locked her phone screen.
“You’re a grown adult! Watching videos during dinner?! And with the sound on?! Xiao Xuanyi, where are your manners?!”
“…I forgot my earphones.”
“Then wait till you get home!”
“…”
Xiao Xuanyi was a hardcore fan of the show. She’d been silently giggling like an aunt watching her favorite drama. In the end, she compromised, “Fine. I’ll watch it on mute, okay?”
Xiao Shi: “…”
Fine. Muted was at least less stimulating.
Wen Liang could still catch glimpses of the screen from the corner of his eye.
Chen Die was wearing oversized waterproof fishing gear, her pant legs rolled up. Her ponytail was neat and high, and she was chatting and laughing with that guy Qi Cheng.
Before Xiao Xuanyi muted the video, Wen Liang had heard her say, “My parents were fishermen when I was little.” For a second, he was thrown off—completely caught off guard.
He was someone who almost never reminisced about the past. His memories of Chen Die seemed locked to her current image. But that one line snapped him right back to six years ago.
Chen Die came from a small rural town.
When he first met her, she wasn’t this radiant, dazzling woman who drew every eye in the room.
She was beautiful even then, but it was a kind of timid, non-threatening beauty.
When Wen Liang walked up and asked if she wanted to come with him, she looked up at him with wide, clear deer-like eyes—confused and a little scared—and then nodded, saying, “Yes.”
Like a pitiful stray kitten.
Wen Liang had almost forgotten what she used to be like, but those eyes—they’d never left him.
Subconsciously, he had always believed that Chen Die had followed him without a second thought from the very beginning, and had stayed by his side obediently ever since.
How could she possibly ever leave his life?
That’s why he left Aunt Zhang at the villa—sitting on his throne, waiting for Chen Die to one day realize she couldn’t make it on her own, and come crawling back like a stray cat, begging for his forgiveness.
Until this moment.
He finally understood what she meant when she said: ‘I don’t want to be that cat you keep anymore.’
Chen Die was never some delicate, helpless kitten. She never needed to depend on a master’s affection or approval.
That day at the train station—she’d made the decision in two seconds to abandon those so-called blood relatives and follow a total stranger. He should’ve known then: 16-year-old Chen Die wasn’t a kitten—she was a scarred leopard who had hidden her claws.
For six years, that little leopard had disguised herself as a cat at his side.
But she was never incapable of leaving. She had claws. And once she decided to go, she also had the strength to never look back.
Just like now.
Even from so far away, she could still shine.
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