Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 25 - Then I’ll Defy Fate and Change my Destiny

May 16, 2025 Oyen 0 Comments

Happy Reading~

Chapter 25: Then I’ll Defy Fate and Change my Destiny

 

Chen Die had only walked a short distance when a car horn sounded behind her.

 

Wen Liang slowly pulled up beside her, rolled down the window, and said, “Get in.”

 

Chen Die ignored him.

 

Wen Liang urged, “Hurry up.”

 

“You heard what Wang Yunxi said, didn’t you?” Chen Die said impatiently. “If we get photographed, people will say I’ve got some powerful backer again.”

 

“If you’re willing, I can be your backer,” Wen Liang said.

 

Chen Die replied quickly, “I’m not willing.”

 

The car didn’t follow her anymore. Chen Die didn’t look back and kept walking toward the hotel.

 

Then came the sound of two beeps — the car locking — and footsteps approaching. Wen Liang had gotten out and was walking beside her.

 

He didn’t say anything.

 

Neither did Chen Die. She kept her eyes forward and walked.

 

She wasn’t sure what Wen Liang was trying to do by coming to her again and again, and she didn’t like the ambiguous, unclear relationship between them. But she didn’t know how to ask about it.

 

Or rather, didn’t know what to ask.

 

She did her best to ignore the man beside her, silently reciting tomorrow’s lines in her head.

 

Then there was a soft click — Wen Liang lit a cigarette and walked beside her all the way to the hotel.

 

Just as Chen Die was swiping her card at the door, Wen Liang walked in behind her as soon as it opened.

 

“Hey—” Chen Die exclaimed, following him inside. “What are you doing coming in?”

 

Wen Liang extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray. Just then, the doorbell rang again: “Hello, room service. Your dinner order.”

 

Chen Die had no choice but to open the door. A server stood outside pushing a cart with an elegant Western meal on it.

 

Chen Die glanced at it, frowning slightly. “I didn’t order anything.”

 

Inside, Wen Liang said, “I did.”

 

The server confirmed the order was indeed for the room and pushed the cart in. Chen Die sighed softly and followed him in, standing off to the side as the server laid out the plates, then bowed and said, “Please enjoy your meal,” before leaving.

 

Wen Liang placed a set of utensils across from him, pulled a chair over with his foot, and motioned for her to sit.

 

Chen Die sat down.

 

“I’ve got something in a few days,” Wen Liang said calmly. “I won’t be here.”

 

The words felt strange — foreign.

 

Even in the past, Wen Liang had never explained his schedule to her.

 

Usually, she would have to ask, or Zhu Qicong would inform her.

 

Chen Die paused, fork in hand, and turned to look at him. “Wen Liang.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What exactly do you want?”

 

Wen Liang looked back at her and was silent for a couple of seconds. “You really don’t know what I want?”

 

Chen Die bit her lip and lowered her head to look at the plate.

 

How could she possibly know?

 

Wen Liang had always been so self-contained. More often than not, she wasn’t sure — or couldn’t tell — what he was thinking.

 

Was he coming to her just because he’d grown used to her over the years, and now without his ‘pet’ around, he felt uncomfortable? Or… was it something else?

 

But that ‘something else’ was a thought Chen Die didn’t even dare to entertain.

 

Over the six years she’d spent in Wen Liang’s home, she couldn’t count how many times she had deluded herself into thinking — maybe, just maybe, he actually liked her, in the way a man likes a woman.

 

But it never took long for Wen Liang to personally shatter that illusion.

 

Like the story of the boy who cried wolf — after three lies, no one believed him anymore. Chen Die had lied to herself so many times that even she no longer dared to believe it.

 

The more she wanted to believe, the harder the disappointment hit. Like a snowball, rolling bigger and bigger.

 

From age sixteen, all of her adolescent emotions had revolved around him. Admiration, infatuation, longing, passion. 

 

It was a love so deep it branded her soul.

 

A love so sincere she would’ve handed him her beating heart, raw and unguarded.

 

But the snowball kept rolling, and one day, when it got too big, it could completely bury her.

 

So eventually, Chen Die learned to suppress her feelings for Wen Liang. To outsiders, they probably just looked like the classic ‘wealthy patron and kept woman’ setup.

 

And now, she’d rather they truly had nothing more to do with each other.

 

Still staring down at her plate of pasta, Chen Die poked it with her fork and rested her cheek on her palm. “How would I know what you’re thinking?”

 

“Come back,” Wen Liang said.

 

Chen Die’s heart involuntarily clenched at those words, her grip on the fork tightening so much her knuckles turned white.

 

Wen Liang said in a low voice, “I can give you everything you want.”

 

“Do you even know what I want?” Chen Die shot back.

 

Wen Liang frowned, as if the question had never occurred to him. “At the very least, I can make sure everything you want to do goes smoothly. No one will ever dare to bully you again.”

 

“I can do everything I want on my own, and I won’t let anyone bully me anymore either.” Chen Die’s tone was light, with a hint of pride.

 

She looked at him and suddenly smiled, eyes curving, the corners tilting upward — soft and alluring.

 

She said lazily, “Besides, the tarot cards said my future partner is going to be a clingy little puppy. Honestly, after spending so much time with you, I do think gentle and affectionate is better.”

 

Wen Liang scoffed. “You actually believe that?”

 

“Of course I do. You could find someone gentle and family-oriented too, she’d suit you.”

 

Chen Die had a small appetite and was done eating quickly.

 

Now, she didn’t rush Wen Liang out. She didn’t avoid speaking to him either — she could even calmly say something like ‘she’d suit you.’

 

Wen Liang suddenly stood up, reached out, and pushed her back against the chair by her neck.

 

He was standing, she was sitting.

 

He looked down at her. “Chen Die, do you really think anyone would dare be with you?”

 

“Even if those tarot cards are right,” he leaned down, whispering close to her ear, “then I’ll defy fate and change it.”

 

After delivering that cocky ‘defy fate’ line, Wen Liang went on a business trip and vanished for several days.

 

But breakfast from Yunshuzhai still arrived every morning — delivered by one of his assistants. Zhu Qicong had gone on the trip with him, so now it was one of his personal assistants handling things.

 

Chen Die refused a few times, but the assistant was just following orders — if she didn’t take it, he couldn’t report back properly.

 

Seeing him pleading pitifully each time, she eventually gave in and just accepted the food.

 

Before long, no one on the set bothered to buy their own breakfast anymore — they all shouted ‘Long live Chen Die!’ while mooching off her fancy meals.

 

The one who suffered was Chen Die.

 

Fang Ruan had been bugging her every day, trying to find out who the man behind these Yunshuzhai breakfasts was.

 

She even pulled out clauses from Chen Die’s contract, saying that if she wanted to date anyone, she had to notify the company in advance and get approval.

 

Chen Die crossed her legs and nodded solemnly. “I’m single.”

 

“Come on, just tell me who the guy is already!”

 

“......”

 

“I’m telling you, Chen Die, your debut was already one of the best in the industry. Don’t mess it up with romance!” Fang Ruan rambled on. “Not that I’m against dating — you’re a female star, it’s not that damaging — I just want to know the details. Maybe we could use it for a dating show or something?”

 

“......”

 

Chen Die imagined herself and Fang Ruan’s fantasy man on a romance reality show… yeah, probably wouldn’t last a day before she smashed the cameras.

 

“Fine, okay. It’s from Mr. Wen,” Chen Die said, palms up.

 

“Mr. Wen? Wen Liang?” Fang Ruan’s eyes widened.

 

Chen Die nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

 

“Oh come on. I know you’re good-looking, but no way he fell for you after just that one visit to set,” Fang Ruan rolled her eyes. “Wait a second — he was already sending breakfast the morning before he came to the set!”

 

She smacked Chen Die’s arm. “Who are you trying to fool?!”

 

“......”

 

Chen Die had expected this — no one would believe her anyway.

 

Fang Ruan kept arguing, “And then I heard from Xiao Qi that you guys did a tarot reading, and Mr. Wen’s dream girl is some tough, muscular type? Never thought he was into that.”

 

Chen Die looked down at her own slender limbs: “……”

 

Okay. No rebuttal there.

 

“So,” Fang Ruan narrowed her eyes at her, “who really is it?”

 

Just then, Chen Die’s phone buzzed. Grabbing onto the excuse like a lifeline, she lunged for it and ignored Fang Ruan’s interrogation.

 

Speak of the devil — it really was Wen Liang.

 

The little green notification bubble kept climbing — stopping at 11 unread messages.

 

Was Wen Liang insane?

 

He just sent her a whole month’s worth of texts in one minute.

 

Chen Die tapped it open and saw ten photos of luxury handbags… followed by one line of absurd rich-guy energy: [Which one do you like?]

 

[Chen Die: ……]

 

She replied with just an ellipsis and put her phone away. Wen Liang didn’t respond again.

 

Wen Liang's business trip this time lasted unusually long. Chen Die heard from the assistant who delivered her breakfast every morning — rain or shine — that it had something to do with the project he had snagged at the last bidding meeting.

 

Summer had quietly crept into its final days. Outside the film set’s walls, a row of osmanthus trees had bloomed, their sweet scent drifting through the air daily.

 

The movie they were filming had a short production cycle, and before they knew it, they were already in the latter half of shooting.

 

Chen Die’s character had evolved from someone meek and downtrodden to a battle-hardened general. Her costumes had changed multiple times to reflect the transformation.

 

“Cut!” Director Feng Zhi called.

 

A crew member rushed over to help Chen Die down from her horse.

 

Qi Cheng, nearby, also dismounted and gave her a big thumbs-up. “So badass.”

 

Chen Die actually had a fear of heights, and during that wide shot where she had to ride at a gallop, her hands had been gripping the reins so tightly they were sore. Even now, her legs felt weak under her.

 

But thankfully, none of that showed on camera.

 

She glanced at Qi Cheng. “Why do you look completely fine?”

 

“Huh? What else would I look like?”

 

“My thighs are still sore from that riding scene a few days ago.”

 

Qi Cheng laughed. “Totally normal. I was the same when I first learned to ride. Relax a bit and it won’t hurt as much.”

 

Chen Die washed her hands and started heading back to the lounge for a drink of water. As she passed the osmanthus trees, she was in a rare enough good mood to reach up on tiptoe and pick a sprig.

 

A car pulled up and parked not far away.

 

Sniffing the flowers, Chen Die glanced over and saw two people she hadn’t seen in a long time.

 

Chen Shuyuan and Lin Quan.

 

She acted as if she hadn’t noticed them, twirling the sprig of osmanthus in her fingers and heading toward the lounge. But after only a few steps, Lin Quan called out behind her, “Excuse me, do you know where the <Hairpin Flowers> production crew is?”

 

Her tone was unusually polite — completely different from how she acted at the café last time.

 

When Chen Die turned around, both Lin Quan and Chen Shuyuan looked startled.

 

Without changing her expression, Chen Die tilted her chin toward the other side of the set. “Over there.”

 

Then she turned and walked into the lounge. After taking a drink and resting for a bit, she returned to the filming area. She spotted Chen Shuyuan sitting next to Lu Chuan, chatting sweetly.

 

Apparently, Lin Quan had worked with Lu Chuan before, so they weren’t unfamiliar. She joked light-heartedly, “Yuanyuan’s been talking about you non-stop at home, wanted to come see you but didn’t want to interfere with your work.”

 

Lu Chuan responded impeccably, nodding politely. “The filming schedule’s been pretty tight lately.”

 

Chen Shuyuan chimed in, her voice soft and sugary, “I won’t interfere, senior. My mom got me a job at a TV station, so I’m here to observe and learn.”

 

Chen Die didn’t stick around to listen. She walked over to Fang Ruan to borrow some hand cream.

 

The reins had left her hands dry and chapped.

 

Fang Ruan noticed the red mark in her palm. “Is your hand okay?”

 

“I’m fine. It’ll go away in a bit.”

 

Chen Die dragged over a plastic chair and sat under the parasol.

 

On the other side, Lin Quan sat further back looking at her phone, while Chen Shuyuan sat close to Lu Chuan, pointing at the camera and asking questions.

 

Feng Zhi was currently reshooting some close-up shots, so it wasn’t Chen Die’s turn yet. She just sat there quietly watching.

 

Before long, Fang Ruan came back and handed her a warm towel. “Apply this for now. You’ve still got a bunch of riding scenes ahead — don’t let it get worse.”

 

Chen Die thanked her. The towel stung a little when she pressed it to her palm.

 

Only after the towel cooled down did she stand and head to the makeup room to return it. As she stepped out again, she suddenly came face-to-face with Lin Quan.

 

Even though they were mother and daughter, there was no real affection between them. In a setting like this, it was best to just pretend they didn’t know each other.

 

Chen Die was about to walk past when Lin Quan called out to her.

 

“Chen Die, wait a moment.”

 

Chen Die stopped, looked up, lips pressed together, saying nothing.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened at the café last time,” Lin Quan said as she opened her bag and pulled out a wallet, extracting a bank card and handing it to Chen Die. “This is a little something from me.”

 

Chen Die: …?

 

When she didn’t take it, Lin Quan explained, “I know you and that Wen family son broke up. You’re out here on your own now, and being an actress isn’t exactly a stable job — there must be a lot of things you need money for. I don’t want you living in hardship.”

 

Chen Die couldn’t figure out what her angle was and frowned. “I’m not living in hardship, and I don’t see why I should take your money.”

 

“I know you must’ve been angry with me about what happened at the café. I shouldn’t have almost hit you — I was just so mad after hearing what you said to Yuanyuan.”

 

“......”

 

“Chen Die, I know your adoptive parents weren’t educated and didn’t know how to raise a child properly, so you turned out a little wild. But you still have Chen family blood in your veins. As a girl, you really shouldn’t talk to people like that — it’s rude and unladylike.”

 

Chen Die was so furious, she almost laughed.

 

Lin Quan was trying to educate her?

 

“I know you resent me for not insisting on bringing you back to the Chen family. You’ve never been a mother, so you can’t understand the deep bond that forms after raising a child for so many years — the first time she nursed, the first time she called me ‘Mom’ — every one of those ‘firsts’ leaves an imprint that never fades…”

 

“That’s enough,” Chen Die cut her off. “I don’t resent you. To me, you’re just a slightly more memorable stranger. You don’t need to get emotional with me — I’m not interested.”

 

Lin Quan frowned. “Chen Die…”

 

“You can keep the money too. Go focus on being Chen Shuyuan’s mother. If she finds out you tried to give me a card today, she’ll probably throw a fit. I have zero interest in dealing with your daughter’s tantrums.”

 

With that, Chen Die turned and walked out.

 

She felt like laughing, but at the same time, it was as if something inside her had cracked open, letting a gust of wind howl right through.

 

Her childhood had been calm and simple — lived in a modest but beautiful little town. She had friends to play with and a set of dishes just for her waiting at home.

 

Her adoptive parents hadn’t been overly affectionate, but in that town, parents didn’t spoil their kids the way they did in Yan City. Chen Die had never felt unloved.

 

But that peace — it was all shattered by the Chen family.

 

They hadn’t handled the complicated emotions or relationship between Chen Shuyuan and Lin Quan properly. They’d found their ‘real’ daughter and yanked Chen Die out of the only home she’d known.

 

That was how Chen Die learned that adoptive parents could, in fact, abandon a child for money.

 

And her biological parents didn’t care about how she felt either — they took her onto a train and then stood at the Yan City train station, arguing in public about whether to keep her or Chen Shuyuan.

 

All they ever cared about was that her blood was pure Chen family blood.

 

But why should she be the one to pay the price for their mistakes and their messy family politics?

 

Chen Die didn’t want to hear a single word more from Lin Quan.

 

‘You’ve never been a mother, so you couldn’t possibly understand how much I love the daughter I raised.’

 

But she had been a mother — and still, she had never once understood what it meant to throw a 16-year-old girl like Chen Die into the chaos they did.

----------