Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 26 - A Deep Set of Teeth Marks
Chapter 26: A Deep Set of Teeth Marks
After graduating, Xia Ying joined the family business and started from the bottom, constantly working overtime. Meanwhile, Chen Die was busy on set and had no time to meet up either.
It wasn’t until Friday night that Xia Ying finally had a chance to visit her.
Just as Chen Die was about to leave, Chen Shuyuan and Lin Quan were also getting ready to head out. After Chen Die said those words to Lin Quan, the woman didn’t speak again.
Chen Die said goodbye to Fang Ruan and started walking back to the hotel.
Xia Ying had already arrived and sent her a message.
[Chen Die: On my way, Room 8802, wait for me a bit.]
Just after she sent the message, she heard someone call her from behind—Lu Chuan was jogging up with some equipment in hand.
“What’s up?” Chen Die asked.
Lu Chuan said, “I didn’t know Chen Shuyuan would be coming today.”
Chen Die blinked, not quite understanding what he meant.
“She just asked me a few questions about the shoot. I already made it clear again that I won’t have feelings for her. I don’t want you to misunderstand.”
“Oh.” Chen Die blinked again. “I didn’t misunderstand.”
She really hadn’t thought about Lu Chuan and Chen Shuyuan at all. Her mind was still stuck on Lin Quan’s strange and laughable behavior.
After a pause, she added, “Also, don’t mention me to her. I don’t want to have any more connection with her.”
Lu Chuan assumed it was just a typical grudge between girls and nodded in agreement.
He insisted on walking Chen Die back to her hotel room. Xia Ying was already waiting outside, and when she saw them, she waved cheerfully at Lu Chuan. “Hi, senior!”
“You came to see your friend,” Lu Chuan smiled. “I’ll leave you two to it.”
Chen Die swiped her card to open the door, and Xia Ying followed her in. As soon as the door closed, she said, “You’re not simple, Hudie. Be honest—what’s going on between you and our big-shot director?”
Chen Die rolled her eyes. “Do we look like we’ve got something going on?”
“Yeah.” Xia Ying nodded sincerely.
Chen Die dropped the subject and noticed Xia Ying was carrying something. “What did you bring?”
“Alcohol,” Xia Ying winked. “Essential for a long-overdue girl catch-up.”
“I have filming tomorrow.”
“With your alcohol tolerance? Please. A little bit won’t hurt.”
Fair enough.
Chen Die did have a strong tolerance and sobered up quickly. She’d never once let drinking interfere with her work.
She grabbed two glasses, opened a can, and poured the amber-colored alcohol with fizzy bubbles into the cups.
Clearing off the clutter from the coffee table, they sat cross-legged on the soft carpet.
Xia Ying ran her hand over the rug. She’d recently been doing hotel research and asked, “How much is this room per night?”
“No idea. It’s booked by the production. It shouldn’t be too high. Some people upgraded themselves, like Qi Cheng and Wang Yunxi.”
“This carpet feels amazing. I thought it was one of those high-end types sold by the square centimeter.”
“Oh…” Chen Die also touched it. “You might be right.”
“This hotel is so generous.”
“No,” Chen Die hesitated, unsure how to phrase it. “My ex-boyfriend is one of the hotel’s shareholders. After I came back recently, I noticed they upgraded everything.”
Not just the carpet—bath products were all top-tier luxury brands now, and even the towels were folded into fancy flower shapes.
Xia Ying: “Ex-boyfriend or Lu Chuan—who would you choose?”
“Can I choose neither?” Chen Die rolled her eyes.
“......”
Being pretty really does let you do whatever you want.
They chatted and drank. Xia Ying’s tolerance wasn’t as high, so in the end, it was just Chen Die drinking.
When Xia Ying got up to leave, she noticed all the alcohol she’d brought was gone and panicked. “Are you okay?”
Chen Die lazily lifted her eyes, unintentionally exuding a cool elegance. “Hmm?”
“…How many fingers is this?” Xia Ying held up a peace sign.
“Two.” Chen Die sighed. “I’m not drunk.”
“There was a high-proof sake in that bag! How did you drink it without a word? Be careful you don’t puke later.”
Chen Die waved her off. “I’m fine.”
Xia Ying studied Chen Die carefully for a while. This girl really could drink—there was no sign of it at all. Not even a flushed face, and she spoke clearly without slurring.
She didn’t stay any longer and got up to leave. “No need to walk me out, I already called a car.”
Chen Die grabbed her coat and walked her to the elevator. “At least let me walk you to the elevator.”
Just before Xia Ying stepped into the elevator, she asked cautiously, “You didn’t run into anything… strange, did you?”
“No. What could’ve happened to me?” Chen Die looked genuinely puzzled.
Only then did Xia Ying feel reassured. She said goodbye and pressed the button to go down. But as the elevator doors opened, she saw a man who looked very familiar.
He had one of those striking faces you wouldn’t forget after seeing once.
The man didn’t even glance at her. After she stepped out, he walked straight in.
It wasn’t until Xia Ying was seated in the taxi that she remembered to message Chen Die:
[Xia Ying: Sisterrr!!!!]
[Xia Ying: Remember that hot guy we saw at the bar before?! He’s actually staying here too!!]
[Xia Ying: Seriously, he’s so cool, absolutely stunning. All the pretty boys can step aside!]
[Xia Ying: Looks like fate’s working—how come you never ran into him before?!]
But Chen Die didn’t get the chance to read those messages.
Because the very man Xia Ying was talking about had just shown up at her hotel room door.
Chen Die had insisted she wasn’t drunk, but she knew deep down she’d had too much. Her head was spinning, her mood was light and floaty—she felt just a bit out of control.
When the doorbell rang, she assumed it was Xia Ying.
Muttering, “Did you forget something?” she opened the door—and came face-to-face with Wen Liang.
Actually, two of him.
She was seeing double.
“…,” Chen Die opened her mouth but didn’t manage to say anything. A small hiccup escaped instead.
Wen Liang frowned. “Who were you drinking with?”
“Xia Ying.”
“Who?”
Chen Die had mentioned her before, but Wen Liang never cared enough to remember people he found irrelevant.
“A college friend.”
Just then, the sound of another elevator door opening echoed from the hallway. Wen Liang placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her back into the room, closing the door behind them.
The sake had a delayed effect, and the real hit of alcohol was just starting to creep up on her. Her head grew foggier.
Wen Liang’s brows furrowed as he poured a glass of warm water. When he turned back, Chen Die was already sitting on the carpet again.
She was wrapped in a loose jacket, curled up in the corner of the sofa. She didn’t blush when drunk, but the corners of her eyes and the tips of her ears had gone pink. It made her look unusually soft and gentle.
Wen Liang couldn’t help but think of the first time he saw her at the train station six years ago—she looked almost the same then.
“Is this carpet meant for sitting on?”
He looked irritated. He bent down and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up and placing her on the sofa properly.
Then he held the cup of water to her lips and said only one word: “Drink.”
The alcohol dulled her reactions. Wen Liang, uncharacteristically patient, held the cup there for several seconds before Chen Die finally took a sip and mumbled, “Tastes bland.”
“What did you expect?” Wen Liang scoffed. “Still want more alcohol?”
Before she could answer, he tilted the cup slightly, almost spilling it. Chen Die had no choice but to obediently drink half the glass.
He set the cup on the coffee table and asked, “What happened to you?”
“......”
“Answer me.” His voice carried clear frustration. “I leave for a bit and people start bullying you again? What are you made of—paper?”
“No one bullied me.”
Wen Liang reached out, pinching her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “Then who’s that pitiful expression for?”
“Why are you always so mean when you talk?” Chen Die frowned and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
Wen Liang, fed up, sat down on the floor. Chen Die was slumped on the couch in front of him. He grabbed her ankle and tugged it over. “Who was it?”
“I told you, no one. I just drank a little, that’s all. What right do you have to control me now?” Chen Die was getting annoyed too and yanked her leg back. “Let go!”
But Wen Liang wouldn’t listen, and she couldn’t overpower him.
With a firm tug, he pulled her halfway down the couch, leaving her sprawled there.
It was an awkward and not-so-elegant position, but she really was drunk now and didn’t feel like moving. She just lay there, limp.
Her ankle, still in Wen Liang’s grip, stopped struggling. She knew that if he didn’t want to let go, there was no point in fighting it.
Moonlight spilled softly into the room.
Chen Die stayed in that less-than-graceful position, head tilted as she stared at Wen Liang for a moment. Then she slowly sat up, spine straight and posture suddenly very proper.
She lowered her head, looked at Wen Liang, and jabbed a single finger right at the scar on his brow bone.
She was drunk and had no sense of restraint, her nail digging into his skin, but Wen Liang didn’t even flinch. He just let her poke at him.
Chen Die leaned in closer and said, “Wen Liang, you’re such a bastard.”
Wen Liang: “…”
“This is the first time,” Chen Die raised her hand and gestured at their current positions, “that I’ve been able to look down on you like this.”
“You know, that temper of yours…” she sighed softly, still pressing her finger against his brow. Then she gave a little push and leaned back into the sofa, sighing dramatically, “You’re going to have a hard time finding a girlfriend in the future.”
She even sounded a little regretful.
Wen Liang gave a low snort. “Then you can just put up with it.”
Chen DieZhe either didn’t hear him or was too tipsy to care. She didn’t argue, just slowly turned to lie down on the couch, rubbing her face against the towel draped over it.
“…Why?” she muttered after a while.
“Hmm?”
“Why is it they all get to decide, and I’m the one who has to pay for it?” Her voice was quiet, muffled into the sofa, her long dark hair slipping over her shoulder.
“Who?”
“Lin Quan, Chen Ke, all of them.”
Wen Liang gently pushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.
Chen Die curled up, facing down, and Wen Liang reached out, laying his hand lightly on her face. “Are you crying?”
“No.” She answered immediately, clearly.
Wen Liang wasn’t good at comforting people. Even now his voice was flat. “Turn your face. Let me see.”
“No.”
“Chen Die.” His tone dropped.
“You said I was ugly, didn’t you?”
Wen Liang wasn’t even sure if he should admire how clear her logic remained, even drunk.
“Other than holding grudges against me, what else do you know how to do?” He didn’t go easy on her, grabbing her chin and turning her face toward him.
Her face was clean and tear-free.
That reassured him a little.
Her skin was soft, her face slender but not bony. Her cheeks were warm to the touch, and Wen Liang’s eyes darkened slightly as his thumb brushed against her skin.
Chen Die immediately turned her head away. “Don’t touch me.”
Wen Liang didn’t lose his temper this time and asked softly, “Lin Quan came today?”
“Mm.”
“What did she say?”
“She tried to give me money.”
Wen Liang hadn’t expected that. “What?”
“Why do you all think money can fix everything?” Chen Die murmured, head down. “They gave my adoptive parents money and just took me back. And you—you think giving me money means you’re good to me, and I should just listen to you.”
“I didn’t,” Wen Liang said, frowning.
“You did.” Chen Die glared at him. “Wen Liang, ask yourself—haven’t you always thought of me like some little pet who depends on you? Honestly, even what Chen Shuyuan said wasn’t wrong. To you, I was always someone who came when called and left when dismissed.”
“I’m the one living in this goddamn place for you, and I’m the one who shows up when called now?” he retorted.
The alcohol made her head fuzzy and her courage skyrocket—there’s a reason people say alcohol gives you guts.
Chen Die sat up, suddenly leaning forward.
Her face was right in front of his, porcelain skin and slightly upturned eyes. She looked sleepy—creases in her eyelids more visible than usual.
Wen Liang stared at her quietly.
Then he heard her cold voice ask, “You still won’t admit you’re a bastard?”
“I admit it,” Wen Liang sighed, letting her win. No use arguing with a drunk girl.
Chen Die huffed, then slumped further down the couch, her limbs loose. A moment later, she leaned toward him again, this time even closer.
Wen Liang’s eyes flicked to her lips—dark red, soft. His Adam’s apple bobbed. Suddenly, his throat felt dry.
Chen Die kept inching closer, finally resting her cheek against his shoulder, her hair brushing against the side of his neck.
His heart softened. He was just about to raise his hand to pull her into a hug when—ouch. A sharp pain on his shoulder.
Wen Liang instinctively moved to grab her hair and pull her back, but stopped himself. Chen Die, with zero remorse, nibbled a little more before finally pulling away.
Wen Liang glanced at his shoulder. A deep, perfect bite mark.
As his expression darkened, Chen Die shrank back slightly and stuck her chin out in mock defiance: “You bit me first!”
Wen Liang saw right through her bluff. “What are you flinching for, then?”
“Who's scared?” she shot back.
Wen Liang couldn’t be bothered to argue. He picked up the phone nearby and glanced at the time—it was almost midnight. Then he stood and scooped her up in his arms.
Her feet suddenly leaving the ground startled Chen Die. She shrieked, “What are you doing?!”
Wen Liang tossed her onto the bed. She bounced twice, her hair a mess, her head spinning even more now. He pulled the blanket over her and went to close the window before returning to the bedside.
“Sleep,” Wen Liang said as he stood there. “Look at those dark circles under your eyes, you look like a panda.”
Chen Die huffed, “You just think I’m ugly anyway.”
“If you don’t sleep, you’ll look even worse.” He had no idea how sensitive girls could be to comments about their looks.
Chen Die rolled her eyes. “Then what are you still doing here?”
“I’ll leave once you’re asleep.”
Chen Die actually shut her eyes.
She fell asleep fast. Wen Liang watched her for a while, listening to her steady breathing. For a moment, he felt a rare and unexpected calm in his heart.
After a bit, Wen Liang walked into the bathroom with his phone and dialed Zhu Qicong. “Did Lin Quan go see Chen Die today?”
Ever since they split, someone would report back to Zhu Qicong every day about what Chen Die had been up to. Zhu Qicong would then pass along anything important to Wen Liang.
Someone had mentioned Lin Quan and Chen Shuyuan that day, but Zhu Qicong didn’t know about Chen Die’s background and had automatically filtered that part out.
“Yes,” Zhu Qicong said. “She came with Miss Chen’s old classmate, Chen Shuyuan. But Miss Chen didn’t speak to her and there was no conflict.”
Wen Liang pinched the bridge of his nose. “If Lin Quan or Chen Shuyuan go to the set again, tell me immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
After hanging up, Wen Liang went back out.
Chen Die had turned onto her side, facing outwards. She hadn’t even taken off her makeup, and her lipstick had left a streak on the pillow.
Annoyed, Wen Liang went back to the bathroom and soaked a towel in warm water.
This was seriously the first time he’d ever taken care of anyone.
He returned to the bed, slapped the towel onto her face, and wiped her down with all the gentleness of a sandpaper scrub. He scrubbed her face, smearing the lipstick until it was all gone.
The towel was stained, so he just tossed it to the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her.
The night was quiet.
The overhead light was off; only a floor lamp remained on, casting a soft glow.
Half of Chen Die’s face was buried in the blanket. She no longer had the sharpness she usually carried—she looked soft, even peaceful.
Wen Liang let out a low chuckle, then murmured to himself, “Much prettier like this.”
“Lingling,” he whispered softly.
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