Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 38 - Unattainable love! A deeply tragic romance!!
Chapter 38: Unattainable love! A deeply tragic romance!!
[…I'm floored.]
[I thought Chen Die was just a pretty little thing trying to make it in showbiz by finding a rich backer—but turns out, she's a rich heiress herself?!]
[At first, I was curious since both she and Chen Shao share the same last name, wondering if they were related. But when no one mentioned it, I figured I was overthinking.]
[So Chen Die is the Chen family heiress, and Wen Liang, the high-quality man, is actually her real boyfriend?]
[I thought she was just a beauty—but turns out she’s a rich beauty?!]
Some haters have been losing their minds the past few days trying to smear Chen Die, while she’s been watching them like they’re clowns. People were even spreading rumors that she had some sort of sugar daddy relationship with her cousin.
When Chen Shao called her out, Chen Die originally thought he was just going to clarify that they had a normal boss-employee relationship. She didn’t expect him to flat-out say that she was his cousin—on camera.
Straight up cut the rumors off at the root.
Fang Ruan was totally shook.
“You told me you had no connection with Chen Shao!” she said, pointing at her.
Chen Zhe: “...Let me explain.”
“You should’ve just clarified from the start that you were his cousin! We could’ve avoided so much drama!”
“…” Chen Die buried her head in her arms. “Forget it. I don’t even know how to explain anymore.”
As bold as Chen Shao’s move was, it really pulled Chen Die out of deep water.
The narrative of ‘rich backer’ quickly shifted to ‘heiress dabbling in acting,’ blessed with natural talent, a billionaire boyfriend with model-level looks, and if acting doesn’t pan out, she’ll just inherit a fortune and marry into another.
So. Damn. Tragic.
Chen Die could finally breathe easy, but the one having the roughest time now was probably Chen Shuyuan.
Her greatest fear in life was people finding out she wasn’t the Chen family’s biological daughter.
She’d told a few friends before that the chairman of Yiming Entertainment was her cousin. Even though her relationship with Chen Shao wasn’t close, she still used the connection to show off. She’d even mentioned she could get autographs from celebs through him.
Now that the video of Chen Shao confirming Chen Die was his cousin blew up and hit #1 on the trending list.
Her friends started DM’ing her right away.
[Yuanyuan, wasn’t Chen Shao your cousin? How come he’s saying Chen Die is his cousin now?]
[Wait—you and Chen Die are sisters?? Omg I love her! Can you get me her autograph!?]
Chen Shuyuan stared at the messages, trembling with rage.
And she wasn’t the only one fuming—Wang Yunxi wasn’t doing great either.
She never expected that after all the drama, not only would Chen Die get a ton of publicity out of it, but she even gained fans.
Meanwhile, the vibe at Wenyuan Group had gotten really weird.
Everyone had long respected—and feared—Wen Liang, and now he suddenly appeared in a shady paparazzi video with a celeb. Every Wenyuan employee could probably write a 1,000-word emotional essay about how surreal it felt.
The director of the Gourmet Food Plaza finally understood why Wen Liang had insisted on choosing Chen Die as the lead endorser without hesitation. And now, just thinking about how he once suggested a dual endorsement makes him break into a cold sweat—lucky he didn’t get fired.
People at Wenyuan had a firm image of Wen Liang: ruthless, decisive, iron-fisted.
The kind of man who took over the company with a series of bold moves and solidified his rule.
He was nothing like the man in that video, kissing Chen Die with something almost desperate and urgent in his expression.
The video spread like wildfire through every major and minor group chat in the company.
Later that evening, Zhu Qicong quietly knocked on the door of the chairman’s office.
“Mr. Wen.”
Wen Liang looked up. “How’s the investigation?”
“We found a car with a dashcam near the scene. We’ve acquired the footage from the owner—it includes the parts missing from the viral video.” Zhu Qicong said, “I’ve clipped the last 20 seconds. Would you like to review it?”
“No need.” Wen Liang tiredly rubbed his temples. “Release it.”
Zhu Qicong paused for a second. Thinking about what he saw in that footage earlier, he hesitated but eventually nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Did you find who leaked the stuff on Chen Die?”
“We traced the IP. It was Wang Yunxi, who plays the second female lead in <Hairpin Flowers>. Her earlier relationship scandal caused massive backlash among her fans—I believe she wanted to divert attention.”
Wen Liang frowned and nodded, motioning Zhu Qicong to leave.
At 10 p.m.
A new video dropped like a bombshell into the just-barely calming internet.
It was the second half of that 10-second video posted early this morning—the one where Wen Liang leaned in to kiss Chen Die. In this version, just as he leaned down, Chen Die slapped him right across the face.
You couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the tension between them was palpable. And at the end, Wen Liang reached out carefully, like he was trying to pull Chen Die into his arms.
[Damn!!!! How much more drama is today gonna give us?!]
[These back-to-back plot twists are just too juicy, oh my goddddd!!! What even is this insane video?! Anyone here good at lip-reading???]
[So the kiss in the earlier video… never even landed? Chen Die slapped him before he could?! (Okay yeah, the video looks like a forced kiss, but… he looked so good doing it, I almost feel bad for him, that slap looked like it hurt…)]
[Like, seriously, what girl wouldn’t want to be Chen Die in that moment?]
[AAAAHHH and after getting slapped, Wen Liang still reached out to hug her?? My god!!!! This is peak ‘Unattainable love! A deeply tragic romance!!’ energy!!!]
[Okay, I take back everything I said about Chen Die and God Qi being the best couple in <Hairpin Flowers>. Even from this blurry 30-second clip, I’m shipping these two hard!!]
[Same!!! It’s giving ‘I may rule the world, but I’m soft only for you’. They both feel like powerful people on equal footing—it’s just so good.]
This video almost crashed Weibo.
Even at midnight, people were still obsessively rewatching it. Around 1 a.m., some netizens finally started piecing together the lip reading:
[Here’s my guess. Feel free to share your interpretations too.]
[After Chen Zhe slapped him, I think she said, ‘Wen Liang, I think we’ve already broken up.’ The word ‘breakup’ is super clear.]
[Then Wen Liang said—couldn’t catch the first part, looked like something with ‘little bun’ (??), but the next part seemed to be: ‘You’re even fierce when you fight.’]
[And finally, when he tried to hug her, he said: ‘Lingling, be good. Come with me.’ So… is Chen Die’s nickname Lingling??]
[OMG girl you’re a reincarnated saint!! I watched it three more times and I think your analysis is spot on!!]
[AAAAAA so he’s her ex-boyfriend?! Could it be that one from college—the guy she was with for years???]
[Why are other people’s slaps so romantic?!]
[I’m crying. Wen Liang is seriously so soft for her. He got slapped and still complimented her.]
[Did they get back together today or what?!]
[As a fan of Chen Die’s career, I officially support this relationship!!]
[Wait… is this what CEOs are like now??? Hot AND affectionate?!]
At this point, Fang Ruan—who had been really stressed about how things were escalating— was just… resigned.
She finally understood why Chen Die had been so awkward and helpless trying to explain things after the initial scandals broke.
Because how do you even explain this kind of situation?
‘Sorry, turns out I’m a rich heiress and I’m also being passionately pursued by the even richer and more powerful chairman of Wenyuan Group.’
Like… what even is this life??
Fang Ruan no longer thought Chen Die was amazing for just chasing a ten-billion-yuan box office—Chen Die is amazing, period.
That night, Chen Die had gone to bed early. After showering and getting a call from Chen Shao, the news about her being his cousin broke. She saw how public opinion shifted online and, finally able to relax, she went to sleep—those recent days full of ‘scandal’ had left her exhausted.
She was woken up in the middle of the night by a call from Xia Ying.
Since graduation, Chen Die and Xia Ying barely saw each other anymore—just the occasional meetup and mostly phone calls.
“You bitch!! You got with that hot guy and didn’t even tell me?!” Xia Ying yelled.
Chen Die, still groggy: “What hot guy?”
“The one we saw at the bar! You said he wasn’t your type! Oh wait—didn’t I bump into him once at your hotel too?” Xia Ying paused, then had a sudden epiphany. “Wait. That day—was he there to see you??”
“…”
Xia Ying: “Chen Die, I’m gonna kill you.”
Chen Zhe sat up and rubbed her face. At this point, she didn’t bother hiding it. “He’s the boyfriend I had back in college. We broke up, but… our relationship’s complicated. I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
She was about to apologize—because yeah, she’d kept this secret way too long—but before she could, Xia Ying interrupted again:
“He tried to get back with you, cornered you against a car, and you slapped him?! Girl, I’m in awe. You slapped that face? That man is stupid hot and you still slapped him?!”
Chen Die: “…”
About five seconds passed before it finally hit her. “Wait, I slapped him??”
“New video dropped. Looks legit—no editing that I could see.”
“......”
Chen Die croaked out a pained “Yeah, it’s real.” After chatting a bit more with Xia Ying, she hung up and opened Weibo.
Thanks to this whole situation—
Chen Die was dominating the top trending topics.
#ChenDieWenLiangSlap#
#ChenDieChenShao#
#ChenDieHeiressAndRichWife#
#EveryGirlWantsToBeChenDie#
#DidChenDieAndWenLiangGetBackTogetherToday#
What the hell is that last trending topic???
Chen Die already found out it was Wang Yunxi’s team that leaked everything initially. But now the tide has turned—one reversal was Chen Shao’s interview video, and the other was the second half of the security footage from that night.
Fang Ruan had tried to get her hands on that surveillance footage, too, but there were no cameras in that area, so nobody knows where this version came from.
Since it definitely couldn’t have come from Wang Yunxi, and the only people who knew what happened that night were Chen Die and Wen Liang, it wasn’t hard to guess who leaked the video.
But why would Wen Liang do that?
Honestly, after Chen Shao clarified things, the online hate had already died down a lot—time would’ve taken care of the rest.
But with this new video out, a lot of people were left stunned—not just netizens, but also those playboys who usually got along well with Wen Liang, and even employees at his company.
After being jolted awake by Xia Ying’s call, Chen Die couldn’t fall back asleep. She lay on her bed, her thoughts all over the place.
And the gossip-hungry public was reeling too, totally overwhelmed by the nonstop drama. Many joked that this New Year, the tea was too hot and too much. And somehow… everyone had this gut feeling—there was still more to come.
Sure enough, just half an hour later—
Thanks to the ripple effect of Chen Die’s news, Wang Yunxi, who had been quiet for a while, was suddenly back in the spotlight.
<Counting Wang Yunxi’s Four Sins: Dating During Career Peak; Diva Behavior on Set; Faked Votes During Debut Show; Emotionally Abusing Teammates.>
The article was incredibly detailed—images, stats, videos, text—all cross-referenced. Not a single flaw.
Chen Die, who still couldn’t sleep, clicked in to take a look.
She knew Wang Yunxi fairly well, understood her temper. But even she was shocked by the exposé. Let alone the fans who’d bought into Wang Yunxi’s perfect persona.
She didn’t know why, but the article's clean, precise writing and layout made her suddenly think of Zhu Qicong.
Compared to Chen Die’s string of glamorous trending topics, Wang Yunxi’s name now just looked cheap.
[Honestly, I always thought Wang Yunxi’s face looked mean. Like, you just know she’d be hard to get along with. But her fans insisted she had a ‘high-fashion’ look :) Can we stop using that as an excuse for a bitchy face?]
[She faked her vote count too?? So she didn’t even earn her debut spot?? And then had the nerve to bully her teammates???]
[Hold up. Isn’t it suspicious that the account that posted this was created today?? This is clearly a burner account made to take her down.]
[Wait... could it be Chen Die who did it...?]
[The entertainment industry is wild. It's literally modern-day palace drama.]
[But like... what would Chen Die gain from taking down Wang Yunxi now? A few days ago, maybe. But at this point, the situation’s already cleared up. Wouldn’t bringing her back into it just distract from the attention?]
[Use your brains. When Chen Die’s scandal first broke, it was right when Wang Yunxi was getting bashed. That photo of Chen Shao taking her home wasn’t even a big deal, but somehow it got twisted into this huge thing. Who benefited most from that? Wang Yunxi, obviously.]
[Yo, what if this new leak is Chen Die’s retaliation?? Like—if Wang Yunxi was the one who tried to ruin her, this would be her comeback punch.]
[Think about Chen Zhe’s background. She’s got a brother like Chen Shao and a powerful ex-boyfriend like Wen Liang still chasing after her. Wang Yunxi must’ve been insane to go after her. Now she’s definitely done for.]
[I don’t know why, but this whole situation is giving me life. This is so satisfying.]
Meanwhile, fans started digging up old photos of Chen Die and Wang Yunxi appearing in the same frame.
[Just look at Wang Yunxi’s face—she’s clearly disliked Chen Die for a long time.]
[Tbh I got that vibe when I used to watch Wang Yunxi’s livestreams.]
Chen Die didn’t like Wang Yunxi either, so she scrolled through all the gossip without a shred of guilt. Without even realizing it, she spent a long time just watching it all unfold. Then she got a message from Fang Ruan.
It was already the middle of the night—Fang Ruan was still awake, too.
Everyone was just online, riding the wave.
[Fang Ruan: Wang Yunxi is really done now. I just heard that Wenyuan Group had a long-term partnership with her agency. Now that Wen Liang is clearly trying to suppress her, her agency will have to give him some face, even if they wanted to protect her. And with all the drama with Zhan Xiao, the company was already pissed. Word is they broke up. The agency will probably back Zhan Xiao, but even then, the damage is already done.]
[Chen Die: Are you saying Wen Liang really leaked that video online?]
[Fang Ruan: Duh. Isn’t it obvious? I mean, yeah, Chen Shao’s your brother, but he’s honestly kind of a jerk. That’s got nothing to do with being your brother—he took forever just to make one statement. There’s no way he moved this fast to take down Wang Yunxi.]
Chen Die: “…”
Honestly, she’d never expected Chen Shao to do anything like that for her anyway.
[Fang Ruan: But seriously, Wen Liang’s tactics are ruthless. Just one move and Wang Yunxi is completely out of the game.]
[Chen Die: Not bad. Just standard procedure.]
After all, it was Wang Yunxi who had framed her with all those false news stories. There had already been so much unpleasant history between them, so Chen Die felt zero sympathy for what was happening to Wang Yunxi now.
Fang Ruan sent her a string of thumbs-up emojis.
[Fang Ruan: I get why Wen Liang can’t get over you now.]
[Fang Ruan: Wen Liang OS: “Such a unique woman... Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.”]
Chen Die: “......”
It was the middle of the night. Everything outside was quiet. The city’s nightlife had already gone still, but thanks to all the drama tonight, the internet was still buzzing. It was rare to see a piece of news rack up a billion views at this hour.
After chatting for a bit, Fang Ruan finally cried that if she didn’t sleep now, she was going to ascend to heaven, and went to bed.
Chen Die, on the other hand, still couldn’t sleep at all.
She sat on her bed in silence for a while, thoughts flying everywhere, completely restless.
After a long time, she finally got up slowly. For some reason, she felt a bit hungry. Her thick winter pajamas were in the wash, so she was just wearing an oversized T-shirt—but thankfully, the room was well-heated.
She got out of bed, long slender legs stretching out under the oversized hem.
This late at night, she didn’t dare eat any junk food or cake, so she pulled out a box of strawberries from the fridge, rinsed them, and planned to take them back to bed to snack on.
But as she passed by the window, a sudden instinct kicked in. She turned her head and glanced downward—
And saw that familiar car.
The last time this had happened was on New Year’s Eve—Wen Liang had been sitting inside his car smoking, and only texted her at midnight.
Chen Die checked her phone for the time.
3:00 a.m.
She quickly realized the glow from her screen might be visible, so she shut it off and tucked the phone away.
Still holding her box of strawberries, she felt wide awake. So she grabbed a chair and sat by the window, lazily eating strawberries as she watched the car below.
Through the window, she saw a small, red spark of fire flicker in the driver’s seat.
Chen Die finished the box of strawberries. After sitting there for so long, she eventually started to get sleepy without realizing it.
When she woke again, it was 5:00 a.m. In Yan City, the sun rose late during winter. The sky outside was still dark, and only a few streetlights glowed dimly.
Chen Die rubbed her eyes and sat up—just in time to see the car below slowly pulling out of its spot and driving away.
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