Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 44 - I'm Downstairs at Your Place
Chapter 44: I'm Downstairs at Your Place
With Chen Shao present, it was as if the Chen family was representing itself. Fu Wanmei did not dare to say anything further and nodded, changing her tone, “Sorry to trouble you to come all the way here.”
“If there's anything I can help with, just let me know,” Chen Shao replied politely.
However, both Fu Wanmei and Chen Shao were fully aware of each other's true nature. They performed the necessary formalities, but neither was willing to say more.
He lowered his gaze to look at Chen Die, then softly mocked her: "No brain, still relying on your brother."
After Chen Shao dealt with those people, he didn’t stay much longer in the hospital. He didn’t want to linger around in such an uncomfortable situation, so he left quickly.
Chen Die turned and asked Zhu Qicong, “Where is Wen Liang?”
“I don't know either.”
Chen Die raised her gaze, “What?”
“I just finished handling the shareholders' meeting. I haven't seen Mr. Wen today. His phone is probably out of battery, and when I tried calling, it went straight to voicemail.”
Chen Die obviously knew that Wen Liang's phone was probably unreachable at the moment.
She guessed that after a busy day, he probably hadn't had time to check if his phone was charged.
The news of Wen Huaiyuan's death spread quickly.
On this chilly early spring evening, many old friends and business partners came to offer their condolences, and Fu Wanmei hosted them, but she didn’t have time to pay attention to Chen Die.
But still, Wen Liang's whereabouts were unknown.
He wasn't there, and Chen Die had no reason to stay in the hospital. She tried calling Wen Liang again, but the phone was still off.
She stood up, opened the stairwell door, and walked down.
She kept her head down, feeling downcast and lacking energy, until suddenly, a voice in the corridor exclaimed, "Miss Chen!"
Chen Die didn’t even remember the last time she had seen Aunt Zhang. It was probably since she had moved out of the Western Suburbs villa that she hadn’t seen her.
Aunt Zhang looked older now, her hair graying at the temples. Seeing her now, her expression was a bit incredulous, but after a moment, she quickly walked up and grabbed Chen Die's hand. “Are you here to see the old master?”
Chen Die paused, “I'm here to see Wen Liang, but he's not in the hospital right now.”
“Oh,” Aunt Zhang held Chen Die's hand and gently patted the back of it twice, then lowered her gaze. “Young Master has had a tough life. After Madam passed when he was 10, I haven't seen him smile much. Though he never smiled much as a child, after Madam passed, it was even worse.”
The corridor was quiet, with the sensor light flickering on and off.
“Thankfully, you came later, and I finally saw Young Master not so depressed as before,” Aunt Zhang shook her head and sighed. “You two must stay together.”
Chen Die was stunned for a moment.
She realized that Aunt Zhang probably thought they had reconciled, but she didn’t elaborate. Instead, she quietly asked, “Why are you here so late?”
Aunt Zhang lifted the things in her hand. "Madam asked me to deliver something, and once I’m done, I’ll leave."
“Then please go ahead and deliver it. I'll go back with you in a bit.”
Aunt Zhang agreed and soon went upstairs to deliver the items.
The two of them hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and Aunt Zhang seemed a bit reserved, not continuing with the previous uncomfortable topics. She looked at Chen Die for a while, smiled, and said, “I saw you on TV not long ago.”
“That variety show, <Three Meals a Day>?”
“Yes,” Aunt Zhang nodded, “My daughter really enjoys watching it.”
Chen Die smiled and reached up to turn on the hallway light. She softly said, “Aunt Zhang, tell me about Wen Liang from the past.”
Wen Liang's biological mother was Shen Yunshu.
Her name, ‘Yunshu,’ meaning the carefree, floating clouds in the sky, was symbolic of her easy-going and unrestrained nature.
Shen Yunshu came from an ordinary family, but one that could still be considered cultured. Her father was a well-respected professor, and her mother was a high school teacher, both well-regarded in their community.
Shen Yunshu grew up in such a household. From childhood to adulthood, what she read was: ‘Love in this world is nothing more than plum soup in white porcelain on a midsummer day, with crushed ice clinking against the walls,’ and ‘The tribulations of love are nothing more than bitter herbs on black tiles in the depths of winter, with candied hearts sinking low and bitterness turned into words.’
She was a thorough romantic, dreaming and imagining without necessarily seeking to make those dreams a reality.
At that time, many women met their partners through family introductions or arranged meetings. Shen Yunshu's parents had introduced her to a young man who was a researcher.
However, after a brief glance at his photo, she declined, saying there was no chemistry, and she wasn’t interested in meeting him.
She opened a flower shop and, on weekends, would visit children at a welfare center. Her flower shop would close, but instead of hanging a ‘closed’ sign, she would handwrite a note that said, ‘The shop is closed today, but the flowers are still blooming.’
She also made her own clothes and loved qipaos, often sewing them herself with side slits, revealing her long legs as she walked.
Shen Yunshu was a free-spirited person, someone who didn’t conform to societal expectations. Many women secretly whispered about her, disapproving of her nonchalant attitude, yet, deep down, they envied her freedom.
Then, at the age of 22, Shen Yunshu met Wen Huaiyuan.
When Wen Huaiyuan was younger, he was handsome, and his manners were very gentlemanly. He had already started his own business and had secured sponsorships, establishing the early stages of the Wenyuan Group.
But he wasn’t rigid; he was interesting. He would pull two movie tickets from his pocket and invite Shen Yunshu to watch a movie with him. He’d also take her to the most expensive Western restaurant to eat steak with the first bucket of money he made. He even liked to buy Shen Yunshu qipaos and, when she wore them, he exaggeratedly praised how beautiful she looked.
Shen Yunshu quickly fell head over heels, hopelessly in love with Wen Huaiyuan.
She felt that they were a match made in heaven, that they were destined to be together forever.
Not long into their relationship, Shen Yunshu introduced Wen Huaiyuan to her parents, but to her surprise, they strongly opposed it.
Her parents, with their years of experience in judging people, didn’t think Wen Huaiyuan was the right person to spend a lifetime with. But they couldn’t explain it to Shen Yunshu directly, so they simply said that Wen Huaiyuan’s heart was unsettled and too lively.
Shen Yunshu thought her parents were being too rigid. Ignoring their objections, she directly married Wen Huaiyuan.
After marriage, the couple was very affectionate. They attended various events together, wearing suits and qipaos, receiving admiration from everyone.
Later, Wenyuan Group encountered a financing issue, and at the same time, Shen Yunshu became pregnant with Wen Liang. She sold her flower shop, and the money went into her bank account to give to Wen Huaiyuan, while she stayed at home to rest and prepare for childbirth.
Shen Yunshu was a romantic at heart.
Even though she had a strong pregnancy reaction—she’d eat and then throw up, couldn’t sleep all night, and by the end, her belly grew large while her limbs were thin, making her tired after standing for a while—she never felt miserable.
She was especially happy as she watched her belly grow day by day.
She believed that this was the crystallization of her and Wen Huaiyuan’s love, and the discomfort during her pregnancy was just a small hardship to make the future more memorable and meaningful.
She would touch her belly and say, “Huaiyuan, marrying you is the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Wen Huaiyuan had just returned from socializing, and as he unbuttoned his bowtie, he paused when he heard her, glanced at her, and replied with a simple “Mm,” before walking into the bathroom.
Shen Yunshu, immersed in her own little world, didn’t notice Wen Huaiyuan’s look.
Later, as Shen Yunshu reflected on the past, she wasn’t sure when Wen Huaiyuan started to stray, but she was certain that he had stopped loving her long ago.
The ‘one life, one love’ she once dreamed of was gone, and her illusions were shattered. For Shen Yunshu, this was a devastating blow.
She began having endless arguments with Wen Huaiyuan.
Wenyuan Group was thriving, but Wen Huaiyuan started avoiding her, not returning home. Wen Liang, as a child, often didn’t see him.
Shen Yunshu deteriorated emotionally. She was born for love, stubborn and persistent. Once Wen Huaiyuan left, she had nothing left to cling to, not even someone to argue with.
She no longer made clothes for herself, didn’t care to meet new people, and had long since sold her flower shop. Even her parents had passed away the previous year.
She was like a trapped beast, stuck in the Wen household.
Wen Liang grew older.
One night, Wen Huaiyuan finally came home. But as soon as he stepped in, Shen Yunshu started arguing with him again. In a fit of anger, he slapped her.
The next day, Wen Liang came home from school.
Shen Yunshu, rarely seen in the kitchen, smiled as she came out with a plate of desserts. She rubbed Wen Liang’s head and said, “A-Liang is home.”
She held out the dessert she had spent the afternoon making, smiling as she said, “Try it, see if it’s good. I just learned to make it.”
The small cakes, golden brown and sprinkled with powdered sugar, smelled of milk.
Wen Liang opened his mouth and was about to take a bite when Shen Yunshu suddenly threw the cake on the ground, scattering the powdered sugar everywhere. She went wild, dumping the remaining desserts from the plate onto the floor, stomping on them with her feet, and then hugged Wen Liang, crying uncontrollably.
Shen Yunshu had Aunt Zhang, who was cooking in the Wen household at the time, clean up the cake on the floor. After that day, no one ever mentioned it again.
Not even Wen Liang.
He never even asked why Shen Yunshu threw the cake away.
But every time Shen Yunshu looked into Wen Liang's eyes, she always felt he understood everything. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes.
These stories were shocking to Chen Die.
She had never imagined that the story behind all of this would be so chilling.
“What happened next?” Chen Die asked.
“What happened next…” Aunt Zhang looked ahead, recalling the past. “A few days later, Madam took pills and committed suicide.”
“Before that... did she want…” Chen Die’s voice trembled. “Did she want to... die with Wen Liang?”
She didn’t finish, but Aunt Zhang understood and nodded. “Yes, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.”
Later that day, Wen Liang came home to an empty house. Shen Yunshu didn’t come out.
He suddenly felt a jolt in his heart, as if there was some telepathic connection, and dropped his schoolbag, running upstairs.
He didn’t know whether to say he was too late or too early.
Shen Yunshu had already swallowed the pills, but at least he saw her one last time.
Once a dazzling woman, full of poetry and grace, always dressed in qipaos that attracted the admiration of many when she walked down the street, now her face was pale, lying on the bed.
For the next few years, she didn’t like wearing qipaos anymore. Every time she put one on, it reminded her of the time when she and Wen Huaiyuan were in love, so she simply stopped wearing them.
Shen Yunshu, curled up from the drug effects, sweat was constantly dripping from her forehead.
Then she waved at Wen Liang, struggling to prop herself up, and gently hugged him into her arms.
“I'm sorry, A-Liang,” she said. “Mom didn't mean to.”
Wen Liang was tightly held in her embrace, her sweat on his face.
She didn’t clarify exactly what she was apologizing for, but Wen Liang seemed to understand. He lowered his head, opened his arms, and hugged Shen Yunshu back.
“It's okay,” Wen Liang said.
Shen Yunshu looked at him with reddened eyes, nodded vigorously, and whispered another “I’m sorry.”
In her final moments, Shen Yunshu could no longer hold him. She collapsed onto the bed, her voice trembling as she spoke.
“A-Liang, Mom seems to be sick. You need to take good care of yourself from now on.”
By the end, her voice was so faint that it was hard to tell if she was speaking to Wen Liang or to herself.
“My life... it has been too ideal. I fell because of it, but if I had another chance, I would still choose to live it this way again.”
“People... sometimes there are things you have to keep holding onto.”
After she said that, Shen Yunshu breathed her last breath and passed away.
What followed was a period of chaos. The servants discovered that Shen Yunshu had taken the pills and committed suicide, and they contacted Wen Huaiyuan. Aunt Zhang rushed upstairs to cover Wen Liang's eyes and took him out.
The business district of Yan City was shaken, and people sighed over the tragedy, which later became a topic of gossip.
Outside the hospital, the traffic was congested.
The parking lot was full, and a long line of cars stretched all the way to the small road outside, with their taillights glowing red in a continuous line.
Aunt Zhang gently patted Chen Die's back, sighed, and asked, “Miss Chen, how will you be getting home?”
Chen Die didn’t answer immediately but asked in return, "Are you heading home now?"
“Yes,” Aunt Zhang pointed to a nearby bus stop. “I’ll take the Number 8 bus; it goes straight to my place.”
“Okay, then you go ahead.”
Chen Die said, bidding her farewell.
The Number 8 bus arrived quickly, and Chen Die only pulled her gaze away after seeing Aunt Zhang board the bus.
Nowhere to go.
Returning home felt like something was missing, leaving her unsettled.
Chen Die stood outside the hospital, letting the wind blow, when her phone rang.
On the bright screen was an unlisted number—ever since their breakup, she had deleted his contact details and never added a label to it.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly answered the call.
As soon as she picked up, she heard the sound of a lighter being struck.
In her mind, the image of Wen Liang smoking appeared automatically. He was lounging lazily, a cigarette between his lips, flicking the lighter, and the brief flash of red light illuminated his pupils. Then his cheeks slightly sunk as he took a deep drag, slowly exhaling the smoke, enveloping his face in a hazy cloud.
“Looking for me?” he asked.
His voice was calm, with no discernible emotion.
“Mm.” Chen Die also calmed herself, “Where are you now?”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then Wen Liang said, “Right downstairs of your building.”
----------
If you like my translation, please support me by buying me a coffee:
0 comments: