Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 49 - Are You Mad?
Chapter 49: Are You Mad?
Wenyuan Group.
Wen Liang had just finished a meeting and finally had a bit of free time, so he pulled out his phone.
Lately, Chen Die hadn’t let him pick her up or drop her off at public events. She said she didn’t want people gossiping about her private life.
So in the recent airport arrival and departure photos, there were only shots of Chen Die with her manager and assistant—Wen Liang was nowhere to be seen. This sent their CP (couple pairing) fans into a bit of a panic.
No one knew that in the Chairman’s office, Wen Liang, cigarette dangling from his lips, looking cold and calm, had just opened up the WenDie CP Super Topic.
WenDiee CP, also known as the ‘A Deeply Tragic Romance’ couple.
[Everyone calm down, there's no way WenDie is over. They're probably just busy lately, or purposely keeping a low profile.]
[Other people's faves are always serving sweet moments, mine's just constantly serving pain _(:з」∠)_]
[It’s been almost a month since we last saw them in the same frame, ughhhh.]
[At least the other CPs are in the entertainment industry—if they break up, there's still a chance of bumping into each other. But ours? We might never see them together again in this lifetime.]
Since the couple themselves weren’t feeding content, fans took it upon themselves to create it. The ‘Highlights’ section of the super topic was filled with edited photos, video montages, and fanfiction.
And, of course, some of those stories had a bit of spice in them.
Wen Liang had been casually scrolling, but after a few glances, he started to feel something was off.
“......”
His jaw clenched unconsciously—he even bit through the cigarette, some tobacco spilling out. He finally stubbed it out in the ashtray and quit reading.
Just then, a knock came at the door.
“Come in,” Wen Liang said coolly.
The door pushed open from the outside. Wen Liang didn’t look up at first, expecting a work report, but after waiting a moment with no sound, he finally glanced up.
He was stunned. Chen Die stood there.
“What are you doing here?”
She smiled and walked over to him. “Just had lunch with Ye Chuqing. Had some free time, so I thought I’d drop by and see you.”
Chen Die rarely came to Wenyuan. The employees hadn’t seen her in person before, only on TV, where she was often referred to as the ‘future Chairman’s wife.’ As soon as she stepped into the company, she drew all eyes. She made her way through the lobby, into the elevator, and finally to the Chairman’s office—without a single person daring to stop her.
Outside the office, staff gathered and whispered among themselves:
“Chen Die is soooo stunning! Even more beautiful than on TV!”
“Her aura is insane!!”
“No wonder Mr. Wen didn’t even get mad after being slapped. If someone this gorgeous stood in front of me, she could step all over me and I’d still thank her.”
“But why did she come to Wenyuan? Are they back together?! I didn’t see any news about that.”
“You don’t get it. This is clearly a secret relationship now. We’re all in the same boat—if anyone leaks this, better hope the Chairman’s wife doesn’t come after you.”
……
Meanwhile, Chen Die had no idea the staff was currently debating her “Chairman’s wife” status.
Right now, she was a bit… cramped.
Wen Liang had her pinned against the edge of the desk, leaning in to kiss her.
Her body had to arch slightly backward, palms bracing behind her. Because his hand was pressed against the small of her back, her legs felt weak. Standing in heels, she could barely keep steady, calves tensing until they nearly cramped.
Wen Liang was the type who couldn’t keep his hands still while kissing.
First he’d brush her ear, then her neck, then her collarbone.
Their warm breaths mingled; Chen Die’s face flushed red.
Finally, Wen Liang let her go.
He looked down at her—her eyes were glossy, clearly dazed. Seeing that, he chuckled and teased: “That good, huh?”
Chen Die took three seconds to register what he meant. “…”
Blood rushed to her head—she was practically steaming.
What do you mean, “that good”?!
This bastard—can he speak like a normal person for once??
She pushed him away, but as soon as she moved, she suddenly let out a soft “ow” and slumped back against the desk edge, unable to move.
Wen Liang: “What’s wrong?”
“…My leg cramped.”
Wen Liang paused—then leaned back in, wrapping his arms around her again and bursting into laughter, shoulders shaking.
“…” Chen Die stretched her leg out with a glare. “Wen Liang, are you looking to die?”
He kept laughing, though a bit more subdued now. He plopped down into the chair. “Which leg?”
She pointed at her right leg.
Wen Liang lifted her calf and started massaging it. Chen Die was in the middle of that numb, prickly pain—it felt like a bunch of little bugs crawling all over. As soon as he moved her leg, it felt like it had been amputated.
“Ah—ah—ah!” Chen Die gasped. “What are you doing?!”
“Massaging your leg.”
Chen Die was half-sitting on the desk, Wen Liang seated in front of her. He made her rest her foot on his thigh and began gently kneading her calf.
He had strong hands, and after a few firm presses, the cramp eased significantly and the pain subsided.
Chen Die didn’t move her leg away—he was actually doing a pretty good job, and it felt nice, so she just let him keep going.
“By the way, did you see the thing about Chen Shuyuan?” she asked.
Wen Liang: “What thing?”
“It’s still trending on the hot search right now.”
Wen Liang didn’t really care what Chen Die was talking about. Her mention of the hot search had brought his mind back to that spicy little fanfic he saw in the CP Super Topic earlier.
He’d only glanced at it before, but for some reason, it was now playing vividly in his mind.
Especially since he was still massaging Chen Die’s leg.
Next to him, Chen Die had already pulled out her phone and opened up the trending topic. "Look."
Wen Liang was still lost in thought.
Chen Die gave him a light kick. "What are you daydreaming about?"
Wen Liang’s thumb brushed lazily against her ankle before he finally looked up at her phone.
Previously, the promo campaign for <Plum Wine> had been overhyped, so now that plagiarism allegations had come out, the backlash was even stronger. The topic was getting a lot of attention and debate.
More and more people were cursing Chen Shuyuan out.
“Ye Chuqing is actually one of the sponsors of that competition. She just asked me how I want to handle it,” Chen Die said.
Wen Liang's hand slid up from her ankle to behind her knee. He chuckled.
Leaning back against his chair, chin lifted slightly, his profile exuded effortless charm. He said lazily, “Well then, princess, how do you want to handle it?”
“......”
Why was he suddenly calling her ‘princess’ again?
Chen Die blinked, momentarily flustered by the nickname, and muttered softly, “Don’t call me that.”
Too embarrassing.
“But I don’t really want to get involved. She already did this to herself—and she plagiarized Director Feng, of all people. Let’s wait and see if Director Feng steps in.”
After all, it was Director Feng who had given Chen Die the chance to play the lead role that made her famous.
If he really did release a statement condemning the plagiarism, of course, Chen Die would repost it in support. But someone at Director Feng’s level probably wouldn’t bother responding personally, especially with the whole internet already denouncing it.
As soon as she finished speaking, the assistant called on the intercom: “Mr. Wen, Mr. Jiang from Fenggong is here."
“Let him in,” Wen Liang said.
Mr. Jiang.
Jiang Xian?
Chen Die frowned slightly, and immediately met Wen Liang’s gaze—he let out a low scoff and suddenly squeezed her leg harder.
“Ah!” Chen Die cried out from the pain and kicked him in the stomach. “Are you insane?”
Jiang Xian was about to come in, and Chen Die didn’t have time to argue. She quickly got off the desk—her foot had just touched the floor when the door opened.
Wen Liang, completely relaxed, held her by the arm and said offhandedly, “Put your shoes on first.”
???
Excuse me? I was going to put my shoes on anyway, okay?
But now that you’ve said it like that, it totally sounds like we were just… doing something.
At the door, Jiang Xian paused at her words, looking up to see Chen Die’s back as she bent down to put on her heels.
Chen Die slipped into her shoes and said to Wen Liang, “You get back to work then, I’ll head out first.”
“It’s fine. Go sit over there for a bit. I’ll take you to dinner when we’re done,” Wen Liang said, giving her palm a light squeeze.
Chen Die nodded. But as she walked past Jiang Xian, she hesitated for a second.
What was this weird, unspoken boyfriend test?
Jiang Xian, however, looked completely composed. He smiled at her and said, “Xiao Die.”
Chen Die paused briefly. “Brother Jiang Xian(Jiang Xian-ge)."
She didn’t dare call him Older Brother Jiang Xian(Jiang Xian-gege) anymore.
Jiang Xian didn’t seem to notice the difference between the two titles, his expression unchanged.
As expected, the only one petty enough to care about an extra ‘ge’ was the stingy man sitting behind her.
The conversation between Wen Liang and Jiang Xian was filled with technical jargon Chen Die didn’t understand—it was making her drowsy just listening.
So she took out her phone and started playing a round of a game.
When she was in college, Chen Die often played games with her classmates. But after starting work and getting busy, she rarely played anymore. Her gaming skills weren’t great to begin with, and now she was even rustier.
After dying in two rounds, she lost interest.
She quit the game and opened Weibo.
The <Plum Wine> plagiarism scandal was continuing to escalate.
Since the organizers still hadn’t responded, netizens were getting even more outraged, thinking they were trying to protect the contestant who had placed first. Little did they know, the organizers and investors were currently all racking their brains trying to figure out how best to deal with Chen Shuyuan.
After parting ways with Chen Die, Ye Chuqing got a call from Chen Shao, and they met up in a car.
“I’m telling you right now—if you’re thinking of protecting Chen Shuyuan, don’t even think about it,” Ye Chuqing said, pointing at him.
Chen Shao raised an eyebrow. “Which eye of yours saw me trying to protect that idiot Chen Shuyuan?”
Ye Chuqing had more or less gotten the gist of the Chen family’s drama by now. She asked, “What’s her mother’s name again?”
“Lin Quan,” Chen Shao reminded her.
“Right. Hasn’t she come crawling to you to beg for her dumb daughter?”
“She already did,” Chen Shao said casually, shaking his phone. “Told me to suppress the matter. Too bad—I don’t like doing what people tell me to do.”
“......”
She had to admit, Chen Shao was being peak edgy teen right now.
But for once, Ye Chuqing found herself actually agreeing with him. A rare moment of unity. Touching, really.
“So what are you planning to do?” she asked.
“Nothing for now. Let her get flamed for 800 rounds first. I really thought she might finally do something decent for once, but nope—still plagiarism,” Chen Shao scoffed. “She’s a disgrace to the Chen family. She should’ve gone back to wherever she came from ages ago.”
Ye Chuqing looked at him and laughed after a beat. “Wow, you’re actually acting like a real human today. Can’t believe I’m on the same side as you.”
“Chen Die’s my sister. Helping her is normal. Didn’t you used to like Wen Liang? What, is it trendy now to befriend your romantic rival?”
“......”
Yup. Should’ve known nothing good ever comes out of his mouth.
Ye Chuqing rolled her eyes and tossed out a “See ya” before getting out of the car.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xian didn’t linger after finishing his work discussion with Wen Liang. Before leaving, he went over to the couch and greeted Chen Die, who was sitting there. Then he left.
Wen Liang didn’t walk him out. Instead, he casually watched as Jiang Xian went over to speak with Chen Die. Even after he left, Wen Liang’s gaze was still fixed on her.
“......”
“…What?” Chen Die finally said, not even bothering to hide her irritation.
“Nothing,” Wen Liang said with a faint smile. He stood up and grabbed his jacket. “Wanna go have dinner?”
Chen Die glanced at her phone. “Is it time to get off work already?”
“Nope. I left early,” Wen Liang replied nonchalantly.
“......”
When they went downstairs, most people were still around. So Chen Die once again experienced the full-on stare-down from the Wenyuan employees.
They got in the car.
It wasn’t rush hour yet, so traffic was smooth. After a while, Chen Die realized something was off.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“The villa in the western suburbs.”
“…?” Chen Die turned to look at him. “I’m not going home with you.”
“Just going for dinner. Aunt Zhang’s been asking about you for a while.”
Chen Die paused, then leaned back in her seat. “Oh.”
It had been a long time since she’d been back to the villa. Not much had changed—the greenery outside was still meticulously trimmed, and the interior was just as tidy.
They changed into indoor slippers when they entered.
Aunt Zhang came out with a smile as soon as she saw them. “Miss Chen, you’re back!”
“Hi, Aunt Zhang.”
“Dinner’s almost ready—just a little longer.”
Soon after, she brought the dishes out. Chen Die invited her to sit down and eat with them, but she became shy and politely declined. “I already ate in the kitchen earlier. I’m too full now. You and the young master go ahead.”
Then she returned to the kitchen to tidy up.
At the table, Chen Die got a call. It was Fang Ruan.
She said Director Huang—Ye Chuqing’s mother—had reached out to discuss collaborating on a new film. A Republican-era film titled <A-Xiao>.
“Okay, send me the script,” Chen Die said, putting down her chopsticks. “By the way, is the shooting schedule confirmed yet?”
“The timing works out well. It’s right after <Three Meals a Day> wraps up—perfect transition,” Fang Ruan said. “What are you up to now?”
Chen Die glanced at Wen Liang beside her. “Eating dinner.”
“With Mr. Wen, huh?”
“Mm.”
“……” Fang Ruan didn’t question her boss flirting with their investor. She just nodded and didn’t press further. “Alright then, I won’t interrupt. I’ll send the stuff to your phone.”
After dinner, Chen Die felt too embarrassed to let Aunt Zhang clean up by herself, so she followed her into the kitchen.
Though in the end, Aunt Zhang didn’t let her lift a finger.
“I just aired out the blankets this morning,” Aunt Zhang said as she put the cleaned dishes into the sterilizer. “You’re gonna sleep great tonight.”
“Huh?” Chen Die paused and leaned against the doorframe, replying softly, “I’m not staying the night—I still have to head back.”
Aunt Zhang turned her head. “Work’s that busy?”
…Well, not exactly.
It’s just that she wanted to take this relationship seriously—she didn’t want to rush into things like before.
But she didn’t really feel like explaining all that to Aunt Zhang, so she just gave a vague reply and left it at that.
Aunt Zhang said, “You’re still young, so maybe you haven’t thought about these things yet. But the young master’s almost 30. It’s time to start thinking about marriage. If you have kids while you’re still young, both parents have more energy, and the child’s constitution is better.”
Chen Die: “……”
She honestly had never thought about that stuff.
And she wasn’t sure there was any actual science behind this ‘young parents = stronger baby’ logic. But from what Aunt Zhang was implying—that Wen Liang was nearing 30 and running out of time—she couldn’t help but laugh.
“Totally,” Chen Die bent over, laughing. “Already 29. So old.”
Aunt Zhang didn’t catch the sarcasm and continued seriously, “29 isn’t that bad. But with how busy you are with work, if you keep waiting, I heard the, uh, vitality of a man’s cells starts to drop. So it’s best to start thinking about this early.”
Chen Die kept nodding, laughing, and agreeing like she was being a very good girl.
But mid-laugh, someone suddenly pinched the back of her neck.
Wen Liang grabbed her collar with one hand and calmly told Aunt Zhang, “Once you’re done cleaning, go ahead and get some rest.”
Then he wrapped his arm around Chen Die’s neck and led her away.
“What are you doing!” she protested, clutching his arm as she was dragged upstairs.
Once in the bedroom, Wen Liang kicked the door shut, finally letting go of her and pinning her to the wall. He looked down at her. “Getting bold now, huh? Talking smack about me behind my back.”
Chen Die quickly tried to shift the blame: “I didn’t say anything! That was all Aunt Zhang!”
“Then what were you laughing at?”
“Can’t even laugh now? Seriously?”
“You think I’m too old?” Wen Liang narrowed his eyes.
Chen Die looked at him with a big fake smile. “Not at all, Mr. Wen. You’re young and full of energy.”
Wen Liang looked at her and sighed, clearly losing all his steam. “Why don’t you take a second to realize where you are right now—and then rethink how you talk to me?”
“......”
Chen Die sobered up fast.
Yeah. She’d gotten cocky.
She tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge. After a few failed attempts, she got annoyed. “I need to go home.”
Wen Liang leaned in close to her ear, his voice low and with a faint teasing smile: “Didn’t Aunt Zhang just say it’s time to think about all that stuff? I’m turning 30 next year—I won’t be young and energetic much longer. You’re holding me back.”
Chen Die: ?
She finally got it. This shameless man really would say anything just to get her to sleep with him.
She was holding him back?
Who could possibly hold him back?!
Wen Liang’s voice, low and full of suggestion, made her head buzz. “Wen Liang, do you even have a sense of shame?”
Downstairs, Aunt Zhang finished cleaning the kitchen and called out from the bottom of the stairs.
Chen Die, feeling completely guilty like she’d been caught doing something bad, panicked and shouted back, “Okay!”
Wen Liang chuckled, finally letting her off the hook. Then, remembering the call she took during dinner, he asked, “You’ve got a new show coming up?”
“Hmm?” Chen Die blinked at him.
She was once again amazed at how fast this man could switch gears—from whispering indecent things one second to slipping into work mode the next.
Her brain couldn’t keep up.
“It’s not confirmed yet. I’ll check out the script first.”
“Alright, let’s go—I’ll take you home.”
When they went out, it had already started raining. Wen Liang went back inside to grab an umbrella for her.
The rain quickly turned heavy, and the roads were soon jammed with traffic. It took a long time before they finally reached Lifan Xinyuan.
Wen Liang parked the car. The rain was pouring down even harder now, like someone was dumping buckets of water from the sky, drumming loudly on the windshield.
“I’m heading in—drive safe on your way back.”
Chen Die grabbed the umbrella and was about to open the car door, but as soon as her hand touched the handle, the door locked with a click.
She turned back. “Hm?”
Wen Liang drawled lazily, “It’s raining so hard. Just stay in the car a while longer before going in.”
Chen Die glanced outside. With rain like this, even just the short distance from the car to the apartment building would leave her completely soaked, even with an umbrella.
So she put the umbrella back down by her feet and unlocked her phone to look at the script Fang Ruan had just sent her.
Wen Liang reached over and took her hand.
Neither of them spoke for a while. The car was quiet inside, the only sound coming from the steady blaring of car horns in the rain outside.
The film script for <A-Xiao> suited Chen Die well. Her figure would look great in a qipao, and the movie was backed by a solid, experienced production team.
She had only read the opening, but she already liked it and was about to keep reading when Wen Liang gave her fingers a tug.
“When you work, you don’t even spare me a glance?” Wen Liang raised a brow, asking calmly.
“…You used to ignore me when you were working too,” Chen Die shot back, bringing up old grievances.
Wen Liang clicked his tongue. “Fine, carry on.”
His tone was like a sulky child, so Chen Die figured she might as well just keep reading the script.
But she only got through a couple of lines before he let go of her fingers—and suddenly, she felt a chill on her waist. He had lifted the hem of her shirt, and his hand started moving upward.
Chen Die froze. Her phone nearly slipped from her hand. She quickly grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing?”
Wen Liang chuckled and pried her fingers away, continuing upward, his hand settling on her chest, kneading slowly before sliding to her back. He glanced at her. “Now you’re willing to look at me.”
“......”
His touch made her squirm, but every time she tried to move away, he pulled her back. She was clearly struggling, but Wen Liang looked completely at ease.
His hand lingered along her back, and then his finger hooked around the thin strap of her bra.
Chen Die’s breathing grew heavier. She stammered his name, voice flustered and shaky.
Wen Liang pulled her into his arms with his free hand and whispered by her ear, “What exactly are you afraid of?”
As he spoke, the clasp on her back came undone.
Her body felt cold.
She gasped and instinctively covered her chest to keep it from slipping down—also stopping his hand from continuing.
“Don’t do this,” she said softly, brows furrowed.
Wen Liang repeated, “What are you afraid of?”
If this were their first time, hesitation would be normal. But their relationship had been this way for years now. Wen Liang couldn’t figure out what she was holding onto—why she wouldn’t come home, why she wouldn’t let him touch her.
“I want to actually date you properly. You don’t act like it at all,” she complained, her tone unhappy, her neck flushed red, and her voice carrying a hint of grievance. “I’ve never even been in a relationship before.”
Wen Liang’s fingers paused. He sighed, leaned over, and kissed her gently. Without a word, he refastened the clasp he had just undone, then pulled the slipped strap back over her shoulder, the tiny snap it made against her skin soft but still making her shiver and shy away from his kiss.
Wen Liang’s breathing was heavier now. He tilted her chin up. “You mad at me?”
Chen Die didn’t answer. Head lowered, hands tucked inside her sleeves, she slowly adjusted her crooked bra back into place.
Wen Liang took a deep breath, gently ruffled her hair, and softened his tone for once: “Alright, I was wrong. Don’t be mad, okay?”
She still didn’t look at him, only gave a barely audible “mm.”
It was impossible to tell if she was responding to his “Are you mad?” or his “Don’t be mad.” And it was even harder to tell if she was still mad or not.
Wen Liang had known her since she was little, so he understood her temperament well.
Even though she’d grown into a bold and direct young woman, someone who loved and hated freely, every time they got physical, she’d shrink back into the timid girl she used to be—tense, quiet, too embarrassed to even make a sound, unable to let go.
He started to wonder if he’d really pushed her too far just now.
Especially when he remembered her saying, “I’ve never even been in a relationship.” Thinking about it, it was true—what they’d had before didn’t really count as dating.
He was just about to apologize sincerely and properly comfort her.
Then Chen Die finally lifted her head. Her eyes were a little red. She looked at him briefly before lowering her gaze again, bit her lip shyly, and murmured, “I’m not mad.”
Just those three words, and the look in her eyes, were enough to completely shatter what little gentlemanly restraint Wen Liang had managed to gather. All the feelings he’d just tried to calm down came rushing back in full force.
Outside, the rain began to pour even harder, mixing with the pounding of Wen Liang’s rapidly accelerating heartbeat—it was nearly impossible to hold back now.
He leaned in and kissed her again.
This time, Chen Die didn’t resist. She even tilted her head up obediently and kissed him back.
Wen Liang’s heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst.
So he pulled back.
The kiss ended so abruptly that Chen Die blinked in surprise, dazed. Her long lashes fluttered, and she tilted her head, letting out a soft, confused “Hm?”
She looked adorably clueless.
Wen Liang swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He gave a slightly hoarse laugh. “If you keep acting this sweet, I’m not going to be able to stop myself.”
Chen Die froze, then grabbed the umbrella, flung open the door, and dashed into the shelter of the apartment building’s awning as fast as she could.
Only after she reached it did she turn around, wave at him, and say goodbye.
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