Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 51- A Fierce Tiger Acting Cute
Chapter 51: A Fierce Tiger Acting Cute
After hearing that line, Chen Die felt the side of her body closest to him gradually heating up. The warmth climbed to her face, making it burn and flush.
He was just too good at this.
Too good at making people commit crimes.
Chen Die silently shifted a little to the side, trying not to seem so easily flustered. To ruin the mood just a little and ground herself, she replied dryly, “Are you saying you’re the prince?”
‘Prince Wen Liang’ just tilted his head lazily and glanced at her, as if he could see through everything from her blushing face. Careless and arrogant, he said, “I’m everything to Her Royal Highness the Princess.”
“......”
Shameless.
Their thighs were pressed together, and Chen Die’s heart was inexplicably itchy.
She pulled her leg back, then after a few seconds looked at Wen Liang. “When are you leaving?”
The sudden eviction order caught him off guard.
Wen Liang raised his eyebrows but didn’t take it personally. He got up. “I’m leaving.”
Chen Die threw on her denim jacket.
Wen Liang said, “It’s cold outside. No need to walk me out.”
“It’s fine. I was planning to go to the convenience store across the street anyway.”
Fully geared up with a hat and mask, the two of them went downstairs together.
At this hour, there weren’t many people in the store. The bright lights shone over the place, and the cashier was sitting at the counter, completely absorbed in his game. When they pushed open the door, he didn’t even look up, just muttered a “Welcome.”
Chen Die had run out of tissues at home a few days ago, so she grabbed several packs and tossed them into the basket, then added a bottle of hand soap.
Just as she was about to pay, a group of young people walked into the store.
Chen Die immediately lowered her head.
This was the biggest difference in her life now—she always had to be careful not to be recognized, especially with Wen Liang standing beside her.
Wen Liang gave her a pat on the butt and took the basket from her. “You wait outside. I’ll pay.”
Chen Die: “…”
He sounded like he was being discreet and didn’t want to attract attention, but could he please keep his hands to himself?
The group of people was heading straight for their aisle, so Chen Die didn’t have time to argue. She pulled her cap down and quickly walked out.
The lit-up sign of the 24-hour convenience store cast a halo on the ground. Chen Die stood just outside that halo, in the shadows. From the corner of her eye, she could see Wen Liang at the register.
The man was tall, long-legged, with perfect proportions. His hands were long and slender as he leisurely took items out of the basket one by one.
Tsk tsk tsk.
He did look kind of handsome.
Chen Die was briefly distracted, until a voice nearby called, “Xiao Die?”
She turned around. It was Jiang Xian.
He was carrying bags full of items, with folders tucked under one arm. Even though he was also a chairman, his style was completely different from Wen Liang’s.
Later on, out of curiosity, Ye Chuqing had looked into Jiang Xian’s startup and told Chen Die about it.
Jiang Xian had been the top scorer in their city’s college entrance exam. He studied finance in university and later co-founded a company with a classmate—his partner provided the startup capital, and Jiang Xian handled operations and tech.
At first, their company was just barely scraping by, but they managed to survive the rapidly changing market. Their breakthrough came when their core business aligned perfectly with a government policy, letting them ride the wave of policy support and finally gain a firm foothold.
Still, compared to Wenyuan’s kind of family-owned business empire, Jiang Xian’s company wasn’t on the same level.
And because the company was in a phase of rapid growth, Jiang Xian was so busy he barely had time to enjoy life.
“Older Brother Jiang Xian(Jiang Xian-gege),” Chen Die greeted him.
She was used to calling him that. It wasn’t until the words were out that she remembered how Wen Liang had gotten jealous over it last time.
So she instinctively glanced back—Wen Liang was still at the register, paying with his phone, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
Jiang Xian said, “What are you doing here?”
“I live nearby,” Chen Die replied.
“What a coincidence. I live nearby too, in Building 3.”
Chen Die said in surprise, “I’m just next door in Building 5! How have we never run into each other?”
“I only moved in recently,” Jiang Xian said, his voice warm. Looking at her all wrapped up, he smiled. “You must be really busy with work, huh? And have to go out all bundled up like this.”
“Yeah.” Chen Die tugged at her mask a bit, a little embarrassed.
Jiang Xian was still holding a ton of stuff, so they didn’t chat much. He said goodbye and left first.
Chen Die watched his back for a moment, only turning back when he disappeared into the gated community entrance. Then she suddenly froze and looked behind her.
Wen Liang was just walking out of the store, carrying the bag of things.
He stood five steps away from her, pulled out a cigarette from a pack, bit it between his teeth, then turned his head to glance at her—half-smiling, half-not.
Chen Die: “......”
Her feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move. She just stared at Wen Liang, and couldn’t help but feel like she’d just been caught cheating. What was with this vibe??
Wen Liang exhaled a puff of smoke and waved at her. “Come here.”
His tone was light and lazy.
“......”
Chen Die slowly shuffled over and preemptively struck, “What kind of expression is that?”
“Little girl,” Wen Liang said languidly. He raised his hand and lightly tapped the back of it on her forehead—once, twice, three times. “You’ve been very disobedient.”
On the third tap, Chen Die stumbled back a step. “…Who says I have to listen to you?”
The group from earlier in the convenience store was about to finish paying and come out. Chen Die quickly tugged Wen Liang toward the residential parking garage. “It’s late, you should head home.”
Wen Liang didn’t move, lifting the cigarette slightly. “I’ll leave after I finish this.”
So Chen Die stayed with him.
It was quiet at night. She didn’t really like people who smoked, but every time she saw Wen Liang smoking, she thought he looked… really good. She’d felt that way since she was sixteen. She never even thought the smell of smoke on him was unpleasant.
After a moment, she looked up at him and said, “You should try to smoke less. It’s bad for your health.”
Wen Liang lowered his eyes and replied with a casual smile, “Got it.”
Then immediately exhaled another puff of smoke, clearly brushing it off.
Chen Die asked, “Haven’t you been going to any evening events lately?”
He seemed to be spending all his free time at her place.
“I turned them down. Didn’t want to upset you,” Wen Liang flicked some ash off his cigarette, then added, “Not like some people—clearly knowing it’d make me unhappy, and still going off to chat with someone else.”
“???”
Are you… are you pouting right now?!
Is this what I think it is??!
Chen Die finally understood what it meant when they said a fierce tiger acting cute.
She froze for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing. Her eyes sparkled beneath the brim of her hat as she looked up at him. “What’s there to be upset about? Should I just stop talking to any guys from now on?”
Wen Liang let out a soft snort, his cool hand gently patting her cheek. “Can’t you behave?”
Chen Die couldn’t win against him. After a few seconds of staring at each other, she suddenly leaned forward and pressed herself into his arms.
She did it so suddenly that Wen Liang even leaned back a bit in surprise, only managing to quickly move the hand holding the cigarette away so it wouldn’t burn her.
Chen Die nuzzled her head against his chest like a little cat deliberately keeping its claws in, soft and sweet. “Alright, don’t be upset anymore.”
Wen Liang chuckled, wrapped an arm around her, and muttered in a raspy voice, “That depends on how you behave.”
He was only wearing a thin shirt, but he felt warm, and Chen Die found it cozy in his arms. She didn’t bother arguing with him and closed her eyes as she gently ran her hand down his lean back.
After a while, Chen Die let out a soft sigh. “So this is what it feels like to be in love… it’s really nice.”
Wen Liang didn’t respond.
Chen Die tilted her head up, resting her chin on his chest, looking for confirmation. “Right?”
Wen Liang looked down at her and calmly asked, “How long do you plan on dating me?”
“?”
What kind of dangerous question is that?
Chen Die immediately started to pull back, but Wen Liang pressed her back into his arms and she stayed there, asking suspiciously, “What, are you trying to break up with me?”
“No,” Wen Liang sighed, pinching her waist a little. He leaned down, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, “It’s just—your way of dating someone is torture. I swear I’m gonna get sick from holding it in.”
“......”
You really can’t have a normal conversation with this man.
Zero romance. His brain was nothing but inappropriate thoughts.
“I think you only love my body,” Chen Die jabbed her index finger into his lower abdomen and said, one word at a time.
“You heartless little thing.” Wen Liang’s eyes were dark, and his fingers slowly stroked her waist. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he said, “You really think I can’t just do you right here and now?”
And there it was. The conversation was over.
Wen Liang’s words were too crude. He clearly didn’t understand how to be soft and romantic, completely shattering Chen Die;s little fantasy of a dreamy, poetic kind of love. It went from Platonic to explicit in record time.
“You should leave,” she muttered, pushing him away.
Wen Liang flicked the cigarette into the trash bin. “Mm.”
He took out his car keys and opened the door, but then suddenly turned back around, grabbed Chen Die’s wrist, pulled her against the car door, cupped her face— And kissed her.
He still carried a strong scent of tobacco, but the fingers cupping her face smelled faintly of the lemon-scented hand soap from her house.
It was spring. Wen Liang’s lips were a little dry, and when they brushed against Chen Die’s, it stung a bit. She instinctively reached out her tongue and traced the outline of his lips, moistening them.
Wen Liang’s throat tightened, and he kissed her even more deeply.
Earlier that afternoon, after Chen Die left the restaurant, Chen Shuyuan ditched the three friends she was with and sat in her car for a long time before finally driving home.
She hadn’t dared to go online.
She didn’t need to check to know—with Chen Die’s current popularity—just how badly she must be getting flamed, even though she was the one who got slapped.
She had been competing with Chen Die openly and secretly for years, but only back in high school did she ever actually come out on top.
Chen Die had transferred schools back then. No one knew her when she first arrived, so Chen Shuyuan rallied the girls in their class to isolate her. It worked pretty well.
Chen Die was too pretty, but quiet and reserved at the time—soft-spoken and mild-mannered, looking like an easy target. She became the focus of ridicule and bullying by the wealthy kids.
But the boys in class liked hanging out with her. Chen Die didn’t actively engage with them, yet they’d still insist on inviting her when they went out. Even when Chen Shuyuan and the others bullied her, some boys would stand up for her.
Later, she made a few friends—outgoing, lively girls from other classes—and began joining school events with them. Bit by bit, her personality changed. She began to shine.
She chose the arts path and was frequently absent during the art entrance exam period, but every time she returned to school, boys would crowd the windows just to see her. Wherever Chen Shuyuan went, she would hear people talking about Chen Die.
That was the first time she truly felt the radiance Chen Die carried.
By the time they reached university, Chen Die’s glow only intensified.
She majored in acting. During the first-year military training, she went viral online thanks to a photo shoot and instantly became known as the school beauty. The school forums were filled with posts asking about her, and she’d draw attention everywhere she went.
Chen Shuyuan never told anyone why she’d initially fallen for Lu Chuan.
It was because both she and Chen Die had joined the student council in college. They were interviewed together by Lu Chuan, who was the director at the time.
He had asked for her name first and even smiled at her.
And just like that, Chen Shuyuan pined for him for years. Until one day, after Chen Die’s fall from a horse, Lu Chuan rejected her again—and told her that the person he liked was Chen Die.
All these years, Chen Shuyuan had been living in the shadow of Chen Die’s light.
She had fought tooth and nail to prove that she was better.
She used to believe that as long as she stayed part of the Chen family, she’d never lose to Chen Die. But then what happened? Chen Die acted in a drama and rose to fame overnight, and effortlessly reclaimed her identity as the real Chen family daughter—stealing it right out from under her.
So Chen Shuyuan stopped relying on her Chen family background. She took internships, entered a microfilm competition, and even won first place.
In her life, first place was rare—because Chen Die was always ahead.
That script really wasn’t plagiarized. She had bought it outright from someone else—essentially paying for their silence. Once she paid, it was listed under her name.
She had ambition, wanted both fame and fortune, and entered the original content division as a writer-director.
Which, arguably, was understandable.
She had paid for the script, after all.
But once again, it was Chen Die who ruined her.
Lu Chuan chose Chen Die, even though it ended with nothing.
Ye Chuqing, one of the event organizers, completely sided with Chen Die without hesitation.
Even Chen Shao, her supposed cousin, publicly acknowledged that Chen Die was truly his sister—and as an investor, showed no intention of helping her at all.
That evening, the lights in the Chen family’s main residence were still on.
Chen Shuyuan, exhausted, dragged her bag into the house. After changing shoes at the entrance, she looked up and saw Old Master Chen sitting on the main sofa.
She paused. “Grandpa.”
Old Master Chen said, “Come here.”
Her heart clenched. A sudden sense of foreboding hit her as she slowly walked over and sat across from him. “What is it, Grandpa?”
“I already know about the competition you entered. What exactly happened?”
Though his tone was calm, his authority was undeniable.
In this household, Chen Shuyuan only dared to act spoiled around Lin Quan. In front of her grandfather, she never dared step out of line. Though he was old, the force of his presence from years in the business world still lingered.
She confessed everything—the whole truth about how she bought the script.
Old Master Chen listened, then asked, “Then what’s the deal with the video online today between you and Xiao Die?”
Xiao Die.
Chen Shuyuan frowned in disgust, lowering her head. Xiao Die, seriously? Chen Die’s never even called you Grandpa.
“Yes, I was too eager for results. It was wrong of me to enter the original content division with a purchased script, and I’ve already been disqualified. But I got slapped in front of everyone—isn’t that enough?”
“Xiao Die never provoked you before. You caused her to fall from a horse and get injured. Now this—let it be a lesson to you. She didn’t make a fuss back then, so you should’ve taken that as your cue to rein it in.”
Chen Shuyuan stayed silent.
She kept her head down, all the anger and grievances from the day pressing down on her at once. Finally, she broke down and shouted, “I already said her fall from the horse had nothing to do with me! Why are you so biased toward her? I’m the one who’s always called you Grandpa!”
She squatted to the floor, her bag falling beside her feet as tears dropped one by one.
Upstairs, Lin Quan was startled by the commotion and came rushing down. When he saw the scene before him, he froze for a second before hurrying over to help Chen Shuyuan up. “Dad, what’s going on?”
Old Master Chen had seen all sorts of people in his life and had a sharp eye for judging character. Now that Chen Shuyuan had grown up, he knew very well what kind of person this so-called granddaughter really was.
Back then, the Chen family had never intended to send Chen Shuyuan back to her biological family. After raising her for so many years, they had only planned to bring Chen Die back so the two children could grow up together.
But no one had expected such a drastic turn of events.
Back then, Chen Shuyuan cried in Lin Quan’s arms every day, begging her.
As a mother, even if blood ties are hard to ignore, having the daughter you’ve raised for sixteen years cry so close to your ear—it was impossible not to feel pain.
Even in high school, after school, Chen Shuyuan would come home and cry to Lin Quan, saying how Chen Die mistreated her at school.
At first, Old Master Chen thought maybe Chen Die had been influenced poorly by Wen Liang, but after personally visiting the school and meeting Chen Die, he knew she was nothing like what Chen Shuyuan claimed.
“Shuyuan,” he said, “I ask myself honestly—have I ever treated you poorly all these years? Haven’t I raised you like a granddaughter of the Chen family? But you can’t keep doing things that bring shame to the family, and you must stop targeting and even hurting Xiao Die. She grew up alone, and achieving what she has today hasn’t been easy.”
Chen Shuyuan sobbed in Lin Quan’s arms, gasping for breath.
Lin Quan frowned and said, “Dad, this must be some kind of misunderstanding. She explained the script situation to me. She’s still young—she made a mistake, and we can correct it. As for the incident with Chen Die’s fall, you’ve really misunderstood her. Shuyuan may be willful sometimes, but she’d never do something so harmful.”
“Oh, so you know it was a life-threatening matter!”
Old Master Chen slammed his cane to the ground. “I never interfered in matters between you and Chen Ke, but no matter what, Xiao Die is your biological daughter. Is this how a mother should act!?”
Lin Quan fell silent, speechless.
Finally, Old Master Chen turned to Chen Shuyuan and said, “If this happens again, you can pack your things and move out of the Chen family.”
Late at night.
Old Master Chen, having grown used to early bedtimes and early mornings in his old age, couldn’t sleep no matter how hard he tried.
He sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the moon outside the window.
For some reason, he recalled the first time he went to Chen Die’s high school to see her.
She had just been taken in by Wen Liang for less than a month. He had asked the principal to call Chen Die to the office.
He was indeed someone who valued blood relations, and this visit was intended to bring her back to the family. He’d even made up his mind that even if she didn’t want to go, she would still recognize her ancestry.
Chen Die stood in front of him, her uniform slightly dirty, with several black ink marks scrawled across it.
To this day, Old Master Chen still didn’t know those marks were Chen Shuyuan’s doing.
He bent down to meet little Chen Die at eye level. “Xiao Die, are you willing to come home with Grandpa?”
She looked at him timidly, her eyes clear and bright, then shook her head without hesitation.
“Listen to Grandpa,” he continued. “You’re still young—your life hasn’t even started yet. If you come home, you’ll have a better future. Wen Liang is only in his twenties—he doesn’t have the ability, nor will he truly be good to you.”
Little Chen Die was quiet for a couple of seconds.
“I can become who I want to be even without going back with you. I don’t want to become someone like Chen Shuyuan,” she said softly but firmly. “And… Brother Wen Liang treats me very well.”
“At least when he took me away, he asked if I wanted to go. You all never asked me.”
“I won’t go back with you,” she said, lowering her head. “I’m not the Chen family’s granddaughter.”
……
That was the first real conversation between Old Master Chen and Chen Die.
He closed his eyes for a moment, a sudden wave of heartache rising in his chest.
His phone rang on the nightstand. His hands trembled slightly with age as he picked it up and answered.
A voice that was both unfamiliar and familiar spoke on the other end.
“Old Master Chen,” the voice was steady, “this is Wen Liang.”
He was stunned. After so many years of bad blood between the Wen and Chen families, they hadn’t contacted each other again. This was the first time he had ever received a call from Wen Liang.
He no longer had the unruly arrogance from when he first took Chen Die away. There was a calm weight to his voice now.
Wen Liang didn’t wait for a reply and continued, “I got your number from Mr. Xiao. I’m sorry for calling so late, but I wanted to talk to you about Chen Die.”
Old Master Chen put on his reading glasses and cleared his throat. “What about her?”
“You probably already know what happened between her and your granddaughter today. I hope you can rein in that granddaughter of yours and stop letting her pester Chen Die.”
“She doesn’t want anything more to do with your family. In the past, she just kept swallowing her grievances.”
Wen Liang stood in the master bedroom of his villa in the western suburbs, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window. His usual arrogance crept back into his tone. “Even today—I felt bad that her hand hurt after slapping someone.”
He recalled how she had snuggled into his arms earlier and whispered that “it hurt a little” after hitting someone.
At first, he found it funny and adorable. But then he remembered how she’d held back tears in a hotel after seeing Lin Quan—red-eyed, drinking quietly—and all he felt was heartache.
How could his girl endure so much?
“You’ve probably heard about my temper,” Wen Liang said. “So I’m telling you now: Chen Die has always carried the name of the Wen family. She has nothing to do with yours anymore. Whoever in your family tries to hurt her again—it won’t go unchallenged.”
He stopped there, not saying anything more.
Old Master Chen was momentarily speechless, stunned by the matter-of-fact arrogance in his words. Carried the name of the Wen family from the start?
But Wen Liang didn’t wait for a response. He ended the call with a token, “Sorry for calling so late,” and hung up.
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