Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 65 - Relationship Made Public
Chapter 65: Relationship Made Public
Wen Liang wrapped his arm around Chen Die’s waist, maintaining a righteous and composed demeanor, like a gentleman unmoved by beauty. He nodded to the crowd and said, “Chen Die has troubled everyone. I’ll take her home first.”
Huang Sheng was the first to speak up: “Sure, sure, Mr. Wen, take her back. Be careful on the road.”
After Wen Liang left, Zeng Liya finally let out a long breath, still unable to recover from the shock of what just happened. “Director Huang… Could it be that Chen Die and Mr. Wen have been together for a while already?”
“It’s probably been some time,” Huang Sheng replied.
Zeng Liya smacked the table: “And she never mentioned it to us!”
Huang Sheng chuckled, “Maybe she was worried you'd all focus too much on her love life. Someone as outstanding as her must have a bit of pride and want to prove herself.”
Zeng Liya still found it hard to accept: “She hid it so well!” Then she turned to look at Xue Mu, “...”
She patted Xue Mu’s shoulder sympathetically. “Bro, are you still conscious?”
Xue Mu himself wasn’t sure. The scene just now had been a nuclear-level shock to him. After a brief moment of clarity, now he just felt a splitting headache.
He slumped back into the chair, covering his forehead with one hand, and said dejectedly, “I don’t remember anything anymore.”
The others clearly didn’t take a 20-year-old kid’s drunken confession too seriously. Seeing his reaction, they all burst into laughter, finally easing the awkward atmosphere.
In the elevator going downstairs—
After drinking, Chen Die became extremely insecure. Deep down she knew who she could trust, and now she clung tightly to Wen Liang’s sleeve, following him step for step like a clingy little animal.
At the door, Wen Liang glanced down at her.
She looked like she was about to fall asleep, cheeks flushed, eyes squinting, long curled lashes casting a thick arc-shaped shadow below, and her lips were a vivid red.
Wen Liang stared at her for a moment, then took off his jacket and draped it over her.
“Your hand,” he said.
Chen Die didn’t respond.
Wen Liang lowered his voice and called her, “Lingling.”
Only then did she slowly obey and thread her arms through the sleeves.
Wen Liang tidied her clothes. The jacket hung on her, the hem reaching mid-thigh — she could basically wear it as a dress.
Chen Die tucked both hands into his jacket pockets, felt something inside, pulled it out for a look — a cigarette box and a lighter. She slowly put them back, then lifted her head to look at Wen Liang.
The little girl's eyes were misty, the blush extending under her eyes, looking pitifully cute.
It stirred both a strong urge to protect her and an itch to tease her.
Wen Liang gazed at her, a bit dazed, then bent down and buttoned up the jacket on her. He also pulled up the hood of the shirt she was wearing underneath.
The hood was large and drooped down over her face, covering almost half of it, hiding even her eyes.
Chen Die lowered her head and let Wen Liang lead her out, still clinging tightly to his hand. But when they reached the steps outside, trouble came — she couldn’t even walk in a straight line, let alone handle stairs.
Wen Liang, afraid she would fall, stepped down a step and bent down: “Get on.”
Chen Die paused, then slowly climbed onto his back, arms wrapping around his neck.
“Am I heavy?” she whispered in his ear.
Thinking of her earlier antics, Wen Liang sneered deliberately: “Heavy.”
The next second, Chen Die suddenly tightened her arms around his neck and leaned back dramatically, yelling, “You liar!”
Caught off guard, Wen Liang almost got strangled and gasped, then slapped her butt lightly: “Behave yourself.”
Chen Die whimpered pitifully and clinged back onto him, finally settling down and staying still.
Wen Liang opened the car door, tossed her into the passenger seat, and even buckled her seatbelt to prevent her from causing trouble mid-ride.
Fortunately, Chen Die stayed quiet the whole way, sitting there peacefully, face turned to one side — it was unclear if she had fallen asleep.
They drove into the villa area in the western suburbs. Wen Liang got out, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door — only to realize that Chen Die wasn’t asleep. Her eyelids drooped low, she looked a little melancholic, and she tilted her head up at him, letting out a very serious sigh.
Wen Liang chuckled and lifted her chin lightly. “What are you sighing about?”
Chen Die shook her head sorrowfully.
Wen Liang just thought the drunk girl was putting on an act for herself and crouched down in front of her again.
This time he waited a while, but Chen Die didn’t climb onto his back. Wen Liang tilted his head, frowning slightly, and urged her: “Get on.”
Chen Die shook her head very seriously: “I’m too heavy.”
Wen Liang laughed: “You’re not heavy. Get on.”
“But you said just now I was heavy. I’ll break you.”
“I can’t be broken.” Wen Liang waited a bit longer, but she still stood there stubbornly.
Losing patience, he directly pulled her leg over, making Chen Die squeal and reflexively wrap her arms around his neck again.
Wen Liang lifted her onto his back, one hand supporting her while locking the car door, and carried her toward the door.
After just a few steps, Chen Die suddenly leaned close to his ear and sighed again. She said, “Brother Wen Liang.”
Wen Liang’s steps halted sharply. He turned his head: “What did you just call me?”
“Brother Wen Liang,” Chen Die obediently repeated, her head tucked against his neck, her messy hair brushing his skin. Her voice was muffled, “Why don’t you like me?”
Wen Liang chuckled, “Do you even know how old you are right now?”
Chen Die didn’t answer, completely lost in her own world. She murmured again, “Why don’t you like me?”
Wen Liang wasn’t someone good at expressing emotions. Back then, even saying ‘I love you’ had already taken all his courage — he didn’t want to get caught up in drunken sentimental confessions now.
He entered the house by unlocking the door code, set Chen Die down, helped her into slippers, then squatted in front of her, looking up.
The little girl’s eyes were red, as if she were genuinely heartbroken.
She bowed her head, lips trembling: “How can you be so carefree? When I was at school, I spent every day thinking of reasons just to text you. But you... you never seemed to think of me.”
Most people drink to drown their sorrows.
Chen Die, on the other hand, drank and time-traveled straight back to her high school years.
“Why did I have to meet you when I was 16? That way you’d always just see me as some little kid.”
“So many boys at school wrote me love letters. I even left them out on the living room table on purpose. But you didn’t care at all — you didn’t even glance at them. So many people liked me, but you... you didn’t.”
“If only I had met you a few years later, when I was in college, you wouldn’t have thought of me as a kid anymore.”
“I’m so pretty... You definitely would’ve fallen for me.”
Wen Liang looked at her, let out a hoarse chuckle, and said, “I’m already completely enchanted by you.”
Chen Die didn’t respond, still lost in her sadness.
Wen Liang took off his jacket, draped it over her shoulders, and tossed it onto the sofa. Then he picked her up and carried her upstairs, kicking open the bedroom door.
He sat down on the bed with her still in his arms, setting her to sit on his lap.
“Brother Wen Liang,” Chen Die wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning into him.
“Hmm?”
“Can you not get married?”
Wen Liang shifted her into a new position, making her straddle his lap, while he leaned back, propping himself up with his hands on the bed. He smirked lazily, “No.”
Chen Die’s heart tightened painfully in an instant: “Then after you get married, will I have to move out? Otherwise... your girlfriend definitely won’t be happy.”
She barely finished speaking before tears started falling.
Wen Liang froze, no longer teasing her. He kissed away her tears and asked in a low voice, “You don’t have to move out. How about marrying me instead?”
Chen Die’s eyes widened, stunned: “...Brother Wen Liang?”
“I’m your husband.”
Wen Liang raised his hand to cup her face, his fingertips brushing gently across her cheek. He spoke slowly and clearly: “I’m very angry today.”
“My Lingling really doesn’t listen at all.”
“She’s way too beautiful and outstanding, attracting too much attention. And while I’m not around, she dares to drink so much and gets so close to other people.”
Chen Die, stuck in her high school-era heartbreak, couldn’t quite comprehend what he was saying. She looked at him, utterly bewildered.
“I’m not that carefree either,” Wen Liang said hoarsely, pecking light, lingering kisses on her lips. His movements were tender but restrained, full of longing. “I don’t want any other man to even look at you. You belong to me.”
Chen Die blankly accepted his kisses.
The alcohol made her mind sluggish and slow.
When she was young, she had shown off her piles of love letters in front of Wen Liang more than once.
Like a vain little girl craving attention, she paraded her admirers, hoping for some reaction.
She even followed friends to bars, wearing clothes that made her look older, pretending to be comfortable with the sharp burn of alcohol, trying everything to seem mature enough.
But she never got the response she longed for from Wen Liang.
And yet now — the person she had secretly loved for so long — was kissing her.
Chen Die felt like she was floating.
But before she could float too far, Wen Liang’s next words pulled her right back, anchoring her firmly onto his lap.
He whispered in her ear: “I’ve been raising you for so long, giving you all the patience I had in this lifetime. Don’t you think it’s time you repaid me a little?”
It sounded fair enough. Chen Die nodded obediently.
His eyes darkened, their breaths mixing together. Wen Liang could smell the faint scent of alcohol on her — and his little drunkard was now squinting drowsily, her cheeks flushed pink.
He stared at her for a while, then suddenly kissed her deeply, silently, and fervently.
And finally, Wen Liang whispered something in her ear.
Still trapped in the fantasy world she had created while drunk, Chen Die’s face instantly turned crimson at those words — she couldn’t believe that such shameless words could actually come from her Brother Wen Liang. But the next second, Wen Liang’s actions confirmed it: it was indeed her Brother Wen Liang who had said them.
The next day.
Sunlight slipped through the gaps in the heavy curtains, casting a narrow beam of light across the bed.
After a hangover and excessive physical activity, Chen Die didn’t wake up until midday.
The air was already thick with the heat of summer. Her long hair was splayed around her, and even her neck was damp with sweat. She raised her hand to turn on the air conditioning, covering her forehead with her arm.
Wen Liang was no longer in the bedroom.
Chen Die lay there for a while, waiting for the sweat to dry before attempting to get up and head to the bathroom. But the moment she moved her legs, the sharp soreness froze her in place.
What the hell?!?!
Had she gone mountain climbing last night or something??
Why did the tops of her thighs hurt this much — it felt like she’d had a limb amputated.
“......”
Chen Die instinctively glanced at the trash can by the bed.
Sure enough.
Old but vigorous, Wen Liang.
Four.
She admitted defeat.
It took her a long time to recover enough to slowly slide her legs off the bed, shuffle into her slippers, and limp into the bathroom.
Wen Liang had already squeezed toothpaste onto her toothbrush for her.
She had no idea where he had gone — she hadn’t even heard him get up. Looking around, she spotted her phone left on the sofa across the room. If she wanted to ask him where he went, she’d have to go all the way over to get it.
Dragging her exhausted legs, Chen Die decided to just brush her teeth first.
One good thing about her drinking was that no matter how much she drank, she never got a splitting headache the next day.
After brushing her teeth, she stepped into the shower.
The moment the warm water cascaded down on her, her mind suddenly flashed with memories of last night.
She remembered being pushed from behind, pressed tightly against the glass door of the shower stall.
And...
What was she saying at the time?
Brother Wen Liang???
Why the hell had she called him that in such a sweet, cringy tone?!
Chen Die stood frozen under the water, letting it pour over her. The bathroom filled with steam, and her pupils slowly widened as her expression shifted, memories flooding back.
She...
What the hell had she done?!
Not only had she gotten drunk, she had pitifully and emotionally confessed her feelings to Wen Liang.
And there was that one particular thing he had whispered in her ear.
When the memory resurfaced, it echoed in her mind — in Wen Liang’s distinct, slightly hoarse, nasal voice.
He had said, ‘Sit on top of me. Brother Wen Liang will teach you... how to feel good.’
“......”
That shameless bastard! He even referred to himself as ‘Brother Wen Liang’ while saying all that filthy stuff!!
If 16-year-old Chen Die had heard that, her whole face would’ve exploded with embarrassment. And even now, 23-year-old Chen Die , sober and recalling it, was still blushing furiously.
But — The 23-year-old her would’ve definitely been furious and refused, arrogantly telling that lustful, shameless man to get lost. Whereas the 16-year-old her wouldn’t have. Back then, she was anxious and filled with innocent love — anything Wen Liang wanted, she would have agreed to, even if she found it unbearably shameful.
So—
He shamelessly took advantage of that mindset, proposing such an inhuman demand.
Was there any man worse than Wen Liang in the world?
Not only had he not been moved to tears or felt honored by the confession of her long-hidden feelings, he had actually taken advantage of her when she was drunk!
Chen Die finally understood why her legs were so sore.
The fact that she wasn’t crippled was a miracle in itself.
Burning with both shame and rage, Chen Die couldn’t even finish her shower. She quickly rinsed off the soap, threw on her pajamas, and stormed out.
Just as she was about to march downstairs and confront Wen Liang, she heard his footsteps coming up the stairs.
Panicking, Chen Die instantly chickened out. She rushed back to the bed, pulled the covers over half her face, and pretended to still be asleep.
Because...
There was no point confronting Wen Liang about something like this. If anything, he would probably just laugh at her — after all, she had actually nodded and agreed last night to let him do whatever he wanted.
Wen Liang quickly pushed the door open and came in, sitting down beside her. Chen Die felt the edge of the bed sink under his weight.
Her eyelashes trembled as she felt Wen Liang’s palm press lightly against her forehead — it was a little hot.
“Lingling,” he called her softly.
Chen Die blushed fiercely and didn’t respond.
Wen Liang frowned slightly and touched her face again. “Are you feeling unwell? Why is your face so hot?”
“......”
If you’d just back off a little, I wouldn't be this hot, Chen Die thought angrily.
Wen Liang slipped his hand under the blanket, but the moment he touched her leg, she instinctively kicked at him. Hiding her face up to her nose under the blanket, she left only her eyes exposed, staring at him accusingly: “Don’t touch me.”
Wen Liang paused, then chuckled. “Sore?”
“......”
He bent down, hugging her through the blanket, and lowered his head to kiss her lips softly. His voice was tender: “Remember everything now?”
“You're shameless,” Chen Die muttered.
He laughed good-naturedly and asked again, “What about even earlier than that?”
“What?”
“Do you remember when I came to pick you up last night?”
Chen Die thought about it.
Hmm?
She vaguely remembered Xue Mu... seemed to have confessed to her? Then she had been chatting with him, arms slung around his shoulders...
And after that?
As for how she actually got home, Chen Die had no memory at all.
She couldn’t help but sigh internally — alcohol truly causes disasters.
“I don't remember,” Chen Die said, her heart suddenly speeding up, a sense of foreboding creeping in. “What happened?”
Wen Liang smiled and went over to fetch her phone from the sofa. “It kept ringing all night. I muted it for you.”
Chen Die opened it up, and hundreds of unread messages from <A-Xiao> crew group chat flooded the screen as she scrolled quickly.
They were all accusing her — of being in a relationship and not telling everyone.
There was also a video clip — someone had apparently been recording at the time and captured the moment she had hugged and kissed Wen Liang. They had even edited that snippet and thrown it into the group chat for everyone to admire.
One hit after another this morning — each more devastating than the last.
Not only had she been tricked into doing those shameless things by Wen Liang, but she had even kissed him first in front of all those people!
It took Chen Die several minutes to accept reality. She shot Wen Liang a glare and covered her face in frustration. “Why didn’t you stop me?”
He raised an eyebrow and teased, “You were way too enthusiastic. I didn’t have time to react.”
Chen Die didn’t even want to talk to him anymore.
Wen Liang got up from the bed, standing beside it. He glanced at the still-wet floor of the bathroom, then back at her. “So, what parts of last night do you remember?”
“I’m not telling you.”
One look at her expression, and Wen Liang knew what she was thinking. He asked, “Did you forget what I said to you?”
“What did you say?”
Wen Liang leaned back slightly, then lowered his eyes and smiled openly. “I said, I like you too.”
After resting at home for a few days, Chen Die spent the time after <A-Xiao> wrapped up filming shooting a few commercials and magazine covers.
By August, <A-Xiao> was scheduled to premiere during the National Day Golden Week.
Soon, the crew started promotional activities across different cities.
The first stop was in S City. The whole cast agreed to depart together — and conveniently, Wen Liang was also heading abroad for a business trip, meaning he wouldn’t be left alone at home.
This stop was a campus promotion. Fang Ruan accompanied Chen Die. When the business van drove into the campus, it was still class time, so there weren’t many students around. But fans had already set up banners and decorations outside the auditorium.
A huge poster of Chen Die hung from the rooftop, and there was even a balloon wall with her name on it.
“I’ll go down and say hi,” Chen Die said.
Fang Ruan nodded in agreement. “Be careful.”
Chen Die got out of the car. As soon as the fans who were still setting up spotted her, they rushed over — asking for autographs, photos — it took quite a bit of time before she finally made it backstage to get her makeup done.
This was also the first time she had seen the cast again since the ‘drunken disaster.’
Sure enough, the moment she entered the makeup room, she was bombarded with teasing and playful scolding.
Those were easy enough to handle. The most awkward part was figuring out how to talk to Xue Mu.
After that night, Chen Die had considered sending Xue Mu a message to explain. But when he didn’t contact her either, she figured he must also feel awkward and embarrassed, and decided to let the matter go.
Still, seeing him again was painfully awkward.
Chen Die just nodded at him slightly without speaking, then followed the makeup artist to start getting ready.
The auditorium they would be using later was huge. Chen Die’s makeup was a bit heavier than usual and took quite a while to finish — by the time they were done, an hour and a half had passed.
The host for the campus promotional event came in.
Several of the upcoming Q&A and game segments required the male and female leads to work together, so the host came early to run through the script with them.
Chen Die and Xue Mu sat side by side, awkward beyond words, listening to the host explain the flow.
When it finally ended and the host left, Chen Die took the initiative to speak up: “Um...”
Xue Mu immediately turned his head, looking terrified. “Ah!”
“……” Chen Die was startled too. She said, “About last time... you’re not mad, right? I wasn’t trying to hide my relationship from everyone on purpose. Later I realized it might have given you the wrong idea…”
“No, no, not at all!” Xue Mu waved his hands frantically, the tips of his ears burning red. “Sister Chen Die, please don’t bring it up. It's too embarrassing.”
Seeing him like that, Chen Die actually didn’t feel awkward anymore and even laughed. “Alright, I won’t.”
After putting the matter aside, they chatted a little and went over the lines they needed to recite together.
While they were doing that, a trending topic quietly shot to the top of the hot search list.
#Fanny's Vlog#
At first glance, it seemed to have nothing to do with Chen Die.
Ye Chuqing was surprised when she saw the trending tag. She had met Fanny while studying abroad.
Fanny was a social media blogger who often shared her daily life and recent purchases. Thanks to her extravagant, over-the-top lifestyle, she had gained a good number of fans back in China.
However, she wasn’t popular enough that a random vlog update could immediately top the hot search list.
Especially in China.
Ye Chuqing clicked on it, assuming Fanny must have posted something particularly impressive. She habitually gave it a like first before opening it, only to find it wasn’t some flashy, show-off video — just an ordinary daily life vlog.
The video started with Fanny apologizing for not updating recently and explaining that this vlog would be a compilation of her life over the past few months.
Lying idly in bed, Ye Chuqing absentmindedly watched. She didn’t have any deep friendship with Fanny; she was really just watching to boost Fanny’s view count.
But soon, Ye Chuqing realized something was off.
Around the six-and-a-half-minute mark, the vlog showed clips of Fanny going to the cinema, and suddenly the comment barrage exploded — the screen was practically covered.
Ye Chuqing became intrigued and sat up to read the comments carefully.
[wtf!!!! what did I just see!!! Is that Chen Die in the background?? She looks just like her??]
[omg!!!!!!!]
[Wasn’t Chen Die filming <Three Meals a Day> final season abroad around that time? In the same city Fanny lives in!!]
[That guy’s side profile… looks like Wen Liang…?]
[huh??????]
[Most hilarious way for a relationship to get exposed lmao]
And two seconds later—
[aaaaaahhhh!!! they kissed!!!!!]
[You can’t kiss my Chen Die!!! She’s mine!!]
[Ok, even though I’m Chen Die’s fan… that mask kiss was so freaking hot, I approve!!]
[Chen Die I’m mad!!! Get out here and explain yourself!!!]
[I’m pretty sure it’s Wen Liang!! Looks just like him!!]
[I'm officially announcing that WenDie is real!!!]
[But wait, wasn’t this several months ago?? Wen Liang’s mother wouldn’t have beaten him up for kissing her, right?]
Ye Chuqing’s head spun from all the crazy comments. She turned off the barrage and dragged the progress bar back to rewatch the scene carefully.
The camera mainly focused on Fanny’s face, but just behind her shoulder, two figures were visible.
The girl facing sideways toward the camera was clearly Chen Die.
The man standing in front of her suddenly leaned down, hooked his finger around the edge of her mask, and pulled it down so it hung under her chin.
The two of them were standing very close, their noses practically touching. The man said something (the audio didn’t catch it).
Chen Die looked slightly stunned — even a little dumb under the lens.
Then, the man smiled indulgently, with a trace of pampering, and leaned down to kiss her on the lips.
After watching the scene, Ye Chuqing was like: "..."
Expressionless, she copied the link and sent it to Chen Die.
[Ye Chuqing: Your first on-camera kiss was shot pretty nicely [thumbs up]]
----------
If you like my translation, please support me by buying me a coffee:
0 comments: