Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 74 - Wen Liang, Let's Have a Child.
Chapter 74: Wen Liang, Let's Have a Child.
After exchanging wedding vows and putting on their rings, enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.
The guests at today’s wedding came from a wide range of backgrounds—on Wen Liang’s side, nearly all the major players in the business world were present, while Chen Die was joined by celebrities she had worked with and close colleagues.
After the wedding banquet, at Zeng Liya's suggestion, everyone gathered for a group photo.
Even Wen Liang, who usually disliked being photographed, made a rare exception and joined the picture.
In the photo, Chen Die and Wen Liang stood at the very center.
Chen Die had changed into a lighter, more comfortable gown. The man beside her stood tall among the crowd, striking and upright. His usually sharp and unruly features softened in that moment, radiating a gentle charm that made a lasting impression.
Zeng Liya carefully retouched everyone in the photo to look perfect before posting it on Weibo.
Fans quickly caught wind of it and flooded in with praise, heaping compliments and unintentionally helping Wen Liang gain a whole new fanbase purely for his looks.
After the wedding, Chen Die was exhausted from wearing high heels all day. She kicked off her shoes and collapsed onto the living room couch, lying back on the soft carpet, scrolling through Weibo on her phone.
She discovered that her fans had even formed a fan group for Wen Liang because of that wedding photo, and their praise for him had completely overshadowed her own.
The man was practically a walking disaster—if he ever entered showbiz, he’d probably be a top-tier celebrity constantly caught in scandals for acting like a diva.
Wen Liang came home, casually loosened his tie and tossed it aside, reverting to his usual laid-back self.
They had booked a flight for a trip the next day.
It had been a long time since they’d gone on a trip together. Their last trip to Wuxi hadn’t really counted—it was more about helping Chen Die resolve an emotional knot. If she thought back, their last real vacation was right after her college entrance exams.
That trip had been to a tropical seaside destination, and her memories were all about Wen Liang tossing her into the water and teaching her to swim in the most brutal way—she spent most of the time choking on water.
So this time, they decided to go in the opposite direction and head north.
After going upstairs, Wen Liang brought out the suitcase, and the two of them packed together until it was quite late.
They pulled out a lot of rarely worn thick clothing from the closet, which had a faint woody smell. It made Chen Die’s nose itchy, and she couldn’t help but feel a sneeze coming on.
“Are you catching a cold?” Wen Liang asked as he came out of the shower.
Chen Die rubbed her nose. “No, it’s just the dust, probably.”
His hands were still wet, with droplets of water not fully wiped off. He casually wiped them on his robe, then placed one hand on her forehead. No signs of a fever.
Then, bracing one knee on the edge of the bed, he gently pushed the seated Chen Die back down and leaned over her.
Caught off guard, Chen Die let out a muffled “Mmm,” staring up at Wen Liang, who was now inches away. She weakly protested, “We’re flying tomorrow—I’ll be too tired.”
He kissed her and chuckled lowly. “It’s our wedding night. Isn’t it a bit wrong to not do anything?”
“......”
That was surprisingly tactful of him.
Wen Liang patted her bottom and lifted her leg. “Come on, let your husband take care of you.”
Chen Die’s face turned red, and she propped herself up on her elbows, retreating slightly as she blushed and muttered, “Who are you calling ‘husband’!”
Seeing her unwilling, Wen Liang clicked his tongue in slight impatience, grabbed her ankle, and dragged her back across the bed, nose brushing against hers.
“We’ve registered, had the wedding—if I’m not your husband, who is?”
“......” Though what he said made sense, just hearing the word made Chen Die feel unbearably embarrassed—especially coming from Wen Liang’s mouth.
Since when was he this cheesy…
He leaned into her ear, his fingertips slowly brushing back and forth across her lips. “Say ‘husband.’”
His voice was low, deliberately seductive, and those two words came out softly, almost like a spell.
“......”
Chen Die pressed her lips tightly together, stubbornly refusing.
From the beginning, she had always called him ‘Brother Wen Liang.’ Later, when she mustered the courage, she dropped the honorific and just called him ‘Wen Liang.’ Even now, that was as far as she’d gone. ‘Husband’ felt way too intimate and flirtatious.
Chen Die wasn’t the type to act cute, nor was she good at it. Her heart was pounding, but she just couldn’t get the words out.
Unfortunately, resistance was futile.
That night, Mr. Wen made it his personal mission to teach her how to say those two words.
He was a strict teacher—no stuttering allowed, no whispering. Chen Die was so embarrassed and frustrated that her face turned crimson. Gritting her teeth, voice trembling, she finally stammered out ‘husband’—which felt even harder than doing a dramatic monologue in acting class.
The next morning, they left for the airport.
Chen Die couldn’t even keep her eyes open in the car. She hadn’t put on any makeup, just threw on a large face mask.
By the time they got to the airport, she had dozed off completely. Wen Liang leaned over to unbuckle her seatbelt and wake her up, only to get smacked with a resounding slap across the face.
Her eyes were still a little red as she lifted her lids slightly and glared at him. “Stay away from me.”
It hadn’t even been 24 hours since their grand wedding—photos of the magnificent event were still trending on social media. Yet after last night, the fragile flower of love between her and Wen Liang was already on the verge of withering.
Wen Liang pressed his tongue against his molars and exhaled heavily, trying to suppress his anger. “We’re at the airport.”
Wen Liang wasn’t the type to hide it when he was upset—just one look at his face or the sound of his voice, and you could tell. Chen Die blinked and stared at him blankly. “You’re actually mad at me?”
“......”
“Why do you think I’m this tired right now, huh?”
They locked eyes for a moment in a silent standoff. Wen Liang was the first to back down. He leaned in to kiss her, but Chen Die turned her head and dodged, then got out of the car without another word.
She had completely worn down Wen Liang’s temper.
A few years ago, with his old temper, this trip would’ve been canceled already.
Wen Liang had no choice but to follow her out, grabbing their large suitcase from the back seat and walking over to her. He ran his hand through her hair and gently rubbed her ear, coaxing softly, “Alright, don’t be mad anymore. I’ll let you rest properly tonight.”
Chen Die gave a sniffling hum in response.
The truth was, she couldn’t really stay angry with Wen Liang. It was kind of pathetic—just a few soft words from him and her temper would dissolve.
Sure enough, not long after, Chen Die sleepily snuggled into his chest with a few mumbled grumbles.
Wen Liang chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He tugged her face mask higher to cover the bridge of her nose, then walked with her into the airport.
She went right back to sleep on the plane, sleeping all the way until they landed. Chen Die had finally gotten enough rest.
While Yan City was already showing signs of early spring, the northern region was still deep in winter. Stepping out of the airport, they saw thick snow lining the roads—everything was wrapped in white. The city had a quiet, almost deserted feel when looking into the distance.
Standing just outside the airport doors, Wen Liang pulled a scarf from a bag and wrapped it around Chen Die.
She didn’t like scarves. She almost never wore them because she thought covering her neck made her look less attractive—same reason she never wore high-neck sweaters.
Chen Die frowned slightly, eyes lowered as she watched Wen Liang wrap the scarf. “It’s really not that cold—I’ll be fine without it.”
Wen Liang had already looped it around her neck twice. Holding the two short ends of the scarf, he glanced at her after she spoke, said nothing, and suddenly tugged them hard to tighten it.
Chen Die instantly felt like her throat had been seized by the hands of fate.
Wen Liang flicked her forehead twice. “You catch a cold, then whine to me about the medicine.”
“?”
Is it still too late to get a divorce?
They hailed a taxi to the hotel they had booked in advance, dropped off their luggage, and went out after a short rest.
Chen Die rarely saw snow this deep. It was soft and sank underfoot, covering her pants and shoes in white. It was nothing like southern snow.
Before long, they arrived at a ski resort—their hotel was located right at the foot of the scenic mountain.
Wen Liang asked, “Wanna try skiing?”
“I don’t know how,” Chen Die paused. “Do you?”
“A bit.”
“You know everything a bit. I didn’t think you had time to learn skiing too.”
Wen Liang replied casually, “I learned when I was really young. You probably couldn’t even talk yet at the time.”
“… Fine, I get it. You’re old.”
Chen Die was curious and excited to play in the snow, so she quickly agreed. “Okay, let’s go.”
At the ski area, they rented equipment. Chen Die didn’t even know how to put on the skis—it was Wen Liang who crouched down and carefully helped her strap them on.
Thankfully, with face masks, gloves, and goggles, only her eyes were visible behind the snow gear—no need to worry about being recognized.
Wen Liang helped her stand.
Chen Die had no idea how to move her legs and felt completely off-balance. She clung tightly to Wen Liang’s clothes. “W-Wait, how does this work?”
“Just keep your skis parallel.”
“And then?”
Wen Liang placed a hand on her lower back. “If you want to stop, use the inward-pointed full brake.”
“Huh?”
Before she could ask anything else, the jerk had already given her a shove on the back. Her skis wobbled, and she started sliding down the slope.
Chen Die screamed all the way down, her speed increasing with every second.
She was so terrified that she forgot everything Wen Liang had just told her.
Although honestly, he hadn’t explained much to begin with. He’d said some random nonsense and just shoved her off.
Couldn’t he be a little gentler when teaching someone?
It brought back memories of the horror when Wen Liang taught her to swim.
Back then, his teaching method was to throw her into the water and let her learn by nearly drowning.
Skiing was no different—who pushes someone down a slope after barely two sentences of instruction?
They just had their wedding yesterday!!!
This is murder!!!
Chen Die screamed as she rapidly slid downhill, cursing Wen Liang a thousand times in her heart. That man definitely wanted her pitiful assets—which he probably saw as worthless anyway!
Just as she was about to give up and plop down on the ground, Wen Liang finally skied over, making a sharp turn and stopping right in front of her, blocking her path and bringing her to a halt.
Wen Liang held her by the arm. “Didn’t I tell you how to stop?”
“Who the hell could understand that explanation!” Chen Diesnapped.
Wen Liang chuckled without the slightest guilt. “Doesn’t matter even if I did. You’ll learn after falling a few times.”
“......”
Chen Die huffed and started hobbling in another direction on her skis. “Stay away from me. I’ll learn on my own.”
And she did fall several times that day—her pants were covered in snow before she finally started to get the hang of it. She was hopeless at anything remotely athletic.
After she told Wen Liang to stay away, he actually kept his distance.
Only when she managed to clumsily slide a bit like a turtle did Wen Liang lazily ski down after her. And only when she looked like she was about to crash into a nearby bush would he benevolently reach out and pull her back.
Dressed in thick gear, Chen Die’s face was barely visible, and her awkward skiing made her look like a total amateur.
In contrast, Wen Liang’s movements were smooth and effortless. That ski suit somehow even looked good on him.
He stood not far away, watching her ski, occasionally laughing out loud at her clumsy movements. Before long, two girls approached him and tapped his arm.
Wrapped up tight in winter gear, they probably didn’t recognize that the man they were chatting up was Wen Liang.
One of the girls asked shyly, “Hi, would you mind teaching us how to ski? We’ve been trying for a while but just keep falling…”
Chen Die heard the voices and immediately stopped, turning her head to look.
Wen Liang noticed her gaze, smiled in her direction, then said to the girls, “I’m teaching my wife.”
Chen Die: “......”
The two girls followed his line of sight, quickly caught on, and without daring to look too closely, muttered a quick “Sorry” and scurried away.
Because of Wen Liang's casual "my wife," Chen Die went from being mad at him to making up with him—also entirely on her own.
After skiing for a bit longer and falling again and again, Chen Die lost interest. They changed back into their clothes and headed to a BBQ buffet restaurant in the resort.
It was a slow time, so not many people were dining.
Chen Die had only put on a face mask and was soon recognized. A few fans greeted her excitedly.
She smiled, took photos with them, then went with Wen Liang to grab food.
Wen Liang picked out some grilled meats, while Chen Die headed for the dessert counter and selected some cakes. When she returned to their table, Wen Liang was already grilling and handed her a freshly cooked piece of meat.
He glanced at the plate she brought back and raised an eyebrow. “Not dieting anymore?”
“Who diets on vacation? I’ll start again when we get back.”
She had picked a strawberry tart about the size of her palm. In the center was a large, fresh strawberry dusted with a generous layer of powdered sugar.
Scooping into the middle, she got a big spoonful of cream and strawberry. It looked delicious.
She brought it up to Wen Liang’s mouth. “You better be touched. This is like giving you the best scoop from the center of a watermelon. I’m giving you the best scoop from the center of a cake.”
Wen Liang glanced at the spoon, frowned almost imperceptibly, and turned his head slightly. “You eat it.”
“......”
He smiled. “I don’t like sweets.”
“You don’t know how good you’ve got it.” Chen Die pulled the spoon back and popped it into her own mouth.
The meat still needed time to cook, so they chatted and ate. By the time they headed back, the sky had already darkened.
Chen Die was so full it made her anxious. She walked back hand-in-hand with Wen Liang, mentally tallying up her calorie intake and silently panicking.
They took the elevator up to their room.
Wen Liang tossed her a bathrobe. “You shower first.”
While showering, Chen Die was still thinking about how much she’d eaten… until she suddenly froze. She remembered the spoonful of cake she had tried to feed Wen Liang.
And then a voice echoed in her memory—
‘Back then, Young Master Wen had just come home from school. Madam Shen had been in the kitchen baking all afternoon. I remember thinking it was strange that she was in such high spirits—actually making desserts herself.’
‘When Young Master Wen came home, she brought out a tray of golden cupcakes for him. Just as he was about to take a bite, she suddenly became hysterical, threw all the cakes on the floor, stomped on them, and then broke down crying, holding onto him.’
‘Later we found out the sugar-like powder on those cakes wasn’t sugar at all. It was poison—she had planned for the two of them to die together.’
That was what Aunt Zhang had told Chen Die when she asked about Wen Liang’s mother, Shen Yunshu.
And the cake earlier today… also had a thick layer of powdered sugar.
Wen Liang had, for a moment, slightly frowned.
Chen Die turned off the shower and carefully recalled what had happened that afternoon. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Wen Liang's expression at the time really had seemed off—but she also worried she might just be overthinking it.
She quickly rinsed the remaining soap off her body, threw on a bathrobe, and walked out.
Wen Liang was sitting on the side, looking at his phone. When he heard her, he looked up and waved her over. “Come here.”
Chen Die obediently walked over.
Wen Liang pulled out a towel and began drying her damp hair.
Chen Die lowered her head, letting him dry her hair. After a long moment of silence, she suddenly asked, “Wen Liang, the reason you didn’t eat that bite of cake today… was it because of the powdered sugar on top?”
Wen Liang’s hand paused.
The room fell into a quiet stillness.
The truth was, he didn’t eat it because of the powdered sugar, though he didn’t think of it as some kind of childhood trauma.
As a kid, he had actually liked sweets quite a bit. But after that incident, his fondness slowly faded—not because he was avoiding them, just gradually losing the taste for them.
And since then, he’d developed a particular aversion to powdered sugar.
He didn’t want to lie to Chen Die, but he also didn’t want to explain everything outright and have her spiral into wild speculation.
Just as he was about to speak, Chen Die suddenly said, “Wen Liang, let’s have a child.”
This time he really froze.
The shift was abrupt. One second, they were talking about powdered sugar, the next she jumped straight to “let’s have a child.”
Chen Die was sitting at the edge of the bed while Wen Liang stood in front of her, towel in hand, still resting on her head.
She opened her arms and wrapped them around his waist, burying her face in his chest and sniffling. “Your mom didn’t treat you that way because she didn’t love you.”
“She was probably sick—couldn’t control her actions.”
“We’re going to have a child of our own someday. Maybe a boy, maybe a girl. They’ll be beautiful. We’ll raise them together and teach them well. One day, they’ll grow into someone amazing.”
“We’ll have a good family. We’ll love our child, and they’ll love us back.”
“Our child will help you slowly forget all those painful memories.”
When Chen Die finished, Wen Liang didn’t respond for a long time.
His throat felt dry.
Chen Die tightened her arms around his waist again.
After a long while, Wen Liang finally chuckled. He pulled her away slightly and smiled with an air of casual teasing. He hooked her chin and grinned, “You were just mad at me this morning for waking you up too early, and now you’re talking about having a kid? Not planning to sleep tonight either, huh?”
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