Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 84 - Tasting the Marrow, One Knows Its Flavor
Chapter 84: Tasting the Marrow, One Knows Its Flavor
Wen Liang forcibly pulled Chen Die up from her chair and pressed her down onto the small stool beside him.
She resisted, feeling he was being unfair to her, twisting her body to push him away. In the struggle, her skirt continued to ride up unknowingly.
Wen Liang’s face darkened. He looked down at her from above and said coldly, “Sit properly.”
Chen Die paused and glanced up at him. This time, she obediently sat still on the stool.
In the end, she was still afraid of Wen Liang. Although she relied on his favoritism and acted spoiled, Chen Die had no choice but to behave whenever he showed a cold face.
Wen Liang placed the plate of fruit in front of her. “Sit here and eat. Be a little obedient.”
Chen Die pouted slightly in secret, then quietly sat beside him eating fruit. Not long after, she grew sleepy, rested her hand on the edge of the table, and leaned forward, using her arm as a pillow. While chewing fruit, she watched Wen Liang type on his keyboard.
Lately, schoolwork had been intense. Chen Die had been studying art, so she naturally struggled to keep up in some subjects and took longer to finish assignments, sometimes even staying up late.
Wen Liang didn’t talk to her, and before she knew it, Chen Die had fallen asleep at the desk.
Only after finishing his report did Wen Liang glance to the side.
The girl had fallen asleep facing him. The tips of her ponytail brushed against her fair neck. Wen Liang’s eyelid twitched, and the calm in his breathing suddenly tightened again.
Speaking of which, many of his peers had beautiful women by their side, but Wen Liang found that annoying and was never interested.
Yet this little girl he’d taken in had grown more and more radiant with each passing day. He hadn’t noticed before, but today, it suddenly hit him like a switch had been flipped.
Wen Liang frowned slightly, silently watching her for a while. Then he reached down and pulled the hem of her pleated skirt back down. After that, he kicked the leg of the stool.
The stool shook gently, and Chen Die woke up. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.
“Go sleep in your own room,” Wen Liang told her, dismissing her.
“You finished your work?” She had just woken up, her voice still groggy, soft at the end.
“Almost.”
Chen Die leaned over to check the time on the bottom-right corner of his laptop. Her hair brushed across the back of his hand.
It was already quite late. She still had homework to do. She had no idea what Wen Liang had been thinking moments earlier; all she could sense now was his apparent impatience. Feeling unwelcome, she quickly went back to her room.
Wen Liang didn’t finish his work until an hour later. After shutting the laptop, he got ready for bed.
His study was at the end of the second-floor hallway. On the way to the master bedroom, he passed by the guest room where Chen Die stayed. The light inside her room was still on.
Wen Liang had originally wanted to check in on her. He raised his hand to knock but paused mid-motion, recalling something. In the end, he gave up and returned to his bedroom.
Aside from lightly stirring a string in Wen Liang’s heart, that moment didn’t change anything.
After two days of rest at home, Chen Die returned to school to start another week of dorm life.
Sometimes, she really wanted to chat with Wen Liang, and would message him from her dorm after lights out. But his replies were always brief, leaving her unsure how to continue the conversation. They always ended quickly.
She would grumble silently, cursing Wen Liang under her breath, yet couldn’t stop herself from indulging in her girlish fantasies.
She kept every love letter she received, never throwing them away. Because of that, Chen Shuyuan even mocked her, calling her things like ‘stamp collector’ and ‘shameless.’ But only Chen Die knew that she was saving them as proof that others liked her — to give herself the confidence to believe she was worthy of liking Wen Liang, as if it gave weight to her girlish feelings.
During the week off before the college entrance exam (Gaokao), she had dinner with Wen Liang.
“Brother Wen Liang, will you still be busy during the summer break?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Just asking.”
“Shouldn’t be too busy. Want me to take you somewhere to have fun?”
Chen Die’s eyes instantly lit up like a puppy spotting meat. “Really? Where?”
Wen Liang was amused by her reaction. He tugged at her ponytail twice, unclear whether he was coaxing or warning her. “We’ll talk after the exam. If you don’t do well, you’d better focus on retaking the year. Who’s taking you out to play?”
“......”
Because of those words, while other students were stressed out about the upcoming exams, Chen Die was counting down the days with anticipation.
The afternoon after the exam, she was in high spirits.
Though her grades in academic subjects were only so-so as an art student, she felt the exam had gone well. That afternoon, she and others celebrated their ‘freedom’ by throwing stacks of textbooks and worksheets away.
Everyone was in a festive mood. Papers fluttered down from the third floor, covering the flowerbeds below.
Although she had become a bit spoiled living under someone else's roof, Chen Die had never really gone through a rebellious phase. Throwing away her papers might have been her one rebellious act.
But soon, the academic director showed up with a scowl and thunderous anger. The others had already gotten wind of the trouble and slipped away quickly. Chen Die, however, got caught red-handed.
The unlucky few who didn’t escape were ordered to clean up every last sheet of paper in the flowerbeds before they could leave.
Her rebellion didn’t last an hour before she was put back in her place. Resigned to her fate, Chen Die went down to clean the mess.
There had been so many people throwing papers, yet only a few were punished. Naturally, the cleanup was slow.
It had been scorching hot during the college entrance exam days, and Chen Die didn’t even have an appetite for lunch. Now that the sky was darkening, she felt even hungrier. Just then, Wen Liang called to ask when she’d be home for dinner.
“You go ahead and eat.”
Her graduation happiness dimmed quite a bit. She complained to Wen Liang about being punished.
But he wasn’t the least bit sympathetic. He even chuckled, “Serves you right. Who told you to throw your test papers around?”
Chen Die gave a snort, bending down to pick up a paper that had fallen into the bushes, muttering, “I don’t want to talk to you. I’m busy. Hanging up.”
That was actually the first time she had hung up on Wen Liang.
After finishing the cleanup and getting it inspected by the head of the department—who gave another scolding—she was finally free. Graduation was official.
Chen Die couldn’t even be bothered to pack properly. She went back to the classroom, stuffed her water bottle and pencil case into her bag, and left.
The school gate was deserted—everyone had left a long time ago.
And she was… starving.
She touched her belly. At this hour, there wouldn’t be any food at home, so she decided to eat at the noodle shop across from the school. Not many people were there, but thankfully, it was still open.
Chen Die ordered a bowl of beef noodles.
The owner saw she was still in uniform and kindly gave her extra beef, piling it thick on top.
Chen Die thanked him, then added a spoonful of vinegar and chili sauce to the soup. She had just started eating when a message came in from Wen Liang:
[Wen Liang: Not done yet?]
[Chen Die: Done. Eating dinner now.]
[Wen Liang: Where?]
She instinctively looked toward the noodle shop’s entrance. The streetlight by the school gate was dim—she couldn’t see clearly.
Instead of answering, she asked: [Where are you?]
[Wen Liang: Just got to your school.]
[Chen Die: I’m at the beef noodle place across the street.]
A short while later, Wen Liang walked in.
Since Wen Huaiyuan had recently fallen seriously ill, Wen Liang now had to manage all the affairs of Wenyuan Group. He no longer dressed casually in just a T-shirt when going out.
Now in a suit, back straight and tall, he looked completely out of place in the small noodle shop—like a golden statue of Buddha placed in a shabby temple.
He pulled out the chair opposite Chen Die and sat down, glancing at her. “How’d you sweat so much just from eating noodles?”
Chen Die gave him a weak glance. “It’s from cleaning earlier.”
He gave a low chuckle.
“You eaten?” she asked.
“Ate at the office. Was on the way, so I came to pick you up,” Wen Liang said. “How’d the exam go?”
Chen Die’s heart skipped. She remembered his promise to take her on a trip: “I think it went well. I should be able to get into a university.”
He gave a teasing laugh: “Aiming pretty high there, huh?”
“......”
Chen Die quickly finished her noodles and got up to pay.
Wen Liang had already stepped outside. He stood at the top of the steps, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a puff of smoke, the tip glowing red in the dark.
Next door was an internet café. Three boys walked past, and one of them glanced into the noodle shop and paused, nudging his friend and jerking his chin toward the inside. “Hey, isn’t that the school beauty from senior year?”
The others looked. “Damn, it really is. Now that Chen Die’s graduated, the girls at our school just dropped a level in looks.”
“And that body—man, our class rep is pretty, but she’s flat as a board compared to her.”
They were crude and shameless in their private remarks.
Wen Liang caught some of their words, and his face darkened. He looked up. One of the boys noticed his gaze. Even though Wen Liang said nothing, his presence was enough to tell them he wasn’t someone to mess with. The boys quickly nudged each other and left.
Chen Die came out shortly after.
She had been sweating, then ate a hot bowl of noodles, so her sweat hadn’t dried yet.
The summer school uniform was a thin short-sleeved shirt. It clung to her body, and you could faintly see the white layer underneath—it was clearly not the same material as the shirt.
“Let’s go,” she said.
Wen Liang followed behind her, still thinking of what those boys had said. A strange irritation rose in him. He clicked his tongue.
Chen Die headed toward the car. After just a few steps, Wen Liang suddenly tossed his suit jacket at her. She barely caught it, puzzled: “Huh?”
“Hold it for me.”
She smoothed the jacket out, folded her arms over it in front of her chest, but still complained, “Why do I have to carry your clothes?”
Wen Liang looked down, his expression unreadable, eyes slanted—his gaze carried both sarcasm and something unspoken.
Chen Die looked back at him, confused, but Wen Liang clearly had no intention of explaining. He simply stepped into the car without another word.
After the college entrance exam, Wen Liang didn't mention taking her out to play for a while.
Chen Die thought to herself that maybe they were waiting for the exam results to come out and confirm the university before going out to play, so she didn't think much more about it. She focused on preparing for the answers and eagerly awaited the results.
However, instead of waiting for the results, she received some ‘bad news’ — Wen Liang's family had arranged a blind date for him.
Chen Die felt like a deflating balloon, and she quickly became listless.
Recently, Wen Liang had indeed been set up for a blind date by Wen Huaiyuan and Fu Wanmei, and the reason was simple. It was mostly Fu Wanmei's instigation — because Wen Huaiyuan was seriously ill, Wen Liang had taken over the company, and she had to find ways to create some obstacles for him. The young lady she introduced was actually her niece.
He had always been on bad terms with Fu Wanmei, so he didn't go to the meeting and simply left them all to wait.
After taking care of the company matters, Wen Liang returned to the villa in the western suburbs.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw Chen Die standing next to Aunt Zhang, asking her something. She looked very down, quite different from how she had appeared just a few days ago after graduation. When she saw him come in, she only glanced at him before continuing her conversation with Aunt Zhang.
It wasn't until dinner that Chen Die finally brought up the topic of the blind date.
Wen Liang didn't think it was worth mentioning, so he casually brushed it off with a few ‘no’s and ‘it's not like that’s. The young girl, however, clearly looked even more discouraged.
However, Chen Die's temper had been spoiled by him, and sometimes she would throw a tantrum. Most of the time, he didn’t even know what she was angry about and thought that this time was just another one of her moods, believing it would pass in a few days.
It wasn't until a week later, on Shen Yunshu's death anniversary, that he went to the Linqian Cemetery to visit her grave. After returning, he couldn't sleep well, as he kept thinking about the scene from the past when Shen Yunshu had committed suicide in front of him.
In a half-dream, half-awake state, the door to his bedroom was cracked open, and Chen Die walked in.
Wen Liang sat up. “Why are you coming over so late?”
She shuffled over to his bedside in her slippers, paused for a second, then lifted her leg to climb onto his bed, kneeling as she looked at him with her clear, bright eyes. “I watched a movie this morning, and I'm too scared to sleep alone. Can I stay with you?”
Wen Liang's throat tightened, and he frowned, looking even more menacing. “No, go back.”
But Chen Die, for some reason, suddenly got a burst of courage. She was an adult, so how could she not know this basic common sense? Yet, she still dared to say something like wanting to sleep with him.
Wen Liang tried several times to get her off the bed, but Chen Die refused to listen, which made him feel a bit irritated.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, she suddenly called out without any warning, “Wen Liang.”
Just two words.
Not Brother Wen Liang.
He kept a cold expression for a while, but then, he actually smiled. “You've got some guts, Lingling.”
To be honest, the young girl had grown into a graceful beauty. Her fluffy, shiny black hair fell over her chest, creating a curve, and her sleep pants had ridden up, revealing a small portion of her calf. Though her face was bright red with embarrassment, she stubbornly tried to appear composed, staring at him with wide, doe-like eyes, not blinking once.
In the end, Chen Die made a promise to him, her hint quite subtle: “Wen Liang, don't always look down on me. When I say I can, I mean it.”
Wen Liang's nerve, which could still be considered human, suddenly snapped.
At the age of 18, she should be responsible for the things she says.
He raised his hand, gripping her neck, and pushed her down onto the bed.
Chen Die was caught off guard, her eyes widening in an instant, her heart almost jumping to her throat.
Wen Liang's expression was calm, his features shadowed and overly deepened by the night. Yet, his eyes, like a deep pool, quietly gazed at her. Then, at a leisurely pace, he undid the button on the collar of her shirt.
He patted her face and asked in a low voice, “Since you said you can, do you know what comes next?”
Chen Die didn’t know anything about this. She tightly gripped the bedsheet, trying not to stop Wen Liang from unbuttoning her shirt.
Wen Liang looked at her reaction with satisfaction, smiling mischievously. “Then let's do it my way.”
That night, Wen Liang truly understood what it meant to ‘taste the marrow, one knows its flavor’ and also gained some understanding of why the young masters around him were so enthusiastic about such matters.
But Chen Die was the one who suffered. She had shot herself in the foot, and by the late hours of the night, she was crying so much that her tears soaked the pillow. Regret filled her, but there was nowhere to run.
The next morning, the first to wake up was Wen Liang.
He had brought Chen Die back for two years, and this was the first time she had slept in his bed.
Last night, because it was Shen Yunshu's death anniversary, and Chen Die had entered his room while he was in a half-dream, half-awake state, he was still a bit dazed. It wasn't until he saw Chen Die still asleep in his arms in the morning that he was sure the events from last night had actually happened.
Her skin was smooth. Wen Liang held her shoulder and gently touched it, then twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, lost in thought.
Wen Liang was used to being carefree. Since this had already happened, and it wasn't a misunderstanding or accident, and the experience had been enjoyable, he gladly accepted it.
After lying there for a while, he still didn't see Chen Die wake up. However, even in her sleep, her brows were slightly furrowed, making her look like she wasn't feeling well.
She hadn't woken up, but Aunt Zhang came to knock on the door. From outside, she said, “Young Master, I went to Miss Chen's room just now, but she wasn't there. Did she not come back last night?”
Wen Liang replied faintly, “She slept here with me last night.”
There was an immediate silence outside the door.
Chen Die had actually already woken up and could hear the conversation, but her eyelids were heavy, and her body ached, leaving her too tired to open her eyes. However, after hearing Wen Liang's response, she panicked and immediately opened her eyes.
“You can't say that!” she blurted out.
Wen Liang lowered his gaze, his expression gradually turning playful and teasing. He raised an eyebrow and said in a calm tone, “You're awake.”
“......”
Chen Die quickly noticed how cold it was under the blanket. Instantly, blood rushed to her head, and she felt like she wanted to die. To still be holding onto Wen Liang like this... it was just too much.
She quickly pushed Wen Liang away. Her legs hurt as if they were cramping, but she didn't care about anything else. She wrapped herself up in the blanket, burying her face inside, looking like a little bun, with only a messy head of hair sticking out.
Wen Liang tapped on her head twice, as if knocking on a door, and teased, “It's too late to be shy now. What kind of spell did you fall under last night?”
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