Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 85 - Mutual Secret Crush
Chen Die’s heart was beating fast. Buried under the blanket, she refused to come out no matter what Wen Liang said. In the end, he had to forcefully grab her wrist and peel her out of the covers.
“What kind of nonsense are you pulling now?” Wen Liang scolded.
Chen Die had been wriggling under the blanket for quite a while, and now that she’d been dragged out, her hair was messy—she really did look like a little lunatic.
Because of the previous night, her eyes were still red, her body ached all over, and now she was being scolded the moment she woke up. She instantly felt extremely wronged and glared fiercely at Wen Liang.
Wen Liang, unbothered, took the glare in stride and even laughed. “What? Still thinking about hitting me?”
Chen Die couldn’t understand how he could be so shameless and act like nothing happened.
Shameless.
But she couldn’t handle it. She didn’t even dare think about what had happened the night before.
She was full of anger and frustration but couldn’t say a word. She buried her head back into the pillow, avoiding his gaze, refusing to speak.
The bed beside her sank slightly and then lifted—Wen Liang had gotten up.
Chen Die couldn’t help but turn her head slightly to sneak a peek, only to catch a glimpse of his bare, firm back, with defined muscle lines.
Her face heated up, and she quickly buried her face again.
The rustling near her ears was the sound of Wen Liang getting dressed. Finally, a crisp metallic click—the sound of his belt buckle fastening—landed like a strike on her heart, making it jump.
Then, the bed dipped again—Wen Liang sat down beside her.
He reached out and stroked her hair, increasingly amused by her reaction, and teased, “Planning to keep lying here naked on my bed?”
Chen Die couldn’t take it anymore. She grabbed the blanket with both hands and wrapped herself tightly, muffling her voice. “How am I supposed to get dressed with you still here?”
“We already did it…”
He didn’t finish the sentence before Chen Die snapped, “Wen Liang!”
He laughed, paused, then suddenly lowered his voice and asked while stroking her hair, “Do you regret it?”
“......”
She didn’t really regret it.
Chen Die couldn’t quite explain what she was feeling. She didn’t regret it—there was a bit of joy, a bit of comfort that their relationship had taken a step forward—but she also felt it was strange and disorienting.
She couldn’t put it into words, so she just said, “You go out first. I need to get dressed.”
“Your clothes are all on the floor.”
“Don’t pick them up!” Chen Die hurriedly said, glancing at him and lowering her voice, face flushed. “I’ll get them myself.”
Wen Liang curled his lips into a smile and left the bedroom.
Chen Die sat quietly for a moment, rubbed her face, then got up to retrieve her clothes. Her body still bore red marks from last night—startling to see. Her eyelashes trembled rapidly. After dressing, she tiptoed back to her room, enduring the soreness between her legs.
She slowly washed up, and only after the heat faded from her face did she go downstairs—still too embarrassed to even look at Aunt Zhang.
Wen Liang was already sitting and having breakfast. Chen Die shuffled over, abandoned her usual seat, and left a gap before sitting down.
“Still hurting?” he suddenly asked.
“…” Chen Die’s hand shook just as she picked up the spoon. The handle clattered against the bowl with a crisp sound.
Aunt Zhang, perceptive as ever, quietly walked away to tend the garden.
The heat that had just faded from Chen Die’s face flared up again—she looked like she was about to bury her head in the bowl. “Don’t ask about that…”
“Rest at home these next few days. Don’t go out with your friends,” he said, finishing his breakfast and walking over to ruffle her hair. “If it still hurts, tell me.”
“......”
Chen Die truly wasn’t feeling great. She could barely handle an 800-meter run in P.E. without leg pain for days, let alone what happened last night. But she was too embarrassed to say anything.
In the days that followed, she didn’t dare provoke Wen Liang again and stayed quietly in her room, only coming out at mealtimes.
Aunt Zhang didn’t act surprised at all, calmly accepting the situation.
But eventually, she couldn’t hold back anymore. Feeling Wen Liang was being too irresponsible, she took a chance to ask while Chen Die wasn’t around, “Young Master, should I tidy up Miss Chen’s room?”
Her implication was clear—did he want to move Chen Die’s things into the master bedroom and make their relationship official?
Wen Liang tapped his cigarette, thinking about how Chen Die had behaved over the past few days, how she couldn’t even lift her head the next morning. It was hard to tell if she regretted it or not.
But if it were that easy to regret, why would she come to his room in the middle of the night and refuse to leave no matter how he tried to make her?
“No need for now. Let her be,” Wen Liang said.
So the matter was left unresolved. A week later, Wen Liang had to go on a business trip to another province.
In the past, he would’ve just left. But now that their relationship had changed, he made sure to tell Chen Die before he left.
“Where are you going?” Chen Die asked.
“T City.”
Chen Die nodded, feeling her heart beat a little faster for some reason. “How many days will you be gone?”
Wen Liang chuckled. If it had been before, he would've found her talkative. But this time, he answered patiently, “Depends, probably a bit over a week.”
“Oh.”
“Go to bed early,” Wen Liang said as he left her room.
Chen Die sat at her desk, dazed, resting her chin on the edge.
She could sense that Wen Liang’s attitude toward her had changed—he no longer treated her like a child. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to let her know he was leaving on a business trip.
But it seemed to stop there.
Even though they had already... done that.
She was used to his usual calm, indifferent demeanor, and couldn’t help but keep thinking about how different he’d been that night—so lost in the moment. It made her feel wronged, yet her heart still fluttered.
Wen Liang left for his business trip.
But the project turned out to be more complicated than expected. Once in T City, they hit a snag, and what was supposed to take a week dragged out to two.
After the final business dinner, it was already dark.
Wen Liang decided not to rush back to Yan City that night and had Zhu Qicong book a hotel.
But just as he left the restaurant, he got a call from Chen Die. Her voice was soft and muffled: “Brother Wen Liang…”
She even sounded a little pitiful.
During this two-week trip, Chen Die had only sent the occasional message—not nearly as warm or clingy as she used to be. This was the first time she’d even called.
Wen Liang got a mischievous idea and teased, “Calling me ‘Brother Wen Liang’ again now?”
There was a brief silence on the other end.
He smiled. “What’s up?”
“I’m lost…” she said quietly.
Wen Liang stopped in his tracks. “Where are you?”
“T City.”
He frowned. “When did you get here?”
“…Five days ago,” she said, voice growing smaller, clearly guilty.
“You’ve been here five days and didn’t tell me. Now that you’re lost, now you call?” His voice was cold.
Chen Die explained miserably, “I came here with some friends to hang out. I didn’t want to bother you, so I didn’t say anything. They all left today, and I wanted to see if I might run into you, so I didn’t go back with them.”
“Send me your location and stay where you are. Don’t move.”
Wen Liang said a few words to the others and immediately drove to pick her up.
She had sent a location near a commercial building—not too far off. When he arrived, she was standing next to a stone lion in front of the building, carrying an off-white backpack.
T City is further north than Yan City, so it was a bit chilly after sunset. She was still wearing a short skirt, her long legs exposed.
Wen Liang frowned and honked twice.
Chen Die looked up and immediately ran over.
She usually sat in the front passenger seat, but this time, knowing she was in the wrong and not wanting to upset him further, she opened the back door.
Before she could get in, Wen Liang said, “Do I look like your chauffeur?”
She froze, then moved to sit in the front.
Saying she wasn’t feeling wronged would be a lie. It was her fault for being thoughtless and troubling Wen Liang like this.
But she’d only come because she waited at home for a week without seeing him, and when her friends planned a trip to T City, she came along—mostly because she missed him.
She had booked a hotel in T City, but Wen Liang didn’t ask where she was staying, and she didn’t say.
The drive was quiet. No one spoke.
Wen Liang drove straight to his own hotel and brought Chen Die upstairs.
He didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, but as soon as she stepped into the elevator, Chen Die held her breath silently.
It was a single room with a king-size bed.
Chen Die paused at the doorway, but Wen Liang nudged her in, then shut the door.
“Do you have a change of clothes in your bag?” Wen Liang asked.
“…No, just a jacket. The rest are in my suitcase at the hotel I was staying at.”
Wen Liang grunted in acknowledgment, asked for the name and room number of her hotel, and told someone to fetch her things.
She had been out in the cold for a while and was slightly chilled. Wen Liang glanced at her, then handed her one of his sleep shirts. “Go take a shower first. If your clothes aren’t here yet, just wear mine.”
Chen Die blinked, slowly took the shirt, and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
She leaned against the door, staring at the shirt in her arms for a while. Then she slowly lifted it to her nose and took a sniff.
There was a faint tobacco scent—it smelled like Wen Liang.
She took another sniff, then suddenly realized how creepy her action was. Quickly, she set the shirt down, neatly folded it, and placed it on the sink.
Chen Die didn’t dare dawdle—she showered quickly.
Wen Liang leaned against the windowsill. The sound of running water from the bathroom was faintly audible.
He’d been too busy with work these past few days to think about anything else, but now, suddenly, an image of that night surfaced—Chen Die’s barely restrained expression, the soft, scattered sounds she made. It was true that he had a real weakness for that.
And once thoughts like these start, they go downhill fast.
Wen Liang opened the window, turned away, and lit a cigarette.
Before long, Chen Die came out. She was wearing his pajamas, which were clearly too big on her—the pant legs were rolled up several times, the sleeves hung long, and there was still a damp spot near her collarbone from where she hadn’t fully dried off.
Wen Liang was still in his suit, a cigarette between his lips, standing by the window as he turned to look at her.
Chen Die felt a little awkward. Technically, this was only the second time she’d shared a bedroom with Wen Liang. She ran her fingers through her hair and said, “I’m done. Are you going to shower?”
Wen Liang exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze slowly drifting from her face all the way down to her feet.
Under that gaze, Chen Die felt like she might burst into flames.
Only then did he lift the cigarette in his hand and say lazily, “In a bit.”
“…Okay.”
Chen Die nodded and cautiously sat on the corner of the bed. Since she was wearing his clothes, she didn’t dare move too much. Underneath, she still had on her own undergarments.
Five minutes later, the doorbell rang. Wen Liang opened the door and brought in her suitcase.
He placed it in front of her and laid it flat.
Without a word, Chen Die grabbed her change of clothes and sleepwear and went back into the bathroom to get changed. By the time she came out, Wen Liang had gone in to shower.
When he came out, Chen Die was already lying in bed. It was a large bed, but she only took up a quarter of it, lying stiffly on her side, facing away, not even daring to curl her legs.
She looked like she was already asleep.
Wen Liang casually dried his hair, lifted the covers, and got into bed.
“Lingling,” he called softly.
No response. Wen Liang let out a quiet laugh.
Only then did the stiff bundle next to him move slightly. Wrapped in the blanket, she turned her head toward him and answered sweetly, “What is it?”
“Are you really that scared of me?” he asked with a smile. “If you stay like that, you’ll fall off the bed in your sleep.”
“......”
Wen Liang added, “Come closer.”
“......”
Chen Die still didn’t move—not because she didn’t want to, but because her limbs felt frozen.
Wen Liang assumed she was afraid and lazily promised, “I won’t touch you. Just sleep in the middle.”
Only then did Chen Die start scooting over little by little to the center of the bed, still with her back to him. But the moment she accidentally brushed against him, she quickly shifted back again and froze.
Wen Liang found it amusing. He turned off the light and lay down, then casually slung an arm around her waist. As expected, Chen Die instantly tensed up.
Wen Liang hooked his pinky around hers and asked quietly, “With guts like yours, were you really sleepwalking that time you climbed into my bed?”
Because I like you… I didn’t want you to go on some blind date with a woman more ‘suitable’ than me.
Chen Die though to herself.
Chen Die thought, but didn’t dare say it out loud. She just wiggled her index finger a little, hooking his pinky back. “I wasn’t sleepwalking.”
He laughed, and his tone finally softened from the coldness it had earlier when he picked her up: “Next time you travel this far, let me know. Don’t go running around on your own.”
“…Got it.”
“You came with classmates?”
“Three of them.”
“Guys or girls?”
Chen Die pressed her lips together. The room was dim, lit only by moonlight. Wen Liang was gently holding her from behind, speaking in a slightly teasing tone—it gave her a feeling she really liked.
She let a bit of coquettishness creep into her voice. “Of course all girls.”
He touched the palm of her hand and said ambiguously, “Good girl.”
After that, Wen Liang didn’t say anything more. Chen Die had thought that being held by him would keep her up all night, but maybe she was too tired from walking around all day, because she fell asleep quickly.
The one who couldn’t sleep was Wen Liang.
Once Chen Die drifted off, her sleeping posture wasn’t great. She stayed facing away from him, but lay so close it was almost torturous.
But he’d just promised not to touch her. And seeing how she’d been a little wary of him since that night, Wen Liang had no interest in pushing anything further if it wasn’t mutual.
So he didn’t sleep at all that night.
Chen Die woke up feeling comfortable and refreshed. After washing up and packing her luggage, she headed back to Yan City with Wen Liang. But Wen Liang had a dark expression on his face all day and spent the entire drive with his eyes closed, catching up on sleep.
Chen Die reflected on herself. She didn’t snore or grind her teeth in her sleep—surely she couldn’t have made him that upset?
What was wrong?
She didn’t dwell on the question for too long. Once they got back to Yan City and he dropped her off at the villa in the western suburbs, Wen Liang went straight to the office.
He had just taken over Wenyuan Group, and with all the eyes watching him, both in the open and behind the scenes, he was especially busy.
Chen Die didn’t bring up the trip he had promised to take her on.
She was very understanding.
By the end of June, the national college entrance exam results came out.
Chen Die did well—based on last year’s cutoff, she could comfortably get into the film academy she wanted. She had also scored high in the art exams earlier. After submitting her application, even though the acceptance letter hadn’t arrived yet, her admission was more or less confirmed.
Since Wen Liang didn’t have time to accompany her, she decided to go out with her friends instead.
They were all excited to check out a newly opened bar. It was Chen Die’s first time at a bar; she didn’t even know how to order drinks and picked a pink gradient cocktail just because the picture looked pretty.
Due to Chen Shuyuan, most of her close friends in high school were from other classes. Soon, some of those friends invited others to join them.
A mixed group of guys and girls, all recently graduated and eager to have fun.
Chen Die wasn’t very familiar with some of them, and she wasn’t the type to easily warm up to strangers. So she sat alone with her cocktail, sipping slowly.
“Chen Die,” a voice called out beside her.
She turned and saw a boy—he seemed to be the PE rep from the class next door. He was popular among the younger girls and was often seen around school.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Did you apply to the film academy here in Yan City?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“How’d you do?”
“Pretty well, I should get in,” Chen Die paused and then politely asked in return, “What about you?”
He smiled. “I did better than expected. I applied to the finance university across from the film academy.”
They hadn’t talked for long when someone nearby spotted them and started teasing.
Meanwhile, upstairs on the second floor of the bar—
“Mr. Wen, it’s rare to see you here. How come you’re not even having a drink?” someone asked.
Wen Liang seemed uninterested and waved off the offered drink again. His gaze was fixed on a certain group downstairs—specifically on the girl sitting in the corner amid the smoke, and he hadn’t looked away.
The people around him chatted crudely.
Wen Liang’s eyes were glued to Chen Die, who was laughing and chatting more freely with the boy next to her, even covering her mouth when she giggled.
Suddenly, he remembered a past New Year’s party. After the event, he had gone to pick Chen Die up and overheard her telling another boy who was pestering her that she already liked someone else.
He hadn’t thought much of it then, but now it came back vividly.
His brows furrowed even tighter. Then he pulled out his phone and called Chen Die.
The bar was loud, and she didn’t hear it. Wen Liang listened to the “The number you dialed is unavailable” message while watching her continue chatting downstairs.
He redialed and tossed his phone on the table, glaring at the screen.
On the fourth call, Chen Die finally answered—prompted by the boy next to her.
“Hello, Brother Wen Liang?” She stood up and walked aside, covering her mouth, “I didn’t hear it ring earlier.”
“Where are you?”
“Out with friends, why?”
Wen Liang glanced at the boy, then sneered, “Already hitting up bars just after graduation? Your wings sure grew fast.”
Chen Die figured he could tell she was at a bar from the background noise and didn’t think much of it. She explained, “I’m not messing around. There are a lot of us, it’s fine.”
“Stop playing and go home.”
“Are you home now?”
Wen Liang replied with a calm “Mm.”
Chen Die’s lips curved slightly. “Alright, I’ll head back. It is kind of noisy here.”
After ending the call, Wen Liang looked up to find everyone around him staring in shock.
They had never heard of Wen Liang having a woman before.
He didn’t explain. Just tossed out a “Let’s go,” stood up, and headed downstairs under their stunned gazes.
Chen Die had just stepped out of the bar and was about to call a ride when someone tapped her on the head from behind. She turned around, stunned: “...Didn’t you say you were at home?”
Wen Liang didn’t answer, just put his arm around her shoulders and guided her into the car.
They sped back to the villa in the western suburbs.
Chen Die was still trying to wrap her head around how Wen Liang had suddenly shown up there.
She jogged a few steps to catch up with him. “Brother Wen Liang, just now—”
Before she could finish, he yanked her inside, slammed the door shut, took a step forward, and pinned her to the door. He gripped her chin between his thumb and index finger, tilting it up.
Chen Die froze.
Wen Liang looked down at her lips—rosy, glistening with alcohol. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and then he bent down and kissed her.
Their lips met.
Chen Die’s eyes flew open. That night, they hadn’t kissed—it had gone straight to the point. This was their first kiss.
Her first kiss.
Her heart raced. Her legs felt like jelly. The taste of alcohol mingled between their lips, making everything feel more intoxicating.
He finally pulled away. Her eyes were still wide open. “...Brother Wen Liang?”
Chen Die’s mind started spinning. Could Wen Liang actually like her? But the next second, he leaned in and hoarsely whispered by her ear: “You called me ‘Wen Liang’ last time. What’s with the ‘brother’ again?”
“......”
He brushed her earlobe with his lips, giving it a light bite. “Do you want to?”
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