Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 92 - Harbor Evil Intention
Chapter 92: Harbor Evil Intention
By the time the wedding ended, it was already quite late. Ye Chuqing, being pregnant and unable to drink, had quietly slipped away to the hotel room to rest halfway through.
The group chat with her plastic ‘sisterhood' friends was buzzing with activity.
[Where’s Chuqing? We don’t see her much normally, but how can the bride herself disappear at her own wedding??]
[Don’t tell me you’re slacking off. Your husband looks like he’s about to get completely wasted @YeChuqing @YeChuqing @YeChuqing]
[But seriously, you two moved fast. I thought you were just going on one date with that Chen family young master, but you actually got married.]
[So what about that idol you had a crush on? What’s the plan now?]
[What plan? Isn’t that idol under Chen Shao’s company? If anything actually continues, that’d be way too wild.]
Ye Chuqing rolled her eyes, tossed her phone aside, and went into the bathroom to wash her face.
By the time she was done fussing around, more than half an hour had passed. Her room was on the floor just below the top floor, so she could still hear the lively sounds above — likely people getting ready to leave.
She sat by the bed for a while longer. When the noise upstairs finally quieted down, the doorbell rang a few moments later.
“I’m coming,” she called, walking over to open the door. “Are we staying here tonight or heading ho—”
Before she could finish, she realized something — Chen Shao looked very drunk.
Apparently, those so-called plastic sisters weren’t lying.
He leaned against the doorway, eyelids drooping as he looked at her. Then he lazily straightened up and walked into the room, closing the door behind him.
Ye Chuqing had said before that ever since two alcohol-related incidents, she’d developed a bit of a fear of drinking.
But that had been her getting drunk — blacking out, not caring about anyone, then waking up to regret everything. This time, though, Chen Shao was the one who’d had too much.
For the first time, Ye Chuqing felt a sense of pressure.
She didn’t know how he acted when drunk...
But she’d never liked showing weakness to others. After watching him for a few seconds, she calmly said, “You drank a lot, huh?”
“Yeah,” his voice was a little hoarse.
“Has everyone gone home?”
He gave another soft “mm,” brows slightly furrowed, clearly not feeling too great.
Ye Chuqing didn’t put on airs. They were married, had already held the wedding, and she was pregnant — there was no reason not to share a bed. “Let’s just sleep here tonight. I’m too lazy to go anywhere.”
With that, she didn’t look at him again and went over to the bed. She had already taken off her makeup and showered, so she could just crawl into bed.
But just as she kicked off her slippers and stepped barefoot onto the sheets, she suddenly sensed a pair of long legs in her peripheral vision — along with the faint scent of red wine approaching.
She looked up — and was caught off guard by a kiss.
Her eyes flew open, mind going completely blank. She even forgot to dodge. After ten or so seconds, the only two words in her brain were: What. The. Hell.
So this is what it feels like to be taken advantage of.
Ye Chuqing instinctively leaned back and raised a hand to his chest, but Chen Shao held the back of her head, deepening the kiss.
The scent of red wine spread faintly in the air. Perhaps because she was pregnant, he kissed her very gently — no tongue, just softly nibbling her lips.
A while later, he finally let go, his hand sliding from the back of her head to her cheek. He lightly touched her earlobe with his finger, lowered his gaze with a soft chuckle, his warm breath brushing against her skin as he murmured: “When I get drunk, I also tend to do stupid sh*t.”
Ye Chuqing: “…”
That was her line from the other night when they were eating noodles.
So are you actually drunk or not, damn it!?
You seem pretty damn coherent to me! You even remembered my words word-for-word!
They were very close. Ye Chuqing was still staring at him in shock, speechless. Chen Shao, eyes lowered and slightly hunched, looked calm.
Three seconds passed before he lifted his gaze.
His eyes were a little bloodshot from the alcohol, but otherwise, his expression hadn’t changed.
Ye Chuqing swallowed dryly and subconsciously licked her lips.
Chen Shao watched her and smiled. “Don’t lick them.”
“?”
Bro, that sounds... suggestive.
He added, “You’re pregnant. You can’t drink alcohol.”
Only then did Ye Chuqing realize what he meant, and her face instantly flushed. Heat rushed to her head, and she couldn’t help but curse: “Are you really drunk or not!?”
He gave a very sincere “mm.”
They stared at each other for a while. Finally, Ye Chuqing gave in. She stopped trying to figure out whether he was faking or not and silently reminded herself three times — We’re married now. Then she scooted back and quickly slipped under the covers. “Go shower already. Sleep after. I’m exhausted.”
He responded with another "mm" and then, with his eyes half-lidded, leaned in again.
This time, Ye Chuqing was already lying on the bed with nowhere to retreat. She could only watch as Chen Shao kissed her again. Her throat tightened, and she let out a soft “mm.”
This wedding night was... a bit too intense.
After a while, Ye Chuqing noticed a shift in his movements and finally managed to speak, voice filled with shame and frustration, even gritting her teeth a little: “Are you even human? I’m still pregnant.”
Chen Shao paused. His Adam’s apple moved up and down hard before he finally stopped. His voice was hoarse as he said, “It’s rare for me to get drunk.”
He actually sounded a little regretful.
“…”
Is it even possible to be this clear-headed while drunk?
Chen Shao finally went to shower. Ye Chuqing lay on her side alone in bed.
A moment later, she sat up angrily and rubbed her lips hard with the back of her hand, exhaling heavily.
And yet, she couldn’t even bring herself to really curse Chen Shao. After all, it was just a kiss. Compared to what she had done that first time, this wasn’t much at all. Back then, she had been the one who really took advantage of him.
And the next morning, Chen Shao’s reaction had been, “It’s okay,” and “I can take responsibility.”
...That was some serious grace under fire.
Wait a minute.
Ye Chuqing suddenly froze as a thought struck her — something she’d never considered before.
That first time, she had definitely been drunk. But didn’t Chen Shao drive her home? That would mean he hadn’t been drinking at all.
Then how did things escalate like that…?
Like tonight, she was completely sober — no way she’d let anything go wrong.
Still thinking about it, she heard the bathroom door slide open. Chen Shao had come out. Afraid the drunkard might do something again, Ye Chuqing immediately shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. The bed dipped slightly as he lay down beside her.
Her breathing automatically softened.
This was her first time sharing a bed with Chen Shao while fully sober.
The night was quiet again. The earlier raucous noise had passed, and everything returned to silence.
After a long while, Ye Chuqing quietly propped herself up on one elbow and glanced at Chen Shao.
He was already asleep, breathing steady.
She scooted a little closer and gently poked his face with a finger.
Propping her chin up, she kept thinking — if Chen Shao had been sober that night, maybe what happened wasn’t entirely accidental. Maybe it was mutual, half-consensual in the moment. No wonder he’d said he’d take responsibility the next day — and here she’d been blaming herself all this time.
Ye Chuqing pursed her lips and whispered, “Scumbag.”
The next day, the two of them slept until midday, only waking up because of a phone call.
On the big bed lay two people. Ye Chuqing was still asleep, long hair spread out across the white pillow. When the phone rang, she reflexively kicked Chen Shao through the covers.
Chen Shao sat up and grabbed the phone from the nightstand. He glanced at it, then hung up and put it on silent.
“Who was it?” Ye Chuqing asked.
“Spam call,” Chen Shao said, lying back down to keep sleeping.
Just awake, Ye Chuqing felt incredibly thirsty. Still groggy, she got up and walked a few steps toward the bottled water. But as she moved, memories of those two kisses from the night before suddenly came flooding back.
She froze in place and turned to look at the still-sleeping Chen Shao.
From her angle, she could only see his dark hair and peaceful sleeping face.
But maybe he sensed her gaze — Chen Shao opened his eyes and looked right at her.
“…”
“…”
Ye Chuqing coughed awkwardly. “Did you black out at all?”
“No.”
“…”
Chen Shao sat up in bed and leaned back against the headboard. Suddenly, he said, “Chuqing.”
“…Yeah?”
“Now that we’re married, let’s stop separating into master bedroom and guest room when we get home.”
Ye Chuqing’s heart skipped a beat, and she squinted at him. “Why? You still planning to act like a creep?”
He chuckled and looked down from her face to her legs, answering calmly, “The way you are right now, how could I possibly creep on you?”
Somehow, it felt like getting married had completely unleashed him.
But honestly, Ye Chuqing didn’t feel like putting up a fuss anymore. They were married now, had even drawn a top-tier fortune slip for a harmonious marriage. Continuing to insist on separate bedrooms would just be pushing it.
So after the wedding, Chen Shao moved his things into Ye Chuqing’s bedroom. He didn’t have much stuff, so the room didn’t feel all that different.
Sure enough, once you get used to sleeping together, it just becomes normal.
Not only that, but Ye Chuqing eventually came to quite enjoy the days of living under the same roof.
Chen Shao became her personal assistant — whatever she wanted or wanted to eat, he could take care of it. Ye Chuqing grew increasingly laid-back.
A week after the wedding, her previously fine body suddenly began experiencing morning sickness — and it worsened by the day. She couldn't eat and felt absolutely miserable.
And yet, when they went for a prenatal check-up, everything looked normal. The doctor simply said it would pass in time.
Leaning against the wall in the hospital corridor after just throwing up, Ye Chuqing’s eyes were red as she said weakly, “Chen Shao, I swear I’m going to kill you.”
He reached out and gently touched her slightly rounded belly. “My fault.”
Ye Chuqing was someone who responded to softness, not force. Hearing him say that, she immediately changed her tone: “Forget it. It’s not really your fault anyway. This pregnancy was confusing from the start.”
She no longer had the energy to deal with upcoming film festival events, but luckily, Chen Shao was already familiar with that world, so she just handed everything over to him. Unexpectedly, marrying him had also come with a super-capable assistant.
By the time the film festival event concluded successfully, her morning sickness finally started to ease up.
Since they were now living in the same bedroom, there was no more need for boundaries. They even hired a housekeeper to handle cleaning and meals.
One day, Ye Chuqing and Chen Shao came home together. As soon as they walked in, the housekeeper pointed to two invitation cards on the table and said, “They were delivered around noon today. They’re addressed to Mr. Chen and Madam.”
The cards were stamped with gold-embossed letters — Qichuan University.
Ye Chuqing had done her undergrad at Qichuan University. But why were there two invitations? One of them clearly had Chen Shao’s name on it.
Had the alumni association gotten so thoughtful that even spouses now received their own invitation?
She immediately opened Chen Shao’s envelope and read:
Qichuan University cordially invites alumnus Mr. Chen Shao, class of XX, to attend the 80th anniversary celebration.”
“?”
Ye Chuqing froze. “You went to Qichuan University too?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
That was wild. She and Chen Shao were actually alumni.
She did the math — she was two years younger than him. Someone like Chen Shao must’ve been well-known at the school. She should’ve seen him at some point, right?
“What school were you in?”
“Business School.”
Ye Chuqing thought for a moment. “Back then, didn’t the business school move to the branch campus by junior year?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“No wonder I never saw you.” She still found it hard to believe. “Can’t believe I accidentally married a fellow alum. What are the odds?”
Chen Shao laughed.
The Qichuan University 80th anniversary celebration was scheduled for the following weekend, but it happened to overlap with a business trip Chen Shao had in a neighboring city, so he couldn’t attend.
Meanwhile, Ye Chuqing had always been restless during her college years — the early stages of pregnancy had already left her feeling suffocated. Naturally, she wasn’t going to miss this chance to revisit her alma mater.
That morning, she put on makeup and headed off to Qichuan University.
So many years had passed. She’d left for her master’s program overseas in June of her senior year and hadn’t even taken proper graduation photos. In truth, she’d never really said a proper goodbye to her undergrad life.
She’d always been social back in college and had known many people — many of them showed up today too, greeting her warmly along the way.
As she chatted with a few friends she hadn’t seen in years and walked into the art center lobby, the principal and professors were already preparing at the front.
Many of these friends now lived abroad or in other provinces, so they hadn’t been invited to her wedding. Naturally, they were all abuzz with questions about her husband.
“Do you have a photo? Let me see what your husband looks like!”
“…I actually don’t.”
Her friend clearly didn’t believe her. “No way. You’re married and don’t even have a photo together?”
“…” Ye Chuqing didn’t know how to explain. “Oh right, he also went to Qichuan. He’s two years above us.”
“What’s his name?”
“Chen Shao.”
“Chen Shao?!”
Ye Chuqing gave her a look. “…Why are you so shocked?”
“The one from the business school?”
“Yeah.”
“You should’ve just said his name! Anyone from our years at Qichuan would know who he is!”
Ye Chuqing: “…”
He was that famous? She was honestly kind of embarrassed.
“Your husband is Chen Shao?!” Her friend was getting more and more worked up — she actually let out a full-on yell of disbelief.
Ye Chuqing hurriedly covered her friend’s mouth and lowered her voice. “What are you doing?!”
“Hey, what are you getting shy for?” Her friend teased, winking at her. “You weren’t like this before. You were the nightclub queen! I never thought you’d be the type to get married so early.”
“Get lost. Who are you calling a nightclub queen?”
“But seriously, now that you’re married to Chen Shao and living the high life, it makes Wei Yuanhe look even worse by comparison.”
Ye Chuqing asked, “What happened to him?”
“He broke up with the girlfriend he was about to marry.”
“When did that happen? I ran into him at a friend’s birthday party not long ago — his girlfriend even showed up later.”
Come to think of it, she and Chen Shao had ended up like this in the first place all thanks to him.
Wei Yuanhe had also gone to Qichuan University. They didn’t have any contact during undergrad, but after both going abroad on government scholarships, they gradually became close and ended up dating for three months.
But Wei Yuanhe was truly scummy — constantly surrounded by women and always unclear about boundaries. Ye Chuqing couldn’t stand that and broke up with him quickly.
There hadn’t been much emotion involved — just a lot of disgust, which made it memorable.
Her friend replied, “It was pretty recent. I just heard it from someone else. Apparently, he was the one who dumped the girl.”
Ye Chuqing scoffed. “And we’re supposed to feel bad for him?”
“Well, I guess being good-looking helps. You might’ve been the only one who ever dumped him.”
“Is he here today?”
“No idea. I haven’t seen him.”
Even after the school ceremony ended, Ye Chuqing didn’t see Wei Yuanhe. Eventually, she just stopped thinking about it.
After the campus activities were over, her classmates and fellow alumni naturally made their way to a nearby karaoke lounge.
KTV gatherings were always the same: someone hogging the mic, others catching up or bragging about life.
Later on, someone — who had no sense of decency — started smoking in the private room. The smoke was heavy and cheap-smelling, and it nearly made Ye Chuqing sick. She excused herself to go to the restroom.
Finally, she could breathe again.
She wasn’t planning to leave just yet, so she leaned against the wall outside the restroom. Bored, she pulled out her phone and saw a message from Chen Shao:
[Are you at the KTV across from campus too?]
Apparently, alumni from other departments had come over as well. Ye Chuqing didn’t think much of it and simply replied with: “Yeah.”
Right after she sent it, a voice came from beside her. “Chuqing.”
She turned her head — it was Wei Yuanhe.
Ye Chuqing raised an eyebrow. She was full of confidence now — after all, she was married, seemingly happily, while he’d just gone through a breakup.
“You looking for me?”
“I heard you got married recently.”
She nodded, feigning surprise. “I didn’t send you a wedding invitation? Must’ve been an oversight.”
Wei Yuanhe frowned. “When we saw each other at that birthday party, weren’t you still single?”
“So what? You had a girlfriend then, and now you’re single again.”
Wei Yuanhe said, “Chuqing, I broke up with her because I realized... I’ve never been able to forget you.”
Ye Chuqing choked on air when she heard that, coughing violently until her face turned red. She nearly couldn’t catch her breath.
So many years had passed, and a scumbag was still a scumbag.
Once she finally stopped coughing, she patted her chest to calm herself and was just about to speak — when a hand slid over her shoulder from behind. Immediately, she caught the familiar scent of her own body wash — since they started living together, Chen Shao had gradually come to smell just like her.
“You’re pregnant. What are you doing in a place like this?” Chen Shao’s voice rang out — calm, but with just the right weight to it.
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