Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 10 - Baby
Chapter 10: Baby
When Chen Die received Wen Liang’s call, she was at the mall.
After signing the movie contract in the afternoon, she received a transfer notification—a payment for appearing in the school's 80th-anniversary promotional video. The amount was quite substantial.
Tomorrow was Wen Liang’s birthday. After some hesitation, Chen Die took a taxi to the mall to pick out a gift for him.
Wen Liang used to give her gifts on her birthday—dresses or handbags, always perfectly suited to a girl's taste, but clearly not chosen by him personally. She figured it was just a task he delegated to one of his female assistants.
In return, she also gave him gifts on his birthday. But back then, all her expenses were covered by Wen Liang, making the gesture feel meaningless—like presenting Buddha with borrowed flowers.
This was the first time she could use her own money to buy him a gift.
Chen Die walked around the mall but couldn't find anything that felt just right. Then, she overheard a couple talking nearby.
The girl clung to the boy’s arm, speaking sweetly: “I heard there’s a new craft store on the sixth floor where you can make handmade gifts. Let’s go check it out!”
“…”
Chen Die thought for a moment and silently followed them.
The craft store had just opened this month and had been heavily promoted on social media. Business was booming.
As soon as she entered, a staff member greeted her. “Hello, are you looking for a gift?”
“Yes.”
“Who is it for? Parents, a best friend, or your boyfriend?”
Chen Die suddenly couldn’t bring herself to say it was for her boyfriend. Her relationship with Wen Liang had always been ambiguous—never explicitly defined. And with their contract nearing its end, it seemed even more uncertain.
She paused for a moment. “My brother.”
Wen Liang was six years older than her. After her second year of high school, he had practically raised her, so calling him a brother wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Oh, I see! You’re so beautiful, so your brother must be quite handsome!” The staff member flattered her smoothly. “In our store, you can make clay models, assemble LEGO sets, or create bead mosaics. If you prefer something simpler, you could design a bracelet.”
After listening to the introduction, Chen Die finally took a proper look around the store.
Most of the customers were couples or parents with their children. There were also some girls like her, shopping alone, but their faces were full of joy—probably planning a sweet surprise for their boyfriends.
Thinking about her own relationship with Wen Liang, Chen Die suddenly shuddered.
Her thoughts drifted to that night, when she was overwhelmed by the meal of two meat dishes, one vegetable, and one soup. And to the question she had blurted out without thinking: Will you ever like me?
She—Chen Die—would rather die than be that spineless again!!!
That cheap bastard!!!
She clenched her fists, steeling herself. Just then, her phone rang.
…It was Wen Liang.
“......”
Her hand slipped, and she almost dropped her phone as if she’d been caught red-handed.
“Hello?” She answered.
Wen Liang’s voice was tinged with alcohol. “Where are you?”
“Yitai Mall.” Chen Die lowered her gaze, absentmindedly picking up a bracelet from the display.
It was actually quite delicate.
“Are you done shopping?” His voice was lazy. “I’ll come pick you up.”
“Huh?” Chen Die was stunned. “Is something wrong?”
“No.”
She felt like his mood was off, but before she could think too much about it, the call had already ended.
As she put her phone back into her bag, the store clerk seized the moment. “The bracelet you’re holding is one of our handmade men's designs, infused with a natural wood scent. Many girls make one for their boyfriend or brother. If you’re interested, you can pay over there and start crafting it yourself!”
“…” Chen Die immediately put the bracelet back. “On second thought—”
“Yes?”
“My brother doesn’t deserve a bracelet made by me.”
“?”
In the end, Chen Die bought a suit from a store on the third floor. It was a brand Wen Liang often wore, and the piece she chose was a new seasonal design. The price slashed away more than half of her filming payment, making her heart ache.
With the suit bag in hand, she went to buy a cold drink.
Just as the drink was ready, Wen Liang’s relentless calls came again. He was as blunt as ever: “Come out.”
Chen Die was so annoyed she wanted to return the suit. Did a guy with this attitude even deserve a birthday present?
But in the end, she couldn’t be bothered to go back to the third floor, so she grabbed her drink and walked out of the mall. From a distance, she spotted Wen Liang leaning against his car, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
As she got closer, she caught the scent of alcohol on him.
Chen Die’s eyes widened. “Did you drive here?!”
“Designated driver,” Wen Liang lowered his gaze, shifting his eyes from her face to her hands. “What’s that in your hand?”
Chen Die instinctively wanted to hide it behind her back, but as soon as she moved, she still ended up handing it over. “I bought it for you.”
Wen Liang raised an eyebrow.
“A birthday gift.”
He was silent for two seconds, then curled his lips into a smile, hooking a finger through the bag’s handle to take a peek inside. “It’s not my birthday today.”
“I’m giving it to you in advance.”
Wen Liang took the bag and casually placed it in the car. “No advance gifts. This is just for today—I'll take a separate birthday gift.”
Chen Die: ?
“I used my filming pay to buy this for you! I can't afford another one!” she protested angrily. “How is that fair?”
“Filming pay?”
“Yeah, from the school's promotional video.”
Wen Liang raised a hand and lazily ruffled her hair. “Impressive.”
He took a deep drag from his cigarette, exhaled, and then nodded toward the riverbank ahead. “Let’s take a walk.”
Chen Die tossed her bag into the car and jogged to catch up with him.
Passing by an apple stand, she stopped, picked out two apples, and scanned her phone to pay.
Wen Liang stood a few steps ahead, looking slightly impatient.
She thanked the vendor, didn’t bother with a bag, and ran over to shove one of the apples into Wen Liang’s hand. “Here, your birthday gift.”
Wen Liang let out a short laugh.
Yitai Mall had been built just a few years ago, in a prime location right next to the river. The summer night breeze made for a pleasant stroll, and many people were out walking.
With their striking looks, Chen Die and Wen Liang stood out even in a city full of glamorous people, drawing quite a few glances as they walked.
Chen Die wiped her apple with her sleeve before taking a bite.
A crisp crunch, followed by the refreshing sweetness of the juice filling her mouth.
Wen Liang smirked. “Dirty girl.”
Chen Die didn’t mind and took another bite. “When I was a kid, I used to pick water chestnuts. I'd just wipe them on my clothes and eat them.”
She was talking about her childhood in the small town. Wen Liang hadn’t heard her mention that place in a long time.
The only memory he had left from back then was the day he saw her outside the bus station—wearing an old school uniform dress from her hometown, exhausted from traveling, her clothes wrinkled from the journey.
Her eyes had been especially clear, like pools you could see straight to the bottom of.
Bringing her home had been a whim.
He had been annoyed with the Chen family and meant to stir things up. He hadn't expected the little girl to be so carefree and actually nod in agreement to go with him.
After bringing her home, he hadn’t spent much time or effort on her. Most of the time, he wasn’t even at the villa, leaving her in the care of Aunt Zhang.
Over time, Chen Die shed her timid and reserved nature, blossoming into someone more confident and beautiful.
Then came the night after her college entrance exams.
Wen Liang had returned home, just finished his shower, and turned off the lights when his bedroom door quietly pushed open from the outside.
She walked in barefoot and climbed straight into his bed without a word.
At first, Wen Liang told her to go back to her own room. But the little girl was determined, stubbornly clinging to his bed.
After a few rounds of this, the meaning became clear.
Wen Liang was no saint, nor was he restrained by any rules. What happened after that was only natural.
He let out a low chuckle, reached out, and pulled her against him by the shoulder.
Chen Die stumbled into his embrace, the warmth of his body mixed with the scent of alcohol lingering in the air.
Then, in a lazy drawl, Wen Liang called her— “Baby.”
His voice was husky, deep, dripping with masculinity.
Chen Die looked up, only to see a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips—a lazy, mischievous curve, utterly improper. Before she could react, he added—
“You were wilder back then.”
“......”
Three seconds later, Chen Die finally grasped what he meant.
Even after four years of corruption by him, her face still burned red.
?
Is this even a human word?!!
Expressionless, she lifted his arm off her shoulder and flung it away, speeding up her pace to walk ahead of him.
Wen Liang didn’t chase after her. He just chuckled in his raspy voice, shoving his rejected hand back into his pocket as he followed behind at a leisurely pace.
The weather was perfect for a stroll, and before they knew it, they had already walked quite a distance. In the distance, the bright lights of the sports center across the street shone, accompanied by the booming beat of music and waves of excited screams.
Chen Die stared in that direction for a moment, remembering something Xia Ying had mentioned to her earlier.
There was a rock band concert at the sports center tonight.
She turned back to Wen Liang. “Hey, there’s a concert over there.”
He responded indifferently, “Mm.”
Chen Die could sense something was off about his mood. She didn’t know the exact reason, but she could guess it had something to do with his birthday.
He and Wen Qian shared the same birthday. Doing the math, this year Wen Qian was graduating from high school—he was probably having his 18th birthday banquet.
Chen Die sighed inwardly, thinking she must have been a reincarnated Bodhisattva, considering how good she was to this jerk.
It was the last stretch—might as well coax him a little.
“Wanna go watch?” she asked, looking at him.
“Watch what?”
“The concert.” Chen Die blinked. “I know a spot where we can see it.”
Wen Liang wasn’t particularly interested, but he also didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm, so he lifted his foot and followed her.
The high school Chen Die attended was right next to the sports center. Back when she was a student, concerts were sometimes held there. Her personality back then had been completely different from now—she had been dragged to secretly watch a concert during evening self-study by a friend.
Now, it was the weekend, and with school on break, the place was completely dark.
Chen Die led Wen Liang to the outer wall of the school’s sports field.
“The highest part of the bleachers gives a clear view of the big screen inside the concert venue,” she explained while looking around, as if searching for something. “We just need to climb over.”
She remembered there used to be a stone block here to step on—but where had it gone?
Just as she was lost in thought, Wen Liang had already leaped up effortlessly, clearing the wall with ease.
Chen Die:?
She suddenly remembered—Wen Liang had trained in the military for two years. This height was nothing for him.
Looking up, she saw him sitting on the wall, the full moon behind him casting a glow around his silhouette.
He leaned forward, completely blocking her view of the moon. All she could see now was Wen Liang.
Then he smirked, full of disdain. “And you call this bringing me here?”
“......”
Wen Liang reached out, grabbed her wrist, and with a firm pull, lifted her up.
Chen Die yelped in surprise. She had thought she would just use his strength to climb up—but instead, her feet left the ground entirely. Before she could react, she was already airborne, followed by the weightless sensation of dropping over the other side of the wall.
She let out a scream.
But she didn’t feel any pain.
She had landed right on Wen Liang.
“Are you crazy?! What if I got hurt?!” She smacked him.
“It’s soft,” Wen Liang replied concisely.
The grass by the school wall was rarely trimmed. By summer, it had grown tall and thick, making for a soft landing.
Chen Die quickly climbed off him.
Wen Liang sat up, lit a new cigarette, exhaled a puff of smoke, and looked at her lazily. “Such a coward.”
Having been both scared and mocked, Chen Die was fuming. She turned and stormed off.
She must have been an idiot to care about his mood!
Wen Liang sat there smoking for a moment longer before following her up the bleachers. By the time he reached her, she was already sitting at the highest point. The blue light from the sports center’s giant screen cast a glow on her face, making her skin look almost translucent.
Wen Liang took two steps at a time and stood beside her.
Sure enough, they could see the concert’s big screen from there.
“You’ve watched concerts here before?” he asked.
Chen Die huffed, ignoring him.
Wen Liang frowned. “What’s with the attitude now?”
“I was nice enough to bring you here, and that’s how you act? I’m not allowed to be mad?” Chen Die pouted, rolling her eyes. “Apologize.”
He let out a short laugh. “Should I get down on my knees too?”
“......”
This bastard. A dog’s mouth can’t spit out ivory.
Chen Die turned away and sat down on the steps.
The music from the concert drifted over.
‘Gently closing my eyes, I feel so clear now
No need for words to hold me back anymore
This dazzling new century no longer welcomes magic
I loved you with all my might, but it was just a farce
Hey, I’m leaving now
Yesterday’s words no longer matter
I’ve already seen the most beautiful scene…’
“Wen Liang.” She suddenly spoke. “I went for an audition a few days ago—Director Feng Zhi's new movie. I got the part.”
Wen Liang turned his head. “When did this happen?”
“Not long ago. I just signed the contract this afternoon.”
“You think I can't afford to support you anymore?”
Chen Die frowned. “Can you not talk like that…” She couldn't even find the right word to describe him, so she just huffed and lifted her chin. “Stop looking down on me. I can do just fine without you.”
“Where'd you learn to be this full of yourself?”
From you, she thought bitterly.
A few exchanges and she was already fuming again, just about to retort when his phone rang.
Wen Liang picked up, spoke only a few words, then hung up.
But Chen Die had understood enough—it sounded like someone had just given him a brief report on tonight's commercial event at the sports center.
Her eyes widened. “Wait, the investors the organizers brought in… that’s you?”
“Mm.”
“…” Chen Die was stunned. “Then why the hell are we sitting here listening from outside the wall?”
They could’ve just walked right in!
Wen Liang leaned back on his elbows, tilting his head slightly to glance at her. “Weren’t you the one who brought me in?”
A warm summer breeze blew past.
“You should’ve told me you were the investor! We nearly got hurt climbing over!”
Wen Liang frowned, her complaining giving him a headache—but the corners of his lips curled up slightly. His voice, carried by the wind, came with a faint threat: “If you keep running your mouth, you can climb back out on your own later.”
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