Delicate Beauty in the Palm : Chapter 2 - As expected of someone raised by Wen Liang

April 01, 2025 Oyen 0 Comments

Happy Reading~

Chapter 2: As expected of someone raised by Wen Liang

Chen Die ignored him.

She had seen him looking fierce plenty of times—just a furrowed brow wouldn’t scare her. She raised her hand and swatted away the one pressing on the back of her neck.

Her skin was thin and sensitive, now burning hot where he had grabbed her. It was probably already red. If he had used any more force, there would be visible fingerprints by tomorrow.

Wen Liang was unusually clingy today, nothing like his usual self. His gaze swept over her neck, and his brows furrowed slightly. He reached out, lifted her black hair, and pressed his palm against her skin.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

It didn’t anymore, but Chen Die still lifted her eyelids and said, “Obviously.”

Wen Liang: “If you had spoken to me properly earlier, I wouldn’t have hurt you.”

“I didn’t even say anything before you grabbed my neck,” Chen Die reminded him.

Wen Liang’s patience wore thin. He took the cigarette from his mouth. “What are you doing here?”

A couple walked past them, laughing. Chen Die stepped aside to let them pass, then glanced around—she didn’t want her friends to know about her complicated relationship with Wen Liang.

She smoothed her hair and said, “Celebration party.”

Wen Liang checked his watch. “What time are you going back?”

“No idea.” Chen Die shrugged, catching the familiar scent of him. “Probably soon.”

Wen Liang gave a soft ‘mm’ in response, then turned and walked away.

When Chen Die returned to her seat, she noticed a new face at the table.

A man, significantly older than the rest of them, sat there looking completely out of place, with a prominent beer belly.

Chen Die sat next to Xia Ying and leaned in to ask, “Who’s that?”

“Investor.” Xia Ying cupped her hand near Chen Die’s ear. “Apparently, he was also a student at our school back in the day. He partially funded the promotional video.”

Chen Die nodded and commented, “Well, he sure looks like an investor.”

Xia Ying stifled a laugh and lightly smacked Chen Die’s arm. “You’re so mean.”

Just as they were whispering, the beer-bellied man turned his face toward them and smiled. “So this is our leading lady?”

“That’s right, that’s right,” the guy next to him eagerly replied. “The pride of our campus, the reigning campus belle for four consecutive years.”

Chen Die dropped her teasing tone and gave a modest smile. “I don’t think the school ever officially chose a campus belle. It’s just something people made up.”

The beer-bellied man stood up, leaned halfway over the coffee table, and extended his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. Seeing is truly believing.”

Chen Die shook his hand briefly before withdrawing and sitting back down.

Xia Ying clicked her tongue and took Chen Die’s right hand, rubbing it exaggeratedly while whispering, “What a grievance for your poor hand.”

Chen Die shot her a look. “You can say that a little louder, you know.”

Scanning the room, she asked, “Where’s Lu Chuan?”

Xia Ying replied, “He got a phone call and left. He’s a busy man these days.”

“And Chen Shuyuan didn’t leave with him?”

That didn’t seem like her.

“No idea.”

Chen Die glanced around and noticed that Chen Shuyuan, who had been a former head of the external relations department and often dealt with businesses, seemed to know the beer-bellied investor well.

The beer-bellied man said, “I just saw the initial cut of the video. It’s excellent.”

Chen Shuyuan tucked her hair behind her ear. “The school specially invited Lu Chuan back to shoot it. Of course, it’s much better than anything we amateurs could do.”

She sounded as if she were boasting about her own boyfriend.

“You’ve got a good eye, finding such a great boyfriend,” the beer-bellied man remarked.

“Oh, it’s not like that.” Chen Shuyuan blushed, putting on a considerate tone. “Lu Chuan is focusing on his career right now, so we’re not prioritizing our relationship.”

Xia Ying rolled her eyes so hard they practically flipped over.

Everyone here knew Chen Shuyuan had chased Lu Chuan for four years, only to be rejected countless times. If not for his good manners, no one could have put up with her persistence.

Yet she still managed to twist the story like this.

Unbelievable.

The atmosphere had cooled significantly since the beer-bellied man arrived. Everyone else at the table, meeting him for the first time, now wore expressions of discomfort, unsure of what to say.

Meanwhile, he and Chen Shuyuan continued their conversation as if they were the only ones in the room.

“So, does our campus belle have a boyfriend?” the beer-bellied man suddenly asked, turning his attention to Chen Die.

Chen Die lounged lazily on the sofa, only lifting her gaze when she heard him. She smiled. “Yes.” 

“Well, of course. A girl this beautiful must have a boyfriend,” the beer-bellied man tsked and shook his head. “Lucky guy.”

Several people at the table frowned at his tone—it was just uncomfortable to hear.

But with the investor present, no one dared say anything.

“Lots of people have pursued Chen Die,” Chen Shuyuan said with a knowing smile. “I bet over the past four years, she’s received so many love letters her hands must be sore from holding them.” She giggled, then added, “Good thing her boyfriend isn’t from our school, or he’d be drowning in jealousy.”

The beer-bellied man turned to her. “Not from your school? Then where’s he from?”

Chen Shuyuan lifted her chin. “You’ll have to ask her. But I heard he’s really rich.”

After a pause, she nodded to herself. “Makes sense. None of the guys at our school could possibly meet her standards.”

That wasn’t even a veiled jab anymore—she was outright throwing shade at Chen Die.

Chen Die understood immediately.

So that’s why Chen Shuyuan didn’t leave with Lu Chuan—she was waiting for this moment.

Xia Ying couldn’t hold back anymore and snapped, “Hudie and her boyfriend have been together since before college! Stop spreading nonsense.”

Other people at the table also muttered in disagreement. “Yeah, plus, our school has plenty of wealthy students.”

“What’s going on? Why the sudden argument?” The beer-bellied man tried to ease the tension, lifting his glass. “Come on, I’ll toast our campus belle. My bad for bringing this up. Consider this my apology.”

Chen Die remained unbothered, smiling faintly. “Sorry, I have a low alcohol tolerance. I’ve already had too much.”

“I didn’t see you drink much,” the beer-bellied man remarked. “If you want to make it in this industry, you need to learn to drink.”

Just as Chen Die’s brows furrowed, a waiter hurried over. “Mr. Ma.”

The beer-bellied man raised an eyebrow, putting on airs. “You know me?”

“Yes, sir. Mr. Wen at that table over there has invited you over.”

“Which Mr. Wen?” The beer-bellied man sat up impatiently. He followed the waiter’s gaze across the room, and upon recognizing the person, immediately let out an “oh shit” and shot up from the couch, rushing over in a panic.

Xia Ying was stunned, watching as the beer-bellied man ran over to the man she had been staring at earlier, his face full of an ingratiating smile.

Standing before the man, he nodded and bowed, his posture low and subservient.

But the man himself remained expressionless. His words were inaudible, yet the slight lift of his chin exuded an air of superiority.

“What… what’s going on?” Xia Ying poked Chen Die.

Chen Die responded nonchalantly, “They probably know each other.”

“Thank goodness,” Xia Ying patted her chest in relief. “That was a lucky coincidence. Otherwise, you’d have had to drink with that scumbag.”

Chen Die squeezed her shoulder and let out a silent chuckle.

Wasn’t it just perfectly timed?

He probably hadn’t taken his eyes off their table the whole time.

With that incident stirring things up, Lu Chuan also left, and the celebratory mood was ruined. Someone mentioned heading back, and soon, everyone got up to leave.

Chen Die was at the back.

Chen Shuyuan, who had been seated furthest in, was the last to come out. When she stepped out of the booth, she saw Chen Die leaning casually against the wall.

Chen Shuyuan scoffed lightly and continued walking in her high heels. But as she passed Chen Die, her arm was suddenly grabbed and yanked backward.

Caught off guard, Chen Shuyuan’s head knocked against the wall. Chen Die pressed a hand against her throat, her gaze lowered.

She tilted her head slightly. “Chen Shuyuan, after all these years, is this still the only trick you know?”

“What do you want?! I’m warning you, this is a bar! There are so many people watching—what do you think you’re doing?” Chen Shuyuan’s voice was naturally high-pitched, and when she got emotional, it became even sharper. “No wonder you were raised by Wen Liang—you’re just as violent as he is!”

Chen Die laughed, the corners of her eyes lifting seductively like a fox.

She grabbed Chen Shuyuan’s collar and knocked her head against the wall again and again.

“I’ll tell you this, if I were as violent as him, do you think you’d still be standing here?” she said, enunciating each word.

“And Wen Liang is here right now—” she drawled. “Guess what he’d do to you if I called him over?”

Fear was instinctive.

Chen Shuyuan glared at her with resentment, but the sound that came from her throat was weak.

Chen Die was 1.7 meters tall and wearing high heels, using her height advantage to look down at her. “Try spreading rumors again and see what happens.”

It had rained again, and the ground was wet.

Xia Ying watched as Chen Die walked out of the bar a moment later, with Chen Shuyuan trailing behind her.

“Everything okay?” Xia Ying asked.

“Yeah.”

“How are you getting home?”

Chen Die’s phone vibrated.

Wen Liang: [Zhu Qicong is outside. Wait for me.]

She glanced toward the road and spotted the familiar black Bentley.

Chen Die lifted her chin slightly. “My boyfriend’s assistant is here.”

“I’m so jealous of you, Princess,” Xia Ying pouted. “Your boyfriend takes care of everything for you—food, clothes, transportation, everything.”

Someone nearby called out for Xia Ying to share a cab, so she said goodbye and ran off.

Once everyone had either taken the subway or hailed a taxi, Chen Die finally turned and walked toward the Bentley.

“Miss Chen.” Zhu Qicong nodded.

“Mm.” Chen Die asked casually, “How long have you been here?”

“Half an hour,” he answered honestly.

The night air carried a slight chill. Chen Die pulled a thin fleece blanket over her legs and yawned.

After a moment of silence, Zhu Qicong spoke softly, “Miss Chen, President Wen has been busy with company matters lately. His temper might not be great.”

Bad temper.

Yet, he had seemed pretty happy earlier, surrounded by beautiful women.

“What’s going on with the company?”

Zhu Qicong: “President Wen is in the process of stripping Director Qu of his shares. It’s a complicated matter.”

Chen Die only grasped the general idea—she didn’t really understand the specifics. She nodded and turned to look out the window without saying anything more.

About ten minutes later, Wen Liang finally came out.

He had that usual rough, roguish air, a cigarette between his lips, the lighter’s flame flickering briefly.

The car window was slightly open, allowing the faint voices of a group of men nearby to drift in.

One of them said, “Why is President Wen leaving so early tonight? Don’t tell me that tacky bastard Ma ruined the mood?”

Another man burst into laughter. “Like hell something like that could affect A-Liang’s mood. He’s just in a hurry to go home and play with his cat.”

The others caught on and started teasing. “We’ve all heard about President Wen’s luxury villa in the west suburbs—his personal golden cage for his precious beauty. When are you going to let us meet her?”

Wen Liang smirked but rejected them outright. “Get lost.”

Laughter rang out as the men obediently dispersed.

Wen Liang strolled over, pulled open the car door, and got in.

Zhu Qicong greeted him respectfully, “President Wen,” before smoothly driving toward the west suburban villa.

Normally, when Zhu Qicong picked Chen Die up from school, he wasn’t so stiff and would even chat with her. But whenever Wen Liang was present, he maintained absolute deference.

After all, Wen Liang was a madman. He had done countless outrageous things, and anyone in his presence had to be on guard, afraid that this unpredictable man might suddenly lose his temper.

Wen Liang was used to the silence in the car. He closed his eyes to rest for a while, then reached out and grabbed Chen Die’s hand.

He recalled her sarcastic remark from earlier: ‘Didn’t want to interrupt President Wen’s fun.’ At first, it had sounded irritating, but after thinking about it, he realized there was a trace of jealousy in her words.

Wen Liang’s mood improved. He rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand—smooth and soft, just as expected from someone he had carefully nurtured all these years.

“Got your tongue?”

Chen Die glanced at him. “What?”

“How was your time in Europe for the shoot?” he asked casually.

“It was fine. Just eating, filming, and sleeping. But the scenery was beautiful, and the shots turned out great. The film should be ready soon.”

Wen Liang simply responded with an “Mm” and ended the conversation, leaning back again with his eyes closed. But his fingers never stopped stroking her hand.

The night sky was clear, and the black Bentley cruised steadily toward the western suburban villa.

----------