Delicate Beauty in the Palm

[1] At sixteen, Chen Die first met Wen Liang on the street. The young man toyed with his hat, his dark eyes unreadable as he stood over her. After a long moment, he leaned down, meeting her gaze. “Want to come with me?” he asked. And just like that, Chen Die followed him— for six year. [2] Everyone knew Wen Liang was wild, untamable, and cynical, yet rumors swirled that he had a beauty at home— the campus belle of the Film Academy. Stunning and radiant, playful and elusive, she had grown spoiled and willful under his care. For years, the two indulged in a passionate, mutually beneficial relationship, fully aware of what they meant to each other. Then, the day Chen Die graduated, she waved goodbye and left. Decisively, more so than the day she had nodded and followed him. Wen Liang lit a cigarette, exhaling through the blue-gray smoke, lips curling into a cold smirk as he murmured, “Good.” After she left, Wen Liang lived as recklessly as ever, seemingly unaffected. Everyone marveled at how heartless and indifferent Young Master Wen was— so many years together, and yet he let her go without a trace of hesitation. Then, one day, a tabloid headline surfaced, capturing them both in a scandalous scene— On a deserted street late at night, rising film star Chen Die delivered a vicious slap to the biggest investor of her new film, leaving the man stunned for a long time. After the slap, she casually swept her long hair back, her allure undeniable as she softly remarked, “President Wen, I believe we broke up a long time ago.” Far from angered, the man leaned lazily against his car, l**ked his lips, and praised her, “My little leopard, even your slaps are fierce.” Chen Die gazed at him with detached indifference, saying nothing. The ever-playful Wen Liang, known for his devil-may-care attitude, fell silent for a moment. Then, slowly his eyes reddened. His hands trembled as he carefully pulled her into his embrace, murmuring a name only he knew— “Lingling, be good… come back with me.” “I would never reach for the moon; I want the moon to come to me.” -Audrey Hepburn