Chapter 32 Milestone
Zhou Lin had no clear understanding of Wen Bairan's job.
Or perhaps it should be said that he had no clear understanding of most jobs in this world.
She went to the laboratory to drop off documents and tune the machines, while Zhou Lin watched her from the corridor through the glass.
One of the staff handed her a white lab coat, which was slightly oversized and engulfed her frame. Although there was no strict rule in the laboratory forbidding female staff from leaving their hair down, Wen Bairan still took a hair claw from her bag and tied her hair up neatly.
She wore little makeup, her brows lightly drawn, making the pair of eyes beneath them especially bright and innocent—
a kind of naturally elegant beauty.
Both back in school and now, many girls her age liked to use cosmetics to cover their natural skin and youth. Zhou Lin had never cared about such things. After all, in nightclubs or hotels, under dim and hazy lighting, they all looked the same to him: women.
But Wen Bairan was different.
She was pure and gentle, with bright eyes full of confidence, as if she never needed to hide anything.
He once loved taking her out during the day, just to see if she was just as flawless in the daylight.
Later, during those nights, he also enjoyed keeping the lights on—to watch her face gradually flush with shyness, to see the tears glistening in her eyes. Every clear, shining detail seemed to whisper that she loved him.
He was filled with her love.
Completely full.
A staff member was talking to Wen Bairan, and she nodded occasionally. Suddenly, she glanced up and smiled.
The corners of her almond-shaped eyes curved upward, and a sparkling shimmer rippled in her gaze.
Even with a mask on, the transparent goggles couldn’t hide the fleeting magic of her eyelashes—making one want to smile along with her.
Zhou Lin crossed his arms, his forehead pressed against the glass, a smile unconsciously touching his eyes. But before the smile could deepen, it was abruptly cut short—
Suddenly, the sharp spikes of a trap revealed their cold glint.
He had no time to dodge; a bloody hole was punched through his heart.
The metallic, sweet taste of blood gathered in his throat.
The white walls of the laboratory turned his face pale.
The debugging work inside had ended.
It had only been a minor glitch in the parameters, fixed with a quick adjustment.
Wen Bairan sent a message to the technical department, left the product manual and the contact number of the tech head, took off her coat, and stepped out.
The staff member, impressed by her professionalism, wanted to exchange contacts so they could reach her directly if they couldn’t get through to the technical department in the future.
She explained it was a one-time situation—the technical team colleagues were in Beijing for a meeting, and the two who remained had happened to be out on service calls, which was why she had come. Still, she left her work phone number.
They stepped out one after the other, but Zhou Lin was nowhere to be seen in the corridor.
Wen Bairan gazed into the empty hallway, a little lost.
Parking lot.
Zhou Lin had headed down first.
He didn’t know which car was Wen Bairan’s, so he picked a spot near the elevator and chain-smoked.
By the time Wen Bairan came down, there were already more than a dozen cigarette butts at his feet.
She smelled the smoke from afar and saw him the moment she stepped out of the elevator.
Frowning.
"You haven’t left yet?"
Her calm voice broke into his thoughts.
Zhou Lin looked up, his gaze dark. "Wasn’t leaving without you."
He rarely wore such an expression.
Usually, when he was in a good mood, even if he kept a cold face, it was just like an overcast day—
the clouds might hide the sun, but you could still sense the light beneath.
Now, there was no hint of sunlight at all.
Completely overcast, as if thunder and rain could break loose at any moment.
Wen Bairan paused mid-step.
Zhou Lin flicked away the half-smoked cigarette, crushed it under his shoe, and seemed already impatient. "Which car?"
Sometimes she really wondered whether he was genuinely clueless or just pretending.
She took out the car keys and pressed a button.
The white Golf behind them flashed its lights.
Zhou Lin turned around, probably surprised at how accurately he had guessed, and raised an eyebrow—his young master side showing.
"You drive."
As he passed by her, the cloud of smoke around him made Wen Bairan sneeze.
He got into the passenger seat.
Now she had to be his driver—the young master’s chauffeur.
Wen Bairan rubbed her nose and got into the car.
After closing the door, she frowned.
She couldn’t help but say, "Brother Li Yuan should’ve taken your lighter away."
Zhou Lin brushed it off. "Too bad he didn’t."
He spoke like a punk, with a rebellious attitude that bore no resemblance to a privileged young master.
Wen Bairan didn’t feel like arguing. She fastened her seatbelt and started the car. "I’ll drive you back to Jinhu Mansion first."
"Go to your company first."
"I don’t need it."
"Since when do you decide what I need?"
As the car pulled out of the parking space and accelerated, the seatbelt warning for the passenger seat kept chiming incessantly inside the vehicle.
Wen Bairan slammed on the brakes, sending him lurching forward with the momentum.
The car's air conditioning had just been turned on, and the air was still warm. The thick smell of smoke clinging to Zhou Lin made the air even more stifling.
"Zhou Lin, I have to go to work. I don’t have time to waste on you. If you’re bored, get out now. Go find your friends or your girlfriend—let them entertain you. I don’t have time for this!"
Her voice was raised, and Wen Bairan didn’t even know why she was so worked up. She hadn’t meant to lose her temper, but it had happened anyway.
Zhou Lin, predictably, shot back.
"What are you so busy with, then? Work? Fine, I’ll wait till you’re done. And don’t tell me you have to work overtime—I’ve never heard of any company requiring employees to be on call 24/7. I’ve heard enough of your lame excuses. Try another one." The car was too small, and the passenger seat had been adjusted by someone, cramping the legroom. Zhou Lin’s long legs had nowhere to go, and when he turned, he got stuck. Frustrated, he slammed his fist into the seatback.
The car was practically a relic at the company, hardly able to withstand his rough handling. The headrest support wobbled precariously.
Wen Bairan yelled at him to stop, "What are you doing? This is a company car! Are you trying to break it?"
"I don’t want to do anything. I just want to know if you have time to talk to me properly right now."
"Wen Bairan, I’ve always wondered—what do you do with all your time? Do you love work that much? Is the company really your home? Now I get it—your boss is there, right? You’re rushing off to meet him for a hookup, aren’t you?!"
Li Yuan had told Zhou Lin to stay calm and talk to her properly. Over the past few days, he’d come to accept that he’d made a terrible mistake and was willing to face the heartbreaking consequences. He didn’t expect Wen Bairan to forgive him anytime soon.
But he couldn’t take it anymore.
The scene from the lab kept replaying in his mind—that Saturday, Wen Bairan pinned down on the sofa, the man’s hand just lifting from her chest, her exposed shoulders smooth as jade, gleaming in the low light.
They stood side by side, staring at him like he was some trespasser, accusing him with their eyes for showing up uninvited.
He’d seen how Wen Bairan shielded that man.
These images flashed through his mind relentlessly—in fragments, freeze-frames, with sound or without—replaying over and over in every possible form.
He could even recall the fabric of the wrinkles in her clothes.
Every detail rushed back, fueling an acidic anger and jealousy that felt like it was burning a hole through his heart.
He tried to suppress it, taking deep breaths to force down the pain, but it was too hard. He didn’t know if he could do it.
In the shadows of the car, Wen Bairan’s face seemed to give off a vibe that made him want to possess her. Even now, the look of disappointment and shock in her eyes was just like before.
But this person, who seemed unchanged, was no longer his.
He was truly losing it.
"Are you serious about him?"
"Wen Bairan, talk to me!"
Zhou Lin’s raised voice was bottled up in the car, circulating with the cold air.
It made Wen Bairan’s head pound.
She stared at him in disbelief, as if she didn’t recognize the person before her. His dark, intense eyes seemed to be blazing, a searing, lava-like heat that felt unbearable. It was as if he wanted to destroy everything.
The white Golf was blocking the exit like a large roadblock. The horns of the cars behind them were blaring, near-deafening.
Wen Bairan frowned, watching as Zhou Lin turned his head and shot a deadly glare at the car behind. She thought he was about to jump out and smash their windows to pieces, and she was ready to stop him.
But he quickly turned back, yanking the seatbelt tight to secure himself in place.
"Drive!" he growled.
Wen Bairan jolted back to attention, released the handbrake, and stepped on the accelerator.
As the car emerged onto the street, sunlight instantly flooded everything with light.
The inside of the car was hot—whether because the air conditioning was broken or simply not turned on, she couldn’t tell.
Wen Bairan kept glancing sideways at Zhou Lin. Beyond suspecting the car might have issues, what she really mistrusted was him.
He’d been so agitated earlier. If this were like before, he should’ve told her to pull over somewhere, then argued with her, or maybe even dragged her out of the driver’s seat, taken the wheel himself, and sped off to Jinhu Mansion to settle things with her.
But he did none of that.
It was as if the seatbelt really had held him in check.
The whole way, he didn’t speak or move, just stared out the window, the fire in his eyes still burning, as if he wanted to burn a hole through everything he saw.
But he didn’t look at her.
Wen Bairan seemed to sense something. She didn’t dare stop the car, nor did she dare let him unbuckle his seatbelt.
A quiet dread built inside her, swelling into a weight that felt crushing.
When they reached her company building, she hesitated but eventually drove into the underground garage.
It wasn’t quitting time yet, so it was quieter here than on the street.
The car engine shut off, and with it, her anxiously pounding heart seemed to stall at that moment.
She was afraid Zhou Lin would say something now.
Silence hung in the air for a long moment.
Her phone, mounted on the dash, suddenly vibrated.
The screen lit up, face recognition unlocked it, and a message popped up.
[Qiao Yi]: You back yet? Master Song’s asking for you.
Sensing Zhou Lin’s gaze about to turn toward it, she quickly snatched the phone from the mount and turned it off.
She knew it looked guilty—like admitting guilt without being accused.
There was nothing important about that WeChat message.
But she did it anyway.
She heard Zhou Lin’s cold, mocking laugh, laced with sharp sarcasm. "Sounds guilty to me."
Zhou Lin was gritting his teeth.
The gnashing of his teeth felt like it was grinding her bones.
Her scalp went numb, yet Wen Bairan relaxed anyway.
She put on a calm front and said, "I’m here. You can go now."
He was broke. She turned to get some cash from her bag but forgot to unbuckle her seatbelt first. The nylon strap suddenly bit into her shoulder, tearing through her skin. The sharp, sudden pain left her frozen.
In that very moment, Zhou Lin lunged forward, cupped the back of her head with both hands, and crushed his lips against hers.
"Zhou Lin!" Wen Bairan gasped, horrified, struggling to pull back, but the seatbelt held her firmly in place.
Zhou Lin’s hands were like another pair of manacles; she felt her neck was about to snap under his grip. "Let go of me—mmph!"
He kissed her with single-minded intensity.
Even though she clamped her mouth shut, refusing him, the sensation of their lips pressed together felt perversely comforting to him—a feeling he hadn’t felt in ages.
It had been a long time since he last kissed her.
Before their breakup, they had gone nearly half a year without any intimacy.
Half a year.
For the Zhou Lin of the past, this would have been inconceivable.
They saw each other every day, shared a bed every night, yet at most, she would quickly get him off with her hand before growing tired.
Afterward, she would wearily wash her hands in the bathroom, come back, and collapse into sleep.
Frustrated, he’d lean against the headboard smoking until the smoke woke her up coughing.
Sometimes, if she was too tired, he would go to the living room to play his PSP, staying up all night.
During that time, they grew quiet and distant.
Their bodies lay under the same blanket, but their hearts were miles apart.
Hugging became unnecessary, let alone kissing.
Looking back now, they had both sensed the rift widening back then.
It was as if they had entered a weird countdown.
He knew she was phoning it in; she understood his mind was elsewhere.
Everything at the time had clues plain to see.
Yet the outcome remained just as inevitably helpless.
Wen Bairan’s lips were soft, carrying a subtle sweetness from her usual breath spray.
She always paid meticulous attention to these small details.
He used to say she was too hung up on image, even though he was the one from money.
But now, Zhou Lin was starting to get—it wasn’t herself she cared about, but his feelings.
She had never let go of who she was just because they were together.
The version of her he had fallen in love with was always there.
Never changed.
He was the one who had forgotten.
The kiss began with impulse and struggle but gradually took on a different feel.
Clearly, both checked out.
It felt like mere contact between flesh, without any real heat. The passing hint of something more only heightened the underlying sorrow of the kiss.
In his actions, Wen Bairan confirmed her suspicions she had felt all along.
Zhou Lin had changed.
Truly changed.
For now, she didn’t know what he was becoming, but she could sense that this change was heading in the direction she’d once wanted.
This was bad. This was all wrong.
Back then, she had those hopes because she still wanted to be with him.
But now was different.
They couldn’t go back.
Zhou Lin’s soft lick on her lips felt like an apology. When he finally broke the kiss after one last breath, he slowly released her.
Wen Bairan lowered her gaze, her eyelashes brushed against the center console. Her eyes seemed detached, as if she’d left her own body and hovered mid-air.
She forced herself not to feel his gaze.
At this point, none of it mattered anymore.
But Zhou Lin didn’t seem to want to seek any meaning from her either.
He unbuckled both their seatbelts, turned to grab her bag, and got out of the car first.
Wen Bairan stepped out a moment later.
The cramped parking garage felt loud with silence.
"My job here is done. You can go up now," Zhou Lin said.
Wen Bairan frowned, looking at him in confusion. "Lin..."
"Nothing more to say. I own up to it," Zhou Lin cut her off.
Wen Bairan flinched.
Her hesitant gaze cut him deepest.
"This piece of junk is unbearable to sit in. You’d better check if I broke anything," he averted his eyes, playing it cool as he tapped the car’s hood. With a disdainful lift of his chin, the trademark arrogance of Young Master Zhou came out. "If it’s broken, I’ll replace it ten times over."
His tone and attitude were same as ever, as if nothing had happened.
No argument, no out-of-line kiss.
Wen Bairan saw in his eyes the traces he was desperately trying to hide—buried deep underground, right alongside his wounds.
A familiar ache took hold of her heart once more.
It wouldn't go away.
A Lin was gone.
That evening, Li Yuan called to say he'd made it home.
He'd taken the subway.
Somehow he'd gotten off at the wrong stop and walked seven kilometers.
Seven kilometers.
Seven kilometers—of all things.
Li Yuan asked, intentionally or not, if there was some story behind those seven kilometers.
Wen Bairan came back to herself and calmly said no.
There was no story.
Every story had come to an end.
After she hung up, she looked out her home's west-facing window.
The clouds were heavy tonight—really heavy.
Those seven kilometers were her secret.
Her milestone.
But you won't find it, A Lin.
Because I,
Have already torn it down.
...