Chapter 66 Bonfire
The evening bonfire party was quite a production.
Wen Bairan only realized that both Song Xu and Xu Lanjun knew the owner of Yuehu Villa when he came over personally to greet them.
The upcoming cancer medicine symposium scheduled for January next year was going to be held at Yuehu Villa.
The air in the suburbs was much fresher than in Shenjiang. An afternoon breeze had blown all the clouds away, revealing the stars and moon in the sky.
Wen Bairan leaned against the long table, watching the villa owner chatting happily with Song Xu and Xu Lanjun across the massive bonfire.
The heat haze from the flames blurred Song Xu’s serenely smiling face, and the words he had said to her at the equestrian center that afternoon still lingered in her mind.
‘P&t is a marker. Whether I'm part of this marker or not, it will never disappear.’
Whether he was within it or not...
Did that mean he might not be?
Was he planning to leave the company?
Wen Bairan didn’t understand. The laboratory was already fully operational, and several early-stage projects they’d started were gradually materializing. It could be said the company was completely on track. What did he want to do by leaving at this point?
Song Xu always calculated three steps ahead of others. She tried to think along his lines to predict where those three steps might lead, yet she felt he wouldn’t so easily fit her predictions.
She had a vague sense that something was about to change.
Ni Guang was due to launch in just a week.
She wondered if this change would come before or after.
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the glass in her hand being taken away.
Glancing sideways, she saw Zhou Lin had somehow made his way to her side.
“Who said you could drink outside?”
He frowned, placing the wine glass heavily aside.
He had forbidden her from drinking outdoors.
With a stern expression, he pressed a ceramic mug into her hand.
“Drink this,” he said tersely, as if giving an order.
Wen Bairan paused, lowering her gaze.
The scent of the floral tea wafted into her nose, its warmth spreading through her palm. Dried roses gradually unfurled their soft bodies in the rich, deep-colored tea.
Her gaze flickered slightly as she looked up at him.
Zhou Lin’s expression was dark, his hands shoved into his pockets as he leaned beside her.
He had been missing since she and Song Xu returned from the equestrian center that afternoon. Xu Lanjun said he was under the weather and had gone back to his room to rest.
Wen Bairan couldn’t help worrying about his injury and asked if he needed to see a doctor.
Remembering Song Xu was still there, she quickly reined in her concern and explained that Zhou Lin tended to push himself too hard, and it was better to be cautious in case something happened.
Song Xu didn’t respond, perhaps dismissive of her overly defensive explanation.
He walked away to take a phone call.
Left alone with Xu Lanjun, Wen Bairan was about to ask her not to misunderstand when Xu Lanjun snorted, crossing her arms.
“Xiao Wen, Zhou Lin is an adult. If something really happens, he’ll handle it himself. I know you care about him, but honestly, he’s not as helpless as you think. For example, if he didn’t eat last night and got too hungry, he’d naturally get up and find something to eat. That’s a natural reaction, a survival instinct—it doesn’t require anyone’s reminder. But have you ever considered that it’s precisely because you take care of everything for him that it makes him seem incompetent?”
Wen Bairan was left speechless by her words.
She admitted that smothering concern was indeed her flaw. Although she had tried hard to change, long-ingrained habits sometimes made her forget herself.
It wasn’t so much that she had a tendency to fuss over others, but rather that she didn’t quite trust Zhou Lin.
Thinking carefully, Xu Lanjun and Li Yuan had both told her the same thing.
Steam curled up from the cup as she took a sip of the hot tea. The comfortable warmth spread down her throat.
Wen Bairan suddenly said, “In two more years, we’ll be thirty.”
Zhou Lin frowned down at her. “What are you trying to say?”
She shook her head, looked up, and smiled. “It’s just that time flies. In the blink of an eye, we’ve become adults.”
The bonfire crackled and burned not far away, the shapes of the flames danced in the smile at the corners of her eyes. Zhou Lin was momentarily taken aback.
He recalled a memory of a New Year’s Eve—he couldn’t remember which year—when he had forgotten the dormitory’s curfew, or perhaps it was intentional. Wen Bairan refused to go to his rented apartment outside, so the two of them hid on the rooftop of the teaching building to set off fireworks.
They had six sparklers in total. Just as they lit the last one, they were discovered by security.
Zhou Lin tried to pull her away to run, but Wen Bairan insisted on making a wish before it burned out.
She had always been more mature than her peers, and such girlishly childish behavior was rare for her.
The security guard’s flashlight beams were right outside the door. He held her arm and watched as she closed her eyes amidst the crackling sparks, clasped her hands, and said, “I hope we can both become capable adults.”
As soon as she finished, the sound of the door being forced open startled her into a scream. He quickly grabbed her and dashed in the opposite direction. The cold wind on the rooftop bit their faces, but back then, she had smiled the same way.
Soft, innocent, brimming with excitement and hope, anticipating the start of a new year.
Now, that smile also held a sense of release and ease.
He watched her for a long time, until his throat felt dry, before managing to say, “You don’t have to wait until thirty. You’re already a useful adult.”
If he hadn’t been weighing her down, perhaps she would have become her ideal self even sooner.
The bonfire party’s performances started at 8:30 PM, the host’s voice echoing across the grounds through the speakers.
The crowd gradually began gathering toward the stage.
The sudden surge of noise drowned out his words, and Wen Bairan didn’t catch what he said.
Zhou Lin’s dark eyes stiffened slightly, and he shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Wen Bairan glanced at him but didn’t overthink it. Straightening up, she pulled her coat tighter and headed toward the stage. “Let’s watch the show.”
Across the bonfire, the owner of Yuehu Villa asked Xu Lanjun and Song Xu to have a good time before leaving.
Once he was gone, Xu Lanjun turned around and saw Song Xu squinting, his eyes fixed on some unknown point in the distance.
Following his line of sight, she saw two people standing side by side below the stage across from them, occasionally whispering to each other—they looked quite well-matched.
Xu Lanjun raised an eyebrow, a hint of gloating in her tone, and asked, "Mr. Song, are you jealous?"
The cocktail in his hand didn’t taste quite right; Song Xu took a sip and set it aside. Hearing her remark, he withdrew his gaze, swirled the murky liquid in his glass, and said calmly, "I don’t waste time on meaningless things."
"You're faking!" Xu Lanjun didn’t believe a word he said. "Look at you just now—you were practically staring a hole through them!"
Obviously, he cared to death, yet he pretended to be detached and fearless. As if.
Song Xu remained unmoved by her sarcasm and offered no explanation. Instead, he changed the subject: "So, can you tell me now what exactly you’re trying to achieve by going to such lengths to bring us all together?"
"A power struggle?"
"I remember telling you—you don’t stand a chance against her."
He set down his glass.
Xu Lanjun pouted, unwilling to admit defeat. "What makes you so sure? Even if I can’t handle you, do you really think I can’t handle Zhou Lin?"
Glancing at the person taking photos of Wen Bairan over there, Song Xu said dismissively, "Then you’d better succeed."
"Aha!" Xu Lanjun immediately seized the flaw in his tone. "Got you! And you still say you’re not jealous? Please, they’re just talking—isn’t that normal between friends? Besides, aren’t we standing here talking too?"
"It’s different."
"How is it different?" They were also a man and a woman—did Wen Bairan have some kind of superwoman powers or something?
Song Xu stuck his hands casually into his pockets, clearly not planning to give her a lesson on the subject.
Seeing him like this, Xu Lanjun was reminded of that night in the hospital parking lot when he was smoking. Honestly, the reason she wanted to compete with him was simply to see what someone like him looked like when brought down by love.
But now she didn’t want to anymore.
Song Xu was not the type to bow his head.
Even if he did, it would only leave a bad taste.
That night’s frustration had already been the limit.
Heh.
Looking at him now, even if he were turned to dust, his mouth would surely remain hard.
She had no idea how Wen Bairan could stand him.
Feeling a bit of sympathy for the adorable Wen Bairan, she also set down her glass. "Back to the point."
"Since you’re sure there’s no possibility of an arranged marriage between us, all I can do is ask you to help me with something."
Song Xu’s gaze shifted slightly, glancing down at her sideways.
Xu Lanjun mysteriously beckoned him closer with a finger. "This matter... is actually very simple..."
/
Zhou Lin was taking photos with Wen Bairan’s phone when, after just a couple of shots, it rang.
He handed the phone back to her. "You have a call."
Wen Bairan took it, glanced at the caller ID, and pointed toward a quiet spot nearby. "I’ll take this over there."
Zhou Lin: "Okay."
His eyes followed her to the shade under the trees. When he looked back, he saw Song Xu and Xu Lanjun on the other side whispering furtively. His expression instantly darkened, and he marched over furiously.
"...I originally planned to pretend we hit it off, but who knew you’d be so impossible to work with? Now it’s come to this—I definitely can’t bring it up directly myself. You know how stubborn Old Guang is. You’re the only one he’ll listen to now. I have no choice—who made him such an authority in my family? Just do me this favor, okay?"
Xu Lanjun shrugged helplessly as she explained that her visa and passport had been confiscated by her family. Her pained expression contrasted sharply with the row of edgy earrings glittering under the night sky.
She had been acting so self-assured all this time—one would have thought she was a free spirit. Who would have guessed she was still such a family person?
Song Xu raised an eyebrow but hadn’t yet spoken when a figure rushed over to them.
"Song Xu!"
Both turned their heads simultaneously.
Zhou Lin arrived before them, seething. Song Xu’s expression remained blank.
Xu Lanjun, however, was somewhat surprised. "...What are you doing?"
Zhou Lin shot her a glance before immediately directing his anger at Song Xu: "What are you hiding here for? Flirting?"
The thought of him being with Wen Bairan yet still daring to talk so intimately with another woman made him want to punch him hard.
He frowned. "Have you forgotten who you're with right now?"
Xu Lanjun, stared down by him, was momentarily taken aback.
"Zhou Lin..."
She opened her mouth to speak, but Zhou Lin suddenly stepped in front of her, blocking her, and snapped harshly for her to be quiet.
Her heart skipped a beat.
This guy... wasn’t actually protective of her, was he?
Song Xu’s gaze shifted between them before settling on Zhou Lin’s furious face. After a moment of scrutiny, he seemed to realize something and said meaningfully, "Don’t misunderstand. We were just talking business."
Zhou Lin’s frown deepened.
Whenever Song looked at him, his eyes always tilted downward. Even though they were about the same height, his condescending gaze made it seem like he was looking down on a weaker loser.
What was even more infuriating was that he had been looking at him this way since their first meeting at Wen Bairan’s home.
Damn it!
He growled, "Stop looking at me like that!"
Blocked by him, Xu Lanjun couldn’t see what was happening but felt the person in front of her suddenly tense up and take a fierce step forward. Instinctively, she grabbed him: "Zhou Lin! Calm down!"
The two men were now inches apart. The intense, dangerous aura in Zhou Lin’s dark eyes was just as intense as Song Xu’s. "Listen here, Song—don’t think everything’s settled! Don’t you dare try any tricks in front of me. I’ll be watching you, always watching you! If you dare have even a hint of disloyalty toward Ran Ran, I won’t let you off!"
Song Xu stood his ground, unfazed. In response to the warning and threat pressed right in his face, he merely tilted his chin slightly and said, "Is that so?"
How exactly would he not let him off? By throwing punches?
The lesson from last time should have made Zhou Lin understand the disparity in their strength—otherwise, he would have already thrown a punch.
Still, it was satisfying to see that he had finally accepted where he stands.
That's right, he was no longer a participant.
He could only watch.
There was no other choice.
Seeing the look of contempt on Song Xu’s face that practically screamed "he doesn't know his place," Zhou Lin clenched his jaw so hard that the veins in his neck stood out.
Just as the situation seemed about to escalate, Song Xu surprisingly stepped back half a pace.
“I understand what you mean.”
He had no intention of escalating the conflict, especially since he had promised Wen Bairan that he wouldn’t do anything to Zhou Lin.
Meeting Zhou Lin’s almost burning gaze, Song Xu still kept his arms crossed, but his expression turned uncharacteristically solemn.
“You can rest assured.”
“I won’t hurt her.”
Zhou Lin was stunned.
It was only then that Xu Lanjun finally understood what the two were talking about. So Zhou Lin was here to stand up for Wen Bairan? She immediately let go of him, her expression falling. “Hey, haven’t you had enough?” she said. “This is making me look like I'm reading too much into things, you know.”
Zhou Lin ignored her completely, his gaze still fixed intently on Song Xu. “You’d better keep your word.”
Song Xu: “Of course.”
He rarely gave his word.
His word was his bond.
Meanwhile, down by the stage, Wen Bairan had finished her phone call and returned to her spot, only to find no one there. Anxiously, she began making calls to locate them.
Soon, someone’s phone vibrated.
Song Xu pulled out one hand, not bothering to hide the caller ID from Zhou Lin. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
He paused before turning away.
Song Xu curled his lips into a faint, almost imperceptible smile—one sharp enough to cut to the core.
“That touching declaration of guardianship—why didn’t you say it to yourself sooner?”
Zhou Lin’s dark eyes tightened.
He watched as Song Xu answered the phone and tenderly said, “Ran Ran. I’ll be right there.”
Song Xu walked away, and Wen Bairan, who had been waiting in the dense crowd below the stage, rushed toward him, clearly anxious. He opened his arms slightly and pulled her into a tight embrace, tenderly kissing her wind-cooled brow. She froze for a moment, then looked up at him, her eyes glistening as gently as the moonlight that night.
The night had grown deep, and the wind carried a chill.
Holding each other, they walked toward the mountain villa.
The campfire gathering was still going on.
A group of folk musicians were playing yangqin by a long table.
Under this melancholy yet vibrant night sky, Zhou Lin turned away, casually grabbing a bottle of low-proof alcohol from the table and knocking it back in one swallow.
Seeing this, Xu Lanjun asked with concern, “A Lin, are you okay?”
Zhou Lin remained silent.
That aching vulnerability had returned.
She stepped closer, squeezed his shoulder, and gently comforted him, “It’s over.”
Yes.
It was over.
The past, the present, the future.
All of it.
It was over.
He threw back five drinks in a row, drinking until his eyes were red, before finally stopping.
He lifted his eyes to the moon, obscured by clouds driven by the wind—the dim night sky reflecting the emptiness in his gaze.
Xu Lanjun steadied his unsteady form and, her heart pounding, said to him, “Come with me. Let’s go abroad together and leave all of this behind completely.”
It took him a long time to lower his gaze and look at her, but he didn't say a word.
//
At 9:30 on a weekend night, the stretch of road leading from Yuehu Villa to the highway was pitch black.
The once-clear night sky was now blanketed in ink-black darkness overhead, with heavy dark clouds making it hard to breathe.
In the car, Wen Bairan finished typing a message to Xu Lanjun, informing her that they were returning to Shenjiang ahead of them. Xu Lanjun asked if something had happened. Wen Bairan didn’t elaborate, only saying there was an urgent matter at the company.
After sending the message, she put down her phone and scanned uneasily at the seemingly endless sea of wild grass and trees lining both sides of the road.
Qiao Yi had just called to say that the matter involving Ye Qian and her daughter had been leaked online by someone. People had gone to their home to take covert photos, and Ye Qian, thinking they were burglars, called the police—only to find out it was a data breach, with the source traced back to P&T. She had contacted a lawyer to file a lawsuit against the company, and the legal department had just received notice.
Qiao Yi’s team was monitoring public opinion closely, and for now, the situation was under control. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that the online narrative seemed to be subtly pushing the narrative that the company was to blame for Ye Zi’s death.
Yet, from beginning to end, they had only gone to collect background information.
Her instincts told her something was wrong, so she immediately informed Wen Bairan.
Wen Bairan was immediately on high alert.
Song Xu had received the news that afternoon. Compared to her reaction, he remained far more composed.
Then again, he was always this cool-headed.
But Wen Bairan wasn’t like that.
Even though she knew it was still early in the situation and everything was manageable—as long as they reassured Ye Qian and managed the online narrative properly, they could keep the fallout to a minimum. It might even become an opportunity to promote their product.
But this was her first project leading solo since her time at New Future, and her first at P&T.
When Song Xu invited her to join the company, he'd said he would give her full control of the product department.
He trusted her.
She understood.
That's precisely why she couldn't allow any issues to arise with this trust.
The project had been progressing smoothly all along, yet it hit a snag right before launch. The timing was so suspicious it made you wonder.
What went wrong?
The car was quiet.
Song Xu turned on the heater, making her face flush with heat, yet her hands remained icy cold.
He knew what she was worried about. Discreetly, he held her hand, his thumb gently stroking the smooth back of her hand to soothe her. In a low voice, he asked, "Do you want to go?"
She paused, her eyes snapped back, and she shot him a puzzled look. "Go where?"
Song Xu replied, "To see Ye Qian."