AADWFL Chapter 13

The banquet was scheduled to start at eight. As one of the most distinguished guests, Yu Xiuming didn’t actually need to appear that early. So, upon arriving at the hotel, An Ning first booked a VIP suite for him to rest in — also convenient in case he wanted to retreat midway through the event.

An Ning handled such tasks with practiced ease.

It wasn’t just thanks to the original host’s memories he’d inherited — his own experience reading novels helped, too.

Luxury banquets like this often appeared in stories, and as Yu Xiuming’s assistant, An Ning was merely a background character in such scenes.

And “background character” was a role the original An Ning had long mastered — no need to over-socialize, no need to draw attention. Just quietly stand behind his boss, take care of him when necessary, and everything would go smoothly.

Since transmigrating into this book, An Ning had gradually realized that this fictional world was far more realistic than he’d expected. Still, his actions hadn’t yet strayed much from the novel’s original trajectory.

So for the first half of the banquet, An Ning dutifully lived up to his title as the background assistant.

The banquet was divided into inner and outer halls. The inner hall was tightly secured and of much higher class. If An Ning attended as an executive of Yu Sheng Group, he’d be qualified to enter. But tonight, as he was merely accompanying Yu Xiuming in his role as assistant, he didn’t want to upstage his boss — so he waited outside.

They hadn’t eaten dinner before coming, and An Ning was already feeling hungry.

The food and drinks outside were plentiful, though the taste was average. An Ning wasn’t picky — he picked up a few fruits and snacks, found a quiet corner, and crouched down to eat.

When he was alone, An Ning could never really switch off his thoughts.

When he was young, other kids went to the cinema. He couldn’t afford it, so he learned to play movies in his own mind — sometimes made-up stories, with himself or someone else as the main character. Imagining them brought him the same kind of satisfaction.

So now, he wondered — what was Yu Xiuming doing inside?

Checking his watch, he realized forty minutes had passed since he’d been waiting. Many celebrities — including the actress Xu Jianan had wanted to introduce to Yu Xiuming — should’ve arrived by now.

He frowned slightly. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t picture Yu Xiuming chatting warmly or getting cozy with a female star.

Then he remembered — at previous banquets, Yu Xiuming had never left him outside. Usually, he brought him into the inner hall.

But not tonight.

Could it be because Yu Xiuming wanted to create some private time with that actress?

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Inside the banquet hall.

It was called a “charity gala,” but in truth, it was a playground for celebrities expanding their networks and a den of luxury for the powerful.

Holding a glass of champagne, Yu Xiuming took just a few polite sips. He’d already exchanged pleasantries with a long line of people coming to greet him.

Boring.

Because he already stood at the very top, there wasn’t really anyone at this kind of event that Yu Xiuming needed to put effort into befriending.
On the contrary — once word spread that he was attending, plenty of people rushed over, eager to make his acquaintance and be seen.

After making a brief round of polite greetings to the few people he actually knew, Yu Xiuming finally noticed several male and female celebrities entering the hall.

He sighed inwardly and stayed where he was, prepared to exchange a few words with the person in question when she came over, make everything clear, and then leave immediately.

He bore no ill will toward the actress being introduced to him — but he also had absolutely no intention of finding someone to date in such a contrived way.

Yu Xiuming hadn’t dressed up specifically for the occasion. He wore his usual black business suit, a dark tie, and only a pale gray metal tie clip that caught the light from the chandeliers, gleaming faintly against the subdued tones.

Even though he deliberately tried to keep a low profile, people kept coming over to greet him. Yu Xiuming remained courteous and graceful, every movement refined and measured — but clearly, his enthusiasm was low.

“President Yu.”

A bright, confident female voice rang out across the hall, instantly drawing his attention.

A young, beautiful woman approached — her burgundy evening gown bold and elegant, hugging her figure just enough to show off her lithe, well-toned body.

Her makeup was flawless; in one hand she held a glass of red wine, the deep hue of her lips nearly indistinguishable from the color of the wine itself. As she walked, she radiated energy and poise — it wasn’t her outfit wearing her, but she wearing the outfit with complete command.

Objectively speaking, she was the kind of beauty that lingered in the mind after a single glance.

“Miss Yi,” Yu Xiuming inclined his head slightly, the corner of his lips curving in a polite smile as he raised his glass. “Good evening.”

“President Yu seems to be in quite a good mood tonight,” Yi Mingwei said with an easy, flirtatious smile. Her red lips curved into a charming arc as she lifted her glass toward him. “Let’s have a drink.”

Yu Xiuming smiled faintly. He clearly didn’t feel like drinking, but out of courtesy, he clinked glasses with her and took a sip of champagne.
“My mood is ordinary, actually,” he replied lightly, “but I can tell that Miss Yi’s is excellent.”

To Yu Xiuming, Yi Mingwei wasn’t a complete stranger.

Of course, Xu Jianan would never introduce just any actress to her son — not someone from a vastly different background.

This young lady was known for being independent and rebellious. Instead of following her family’s plans, she’d stubbornly entered the entertainment industry. Even after her father, furious at her defiance, cut her off financially, she had managed to make it on her own — rising to fame last year after starring in a hit TV drama adapted from a popular novel. Now, she was one of the hottest rising actresses in the business.

No matter how rebellious she’d been, she was still her parents’ daughter, and it was said that her relationship with her family had eased somewhat over the past half-year.

Still, Yu Xiuming had been cautious enough to ask An Ning to investigate her background beforehand.

Few in the entertainment circle knew her true family origins, and because of that, there were times when her career lacked the kind of heavy backing others enjoyed.

Yu Xiuming had already made up his mind — tonight, he would introduce her manager to a few useful contacts in the industry, clear up the situation with a few polite words, and thus gracefully bring this “blind date” arranged by Xu Jianan to an end.

Yi Mingwei smiled brightly and took a sip of wine.

“The night view from the rooftop is beautiful tonight. President Yu, why don’t you join me for a look?”

Though Yu Xiuming himself was dressed understatedly, with Yi Mingwei’s striking appearance beside him, if the two of them went upstairs together, he could easily imagine what kind of rumors would be flying by morning.

He sighed silently.

Over the past six months, Xu Jianan had organized several such pointless “introductions.” Each time he declined, she simply switched to a different type of woman, relentless in her mission.

“That won’t be necessary,” Yu Xiuming said with a polite smile. “There’s no one on the rooftop anyway. I’ve arranged to introduce a few friends to your manager tonight — why don’t we do that here instead?”

With how often Xu Jianan had been setting him up, Yu Xiuming — a man naturally gifted at everything — had now mastered the art of refusal with the effortless grace of long practice.

Yi Mingwei smiled, saying nothing.

Having navigated the treacherous waters of show business, she of course caught his meaning right away.

“No need to mince words,” she said with a light tilt of her head. “You’re so straightforward, President Yu — what else can I say? Honestly, if my mother hadn’t told me Aunt Xu was the one arranging this, I wouldn’t have come either. After working this hard without using a cent of my family’s money, if I really started dating you and people found out, they’d just say I’d landed myself a rich sponsor.”

What a refreshingly blunt woman.

Yu Xiuming smiled. Though her words were a bit bold, he actually found them rather refreshing.

“Miss Yi’s independence is admirable,” he said. “But I imagine you wouldn’t refuse a friend’s introduction or assistance?”

In the entertainment industry, networking was everything. Yi Mingwei certainly wasn’t naïve enough to reject help from someone like him.

Her smile turned charming. “Of course not. I’d never turn down a friend’s help.”

Yu Xiuming felt a quiet sense of relief. “Your manager came with you, I assume?”

Yi Mingwei was signed under one of the top companies in the business, and as one of the hottest A-list actresses, her manager would certainly accompany her to an event like this — especially one that offered valuable networking opportunities. Even if tonight was meant to include a meeting with him, her manager wouldn’t have stayed away.

“She did,” Yi Mingwei sighed, blinking her large eyes, her long lashes fluttering just enough to soften her tone.
“President Yu… are you really keeping this strictly business?”

“Strictly business,” he said.

She didn’t look disappointed at all — instead, she nodded briskly and let out a dramatic sigh. “What a pity. I was hoping to give the paparazzi a juicy headline — ‘Up-and-coming actress caught cozying up to a rich patron!’ But alas, President Yu refuses to play along.”

Her tone was teasing, but Yu Xiuming could tell she had already given up on the idea — and, more importantly, she wasn’t going to press the matter. Pleased to see the situation neatly wrapped up, he smiled faintly.
“Then call your manager over, Miss Heiress.”

“You wait here. I’ll go get her. Standing next to you too long doesn’t do me any favors anyway.” Yi Mingwei lifted her glass in a graceful farewell gesture, then turned and walked away, her perfume trailing lightly behind her as she disappeared into the crowd.

As the scent faded, Yu Xiuming finally relaxed completely.

Before Yi Mingwei’s manager arrived, he let his gaze wander — and spotted a fresh tray of desserts being set on the table beside him.

They looked oddly familiar. After a brief pause to recall, he realized he’d seen the same dessert at the Jialin Garden restaurant a few days ago.

Did Baishating and Jialin Garden hire the same pastry chef?
Not impossible.

That so-called “family dinner” had been tedious; Yu Xiuming hadn’t wanted to deal with his polite-but-distant parents, so his attention had ended up lingering on An Ning instead — particularly when he’d noticed the young man eyeing the sweet-and-sour ribs.

If he remembered correctly… An Ning had eaten quite a bit of this particular dessert that night.

Of course, eating a lot didn’t always mean liking something — sometimes it was just because there wasn’t much else one could eat.

But Yu Xiuming thought about it carefully, and decided that no, An Ning really did like it.

Because at that dinner, An Ning had started out eating politely — just a token portion of the first dish out of formality. But after Xu Jianan and Yu Linshan left the table, it had been just the three of them. Having eaten together many times before, An Ning had relaxed noticeably.

And among all the desserts on the table, he had reached for this one the most.

Yu Xiuming’s eyes lingered on the untouched dessert platter. Once this is over, he thought, I’ll have An Ning come in and try some.

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Author’s Note:
Yu Xiuming: (unwittingly entering feeding mode) “This one, that one… pack them all up and take them home to feed him.” 🐶🌹
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