AADWFL Chapter 37
by Suxxi“Just remember next time.” Yu Xiuming’s tone was light and casual. “I just want to relax a bit when we’re out together. Don’t feel pressured.”
He flipped through the menu where An Ning had already marked a few dishes, then shook his head slightly.
“So few?” he asked, looking up. “Is there anything else you want? It’s my treat today—no need to save me money, hmm?”
An Ning’s resistance to that kind of tone had long since dropped to zero. Rational thought abandoned him instantly.
“Then I’ll… add a few more,” Yu Xiuming said when An Ning didn’t answer. Perceptive as ever, he didn’t press further, just turned a few more pages of the menu himself.
When Yu Xiuming asked if he wanted dessert, An Ning nodded. When he asked about seafood porridge, An Ning nodded again. Then, when Yu Xiuming casually remarked that the champagne here was excellent and asked if he wanted to open a bottle, An Ning nodded out of habit—then immediately shook his head violently.
“I’m driving,” he reminded him. He hadn’t forgotten the car parked downstairs. The two of them had come out for a personal dinner, not a work-related one, so they hadn’t brought a driver. And An Ning knew Yu Xiuming disliked letting strangers from a driving service handle his car.
Yu Xiuming looked a bit regretful. “It’s a good wine. Just the two of us, drinking a little would be relaxing—it’s not like those business banquets where they force you to drink. How about this: let’s leave the car tonight. Tomorrow we can have the company driver fetch it—or you can come by and drive it yourself. We’ll take your car to work.”
“That’s… not impossible,” An Ning said after a moment’s hesitation. Yu Xiuming did have a point. It wasn’t every day they got to dine at such a high-end restaurant for leisure instead of business. He might as well enjoy it properly.
So Yu Xiuming instructed the waiter to open a bottle of champagne.
The menu was soon finalized. Yu Xiuming pushed it toward An Ning one last time for a quick look, then handed it to the waiter.
The lights shimmered softly. An Ning turned to glance out the floor-to-ceiling window—only to realize that while they’d been choosing dishes, night had already fallen completely. The last traces of daylight had vanished.
Neon lights glittered without restraint, casting their charm across the riverside. The water beneath the night sky seemed to take on a tender, silken warmth, wrapping gently around the heart.
Everything before him looked like a painting, a dream—too beautiful, almost unreal.
The scene before his eyes seemed to waver—the soft smile on Yu Xiuming’s face across the table, the delicate freesia carved into the glass bowl between them, all glowing with that faintly sweet dreamlike hue, blurred by a tender haze of warmth. And yet, all of it also felt like something that could vanish into thin air at any second.
The dishes arrived soon enough. A waiter pushed over a small golden cart, serving each course one by one in elegant order. The champagne bottle came as well, along with two tall, slender flutes.
With their consent, the waiter poured the first glass for each of them.
“Why are you so quiet tonight?” Yu Xiuming asked, picking up his chopsticks and glancing at An Ning, who had barely spoken since sitting down.
“It’s my first time eating here,” An Ning admitted honestly, suppressing a flicker of envy.
The truth was, this kind of dinner was far beyond what most people could afford. Even upper-middle-class professionals in the city might manage it once or twice, but doing it regularly would be an impossible indulgence.
The service, the ambiance—everything was dreamlike. And for him, it really was like a dream.
An Ning wasn’t bitter about wealth, nor was he pretentious. And honestly, with the salary and bonuses Yu Xiuming paid him, as long as he kept working steadily, and didn’t waste money on yachts, gambling, or women, he could afford most normal pleasures in life.
But with the day of his planned resignation drawing closer—and the knowledge that he was now “usurping” a dinner meant for Xu Jianan, Yu Xiuming’s future girlfriend—An Ning couldn’t shake the uncomfortable feeling in his chest. He tried to swallow it down, but still ended up saying a little of it aloud.
“Actually… I’m not used to this either.”
Yu Xiuming smiled easily, continuing to eat. “I never really was, even as a kid.”
“When I was young,” he continued after a pause, “Xu Jianan and Yu Linshan would occasionally meet up for appearances’ sake and take me along. Every time, they’d take me out to eat somewhere fancy. They had money to burn, after all.”
His tone was calm—without sarcasm, without nostalgia. Just a quiet matter-of-factness.
“I didn’t like seeing them even then. They’d spend the whole meal talking about restaurants—what place was trending, which one had the best dishes, how exclusive it was. Hardly ever asked me about myself. Just wasted my time when I could’ve been resting.”
“Later, I told Uncle Kang that I didn’t want to go anymore. I’d rather stay home and eat with him.”
Yu Xiuming smiled faintly, eyes serene as he lifted his glass and took a sip of champagne. “So ever since then—through school, work, everything—I never really got used to dining at places like this.”
An Ning didn’t hide his emotions.
The surprise, the quiet ache, the subtle tenderness—all of it showed clearly on his face. And Yu Xiuming saw it all, every flicker of it, as plainly as if it were written in light.
“Then—” An Ning wanted to ask something, but the words stuck in his throat. He didn’t know how to continue.
“But actually,” Yu Xiuming said with a soft laugh, and this time there was a trace of genuine self-mockery in his tone, “I’ve never really eaten at any other kind of restaurant either. My first year at the company, I once went alone to a conveyor-belt hotpot place—and ended up getting sick. Nearly came down with gastroenteritis.”
An Ning nodded in understanding. “Long-term eating habits get ingrained… it makes sense. If you suddenly eat food from outside, especially food that isn’t the cleanest, your stomach wouldn’t take it well.”
“Exactly. So later, I realized there was no need to go to extremes. Since I have the means, I don’t have to pretend to blend in.” Yu Xiuming smiled, his eyes bright. “Even when I’m not eating at home, most of my meals come from private kitchens I trust. I keep that same habit at the office.”
An Ning nodded again.
Once Yu Xiuming got talking, the atmosphere lightened, and An Ning found himself relaxing too. “Last time I went to pick up your order,” he said with a small grin, “the staff joked about how much money you must’ve spent there over the years.”
“But even now,” Yu Xiuming continued, gesturing for him to try the freshly served cod, “I can’t say I enjoy the whole scene of clinking glasses and false pleasantries. Unfortunately, most of the time, it’s unavoidable. But tonight,”—he smiled faintly—“is an exception.”
An exception?
An Ning froze, emotions swirling inside him.
Why would this be an exception?
He wanted to ask, but the words refused to come.
Luckily, the man who had dropped the stone into the water didn’t just leave him to drown—he followed up, finishing what he started.
“Because when I’m with someone I don’t have to pretend around,” Yu Xiuming said lightly, “I don’t mind choosing the best within my means.”
Understanding dawned on An Ning, and his face flushed red. He quickly lifted his glass and took a sip.
Is this champagne really that strong? he wondered vaguely. It didn’t taste like the mild kind he’d had before—it went straight to his head.
Didn’t Yu Xiuming say this was some sort of fine wine? Maybe that’s why it felt different.
His thoughts scattered—tiny sparks of confusion and warmth flitting through his mind. He didn’t even realize how much of it showed on his face. But the man sitting across from him watched for a while, thought he’d read a different meaning in those eyes, and chuckled.
“With such a lovely setting, such good food, and you sitting here with me,” Yu Xiuming said, “I feel completely at ease. So—I hope you feel the same.”
It was a confession, veiled yet clear enough.
An Ning felt something stir inside him. And since he’d been moved, it only seemed right to respond.
“Of course, I…” The words caught halfway, unsure how to continue. Maybe it was the champagne loosening his tongue, but his alcohol-warmed brain spoke honestly, unlike usual. “Yu Xiuming, I feel… relaxed too, when we eat together.”
Was that really true? After saying it, An Ning went momentarily blank. He was nervous—but not with the unease that comes from lying. It was a different kind of tension, one that brimmed with something bittersweet.
Yu Xiuming, however, looked deeply satisfied.
After a few more sips, a faint blush spread across his handsome face. The gentle red glow against his already striking features was almost dazzling. He moved with quiet grace, and An Ning, emboldened by drink, found his gaze fixed on Yu Xiuming’s face—unable, or perhaps unwilling, to look away.
The waiter brought dessert, setting a plate in front of each of them. An Ning glanced at the one closer to him—a small, richly sweet cake. He recognized it; it wasn’t unique to this restaurant but one of those staple desserts found in many upscale places.
“You used to order it often,” Yu Xiuming said, catching his gaze. “So I guessed you liked it and took the liberty of ordering it for you. If there’s anything else you’d like to try, feel free to add it.”
“This is perfect,” An Ning said with a sincere smile. “I really do like it.”
Yu Xiuming’s expression relaxed into quiet satisfaction, a trace of pride glinting in his eyes. “Good. Though if you want to try something else, go ahead. I’m fine with any dessert—so I’ll follow your lead.”
An Ning didn’t order anything more. He focused entirely on the dessert he loved, spooning it slowly, savoring each bite. He didn’t even notice when the soft clack-clack of wheels started to sound nearby.
In this revolving restaurant, all VIP seats were separated by partitions to ensure privacy, though not completely enclosed. Some of the sounds from the main hall still filtered through faintly.
An Ning thought nothing of it—until the approaching cart and the faint sighs that came with it grew louder, closer, as if heading straight toward them.
Then the golden trolley stopped right beside their table.
Assuming it was another dish being served, An Ning looked up—and froze.
Towering before him were bunches upon bunches of scarlet roses, so vivid and lush they almost blinded him. The blooms crowded the cart, stacked so high they nearly hid the waiter’s face.
What… is this?
An Ning’s heart stuttered. He had the sudden guilty feeling that he’d taken too much today—ate someone else’s meal, drank someone else’s wine—and now maybe even this wasn’t meant for him. His eyes flickered uncertainly, damp with confusion, toward Yu Xiuming.
Author’s Note:
Flowers delivered [let me take a look]