AADWFL Chapter 15

Lately, Yu Xiuming had gotten used to not letting An Ning come upstairs in the mornings. Instead, he’d started getting ready by himself.

But just as he finished dressing and was about to head out, the doorbell rang.

He froze for a moment, then checked the video intercom.
An Ning was standing right there at the door.

Since the man was already here, Yu Xiuming opened the door.

“What brings you here?” he asked, puzzled, after letting An Ning in.

The young man looked equally surprised. “President Yu, I came because… you didn’t say I shouldn’t today.”

Ah.

Realization dawned on Yu Xiuming, and he couldn’t help a helpless smile.

After that talk with Jing Yan, he’d decided to start drawing clearer boundaries — to avoid any little habits that might blur the line between boss and assistant.
So, he’d been forcing himself to handle his morning routine alone, even if it meant wasting the salary of a perfectly competent personal assistant.

But for some reason, he’d never actually told An Ning this in person.
Instead, every morning, like clockwork, he simply sent a text message: “No need to come today.”

The result of all this was—

An Ning had always thought it was just a temporary request.

A small slip-up — Yu Xiuming had forgotten today.

“Well, since you’re here, you’re here.” Yu Xiuming didn’t look embarrassed in the slightest. “You came just in time.”

An Ning nodded and smoothly went about his usual morning routine, completing every task with the practiced ease of long habit. Then, as he adjusted his tone into his usual professional calm, he said,
“I checked the weather forecast — it’s supposed to get colder today, especially after noon. I remember you have a dinner engagement tonight, and you might be coming back late. Would you like me to bring you a thicker coat to change into this evening?”

Yu Xiuming rarely paid attention to things like the weather forecast — except for that brief period when he was abroad.
Otherwise, An Ning had always been the one to think ahead for him.

For a moment, Yu Xiuming felt a twinge of guilt. He realized he’d taken for granted all the small details An Ning had handled so meticulously.
He nodded. “Bring it along.”

An Ning acknowledged the order, went back inside, and picked out a coat of just the right thickness.

Carrying the briefcase in one hand and the coat neatly folded over the other arm, he stepped out of the cloakroom, smiling slightly.
“President Yu, shall we go?”

“Let’s.”

Yu Xiuming turned toward the entrance to change his shoes, but the corner of his lips betrayed a faint curve he couldn’t quite suppress.

An Ning, of course, had no idea.

When he entered Yu Xiuming’s familiar bedroom and opened the wardrobe, his hands moved with practiced precision. He tilted his head slightly, listening for sounds outside.

Silence.
Yu Xiuming was probably, as usual, sitting calmly outside — looking every bit the composed, leisurely young master.

Well… not entirely leisurely. After all, Yu Xiuming was paying him to take care of these things.

That thought reassured An Ning somewhat. The faint pine scent drifting through the air-conditioning system seeped gently into his senses, helping him settle.

His muscle memory hadn’t failed him. His hands moved instinctively, and his brain immediately pinpointed the most suitable coat. He pulled it out, closed the wardrobe, and walked out pretending complete composure.

In truth, after so many days of not working closely together, it wasn’t until this morning — when he habitually checked the weather forecast and saw the words “cold front” — that his nerves suddenly jolted.
He remembered his duties as a personal assistant.

Panicked, he scrolled through his message history and saw that Yu Xiuming’s daily “Don’t come today” texts had continued right up to yesterday. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

So, An Ning went upstairs, helped with the coat and the briefcase, and drove Yu Xiuming to work as usual.

It wasn’t until evening, when he was accompanying Yu Xiuming to that dinner meeting, that he realized—

He’d rushed out of bed at dawn like a man possessed, remembered to bring Yu Xiuming’s coat… but forgot his own.

The result: as soon as he stepped out of the office after work, he was hit by a blast of biting cold.

It was mid-October — autumn had long settled in. The temperature drop between morning and night could be sudden and sharp.
Wearing only a suit jacket and a dress shirt, An Ning shivered in the evening wind.

Meanwhile, Yu Xiuming, wrapped snugly in the thick coat An Ning had chosen, was perfectly warm.

Sensing that the man beside him had suddenly gone pale, Yu Xiuming frowned.
“Cold? You didn’t bring a coat?”

“Forgot it,” An Ning admitted, a bit embarrassed. “It’s fine. We’ll be in the car soon — I’ll turn on the heater.”

Yu Xiuming’s frown didn’t ease. His mind immediately went to problem-solving — but the office didn’t have a coat closet, and there wasn’t a single spare jacket lying around.

The truth was, the lounge was big enough. He could’ve easily added a small wardrobe there. The realization irritated him, and he mentally added the task to his future renovation plans.

“Then let’s go quickly,” he said, since there was no other choice.

Once they got into the car and shut out the howling wind, the warmth returned at once.
An Ning rubbed his hands together, started the engine, and turned on the heater.

“President Yu, I’m raising the temperature by two degrees — is that alright?”

“Set it however’s comfortable for you,” Yu Xiuming said easily. “Don’t mind me.”

With the climate control running, the temperature rose fast. Feeling his stiff fingers regain warmth, An Ning adjusted the controls — lowering it by a degree and setting the fan to silent mode — before driving off.

The dinner that evening was an important one — Yu Xiuming was the host, meeting the head of a partner company to talk business over a private meal.

The restaurant was hidden away — elegant, secluded, and high-end. Driving in felt like entering a pocket of serenity apart from the city.

After parking, An Ning stepped out into the chilly air, instinctively pulling his jacket tighter, and hurried around to open the rear door for Yu Xiuming.

Just as Yu Xiuming stepped out and An Ning closed the door, he couldn’t hold back a sneeze.

A moment later, his head went light, vision flashing white. It took several seconds before he steadied himself.

“Caught a chill, haven’t you?” Yu Xiuming asked, his voice full of concern. He didn’t rush inside. “How do you feel? Do you need to go back and rest?”

“No need.” An Ning cursed his own luck silently. Somehow, after turning on the heater in the car earlier, he’d started sweating — and then the moment he got out into the cold wind, the sweat chilled him instantly.

But to say he’d go home now was impossible — that would be unprofessional.

The cold wind bit at his face, sharp as a blade. He shook his head.
“It’s nothing. Just a chill. I’ll be fine — I’ll take some cold medicine when I get back tonight.”

Yu Xiuming’s brows drew together tighter. He didn’t move to enter the restaurant. After a pause, he gently gripped An Ning’s shoulder.
“You won’t be able to avoid drinking at this dinner. You can’t take medicine after that. How about this — don’t go in. Stay here in the car, turn on the heat, and rest for a while.”

“But—” An Ning hesitated. He wasn’t crucial to the dinner, but it felt wrong to just sit out. He fumbled for words — “but”ing uselessly — until Yu Xiuming, without much argument, simply guided him back into the car.

“If anything comes up, I’ll call you,” Yu Xiuming said over his shoulder, then pulled his coat tighter and strode toward the restaurant entrance.

An Ning, thoroughly bewildered, found himself sitting in the driver’s seat again — though not before starting the car, locking the doors, and turning on the heater in one smooth motion.

Back in the warmth, the chill seeping through his body gradually faded.

Thinking it over, he realized it wasn’t a big deal.
His presence at the dinner wasn’t necessary.

Besides — someone like Yu Xiuming, in his position, could easily refuse to drink without offending anyone.
But if he went in, the junior staffer, he’d be the one people insisted on pouring drinks for.

The difference between people really is that vast.

An Ning could see that clearly—but he neither pitied himself nor felt jealous or resentful.

In truth, one of the main reasons he had come along tonight was to help Yu Xiuming drink a bit of the wine. It wasn’t that Yu couldn’t handle drinking, but having someone like him around made the atmosphere livelier.

To An Ning, dinners like this were simply part of the job. He treated them as work, so his mindset remained calm. Besides, Yu Xiuming wasn’t the kind of boss who’d force people to drink themselves under the table. He didn’t particularly enjoy drinking—he only sipped for the sake of courtesy. If An Ning ever ran into trouble, Yu would step in to defuse the situation, never once putting him on the spot.

He adjusted the leather driver’s seat until it was nearly reclined flat, turned on the seat heater, and closed his eyes to rest.

Outside, the wind howled bitterly cold, but inside the car it was warm as spring.

He exhaled softly, warming his hands against his chin. The fragments of the past gathered in his mind like scattered dust swirling back into place.

An Ning sighed lightly.

He used to think the “original him” was a fool—someone foolishly infatuated with a superior who held so much power and seemed incapable of any genuine affection.

Now, he couldn’t think that way anymore.

At the very least, Yu Xiuming was a good man.

—

At tonight’s dinner, President Yu didn’t seem to be in high spirits.

Everyone seated at that table was sharp enough to read the room—gauging a person’s mood was practically instinct. So when they noticed Yu Xiuming looking rather listless, curiosity sparked. Someone tried to sneak a glance at his ever-present assistant, An Ning, hoping to pick up on a clue—only to realize, shockingly, that An Ning wasn’t there tonight.

After some polite small talk, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Why didn’t Assistant An come along today?”

In the past, when An Ning was always by Yu Xiuming’s side, people hardly noticed him. Although he held an executive position and was known to be one of the president’s trusted right-hand men, he always acted with the quiet diligence of an assistant—so much so that by the end of a dinner, no one could recall if he had spoken a single word.

Yet now that he wasn’t present, everyone suddenly found themselves thinking of him.

“An Ning’s not feeling well today,” Yu Xiuming said. “Caught a bit of a cold. He was supposed to come, but I told him to rest instead. He’ll join next time.”

It had only been a casual question, but once Yu gave such a considerate answer, the others couldn’t help but show concern, at least for appearance’s sake.

“The weather’s getting colder—you’ve got to take care of your health.”

“Nothing serious, I hope? We should visit him sometime.”

“Yeah, we’d better all go easy on the drinks tonight!”

Normally, such polite remarks would be brushed aside. But Yu Xiuming replied earnestly, “Yes, it’s been getting colder lately. The temperature swings easily cause colds. Xiao An caught one just from stepping out this morning—everyone, please take care too.”

As glasses clinked and small talk flowed, Yu Xiuming only poured himself one drink, took a few polite sips, and then made it clear he didn’t wish to continue. The dinner went smoothly overall—more talking than drinking—and business matters were settled efficiently.

As a result, the evening wrapped up earlier than usual.

When everyone rose to leave, Yu Xiuming paused, quietly asking a waiter to have the kitchen pack up several of the same dishes they’d had at dinner—ready as soon as possible.

The waiter hurried off and returned quickly. After all, if they had to freshly remake everything, it would take ages—but since it was the same set of dishes from tonight’s table, there was still enough leftover to assemble a full portion.

Once he had the food, Yu Xiuming threw on his coat and stepped outside, heading for his black Bentley.

The engine was already running. That sight alone eased the anxious knot that had been sitting in his chest, and he finally exhaled in relief.

Ever since he’d left, a faint unease had lingered in his mind—what if An Ning, muddled from the fever, had fallen asleep in the car without turning on the air circulation?

Countless real-life headlines about “people accidentally suffocating in cars” flashed across his mind before vanishing the moment he saw the faint glow ahead.

There was a dim light on inside the car—just a small warm halo through the tinted windows, the interior barely visible.

The night was inky dark, the cold spreading in soft waves—but as Yu Xiuming carried the food container in his hand, his heart suddenly felt at peace.

---

Author’s Note:

When you care too much about someone, your mind becomes a theater of endless inner drama. [Let me take a peek 👀]