AADWFL Chapter 24

An Ning nodded. “Yes, President Yu. I—”

The truth almost slipped out, but then he stopped himself. Since Yu Xiuming hadn’t asked, there was no need to volunteer unnecessary details—or bore his boss with trivial talk about his day.

So he awkwardly swallowed the rest and forced a smile. “I went out today and lost track of time for a bit. Sorry for coming back late. It won’t happen again.”

Even as he apologized, An Ning discreetly watched his boss’s expression—and quickly realized that Yu Xiuming wasn’t actually angry. But there was something else in his gaze—something like curiosity, as if he really wanted to know where An Ning had been.

“No need to apologize.” Yu Xiuming’s tone sank slightly, but his expression was still calm. “The clothes—go take a look.”

An Ning let out a small sigh of relief and, taking the order, went to the room where Yu Xiuming kept his clothes and luggage. He quickly took out the outfit he’d already prepared back in Binzhou for Yu Xiuming to wear to today’s casual party, placed it on the steamer, and began to press it carefully.

White steam slowly rose from the steamer, wrapping him in a soft, dense heat. An Ning heard unhurried footsteps approaching, and when he turned around, he saw that Yu Xiuming had somehow followed him into the room.

“Mr. Yu, do you think this outfit works?”

Normally, An Ning had ninety-nine percent of the say when it came to Yu Xiuming’s wardrobe. His usual process was simple: take the outfit out, press it, tidy it up, and hand it over. Almost never did his boss reject or nitpick his choices.

Of course, that didn’t mean Yu Xiuming couldn’t nitpick.

The clothes were his, after all, and An Ning was hired to serve him. If Yu Xiuming had any opinions, he had every right to voice them. An Ning understood that perfectly—and welcomed any feedback his employer wanted to give.

“It’s fine. Looks good.” Yu Xiuming expressed his approval, so An Ning lowered his head and continued working.

He didn’t expect Yu Xiuming to stay instead of leaving.

“Did you go out today?”

An Ning, focused on holding the steamer, hadn’t expected that question at all. He froze for a moment before answering, “Yes, I went out for a bit.”

There was no reason to hide it. Since Yu Xiuming asked, he simply told the truth. “It’s my first time in Lenzhou, so I thought I’d take the chance to look around a little. I went to a museum.”

“Museum?” Yu Xiuming seemed a bit surprised, then thoughtful. “I’ve been to Lenzhou several times, but I’ve never gone to the museum.”

“The museum’s actually quite interesting,” An Ning said with a small smile.

Soon, the clothes were fully pressed. An Ning carefully turned off the steamer, lifted the outfit from the hanger, and then suddenly remembered something important.

“Mr. Yu, there’s something… I should report to you.” His expression turned uneasy.

“What is it?”

Yu Xiuming asked quickly, though he didn’t look particularly shocked—almost as if he’d expected it.

It was only then that An Ning truly noticed his boss’s expression.

He had known from the start that Yu Xiuming wasn’t in a good mood, but now he realized the situation might be worse than he’d thought.

Yu Xiuming wasn’t angry at him—but he was definitely in a foul mood.

Jing Yan had taken Yu Xiuming to lunch at a familiar private restaurant. Neither of them drank, and after finishing, Jing Yan drove Yu Xiuming back to the hotel.

When Yu Xiuming went to knock on An Ning’s door—no one was there.

A wave of inexplicable irritation rose in him from that moment.

Later, Jing Yan received some news, which he told Yu Xiuming immediately and without concealment.

He’d heard that Yi Mingwei would also attend the private party that evening—and that it had all been arranged by Xu Jianan. But earlier that day, Jing Yan received another message: Xu Jianan was planning to contact someone close to Yu Xiuming to help make the introduction.

Yu Xiuming didn’t keep many people around him. Thinking it through, the only one who fit that description—and who hadn’t been with him that day—was An Ning.

When Jing Yan relayed that information, he saw something rare: Yu Xiuming’s face turned very dark.

“What’s wrong? Are you worried An Ning will listen to your aunt?”

“I’m not worried,” Yu Xiuming said, his expression grim.

He really wasn’t afraid that An Ning would obey Xu Jianan just because of one phone call. But—when he came back to the hotel and saw that An Ning still hadn’t returned, even though he’d normally already have everything prepared for the evening by then—he started to suspect that the call from Xu Jianan might not have gone as smoothly as he’d hoped.

Could it be… that An Ning got upset because of it?

Perhaps An Ning had finally realized that his feelings would never come to fruition—after all, since Xu Jianan was so opposed to Yu Xiuming freely choosing who to love, she’d never approve of him being with a man, much less with his subordinate.

Yu Xiuming suddenly lost the ability to think rationally. His emotions swung wildly—worry, panic, anger, restlessness—flaring one after another.

And that feeling of being a heart on a hot pan only grew more intense as An Ning failed to appear.

Of course, he couldn’t just stand in the hallway waiting, so he went back to his own room.

Jing Yan, who accompanied him, witnessed the whole transformation—from a man in good spirits to one with a furrowed brow and a stormy face—and secretly found it amusing.

He glanced at the local Lenzhou desserts in his hand, the ones Yu Xiuming had asked him to carry. “Hey, the guy’s not even here. Guess these can’t be delivered, huh?”

Yu Xiuming swiped his key card, opened the door, and ignored the teasing. “Come in.”

Jing Yan’s playful streak kicked in. “I carried this huge bag all the way here with you, and what happens? The person isn’t even home. Yu Xiuming, look at your face—it’s practically sinking into the floor.”

“Am I?” Yu Xiuming blinked, but his expression didn’t change. He sighed, a touch of self-mockery in his voice. “I guess I am a little worried.”

He had never been one to posture in front of Jing Yan.

“Worried about what?”

“Xu Jianan probably called him today.”

Yu Xiuming entered the suite, sat down on the sofa in the living area, and gestured toward the water pitcher on the table, signaling Jing Yan to help himself. “And usually… he’d never go out for this long without telling me.”

He fell silent for a moment. Then he heard Jing Yan pour himself a glass, take a sip, and say slowly, “Don’t you think it’s you who’s been spoiled by your assistant?”

Yu Xiuming froze. “What do you mean?”

“He reports everywhere he goes, even when you’re the one out there messing around?” Jing Yan said, completely shameless, categorizing “going out for meals” as “messing around.” “Yu Xiuming, you’re paying for an executive assistant and personal aide, not a 24-hour live-in office husband, got it?”

Before Yu Xiuming could react, Jing Yan kept going, relentless: “You know how personal assistants normally work? My dad’s got one too, and none of them are like yours. I mean seriously—if he did have one like An Ning, my mom would’ve taken his head off.”

That last line hit like a hammer—so loud and clear that even Yu Xiuming, who had just begun to have an inkling of realization, fell back into deep thought.

Jing Yan, who had spent the whole day listening to his friend’s emotional analysis, didn’t want to see him spiral into self-inflicted psychoanalysis again, so he quickly cut in: “Look, Yu Xiuming, think straight. It’s normal for him to go out without telling you. Don’t flatter yourself—you’re not that important.”

Yu Xiuming said nothing, only furrowing his brows even tighter.

“What if,” he finally murmured, “Xu Jianan said something to him—and it hurt him?”

Jing Yan stared at him for a long moment, dumbfounded.

After that day, he decided that once Yu Xiuming fell in love, he could no longer judge him by old standards—otherwise, he’d die of shock on the spot.

“What… what did you just say?” Jing Yan stammered, incredulous. “How do you figure?”

“If Xu Jianan called him to persuade him—to get me to meet Miss Yi tonight, to talk things through with her properly.” Yu Xiuming didn’t even have to think about it; he could practically hear his mother’s words in his head.

Jing Yan was speechless. “Then…” He knew how An Ning felt, and putting himself in that position, anyone would find it hard to stomach. “Then yeah, I guess it’s only natural he’d be upset.”

The atmosphere in the room instantly dropped, as if autumn wind had swept the last leaves away.

Jing Yan exhaled heavily, clutching the dessert bag, then handed it to Yu Xiuming. “I think I’d better get going. When he comes back, you can give this to him—say it’s from me.”

Just before leaving, Jing Yan poked his head back in and added, “And when An Ning gets back, talk to him properly, okay? Don’t go acting like some spoiled young master again!”

That last jab darkened Yu Xiuming’s expression further—but he did take the advice to heart. After Jing Yan left, he sat staring at the dessert bag on the table, silently wondering if he had been too harsh lately.

And now, watching An Ning by the garment steamer, half-immersed in a cloud of white vapor and heat, Yu Xiuming found himself lost in thought once again.

But since the clothes were already pressed, standing there any longer would only make things awkward. Luckily, An Ning spoke up with something to report, and Yu Xiuming felt as though he’d just been pulled out of deep water.

“Today, Miss Xu called me.” An Ning began nervously. He watched Yu Xiuming’s expression closely—seeing that his boss didn’t seem angry, he went on, “She said Miss Yi will be at the event tonight. She wanted me to… persuade you to attend.”

He was sharp enough to know not to say too much. He kept it brief—Yu Xiuming would understand the rest.

At the same time, An Ning was a little curious—what kind of attitude would Yu Xiuming take?

“That’s all she said?” Yu Xiuming asked.

“More or less.” An Ning thought for a moment. “I was a bit surprised when I got the call, so I didn’t think to record it. But that was the general idea.”

Half-distracted, An Ning imagined himself as a drama character—one of those dutiful assistants in a melodramatic CEO romance—thinking about what they’d usually say in this kind of situation. “If Miss Xu contacts me again, I’ll tell you right away.”

Yu Xiuming’s emotions were like a roller coaster.

On one hand, he was relieved that An Ning had told him honestly—it meant there wasn’t a deep grudge. But then again, something about An Ning’s tone bothered him. It sounded so formal, so polite. And even though An Ning was always mindful of their roles, at this moment, that politeness somehow felt… distant.

So he nodded slightly. “Got it. Don’t mind her.”

Then he added, “If she contacts you again and you can’t block her, just answer and listen. Say yes to whatever she says—but don’t actually do any of it.”

An Ning nodded. “Understood, Mr. Yu. Don’t worry.”

The conversation seemed to hit a dead end after that.

Yu Xiuming racked his brain, then suddenly remembered the dessert bag Jing Yan had brought. Grateful for the distraction, he walked to the table, picked it up, and said as evenly as he could, “I came back with Jing Yan today. He knew you were here with me, so he brought this especially for you.”

An Ning’s gaze lingered on the paper bag for a few seconds, a little dazed.

“Mr. Yu, this… Mr. Jing is too kind,” he said dryly. “I’ll thank him in person later.”

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Author’s Note:
When in doubt—feed them. Always feed them. ✿