AADWFL Chapter 39

The panic in his subordinate’s voice was unmistakable. An Ning’s heart sank.
“I’m on my way back now — I’ll be there soon. What’s going on, Xiao Zhou? Is something wrong?”

“It’s like this.” Hearing that An Ning would return soon, Zhou Yehua seemed to calm a little, but her voice was still hurried. “Before this morning’s technical department meeting, one of the staff found Gao Ling collapsed at his desk. He’s already been sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, but—”

The voice on the other end faltered. Zhou Yehua’s tone slowed and grew heavy.

“I just heard… he might not make it.”

The words struck like a thunderclap. For a few seconds, An Ning couldn’t even process what Zhou Yehua had said. Then — the realization hit, like being plunged into an ice cellar. That was the only way to describe the feeling.

“Gao Ling… you mean that Gao Ling?”

An Ning’s voice came out hoarse — dry, cracked — like a parched plant in a desert suddenly stretching desperately toward the promise of a distant oasis.

“Yes, Director An. The one you had meetings with before.”

Tragedies happened in the world every moment, but until they struck someone close — someone familiar — they always felt distant, abstract.

“What did the hospital say?”

“Suspected acute myocardial infarction. They’ve been trying to resuscitate him for a while, but the latest update says… he didn’t make it.” Zhou Yehua paused, then added quietly, “It hasn’t been officially confirmed yet — I’m about to—”

“Which hospital? I’m going there right now.” An Ning made the decision instantly, starting the car. “I’ll inform Director Yu myself. If anything urgent comes up at the company, call me immediately.”

“Understood. But, Director An — the IT department checked the system logs. It looks like Gao Ling stayed overnight at the office last night, fixing a bug. He was preparing for this morning’s technical department report.”

A bad feeling crept up inside An Ning, his brows knitting tightly. “Go on.”

“That meeting — it was the one you arranged,” Zhou Yehua said carefully. “And the project the technical department was working on — that was also under your direction. So… when they investigate, both the direct and the ultimate responsibility might trace back to you.”

The weight that had been hanging over An Ning’s heart ever since he received the call finally came crashing down.

And it fell hard—without giving him a single breath of relief—leaving behind a crater and a heap of wreckage that urgently needed repair.

“I understand. You go take care of your work first.”

Things had already reached this point; saying more was useless. As An Ning changed the navigation destination to the hospital near the company that Zhou Yehua had mentioned, he gave Zhou a few quick instructions over Bluetooth about the tasks that needed to be handled in his absence before hanging up.

With a soft “beep,” the car’s Bluetooth system announced the end of the call. A bead of cold sweat slid down from An Ning’s temple.

He’d already broken a light sweat from hauling roses up and down the stairs earlier, but now, after hearing such terrible news, the shock hit him like ice water.

Barely ten minutes had passed, yet An Ning felt as if he had crossed through fire and ice. All the sweet, fleeting dreams of the morning were scattered to dust. When he closed his eyes now, all he could see were the few brief interactions he’d had with Gao Ling.

He remembered the last time they’d met—it was after a technical department meeting, when they’d run into each other on the staircase. An Ning had even offered Gao Ling a few words of encouragement.

Who could have imagined that just when the project was nearing completion—when all their efforts were about to bear fruit—Gao Ling would end up in the hospital like this.

A heavy mix of emotions churned inside him, along with a sharp, genuine ache.

The car’s automatic safety system slammed the brakes suddenly, jolting An Ning back to his senses.

He was still driving. He couldn’t afford to drift off like this.

Up ahead, a line of cars waited for the light. An Ning stopped, reached under the driver’s seat for a bottle of mineral water, twisted it open, and took a long, hard gulp.

The icy water slid down his throat, cooling his whole body, bringing him just barely back to calm.

Right—he needed to report this to Yu Xiuming.

He had to prepare for the worst. If Gao Ling had suffered a fatal heart attack and couldn’t be revived, An Ning would bear a serious share of the responsibility. It would also be a massive blow to the company—maybe even something that would end up in the news.

“President Yu.”

The call connected quickly.

“An Ning.” Yu Xiuming’s voice was short and to the point. “I already know about Gao Ling. Where are you right now?”

Hearing Yu’s calm tone, An Ning suddenly felt the whole world go still—the surrounding noise fading away until only that voice filled his ears, bringing an odd sense of peace.

“I got a call from Xiao Zhou when I was just leaving home,” An Ning explained, trying to keep his account as concise as possible. “I immediately headed for the hospital. I’m still on the way.”

Yu Xiuming paused for a moment. “If you’re still on the road, keep an eye on the situation. The company will handle the compensation and benefits promptly. And if there’s any… unexpected news—”

He broke off, his tone turning graver. “This kind of thing has happened before. It’s a sensitive matter these days, and extreme reactions can happen. Don’t act impulsively. The company will take responsibility and conduct a full investigation.”

“I understand.” An Ning’s eyes stung. “I’ll call you immediately if there’s any update.”

“Good. Then focus on driving.”

An Ning was about to hang up when Yu’s voice came through the speaker again.

“An Ning, the company has PR and crisis response teams. Just go check on things and do what you need to do.” His tone softened slightly. “All right—drive safely. I’m hanging up now.”

This time, the call ended swiftly, leaving only the faint disconnect tone.

When the bad news was finally confirmed, An Ning still hadn’t reached the hospital.

Zhou Yehua’s voice was heavy when she relayed the message from the hospital: Gao Ling had suffered a sudden heart attack brought on by overwork. Resuscitation efforts had failed.

The moment An Ning heard the words, it felt as though the entire world had ground to a halt. The air, the sounds—all lost their flow. Even the bright blue sky turned dull and gray, like a suffocating shroud draped overhead.

Breathing became difficult.

“I understand.”

“Understood, Director An… then—are you still going to the hospital?” Zhou’s sudden question made An Ning hesitate.

Was he still going?

Before, he’d gone out of concern, out of responsibility. But now that it was too late—did he still need to go? It had become a question that required serious thought.

“I’ll think about it. You handle things for now. Whether I go to the hospital or not, I’ll be back at the office soon,” An Ning instructed.

“Got it.”

After hanging up, An Ning sat there blankly for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and redialed Yu Xiuming’s number.

“I was just about to call you,” Yu said before An Ning could speak. “You’ve heard the latest, right? The update from the hospital.”

The word itself was too painful to say, but An Ning knew what Yu meant.

“Yes. I already know.”

“Have you arrived?” Yu asked.

“Not yet.” An Ning glanced at the line of cars blocking the road ahead. “I haven’t arrived. I wanted to ask… should I still go?”

“Don’t go. Come back,” Yu Xiuming said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “I called to tell you to return immediately.”

He paused for a moment. “It’s a sensitive incident—it could easily implicate you. There are also some complicated circumstances… Just come back first. We’ll talk face-to-face.”

An Ning drove the black Bentley back to the familiar company building. Even though he took the elevator straight up from the garage—hardly crossing paths with any employees—he could still feel it: even the few colleagues he ran into in the elevator were casting him curious looks.

Most were subtle, the kind of glances people quickly avert once they realize they’ve been caught looking.

An Ning hurried upstairs without time to think too much about what those looks meant.

The elevator in the building was fast—one floor per second. Normally, it took less than half a minute to reach the 27th floor. But today, An Ning had never felt it move so agonizingly slow.

Finally, the familiar ding sounded, and the elevator doors slid open. An Ning strode out quickly, still undecided whether to head to his own office or knock on the president’s door first—when the door to Yu Xiuming’s office suddenly opened as if it had voice recognition.

And there he was—Yu Xiuming himself, tall and composed, standing in the doorway.

“You’re back.”

His tone was calm, utterly devoid of excess emotion, but there was a commanding steadiness to it. In that moment, his poise and composure were unmistakable—the mark of a man who had weathered countless storms in the business world.

Looking at him, An Ning suddenly felt as though it was just another ordinary weekday morning. He’d merely gone out to handle a task, and now he was back to report.

No matter how well or poorly he’d done, Yu Xiuming would always offer guidance—not harsh scolding—and the company itself would always be the safety net behind him.

“Yes, I’m back.” An Ning nodded, already having made up his mind. He quickened his steps and entered the office.

“Sit down and rest a bit.” Yu gestured for him to take the leather swivel chair across the desk, then sat down himself. Without hesitation, he picked up the coffee pot and poured An Ning a cup. “Here. Drink something. Did you have breakfast?”

“I ate on the way,” An Ning replied. He didn’t have the energy to dwell on the oddity of Yu Xiuming pouring him coffee instead of the other way around. He took the cup and drank deeply, grateful that Yu had chosen the one thing he needed most right now.

Setting the cup down, he murmured, “Thank you.”

Yu Xiuming’s expression was serious—more serious than An Ning had expected.

And so, the thought that had been forming ever since Yu had told him to hurry back—the one that had grown heavier with every uneasy glance from his colleagues—finally surfaced.

“President Yu… today’s incident with Gao Ling… does it have something to do with me?” An Ning’s voice trembled as he asked.