AADWFL Chapter 3
by SuxxiThat dinner didn’t go nearly as smoothly as An Ning had hoped.
At least, from an assistant’s perspective, he’d handled it terribly — his boss told him to order, and he did… but after all that, for whatever reason or excuse, Yu Xiuming still had to take over and reorder everything himself.
The new dishes soon covered the table that had just been full of fiery-red plates.
It wasn’t hard to find non-spicy dishes in a Sichuan restaurant, but the flavor was, understandably, mediocre. And since they couldn’t just throw away what had already been served, the two of them did something unprecedented — they packed up the leftovers.
An Ning took the initiative to carry the plastic bag full of neatly boxed-up food, guilt written all over his face.
He glanced at Yu Xiuming and noticed that his boss didn’t look particularly pleased either.
Ending a dinner like this — perhaps it was the first time in Yu Xiuming’s life such a thing had happened.
“Mr. Yu, are we going back to the company?” An Ning hung the takeout bag on a hook inside the car. Before starting the engine, he checked the time and hesitated as he asked.
Between searching for the restaurant, ordering, waiting for the food, and then reordering and waiting again, this meal had taken twice as long as a normal work dinner. It was already past seven in the evening.
On normal days, unless there was something urgent, they would both be home by eight-thirty at the latest.
“Not tonight,” Yu Xiuming said succinctly, his tone calm and not at all reproachful. Then he added, with a faint note of irony, “Next time we eat together, remember your own food restrictions. Don’t just think about me.”
An Ning froze — his hand, about to start the engine, paused mid-motion.
Even though Yu Xiuming’s expression wasn’t exactly cheerful, his tone remained gentle and reasonable.
“Understood.” The dim night light filled the car, and An Ning silently thanked the darkness — it hid his flustered face from the man sitting in the back seat.
So, Yu Xiuming was actually a considerate boss — not self-centered, and even after such a blunder, he still remembered that An Ning had only been trying to accommodate his tastes.
Feeling calmer, An Ning smoothly steered the black Bentley out of the mall’s underground parking lot, driving toward Yu Xiuming’s upscale residential complex.
“There’s something I forgot to tell you,” Yu said after a long stretch of quiet rest, eyes closed as they neared the neighborhood. “We won’t be working overtime tomorrow afternoon. We’ll leave by five. Uncle Kang is coming over to see you.”
The luxury complex sat on the edge of the business district— an extravagant oasis carved right out of the most expensive part of Binzhou’s city center.
The entire community consisted almost entirely of large, single-floor apartments — perfect for wealthy professionals working in the business district. They balanced comfort and business convenience, and were far easier to maintain than villas.
Yu Xiuming and An Ning lived in the same building.
Identical layouts — but of course, An Ning could never have afforded one on his own. Even now, with some savings, he wouldn’t choose such a lavish, impractical property.
The apartment had been a gift from Yu Xiuming — three floors below his own.
After transmigrating into this world, An Ning had checked the property prices and could only accept, expressionless, just how devoted the original owner had been to Yu Xiuming. Though to Yu, the price of this apartment was pocket change, not every boss would willingly spend even that “small change” on a personal assistant.
Even without the ridiculous element of unrequited love, just from the sheer generosity of this benefit alone, Yu Xiuming stood among the top tier of wealthy employers.
After saying their goodbyes, An Ning carried the big takeout bag up to his floor. Yu watched him go, smiling in his usual polite way as he waved. When An Ning stepped out of the elevator, Yu quietly took one small step forward and pressed the “open door” button to delay its closing.
The young man outside didn’t notice — he was too busy unlocking his own door and going in.
Yu held his breath, watching An Ning’s back for a few seconds longer before finally pressing the “close door” button and riding up to his own floor.
Unlocking the door, changing shoes — the usual routine. But tonight, something in the air carried a faint, secret thrill.
He loosened his tie, took off his work suit, showered, and changed into loose silk loungewear before settling into the deep-gray reading chair in his study.
The apartment’s decor was modern and minimalist — gray tones, sleek lines — exuding quiet luxury. Comfort hid in every detail.
But tonight, he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy any of it.
From childhood to now, his life had always revolved around studying and working. He never smoked or drank, had no interest in the typical hobbies of other rich second-generation heirs — cars, watches, or worse, their scandalous indulgences.
Yu Xiuming had always been the picture of discipline — so much so that he rarely even had the desire for simple pleasures.
However, at this very moment, Yu Xiuming had the sudden urge to share a brand-new feeling with someone.
For the first time in his life, he was amazed to realize that spending time with another person could bring him a kind of joy that had nothing to do with purpose or efficiency.
He opened WeChat and tapped into the chat with an old friend.
After a brief hesitation, he typed a single line:
[Tonight, I had dinner with him again.]
When An Ning got back to his apartment, he collapsed heavily onto the sofa.
Ten minutes later, he dragged himself up, showered, changed clothes, and threw himself onto the soft bed.
He was exhausted—utterly and completely exhausted.
It was his first day at work. No matter how capable he was, it was impossible to immediately adapt to such a high-intensity pace. Fortunately, he was young and had inherited all of the original An Ning’s memories and skills. So even if he wasn’t perfect, he wasn’t stumbling all over himself either. Still, by the end of the day, he was spent.
During the day, he’d managed to clear out most of the backlog, leaving only a small portion that he could easily finish the next morning. With that done, he could finally relax.
After lying there for about twenty minutes, he felt his energy slowly return. He got up, grabbed his laptop, and opened it.
Over the past two days, he had drawn up a detailed plan—a roadmap that stretched from his current work to the day he would resign and leave. The broad outline was set; the specifics could wait. But at least he had a clear idea of what needed to be done next.
Unfortunately, no matter how decent a boss Yu Xiuming was, An Ning couldn’t stay by his side forever.
He wanted to survive—to live beyond the confines of the story the author had written. And that meant he couldn’t allow himself to be tied down by Yu Xiuming.
house-hunting.
An Ning quickly pulled up several real estate and rental websites.
The apartment he currently lived in had been a gift from Yu Xiuming. The paperwork was all complete, and the property title had An Ning’s name on it. Even if he quit tomorrow and Yu Xiuming sued, the apartment would still legally belong to him—and An Ning knew Yu Xiuming would never stoop to something that petty. Even if An Ning resigned abruptly, that apartment would remain his.
But whether or not Yu Xiuming wanted it back wasn’t the point. The question was whether he wanted to keep it.
And he didn’t.
He preferred to think of this place as a company dorm, really—a convenient living space that allowed him to fulfill his duties as Yu Xiuming’s personal assistant. After all, living just three floors below his boss was certainly efficient. An Ning suspected that Yu Xiuming had considered exactly that when giving it to him.
But once he quit, continuing to live in a place gifted by his boss would feel wrong.
Even if the gesture had been generous, no company in the world gave employees benefits that lavish.
An Ning knew the original him had grown up in an orphanage and entered the company with nothing. Yu Xiuming had appreciated his talent and—wanting to ease the burden of a lonely young man working far from home—had bought him this apartment outright.
Now, though, An Ning had money of his own. No matter what, he planned to buy a place himself. And if he couldn’t find the right one right away, he’d just rent for a while.
Still, house-hunting wasn’t like buying cabbage at a market—you couldn’t make a decision in one night. He bookmarked a few promising listings for later and, satisfied, closed the real estate sites to work on the next day’s schedule.
This was a new habit he’d forced himself to develop—reviewing the next day’s plans in advance so he wouldn’t miss anything due to unfamiliarity.
As he wrote out the schedule, he suddenly remembered what Yu Xiuming had said at the end of the day—Uncle Kang was coming to see him tomorrow.
Closing his eyes, he searched through the original An Ning’s memories and soon pictured Tao Kang—Yu Xiuming’s longtime butler.
Tao Kang had been with the Yu family since Yu Xiuming was a child. As a butler, he had spent more time with him than Yu Xiuming’s own parents, and they shared a deep bond. Yu Xiuming respected him immensely.
It was also thanks to Tao Kang that An Ning had ever entered the YuSheng Group, eventually working his way into Yu Xiuming’s inner circle as his trusted assistant.
To Tao Kang, the Yu family had been exceptionally generous employers. He had no children of his own, and most of his considerable wealth went toward charity and sponsorships.
An Ning had been one of the orphans he’d sponsored. They had met before—back when An Ning was a top student, excelling in university and earning Tao Kang’s admiration. That’s how he’d been recommended to the YuSheng Group in the first place.
When An Ning remembered all that, he closed his eyes and smiled—a genuine, long-forgotten smile.
It was comforting to know that someone truly cared for him. Whether in this world or the one before, it had been far too long since he’d felt that kind of warmth.
The next day, Tao Kang arrived—and early.
So early, in fact, that both Yu Xiuming and An Ning were still at work. And rather than waiting until after hours as planned, he went straight to the company.
Though Tao Kang had been Yu Xiuming’s butler for years, he never meddled in company affairs. As such, the receptionists didn’t recognize him. But he wasn’t in a hurry. He simply walked to the lobby and called Yu Xiuming’s office.
Moments later, Yu Xiuming phoned An Ning directly.
An Ning dropped what he was doing and rushed downstairs to meet him.
Three minutes later, he returned to the 27th floor with Tao Kang in tow. Yu Xiuming had already set aside his work and was waiting in the executive lounge—a private reception room reserved for him.
Tao Kang was dressed impeccably in a deep navy three-piece suit, exuding quiet refinement. His hair was slicked back in a slightly retro style, and though he shared that noble aura typical of the wealthy elite, there was something more old-fashioned and scholarly about him than Yu Xiuming.
Even when he noticed the faint nervousness in An Ning’s expression, his every gesture remained calm and graceful.
He looked to be in his early fifties but carried himself so well that he seemed far younger. His features and posture radiated composure and dignity.
“Uncle Kang,” An Ning said softly, “President Yu is waiting for you in the lounge.”
The elevator doors opened. An Ning smiled, doing his best to suppress his awkwardness.
“If I’d known Uncle Kang was coming to the company, I would’ve come down to greet you earlier—you shouldn’t have had to wait.”
The man before him was even more imposing than he’d imagined, and An Ning couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated.
But once Tao Kang spoke, his unease dissolved a little.
The man casually patted An Ning’s shoulder. “Just came to check if you’re still breaking your back working for your President Yu.”