AD Chapter 35
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"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and come over!" Seeing Su Ning frozen in place, Fan Xin waved him over eagerly.
Because of her call, Gu Lingfeng also looked over. His expression was calm and unreadable. Chu Zichen clung tightly to Gu Lingfeng’s arm, as if trying to keep him all to himself, gnashing his teeth in silent frustration at Fan Xin’s meddling.
Su Ning hesitated for a moment before slowly walking over. “Sister Xin.”
He paused, then looked up at Gu Lingfeng. “President Gu.”
Gu Lingfeng glanced at him without replying, but Su Ning could immediately sense the displeasure in the man’s mood. Uneasy, he lowered his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
Fan Xin, ever enthusiastic, pulled Su Ning to her side and said to Gu Lingfeng, “President Gu, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s too much of a pity to have Su Ning stay with you—how about giving him back to me?”
Even though Su Ning hadn’t looked up at Gu Lingfeng, he felt the drop in temperature around him instantly. Before Gu Lingfeng could respond, he quickly turned to Fan Xin with a smile. “Sister Xin, if you say that, aren’t you afraid Yueyue will be upset? She’s doing just fine as your assistant. Are you planning to fire her?”
Fan Xin waved it off grandly and said, “What’s the big deal? Adults don’t do multiple choice questions—we take both. What, I can’t afford two assistants?” Then she paused and glanced meaningfully at Gu Lingfeng. “Of course, some things can be doubled… but not everything.”
She deliberately let her gaze drift from Su Ning to Chu Zichen as she finished, making sure Gu Lingfeng caught the implication.
Former lovers, current lovers, assistants-turned-bedmates—all gathered in one place.
Anyone else would’ve found the scene incredibly awkward. But Gu Lingfeng wasn’t just anyone. He not only handled it with ease, he controlled the entire situation.
He patted Chu Zichen’s head reassuringly. Just as Chu Zichen was about to lash out at Fan Xin, a single look from Gu Lingfeng stopped him in his tracks. Though visibly frustrated, he didn’t dare act up in front of him.
Fan Xin noticed the interaction and inwardly sneered. When it came to understanding men, women always had the sharper instinct. During her time with Gu Lingfeng, she had already seen through him. He was, at his core, a scumbag.
He used his wealth to keep one lover after another, a complete womanizer—or no, not even that. At least a womanizer pretended to have feelings. But this man? He never put any emotion into it at all. He treated lovers like disposable toys, a way to kill time.
Of course, since it was all consensual, no one could really judge. But thinking you could become “special” just because you were a lover for a while? That wasn’t naïve—it was downright foolish.
And fools never lasted long around Gu Lingfeng.
Despite the inner thoughts swirling in her mind, Fan Xin kept a warm, graceful smile on her face. She chatted easily with Gu Lingfeng, even pulling Su Ning into the conversation from time to time, making it all seem harmonious on the surface.
“President Gu, honestly, I really regret it now. Sure, it’s not hard to hire assistants these days—just offer a high enough salary and you’ll get all kinds. But whether they’re actually a good fit? That’s a whole different story.” Fan Xin sighed. “Out of all the years, Su Ning was by far the best. He always handled everything so smoothly, even things I didn’t think of—he was already on it. When he was my assistant, all I had to focus on was acting. Life was easy. And now that he’s gone, I finally realize how rare that kind of comfort was. I really do regret it.”
She let out another sigh, then looked at Gu Lingfeng and winked with a teasing smile. “President Gu, I’m sure you’ve also experienced how ‘useful’ Su Ning can be, right?”
Su Ning, standing right there, flushed with embarrassment. He wasn’t sure if Fan Xin was doing it on purpose.
Gu Lingfeng, however, looked completely unbothered. He glanced at Su Ning’s red face and calmly said, “Indeed.”
That made Su Ning blush even harder. Chu Zichen, who had also heard the exchange, looked like his face might twist into something unrecognizable. He lowered his head so no one could see the flames of jealousy in his eyes.
Fan Xin, seemingly oblivious to the tension, kept talking with Gu Lingfeng about assistant management.
“Assistants like him—capable, mild-tempered—are really hard to come by these days. But he’s also the type that gets easily taken advantage of. Even when people bully him, he won’t fight back or complain.” She gave Su Ning a pointed look, then glanced meaningfully at Chu Zichen.
Su Ning gave a wry smile and tried to defuse the moment. “Sister Xin, I know you still hold a grudge about me switching jobs back then. I didn’t think you’d hold onto it this long. If you’re still upset, how about I help you out as your assistant for the rest of the time on set?”
Fan Xin rolled her eyes at him playfully. She could tell he was trying to change the subject so she wouldn’t air any more of Chu Zichen’s dirty laundry in front of Gu Lingfeng. Chuckling, she shook her head and followed along. “You’re the kind of guy who’d thank someone for selling you.”
“Who dares sell him?” Gu Lingfeng suddenly said coolly. He glanced at Fan Xin. “He’s my assistant. You shouldn’t even be thinking about it.”
Su Ning was stunned for a moment—he hadn’t expected Gu Lingfeng to say that. Fan Xin, on the other hand, grinned. “Oh, getting all protective now? I guess after four years, you do start to grow attached—especially when you’re not just a passing thing.”
She emphasized the words four years, and this time she didn’t need to give any hints—Chu Zichen clearly knew she was talking about him. The jab was obvious: he was just one of those fleeting “passing things.” He burned with resentment, but Fan Xin had phrased it so slyly that he couldn’t even find a legitimate reason to lash out.
After chatting a while longer, Gu Lingfeng’s assistant arrived at the set carrying a large box—preparations Gu Lingfeng had made for the crew.
Not only were there snacks, but everyone got a red envelope too. For a moment, the whole crew buzzed with joy.
Fan Xin laughed, “See? I told you, we always get perks when President Gu shows up.”
Su Ning stood up. “I’ll go help out.”
And he ran off quickly, as if someone were chasing him. He couldn’t stay any longer—he was afraid Fan Xin would say something even more embarrassing.
Though she was helping him in her own way, it wasn’t the kind of help he wanted.
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