AD Chapter 23
Su Ning sat alone in the car. Now that everything around him had gone quiet, his mind started to wander.
The first person he thought of was Gu Lingfeng. Ever since he followed Chu Zichen into the film crew to work, he hadn’t contacted Gu Lingfeng again. Back when he was Gu Lingfeng’s assistant, he had known his schedule inside out. He would accompany him most of the time, and even if he didn’t, he would still regularly get updates from him, doing little things for him here and there.
After spending so much time by Gu Lingfeng’s side, Su Ning had almost fallen into the illusion that Gu Lingfeng couldn’t live without him—that he was important to Gu Lingfeng.
But the truth was, he had already been gone for several days now. His phone remained on silent the whole time. Gu Lingfeng hadn’t called, not even sent a single message.
His presence—or absence—had no impact on Gu Lingfeng whatsoever.
A bitter smile crept onto Su Ning’s lips. Thinking about Chu Zichen’s smugness earlier, he couldn’t help but find it laughable. And then, he felt a little pitiful. But he wasn’t sure—was it him who was more pitiful, or Chu Zichen?
Chu Zichen went out of his way to make things difficult for him, all for a man who might not even care about either of them—who might see them as less important than a piece of paper.
It was getting cold in the car. Su Ning took off his coat and laid it over himself, curling up in the seat. At some point, he drifted off to sleep.
Inside the broadcasting building, the recording was in full swing, in stark contrast to the stillness outside in the parking lot.
A lot of Chu Zichen’s fans had come to the set. The moment he appeared, they screamed in excitement, waving their lightboards like crazy. The host was also quite skilled, using the opportunity to flatter Chu Zichen several times. Chu Zichen, now in a great mood, recorded the show very smoothly.
When it was over, the station executives said they wanted to treat Chu Zichen to dinner, heaping praise on him and mentioning future collaborations. Chu Zichen agreed without hesitation.
The production team arranged a car for him. When he got in, Du Xiaoling, who was riding with him, looked like she wanted to say something.
Also in the car was the host of the variety show—a veteran in the industry, widely respected, with many stars having appeared on his show. He and Chu Zichen sat in the back chatting happily.
The car pulled away from the broadcasting building. The parking lot outside was pitch black, dimly lit only by some faint ground lights. Du Xiaoling, sitting in the front passenger seat, turned her head to speak, but just as she opened her mouth, Chu Zichen shot her a sharp glare. She immediately shrank back in her seat, shutting her mouth.
Two cars passed by the parking lot. Their headlights swept over the still windows of the parked vehicles.
The light brushed across Su Ning’s face as he slept. He shifted uncomfortably, the coat slipping down to his waist. He didn’t wake, still sleeping soundly, though a faint furrow had appeared between his brows.
It was hunger that finally woke Su Ning. He stirred groggily, eyes half-lidded as he looked out at the pitch-black, empty surroundings. His stomach rumbled with a loud grrr, and when he checked his phone, he saw that it was already 1 a.m. Had Chu Zichen still not finished recording?
Su Ning frowned in thought and dialed Chu Zichen’s number. No one answered. He then tried the assistant’s number instead, and this time someone picked up.
Before Su Ning could say a word, the person on the other end snapped, “Where the hell are you? We need the car tomorrow! Why did you run off?”
“…” Su Ning paused before replying, “I’ve been waiting in the car outside the broadcasting building this whole time.”
The person on the line went silent, as if just now remembering. Their tone softened slightly, but still wasn’t polite. “Oh. Well, come to the hotel then. I already told the crew we’re heading back early tomorrow. Don’t let your carelessness mess things up for Zichen.”
Su Ning swallowed his anger and asked for the hotel name and departure time. After hanging up, he checked the time again. There were only a few hours left before departure. Even if he went to the hotel now, he wouldn’t get more than a few hours of sleep.
His stomach ached with hunger, but it wasn’t easy to find food at this hour.
Su Ning’s frown deepened. He hadn’t expected Chu Zichen to treat him like this—leaving him in the car while going off to wine and dine with others, and then turning around to blame him for being negligent.
Thankfully, he was only temporarily assigned here. If this were a long-term job, no amount of money would make it worthwhile.
Su Ning didn’t bother going to the hotel. He just curled back up in the car and got a little more rest. When morning came, he drove over to pick up Chu Zichen from the hotel. Wearing a cap and mask, Chu Zichen got into the car without even glancing at Su Ning, and never said a word about what happened the night before. He just pulled his eye mask over his face and slumped down in the backseat to catch more sleep.
It was Du Xiaoling who, upon seeing Su Ning, showed a flicker of guilt on her face—perhaps even she thought they had gone too far last night.
Su Ning didn’t say anything, but his expression was even colder than usual. He drove in silence, taking them back to the set.
Back on set, Chu Zichen resumed filming. He had slept well in the hotel and again in the car on the way back, so he looked fresh and in good spirits. Su Ning, on the other hand, hadn’t eaten much since lunch the previous day. After a night in the car, his clothes were wrinkled, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked pale.
Now that Chu Zichen was filming, Su Ning couldn’t exactly step away—even though technically assistants could leave for a bit during shoots. But Chu Zichen insisted on having him within sight at all times, afraid he’d slack off, and made it a point to pick on him constantly.
So under these circumstances, Su Ning couldn’t even sneak away to eat a bowl of noodles.
In the end, it was Fan Xin who noticed something was off. She had her assistant bring Su Ning some bread and snacks.
Fan Xin’s assistant was a round-faced girl. Knowing that Su Ning had once been Fan Xin’s assistant—basically her senior—she treated him with great respect. Watching Su Ning get bullied daily by Chu Zichen made her genuinely angry.
“Ning-ge, I don’t know how you put up with that Chu Zichen bullying you all the time. If it were me, I’d have quit long ago,” she whispered, squatting beside him. Though she was venting on Su Ning’s behalf, she kept her voice low—didn’t want to stir up trouble.
Su Ning smiled. Maybe because they had both worked for the same artist, he saw her like a younger sister. He often helped her when he could and shared tips from his own experience.
“Well, he’s not really my boss,” Su Ning said, casually glancing at Chu Zichen, who was filming in the distance.
The girl’s eyes widened instantly, sparkling with curiosity and gossip.
Author’s Note: Today's chapter has been delivered~
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