The blind boss's nanny

In the afternoon, Lin Xiaoman found an old photo album from somewhere, and the two of them looked at it head to head, listening to Aunt Mei tell embarrassing stories about her daughter when she was a child, and laughter filled the small house.

"Xiaoman,"

Aunt Mei held her hand,

"How can you be so thoughtful, child?"

"Please don't say that,"

Lin Xiaoman answered with a smile.

"I remember you taking care of me the last time I was sick..."

As evening fell, the first snow of the winter began to fall outside the window, but the room was warm and cozy.

A part of Aunt Mei's heart softened and turned into a relieved smile.

"I see you're doing a pretty good job as a housekeeper. In the future...would you like to take over my job?"

Aunt Mei leaned against the headboard, watching Lin Xiaoman peel an apple for her, and asked, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Lin Xiaoman paused in her hand holding the knife, then quickly shook her head:

"Aunt Mei, you must be joking! I'm just filling in at the last minute; how can I compare to your experience of over ten years?"

She cut the peeled apple into small pieces, stuck toothpicks in them, and handed them over.

Aunt Mei took the apple, chewed it slowly, and smiled knowingly.

"I knew it. You young people are all so ambitious. You wouldn't want to be stuck in a place like this, dealing with ledgers, menus, gardeners, and carpenters every day."

She paused, her gaze drifting into the distance, and her tone softened:

"My daughter said the same thing at first. She absolutely refused to follow in her mother's footsteps and insisted on studying abroad. I always thought it was because young people are ambitious and look down on these trivial matters. Later, she told me the truth."

Aunt Mei looked at Lin Xiaoman, a hint of helpless amusement in her eyes.

"She said she has been afraid of the chairman since she was a child, feeling that he has a strong presence and a deep mind, and that working under him is too stressful."

Lin Xiaoman nodded in empathy and smiled, lowering her voice to say:

"Aunt Mei, I understand. To be honest, the chairman is a person..."

She organized her thoughts, trying to find a suitable description.

"Even though his eyesight is impaired now, his aura hasn't diminished at all. He's demanding, unpredictable, and sometimes just a glance... oh, even though he can't see, that feeling can make your heart pound. He wouldn't call himself capricious, but... well, he's very intimidating."

Thinking of Lu Tingzhao's expressionless face, his precise and demanding requirements, and his temperament that she still couldn't figure out, she sincerely added:

"If I really stay here, I'll serve him for the rest of my life..."

She shrank her neck and made a slightly exaggerated "scared" expression.

"Think about it, it really takes a lot of courage. I completely understand your daughter's choice!"

Aunt Mei was amused by her vivid expression, patted her hand with a smile, and didn't continue the topic.

Evening, at the restaurant.

Only a few soft wall lamps were lit on the long table, their warm light enveloping the two people sitting opposite each other.

Lin Xiaoman sat beside Lu Tingzhao. She was carefully removing the tenderest back meat from a steamed grouper. After carefully checking that there were no small bones, she placed the snow-white fish meat into the bone china plate next to him.

"Aunt Mei just said she wanted to eat fish porridge, so I asked the kitchen to make a broth with fish bones and I'll send it to her later."

Lin Xiaoman chatted casually as she worked.

"In the afternoon, she was still talking about how the wintersweet in the backyard would bloom soon, saying that you used to love its fragrance the most."

Lu Tingzhao stared at the direction of the plate in front of him, without touching his chopsticks, but suddenly asked:

"Aren't you being a little too attentive to Aunt Mei?"

His tone was flat, making it impossible to tell whether it was a question or a statement.

Lin Xiaoman paused slightly as she peeled the shrimp, then deftly placed the glistening shrimp meat into his dish and smiled.

"It's not 'too much'... Aunt Mei is a kind person, she takes care of everyone. She's not feeling well right now, so it's only right that I do more for her."

Her tone was light and casual, with a hint of self-assurance.

"The manor is not short of manpower."

Lu Tingzhao picked up the water glass, his fingertips tracing the inside of the glass.

"You don't need to do these things yourself."

Lin Xiaoman lowered her eyes, her voice unconsciously becoming softer:

"Maybe it's because... Aunt May reminds me a bit of my mother."

She paused, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"Although my memories of my mother are quite blurry, I feel... she must have been like Aunt Mei. Warm, caring, and quietly taking care of everyone..."

She spoke simply, without using any sentimental words, yet Lu Tingzhao still understood the natural affection and tenderness that flowed from her.

His fingers tightened slightly as he held the water glass.

Does this girl, who is always energetic and seems to be able to face everything with optimism, always have a missing piece of the puzzle of "mother" in some corner of her heart?

In the distance, the faint pattering sound of Yuanbao running in the corridor could be heard.

After a long while, Lu Tingzhao spoke again, his voice lower than before, carrying a gentleness he himself was unaware of:

"Lin Xiaoman".

"Um?"

"Do you want to?"

He asked slowly, each word clear.

"Have you found your biological mother?"

To Lu Tingzhao's surprise, Lin Xiaoman gave a clear and decisive answer almost without hesitation, the very first second after he finished speaking:

"In no mood."

The answer came too quickly and too directly.

He thought she would at least hesitate a little, have a hidden desire, even if it was just a simple "I don't know".

"...Why?"

The man pressed for an answer.

He thought that the lack of maternal love would be a deep-seated regret in her heart.

Lin Xiaoman's tone, however, was unusually calm:

I will not be attached to those who choose to abandon me.

She set and followed a set of decisive rules for herself... never giving anyone a second chance to hurt her.

Her biological parents, her nominal adoptive parents, Lin Langqing... In her heart, these people have all been relegated to the past, with clear and cold boundaries drawn between them.

Lu Tingzhao fell silent. Her logic was clear and cold, revealing a soberness and decisiveness completely different from her usual lively and warm demeanor.

This almost immediately reminded him of a more crucial issue.

"That……"

He spoke again.

Why...did you come back here again?

Why did you come back to me?

He had driven her away himself, with the most hurtful words and the most resolute attitude.

In a sense, he had also "abandoned" her and even hurt her.

Lin Xiaoman was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the topic to shift so abruptly.