The blind boss's nanny

Having finally escaped the study, Lin Xiaoman felt much easier to breathe. Leaning against the corridor wall, she clenched her fist at the air.

You are a professional nanny, and you absolutely cannot be swayed!

Even so... when he smiled just now, he was indeed... somewhat handsome.

The next second, she shook her head violently, trying to shake the image out of her mind.

What are you thinking about?!

Capitalists are all cold-blooded and ruthless, wake up, Lin Xiaoman!

While struggling internally with her inner turmoil, she absentmindedly wandered into the break room and mechanically picked up a water glass to fill it.

The water flowed gurglingly, but her thoughts had already drifted far away. She didn't even notice that the water in the glass was about to overflow.

"Grain Buds! The water level is full!"

Aunt Mei's voice rose in alert from outside the window.

Lin Xiaoman snapped back to reality, exclaimed "Ah!", and hurriedly turned off the water purifier. She managed to calm herself down, taking small sips of the water, trying to regain her composure.

Before she had even finished her glass of water, Aunt Mei strode in from outside, her face showing concern and a hint of seriousness.

"Xiaoman,"

Aunt Mei walked over to her, her tone gentle yet direct.

"You've been acting very strangely these past few days."

Lin Xiaoman's heart tightened, and her fingers holding the water glass curled slightly.

"I'm always distracted at work, clumsy, and my interactions with the chairman are... weird."

Aunt Mei observed her expression.

"Are you having some trouble? Tell Aunt Mei. If Aunt Mei can't help you, there's the Chairman. He can definitely help you."

Lin Xiaoman quickly shook her head and forced a smile:

"No, no, Aunt Mei, I'm fine. I just... didn't sleep well."

Aunt Mei clearly didn't believe it. She sighed and took Lin Xiaoman's hand:

"Xiaoman, what's on your mind? Tell me."

After a long pause, Lin Xiaoman, having prepared herself mentally, uttered a lukewarm sentence:

"Aunt Mei, what kind of person is the chairman?"

Aunt Mei paused for a moment, then chuckled softly:

"This manor looks impressive now, doesn't it?"

She didn't look at Lin Xiaoman; her gaze was fixed on the old ginkgo tree outside the window. Her voice was calm.

"But it wasn't like this before."

She turned her gaze back:

"When the chairman bought this land, he was three months shy of turning twenty. Outside, the old foxes on the board of directors were waiting to devour the shares left by his father; at home, young master Tingzhou was rebelling against the world in the most intense way, and Miss Tingxi would wake up crying from nightmares at night."

Aunt Mei picked up her teacup and took a small sip:

"In those years, I often saw the chairman sitting in his study late at night. But when he appeared at the breakfast table the next morning, he would still remember to ask Tingxi how the school play was going, and he would go out to pick up Tingzhou, who had been drinking all night... even if he himself might not have slept a wink all night."

"He has to grow up faster than everyone else."

Aunt Mei put down her water glass.

"So fast... I've even forgotten how to be an ordinary young person."

Lin Xiaoman listened quietly. She could actually piece together the outline of these things—from Lu Tingzhao's occasional weariness, from his strictness at work, and from his instinctive protection of his younger siblings.

But listening to Aunt Mei's calm narration, those fragments suddenly gained weight, pressing heavily on my heart.

She looked down at the shimmering light and shadow in her glass, and finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for so long, her voice very soft:

"Did he...live for himself? I mean, like others, did he love someone, or...be loved?"

Aunt Mei's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, her eyes seeming to see through all her unspoken anxieties.

She smiled, as if laughing at the naivety and innocence in Lin Xiaoman's words.

Lin Xiaoman's face flushed, and she quickly lowered her head.

"Xiaoman,"

Aunt May's voice became very gentle.

"The chairman is the most... morally upright young man I've ever met. There's absolutely no gossip or romantic entanglements. It's not that he's ignorant, it's that he shoulders all the responsibility himself and leaves no room for those romantic affairs."

"And... what about Miss Wen?"

Lin Xiaoman still asked the question.

"Miss Wenya,"

Aunt Mei recalled,

"That was a marriage arrangement that the chairman only agreed to after Miss Wenya's brother mentioned it repeatedly. She's visited the manor a few times, but the chairman... at most treated her with politeness and courtesy, but that was it. What happened last time... you saw it too..."

Lin Xiaoman's voice grew softer and softer, almost becoming a murmur:

"Is the chairman really as good as you say? But back then, he still managed to fire the baristas, pastry chefs, and most of the people here just like that..."

Aunt Mei reached out and lightly flicked Lin Xiaoman's forehead, both amused and annoyed:

"Do you have some misunderstanding about the chairman?"

She put down her teacup, her expression turning serious:

"The chairman always has his own methods. You saw those people leave, but do you know how generous their severance pay was? Do you know that those skilled craftsmen were personally recommended by the chairman to better hotels, or even funded to open their own studios?"

Seeing Lin Xiaoman's somewhat stunned expression, Aunt Mei's tone became serious:

"Xiaoman, what on earth is going on in your little head all day? Is this why you don't put your heart into what you do?"

Lin Xiaoman lowered her head dejectedly, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, unable to explain herself.

She couldn't speak; she couldn't utter a single word.

Should we tell Aunt Mei that the high and mighty chairman said he "likes" her?

Everyone would think she was arrogant and deliberately seduced him, right? This matter almost became a source of anxiety for her, making it impossible for her to face Lu Tingzhao as calmly as before.

The thought of running away had crossed her mind before, but considering the exorbitant penalty for breach of contract and Lu Tingzhao's methods, she knew it was just wishful thinking.

Aunt Mei observed her struggling expression and softened her tone:

"Xiaoman, I've been with the chairman for so long, and I've seen all sorts of people. The chairman is different from those rich people outside."

"Back then, he chose me, a single mother, from a group of professional applicants... If I weren't the chairman, my daughter would never have had the opportunity to study abroad. In his eyes, he remembers the kindness of anyone who has made solid contributions to the family. He does these things without making a fuss, and even hates it when people thank him."

Aunt Mei held Lin Xiaoman's slightly cold hand, her gaze warm and firm:

"So don't try to figure him out with the stories you've read or heard. The chairman is someone who... values ​​responsibility more than profit, and considers relationships more than gains and losses. He may be strict, he may seem cold-hearted, but that's because he holds himself to higher standards, and he has a lot more to be responsible for."