The blind boss's nanny

Lin Xiaoman raised her head and looked into Aunt Mei's eyes. The tangled mess in her heart was gently stirred by these few words.

Lu Tingzhao.

For the first time in her mind, this name shed the labels of "chairman," "employer," and "patient in need of care," and revealed a three-dimensional person.

Before he lost his sight, he was a successful entrepreneur, the backbone of his family, and a role model for many.

He has done countless good deeds, and a single casual remark from him can change a person's destiny.

And now, this man, who lives in legend and whose life should have never intersected with hers, tells her: I like you.

She had once willingly obeyed the orders of a despicable man like Lin Langqing.

In her 23 years of life, she never thought about anything outside of Sunshine Home.

In the past, she worked odd jobs everywhere just to save enough money to go abroad, but now, without realizing it, Lu Tingzhao has become different in her heart.

If it's just a matter of getting paid to do a job, and the contract is finalized once it expires, why should she care whether he's a good person or not? Why should she panic over his confession? Why should she delve into his past and try to figure out his true feelings?

The answer is already self-evident.

She cares.

I care a lot.

This realization, like a lightning bolt, shattered the last vestiges of confusion and self-deception in her heart.

Lin Xiaoman gently placed the water glass next to Lu Tingzhao, but her gaze remained on his face.

He was listening to financial news, and the playback speed was still quite fast.

She silently began to observe him, noting that his eyebrows would twitch slightly when he heard key data.

"Xiaoman?"

Lu Tingzhao suddenly spoke, his tone uncertain.

Lin Xiaoman was startled, but quickly relaxed... Anyway, he couldn't see her observing him. She took a deep breath and said softly:

"Chairman, isn't this announcer speaking too fast? Should we slow it down?"

Lu Tingzhao paused for two seconds.

"Need not."

He said his voice was slightly gentler than usual.

"I'm used to it."

Lin Xiaoman nodded, sat down on the sofa next to her, put on her headphones, and began her online English class.

This location allows me to respond to his needs at any time without disturbing him.

After a while, she heard Lu Tingzhao suddenly turn off the broadcast.

"Xiaoman" (Grain Buds).

"Um?"

He spoke somewhat slowly, as if he were considering his words.

"Next Tuesday is the group's annual meeting."

Lu Tingzhao's voice was slower and deeper than usual.

"I have to attend. Would you... like to come with me?"

Lin Xiaoman was slightly taken aback. Wasn't this matter already settled? Lu Tingxi had even sent over that red dress, which was hanging in her wardrobe.

She thought that Lu Tingzhao might not be able to see it, so he was unaware of it.

Was his statement a test? Or... a subtle expression of needing companionship?

Regardless of which option it was, Lin Xiaoman felt that she had no right or reason to refuse.

This is simply part of her job, and it makes perfect sense.

Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Lu Tingzhao's lips twitched slightly, and he said slowly:

"What I mean is... if you don't like that kind of occasion, and feel constrained or uncomfortable, you can refuse."

He paused, his voice lowering.

"Don't force yourself."

He recalled what Lu Tingzhou had said at the last Christmas ball, and the quiet way she had initially stood in the corner at the ball.

She might not like that kind of glamorous, superficial life. But a deeper, more unacknowledged worry welled up inside her... Once she left this manor and stepped into the outside world, would she... simply disappear?

Her attitude towards herself over the past few days reveals that she doesn't want to accept him yet.

But these words had a completely different meaning to Lin Xiaoman.

She looked at the man in front of her. He was asking her "willingness" in an uncertain tone, giving her the right to "refuse".

This doesn't resemble a shrewd and powerful leader at all. This is clearly a man trapped in darkness, filled with uncertainty about his own situation and external feedback, and even... carrying a hint of inferiority.

A soft, bittersweet feeling gently touched her heart.

She put down her tablet and walked to his side. This time, there was no stiffness, no deliberate distance; she naturally extended her hand:

"Chairman, I'm willing... no, I should have gone with you in the first place."

She paused, then added.

"Wherever you want to go, I'll go with you."

Lu Tingzhao's hand moved slightly beneath her palm.

He couldn't see her eyes at that moment, but he could hear a certain promise in the warmth of her hand covering his and the certainty in her words.

The air was still for a few seconds.

He reached out and grasped her hand, his palm warm and dry, and gently held it in his.

Lin Xiaoman instinctively tried to twitch, but couldn't.

That evening, Lin Xiaoman sat alone on the cushion in front of the fireplace, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the last flickering flame.

Yuanbao was lying at her feet, his head resting on her slippers, fast asleep.

In the study, about twenty meters away, Lu Tingzhao was still working. Usually by this time, she would have already gone over to gently remind him that he should rest.

But now, her buttocks felt like they were glued to the mat.

She lowered her head and gently rubbed Yuanbao's fluffy ears, then sighed:

"Honey, I feel like I can't just treat him as a 'boss' anymore. What should I do?"

Yuanbao whimpered in its sleep, its tail unconsciously flicking as a response.

Lin Xiaoman hugged her knees, shrinking herself even tighter.

Just thinking about having to help him with her hands when they got back to the room made her fingertips go numb and her cheeks start to heat up.

She could never return to that initial state of mind, where she was completely free of distractions and simply treated it as work.

I have a feeling that... Lu Tingzhao is ready to catch her like a fish at any moment and devour her.

Time slipped away silently.

In the fireplace, the last piece of firewood burned out, the orange-red flames struggled to flicker a few times, and finally went out completely, leaving only a pile of dark red embers and wisps of smoke.

Lin Xiaoman finally stood up slowly, but the instant she took her first step—

"Snapped!"

A very faint sound, yet it sounded like an electrical circuit breaking right next to your ear.

Then, everything went black!

It's not the kind of darkness where you wait for your eyes to adjust, but an absolute darkness where all light sources are instantly swallowed up.

The moonlight outside the window was blocked by the heavy curtains, and all the lights in the manor's inner quarters went out at that moment!

Lin Xiaoman was caught completely off guard and was suddenly plunged into a thick, dark place where she couldn't see her own hand in front of her face.

She instinctively opened her eyes wide, but all she could see was pure darkness.

Eyes accustomed to the light are completely useless at this moment.

Her heart clenched, and a wave of immense unease and panic gripped her in an instant.

Power outage?!