The blind boss's nanny

His warm fingertips touched her knee precisely in the darkness.

First, the left side. I gently stroked it through the thin fabric of the pants with my fingertips.

Is this the place?

He asked in a low voice.

"Um?"

Lin Xiaoman didn't react for a moment and subconsciously held her breath.

Then, the warmth moved to the right knee, and the pressure was lightened as it was gently massaged.

"What you just did..."

He paused, his fingertips stopping.

"Did you fall?"

"Forehead……"

In the darkness, the man seemed to chuckle very softly.

"The day you first went up to the sixth-floor room,"

He spoke slowly, his fingertips never leaving her knee, gently massaging the throbbing spot.

"That's true."

Lin Xiaoman's thoughts were suddenly drawn back to that afternoon.

She recalled the scene of their first "meeting," and his words, "Your eyesight isn't very good either," seemed to still echo in her ears.

At this moment, the warmth from his palms was being transmitted through his clothes.

It soothed her slightly throbbing knees, traveled upwards, warmed her cheeks, and finally settled in the softest corner of her heart.

The next second, the man's palm gently touched the back of her hand holding the cup, then slowly moved up, stroking her wrist, and finally gently cupped her cheek.

His palm had a reassuring warmth, and his thumb lightly brushed against her lower eyelid.

"Xiaoman" (Grain Buds).

He called her softly, his voice hoarse, as if it had been soaked by the thick darkness of the night.

"Um?"

She responded, her voice slightly choked.

The next second, warm breath brushed against her nose and lips. In the darkness, Lin Xiaoman involuntarily held her breath, her eyelashes trembling.

Then, his lips, tender and searching, gently covered mine.

In absolute darkness, this kiss was stripped of all visual interference and judgment, leaving only the most primal and direct sensory exchange.

His lips were slightly cool, yet surprisingly soft, with a hint of moisture from the water.

At first, it was just a gentle touch, tentative. Lin Xiaoman stiffened for a moment, and then the bitterness, heartache, and sudden realization that had been building up in her heart, as well as the palpitations that she herself had not yet fully sorted out, found an outlet.

She closed her eyes and awkwardly but obediently parted her lips slightly.

This subtle response was like a silent permission.

Lu Tingzhao's breathing suddenly became heavy. The arms around her waist tightened, pulling her closer into his embrace.

The kiss deepened, transforming from gentle touches to slow, firm, lingering sucking. His tongue tenderly traced the shape of her lips before slipping inside and entwining with them.

In the darkness, the senses of touch, smell, and hearing are amplified infinitely.

She could taste the faint flavor of water between his lips and teeth, smell the increasingly clear and crisp scent emanating from him, and hear their breaths and heartbeats gradually merging and losing their rhythm.

His palm cradled the back of her neck, his fingertips digging into her hair, sending waves of tingling sensation through her.

There is no light, no direction, no boundary.

Only his burning embrace, his deep kisses, and his silent yet overwhelming emotions that seemed to devour her entirely.

This kiss, which began unexpectedly in the darkness, gradually shed its initial awkwardness and tentativeness, becoming lingering and intoxicating.

Like two travelers who meet by chance in the eternal night, they embrace tightly, confirming each other's real existence with their body heat and breath.

Until a faint "humming" sound came from afar, followed by a bright and soft light pouring down from the crystal chandelier overhead...

The light instantly dispelled all the darkness.

Lin Xiaoman squinted unconsciously because of the bright light, still not fully recovered from the afterglow of that deep kiss.

But her body had already reacted, and she quickly stepped away from the man.

Lu Tingzhao slowly stepped back a little, but still kept his arms around her.

His eyes appeared exceptionally deep under the light, clearly reflecting her flushed cheeks, slightly swollen lips, and dreamy gaze.

He raised his hand and gently stroked her moist, swollen lips with his fingertips, his voice low and husky, carrying lingering passion and amusement:

"What's wrong?"

Lin Xiaoman immediately lowered her head, not daring to look at his face so close to hers, her voice barely audible, like a mosquito's hum:

"Power is back..."

Lu Tingzhao's lips curled up, his tone slow and teasing:

"It's recovered."

"It's okay."

He leaned slightly forward, his breath brushing against her burning earlobe.

"We...can still continue."

Lin Xiaoman shuddered, raising her head abruptly as if facing a formidable enemy, her eyes widening as she quickly glanced towards the doorway.

Continue?! In this brightly lit living room, where someone could pass by at any moment?!

What if Aunt Mei comes in?! What if Leng Feng is on his routine patrol?!

Just imagining that scene makes her want to dig a hole and bury herself right there!

"No, no!"

She hurriedly broke free from his embrace, scrambling off the sofa, her face flushed and her eyes darting around in a panic.

"Let's...let's go back to our room!"

As soon as she said it, she froze.

Go back to your room?!

Doesn't this sound even worse?! It's practically some kind of...invitation?!

Lin Xiaoman wished she could bite off her own tongue, so she simply shut her mouth tightly and dared not say another word.

Lu Tingzhao's smile deepened, almost overflowing. He didn't press her further, simply nodding obediently.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

"Go back to your room."

Back in the bedroom, bright lights illuminated the entire room.

Lu Tingzhao calmly sat down on the sofa, raised his face, and asked very seriously:

"Can we continue now?"

Lin Xiaoman, who was pretending to be concentrating on tidying the corners of the blankets by the bed, paused in her movements.

She slowly turned around, trying to maintain a calm expression, but her eyes darted around:

"Continue what? Chairman, it's late, you should rest..."

Upon hearing this, Lu Tingzhao stood up from the sofa and walked towards her unhurriedly. The light elongated his tall figure, enveloping her.

He stopped in front of her, leaned down slightly, and his smile held a mixture of understanding and mischief:

"continue……"

"Things I didn't finish downstairs just now."

He paused deliberately, then slowly added:

Or perhaps...

"You want... to turn off the lights?"

His voice rose slightly at the end, like it had a small hook.

Lin Xiaoman looked at his handsome face so close to hers, felt the bright light that illuminated the room, and thought about everything that had happened in the darkness just now...

She felt like she was suffocating, not just from embarrassment, but also from the confusion caused by the overturning of her understanding.

If that first kiss at the ball could be loosely explained as a temporary tactic to "tease his ex-fiancée," then...

What about that kiss in the dark just now?

In that moment when she finally truly understood the world he lived in every day, and a surge of bitterness and pity welled up in her heart, what did that kiss, stripped of all visual distractions and left only with the instinctive response of the senses and emotions, even mean?

All the psychological defenses she had painstakingly built up these past few days, all the self-warnings about "management strategies," "post-brain injury sequelae," and "capitalist conspiracies," were shattered by this kiss that happened in the dark.

When facing Lu Tingzhao, she could no longer return to the simple model of being a "professional nanny" and a "blind employer."

Lin Xiaoman took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and raised her eyes to look directly at him. In an unusually calm tone, she asked a very real question:

"Chairman, may I ask... are you looking to keep me as a mistress?"

Lu Tingzhao's brows furrowed noticeably, and the smile on his face vanished instantly. His voice carried a clear sense of helplessness and a hint of displeasure:

"Lin Xiaoman, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day long?"