The blind boss's nanny

Compared to the last Christmas ball, tonight's New Year's Eve ball has a stronger family and internal feel.

Those present were all members of the Lu family and core group executives; the atmosphere was relatively private, yet undercurrents were swirling.

As the president, Lu Tingxi took on the main responsibilities of hosting events and socializing.

Lu Tingzhao only symbolically took the stage, gave a brief speech, offered his hopes for the New Year and his gratitude to the team, and then calmly left the stage, returning to his seat next to Lin Xiaoman.

The long table was filled with exquisite buffet dishes. Lin Xiaoman first prepared the meat and shellfish that needed to be cut on Lu Tingzhao's plate, then adjusted the soup to the most convenient position for him, and finally placed the cutlery in his hands.

After finishing all this, she began to focus on enjoying the food in front of her, with a good appetite, and occasionally she would even make a few comments in a seemingly professional manner.

She scooped up a spoonful of seafood broth, tasted it carefully, nodded, then shook her head, and whispered to Lu Tingzhao beside her:

"The broth is flavorful enough, but the spices are a bit too strong, masking the original layers of flavor... Hmm, not as good as the one made by the chef at your estate."

He took another bite of the perfectly pan-fried foie gras, his eyes lighting up slightly, but then he immediately became critical:

"The cooking time was perfect, but the sauce... was a bit too sweet and overpowering. Aunt Meryl Streep's cherry red wine sauce would have been a better match."

Lu Tingzhao tilted his head slightly and couldn't help but chuckle softly, teasingly saying:

"With such harsh criticism, how come you're still eating so heartily?"

Lin Xiaoman was just putting a small piece of crispy roasted pigeon into her mouth when she heard this. Her eyes widened, she swallowed the food, a satisfied expression on her face, and she leaned close to his ear:

"You wouldn't understand, Chairman! There are so many people here today!"

She paused, her voice rising in pitch.

"When there are many people scrambling for food, the atmosphere is right, and the food seems to taste even better!"

"Nonsense."

Lu Tingzhao curled his lips slightly and commented softly.

During the meal, Lin Xiaoman would occasionally turn her head and remind him in a very low voice:

"Chairman, there's a vegetable salad about 15 centimeters to your left." "The soup bowl is now directly in front of you." At the same time, she naturally moved his plate to make sure everything was within his reach.

Ye Qiyun, representing her hospitalized husband, briefly attended the reception.

Holding her wine glass, she gracefully walked towards the main table, intending to greet her eldest son, but her gaze was first drawn to the figure beside Lu Tingzhao, who was enjoying a hearty meal.

Seeing Lin Xiaoman eating so intently while Lu Tingzhao's plate seemed barely touched, Ye Qiyun immediately frowned, a nameless anger rising within her.

She approached, her expression clearly displeased and condescending, pointing directly at Lin Xiaoman:

"My son hired you at a high price, and you're just sitting here eating by yourself?"

Lin Xiaoman paused, glanced at Ye Qiyun's tense face, and then at Lu Tingzhao's plate... Although it looked like it hadn't been touched much, nearly a fifth of it had already been eaten.

This is already pretty good! You know how picky your son is.

However, she then thought that the lady might genuinely not know.

Not wanting to clash with Lu Tingzhao's mother in public, she suppressed her displeasure and, in front of Ye Qiyun, turned to Lu Tingzhao, asking in a more respectful tone than usual:

"Chairman, would you like me to serve you your meal now?"

Lu Tingzhao's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even turn his head towards his mother's direction. He simply uttered two words calmly and clearly:

"Need not."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoman nodded to Ye Qiyun, then calmly returned to her seat and continued eating, her demeanor composed.

Ye Qiyun felt a tightness in her chest from her posture. After all, she was a woman who had weathered many storms, and she could tell at a glance that the atmosphere between the two was different.

That unintentional closeness, the whispered conversation, and her son's quiet protection... all made her heart sink.

Looking at her son's now blind eyes, and then at this nanny who was unacceptable to her in any way, Ye Qiyun felt a burning anger in her chest.

If Tingzhao weren't like this now... how could he let this kind of woman get close to him, and even seem to... have feelings for her?

She suppressed her surging anger, glared at Lin Xiaoman, but ultimately couldn't vent her frustration because of her husband in the hospital. She could only maintain her composure and gracefully turn away.

After the meal, Lu Tingzhao was surrounded by several elders of the Lu family for a chat. Lin Xiaoman recognized most of them as uncles and aunts she had met during the ancestral worship ceremony at Yunyin Mountain.

She gestured softly to Lu Tingzhou beside her, then lifted her skirt and quietly left the main banquet hall, heading towards the restroom.

As soon as I turned from the bright corridor into the relatively quiet wash area, my wrist was suddenly grabbed from behind!

Lin Xiaoman was startled and quickly turned around, only to be met with a face she never wanted to see again—Lin Langqing, dressed in a suit and with his hair neatly combed.

Lin Langqing's gaze was fixed on her, his tone filled with disbelief and astonishment.

The Lin Xiaoman before him was completely different from the Lin Xiaoman he remembered, who was always dressed simply and struggling to make a living.

A bright red satin dress accentuated her slender figure, her makeup was exquisite, and her eyes were clear and bright. She stood there without any sense of incongruity, and was even... dazzlingly dazzling.

Lin Xiaoman forcefully pulled her hand back, glancing at him sideways with a cold look in her eyes:

"You're here too?"

Lin Langqing's tone was somewhat strained:

"I wasn't allowed in the main hall; I was only in the staff banquet area downstairs."

His gaze remained fixed on her, the red color making him feel uncomfortable both in his eyes and in his heart.

Lin Xiaoman calmly crossed her arms, the shimmering light of her skirt rippling slightly with the movement.

"Oh, Mr. Lin, what brings you here? What can I do for you? Speak quickly, I don't have time to reminisce with you."

Lin Langqing finally recovered from the brief shock of the "dazzling light" before him. He pursed his lips, reached into his inside suit pocket, pulled out a bank card, and handed it to Lin Xiaoman, his voice low:

"Xiaoman, this...this is the money I borrowed from you back then. Now, I'm returning it to you in full."

Lin Xiaoman glanced at the card, immediately reached out and took it, then neatly and efficiently put it into her small handbag.

"You've mastered the art of shifting the blame."

She scoffed, her tone icy, "Steal, rob, cheat... which word isn't more fitting than your use of 'borrow'?"

She didn't want to have another word with this person and turned to leave.

"Alright, you can leave now."

"etc!"

Lin Langqing suddenly took a step forward, blocking her path again, a look of urgency on his face.

"Xiaoman, listen to me! Your younger brother, Zhuang Guangyao, he's gone mad! He brings a bunch of thugs to my house to cause trouble every day! My father-in-law knows everything! He Jingjing... she had an abortion, and we... we're divorced!"