The blind boss's nanny

Lu Tingzhao stood with his back straight, his hands clasped on his knees, his face expressionless, but he tilted his head slightly, listening intently to every sound from the direction of the emergency room.

Lu Tingzhou tugged at his tie in frustration, wanting to say something to break the silence several times, but seeing his older brother's tightly pursed lips and the extremely subdued aura emanating from him, he swallowed his words back.

He took out his cigarette case, then, remembering he was in a hospital, reluctantly put it back. In the end, he could only pound his thigh in frustration.

Until Lin Xiaoman and Leng Feng reappeared at the end of the corridor.

Lu Tingzhao immediately raised his head and looked precisely in her direction.

Lin Xiaoman walked quickly to him, squatted down, and gently placed her hand on the back of his cold hand, trying her best to make her tone sound calm:

"Chairman, Yuanbao is stable for now. He's had an injection and is asleep. The doctor said they need to schedule surgery as soon as possible... It's not a serious problem..."

Lu Tingzhao was silent for a moment, then he turned his hand over and completely enveloped her slightly cool hand in his palm, his strength steady.

"Um."

He responded with only one syllable, his voice hoarse.

"understood."

He paused, then asked:

"Is it in a lot of pain right now?"

Lin Xiaoman shook her head vigorously, then remembered that he was blind, and quickly said:

"I got a painkiller injection, I feel much better, and I'm asleep."

Lu Tingzhao nodded, but did not let go of her hand.

Lu Tingzhou, who was watching from the side, interjected:

"I'll take care of things here, brother. You guys go back and rest first. Yuanbao needs to be hospitalized for observation tonight, so there's nothing you can do to help if you stay here."

This time, Lu Tingzhao did not insist. With Lin Xiaoman's support, he slowly stood up, his other hand still tightly holding hers.

"go home."

He said this to Lin Xiaoman, then added, as if to comfort her, and also as if to himself.

"Once Yuanbao recovers, we'll bring it home."

Back at the manor, Lu Tingzhao silently went upstairs, locked himself in his bedroom, and shut out all sounds and inquiries.

Aunt Mei was tidying up in the living room when she saw the group of people return with strange expressions. Lu Tingzhao even shut himself in the door and refused to come out. An ominous premonition immediately welled up in her heart.

She approached Lin Xiaoman, who looked haggard, and asked with concern:

"Xiaoman, what happened? She was fine when she left. The chairman..."

Lin Xiaoman, who had been on edge the whole way, finally found a safe outlet to vent under Aunt Mei's concerned inquiries and gaze.

She could no longer hold back, stepped forward and hugged Aunt Mei tightly, burying her face in her warm shoulder:

"Aunt Mei... Yuanbao... Yuanbao is in trouble... Someone kicked it and broke its leg... The doctor said that even if it recovers, it can never be a guide dog again..."

Aunt Mei's body visibly stiffened, the color draining from her face in an instant, her eyes widening in astonishment:

"What?! How could this be...? Who is it?! Yuanbao, it..."

She knew all too well what Yuanbao meant to Lu Tingzhao.

From Lu Tingzhao's initial indifference and rejection when the golden retriever was first brought to his home, to his gradual acceptance and dependence on it, Yuanbao has now become an indispensable part of his dark world, his most trusted partner, and his "eyes."

Every step of the transformation was accompanied by Lu Tingzhao's inner struggle and acceptance, which was extremely difficult.

Even she, as an observer, felt heartbroken; how much more so Lu Tingzhao himself? It wasn't just losing a work partner; it was as if a part of him, the support that carried him through life, had been forcibly taken away.

Aunt Mei took a deep breath, suppressing the shock and sadness in her heart, and gently patted Lin Xiaoman's back.

Once she had calmed down a bit, Aunt Mei placed her hands on Lin Xiaoman's shoulders, helping her to lift her head, and looked at her with a solemn and serious gaze:

"Xiaoman, listen to what Aunt Mei has to say."

Her voice was low, yet powerful.

"Right now, Yuanbao needs a doctor, and the chairman... he needs you."

Lin Xiaoman looked at Aunt Mei through teary eyes.

"Yuanbao can no longer be his eyes; no one can change that."

Aunt May spoke clearly, word by word.

"But you're still here. Do you understand, Xiaoman?"

These words cleaved through the chaos that had enveloped Lin Xiaoman in guilt and sorrow.

She was stunned.

yes……

Lu Tingzhao has more than just Yuanbao's pair of "eyes".

She was also his eyes.

From the moment she arrived at the manor and began to care for him; from the moment she subconsciously described his surroundings to him in the dark and alerted him to his surroundings in the crowd; from the moment she unknowingly began to take his joys and sorrows, and even his unspoken needs, into her own sphere of attention…

She has long been fulfilling the role of "eyes," and even more.

Yuanbao's accident was a cruel blow, but not the end of the world.

He lost a pair of loyal "eyes," but beside him, there is still a pair of eyes that may not be professional enough, but are focused enough and willing to see the way forward for him... belonging to her.

Lin Xiaoman's eyes gradually changed from blank and helpless to firm.

She looked at the closed bedroom door, then nodded vigorously to Aunt Mei:

"I understand, Aunt May."

Without further hesitation, she turned around, gently walked towards the door, raised her hand, and knocked.

"Chairman,"

Her voice still had a slight nasal tone, but it was exceptionally clear.

"It's me, I'm coming in."

She turned the doorknob, went inside, and gently closed the door behind her, temporarily shutting out the outside world's turmoil and grief.

The room was dark, just like when she first met him.

Lu Tingzhao sat alone on a chair by the window, facing the boundless night outside, his back view solitary and silent.

Lin Xiaoman walked step by step to his side, and then gently sat down on the carpet at his feet.

She reached out and gently grasped his still-cold hand, which hung by his side.

Silent companionship, at this moment, is more powerful than any words.

She is right here.

Be his eyes, until... light returns to his world.

Although, this day may never come.

Lu Tingzhao gripped her hand tighter than usual. His voice sounded calm, even deliberately understated:

"Xiaoman, do you know? Today... Lu Tingshen hurt Yuanbao right in front of me."

Lin Xiaoman knew that behind those words lay the helplessness of watching the violence unfold but being unable to stop it, the anxiety of sensing Yuanbao's pain but being unable to immediately help him, and the frustration of having the solid barrier she had built for herself during this time being easily breached.

An overwhelming sense of powerlessness engulfed Lu Tingzhao.

He thought he had overcome all the difficulties that came with losing his sight and that he had regained control of his life.

But today, reality has shown him in the cruelest way that his "control" is so fragile in the face of some sudden malice.