The blind boss's nanny

Perhaps it was the similarity in her character that touched him, or perhaps it was the tears she shed for the pain of others that burned a tiny crack into the ice.

Lin Xiaoman's eyes suddenly lit up.

She grinned, revealing a bright smile, even though the tear stains on her face were still wet and her eyes were still red and swollen.

That smile was so bright, so genuinely warm, that Codonopsis pilosula, accustomed to coldness and gloom, looked away uncomfortably.

"Thank you!"

Her voice had a strong nasal tone.

"Really... thank you!"

Back in the main building, Lin Xiaoman practically threw herself into Lu Tingzhao's arms.

She buried her face deep in his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

Lu Tingzhao cupped her face in his hands, but his fingertips unexpectedly touched a damp spot.

The man lowered his head and gently placed a warm kiss on her slightly damp eyelashes.

"tell me,"

His voice was deep and gentle.

"Why are you crying?"

Lin Xiaoman shook her head and buried her face back down.

Lu Tingzhao hugged her tighter, gently rubbing his chin against the top of her head, and then began to kiss her forehead, brow, and cheeks with delicate and tender kisses.

"Don't want to talk about it?"

He whispered against her skin, his breath warm.

"Then I'll guess them one by one..."

His long, slender fingers ran through her hair, gently combing it, his voice soft and soothing.

"Is it because...the Codonopsis pilosula side didn't agree?"

Lin Xiaoman shook her head in his arms, her voice muffled:

"No... he has already agreed."

Lu Tingzhao paused, genuinely surprised by the outcome.

He sent Leng Feng and Qin Xiu, but they couldn't pry open the ice even a little bit, despite using all sorts of methods. She actually... managed to do it?

He pulled her away slightly, and although he couldn't see her, he "stared" in her direction, waiting for what would happen next.

Lin Xiaoman sniffed to calm herself down before telling him, in fits and starts, everything that had happened at the inn that afternoon, including Dangshen's childhood, her loss of control, and the "deal" they finally reached.

After listening, Lu Tingzhao remained silent for a long time.

As time passed, Lin Xiaoman, enveloped in his familiar scent and warm embrace, gradually felt the relaxation that followed her emotional turmoil. Her eyelids began to grow heavy, and she almost fell asleep in his arms.

The man finally spoke, his voice clear and deep:

"so……"

He paused, his fingertips tracing the outline of her ear.

"You lied to me before, saying you had several children with your ex-husband abroad... but they were actually the children you used to take care of at Sunshine Home, right?"

Lin Xiaoman's body stiffened for a moment, then she nodded more forcefully, burying her face even deeper into his neck.

Lu Tingzhao felt a damp coolness on the side of his neck. His heart ached, and he tightened his arms around her.

"You want to save enough money,"

He continued to ask, his tone knowing.

"Go see if they're doing well, shall we?"

A very faint "hmm" came from my arms.

"But,"

Lu Tingzhao's voice softened even more.

"After all these years, how are you going to find them?"

Lin Xiaoman finally lifted her head from his embrace. Even though she knew he couldn't see, she still tried to open her eyes wide, hoping to make her voice sound more confident:

"I remember..."

She spoke softly, with a stubborn seriousness.

"In the past... whenever foreigners came to the institute to visit or complete procedures, I would go up to them, pretending to practice my spoken English, and try my best to talk and chat with them..."

Her voice gradually lowered, tinged with embarrassment yet revealing a stubbornness:

"I would try to find out their names, where they came from, what they did for a living, which city they lived in, and what their family situation was like... and then secretly memorize it. Dean Lin... he knew about it, so he always asked me to be his translator."

So this is why she, a girl who has never been abroad and has a low level of education, can speak fluent English.

That's neither talent nor systematic learning.

She was a helpless girl who, in order to protect the faint hope in her heart, used all her clumsy yet scheming methods to save up the only "bargaining chip" that might be useful to her.

Lu Tingzhao remained silent for a long time.

He pulled her back into his arms, his hands stroking her back gently again and again.

He remembered her earnest yet money-grubbing expression when she talked about her salary, her desperate gamble to stay here and fake her age, and her always energetic, carefree laughter...

It turns out that behind that smile lay such a heavy yet tender longing.

Lu Tingzhao suddenly realized that he may never have truly understood the person in his arms.

"Your psychologist certificate, nutritionist certificate..."

He spoke slowly, his fingertips stroking her long hair.

"You took the exam so you could go back to Sunshine Home in the future, right?"

Lin Xiaoman remained silent, without denying it.

She was never someone with lofty ambitions or grand ideals. But this one thing became the only clear, even obsessive, compass in her life over the years.

Like a tree, all the roots spread and grow in that direction.

But the sudden death of Dean Lin Jiaqi and Lin Langqing's betrayal uprooted her and threw her off her original path.

In order to survive, she drifted to Lu Tingzhao's side and became his nanny.

Then, by a twist of fate, she became his girlfriend.

Neither of these two identities was part of her past life plan.

But fate just happened.

Although Lu Tingzhao never said it outright, she could sense that he needed her.

This feeling of being needed temporarily anchored her in the manor. It allowed her to temporarily set aside her deepest obsession and diligently fulfill her duties as a nanny and girlfriend at the manor.

Even today, Codonopsis's chilling words unexpectedly unlocked the most secret lock in her heart.

The anxiety and longing that had been deliberately suppressed surged forth in an instant, causing her to crumble completely in front of strangers.

Lin Langqing used to scoff at her unrealistic fantasies: "What good would it do you even if you found them? They've probably already forgotten you and are living a thousand times better life than you. Who needs you to get involved?"

Therefore, she never dared to tell anyone about her thoughts, only vaguely covering them up by saying she "wanted to work abroad".

This was the first time she had so clearly revealed this seemingly unrealistic obsession in front of another person.

After saying that, Lin Xiaoman felt a little embarrassed, as if she had revealed a clumsy and vulnerable secret.

But Lu Tingzhao did not show any surprise or mockery.

He listened quietly, then reached out and pulled her back into his arms, placing a gentle and tender kiss on the top of her head.

"Xiaoman, wait until my eyes are healed,"

His voice was deep and steady, yet every word was clear and distinct in her ears.

"I'll go with you."

Lin Xiaoman suddenly lifted her head from his arms and looked at him in disbelief.