The blind boss's nanny

Just as Lin Xiaoman was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he abruptly changed the subject, his tone becoming ambiguous, his low voice brushing against her ear:

"Anyway... every night, you always beg for sex and then I beat you up..."

"Lu Tingzhao!"

Lin Xiaoman's cheeks flushed bright red, and she interrupted him in embarrassment and annoyance, "What are you talking about!"

When one plan failed, she came up with another. Her eyes darted around, and she deliberately spoke in an infuriating tone:

"Then...then I'll flirt with other people right in front of you! Anyway, you won't see it. I'll chat with Leng Feng, and joke around with Qin Xiu, and you won't know!"

Upon hearing this, the last trace of a smile on Lu Tingzhao's face froze instantly. He pursed his lips, said nothing, and slowly withdrew the hand she was holding.

He didn't speak to her for the rest of the day, and the atmosphere around him was frighteningly tense.

Lin Xiaoman was initially a little uneasy, thinking the joke had gone too far. Unexpectedly, the next morning, she heard... Leng Feng had been fired.

She hurriedly went to find Lu Tingzhao:

"Chairman, what happened to Leng Feng? Why...?"

Lu Tingzhao's expression remained calm and composed.

"His contract expired; it's a normal personnel change."

Lin Xiaoman was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said softly:

"Oh...so my contract...is it expiring soon too?"

Before she could finish speaking, her hand was suddenly gripped by a large hand, so tightly that it almost hurt.

Lu Tingzhao "looked" at her, his unseen eyes swirling with intense obsession. His voice was deep and cold as iron, each word striking her heart:

"Lin Xiaoman".

"You're not going anywhere."

Don't even think about it.

But Lu Tingzhao was not the only one feeling frustrated and anxious.

Codonopsis also fell into immense pressure and self-doubt. He used almost all of his knowledge and connections to try every mainstream treatment that might be effective according to the literature, and even boldly adopted several radical therapies that were still in the experimental stage.

Every day, he felt like he was groping around in a maze, exhausting his mind and energy, only to be met with those cold, hard numbers in the medical report.

Lu Tingzhao's eyes were like a deep lake frozen solid, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through even a crack to let in light.

What suffocated him even more was the formulaic questioning he had to face every day.

Lu Tingxi would approach the progress with a businesslike rigor, while Lu Tingzhou would be concise and sharp-eyed, and Qin Xiu would be the most polite and considerate, yet unable to hide the worry behind his concern.

He had to repeat the same explanation of his condition and the same "no progress" notification several times a day, each time as if it were a reminder of his "incompetence".

However, what made him feel the most bittersweet and indescribable pain was Lin Xiaoman.

She would also come to see him, but she never used that stiff, polite tone. She seemed to genuinely consider him a friend with whom she could chat and share her experiences.

She would ask him about his experiences abroad, seemingly always interested in the other world he described, which allowed her to temporarily forget her current worries.

When he spoke of his disappointment and despair, her brows would furrow tightly, her small face filled with empathetic worry.

But no matter how you go around in circles, the conversation always ends up back on that name.

"Dr. Dang, is the chairman feeling any better today than yesterday? Even just a little bit?"

"He looked very pale when he came out of treatment today. Was he in a lot of pain? Is there anything we can do to make him feel better?"

Each time, Codonopsis pilosula had to give that disappointing answer. Watching the hopeful light in her eyes gradually dim, her little face scrunched up, she still forced herself to say to him, "Thank you, Dr. Dang, you've worked hard."

When she left, her steps were always extremely light, carrying an unconcealable sense of loss. Her slender figure disappeared through the doorway, leaving behind a deeper emptiness and powerlessness in the Codonopsis pilosula clinic.

That day, as she turned to leave once again with that disappointing answer and a gloomy look in her eyes, Dang Shen almost uncontrollably called out to her.

"Miss Lin."

Lin Xiaoman stopped and turned around.

Dang Shen took a deep breath, as if making a firm decision, and recounted what he had been repeatedly communicating and anxiously planning in private over the past few days:

"I got in touch with my mentor, Dr. Howard."

His tone became serious.

"He agreed to make an exception and let me take the chairman to the medical center at the headquarters in Country M. There, he can have priority access to the most core research resources and equipment, personally participate in the evaluation, and develop a more personalized, and potentially more groundbreaking, treatment plan."

Lin Xiaoman's eyes widened suddenly. The starry sea that had just dimmed was suddenly rekindled, bursting out with dazzling light.

She even forgot what to say, and simply walked back quickly, bowed deeply to the Codonopsis pilosula, then bowed a second time, and a third time...

"Thank you! Dr. Dang, thank you so much!"

Her voice trembled slightly with excitement, and every word was filled with sincere gratitude.

Over the next few days, Lin Xiaoman secretly planned to accompany Lu Tingzhao to the United States, and even began to quietly compile a list of items that needed to be prepared.

During a seemingly ordinary family dinner, Lu Tingzhao told his family in the most commonplace tone of his decision to go to the United States for further treatment.

As soon as the words were spoken, almost everyone immediately expressed their willingness to go together, including Ye Qiyun, who had recently been frequently appearing at the medical center.

Qin Xiu was the first to speak, his expression displaying his usual meticulousness and thoroughness:

"Chairman, I'll head over there tomorrow. I'll thoroughly renovate our villa there, arrange local drivers and security, and coordinate with the medical center to ensure a seamless transition upon your arrival."

This is his duty, and also the most practical arrangement.

Lu Tingzhao nodded slightly in agreement. The Lu family has businesses and permanent staff in major cities around the world, but right now they do need a core figure like Qin Xiu to pave the way and coordinate the overall situation.

Lu Tingzhou then spoke, his reasoning blunt and direct:

"I have an industry summit there next month, which I was planning to attend anyway. I can conveniently drop by and spend some time with you."

He didn't care what others thought, nor did he make any more excuses, but his meaning was clear—he had to keep an eye on where his older brother went.

Lu Tingzhao neither commented nor denied this, which can be considered as tacit approval.

Seeing that Qin Xiu and his second brother quickly took up the "accompanying spot," Lu Tingxi knew that as the current acting leader of the group, he was destined to be the one who had to stay and stabilize the situation. He was so angry that he got up and left the table before finishing his meal.

Qin Xiu almost immediately put down his cutlery, whispered "sorry" to Lu Tingzhao, and hurriedly chased after him.

What truly surprised Lin Xiaoman was Ye Qiyun's attitude.