The blind boss's nanny

She tried several different live streaming apps, but the result was the same... They all failed to load, either getting stuck on the loading screen or displaying a network error message.

"That's strange..."

Lin Xiaoman muttered to herself, restarted the tablet, and even turned on her phone's hotspot to connect... After a flurry of activity, she found her score was zero to five.

All live streaming platforms have collectively shut down because of her.

"Did all the platforms crash?"

She suspiciously switched to social media and found that the topic was calm, and others were chatting about it enthusiastically. Obviously, the problem was only with her.

After fiddling with it for almost half an hour, Lin Xiaoman finally threw the tablet away in frustration, her initial excitement turning into disappointment and bewilderment.

"I need to have Ah Zhe check it out for me tomorrow. Maybe my tablet has a virus, or maybe I've made a mistake with some settings..."

She muttered to herself as she turned off the bedside lamp.

The bedroom was plunged into darkness and silence.

She closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep. At first, she regretted missing so much "teaching material" tonight. After a while, she started thinking about how to continue her "wicked little nanny" career tomorrow. Should she add salt to Lu Tingzhao's coffee, or replace the classical music he usually listened to with square dance anthems...?

Just then, suddenly there was a loud "Bang! Crash—!"

A dull thud as something heavy fell to the ground, mixed with the clatter of things being knocked over, suddenly came from next door!

Lin Xiaoman opened her eyes instantly and pricked up her ears. The next second, she sat up with a start, her heart skipping a beat.

It's Lu Tingzhao!

What's wrong with him?

The night was quiet. After that muffled thud, there was no further sound. It didn't sound like something had fallen; it sounded more like... something heavy had hit the wall or furniture?

She waited a few seconds, but the next room remained quiet.

Was it a hallucination? Or did he... fall down?

Lin Xiaoman was immediately conflicted. Logically speaking, she wasn't his nanny anymore, and the two of them were still giving each other the cold shoulder, so she shouldn't bother with him!

But... what if he really falls? He's blind, and when he gets up at night...

"What does this have to do with me!"

She whispered to herself, turned over, and covered her head with the blanket.

However, the muffled thud was like a small thorn stuck in her heart. A few minutes later, Lin Xiaoman resignedly threw off the covers, tiptoed out of bed, quietly moved to the door, and pressed her ear against the wall.

Next door, all was still silent.

Lin Xiaoman listened for a while longer, and her doubts and worries grew rapidly.

Logically speaking, Lu Tingzhao knew the location of everything in his bedroom like the back of his hand, and could avoid things even if he couldn't see them, so it was almost impossible for him to trip or bump into anything.

But... what if? What if he's restless tonight, or feeling unwell? Or perhaps he's gotten used to her always being by his side...

"Fine! Consider this one last act of humanitarian concern! We'll distance ourselves from him again tomorrow!"

Lin Xiaoman gritted her teeth, abandoned her mental preparation, and gently knocked on the door.

"Chairman?"

She lowered her voice and called out through the crack in the door, her tone unconsciously tinged with worry.

"Are you... alright? I think I heard something coming from your side just now."

no respond.

Lin Xiaoman felt increasingly panicked.

Without further hesitation, she turned the doorknob... The door wasn't locked, and it opened with a gentle push.

The bedroom was pitch black, with only a sliver of moonlight filtering through the window outlining the blurry shapes of the furniture.

The bed was in disarray, and there was no one there.

Her gaze swept quickly across the room, then settled on the bathroom... The light was on there, and warm yellow light shone through the gap under the door and through the frosted glass door.

Thick steam billowed from the glass door, blurring its appearance, and the faint sound of rushing water could be heard coming from inside.

Is the water still flowing? How long has he been inside?

"Chairman?!"

Lin Xiaoman raised her voice, quickly walked to the bathroom door, and called out again.

Only the sound of water responded. But amidst the rushing water, she seemed to catch an extremely faint groan? Like a sound squeezed out of the throat as someone desperately suppressed pain.

Oh no! He fell down?!

All thoughts of "malicious plans" and "Cold War confrontation" vanished from my mind, replaced by a chilling fear and panic.

He must have fallen! In the slippery bathroom! Maybe he hit his head, twisted his ankle, or even...

Unable to bear thinking any further, Lin Xiaoman grabbed the bathroom door handle and pulled it outwards with all her might...

"Lu Tingzhao! Are you alright?! You…"

The words came to an abrupt halt.

The bathroom was steamy and filled with mist. The showerhead was still spraying hot water, and amidst the swirling steam, Lu Tingzhao's tall figure slumped onto the slippery tile floor, his back against the cold wall.

He seemed to have just tried to sit up, the muscles in his arms tense and bulging from the effort.

He was naked, his soaking wet black hair plastered messily to his forehead, water droplets trickling down his angular jawline, his prominent Adam's apple, and the broad lines of his shoulders and neck, flowing over his firm, undulating chest and abdominal muscles, finally disappearing into...

But at this moment, Lin Xiaoman had no mind to appreciate it at all.

"Chairman! Are you alright? Where did you fall? Can you hear me?"

Her voice trembled with anxiety, and she asked without thinking.

Hearing the door open and her exclamation, Lu Tingzhao slowly raised his head and looked towards the doorway.

Those eyes remained empty and unfocused, damp with moisture, and tiny water droplets clung to their long eyelashes, trembling slightly.

His brows were furrowed in pain, his thin lips were pressed into a pale line, and he exuded a sense of helplessness and vulnerability.

"...Xiaoman?"

His voice was hoarse, tinged with uncertainty.

"How...did you get in?"

Lin Xiaoman's heart ached.

He really fell!

"I...I heard a sound,"

Lin Xiaoman's voice changed tone. She rushed in immediately, ignoring the slippery floor and splashing water, and squatted down beside him. She anxiously reached out to help him but was afraid of touching his injury.

"Where did you hurt yourself? Your hand? Your arm? Can you still move it? Does it hurt?"

The moment her fingertips touched him, Lu Tingzhao's body trembled slightly, and he let out a muffled groan, his voice low and hoarse:

"It's nothing... I just slipped, and I think I hit my ankle... It's nothing."

Lin Xiaoman was both angry and anxious, and tears almost welled up in her eyes.

"Don't move! Let me help you up! The ground is cold and slippery!"

Lin Xiaoman's gaze lingered only on his shoulders and above. She reached out to help him, but didn't know where to begin. He was soaking wet and slippery, and wearing nothing at all…

He raised his arm slightly, as if trying to get her help.