The blind boss's nanny

Upon seeing Lin Xiaoman, Zhuang Guangyao greeted her warmly with a smile, calling her "sister" and "dear sister."

Lin Xiaoman knew she couldn't avoid it this time, so she casually pulled out five hundred yuan and handed it over:

"This is for your grandmother's sake. Your parents never raised me for a single day, so even if they take it to court, I don't have to give them a single penny."

Zhuang Guangyao was not about to give up; she had won 500 million! And she was only given 500 yuan? That was outrageous!

His face changed and he was about to throw a tantrum when two figures suddenly flashed in from outside the door, grabbed him like a chick, and dragged him out, forbidding him from ever stepping back into the hotel.

Lin Xiaoman glanced up and saw that one of the people was actually Leng Feng.

She stood quietly and waited, and before long, Leng Feng indeed returned.

"Xiaoman" (Grain Buds).

He spoke first, his voice as deep as ever.

"Brother Leng."

Lin Xiaoman responded and carefully examined him. After some time apart, Leng Feng seemed to have lost some weight, and his skin had turned a deeper tan, making his features appear even more rugged.

The two sat down in the hotel's quiet coffee shop. Lin Xiaoman stirred her juice and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time:

"Brother Leng, what exactly happened after the last concert? The chairman...?"

Holding his water glass, Leng Feng calmly recounted everything that had happened that night to Lin Xiaoman.

Lin Xiaoman's eyes widened in shock. Then she suddenly realized... all of this had been foreshadowed all along.

She recalled that during her first in-depth conversation with Leng Feng, he had said that he was a "mercenary without borders or stances, who only cares about interests."

Yet this very person abandoned the mission at the last moment.

Lin Xiaoman put down her cup, stood up, and bowed deeply to Leng Feng.

"Brother Leng, thank you. Really... thank you so much."

This action clearly startled Leng Feng for a moment. Then, a thought clearly flashed through his mind:

It turns out that Lu Tingzhao didn't tell her the whole truth... She still doesn't know that she saved him unintentionally.

Regardless of whether Lu Tingzhao concealed this information out of a desire to protect her or for some other reason, at this moment, Leng Feng felt a deep sense of gratitude towards that "former employer."

fair enough.

He was still the "Cold Brother" she could trust.

After a long while, Leng Feng seemed to have finally made up his mind. He sat up straight, looked intently at Lin Xiaoman, and said solemnly:

"Xiaoman, from now on, wherever you want to go, I will be with you. I am willing to protect you, no matter where you are in the world."

"puff--"

Lin Xiaoman's juice glass wobbled violently, almost spilling the liquid. She frantically steadied the glass, this being the first time she had shown such helplessness in front of Leng Feng.

"Brother Leng..."

Her cheeks felt hot, and her voice became urgent.

"Don't say that. I've always only felt trust and gratitude towards you as a friend, nothing more. You're a very important friend to me, but... that's all."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiaoman clearly saw that the expectant light in Leng Feng's eyes dimmed rapidly.

He paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked a more direct question:

"Xiaoman, even though you've left the manor and have enough money to be completely independent... don't you still have feelings for the chairman?"

Lin Xiaoman opened her mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

Has she let go of Lu Tingzhao? She herself doesn't know. Those complicated entanglements, sweet moments, suffocating control, and the final moments of clarity…

A mix of emotions swirled together, like a tangled mess, which she hadn't yet been able to truly untangle.

However, there was one thing she was absolutely clear about at this moment, and she had to make Leng Feng understand it.

She raised her head, meeting Leng Feng's gaze frankly, and gently shook her head, her voice gentle yet unwavering:

"Brother Leng, this has nothing to do with whether I've let go of anyone or not. Who I like and who I haven't let go of are things I need to face and sort out myself. But I can tell you for sure: I don't like you. It's not because you're not good enough, but because feelings... can't be forced, nor can they be exchanged for 'gratitude' or 'companionship.' Do you understand?"

After the two parted ways, Leng Feng had not yet reached the hotel lobby when he was "invited" into the elevator by two men in plain clothes, who took him directly to the presidential suite on the top floor.

Inside the room, Lu Tingzhao stood with his back to the door in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. The city skyline stretched out before him, but he seemed oblivious to it.

Hearing the noise behind him, he didn't turn around, and said expressionlessly:

"Leng Feng, I let you off the hook last time, but that doesn't mean I gave you the right to poach my employees."

Leng Feng's hands clenched slightly at his sides. He looked up at the tall, straight back and argued:

"She's in trouble! Her family is harassing her, and she needs to..."

"This is none of your business."

Lu Tingzhao turned around abruptly, his eyes sweeping over Leng Feng like sharp blades, interrupting him.

"I will handle her troubles. I will take care of her safety."

In that instant, Leng Feng's heart skipped a beat. That gaze was so oppressive that it almost gave him the illusion... Could the man before him already see?

But the thought only flashed through his mind. Lu Tingzhao then slightly turned his head, the chill in his tone undiminished:

"Remember my words. Never show your face in front of her again."

Leng Feng felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, but in the end, he didn't argue back.

The days he spent at the manor unfolded in his mind like a complex painting. He was truly grateful for that experience, because it allowed him to meet Lin Xiaoman and see the warm yet resilient light within her.

But it was that experience that made him realize another fact very clearly: he could never take Lin Xiaoman away from a man like Lu Tingzhao.

As he was leaving, Leng Feng turned back and gave Lu Tingzhao a deep look, forcing out a hoarse sentence:

"You'll never understand her; you're just shaping her according to your own expectations. She's with you, always catering to your needs... She's not the flower in your yard!"

Lu Tingzhao had his back to him and did not respond.

Lin Xiaoman sat on the soft bed in the hotel, pressing the remote control. The TV screens switched rapidly, but she couldn't concentrate on any of them.

Just as she was about to turn off the TV, the room's intercom suddenly rang.

The internal phone rang, and she answered it hesitantly:

"Feed?"

The voice that came from the other end of the phone was one she knew all too well, yet the last thing she wanted to hear at that moment:

"Xiaoman" (Grain Buds).

As if burned, Lin Xiaoman loosened her grip, and the receiver fell onto the carpet with a "thud".

Her heart pounded erratically in her chest. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, before picking up the receiver again and holding it to her ear.

The man's voice came again, clearer than before, and with restraint:

"Xiaoman, may I...see you?"

Lin Xiaoman held the receiver, her fingertips slightly cold. She deliberately made her voice sound relaxed and casual:

"Chairman Lu, you can't see me anyway, so what difference does it make whether I see you or not? Let's talk on the phone."