The blind boss's nanny

At 5:30 p.m., as dusk began to fall, a loud and clear "bang!" sound, similar to the muffled sound of a short circuit, came from inside the three-story detached building on the west side of the manor.

This place is mainly used to store non-core family items, books, and some seasonal items.

The moment the sound rang out, the independent smoke alarm system installed in the annex was remotely and manually triggered by A-Zhe. The piercing buzzing sound instantly shattered the tranquility of the manor at dusk.

Almost simultaneously, inside the main building's security center, the surveillance footage of an old study on the third floor of the annex began to "abnormally" flicker.

It was a pre-made, ten-second looping clip by Ah Zhe, featuring simulated smoke effects and flashing flames.

He launched the misleading information campaign with a blank expression.

A panicked male voice immediately rang out on the manor's internal communication channel. It was Old Chen, the gardener in charge of the west wing. He was usually very honest and kind, but at this moment, his voice sounded trembling:

"No, something's wrong! The annex! There's noise coming from the old study on the third floor of the annex! I heard an explosion! I see smoke coming out of the window cracks! ...Chairman! Didn't the chairman say this afternoon that he was going over there to look for some old photo album?!"

Qin Xiuzheng accompanied Lu Tingxi, patiently helping her select several Phalaenopsis orchids. The two planned to transplant them to the courtyard of Lu Tingxi's villa.

Lu Tingxi had a relaxed smile on his face, his fingers covered in mud, as he listened to Qin Xiu explain the key points of maintenance.

As the alarm pierced through the glass, Lu Tingxi dropped the shovel from her hand onto the stone floor with a clatter. She abruptly turned her head towards the annex building, her face turning deathly pale, and her voice trembled.

"The annex?! Big brother... Big brother mentioned this afternoon that he was going there to look for Dad's old photo album!"

Without thinking, she reached for the door of the heated room with her muddy hands.

"Tingxi!"

But Qin Xiu reacted even faster, grabbing her wrist firmly with such force that she couldn't move.

His usual gentle expression vanished instantly, replaced by seriousness and tension. He quickly glanced in the direction from which the alarm was coming, then locked his gaze on Lu Tingxi, his voice low and menacing:

"Stay here! Don't come out!"

He flung open the door to the greenhouse, yanked in a terrified maid, and sternly said:

"Keep an eye on Miss! Don't drive off unless either you or I see the Chairman himself arrive! Understand?!"

The maid was terrified by the fierce look in his eyes and nodded frantically.

Qin Xiu said no more, and without even wiping his hands, he took off his soft cashmere cardigan and threw it on the flower stand. Wearing only a shirt, he rushed out of the greenhouse and ran at an astonishing speed toward the auxiliary building where the smoke alarm was blaring.

Outside the annex, a group of servants and security guards who had rushed over upon hearing the news had gathered. Everyone looked panicked and pointed at the window on the third floor from which "smoke" was faintly emanating.

There was indeed a pungent smell of burning electrical wires in the air.

"Assistant Qin!"

A security captain recognized him and rushed forward.

"An alarm was triggered in the old study area on the third floor. Old Chen said it might be..."

"Is the chairman inside?!"

Qin Xiu interrupted him, his voice urgent, his eyes fixed on the window.

"I'm not sure, but someone did see the chairman coming this way this afternoon..."

Qin Xiu's expression darkened further. He looked up and observed: the main entrance to the auxiliary building was locked, and the side emergency exit door was also bolted from the inside.

Without any hesitation, his gaze quickly locked onto an aluminum telescopic ladder next to him, used for trimming tall trees.

"Put the ladder under that window over there! Quickly!"

He gave instructions, and then began to move the heavy ladder himself.

"Assistant Qin, we've already notified the fire department, but the situation inside is unclear. Should we wait...?"

"I can't wait!"

Qin Xiu let out a low growl, veins bulging on his forehead. He personally led a security guard to quickly place the ladder under a smaller ventilation window on the side of the room that appeared to be smoking.

The window is about four meters off the ground.

As soon as the ladder was steady, Qin Xiu stepped onto it, his movements nimble, and he was close to the window in a few steps. The window was tightly closed, and he slammed his elbow against the glass... It was tempered glass, and it didn't budge.

Give me something hard!

He turned around and shouted.

The people below hurriedly found a heavy garden rake. Qin Xiu took it, aimed the rake at the corner of the glass, took a deep breath, and smashed it down with all his might!

"Bang! Crash—!"

The glass shattered with a crack, and even more thick smoke with a pungent odor gushed out from the breach.

Qin Xiu coughed because he was choked, but he did not back down at all.

Without even waiting for the smoke to dissipate, he wrapped the sharp shards of glass on the window frame with a wet towel in his hand, disregarding the risk of being cut, and with a strong push of his arm, he nimbly flipped onto the windowsill. Without hesitation, he bent down, ready to jump into the thick smoke and the unknown fire!

Just before he was about to leap in...

"Qin Xiu".

A calm and steady voice rang out from the ground not far behind him.

Qin Xiu froze instantly, his grip on the windowsill frozen in place. He immediately turned around.

Lu Tingzhao was standing on the gravel path leading from the main house to the annex, wearing the same casual clothes he had worn that afternoon, with a light jacket over them, looking quite relaxed.

He was accompanied by two bodyguards, who looked calm and appeared to have just come from a walk in the main house.

He wasn't injured at all, nor was he even slightly flustered.

A gentle evening breeze swept by, dispersing some of the artificial smoke and causing Qin Xiu's sweat-dampened hair to sway slightly.

The tension from when the window was broken still lingered on his face, and his dark eyes reflected Lu Tingzhao's unharmed figure. His pupils contracted sharply in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"Chairman..."

Qin Xiu's voice was somewhat hoarse, slightly panting, and clearly surprised.

He quickly climbed down from the windowsill, his movements still swift, but the tension he felt earlier had mostly subsided.

"I'm here."

Lu Tingzhao approached slowly, his gaze blank, and explained in a calm tone.

"I went for a walk this afternoon and came back early. I just heard a noise and came out to check. It seems that the motor in the old ventilation duct on the third floor is too old and short-circuited and burned out, triggering the smoke alarm, which in turn ignited some of the piled-up old foam pads. It looks scary, but there wasn't much of an open flame. I've already had someone cut off the power to deal with it."

Qin Xiu stood beside the ladder, his shirt sleeve torn by the glass during the earlier movement, and there was a thin bloodstain on the back of his hand.

The soot marks on his face were clearly visible in the twilight. He first subconsciously looked at Lu Tingzhao to make sure he was truly unharmed before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're alright."

He lowered his head slightly, his voice regaining its usual calmness, though still slightly hoarse.

"I was too rash. When I heard 'maybe'... I panicked and didn't check your whereabouts first."