The blind boss's nanny

He drew out the words meaningfully, then shook his head with a smile.

"Forget it, I'm not going to say anything more. Let Lucas worry about it himself!"

He led Lin Xiaoman toward the main house covered in ivy, introducing her to various interesting corners of the manor along the way, his laughter carrying far in the autumn air.

Lin Xiaoman followed behind him, and as they walked into the house, Jason reminisced about the past with familiarity.

"You can't imagine what Lu was like back then... Oh my God, he's a completely different person now!"

Although Lin Xiaoman was reluctant to speak, the two of them met through Lu Tingzhao, and Jason seemed to admire Lu Tingzhao a lot, so he couldn't help but steer the conversation toward him.

Dinner was held in a small restaurant with a family atmosphere. After a few glasses of fine red wine, Jason started talking non-stop.

"He wasn't as annoying back then; he was very approachable. Polo, fencing, rowing... there was nothing he wasn't good at! The worst part was that he always won!"

Jason brandished his fork, his eyes shining.

"And he didn't rely on brute force, he relied on this..."

He tapped his temple.

"Strategy! He always saw things from angles that others couldn't. Back then, we all called him the 'Eastern Wizard'."

Lin Xiaoman listened intently, unable to connect the boy Jason described—who sweated profusely on the sports field and impressed a group of elite classmates with his intelligence—with Lu Tingzhao, whom she later met.

That man who always remained silent in the darkness, shouldering the heavy burden of his family, and whose thoughts were deep and unfathomable.

This is what he looked like when he was young.

"Don't let his current lifeless appearance fool you; he used to be very playful."

Jason recalled, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"He was a master at planning masquerade balls; he always managed to come up with the most bizarre yet fitting themes. Oh, and he even had a band! Although it was just for fun, the way he played bass captivated quite a few girls... Of course, he had very high standards back then, and he didn't fancy any of them."

Loves to have fun? Plans dances? Plays bass?

These words, like colorful glass marbles, tinkled and rolled into Lin Xiaoman's heart, shattering the portrait of Lu Tingzhao she had of him.

She was already familiar with the man in the picture; he was profound, controlling, and lonely.

Now, a few unfamiliar feelings have emerged, and a vibrant, bright, and somewhat youthful and spirited image is gradually becoming clear in Lin Xiaoman's mind.

That was a side of Lu Tingzhao she had never encountered before.

No… perhaps she had seen it before? In certain private moments when it was just the two of them, in bed, she could occasionally catch glimpses of that bright young man in his kisses, his breath, and his rarely relaxed eyes.

At that moment, he was vicious, competitive, and relentless in achieving his goals.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaoman's cheeks flushed slightly. She picked up the teacup in front of her and took a sip as a cover-up.

"And then?"

She couldn't help but press for an answer, her voice tinged with an urgency she herself didn't realize.

Jason's smile faded slightly. He shrugged, his tone tinged with regret:

"Later? Something happened at his home, and he had to interrupt his studies and go back home early. It was a sudden departure, and we all felt it was a great pity. Cambridge lost a guy who could bring countless surprises."

He paused, then laughed again, this time with a hint of understanding and a touch of mockery.

"However, when we later learned that he was going back to inherit such a large business empire, it didn't seem so bad... especially later, when we kept seeing him on various wealth rankings and financial news."

Jason winked mischievously:

"To be honest, he never revealed that his family was that wealthy. We always thought he was just a particularly smart Asian classmate from a well-off family."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiaoman spoke almost instinctively, her tone earnest:

"No, that's not it. His success isn't solely due to his family background. He's also incredibly capable!"

She recalled the snippets of conversation she'd overheard at the manor, the ever-burning light in Lu Tingzhao's study, and Aunt Mei's sigh as she recounted, "When the chairman took over, the company was full of old fogies, surrounded by a bunch of scheming rivals, and his own troublesome brothers were dragging him down..."

Although she had only a superficial understanding of business operations, the fragmented impressions she pieced together were enough for her to understand that the path he had taken was by no means smooth.

"When he took over, the Lu family's situation was actually not good."

Lin Xiaoman seemed to be vindicating him, and slowly said:

"Internally, there were many old problems... that were outdated, external competition was fierce, and there were also some family members who weren't very united. He relied on his own abilities to rebuild the company."

Only after she finished speaking did she realize how obvious and urgent her defense had been. The heat that had just subsided on her cheeks returned in an instant.

Jason watched this defensive rebuttal with a smile. He raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at the girl opposite him who had just avoided talking about her relationship with Lu Tingzhao, and couldn't help but let a knowing and pleased smile creep onto his lips.

Oh, this is so interesting.

It seems that his old friend Lucas, whose thoughts are as deep as the sea, has encountered more than just a passing breeze this time.

Jason nodded in agreement and continued:

"Then... I heard that he had an eye accident."

The two fell silent at the same time.

This is a topic that no one wants to talk about.

He sighed, looked at Lin Xiaoman, his eyes sincere.

"Maggie, I know a lot of amazing people, but Lu is the most special. He shouldered burdens that no one wanted to bear and stepped into darkness that no one wanted to enter. Now, he may have become... harder and more unapproachable. But I believe that the smart, proud, and a little mischievous Lu is still somewhere inside him."

As night deepened, Lin Xiaoman lay on the soft four-poster bed in the guest room, listening to the unique tranquility of the English countryside outside the window.

Moonlight streamed in through the old window panes.

In her mind, there was Lu Tingzhao, the man who would forcefully confiscate her documents, accurately "capture" her in the dark, and use a calm tone to lay down layers of defenses.

Now, beside that figure, there is another blurry yet vivid shadow... a bright-eyed boy who once rowed a rowing boat on the River Cam, played the bass in an ancient academy, and laughed with high spirits.

These two completely different images collided and merged in her heart.