The blind boss's nanny

He slowly turned his head, his gaze still fixed on her face, but his usually deep and calm eyes were now filled with apology.

"Xiaoman,"

His voice was low and hoarse.

"Give me a chance to explain, okay?"

Taking advantage of a slight lapse in his concentration while he was talking, Lin Xiaoman forcefully broke free from his embrace and took several steps back until a safe distance was created between them.

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that were welling up uncontrollably, looked at him coldly, and her voice trembled slightly:

"Lu Tingzhao, I only have one question for you... When exactly did your eyes heal?"

Lu Tingzhao stood still, making no attempt to approach her. Looking at her red-rimmed eyes and tense body, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he answered honestly:

"Before you go abroad... even earlier."

Silence spread between the two, broken only by her suppressed gasps.

A few seconds later, Lin Xiaoman's voice finally trembled with barely concealed emotion, and tears streamed down her face:

"Lu Tingzhao, do you know... no matter where I go, every night before I fall asleep, you're the person I think of... every morning when I wake up, the first person that pops into my mind is still you!"

"No matter how beautiful the scenery I see, or how interesting the people and things I encounter, I always feel a void in my heart..."

"Just thinking about you... you're all alone in the dark, groping your way through life, dealing with so many worries... makes all my happiness outside seem tasteless!"

She cried, yet managed to force a smile that was even more unsightly than a grimace, while large tears streamed down her face.

"Lu Tingzhao... Now, it's all so wonderful. Your eyes are healed... It's wonderful! I can finally... I can leave you without any burden anymore! I no longer have to be tied to you because I worry about you and feel sorry for you! I'm free!"

This tearful congratulation and declaration pierced Lu Tingzhao's heart. Looking at her tearful face yet forced composure, his heart ached.

He took a step forward, his voice hoarse and pleading:

"Xiaoman...do you want me to kneel down and beg you?"

Lin Xiaoman raised her tearful eyes, looked at his anxious face, and her smile became even more sarcastic:

"Fine! Then kneel down! I want to see..."

The next second, to Lin Xiaoman's astonishment...

Lu Tingzhao didn't hesitate at all. He quickly reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket with his right hand, and when he took it out, his fingertips were holding a diamond ring that sparkled with dazzling brilliance.

Then, he bent one knee and actually knelt down slowly towards her!

The knees of the expensive suit trousers were immediately stained with the dampness and mud from the grass.

The last rays of the setting sun fell upon him. He looked up, his gaze fixed intently on the stunned Lin Xiaoman, and held the ring out before her, saying clearly:

"Xiaoman, marry me."

The wind stopped, and the lake seemed to stand still as well.

Lin Xiaoman stood there, stunned, her tear tracks glistening in the setting sun. The next second, she suddenly reached out and snatched the diamond ring from Lu Tingzhao's finger!

Then, with a flick of his wrist, the ring traced an arc in the air before disappearing into the deep lake with a soft "plop," leaving only a small ripple.

She raised her hand and forcefully wiped away the tears on her face, the movement swift and decisive, her eyes regaining their icy coldness.

"See that, Lu Tingzhao? That's my answer."

She looked at him, her tone filled with disappointment:

"Perhaps in your eyes, all the conflicts, deceptions, and hurts... can be covered up and forcibly turned over with so-called major life events like 'marriage' and 'having children.' You think a diamond ring and a wedding can erase all the unpleasantness of the past and put everything back on the right track, right?"

Lin Xiaoman felt a void in her heart. When he actually knelt down, she thought that this man, proud to the core, was willing to set aside his dignity to sincerely apologize and to truly understand her anger and pain.

But he actually... did it to propose!

How can an apology and a marriage proposal be confused?!

Lu Tingzhao slowly stood up from the ground, his expensive suit trousers stained with obvious mud at the knees. He looked at the lake that had swallowed the ring, the initial surprise on his face slowly fading, replaced by calm.

他 说:

"Xiaoman, if throwing away the ring can make you feel better or happier... I can buy all the diamond rings in the city's jewelry stores and let you throw them away until this entire lake is filled in."

His gaze returned to her face, his tone serious:

"But I only have one request... Marry me, okay? Let's start over."

"not good."

Lin Xiaoman's answer was crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Tingzhao frowned deeply. He took a deep breath and recounted everything that had happened in the past few days in one go:

From how they first noticed Qin Xiu's unusual behavior, to how they orchestrated to force him to reveal himself, and then to why they had to conceal his regained vision... all to avoid alerting Qin Xiu, to maintain control of the situation from the shadows, and to protect Lu Tingxi, who was caught up in the affair...

"Of course, I admit it."

His voice lowered, his gaze fixed on her, and he spoke frankly.

"There's also a personal reason behind this. I want you to... always think about me."

He took a small step forward, his tone tinged with a hint of grievance:

"It's because my girlfriend has too much on her mind! Lily and the others, Zhe, even Yuanbao... it seems like any vulnerable person can easily steal all your attention!"

His accusations sounded absurd, yet strangely true:

"Everyone and everything is more important to you than me, and needs to be taken care of more than me! If I didn't make myself look a little 'miserable' and 'need' you a little, Lin Xiaoman, you probably would have forgotten me completely long ago and walked even further away without looking back, right?"

The setting sun cast a long shadow of him. Standing before her, he was no longer the ever-strategizing Chairman Lu, but more like an ordinary man afraid of being forgotten.

Sometimes, Lu Tingzhao would even think: How wonderful it would be if Lin Xiaoman were a materialistic and vain woman.

In that case, he could be 100% certain that his wealth and status were enough to make her willingly stay by his side for the rest of her life.

But unfortunately, she wasn't.

She's just a foolish woman who's overly responsible.

But what is most precious about her is her soft yet stubborn heart; what is hardest to move is also this heart.

Money cannot sway her, power cannot bind her; only genuine emotions and the bond of being needed can perhaps leave a deep mark on her heart, making her unforgettable.