The blind boss's nanny

Thinking of this, Lu Tingzhao suddenly felt a sense of defeat. He possessed everything that ordinary people could hardly attain, yet he had to resort to "playing the victim" to keep a woman's heart.

He slowly lowered his head, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiaoman with a complex expression. The setting sun shone on her face, and he could clearly see the surprise, astonishment, and lingering anger in her eyes.

He no longer tried to explain himself with any high-sounding reasons, nor did he hide his vulnerability and desires.

He looked at her, his voice clear:

"I'm sorry, Xiaoman."

"You see, that's the kind of person I am... calculating, deceitful, and even capable of taking advantage of your soft heart. I'm not perfect, in fact, I'm quite terrible."

"But no matter which version of me it is, I need you."

He reached out his hand to her, palm up, a gesture of waiting to be accepted. His eyes had shed all the aloofness and control of a superior, leaving only pure pleading.

"I'm earnestly begging you... to stay by my side, okay?"

"Lu Tingzhao, I... cannot accept this at the moment."

After Lin Xiaoman finished speaking calmly, she didn't look at him again and turned to leave the manor.

This time, she blocked all of Lu Tingzhao's contact methods.

Lu Tingzhao didn't go to the coffee shop again. A week passed peacefully, and Lin Xiaoman almost thought he would never appear again.

Until that day at work, her supervisor suddenly called out to her with a smile:

"Xiaoman, I have great news for you! The company has opened a new store, and the organization has decided to transfer you there as a supervisor, with a raise too!"

Lin Xiaoman was a little surprised, but a promotion and a raise are always good things, so she agreed without much thought.

When she arrived at the address, she discovered the problem: this new store was located in the suburbs. And this area... was the closest to the manor in terms of commercial facilities.

Compared to the city center where she used to work, this place is practically the "back garden of the Lu family manor".

Her heart skipped a beat. She pushed open the brand-new glass door and, sure enough, immediately saw the man sitting in the best view spot, drinking coffee.

Lu Tingzhao looked up and smiled at her.

Lin Xiaoman took a deep breath, walked up to him, put her hands on her hips, and was furious:

"Are you kidding me, Lu Tingzhao?! You opened this boutique coffee shop in a place like this? Are you hoping the local farmers will come in after their farm work and order a hand-drip geisha to wake them up? Or are you planning to have Aunt Mei and the others come here every day for afternoon tea parties?"

Lu Tingzhao put down his coffee cup and smiled calmly:

"Hmm... your suggestion is very constructive, we can consider it."

Lin Xiaoman was almost laughing in exasperation. Of course, she knew that with Lu Tingzhao's methods and resources, investing in a coffee brand and opening a loss-making store here was not difficult at all.

"If that's the case, then I have no choice but to resign."

She said firmly,

"This place is too far from where I live; commuting is simply not feasible!"

Lu Tingzhao calmly put down his cup and looked up at her:

"I specifically chose this location for the shop because it will be convenient for you to get to work... After we get married, it will only take you ten minutes to drive here from the estate, which is very convenient..."

"Lu Tingzhao!"

Lin Xiaoman, unable to bear it any longer, interrupted him, her voice rising eight octaves:

"I will not move back to the manor! And I will not marry you!"

She felt like he was driving her crazy with his "advanced planning":

"Why are you always like this! You arrange everything on your own, thinking everyone should follow your script? Can you... please respect my wishes a little and stop interfering in my life?!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, her chest heaving:

"We have nothing to do with each other now! I really hate the way you're acting! Please don't ever show your face in front of me again!"

After saying that, she didn't look at Lu Tingzhao's face, which had darkened instantly, and turned to rush out of the coffee shop.

There was a row of shared bikes parked right outside the door. She swept one aside, got on, and pedaled furiously in the direction she had come from without looking back. Her back view was full of determination.

Lu Tingzhao sat alone for a long time.

He felt a sense of bewilderment he had never experienced before. The tenderness and love that Lin Xiaoman once held in her eyes were gone.

During dinner, Lu Tingzhou excitedly mentioned that he wanted to move back to the manor, but before he could finish speaking, Lu Tingzhao refused:

"No. If you like, I can build you another one."

Lu Tingzhou was stunned, put down his chopsticks, and looked completely puzzled:

"Brother, now that your eyes are better and the company is stable, why can't I move back? Didn't we brothers always live together before?"

Lu Tingzhao picked up the crystal wine glass beside him and slowly filled it to the brim. He tilted his head back, drank the amber liquid in one gulp, and then spoke in a deep voice:

"Xiaoman won't be used to you moving back in."

Lu Tingzhou was dumbfounded:

"No way, bro?! You're serious? Just for that little... Lin Xiaoman?"

The word "nanny" circled on his tongue, but he didn't say it.

Lu Tingzhao's gaze lingered on the remaining wine in his glass. After a long while, he slowly spoke.

"At first, I thought she was 'Sister Lin.' There was a strange aura about her that didn't fit her persona, like she was hiding something, or like she had seen through something. I always felt that she wasn't real, like there was a layer of fog between us. I told myself countless times, why should I invest so much energy in such a person?"

"She always... lacks a sense of propriety and constantly crosses boundaries. Every day she tells me, 'The sun is shining brightly today,' 'The roses in the garden are in full bloom'... Even though those weather forecasting apps can tell me the weather, when she says it, the dry data seems to become tangible images."

"Tingzhou, I thought to myself then that I shouldn't have responded to her. I shouldn't have been affected by her trivial and meaningless sharing. Perhaps... it was just because the study was too quiet and the electronic voice was too cold and boring."

Upon hearing this, Lu Tingzhou's face showed guilt and heartache:

"Brother, we neglected you during that time..."

Lu Tingzhao waved his hand, interrupting him.

"She has many flaws. She lies without batting an eye, yet she always makes me do her own things, and she can always find a fallacy to excuse herself when she does something wrong. I often reflect on whether I've been too lenient with her..."

"Later, when I found out she wasn't 'Sister Lin,' and learned about her secrets and intentions... I actually felt relieved. Then, I couldn't help but wonder... what did she actually look like?"

"This feeling is strange, Tingzhou. I see nothing, know nothing about her, yet I give all my feelings and delusions to her."

"As long as she's by my side, the gloom begins to dissipate, and everything before my eyes gains color. It becomes vibrant, lively, and interesting; even the fragrance of flowers seems richer..."