The blind boss's nanny

Lin Xiaoman was speechless for a moment. She looked away, turned and walked towards the kitchen, abruptly changing the subject:

"When are you leaving? I need to make dinner."

Lu Tingzhao glanced at the darkening sky outside the window, then looked at his watch:

"I haven't had lunch yet."

He looked at her.

"Could you...make a little more?"

Lin Xiaoman stopped at the kitchen doorway, frowned, and turned to look at him.

It's already 7 p.m., and he hasn't even had lunch? Considering he just came out of the hospital not long ago, his stomach probably can't take this much strain.

She didn't say anything, turned around and went into the kitchen. There weren't many ingredients in the refrigerator, so she quickly washed, chopped and stir-fried them, and soon brought out a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and also heated up the small dish of braised chicken pieces left over from lunch.

Simple, but with a good balance of meat and vegetables.

That's all.

She placed the food on the small dining table.

Lu Tingzhao walked over and sat down, picking up his chopsticks. He ate very attentively, at a considerable pace, yet his manners remained elegant.

A plate of green vegetables, a small dish of chicken, and a bowl of white rice were all eaten up by the two of them.

Outside the window, snowflakes fell silently on Christmas Eve.

Inside the apartment, the lights were warm, and two dogs, having eaten their fill, snuggled together and dozed off in a corner.

The air was quiet around the small dining table.

A peaceful warmth welled up in Lu Tingzhao's heart. He liked this kind of life.

After dinner, Lin Xiaoman frowned as she typed away at her laptop, looking at a draft contract sent by a partner on the screen.

Just then, Xiao Gu sent a voice message, sounding frantic:

"Xiaoman! Take a look at Article 7 and Annex 2! The new terms those people added are simply outrageous! They say they have a right of first refusal to buy back the creative copyrights, and they're secretly trying to tie us to an exclusive partnership for the next three years! If we sign this, won't we be trapped?"

Lin Xiaoman wasn't an expert in legal statutes, but she could still tell something was wrong.

She was pondering how to respond when she looked up and found that Lu Tingzhao had already cleared away the dishes and was holding her tablet, looking down at something.

"What are you looking at?"

She asked.

Lu Tingzhao turned the tablet towards her, and the screen prominently displayed her and Xiao Gu's blog account homepages.

"Well done."

He praised her sincerely, then his gaze fell on her furrowed brows.

"Are you in trouble?"

Lin Xiaoman hesitated for a moment, then decided there was nothing to hide, so she turned the computer towards him and pointed to the problematic clauses:

"This is a bit tricky. We don't know much about it and are afraid of being scammed."

Lu Tingzhao leaned over and quickly glanced through the contract. His eyes were focused, and his fingers slid across the touchpad, pausing occasionally.

"This is a classic case of the other party exploiting information asymmetry to set up a hidden trap."

He straightened up, his tone calm.

"It's not a big problem, but it needs to be handled by a professional."

As he spoke, he took out his phone, dialed a number, and put it on speakerphone.

The call was answered quickly, and a capable and steady male voice came through:

"Chairman."

"Manager Jiang, you haven't rested yet, have you?"

Lu Tingzhao asked.

"We were just about to leave. What are your instructions, Mr. Lu?"

Lin Xiaoman recognized Jiang Yan's voice.

"I have a cooperation agreement between an MCN agency and an independent blogger, which involves a priority buyback of creative copyrights and long-term exclusive binding clauses, favoring the agency. From the perspective of protecting the blogger's rights, could you provide some key modification suggestions and negotiation points? Be specific and use language they can understand."

Lu Tingzhao spoke at a steady pace and explained clearly.

"The other party may be quite assertive."

The next second, the man looked at Lin Xiaoman.

"Just tell Attorney Jiang the problematic clauses and the other company's name. He will give you verbal guidance now, so please take notes."

Lin Xiaoman was taken aback by his directness and quickly brought the phone closer:

"Hello, Mr. Jiang, this is Lin Xiaoman. The main problem is with point seven..."

She described the points of confusion as clearly as possible.

Jiang Yan listened patiently on the other end of the phone, occasionally asking questions to confirm details. Then he began to explain the risks behind the terms in a very clear way, and gave several suggestions for modification and negotiation techniques.

"Ms. Lin, remember two key points: First, creative copyright is your foundation, and the right of first refusal must be subject to strict conditions. For example, they can only have priority if you take the initiative to sell, and the price must be assessed by an independent third party."

Second, the exclusive cooperation period should be no more than one year, and must include a clear commitment to equal resource support and a breach of contract exit mechanism. If the other party does not agree, this clause can be firmly removed; your content deserves a better platform.

"Thank you, Attorney Jiang!"

Lin Xiaoman suddenly understood and quickly took notes of the key points.

"You're welcome. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you require formal legal advice or representation in negotiations. Chairman, are there any other instructions?"

"That's all, you've worked hard, get some rest."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Xiaoman looked at the well-organized points in her notebook, then looked out the window... She didn't know when, but the snow had started falling heavily and rapidly, accumulating a thick layer on the ground. Under the streetlights, the falling snow wove a dense curtain.

"Now..."

Lu Tingzhao also looked out the window, his tone somewhat helpless.

"It looks like the roads will be difficult to travel. The weather forecast says there will be heavy snow tonight."

Lin Xiaoman checked the time, then looked out the window at the vast expanse of white snow. Snow removal in this old neighborhood was usually slow, and driving at night was even more difficult.

"Xiaoman, can I sleep on the sofa?"

Lu Tingzhao asked the question very naturally, with a hint of anticipation.

Lin Xiaoman's heart skipped a beat, and she hesitated before saying:

"This...isn't that inappropriate?"

The man replied with a smile:

"...It's not like I haven't slept with them before."

Looking at his composed expression, then at the two dogs that were already snuggled up and asleep on the carpet beside her, and remembering how his phone call had just solved her immediate problem...

She turned around, took out a blanket and pillow from the closet, and threw them on the sofa.

"That's all. There's a new toothbrush and towel in the bathroom cabinet."

Lu Tingzhao took the blanket, a smile involuntarily curving his lips, a glint of light flashing in his eyes:

Thank you. Goodnight, Xiaoman.

"Good night."

Lin Xiaoman, clutching her laptop, quickly walked back to her bedroom and closed the door.

Leaning against the door, she heard the faint rustling sound of the sofa being tidied up outside, and a man whispering to the dogs, "Don't make a sound."

Snowflakes were falling heavily outside the window, but the heating was on full blast inside.

On the living room sofa, Lu Tingzhao spread out the blankets and lay down, looking at the unfamiliar light and shadow on the ceiling, listening to the faint sound of typing coming from the bedroom, and the even breathing of the dogs beside him.

He closed his eyes, and he took another step closer to her.