The blind boss's nanny

"No."

Lin Xiaoman shook her head again:

"Lu Tingzhao, we are just different."

Lu Tingzhao became agitated, and he suddenly grabbed Lin Xiaoman's wrist, his strength somewhat out of control:

"What's the difference? Xiaoman, tell me, what exactly is the difference between us?!"

Lin Xiaoman tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tightly.

Her gaze swept across the mess in the living room, landing on the shattered television screen, the dark cracks like an ugly scar. Turning back, she raised her voice:

"Lu Tingzhao, don't play dumb! Your mother said we're different, and her child can't be with a working-class guy."

Lu Tingzhao was startled, his grip on her hand loosened for a moment, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes:

"So... you weren't asleep back then."

Lin Xiaoman straightened her back, trying to appear calm, but her voice betrayed her trembling:

"Back then, I could still deceive myself. I told myself that I stayed because you needed someone to take care of you... But now, I can't find any reason to continue deceiving myself and to continue following you."

"Even in your most vulnerable and dejected moments, you were always surrounded by a group of people. Every single one of them would repeatedly tell me the same thing: 'You must take good care of the chairman.' At that time, looking at you surrounded by everyone's concern, I just felt... you are so lucky. Even when you fell to the bottom, your world was never lacking in light and support."

Her gaze returned to him:

"And me? As soon as my life gets a little better, and I show even the slightest sign of improvement, someone like Zhuang Guangyao will jump out and remind me of all the mud and hardships in my past life. He will remind me that the world I struggled to climb out of may reach out and pull me back at any time."

She looked at him, and tears finally welled up in her eyes:

"How could someone like me possibly be like you?"

Lu Tingzhao completely loosened his grip on Lin Xiaoman's wrist.

He stood there, looking at the stubborn yet fragile tears in Lin Xiaoman's eyes, at her straight yet slender back, and for the first time truly saw behind her words the muddy wilderness he had never set foot in before.

"Xiaoman, we are indeed different."

He looked at her, his gaze clear.

"The me I am today is built on my family foundation, social resources, and network of connections—a natural buffer. But you, on the other hand, have to grit your teeth and pull yourself out of the mud, with a cliff behind you and no way back."

His gaze swept over the shattered glass on the ground, finally settling on Lin Xiaoman's face.

"The Lin Xiaoman I know is the one who never lost her kindness and principles even in dire straits, and who carved out a path with her own hands; the one who would be happy for a flower in bloom, would go to great lengths for her friends, would raise her thorns when hurt, but always had a soft spot in her heart."

"I don't know your past, so I can't truly empathize with you. That's my limitation."

He admitted it frankly.

"But I can learn."

Lin Xiaoman stared blankly at the man before her, her emotions gradually calming down. After that fierce accusation, all that remained was exhaustion and confusion.

What was she doing just now?

Is she wallowing in self-pity? Is she turning past misery and injustices into sharp arrows aimed at him, trying to distance herself by proving their "differences," while also... hurting herself?

This is not like her.

From a little girl with no relatives to a young woman who persevered through countless hardships, to Lin Xiaoman who can now stand on her own two feet... she has rarely been like this.

They would never put themselves in the position of a victim, accusing others of unfair fate.

No one can choose their birth, and the road ahead is always bumpy, but taking each step well, not being bound by the past, and not being defined by others... this was the survival rule she once followed.

But ever since Lu Tingzhao entered her life, everything has become complicated. Her life seemed to be getting better and better, with opportunities, vision, and emotions all seeming to be put on an accelerated track.

But why... in some corner of her heart, that unease and cowardice were magnified? She actually began to use his cloud-like success to highlight her own muddy situation, and to define her struggles by his ease.

She instinctively wanted to avoid this discovery that made her uncomfortable.

Lin Xiaoman pursed her lips, shifting her gaze from Lu Tingzhao's face back to the mess in the room. She hurriedly bent down to pick up the broom on the floor, hoping to use physical labor to dispel the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

But before her fingertips could touch the broom handle, a warm hand gently stopped her.

Lu Tingzhao lightly covered the back of her hand.

"Xiaoman, no one can stay here tonight."

His gaze fell on her slightly lowered face.

"Let's go home."

Lu Tingzhao looked at her tightly pursed lips.

"Could you... watch one more fireworks display with me?"

Lin Xiaoman looked up, and the two met eyes.

Lu Tingzhao's gaze was fixed on her, and Lin Xiaoman had nowhere to hide.

"At this time last year, I couldn't see them... Back then, you said that whether fireworks are beautiful or not, the most important thing is who you watch them with."

"Now... I can see it. Can we... watch it together one more time?"

When they returned to the manor, they happened to find Lu Xingyuan and his group excitedly preparing to light fireworks.

Lu Tingzhao led Lin Xiaoman around the main building to a wide, gentle slope by the lake. The view from here was excellent, offering a panoramic view of the night sky and its reflection on the lake.

The two stood side by side, just as the first cluster of fireworks burst overhead.

The light, like shimmering gold and jade, spilled down, illuminating Lin Xiaoman's upturned face and highlighting Lu Tingzhao's focused profile.

For the next ten minutes or so, neither of them spoke.

The two stood quietly, watching the brilliant beam of light tear through the night sky, leaving a dazzling trail as it fell, creating a shattered galaxy on the water's surface.

The roaring sound came and went, and Lin Xiaoman took out her phone and pointed it at the sky.

Another burst of fireworks exploded, illuminating the world as if it were daytime, and she pressed the shutter.

With a few taps of her finger, she posted the photo to her WeChat Moments with a simple caption:

【Happy New Year!】

Lu Tingzhao, who was beside him, also raised his phone.

He turned slightly to the side, using the distant fireworks as a backdrop, while the focus of the camera was on the slender figure in front of him who was holding up her phone.

On the screen, Lin Xiaoman looked up, her eyes sparkling in the fireworks, her lips slightly upturned, focused and joyful.

The dazzling light from the sky became nothing more than a backdrop to her.

Lu Tingzhao stared at the image in the viewfinder. He switched to his social media page and uploaded the photo. The caption was exactly the same as hers, only four words:

【Happy New Year!】

send.

Almost instantly, his phone screen began to frantically pop up with likes and comments. He glanced at them, then put his phone away and turned his attention back to the real people around him.

They are standing side by side under the same starlight.