The blind boss's nanny

She gently grasped the golden retriever's front paws and made a bowing gesture towards Lu Tingzhao:

"Chairman, look how well-behaved it is. Even if you don't use it as a guide, it's good to have it accompany you on walks in the yard."

The man remained expressionless, so Lin Xiaoman continued to persuade him in a cheerful voice:

"Chairman, think about it, it flew across half the globe just to see you."

"As the old saying goes, 'Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?' We can't let this sentiment go to waste."

"Look at it, it's lying obediently at your feet right now, as if it knows you are its destined owner."

Lu Tingzhao could indeed feel a warm, downy substance pressed against his ankle.

This little guy neither ran around nor barked when he arrived in the unfamiliar environment; he was so quiet that you could hardly notice his presence.

She's much less troublesome than that woman who chatters on and on all day.

"Let it stay in the yard."

The man reiterated with a stern face,

"No entry."

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say!"

Lin Xiaoman readily agreed and secretly gave Lu Xingqi a thumbs-up.

She crouched down, stroking the golden retriever's smooth fur, and looked up to ask:

"Chairman, shall we give it a name?"

"casual."

Lin Xiaoman counted on her fingers, pondering carefully:

"Should I call him Qian Duoduo (meaning 'Money Galore') or Wangcai (meaning 'Prosperity')?"

Lu Tingzhao's lips twitched slightly.

"what!"

Her eyes suddenly lit up.

"How about we name it Yuanbao?"

The man remained silent for a moment, then finally acquiesced to the decision.

After all, "Yuanbao" sounds more respectable than the previous two names, which are full of the stench of money.

After everyone had left, Lin Xiaoman squatted down and ruffled Yuanbao's fluffy head, muttering softly:

"Don't worry, we'll take it slow. First the yard, then the living room, and finally the bedroom... a strategy should be implemented step by step."

As if understanding, Yuanbao obediently licked her palm.

At first, Lin Xiaoman only thought that A Zhe was an exceptionally quiet boy.

She didn't realize something was wrong until they were having dinner together at the same table.

His silence wasn't typical of introversion; it was a complete avoidance of eye contact, as if he lived in a completely different world from everyone else.

Lu Xingqi spoke seven or eight sentences before he gave a brief response of just a few words.

What caught Lin Xiaoman's attention even more was his eating habits:

She only focused on eating the stir-fried vegetables in front of her noodles, and when Aunt Mei asked her with concern, she just mechanically answered about her own situation, completely unaware of the social etiquette that ordinary people use to greet each other.

After dinner, Lu Tingzhao called A Zhe into the study.

Lin Xiaoman couldn't help but pull back Lu Xingqi, who was about to leave:

"Miss Star Chess—"

She adopted Aunt Mei's form of address.

"Does Ah Zhe... have autistic tendencies?"

Lu Xingqi was clearly stunned:

"Did your older brother tell you that?"

For the average person, it would take at least several encounters to notice anything amiss.

Seeing the girl's reaction, Lin Xiaoman immediately realized that she had guessed correctly.

She suddenly thought... If A Zhe was just an ordinary boy, why would Lu Tingzhao go to such lengths to send someone to bring him back?

Recalling Qin Xiu's previous accusation that the group's current crisis was only resolved thanks to A Zhe...

When she saw A-Zhe that afternoon, she wanted to bow and thank him on the spot.

But Zhe ignored her completely, not even giving her a glance.

At the time, she thought the other person was just aloof, but now she realizes the truth.

"Could it be... that he has Asperger's syndrome?"

Lin Xiaoman asked tentatively.

Lu Xingqi opened his eyes wide:

"You even know this?"

Lin Xiaoman's thoughts drifted back to Sunshine Home.

There were indeed ordinary children like her there, but there were many more peers with various disabilities.

There are blind children and children with autism.

Healthy children would take the initiative to help take care of them, and she even researched all sorts of information just to better understand those closed-off inner worlds.

Thinking of this, she whispered to Lu Xingqi:

"Ah Zhe is actually very lucky. He has the extremely rare Asperger's type within the autism spectrum. People with this type of autism often have extraordinary talent in specific areas and can be considered true geniuses."

She recalled an incident Qin Xiu casually mentioned: two years ago, the Lu Group suffered the most serious hacker attack in history, and the entire financial system was almost paralyzed at the time.

In a critical moment, Lu Tingzhao discovered reverse engineering code signed "Zhe" in a corner of an encrypted forum.

He contacted the other party overnight and offered a sky-high price of one million US dollars.

Thirty-six hours later, a thin young man carrying a laptop appeared at Lu's headquarters.

It was sixteen-year-old A-Zhe.

He resolved the crisis in just twelve hours.

Afterwards, Lu Tingzhao invited him to join the company, but he politely declined.

Ah Zhe admitted that he cannot stay in enclosed spaces for long periods of time, nor can he tolerate too much social interaction.

Lu Tingzhao then took him back to the manor for a temporary stay.

Unexpectedly, Lu Xingqi, who came to visit, took an instant liking to this quiet young man.

The two are of similar age, and over the past two years, she has taken him all over the world in search of treatment.

"But... it hasn't been working."

Lu Xingqi lowered his head in disappointment.

Lin Xiaoman couldn't bear to tell her the truth:

Autism is a lifelong condition and can never be cured.

She could only gently hold the girl's hand.

As dusk fell, Lu Xingqi was picked up by people sent by Ye Qiyun, but A Zhe remained at the manor.

Lu Tingzhao has explicitly forbidden Lu Xingqi from taking the boy around to seek medical treatment.

Over the past two years, we have tried all the methods available, from behavioral interventions in the United States to psychotherapy in Switzerland, but the effects have been minimal.

Most experts reached the same conclusion:

"The optimal intervention period has passed, and current treatment has limited value."

What's even more heartbreaking is A-Zhe's own resistance.

The rigid, systematic training, the bitter medications, and even the uncomfortable electroshock therapy all caused this sensitive teenager immense suffering.

He was clearly more at ease with life on the estate than in those cold, impersonal treatment rooms.

It's quiet here, secluded, far from the hustle and bustle and crowds.

Before leaving, Lu Xingqi quietly pulled Lin Xiaoman behind a pillar and took out a thick envelope from his bag and stuffed it into her hand.

It was full of cash.

"Sister Xiaoman, may I call you that?"

The girl looked up, her eyes flashing with unease and worry.

Lin Xiaoman was amused by her appearance:

"Of course you can."

She had expected it to be another scene where she was asked to take good care of Lu Tingzhao, but to her surprise, Lu Xingqi clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice growing softer and softer:

"My mom objects to me getting too close to A-Zhe... I'll be assigned to a new school when I go back this time."

She timidly raised her eyes.

"You've taken care of children with special needs before, could you... help me look after A-Zhe a bit more?"

Lin Xiaoman squeezed the heavy envelope in her hand; its thickness was truly surprising.

It's at least five figures.

"Leave it to me."

She patted her chest cheerfully, her eyes curving into crescents.

Just treat it as a part-time job, and one with pretty good pay at that.

Within three days, Lin Xiaoman understood the deeper meaning behind Lu Xingqi's entrustment.