The blind boss's nanny

After reading for about twenty minutes, Ah Zhe slowly stopped fiddling with his fingers on the sofa.

After finishing a chapter, Lin Xiaoman closed the book and asked softly:

"Zhe, do you want to see the Lego set you built last night? It's a gift from Young Master Xingyuan, isn't it? I haven't looked at it closely yet."

Ah Zhe remained silent for a long time, so long that Lin Xiaoman thought he wouldn't respond again, before he finally nodded very slightly.

This was a small step forward, but it finally allowed Lin Xiaoman's tense shoulders to relax.

The sunlight shifted, and the morning quietly slipped away.

Lin Xiaoman finally calmed Yuanbao down, and then spent some time with A Zhe building Lego. When she looked up at the clock, it was already twelve o'clock.

Lunch was the masterpiece of the top chef who had returned from leave.

The main course is charcoal-grilled M12 Wagyu beef, with evenly marbled meat and incredibly juicy.

The side dish is white truffle risotto, which is very fragrant.

After serving Lu Tingzhao dinner, Aunt Mei and Lin Xiaoman ate at a small table not far away.

Lin Xiaoman took a bite of the Wagyu beef, and the delicate and rich texture made her sigh.

She had only ever seen ingredients of this caliber in food documentaries before.

Meryl Streep whispered to her from her side:

"Today's caviar is Iranian beluga caviar, which was just air-freighted in last week. The head chef used to work in a Relais & Châteaux restaurant, and his annual salary was..."

She gave Lin Xiaoman a number that almost made her choke.

Lin Xiaoman silently calculated the cost of this lunch, and she suddenly felt that her previous salary was not high.

She looked around and suddenly realized a detail she had overlooked:

"Aunt Mei, why haven't we seen the new nanny yet?"

From the time he was "arrested" in the living room early this morning until now, Lu Tingzhao has always acted alone.

No one handed him his cane before he got up, no one whispered a reminder when he walked toward an obstacle, and even during meals, Aunt Mei helped him straighten the cutlery.

This was completely different from the chairman she remembered, who, even though he was picky, always had someone around to take care of things.

Aunt May paused for a moment, her expression became somewhat subtle, and her voice lowered even further:

"There are no new nannies to be found... Three have already left this month."

She sighed and began to recount:

"The first male caregiver worked for two days, and the chairman said his footsteps sounded like tamping. The second was diligent, but his hands and feet weren't very clean. The third was good in every way, but after only a few days on the job, he asked the chairman if he could marry her..."

Lin Xiaoman's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this.

Aunt May shook her head and concluded:

"In short, none of those people are suitable. The chairman told Assistant Qin to stop looking for them for now, saying that he wants some peace and quiet."

Lin Xiaoman lowered her head, scooped up a spoonful of soup and put it in her mouth, the delicious taste melting on her tongue.

At the same time, a secret sense of exhilaration, which she herself did not want to delve into, quietly bubbled up from the bottom of her heart.

really.

She knew that Lu Tingzhao was a man of unpredictable temper and abnormally demanding standards. Aside from her past self, who could endure humiliation for money, what normal person could tolerate him?

Those nannies who come full of enthusiasm will probably be driven away by his cold, hard exterior and extremely picky standards.

This made her feel inexplicably more at ease.

In a restaurant not far away, Lu Tingzhao quietly sipped his soup, his movements elegant.

He seemed completely oblivious to the hushed conversation taking place here, or perhaps he simply didn't care.

Sunlight streamed through the restaurant's floor-to-ceiling windows, and he sat alone at the boundary between light and shadow, like a solitary island.

As Lin Xiaoman ate, she suddenly felt that the dishes on her plate seemed to taste a little bland.

The afternoon stretched out, with sunlight slanting through the large windows of the game room and slowly moving across the floor.

Lin Xiaoman sat on the carpet, with Yuanbao, who was already asleep on her lap, to her left, and A Zhe, who was quietly building Lego, to her right.

She spoke very softly, as if telling a long fairy tale.

"Yuanbao, remember to eat on time and stop being a picky eater. If you can't go out on a rainy day, go to Aunt Mei and beg her; she'll make you chicken meatballs..."

She stroked the golden retriever's soft, thick fur, feeling its steady breathing and warm body temperature through her fingertips.

"Ah Zhe,"

She turned to the boy,

"How are the new headphones? If you find another game you like next time, you can tell Xingqi, or... tell the chairman."

Ah Zhe didn't look up, but his fingers, which were assembling Lego, paused for a moment, and he nodded slightly.

Lin Xiaoman said a lot. She said she would miss them, thanked them for the happiness they brought her, and said she would definitely come back to see them again... Her tone was so sincere that even she almost believed it.

She even shook Yuanbao's paw and then made a pinky promise with Azhe.

But in the clearest corner of my heart, a cold voice kept whispering:

There won't be any more.

This opportunity to so brazenly occupy the manor for an entire day, to play with Yuanbao without any reservations, and to immerse A Zhe in his little world, is like sunlight filtering through his fingers—this time, it's truly going to slip away completely.

But she didn't feel much regret.

Twenty-three-year-old Lin Xiaoman had already prematurely grasped certain rules of this world:

The connections between people are sometimes like the migration of birds; there is a warm season, but there is also a time when they must fly away.

Forcing someone to stay will only break their wings; a dignified farewell is perhaps the best way to fulfill each other's wishes.

She looked at Yuanbao's slightly trembling beard as he slept, and at A Zhe's quiet profile as he immersed himself in his own world. A tender feeling welled up inside her, and her heart was filled with a gentle peace.

At least, she said goodbye to them properly.

At 3:30 p.m. sharp, the antique clock on the wall struck.

Almost at the same moment the bell rang, Aunt May gently knocked on the door of the game room:

"Xiaoman, the chairman wants you to go to the conference room. He says he needs to talk to you."

Lin Xiaoman was slightly taken aback.

The conference room? That was a territory she had never set foot in before.

During her time working at the manor, her activities were strictly confined to the living areas...bedroom, study, kitchen, living room, and garden.

The conference room was a place belonging to Lu Tingzhao's other identity:

The decision-maker, the person in power, and the core of the Lu family's business empire.

She gently moved Yuanbao's head off her lap, her legs feeling a little numb when she stood up.

"I'll be right there."

Walking down the corridor leading to the conference room, Lin Xiaoman noticed for the first time that this corridor was different...

Hanging on the walls on both sides are meticulously framed qualification certificates, commemorative plaques for business cooperation, and some abstract artworks with cold, hard lines that she doesn't understand.

The thicker carpet absorbed all footsteps, and a calm and detached atmosphere filled the air.

Her steps stopped in front of a heavy double walnut door.