The blind boss's nanny

She was certain that if he couldn't even tolerate the audiobooks she didn't want to share, how could he possibly accept a living person spending the whole night in the same room with him, breathing the same air as him?

However, the next second——

"Can."

The man's answer was clear, concise, and came crashing down on you.

"……what?"

Lin Xiaoman stood there stunned, her hand gripping the doorknob frozen in place.

She almost doubted whether there was something wrong with her ears, or whether his language comprehension was distorted due to "frontal lobe damage".

She slowly turned around and looked at the tall figure that was still facing away from her, trying to decipher a hint of joke or reluctance in his posture, but there was nothing there.

There was only a sense of natural calm.

"Um... Chairman,"

She licked her suddenly dry lips, trying to find her voice.

"You mean... I'll sleep here tonight?"

She pointed to the vintage velvet sofa in the corner, which looked luxurious but was clearly not as comfortable as her two-meter-wide bed in her room.

"Um."

Lu Tingzhao finally turned slightly to the side, his unfocused gaze seemingly sweeping across the sofa, his tone remaining calm.

"Didn't you just say that you'd be here 'no matter what's going on'? I need to make sure you can handle any emergencies at night. There are spare bedding in the cabinet next to the sofa."

He paused, then added, his voice devoid of emotion, yet inexplicably sending a chill down Lin Xiaoman's spine:

"Or is your so-called 'here' just a promise of an eight-hour workday?"

Lin Xiaoman: "..."

She was speechless.

The promises he had just made with such conviction were still ringing in her ears, yet now they bound her tightly.

Refuse? Wouldn't that be contradicting myself, making my previous "professionalism" and "promise" seem incredibly hypocritical?

Acceptable... This means she has to give up her planned bubble bath, bedtime entertainment, and the freedom to stretch out her limbs on the big bed tonight!

Despite the internal struggle, a professional smile had already instinctively appeared on his face.

Lin Xiaoman heard herself answer in as calm a voice as possible:

"...Of course not. I understand, Chairman. I'll go prepare right away."

She walked toward the carved wooden cabinet, her steps a little heavy.

Upon opening the cabinet door, I found neatly folded brand-new down comforters, pillows, and sheets, all soft in texture and exuding a faint lavender scent.

She picked up the bedding and turned to look at the velvet sofa that looked particularly "dignified" under the light.

Lu Tingzhao had already lay down on his spacious bed, his back to the sofa, leaving her with only his deep silhouette.

Only he knew that, under the cover of darkness, the curve of his lips deepened even further.

The lights went out, and the bedroom was plunged into a soft darkness.

Only a few rays of pale moonlight peeked through the gaps in the curtains, outlining the blurry contours of the furniture.

Lin Xiaoman nestled on the sofa, the down comforter soft and fluffy, carrying the calming scent of lavender. She blinked in the darkness, adjusting her eyes for a moment, then tentatively whispered towards the bed:

"Chairman, would you like to listen to an audiobook?"

A deep, resonant voice came from the darkness.

"Do you want to listen to 'Midnight Corridor' again?"

His voice was exceptionally clear and pleasant, like steady and elegant musical notes that gently leaped over a distance of several meters and landed accurately in her ear.

Having shed some of the daytime's harshness, it now sounds somewhat...gentle?

Lin Xiaoman chuckled twice in the darkness, her tone instantly becoming cheerful:

"You guessed it! Chairman, you're brilliant! To be honest, I'm still incredibly excited! If it weren't for that damn confidentiality agreement I signed, I'd be bursting onto all the social media platforms and in all the book clubs to brag... I already know the earth-shattering ending! This feeling is even better than winning the lottery!"

She became more and more animated as she spoke, as if she had forgotten that she was facing Lu Tingzhao, and began to speak freely:

"This is all thanks to you! You're the benefactor in my life, a truly exceptional boss, one in a million! I've decided, from now on I'll cling to your coattails and be your most loyal lackey... oh no, your personal assistant!"

Lu Tingzhao's face was hidden in the darkness. Listening to her rambling, yet vibrant, thoughts, he felt a strange sense of pleasure swelling in his chest.

His lips curled up silently, without him even realizing how genuine the smile was.

The feeling of being surrounded by her chatter... didn't seem so bad; it even dispelled some of the loneliness of being alone on a long night.

Lin Xiaoman was chatting happily when she suddenly realized she had gone off-topic and quickly steered the conversation back on track:

"So... Boss, big shot, chairman... can we hear the ending again? Please! Actually, I was too excited during the day, and there were a few key plot twists that I didn't quite catch, and I'm really itching to hear them again..."

"Which parts didn't you understand?"

Lin Xiaoman immediately recounted the plot points and character motivations that she had been wondering about, and she did so in a very organized manner, which showed that she had thought about them carefully.

As soon as she finished speaking, a man's concise, one-word evaluation came from the darkness:

"fool."

Lin Xiaoman: "..."

She felt a lump in her throat and almost choked.

Just as she was about to retort in a low voice, "Where is it stupid! This plot is clearly mind-bending!", she heard the man's deep, pleasant voice slowly and deliberately ring out.

He clearly and systematically broke down and analyzed each of the points that puzzled her.

From the characters' subtext to the foreshadowing laid by the author, to the logic of the plot's progression, and even a metaphor about the historical context that she hadn't noticed.

His explanation was not lengthy, but it hit the nail on the head, was incredibly accurate, and instantly cleared away the fog.

His calm and insightful analysis, coupled with his exceptionally magnetic voice in the darkness, was even more captivating than listening to the original audiobook.

Lin Xiaoman listened intently, her earlier slight resentment vanished, replaced by deep admiration and a sudden realization of "I see."

She couldn't help but let out a small "wow" in the darkness, a genuine exclamation of wonder:

"Chairman, you're amazing! You remember it so clearly after hearing it only once, and your analysis is even more insightful than a book reviewer! If you went into writing mystery novels, you'd definitely become a master!"

Lu Tingzhao did not respond to her exaggerated compliment, but a very soft chuckle seemed to be heard in the air.

The story of "Midnight Corridor" has come to an end.

Just as Lin Xiaoman thought the conversation was over and was preparing to adjust her position to go to sleep, Lu Tingzhao's deep voice came from the direction of the bed again, but the topic suddenly changed:

I heard that...

His tone sounded calm and casual.

"You beat up your ex-boyfriend in our company's conference room?"