Chapter 1: The Monster in the Penthouse

“Run while you can,” the head housekeeper whispered to Song Tinghuan as she handed over the key card. “Mr. Shen isn’t… himself.”

Song adjusted her glasses. She needed this job. The salary was 27,000 a month with full benefits and weekends off. For that kind of money, she would fight a dragon.

She opened the door to the penthouse suite. Smash! A porcelain vase shattered inches from her feet.

“Get out!” a deep voice roared.

Sitting in the shadows in a high-tech wheelchair was Shen Yuqing. Once the celebrated CEO of the Shen Group, a horrific car accident had left him with paralyzed legs and a ruined reputation. He was no longer the golden boy; he was the “Cripple of the Shen Family.”

Song didn’t flinch. She stepped over the shards. “Hi, I’m the new nanny. I’m here to cook, clean, and make sure you don’t die of starvation. I’m not leaving.”

Shen glared at her, his eyes dark with fury. “I said get out. I don’t need a babysitter.”

“And I need the money,” Song replied cheerfully. “Your brother signed the contract. If you fire me without cause, you owe me a massive severance package. Your choice, Boss.”

Shen was stunned. Everyone else tiptoed around him. This girl was negotiating.

Later that evening, it was time for his leg massage. Shen hated this part—it reminded him of his helplessness. He jerked his leg away.

“Don’t touch me. It’s ugly,” he spat, pointing at the jagged scar running down his calf. “A piece of metal tore a chunk of meat out during the crash. It’s disgusting.”

Song looked at the scar closely. She didn’t look away. “It looks like a dragon,” she said softly. “See the curve here? It looks like a dragon rising. It’s not ugly, Boss. It’s badass. It proves you survived.”

Shen looked at the scar, then at her earnest face. For the first time in months, the ice around his heart cracked, just a little.

Chapter 2: The Ex-Fiancée’s Mistake

A few days later, the doorbell rang. It was Qi Xue, Shen’s ex-fiancée. She had dumped him the moment he lost the use of his legs and was now engaged to his former best friend, Xu.

“Look at you,” Qi Xue sneered, walking in without an invitation. “You’re pathetic, Shen. Sitting here in the dark. I came to get my old designer bags. I’m sure you can’t afford to buy me new ones anymore.”

Shen gripped the armrests of his wheelchair, his knuckles turning white.

Song stepped out from the kitchen, holding a spatula like a weapon. “Excuse me, who is this noise pollution?”

“I am the future wife of the CEO of Xu Corp,” Qi Xue haughtily replied. “You’re just a servant. Get out.”

Song laughed. “Listen, lady. First, Boss Shen didn’t lose you; he dodged a bullet. Second, you calling him pathetic? You’re the one here begging for old purses while dating a backstabber. That sounds pathetic to me.”

“You!” Qi Xue raised her hand to slap her.

“Touch me, and I sue,” Song said calmly. “Boss, do you want this trash removed?”

Shen looked at Song, fierce and protective. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “Throw her out, Song. And her bags.”

Chapter 3: The Boardroom Comeback

Song didn’t just cook and clean. She realized Shen was depressed because he felt useless.

“You’re not brain-dead, are you?” she asked one night while he stared out the window. “Your legs don’t work, but your brain is fine. Why are you letting those idiots run your company into the ground?”

She was right. Shen made a bet with his father, the Chairman. If he could win the bid for the massive East City AI Project, he would be reinstated as CEO. If he failed, he would give up his inheritance.

Song revealed a secret of her own: she wasn’t just a nanny. She was a university graduate with a degree in business planning. She joined his project team, working as his “special assistant.”

But the office was a shark tank. A jealous manager named Deng mocked her. “From nanny to assistant? Did you sleep your way here?”

Song didn’t cry. She worked. She pulled all-nighters with Shen. When Shen got jealous because Song had a crush on a celebrity figure skater, he petty-increased her salary just so she would “look at him instead of the skater.”

“I’m paying you a million a month,” Shen grumbled. “Your eyes belong to me.”

“Yes, Boss!” Song saluted, happy with the cash.

Chapter 4: The Betrayal and the Victory

The day of the bidding war arrived. The rival company, led by the traitor Xu and the ex-fiancée Qi Xue, presented their plan first.

It was identical to Shen’s plan.

“They stole it!” Song gasped. “Deng must be the mole!”

Xu smirked at Shen across the room. “Give up, cripple. We have your strategy.”

Shen wheeled himself to the podium. He looked calm. “You have a strategy,” Shen said into the microphone. “But you stole the decoy.”

Shen presented his real plan. It wasn’t just about cold numbers; it was about an AI ecosystem built on empathy—inspired by Song’s care for him. It blew the judges away.

Shen then played a video on the big screen. It wasn’t a business chart. It was security footage proving Xu had hired a truck driver to cause Shen’s car accident a year ago.

The room erupted. Police were waiting at the doors. Xu and Qi Xue were dragged away in handcuffs, screaming.

Shen looked at Song in the crowd. He won. He was the King again.

Chapter 5: The Proposal

Months later, Shen was recovering. With intensive therapy and Song’s encouragement, he could stand again.

But Song felt her job was done. She packed her bags to leave. “You’re the CEO again. You don’t need a nanny.”

Shen panicked. He faked a relapse. “Ouch! My leg! I can’t walk! I need care!”

Song rushed back, worried.

He couldn’t keep up the charade forever. He realized he didn’t want a nanny; he wanted a partner.

At a company-wide meeting, Shen Yuqing took the stage. He looked serious.

“I am implementing a new policy for the Shen Group,” he announced. “Effective immediately, marriage leave is extended to one full year.”

The employees gasped. One year of paid leave?

Shen looked directly at Song, who was sitting in the front row. “Song Tinghuan, I want to take a vacation. I want to travel the world. But I can only do that if I use my marriage leave.”

He walked down the stage—steady and strong—and knelt on one knee in front of her.

“Will you marry me so I can take a year off?”

Song laughed, tears streaming down her face. “You’re doing this just for the vacation, aren’t you?”

“I’m doing it because you’re the only one who saw a dragon when everyone else saw a scar,” Shen whispered. “Marry me, Nanny Song.”

“Yes, Boss,” she whispered back.

THE END