Oh My Nanny!
Prologue
Li Xiao Lang
Paper scattered on the table as Li Xiao Lang poured over them, analysing the company's performance to make important strategic decisions. Being the CEO of the company, he was burdened with the livelihood of his 1000 over staff. He had to tread with care. One wrong move could be devastating for his family's company.
Loud raps on the door made him look up from his document. "Come in," he said with an irritated tone. His secretary had left home for the day since it was already after office hours so there was no one to screen his guests and to turn them away.
The door opened and a well dressed midnight blue haired man entered and closed the door behind him with a soft click.
"Yo! Cousin!" the man greeted. "I was about to leave but I saw that the lights in your office is still on. Working late today?"
"Eriol," Xiao Lang said, trying to hide his annoyance. He and his cousin had this love-hate relationship since young because his cousin loved teasing him. "Aren't you asking the obvious?"
"Touche," Eriol replied. He sat uninvited on the chair in front of Xiao Lang's table. "I was just showing concern for my favourite cousin who is a workaholic. Don't forget that you have a kid at home waiting for you."
Xiao Lang flipped through the report on his table, frowning at the mismatched numbers and was trying to make some sense out of it. The company was considering expanding into out countries while their headquater remained in Hong Kong and had done some survey and financial analysis for expansion budget. "I know. You don't have to remind me about it."
Eriol sighed and leaned forward to take a look at the various reports on the table. "Can I help you with anything to lessen the burden?" he asked. "Afterall, I'm the vice CEO and we should help each other out."
"I'll be fine," Xiao Lang said and made a shooing motion towards the door. "I'll be able to concentrate much better without you here."
A hand flew up to Eriol's chest as he pouted at Xiao Lang. "That's so mean! Stop bullying me!"
Xiao Lang rolled his eyes. He did not have time for this nonsensical drama. "I'm being serious here. Your work is done. Great. Now off you go!"
"All right. All right," Eriol said and stood up. "Don't work too hard. It makes me look bad in comparison to you."
Xiao Lang ignored him as he focused his full attention on the work at hand. He had to decide whether or not the expansion should be carried out. He let out a sigh of relief and leaned back against his high-backed office chair after Eriol left his office.
"Good riddance," he breathed out but he had a slight smile on his face. The short interaction with Eriol was just the short break from work he desperately needed. Besides, he knew his cousin was deeply concerned about him. Perhaps, it was probably time for him to head home too. Mei Ling was waiting at home and would throw a tantrum in the morning if she did not manage to see him before she went to bed.
"Time to go," he whispered. It was more of a reminder to him. He had the tendency to immerse himself so deeply in his work that he would forget about the time and even his meals. His secretary had to remind him several times a day for him to have lunch but even with the reminders he had, he would still skip some lunches in the week to complete his work.
Xiao Lang swept the papers on his table into a neat pile and slotted them into a tray on the corner of his table. He would have to deal with those issues the moment he came to office the next day. He would most likely be the first one to be in the office. His staff were pretty awed by Xiao Lang's attitude towards work.
After checking that everything was in place, Xiao Lang locked his office and headed for the reserved parking lot in the underground carpark. Being the CEO did have its own perks and Xiao Lang was thankful for that. Driving on the busy road with a destination in mind was a therapeutic experience that nothing can replace. He made it home within half an hour as the traffic was smooth.
Home was a two storey mansion that boasted of ten bedrooms, a kitchen, a library, a movie studio, a nursery and a small office which was attached to the master bedroom located on the uppermost floor. The two rooms alone occupied the entire third floor. That was his private sanctuary, a place where he could truly be himself and recharge after a hard day at work. There was also a tennis court, a basketball court, a swimming pool, a gym and a garden outside the mansion. He shared these amenities with the rest of his family members, each owning a mansion in the big plot of land the the Li family owned. However, he hardly had time to use these amenities, not when he had a demanding girl waiting for him at home.
He smelled trouble the moment he unlocked his front door and entered his house. It was far too quiet than normal and he could feel a wave of dread washing over him. Something was wrong and he had his answer a few seconds later.
"I hate you!" a girl screamed. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"
"Miss Mei Ling, please don't behave like this," came a soothing adult voice. "You have to finish this worksheet before we go to bed."
"No!" The reply was followed by a series of loud crashes which sounded suspiciously like toys being hurled against the wall before dropping onto the ground. "I'm tired and I want to sleep! I'll tell Papa that you even hit me with a ruler!"
Hit her with a ruler? Hitting Mei Ling? It was something that Xiao Lang was not expecting. He quickened his pace and climbed up the stairs to the second flood and entered the nursery. The sight that greeted his eyes made his blood boil.
"Papa!" Mei Ling cried out the moment she spotted him and came running to him. "Papa! Miss Liu is a bully! She hit me with a ruler! See this red mark here? The ruler made it!"
Xiao Lang looked at Mei Ling's thigh and saw the reddened streak on her pale skin. The bruise would be hiddened if Mei Ling had not hiked it a little higher to expose it to him. He had to use all his self-control to prevent himself from lashing out against the nanny. How dare she? He narrowed his eyes at Miss Liu and saw that she was still holding the long metal ruler in her hand.
"Get out," Xiao Lang said through his gritted teeth.
"Mr Li, you are mistaken!" Miss Liu exclaimed. "This isn't what it looks like."
Xiao Lang clenched his fists. "A crying child and a bruise on the body. I would say that explains a lot. I want you out of the house and I never want to see you ever again."
Miss Liu's eyes widened. "Mr Li, you can't do that! We have a contract..."
"Which is void the moment you hit her!" Xiao Lang shouted. Both Mei Ling and Miss Liu was stunned by him. Mei Ling actually took a step back from him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have raised my voice."
"Mr Li, you have to let me explain," Miss Liu pleaded.
"You're fired," Xiao Lang said. He stooped down to picked Mei Ling into his arms. "I will have Wei prepare your final cheque and send it to you."
"This ungrateful girl," Miss Liu seethed. "I have been so nice to you and yet you do this to me?"
Mei Ling buried her face into Xiao Lang's neck. He could feel the wetness from her tears on his neck and a surge of protectiveness welled up within him. "Please leave."
Miss Liu gathered her belongings and stomped out of the house. The commotion had woke his elderly butler, Wei, who opened the door to let Miss Liu out.
"I'm sorry about this, Wei," Xiao Lang said. "You haven't been feeling too well lately. You should rest more."
Wei coughed into his hand and broke into a warm smile. "Nonsense. I am still capable of working, young master," he said. "As for Miss Liu... I have seen the way she interacted with Mei Ling. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who would intentionally hurt someone."
That came as a surprise to Xiao Lang. He trusted Wei's good judge of character in anyone. In fact, Wei played a very big role in engaging a nanny for Mei Ling. He even interviewed the candidates personally. Miss Liu was the fourth nanny whom Mei Ling had for the past three months.
"Does that mean what Miss Liu had said was truth? That she had nothing to do with the bruise on Mei Ling's leg?"
"I'm afraid so," Wei said. "Miss Mei Ling knows best."
Xiao Lang shifted Mei Ling so that they were looking at each other at eye level. He noticed that she had stopped crying and was starring at him with apprehension.
"Did Miss Liu really hit you with a ruler?" Xiao Lang asked.
Mei Ling refused to answer initially but at the glare that her father was sending her, she had no choice but to tell him the truth.
"Yes, but not on purpose," Mei Ling said. "I was running around and Miss Liu accidentally hit me. I don't like her."
Xiao Lang closed his eyes and sighed. He could not summon enough energy to be angry anymore. It had been a long and tiring day for him. What he wanted was a good long bath and a peaceful night's sleep.
"Mei Ling, what did I say about telling lies?"
"The boy who cried wolf," Mei Ling replied. "But I'm not a boy."
Xiao Lang was not prepared for that and had no comeback for her statement. He looked to Wei for help but his butler merely chuckled. "Miss Mei Ling is smart for her age of four."
"I won't be able to keep up with her if this continues," Xiao Lang said.
Wei nodded in understanding. "I will begin the search for a new nanny for her."
"Thanks a lot, Wei. You are really a jem."
"I don't want a nanny!" Mei Ling wailed and began to flail in his arms.
Xiao Lang only tightened his grip in response and carried her to her bedroom. He lowerer her gently on her bed and tucked the blanket around her small frame. "You'll need a nanny to guide you," he explained. "Papa will be busy at work and can't be with you all the time." Soft snores answered him and he sighed in resignation. "How can she fall asleep so fast?" he mused.
With a kiss on her forehead, Xiao Lang switched off the lights in the room and crept out silently.
"Goodnight, my princess."
To be continued...
Hi everyone! Thanks for reading the prologue for Oh My Nanny! This is my new fanfiction after 2 years? I'm writing this in the month of November for NaNoWriMo so I'll definitely be able to finish the story fast. If you enjoyed reading it, do leave some comments. I do enjoy reading all the comments from my readers as they really encourage me to continue writing more. Do read my updated profile for updates about what I'm currently doing. Till the next chapter!