The crybaby nanny was bullied and cried again by her yandere husband.

Lin Zhao sighed, nodded, and then shook his head.

Uncle Li was also confused.

"Is this yes or no?"

He looked towards the main hall again. The two of them had just returned together. Could it be that Mr. Gan did it?

He pointed inside and spoke softly.

"Did the master say anything to you?"

Lin Zhao nodded, then, remembering something, pulled Uncle Li aside.

"Uncle Li, the master just told me not to call him 'master,' and said I should think of a more appropriate way to address him, or he'd dock my pay..."

The thought of having her salary deducted made Lin Zhao's head droop again.

"what?"

Uncle Li was also taken aback.

"Not call me 'sir'?"

Lin Zhao nodded.

Uncle Li narrowed his eyes, his mind racing, and when he looked at Lin Zhao again, a strange smile appeared on his face.

Hmm, it was strange. Lin Zhao couldn't quite put her finger on it, but it felt eerie.

"Uncle Li, why are you looking at me like that?"

Uncle Li stepped forward, grabbed Lin Zhao's hand, and patted her.

"Xiao Zhao, this is a good thing."

Lin Zhao looked at Uncle Li with suspicion, wondering if Uncle Li was in cahoots with the teacher to deduct his salary, and asked in bewilderment.

"Is having your salary docked a good thing?"

"certainly!"

Uncle Li leaned closer, lowering his voice, which was tinged with excitement.

"This shows that the 'sir' treats you differently from others. Think about it, 'sir' is a respectful title, indicating a superior-subordinate relationship. If the 'sir' asks you to change how he addresses you, it means he doesn't want to create distance between you and wants to be closer to you."

The more he talked, the more he felt his analysis was brilliant.

"Think about it, what do Mr. Shen and the others call 'sir'?"

Lin Zhao thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Old Shang?"

That's what it's called.

"Yes, President Shen and Mr. are friends, they have a very close relationship, so that's why they're called that. Only close people use specific titles."

"so……"

Lin Zhao thought for a moment, and all the grievances in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a huge surprise.

"Sir, you consider me a friend, right?"

ヾ(^Д^*)/

Uncle Li choked, "Friends? More like boyfriend!"

But the gentleman hasn't given a clear answer yet, so he didn't say too much and changed the subject.

"Um, let's not worry about what the gentleman thinks of you for now. Let's just be sure that he's not trying to make things difficult for you; he just wants to get closer to you!"

Lin Zhao nodded thoughtfully.

"Then what should I call you, sir?"

Remembering how he had called him "Brother Yu," Lin Zhao felt a little uneasy.

"I called out 'Brother Yu' in the car just now, but he seemed a little unhappy..."

He lowered his voice, but didn't explain why.

After hearing this, Uncle Li frowned and stroked his chin, pondering.

"Hmm, maybe this form of address isn't intimate enough?"

His eyes darted around, and suddenly a brilliant idea struck him. He slapped his thigh hard.

"Got it!"

Lin Zhao was startled by him.

"Uncle Li?"

Uncle Li smiled mysteriously and smugly.

"Calling him Ayu is good; it's affectionate, sounds nice, and the gentleman will definitely like it!"

"Ah...Ah Yu?"

Lin Zhao subconsciously repeated the words, his cheeks instantly burning red. The two words seemed to carry a scalding temperature, so hot that his tongue was tied in knots.

"This, this won't do! It's so disrespectful to you, sir."

The gentleman was a few years older than him, so calling him Ayu always felt like addressing someone younger than himself.

"Oh, what's wrong with that?"

Uncle Li looked at him with a disappointed expression.

"The master wants you to change your address because he wants to hear something different. Listen to me, you can't go wrong. Do you want the master to dock your pay?"

Hearing about the salary, Lin Zhao hesitated again. Seeing this, Uncle Li quickly seized the opportunity.

"If you feel uncomfortable calling me that, you can add 'brother' after it, like Brother Yu. That's respectful without being unfriendly, isn't it?"

Before Lin Zhao could speak, he changed his mind again.

"No, you just said you don't like being called 'Brother,' so don't add 'Brother' then."

Lin Zhao had just breathed a sigh of relief when Uncle Li spoke again.

"Call him brother, call him Brother A-Yu, that will surely please the master."

"I……"

Lin Zhao was too embarrassed to repeat himself this time. He used to call him "brother" when they were little. Now that he's all grown up, isn't it a bit inappropriate to still call him that?

Thinking this way, I asked the question.

"Is it inappropriate for me to be the older brother?"

Moreover, he couldn't even imagine how his teacher would react when he called him "Brother Ayu" to that cold, stern face.

We can't just throw him out the next second, can we?

"There's nothing inappropriate about it."

Uncle Li patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.

"Just call it a few more times, okay, okay, you can put the things back now, it's time to cook."

Lin Zhao was half-pushed and half-forced into the house by Uncle Li. Her mind was buzzing, with only the words "Brother Ayu" flashing through her mind.

He put down the box in his hand and sat silently on the edge of the bed, his mind still replaying what Uncle Li had just said.

The man wanted to get closer to him, which is why he asked him to change how he addressed her, and she was very happy about it.

But Uncle Li made him call him Brother Ayu, and he really...

He spoke silently, wanting to practice.

"Ah..."

As soon as the first syllable came out, he covered his face in embarrassment, fell onto the bed, and buried his burning cheeks in the cool blankets.

It's too difficult! It's too difficult!

Or maybe we should just deduct his salary, ugh!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

When Lin Zhao and Shang Yu were having dinner together that evening, Lin Zhao kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, making it difficult for her to eat properly.

Shang Yu noticed it too, and when he looked up, his eyes met Lin Zhao's.

Lin Zhao immediately lowered her head as if nothing had happened.

But Shang Yu clearly didn't want him to get away with it so easily. He put down his chopsticks, raised an eyebrow, and looked at him.

"What good nickname has Zhao Zhao come up with?"

Lin Zhao's heart skipped a beat for no reason. Remembering that nickname, she bit her lip and silently shook her head.

Shang Yu remained noncommittal.

"It's okay, think about it slowly."

After saying that, he picked up his chopsticks again, seemingly not in a real hurry.

Shang Yu didn't say another word until the meal was over.

An eerie silence filled the air, and Lin Zhao felt incredibly uneasy.

When Lin Zhao returned to the cabin in the evening, he lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

The phone suddenly rang, and Lin Zhao opened it to see a message from her husband.

Sir: Could you please pour me a glass of milk for the study?

It was a very simple instruction, but it had never been given before. Lin Zhao felt something was off, but she didn't think much of it, assuming he was just too busy with work to come downstairs.

I quickly tidied up and went to the main hall, poured a glass of milk, and carried it to the study with a tray.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and tapped the door panel very lightly with his knuckles.

Sounds came from inside very quickly.

"Come in."

Lin Zhao carried the milk in, stood at the door, and habitually spoke.

"Sir, the milk is ready."

Shang Yu kept his head down, neither looking at him nor saying anything.

Lin Zhao repeated it again.

"Sir, the milk is ready."

Silence remained.

Lin Zhao suddenly remembered something. In the car, the man had told him not to call him "sir." Was he supposed to change his address now?

He stood there, not knowing how long he had been standing there.

During that time, Shang Yu never looked up at him once, keeping his head down and working as if he had no idea there was someone else inside.

Lin Zhao hesitated for a long time, her hands trembling as she held the plate. She closed her eyes, then, as if she had nothing to lose, mustered up her courage and spoke.

"Ah, Brother Yu, the milk, the milk is ready..."