Ten Years of Yearning. My Love, Let Me Protect You.

"Really?! Can you even eat 1 kg of meat?! What about the vegetables then?! Buy to show off?" While asking him, Ji Yanli took out her card and handed it to the cashier but he took it back and returned the card to her. 

"I will pay. How can I let you when I am here?" Wang Haixiao said proudly and gave the cashier his card. 

"Whatever you want. It's good for me. My money saved from going into the drain." After she ridiculed him, they took all the groceries and returned to their car. 

After they had placed the bags securely in the back seat, Wang Haixiao began to drive the car when a sudden phone call came to her. Ji Yanli took her phone out of her bag and saw it was her mother.

"Hello, Ma."

"Your work hasn't finished yet?! It's already too late."

"No, Ma. I won't come home today. Don't wait for me. Bye~"

"If you can, try to come today. Or go to your apartment to rest. Don't force yourself for work too much, bye." Then Ji Yanli cut the call, she looked outside of the window. Wang Haixiao just gave her a glance and then sped up the car.

After fifteen minutes, they reached her apartment building. They went straight to the 3rd floor. When she went to unlock the door, it was actually unlocked.

"Did you forget to lock it when you went to the company?" Wang Haixiao asked her as he entered her apartment. 

But then he saw two pairs of shoes there. He hurriedly placed the bags on the floor from his hands and walked out from the apartment.

"What's wrong?" Ji Yanli asked him as she entered the apartment. The whole building was hers, a gift from her father which she didn't want but was forced to take.

"I guess today I won't be able to eat here. Your mother and brother are here…" Then Ji Yanli saw the shoes and realised.

"Don't worry. Just come inside. I will make some excuses for you. Or I won't be able to explain why I bought so many things?!" Wang Haixiao remained standing outside as she placed the various things on the floor. Her hands had become reddish due to the heavyweight of the bags in some bare seconds.

" Now come inside!" At her shout, he awkwardly entered the apartment and put off his shoes. 

"Take the bags and follow me." Ji Yanli picked up the light plastic bags and walked inside. Wang Haixiao picked up all the bags from the floor and followed her.

"Ma! I have come!" Ji Yanli walked inside and saw her mother was sitting on a couch with her little brother who was twelve years old. 

Wang Haixiao stopped at the doorway. They were staring at her but their mood was off as they were watching TV earlier. Then she saw there were many balloons attached to walls as well as a big six pounds of cake on the dining table, her facial expressions changed.

'Cake? OMG! Today is his birthday? Damn, I totally forgot…' Ji Yanli hurriedly went to put the things on the dining table and walked towards her brother. 

"Aiya! My Xiao Lan, happy birthday!" Ji Yanli went to him and sat beside her brother. She engulfed him in a big hug and wished him a happy birthday as she placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. 

The boy glanced at her while wiping the red lipstick from his cheek and said in a sad voice. "Father is away for the business trip. Neither did he remember my birthday nor did you. Even then I came here and wanted to celebrate with you. But you said you wouldn't come…" 

Ji Yanli motioned at the standing Wang Haixiao to come into the living room. When Ji Shuai Lan saw him he immediately ran towards him.

"Brother Wang, what are you doing here?" When he saw the bags he went to take some from him. "Let me help you." He took some bags from his hand and went to put them on the table.

"Thanks, Xiao Lan." Both of them walked to the dining table. Then he saw his birthday cake. "Happy birthday, Xiao Lan."

"Thank you brother Wang." The boy beamed in joy as he was being wished two times straight. Even his friends didn't know today is his birthday and he didn't bother to remind them either. 

Wang Haixiao greeted her mother while she lightly nodded at him.

"Yanli, why is he here?" Ji Yanli's mother moved towards her and whispered. 

"He helped me to bring these things." After they finished whispering, Ji Yanli stood up and went to the dining table. Her mother followed her as well.

"Brother Wang, you have bought so many things!" Ji Shuai Lan checked the bags, he saw many raw vegetables as well as raw meat in those plastic bags and packets.

"Xiao Lan, actually I knew today is your birthday. I just wanted to give you a surprise. The security guard called me earlier and told me you two have come here. So I went to the market and bought all of these."

"Really?!" When the boy heard it, he became happy at once. 

"Absolutely. Your brother Wang even bought some of these things for us and I invited Wang Haixiao to join us. We will eat hotpot together and I will make a tasty hotpot personally for you, I mean for us." Wang Haixiao's smiling face cracked at her blatant lie. 

'This immoral woman! I have bought everything!' He screamed in his mind. Ji Yanli just gave him a wink.

"Oh! Then, I will help you. What about the cake then? It won't remain good for a long time." 

"Put it aside for now. We will cut it later. Or just place it in the freezer to stabilise the cream." Ji Yanli told him when she saw the cake's design was turning a little bad. The cake was made of pure cream so in a warm place the cream was melting very slowly but the slight difference can be seen in the naked eyes.

"Okay." The boy took the big cake in his hand and carefully put it in the normal freezer. He even covered it with its plastic box so that the smell of other things in the freezer wouldn't mix with it.

"Haixiao, you go and relax on the sofa. We will do the work." Ji Yanli's mother told him.

Wang Haixiao nodded as he went to sit on the sofa and loosened his suits to become more comfortable. The other three people brought all the stuff to the kitchen and began to prepare them for the hotpot.

"Sister, there is too much meat. We won't be able to finish even two kg. What should I do?" Ji Shuai Lan took out the packed meat boxes as he placed them on the granite kitchen countertop and asked her in uncertainty. 

"Take out all the boxes. We need only five kilos of them." Ji Yanli stopped washing the vegetables and glanced at the boxes. She chose six boxes and Ji Shuai Lan placed the other ones in the deep freezer. Then he went to the sink and took the vegetables to wash. While Ji Yanli went to unpack the raw meat and began to slice them into little and thin pieces. She wiped her head and glanced around the kitchen.

'I will need at least two hours to prepare it. Offf! So tiring! My work… let's forget about that now.' The woman straightened her tense back and rubbed it gently. Wang Haixiao was looking at them while he was sitting alone there. Even the boy was helping them.

Suddenly he walked in the kitchen and took the knife from her.

"Let me…" After he told her, he took the chopping board and began to slice the meat.

"Ah, Haixiao, how can you work? You are our guest. You should go and sit there. Or watch something on the TV you like." 

"It's okay, aunt. I'm good at cutting meat. You all do other things. If you don't let me, it'll be too late. I also need to go to my home." While the man was slicing the meat, he told them. 

"Ma, let him do it. I will cut the vegetables then…" Her mother didn't say anything as she was busy peeling the vegetables. While doing so she glanced at Ji Yanli and scoffed slightly. Ji Yanli also shrugged in return and went to do whatever she wanted.

*** ***

In one hour and twenty minutes, all the preparations were done. They brought all the things to the dining table but it couldn't accommodate so many plates. Ji Yanli even went as far as to design the raw materials in the plates. Then she brought her foldable table and placed it beside the dining table. 

After they were done, Ji Yanli clapped her hands and told Ji Shuai Lan.

"Time to celebrate your birthday, yay!"

"Yah!" The excited boy went to the freezer and took out the chocolate-vanilla flavoured six pounds of cake. He walked slowly as the cake was heavy.

"Xiao Lan, where are the candles?" Ji Yanli asked him as she opened the box and went to throw the cover in the trash bin.

Ji Shuai Lan stopped smiling and awkwardly looked at them. "I forgot to buy it. Hehe!" Ji Yanli squinted her eyes at him. He scratched his head and turned around to go out to buy the candles but Wang Haixiao stopped him.