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

Feng Shaoling blushed hard when she touched his cheek. Even Luo Lixi was clueless why she did that. The only thing she did was to touch him very lightly and it was instinctive. Feng Shaoling felt a very soft cotton had just brushed past his face.

"Ah, sorry. Don't mind it." Luo Lixi told him as she placed her left hand on her thighs.

He felt ashamed suddenly and stood up. Then he turned around and walked towards the door. Feng Shaoling walked out of the room. The nurse followed him outside. Luo Lixi was puzzled at his behaviour. 

'Why did he come here in the first place? Just to chat with me?!' Luo Lixi thought this when Feng Shaoling returned and went straight to her. 

"Miss Li, this is my card. If you have any problem or difficulty here you can contact me anytime. Also…" Feng Shaoling became nervous when he glanced at her face. She was listening but didn't make a single sound of agreement

"Also you can contact me when you return to the country." Luo Lixi slowly nodded her head. After that he didn't say anything and went out. Truly be told, he also didn't know but he had the urge to make the woman his girlfriend. He was a straightforward person so if he would always say straight his mind out. But it was the first meeting of them, also the woman was his patient so he felt shy to ask her.

Our Feng Shaoling didn't want to be labeled as a pervert who coveted his patients.

After the room became empty, Luo Lixi threw the blanket away from her body. She didn't feel like staying in bed anymore. She stood up and went towards the door and opened it. 

After she had opened the door, Luo Lixi glanced around but didn't see Sheng Ruming. She stood at the door frame and saw many patients going back and forth in the corridor. She leaned her head against the door frame and quietly saw them.

Feng Shaoling was talking with his corridor at the end of the corridor when he spotted her standing there alone. He wanted to go there but he didn't know what he would say after he would go. Thus after he finished talking with his professor, he wanted to go away but the old man dragged him with him. Saying they should have a meal together. 

After spending some time at the entrance, Luo Lixi slowly walked back into the room. She was feeling restless and was a bit unhappy. She walked back and forth in the room many times but nobody came into the room.

'He must be busy. Let's not bother him.' Luo Lixi thought. She went to the windows and opened them. She took some breaths and next she closed it.

When she felt tired, she went towards the bed and tried to sleep while she wrapped her body in the blanket. But sleep didn't come but various matters began to rotate in her mind space.

'I don't like this kind of life. What am I even doing now? No work, no responsibility, only wasting time rethought doing anything?!' Luo Lixi thought as she turned around and faced the window. The dark night made her think deeply. She could feel the vague pain in her wrist but it was nothing much to her now.

'After I get well from this, I shall talk with him. I can't live a fruitless life like this. I will have to meet grandpa and tell him everything…' When Luo Lixi was thinking till here her eyelids began to drop down. When abruptly the door of the ward was opened from outside, her eyes regained their clarity as she looked at the man who had returned after so long.

Sheng Ruming glanced at her and saw there was really no wire attached to her.

Earlier when he finally finished his talking with the manager, Sheng Ruming realised he didn't fulfill the task for which he came for. So he hurriedly went to the receptionist to ask about when they replied. 

"Sir, two people have already gone there earlier. You can return and check if it was okay." 

So Sheng Ruming immediately rushed towards her room and opened the door abruptly when he realised Luo Lixi was sleeping already but the noise he made, woke her up.

Her eyes were heavy as she stared at him for some time. After she was done, she uttered two words and went to sleep again.

"Good night." 

"..." 

Sheng Ruming became speechless when he saw her reaction. She didn't ask him where he was until now or what he was doing. Honestly, she didn't show any particular interest in his life, unlike the time several years ago. She seemed to be here yet he felt she didn't have her mind here.

Sheng Ruming walked into the room and walked beside her head. He was staring at her face without any break. She was laying straight on the bed. 

After ten minutes, he crossed his arms before his chest and asked her in an amusing tone.

"How much longer do you want to continue acting sleeping?" When Sheng Ruming told her, her heartbeat stopped for some seconds. Sheng Ruming saw her eyelids were fluttering lightly but she continued to be silent.

"Sleep now. Tomorrow we will return home early in the morning." Sheng Ruming told her and afterward he went towards the other side of the room. The room had a spare single bed for the patient's family to sleep at night but he didn't go there. He took a chair and went to sit beside the window but his back faced the window while he stared at Luo Lixi. 

The room became quiet again. But outside of the room wasn't as silent as it was. Someone welcomed a new life with happiness while some people began to mourn for their deceased one. Some people waited for their health to recover while someone waited for death to come. A place where all kinds of emotions gathered. Pain, regret, happiness, waiting, anxiety, hope… all kinds of human emotions could be found in that place. 

*** ***

Deep in the night.

Luo Lixi turned from this side to that side in her sleep. When she felt her mouth had become dry, she subconsciously licked her lips. 

'Thirsty… I want water.' Luo Lixi wanted to drink water but her body didn't want to wake up. She felt greatly annoyed in her sleep. 

"Water…" She muttered in her sleep. The woman was knitting her eyebrows as she wanted to open her eyes but her eyelids felt very heavy to open. In her sleep, she licked her lips with her tongue.

Suddenly a pipe was put into the crack of her lips while a male voice came to her.

"It's water. Drink it."

"Mmm…" Luo Lixi wrapped her lips around the straw and sucked as much water she needed. After she was done, she moved the thing from her mouth. She wanted to jump to sleep again but her head refused.

'Something is wrong.' Luo Lixi thought as she wanted to move her right hand to rub her eyes but a force stopped the arm from moving. She tried several times to break away but the force didn't allow her to.

"Be good. Don't make trouble." The voice again floated to her subconscious. This time, her conscience couldn't remain nonchalant as she muttered out.

"Ruming, let me go…" Luo Lixi told him as she tried to move away her arm but he didn't let her.

"I won't. Sleep." She was dissatisfied when the voice sounded commanding. She wanted to scold him but was too lazy to do so.

After five or so minutes, the force finally left her hand and began to gently rub her head to lull her to sleep. But her sleep became light then. Thus after a few minutes she slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Sheng Ruming sitting on her bed and rubbing her head. She blinked her eyes several times when she saw he had a gentle smile on his face while he was looking at her head.

"Ruming, good morning?" Luo Lixi moved her head and turned towards him as she said. But he continued to rub her head and gently said.

"It is still night. Go back to sleep." He replied to her as he resumed his doing. 

"I am… not sleepy anymore. Were you awake the whole night?" But the man didn't reply to her question, rather he took back his hand from her head and looked elsewhere.

This time, Luo Lixi began to stare at his face. Sheng Ruming felt her gaze on him so he turned towards her. Earlier he just felt awkward to reply to her question. 

Now both of them stared into each other's eyes while none of them thought of breaking away.

"Close your eyes."

"I won't."

After two minutes of intense staring, Luo Lixi closed her eyes as she felt uncomfortable. She felt her eyes had turned dry.

 "Ruming, you are a bad person." Luo Lixi complained. 

"Glad to know." Sheng Ruming replied to her as he still stared at her face. Luo Lixi slowly began to get up when Sheng Ruming stood up and helped her to sit.

"Give me water." At her request, Sheng Ruming walked away and brought warm water for her.

Luo Lixi wanted to take the glass from his hand but he didn't let her.

"Let me help you." He held the glass and she gulped down until she finished the last drop of water.