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

Some birds would occasionally come and snatch the pitiful fishes from the water. He gazed around the familiar place. It was the river where he found Luo Lixi. In summer, the river would nearly die but in the other seasons, it would return to its real self and show its ferociousness. 

In between Sheng Ruming's thoughts, he seemed like he heard a girl's vague sound from afar. Someone seemed to be calling out his name.

Sheng Ruming walked towards that source of the sound. He tried to find it but he was at a loss when he didn't see anyone. 

Soon a woman's silhouette could be seen coming towards him. She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. 

"Ruming~..." Her melodious voice floated towards him from afar.

In a beautiful white bridal dress, she walked towards him from afar in her little steps. In her right hand, she had a bundle of roses while in her left hand she held a red box. 

"Ruming, I'm coming~"

When he saw it was Luo Lixi, he smiled brightly and stopped in his tracks. He waited for her with patients while his heart filled with unknown anticipation. Her rosy face had a touch of bliss while she locked her gaze with him.

After the woman walked in front of him, he took her right hand in his hand and gave a gentle smile on it. Luo Lixi smiled brightly while her eyes were full of happiness.

"Ruming, let's get married." She said happily and hurriedly shoved the flowers in his hand. Sheng Ruming was momentarily shocked by her speech. He gripped the red roses given by her. It was the first time she gave him red roses. 

Who doesn't know the significance behind this flower?! 

Sheng Ruming's heart was pounding against his chest but he glanced around the place and as usual no one was there except them.

"But...there isn't anybody present  here…"

"Should we need someone to get married? Can't we, in alone?"

"Yes. We...can if you want that." Why would he need someone else if it is her wish to marry without another present? As long as he could marry her, he would do anything whatever she told him to do. 

Though Sheng Ruming wanted to marry her before the whole world, openly...he would obey her wish. After that, he could just register for marriage and announce it to many media channels. That would also do.

The man totally forgot it was just a dream.

Luo Lixi gave him a sweet smile. She walked up very close to him. She opened the box and there were two beautiful rings laid among the soft surface. Luo Lixi took the big one and put the beautiful platinum ring on his ring finger of the left hand. Sheng Ruming glanced at the finger in a daze. Luo Lixi's beautiful laughter could be heard.

"Won't you put the other one on me?" 

"Yes." 

Hurriedly he took the other ring from the box. Luo Lixi threw the empty box away as it landed somewhere on the ground. Luo lixi held her left hand before him. She took the roses from him and kept in her right hand. 

Sheng Ruming found his hand was shaking in excitement while he held her left hand and put the ring in her ring finger slowly. Under the sun, it shone beautifully. Sheng Ruming's gaze changed while he put a hand around her waist and dragged her towards him. He hugged her tightly.

"We are husband and wife from now on. Get it?!" She told him in a burst of cheery laughter. He didn't mind the fact that there wasn't anyone else to witness it let alone the marriage oaths. Those were just formalities in his eyes.

"Hmm. Wife."

"I knew you are a good boy~" In a seductive tone, she answered him. Aslo, she winked her right eye. Sheng Ruming felt his heart was melting as he was drawn towards her soft pink lips which uttered those lines earlier. He crushed his lips on her as they softly kissed each other while the roses got crushed between them as the red petals fell down on the ground one by one. She let go of the bundle of roses and let it fall as well. He clutched his arms tightly.

Bang~

Then, a loud sound was heard around the place. The frantic birds flew away in chaos because of fear. Luo Lixi clutched his hands more tightly as her body stiffened. Her eyes became large in horror. 

Sheng Ruming immediately broke their kiss as he looked down at her body. Fresh blood was dripping down from her heart as the white dress was turning red by the second. Her grip on him loose. Sheng Ruming's mind blanked out when he saw her dropping on the ground. 

Luo Lixi laid among the rose petals and her own blood. Her breathing stopped in a second. She was shot right at her heart. A tiny hole could be seen in front of her.Sheng Ruming felt like he turned into a statue. He wanted to move but his body wouldn't. When he slowly lifted his head, he saw Luo Lixiang was standing there, holding a gun in his hand. Then, he slowly looked down on the woman, laying among her blood, listless while blood kept flowing out from the corner of her beautiful lips, the very lips he had kissed earlier.

"LIXI!!!" With all his might, in a scream, he woke up from the horrible dream and sat up on the bed. His whole body was drenched in sweat while his face had some hot liquids. He touched his eyes and realised he was crying.

When Sheng Ruming remembered the bloody scene from the dream, his heart clenched in pain. 'Calm down . It was just a nightmare. She is safe now.' He tried to calm his frantic heart but it refused to listen.