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

"What is there to even pack for a single dress? I will just take one in my handbag then." She gritted her teeth while she saw him ignoring her. 

His back was against her face so she didn't know what he was doing.

"Also, we will be going in the airplane, won't we? I will need my passport, have you…" Sheng Ruming abruptly turned around and looked at her neck.

"Wh… what?!" Luo Lixi stuttered a little when he walked towards her in large steps.

"Turn around." Luo Lixi glanced at the beautiful chain in his hand. 

Honestly, ahead didn't like to wear jewellery but Sheng Ruming seemed to like her to see in them. That's why she didn't put off the bracelet from her right hand. 

Without saying a word, she turned around and took hold of all her hair in her hand. Sheng Ruming unhooked the chain and put it around her neck. Under the various lights of the room, the red colour of it became even more radiant.

After he was done, Luo Lixi turned towards him.

"Did you hear me earlier? I was asking…"The woman stopped when she saw his unwavering gaze at her cleavage. She wanted to shout at his face when he sensed her anger.

"Beautiful…" The man told her and then he caressed her neck. His line of sight from her neck didn't break even for a second.

'Ah! Now it is embarrassing.' Luo Lixi flushed at his remark but she wanted to short out some matters with him. Also, the fact that she didn't have any money or she was unable to contact anyone made her very frustrated. 

To be honest, she thought it was unnecessary for them to go abroad for a mere hand surgery. There were also many capable doctors in the country, she could get treatment from them but her gut feeling told her that Sheng Ruming was up to something.

When his rough skin touched and caressed her sensitive neck, her skin quivered from it. She felt both ticklish and numb from his touch. An unknown feeling spread through her body. 

Sheng Ruming knew his hand was messing with her nerves but he did that with ecstasy. When Luo Lixi thought it was unbearable, she slapped away his hand. 

"What are you doing again?! Stop it."

"Okay." This time he dragged her by the waist and hugged her with one hand.

"You… I give up. Let me ask you something. Will you give me proper answers or not?" Luo Lixi sounded very serious this time. Due wanted to act tough and stricken but her slightly wavering expression made him laugh in his mind.

"I will try." Sheng Ruming touched her cheek and stroked it gently from time to time.

"What about my passport? I will need one." 

"You don't need one." Sheng Ruming brushed aside her tiny hair locks from her forehead and tried to put them beside her pink ear but those unruly locks rebelled against his endeavour. They would come in front the next time. But he was patient with them as he tried it again and again. Luo Lixi found it humorous and comical as she let him do what he wanted.

"We will go there with our private jet and even if you need one I will make a fake one for you which will be the most authentic one from your real passport." His voice was full of might and unwavering confidence. People who could hear him would have difficulty to digest that he was talking about a shady matter with such a positive and optimistic tone. While telling her, he patted her waist with the hand he was hugging her, indicating her as if to rest assured.

"Okay. Then, what about my grandpa?" Sheng Ruming stopped for a millisecond but he didn't stop playing with her black hair.

Luo Lixi felt her heart drop when he didn't answer her. She had always felt he would try to avoid the topic of her grandfather. After her brother's betrayal, even if she could ignore Luo Lixiang's existence, she couldn't forget about her grandfather. 

When Luo Lixi became clear-headed after she had woken up from the coma, she wanted to meet the old man the most. At first, she had misunderstood, he was the one who took care of her but when she saw Sheng Ruming, the nearly forgotten memories of the past came, those were flooded inside her head. She wanted to apologise for her rude behaviour of the past but she wasn't sure if he had even remembered her or not. Those years were so long…

Luo Lixi saw him opening her lips and the next second  Sheng Ruming's stiff voice came towards her. "Ask me your next question."

"This question is very important. You have told me you will answer my questions." She clenched his shirt and squeezed it as much as her right hand could muster up the strength. She felt a little pain shot up from the joint of her hand.

"I told you 'I will try'. Don't distort the line." Luo Lixi was dissatisfied with his answer though he told the truth. He released her body and took her right in her hand. He took off the bracelet and put it on top of an empty plain glass. He saw her blue veins and the redness around the area. He wanted to shout at her but her mood was off too. 

In a displeased tone, he told her while he massaged her hand. 

"Don't you love your hand? Do you want to be a handicap? You should know... carelessness can make you one." Sheng Ruming's deep voice told her he was on the verge of exploding. At first, she felt a little pain but now it was increasing by the minute. The pain was coming from the cut mark of her wrist.

"I.. "

"Don't say anything? Just be careful before your hand surgery. After that even if you broke your hand I won't say anything." Sheng Ruming blew warm air on her wrist when massaged her wrist. He just didn't want to quarrel with her when they were supposed to go abroad at night.

"Your grandfather is okay. Don't worry about him." Sheng Ruming told her as he dragged her in her room. There he took her in the bathroom and made her stand for a while. After some seconds, he brought two stools and a big-rounded bowl in there.

Luo Lixi was asked to sit on a stool while he placed the other in front of her. Luo Lixi silently saw him doing everything. He filled up the bowl with warm water and placed it on the stool which was in front of her.

"Soak your hand in the warm water. The pain would go away after a while." She slowly dipped her palm inside of the bowl. 

While she was sighing as the pain was lessening, Sheng Ruming took out an unopened towel from the little drawers of her bathroom. He soaked it with the cool tap water and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Luo Lixi was reminded of her mother. She would also take care of her like that. Now she felt she was a child who was being baby-sitted by a lover.

'But it feels good.' Her mood was softening when Sheng Ruming was slowly and carefully wiped her face clean.

"Ruming."

"Hmm?"

"I… want a phone. Will you give me one?"

"...Okay." He was reluctant but agreed in the end.

"Also, I need some cash." Luo Lixi was a little shy when she talked about money. She didn't want to spend his money but at the moment, her hand was empty. All of her was in her bank account. 

Moreover, She had an account in an anonymous name. It was the idea of Kong Pipi. That had nearly five million. She could have told Sheng Ruming to take out her money from it but he would refuse. After he had told her to be wary of Kong Pipi, not until she was sure if Kong Pipi could be trusted or not, she became hesitant. Now she could only ask him for money.

"Hmm."

"Don't you ask me why I need it?"

Sheng Ruming gazed at her black eyes as he put the used towel in a basket.

"Why do you need money?"

"..."

Luo Lixi was a little speechless by his smugness. She lifted her left hand and pinched his cheek a little. But all she felt was the tiny hairs of his beard poking her skin. She giggled a little as she rubbed her hand at his cheek as it felt somewhat good.

"Don't you need money?!"

"Yes. I want to give it to the nurse. She has taken good care of me all this time. If I give her material things, it won't help her much. Giving her some money would… umm… do…" Luo Lixi trailed off when she saw her disinterest in the topic.

"I understand." 

Afterwards they remained silent for nearly ten minutes. Then Sheng Ruming took out her hand from the bowl and both of them left the bathroom together.

"Don't worry about that nurse too much. In these months, I feel like you care about the middle-aged woman more than I. I have told Dr Xiao to give her a promotion." His tone sounded as if he didn't like talking about them.

When the man was talking to her, he didn't remain idle. 

.