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

Amid the tranquility, Sheng Ruming spoke up first. 

"Lixi. The passport." Sheng Ruming gave her the passport he had just received from Xiao Huang.

Luo Lixi took the black passport and opened it. Sheng Ruming thought she would at least comment about the name but she just had a brief look at the contents of it and closed it nonchalantly. She wasn't bothered by it even for a bit.

Sheng Ruming didn't say anything either as they stood there for a long time. Luo Lixi gave him back the passport and dragged him with her to the bamboo bush. Today, her mind just wanted to wander outside till it became satisfied. 

Both of them walked amid the bamboo trees. There were many bamboo shoots around the area. The place was in the vicinity of the villa's outside area. Thus the locals wouldn't come here. Or else, they would have definitely taken away the bamboo shoots from here to eat or amid reawaken least to sell. 

Luo Lixi heard many birds chirping, she failed to recognise some of them as they were hard to see in the city.

There wasn't any road there. They were just randomly walking. The ground was a little uneven, it was green and slippery because of Algae and Moss. Sheng Ruming looked at her with obvious concern in his eyes as she had nearly tripped many times if he didn't hold her tightly she would have already found herself on the ground stained with mud. 

He wanted to go to another place where the ground was good enough so that she wouldn't slip again but she was adamant to walk amid the bamboo bush.

Luo Lixi was very carefree and didn't seem to mind it. She was even humming a song along the way. Her current mood was hundred times more cheerful from the past.

"Are you enjoying the stroll amid this wildness?" Sheng Ruming smirked when he said that. His grip on her even tightened further while they walked.

"Hmm. It's much more relaxing than resting in my room." Luo Lixi answered. Just then she broke a leaf branch from a little bamboo tree along the way.

"It is good then. Let's come here again in the future." 

"Hmm." After walking they came to a dead end as they saw the wall ahead of them. The villa was at the front of the main entrance while the back area was very spacious. There wasn't a need to make a wall at the back but this place had many mountain-hills. Many animals were in the forest. So for safety reasons, the place had walls. But till that day, no wild animals had been seen around the villa so the place was safe.

"Let's go back." Sheng Ruming tugged at her hand a little but she didn't budge.

"We have come this far. Let's go near the walls." 

"Okay then…" Well, there was nothing to say otherwise for the man. They walked to the walls. The walls weren't tall like normal walls. It was of the length of her shoulders. 

Luo Lixi glanced outside of the wall when she noticed there were dense forests out there. She turned at Sheng Ruming with a pleading look but not even a sound came out of her lips.

Sheng Ruming had a look of astonishment but he composed himself and shook his head in denial.

"Not today. You will exhaust yourself. I will bring you there another time when we will come here the next time."

Luo Lixi didn't object. She knew it wasn't possible today but a part of her wanted him to agree. She wanted to go out there even though she was aware she was being childish while knowing.

'Lixi, don't be a fool. He is Sheng Ruming,not your father.' Luo Lixi felt very shy when she thought she had accidentally shown him the pleading look she had always displayed her father whenever she wanted to go outside with him.

The woman scolded herself harshly in her mind space. 

"Let's go back." She turned around and started to walk ahead of him but their hands were locked together. Sheng Ruming thought she was upset because of his refusal. But the time wasn't right to go there.

After a few minutes, Luo Lixi slowed down as she became cheerful again. She hummed her favourite while they resumed walking together and came back to the villa.

...

In the morning, Luo Lixi didn't eat breakfast. She didn't have any work to do. So she would always become bored easily. 

After the walk, her mood improved a little as she didn't idle around anymore. Later she packed two dresses inside a large handbag. Sheng Ruming brought the books which she was reading earlier. Both of them sat down on the sofas of her room's balcony and read them together.

When the nurse came to talk with her, she had given the food products to them which she assumed can be given. 

At noon, Dr. Xiao had called the nurse. When the middle-aged woman heard, her duty at here had finished and that she should return to hospital tomorrow, she felt sad.

Whenever Sheng Ruming was home, the couple would eat together. When he wasn't here, Luo Lixi and the nurse would eat together. People could say Luo Lixi liked her very much. The nurse also had a soft spot for her.

At noon, the three of them ate together in the dining table of the hall room. The nurse didn't want to eat with them but Luo Lixi forced her to eat with them. Sheng Ruming didn't need to force her to eat as she was very hungry. Thus she ate the most among the three people. She had even put food in his bowl and thus the man was very happy the whole remaining day.

In the afternoon, the nurse packed her stuff and proceeded to leave the villa.

Before going out she didn't forget to meet Luo Lixi. She was in her room with Sheng Ruming when she knocked at the door.

"Come in." 

The nurse put her large bag outside and went inside.

Luo Lixi stood up when she saw the nurse had come.

"Miss, take care of your health when you reach there. Also, don't forget to meet me when you come back to the country."

"Of course, I will. You should also take care of your health. Don't work too much and stress out your health"

Luo Lixi didn't know what else to say. She just gave the woman a tight hug as she embraced her. A genuine smile broke out in the nurse's face when Luo Lixi did that.

When they broke free, the nurse handed her a paper. It was wrapped like a very tiny roll. Luo Lixi took it between her forefinger and thumb finger and shot her a questioning gaze.

"Remember to contact me if you need" The nurse mouthed the words. Luo Lixi guessed it might be her phone number as she understood her meaning.

"I shall leave now." The nurse told her as she lifted her legs to exit the room. She didn't even think it was necessary to bid the man farewell.

"Wait a second." Luo Lixi was going with the nurse outside. She had intended to see her out. But at his remarks both of them stopped in their steps.

"Lixi, you seem to have forgotten to give something to her." He walked to Luo Lixi and dragged her with him.

"Wait for a moment here." The nurse nodded at her and stood at her place.

"What have I forgotten…?" She asked him when they had reached his room.

"Money." Sheng Ruming answered her as he walked to his working desk. From a little attached drawer he took out his chequebook. With a ballpen, he signed his name and gave many zeros after the digit 1 in the amount section.

Luo Lixi went beside him and saw his sign. It was so messy and unrecognisable that she couldn't bother to look at it any longer.

The man tore the cheque from the cheque book and gave it to her.

"Check if it is okay or not. Or should I give more?" Luo Lixi saw that the amount was one hundred thousand. That money was a lot to common people like the nurse.

"More than enough." After she gave the green light, Sheng Ruming put the cheque into an envelope and handed it to her.

"You go. I won't follow you." Luo Lixi was pleased by his understanding.

After she had gone to the nurse, she gave the envelope to her.

"Aunt, it's for you." 

"What is this…?" The woman wanted to check it but Luo Lixi stopped her.

"Nothing much. Just some money for you. A token of my gratitude to you for taking care of me." When the nurse heard it, she immediately denied to take it but Luo Lixi forced her to take it. She also didn't allow for her to take a look inside of the cover.

It Was hard to find a taxi in this remote area. So Sheng Ruming arranged for a bodyguard to escort the nurse to her home. Luo Lixi waved her hand when the black car went outside of her sight.

After that she spent the remaining day in her room. At 4 pm. she took a warm bath. Two maids helped her dry her hair and prepare the dress she would wear. 

After tonight they would also be dismissed from their work at the villa. Only the old servants would remain in the end.