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

After that Luo Lixi didn't show any sign to lay down on the bed. Sheng Ruming sat down on the bed and told her, "Why aren't you sleeping again?"

"I don't want to. These past few days I have been sleeping too much. Soon, I will become fat."Luo Lixi then went beside his ear and whispered, "Then you won't even like me anymore." 

After she was done whispering, Luo Lixi wanted to retract his head but Sheng Ruming clutched  her head by his left hand and left a quick kiss on her temple.

"You can become fat and then see if I like you or not. Your appearance won't make a difference for the love I have for you." At his sweet words, Luo Lixi blushed heavily. She wanted to lie down on the bed but he stopped her.

"What about you?"

"Hmm, I will tell you later. Now I don't have any mood to really talk in the middle of the night." When Sheng Ruming heard her, he let her go. The woman clearly forgot the earlier thing she told but Sheng Ruming didn't remind her. 

Hence, after she tried to sleep, she failed. The man didn't budge from her side and began to pat her head and play with her soft, black hair locks.

"Don't play here. Go to that bed and sleep." Luo Lixi wanted him to sleep as the man was awake the whole night but he didn't move or answer her. 

"Hey! Ruming, go now. Or you will have dark eye circles under your eyes. Then… I won't like you." Sheng Ruming shot a sharp look and glared at her. Luo Lixi hurriedly tried to cover her face with the thin blanket yet he caught her left hand and pressed it on the bed.

"You won't like me?! Say that again if you have the gut." Luo Lixi swallowed hard when his face showed a ferocious expression. She was scared momentarily. 

"Ruming, don't be angry. I was just joking."

"Joke or what, I won't let you go even if you don't like. Now sleep." He took the blanket and covered till her neck. Luo Lixi didn't say anything as she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep but she couldn't.

"Ruming, what time is it now?" While her eyes were closed, she asked him.

'If it is close to dawn, I shall get ready to go home. I don't feel like staying here any longer.' Luo Lixi thought as she waited for him to answer.

Sheng Ruming raised his hand and glanced at the watch in his left hand. 

"It's 3:10 now." Luo Lixi nodded as she stared at the ceiling. 'Not yet.'

Thus she began to count sheep in her mind space. One sheep, two sheep, three sheep, four sheep,... … eighty-one sheep, eighty-two…" Luo Lixi was counting in her head while her lips were moving. Sheng Ruming just stared at her face for the whole fifteen minutes.

"I will… become crazy." Suddenly she spoke out loud and stared at him in anguish. She also felt bad that he was awake till now for her sake. So she wanted to let him rest for a while. Thus she told him, "Ruming, do you want to sleep? Come here. Let's try together…" Luo Lixi reached out her two hands for him.

Sheng Ruming wanted to reject her as earlier yet when she invited him to sleep with her, his lips curled up and he didn't reject her. 

The hospital bed was enough for two people to sleep nor there was any design like a thud in the past. Both of them laid side by side while Luo Lixi faced his chest and her head was on his right hand. Her right hand was before her chest; tightly bandaged. Sheng Ruming hugged her lightly as he laid down beside her.

"Lixi."

"Hmm?" She raised her head and stared at his eyes.

"After some days, you will have another surgery."

"..."

"Don't misunderstand. It will be a skin surgery to hide the cut mark on your wrist. There shouldn't be any reason for you to become aware of your pain whenever you see it at your hand."

"I… I don't know but I don't feel much pain anymore. Time can heal everything, you know?" Luo Lixi gave him a hollow laugh when she was speaking. Sheng Ruming pressed her head on his chest and stopped talking further.

After twenty minutes or so, the man's stable breathing could be heard by her. Luo Lixi was still awake as she stopped moving and remained motionless. His heartbeat was reverberating in her ears as she emerged in deep thoughts.

"Ruming, good night. Sleep tight… honey." Luo Lixi whispered and closed her eyes tightly as both of them fell into a deep slumber.

*** ***

The next day…

Both of them woke up at the same time when the nurse came into the ward to check on Luo Lixi. She also brought food for the patient but the woman was amused when she saw the couple was tangled so closely with each other. When she coughed, both of them woke up from their sleep and were startled.

"I am leaving the tray here. After one hour I will come to take back the utensils." The nurse was already at the low table beside the bed and put a tray with the pot on it.

After she was done, she went out and didn't give them another glance. Sheng Ruming wanted to wake up but she dragged his head on the shared pillow. 

"Let's sleep a little longer. Yawn! I am so sleepy…" When the woman told him, he didn't get up though it was impossible for him to sleep further. 

If Sheng Ruming's sleep breaks, he couldn't/wouldn't go to sleep a second time.

Thus the man stayed by her side and admired her sleepy face.

"You are really becoming addicted to sleeping. Lazy cat…" Sheng Ruming caressed her nose tip three times and chuckled.

"I am not a lazy cat. It's just you are making me one like that. You narcissistic person…" Luo Lixi murmured as she moved her head on the bed to find a comfortable position to sleep.

Both of them stayed there like that for nearly one hour. Sheng Ruming admired the beautiful scenery while Luo Lixi slept like a log.

When it was already eleven o'clock he couldn't remain lying down on the bed. He carefully moved away his hand from her and stood up from the bed. Without waking her up, he directly went to the attached  washroom and got freshened up. 

After he came back, he saw she was still sleeping. The food had already gone cold a  a long time ago. He was bucking his pant's belt when he saw the still sleeping beauty on the ssickbed

'It's not healthy to sleep for so long. She has had enough. I shall wake her now.' Sheng Ruming went to her bed and shook her gently.

"Lixi, Lixi wake up. It's already too late. Aren't you hungry?" The man patted her cheeks and tried to wake her up but she moved away from him and hid into the blanket.

"Let me... sleep for... a second. I will wake up soon." Her voice sounded as lazy as her action. Sheng Ruming placed his hands on his hips as he stared at her.

"I guess I should buy a house with an attached gym and become your instructor for life to train you properly. Only then you will forget to be lazy." At first Sheng Ruming just wanted her to be wishful as much as she wanted and let her do what she desired. He even told her she should only eat asunder sleep. But he didn't want her to train into a pig. 

Luo Lixi totally ignored him as she was under the blanket. Sheng Ruming bent down and took her shoulder. In one swift motion, he made the woman sitting on the bed. Currently, Luo Lixi's head was a mess and her appearance was a little special which could make a man aroused in a split second. Her eyelids were wet and her skins were glowing from the proper sleep.

"Sheng Ruming! You wait! You repay kindness with evil?! It was my fault to let you sleep on my bed." The angry woman threw the pillow to the man and puffed her cheeks.

"It's already past 11. If you don't eat now, your recovery will get delayed as you can't eat the tablets." When Sheng Ruming mentioned the yield, her anger puffed away. 

"Ruming! Hurry, help me to get into the washroom." Luo Lixi instantly shrugged her laziness away and raised her hands towards him. Sheng Ruming was more than happy to obey her request. 

He lifted her up from the bed like the bridal style and brought her into the washroom. 

"Now let me down. Also, give me my dress. I don't want to stay here any longer." 

"Okay." Sheng Ruming let her stand on the ground and returned to the room to take out her dresses from a plastic bag. He went again and placed the clothes on the hanger.

"If you have problems, call for me. Or should I stay here to help you?... I shall stay behind."

"No no no! Get out! I can manage. If I have any problem, I will call you." Luo Lixi frantically denied him to stay in the washroom.

'I will have to do my private jobs. How can I let him stay and see?!' Luo Lixi felt cringe while thinking about it.