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

Yan Lunan saw Ji Yanli was shaking her head.

"Earlier you said I'm beautiful,  now you are saying I'm a shameless woman?!" 

"When have I said? I wanted to… Forget it. Let's go inside.

As Yan Luhan spoke, he gently held her hand and started to walk towards the party venue.

Ji Yanli had a sour feeling in her heart. She glared at the two hands clasped together and the next second she yanked her hand back. Yan Luhan stopped and wanted to say something harsh to her when he saw a person was standing at a corner of the building, staring at them. 

Even though he failed to see the face clearly, he knew just from the silhouette that that person was his mother. Also at the same time, he could sense the intensity of the displeasure the woman was giving to them.

When Su Mengsi saw her son had noticed her, she scoffed, turned away and went towards the way before her.

Yan Luhan felt disturbed but then a voice came from behind.

"Huh! Yan Luhan, do you want to start a rumour about us? Don't forget I am also the secretary of the 'Sheng Industry and Corporation'. If someone saw us and if I hear something ridiculous, I won't spare you!" 

The woman spat each word on his back and sounded very mad. Yan Luhan turned around and faced her.

Looking up, she realized that Yan Luhan's expression was slowly becoming undecipherable.

"There won't be."

"That would be for the best." Ji Yanli sneered and walked ahead. Yan Luhan saw she didn't turn back even for once.

When Yan Luhan lifted his head, Yan Ruomin became flustered and her phone dropped from her hand. At the vague noise, the man knitted his brows and glanced around but there wasn't any person outside.

When his sight fell on the balcony, there wasn't anyone either. 'I'm thinking too much. ..' He thought and started to walk inside.

Yan Ruomin peeped from the balcony and saw he was gone. 

"I was so scared!" Yan Ruomin patted her chest. Then she felt someone opening the balcony doors.

"Ah! Miss, are you okay?" A man in a business suit entered the balcony and stood beside her.

"I am fine. Earlier, I accidentally dropped my phone. Just picking it." Yan Ruomin spoke as she picked the phone and stood up. When she grabbed it,  she hurriedly locked the phone so as to not let the other person see anything.

"Oh. I am..." The man wanted to say something more but she walked away hurriedly. She walked ahead and didn't dare to open her phone again. When she reached the grand stairs,  she noticed her mother had returned and this time, she was standing beside Wei Airan. She sighed and walked down the stairs then went straight beside her.

Su Mengsi didn't ask her where she was but continued to chat along with the others. Yan Ruomin wore a soft smile and whispered something to her mother. Then she turned around and walked towards where Mu Jiang was standing. Ji Yanli had already gone to greet the other people while Yan Luhan was talking with his business partners.

Mu Jiang saw her as he was busy drinking.

"You drunkard. How much more do you want to drink, huh?" She sat on a tool beside him and softly spoke. Mu Jiang laughed and passed her a glass, "Wanna try?"

Mu Jiang had already red blushes on his cheeks as he was downing little shots. Yan Ruomin moved back the little glass from her. 

"No need. Don't drink anymore." Yan Ruomin told him but he didn't pay any heed to her. Then Yan Ruomin raised the phone before her and chuckled.

Her sight searched Ji Yanli and gazed at her back. She had already formed so plan in her head as to what she would do. Thinking about it, her face involuntarily flashed a smug smile and the next second she took back the little glass from Mu Jiang's hand and gulped down.

'She doesn't keep her own words.' Mu Jiang saw his empty hand and sighed in remorse, quietly eyeing the bartender to give him another glass.

*** ***

After Luo Lixi separated herself from the persistent man, she hurriedly patted her wrinkled clothes and went ahead to open the door. But when that lady saw Luo Lixi her words got stuck in her throats as she saw red marks at Luo Lixi's neck.

Sheng Ruming had forgotten that a woman usually came around early noon to make lunch for Luo Lixi. But Sheng Ruming did have another plan so he walked ahead and told that lady that she didn't need to work today. It was the first time that woman had seen him and understood where the red marks came from. She nodded and walked away hurriedly.

Luo Lixi glanced at him and didn't say anything. When Sheng Ruming saw her, the red marks on her necks appeared very glaring.

"Don't you have any sense of awareness of your surroundings?"

"What sense…" Luo Lixi immediately thought of something and ran before the basin that was on a corner of the living room. When she saw her reflection in the mirror, she flinched in shock and checked the glaring marks.

"She has seen me like this?! Argh!!!" She groaned in frustration and shot him a resentful glare.

"All your fault."

"What have I done now?!" Sheng Ruming appeared clueless as he leaned against the door and asked her. But what infuriated her was the smug smile of him.

Luo Lixi pressed her lips together and didn't give him any answer. She took the papers in hers and wanted to go to the bedroom when she was stopped by Sheng Ruming. 

"You don't have any important things to do now. Let's go for a stroll now. Also, I forgot to make your coffee. Let's buy two for us from a nearby café."

Luo Lixi nodded. Then she placed the papers on the dining table and dragged by Sheng Ruming outside.

"Hey hey, stop! How can we leave in this manner? At least we should put on some decent clothes."

"It's okay."

"What okay?! Look at this…" She pointed at her neck. 

Sheng Ruming coughed and said, "You go to the door. I'll bring something for you."

Sheng Ruming returned to their bedroom and saw the shawl Yuexin had given Luo Lixi.

When the woman saw him returning with it, she patted her cheeks and spoke, "Oh no! I forgot to return it to Yuexin."

"Don't return a thing you have used. Buy her a better one the next time." Luo Lixi sighed at his statement. He rolled it and wrapped it around Luo Lixi.

Then both of them walked towards the elevator and finally they exited the building in two minutes.

"Ah, the weather is so good."

"Hmm." 

Sheng Ruming didn't leave her left hand as they walked on the footpath. They passed by several people on the road. Sheng Ruming glanced at her face and saw she had a normal face, without showing any emotion. As he was staring at her, abruptly she stopped.

"Do you want to get hit by a pillar? Look ahead." 

Sheng Ruming turned ahead and saw a pillar right in front of him. The pillar was by the footpath and he failed to notice it as his attention was on her.

His face became red as she had caught him staring at her.

"Why feel embarrassed now? You didn't have this kind of expression in the morning though."

"Let's continue after we return."

"No!" 

Luo Lixi accelerated her walking speed and started to walk hurriedly. Sheng Ruming also increased his steps and walked side by side.

Thirty minutes later…

"Ah..ha..ah.. ha. I'm so exhausted. Let's rest for a while." Luo Lixi was sweating as she breathed hard nonstop. She found a bench under a tree and sat on it. Sheng Ruming followed her and sat down beside her as well.

Sheng Ruming crossed his legs and looked at her flushed face. Some sweat drops were on her forehead and some rolled down on her cheeks. She was looking beautiful as always. When the sunlight fell on her hair, those locks appeared brown to him.

"Ruming, I'm feeling thirsty. Buy me a bottle of water." When he heard this, Sheng Ruming immediately walked towards the roadside store.

Luo Lixi leaned back and closed her eyes to relax. Her erratic breathings were becoming normal. 

After one minute, Luo Lixi felt someone placing his hand on top of her thigh. Luo Lixi didn't open her closed eyes and spoke, "So soon?"

The other person didn't reply but ran through his fingers on her thigh which was covered by pant clothes.

"Ruming you…" Luo Lixi abruptly opened her eyes but instead of the man she had imagined, she saw another face which made her want to scream at the top of her lungs but no sound came from her lips.

She trembled from head to toe and didn't dare to move.