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

After Sheng Ruming had returned, he didn't see Luo Lixi. He glanced around but didn't find her. At that, his face lost its colour and he hurriedly glanced around the area.

"Lixi, where are you?!" He wandered around the tree and shouted but there wasn't any sign of her, not even any traces left behind her.

There were some people on the streets. When he was shouting for her, some of them approached him and asked what was the matter. Because of his shouting in Chinese, none of them understood it before. 

So Sheng Ruming told them his fiancee was on the bench a few minutes ago and asked if they had seen a lady like her but they shook their heads in refusal. 

'Lixi, where did you run off to?!'

Then, one of the people asked him to show them her picture to see if they could help. Only then he knew, he didn't have any decent photo of her, no, he didn't have any photo of her either. 

At least, he could have shown it to the passersby to ask for her whereabouts instead of giving them vague descriptions. 

People seemed to give him weird glances when he informed them he didn't have his fiancee's photo. They weren't of any help and soon scattered away.

Under the sun, he went from one street to another but didn't find her. An ominous feeling grabbed his heart tightly. 

In anger, he gripped his hand tightly and the next second, he threw the water bottle on the road as hard as he could. 

As the bottle was punctured, water kept leaking from it. While he was watching the water keep pouring out from the bottle and wetting the clean road, his eyes also became red as moments passed on.

'Not even ten minutes have passed and you disappeared?! Have you done it on purpose? If you have purposely run away then don't blame me for what I would do after I catch you…' 

Sheng Ruming's hands clenched into fists. All the good sentiments from his head ceased into thin air. He shut down his eyes and took large breaths to calm himself down. 

He searched the surrounding areas and finally detected CCTV on the pillars of that street. Not only that, there was more than enough.

This Sheng Ruming moved to roam in one particular direction. While walking, he unlocked his phone and called someone.

"I am mailing you my location. Check the CCTV cameras of the surrounding areas and find the woman who was with me one hour ago."

"Got it."

After Sheng Ruming cut the call, he stood beside the road and waited for the call to come back.

While waiting, he noticed he had come far away from that area and was on an unknown street.

He kneaded his temple and heard a dog's barking from afar. This made him more furious. As he was walking, he heard the vague sounds of two people's voices. 

'Lixi?! Why is she here?'

Sheng Ruming recklessly ran towards the noise. Finally, he arrived before a playground. It had a seesaw, merry-go-round, swingset, slide, jungle gym, chin-up bars, sandbox, spring rider, trapeze rings, playhouses etc.

There weren't any kids playing though. The surroundings were too quiet as it was nearing noon and people were busy working.

There were trees and green bushes behind the big playing equipment. As he was approaching the source of the sound, he walked behind those and eventually saw where the sound was coming.

"Go away. I said go away!" Luo Lixi had a wooden stick in her hand and she was sitting on a branch of a mango tree. There were dangled stairs at the tree trunk.

A German Shepherd was barking at her from down and a girl in her early teens was trying to pull the dog. The dog was baring his nasty teeth and making Luo Lixi unable to get down.

"Ahhh! What's wrong with you?! Let's go home. Miss, I am sorry…" The petite girl was trying to drag the dog with her but it denied to move.

"Aaa! my boyfriend must be looking for me! Girl, try to take it back. What to do…" Luo Lixi poked the dog slowly with her stick. The girl didn't like when Luo Lixi did that but now she was tongue-tied. Because of her dog, the lady was put in a difficult position and she didn't have the face to say something to her.

"Doggie, leave. I can't play with you." Luo Lixi told the dog but it started to bark more aggressively. So she poked it more.

Poke~ Poke~

The dog didn't move even an inch. The girl who was trying to take it away, had positioned the dog's leash on her left shoulder and was trying to pull it with all her strength but the dog didn't move.

Everything fell in Sheng Ruming's eyes when he came. When Luo Lixi's sight fell on him, she called out eagerly.

"Hubby, save me from this dog~" 

Luo Lixi threw away the long stick she was poking the dog with earlier and stared at him in expectation. Her look was as if she was a lost baby chic who had finally found her mother hen.

The corner of his lips twisted as Sheng Ruming went towards her.

Luo Lixi raised both of her hands towards him in a gesture as if she wanted a hug but how could he, when she was so far from the ground. Sheng Ruming sighed when he saw her disheveled self. He regretted letting her behind then.

When they had walked out before from the building, her hair was loosened. Now, her hair was unkempt, her eyes were dewy and the lady had a 'I was bullied' look on her face. 

Sheng Ruming strode before the dog and his face began to harden when saw her beautiful right leg was exposed. The girl who had seen him coming, spoke up, breathless.

"Sir! sir, please help me. My dog has gone mad!" The girl's two hands had already turned red because of tugging the leash with so much strength.

"It has really gone mad…" 

When he saw the back of the dog, he had the intention to use all the boxing techniques he had learned before and to send it to its death.

"Hand me the leash." 

The girl gasped to take a breath and gave the leash to him without saying anything. 

Sheng Ruming rolled the rope in his hand and gave a harsh tug as he raised the leash backwards. 

At the sudden force, the majestically barking dog fell on the ground and groaned in remorse.

"Mister, deal with my doggie gently! You are hurting her." The girl scowled at him as she enunciated everything in an urgent expression.

"If this useless thing has injured my woman, I won't stop until it learns its lesson…" Sheng Ruming showed her a menacing look, at which she halted talking. 

The dog had already stood up and tried to go near the mango tree and had already started barking.

"What's wrong with it? Hey, doggy, I didn't take your bone. Ask your owner!" 

Luo Lixi mumbled as she rubbed her butt. She had been sitting on the uneven branch for a long time and was feeling numb below her waist. 

"Lixi, wait a little longer, honey."

Sheng Ruming assured her and he dragged the dog to a nearby tree and tied it there.

"Offf, my life is so…" Luo Lixi couldn't help but shook her head. 

Luo Lixi eyed the current Sheng Ruming. Just from looking at his face, she could guess, he was suppressing his anger.

'I was missing for so long. He must have been worried for me.' 

When she thought of his anxious face, her heart softened. 

"Lixi, jump down. I will catch you." Sheng Ruming raised both of his hands and took a better position as if he would catch her anytime. 

"No need."

Luo Lixi shook her head. Then the next second, she slowly stood up, wrapped her hands around the tree trunk and began to go down the stairs. 

Sheng Ruming kept extending his hands, as if concerned she would fall. The other girl had already walked beside her still barking dog and eyed them nervously.

When Luo Lixi had nearly reached the end of the stairs, Sheng Ruming whispered, "Wait a second."

When she heard it, she stopped and turned around. There she saw Sheng Ruming was bending below.

He picked her shoe from the ground and the next second, he touched her foot and took her leg softly.

"Eh, Ruming, I will fall!"

"You won't." 

He circled his left hand around Luo Lixi's thighs and then helped her to put on the shoe. Then he slowly placed her on the ground.

"You okay? How did you even come here?!" Sheng Ruming examined her from top to bottom. 

Only when he saw she was okay then he sighed in relief. When the dog started to bark ferociously, she flinched. Sheng Ruming turned towards it as he shot it a murderous glare.

"Awo, awowowo~" 

The dog cowered at his glare and crouched down onto the ground. The girl beside it was helpless as she peeked at the couple but didn't make up the courage to meet eye to eye with Sheng Ruming.

"Whose trash is this?"

Sheng Ruming inquired through his gritted teeth as he didn't sift his sight from the whimpering dog. He wrapped Luo Lixi in his embrace with one hand and arranged her hair with the other without looking at her.

The girl remained silent as she saw their lovey-dovey moments. Then slowly spoke, "She isn't trash… She is my dog."