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

Luo Lixi was in a daze the whole time, even after they had gone to the 9th floor and entered the duplex apartment, she was still in a momentary daze. 

Sheng Ruming pondered and said, "You want to go back and resume work in your company?"

"Not now." Luo Lixi's became gloomy as she walked in. "I just gave Zhao Yichen the position some days ago. How can I take it back so abruptly?!"

As Luo Lixi thought, she was reminded of Luo Qintian and whispered with a sad face, "I wanted to spend time with grandfather but…" She didn't say the later part because if the man heard it, he would definitely go mad, '... ended up marrying you even though I said I would marry after years.'

Sheng Ruming saw her downcast face and wanted her to cheer her up. A sudden idea came to his mind as he asked her, "Want me to open a studio? You can draw and make art pieces… the ones you love?" 

"Draw… Arts… " Luo Lixi heard him and remembered the old days. She subconsciously lifted her hands and stared at them. 'My dream… Can I do it?' 

Not getting any reply, Sheng Ruming didn't become discouraged. Rather, he took her silence as affirmation and made a plan for her, to let her chase after her dream which was once everything to her.

… 

Later that day, two maids came to the duplex apartment. They stood in front of Luo Lixi in the main room while Sheng Ruming was beside her. He glanced at the two maids briefly and then turned away. 

Luo Lixi looked at them and asked, "I know you two. Aunty Wei has sent you?"

"Yes. Madam has told us to work here. We will take care of everything. From cleaning to cooking, everything. Young madam can be reassured." One of the maids lifted her head from the ground and said respectfully. 

When Sheng Ruming heard her, he chuckled. 'Mother must have didn't wanted me to eat extremely salty food and so sent them…"

Luo Lixi turned to him at his chuckle and asked with a frown, "Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing, just that I wanted to be in charge of cooking for us. Now that they have come I won't have to do it anymore. Rather, I can spend that time with you. Do you like the idea? Honey~" After he finished, Sheng Ruming winked at her, making her blush and speechless at the same time. 

"..." Luo Lixi hurriedly looked away and thought as she remembered his lewd behaviour, 'Is it my illusion or that he has become extremely thirsty after we have gotten married?!'

The two maids peeked at them and tried to suppress their giggle from leaking out. When Luo Lixi turned to them, they froze. One of them bowed deeply and said hurriedly, "Then, young madam, we will go and start working."

"Go ahead. Also, don't disturb us if it isn't something necessary." Sheng Ruming replied sternly instead of Luo Lixi. The two maids knew his underlying meaning, bowed again and hurriedly went away and made themselves busy. 

Luo Lixi glared at him and hissed, "You… how can you be so shameless?"

Sheng Ruming put his arm around her waist and ambiguously rubbed her hips as he whispered and gawked at her ear, "Do you want me to show the real shameless guy? Shall we go to the bedroom and talk about life?"

"..." Luo Lixi didn't open her lips even though she was harassed by the man without any break. The more he teased the more she was reluctant to make any sound. 

Sheng Ruming rubbed his face on her arm and mumbled, "My honey is so soft and warm. I feel like taking a bite out of you…"

"..." Luo Lixi looked down and asked with deep thought, 'Shall we go to our room?'

At her suggestive words, the man paused. When he looked up from her arm, his eyes met with hers. Sheng Ruming's eyes darkened as he lifted his face. Luo Lixi also went down. In one second, both of them went from ambiguousness to real action. 

Contrary to her expectation, after 5 minutes Sheng Ruming broke away and stood up. He looked down at the bullied lips in regret and couldn't stop his urge to lure her to the bed. But knowing her condition, he stopped himself and then said, "I have to go to the company. Bye!"

Afterwards, he walked out of the apartment and went away. Behind, a dumbfounded Luo Lixi was left alone. She frowned and tried to think of a reason for his behaviour, 'Just what happened?!'

…

Luo Lixi didn't stay in the apartment either. After she ate the homemade lunch, she went out to walk around the place. The two maids walked beside her while two bodyguards were following her from the shadows. After roaming for thirty minutes, she stopped at the roadside and glanced ahead. 

The maids saw her staring ahead and asked, "Young Madam, do you want to go inside?"

Luo Lixi shook her head and turned away from Sheng Industry and Corporation's main entrance. She began to walk back and murmured, "What will I do after going there? I don't want to disturb him. He is… busy! Humph!"

She still couldn't forget the time when he left abruptly after kissing her senseless. For some reason, she was disappointed by his actions and was dissatisfied with the momentary intimacy. As she walked, she begrudgingly thought, 'I won't let you kiss me so easily again! Pervert!'

…

In the Yan Mansion, Yan Ruomin's room.

"Ahhhh! Maaaaa!" Su Mengsi looked down at her daughter who was crying her lungs out on the bed. She had a frightened expression and hid her face with her two hands, "She has turned me into a monster! I don't want to see my face!"

The young woman had lost a lot of weight and her skin had turned dry and pale. The skin beside her cheek had broken which made her look very old. 

The doctors and nurses hired by Su Mengsi were standing silently beside her. They felt very sad because of her situation but Yan Ruomin's bad behaviour forced them to stay mum. 

"They… they starved me! They… hic! Didn't let me eat more than one time per day… hic! My face… it's ruined! I don't want to live anymore!" Yan Ruomin whimpered in her broken voice. She was injured in several places and because of being bandaged, she was looking like a mummy. 

After she had shot a bullet at Sheng Ruming, several bodyguards jumped on her to prevent the situation from going astray. Then, she had lost consciousness and when she woke up, she found many injuries on her body because of the impact of her fall face on. 

Then she was sent to an unknown place. A maid who had a scary scar on the face came and tended to her wounds but she cursed at the woman and made her mad. 

In the end, the injury on her face didn't completely heal. Even though Sheng Ruming didn't tell her to punish severely, the maid knew the situation too well and there was blatant hatred whenever she would stare at Yan Ruomin.

She locked Yan Ruomin in a dark room, gave food once a day until Sheng Ruming ordered her to let her out. It was considered the easiest punishment but for Yan Ruomin, the pampered young lady, it was a nightmare! A trauma!

[...Young miss, do you remember me?

Ahhh! Who?!

Me?!

Ahhhh!...]

In the depth of the night, the maid would go to scare her and she was successful. Never in her life would Yan Ruomin forget that face with a hideous scar!

Also, Yan Ruomin loved her face the most. Watching her current appearance in the mirror gave her a devastating blow. She mourned, cried and refused to eat and always wanted to die. 

The doctor couldn't see this anymore and whispered worriedly, "Madam Yan, it's clear that your daughter has been tortured both mentally and physically! You should go to the police and file a case against those criminals to get justice for your innocent daughter!"

Righteousness was overflowing from his voice. Su Mengsi was silent while Yan Ruomin stopped crying. Her eyes flashed with hatred as she moved out from the bed and grabbed her mother's hands. 

"Criminals… it's Luo Lixi! She is a criminal! She has done this to me! Ma! Let's go and file a case…" Yan Ruomin's body shivered as she said. Even at that point, she was thinking of accusing someone innocent. 

"... Minmin." Su Mengsi grabbed her back and murmured, "Can't you realise… we can't! We will only become miserable…"

Yan Ruomin was stubborn and said angrily, "But I have ended up like this because of her! She… my face..." As she spoke, she broke down in tears again. The doctor felt aggrieved because of her tears and wanted to go ahead to console her but looking at Su Mengsi, he stopped at the right time.