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

Abroad, around 8 pm. 

In the apartment of Ji Yanli and Wang Haixiao.

Ji Yanli was standing at the doorstep. She glanced at Wang Haixiao for the second time as she asked while wearing her shoes, "You sure you don't want to tag along? You will miss a great opportunity, I say..."

Wang Haixiao lifted his head from the files he was checking on the dining table and turned to her. The lady's long hair was tied into a high ponytail and those chocolatey locks swayed a lot from her movements. 

"No. For the 5th time, no!" Wang Haixiao replied straightly. 

The man was too busy to cater to her wishes. He had to finish assignments given by the strict professors, then manage the investments of the two, making food for the two people… also controlling the damn girl from fooling around too much!

The young man couldn't even properly breathe because of these. Yet, Ji Yanli, as always, asked him to do many things he didn't want to do! If he didn't agree then she would call out the other two friends. How infuriating!

Just thinking about those matters made his intestine turn from pale to blue. The man snorted out loud and stared at her silently. 

Ji Yanli laughed awkwardly at his reaction. It wasn't something new for him to do but nonetheless, she spoke enthusiastically.

"Don't deny so quickly! We can walk side by side with our hands joined. Rather than peeking at each other, we will walk like our lives depend on running. Don't you think it's very romantic? We two, running but the hands won't separate no matter what..." 

Ji Yanli narrated, a dreamy expression vivid on her face as she comprehended the scene. She cupped her cheeks which were puffed because of her smiling brightly and she got lost into the trance she created herself. 

From her reaction, Wang Haixiao had the illusion that she was live watching the aforementioned scene. 

Just thinking about that made him awkward but somewhat sweet. But after a while, he violently shook his head and scolded himself for going into a trance.

After a while, he turned to her and spoke out softly, as if to coax a child from doing something bad, "Don't go. It's not good to wander around at night. What if something happens to you? Also, if you tire yourself too much, you can't wake up in time and miss tomorrow's class." 

The smile on her face paused. Ji Yanli put her hands on her hips with a swollen face, lips pouting in annoyance and turned to him with a huff. Her mad complexion made her cute in the man's eyes as he coughed to hide his smile, a meaningful one to be exact!

She was infuriated by his reaction as she despised him, "I know! I know! But I will have to go! My whole body feels like a brick! If I don't walk and run, soon I will die of suffocation! The treadmill doesn't give me full satisfaction. Also, I am failing to maintain my sexy figure!"

'Of course, I know that...' As he thought, Wang Haixiao smiled and tilted his head, supported it with a hand and murmured cheekily.

"Treadmill doesn't give you satisfaction? Why don't we go to bed and fight again? I am sure I can make you breathe faster and harder than your jogging!"

Ji Yanli was startled and amazed by his boldness. She began to ponder as she murmured while tapping her chin with her forefinger, "Bed? Tonight?... Why not! Then, Let's see who can make breathless whom?..." 

As Ji Yanli said, she peeked at him. Upon noticing his expectant face, she smiled inwardly and thought evilly, 'Tonight, I will surely win again! For the next month, you will prepare food for us!'

Just thinking of his dejected face when he would have to work even though he detested it, made her feel inspired.

The way she excitedly expressed herself made Wang Haixiao delighted! He shifted his eyes on the papers and began to sort out the things with various plans in his head. 

But the man didn't know that to her, the activity on the bed was also categorised as a heavy exercise. One that where people would burn a lot of calories just by a single motion and thrust.

After he was done, Wang Haixiao stood up and picked up her eyeglasses from the table. Then, he went ahead and put it on her face. "Perfect."

He murmured with a smile at the look of Ji Yanli's face. Recently, she had started to use it a lot and sometimes, it could hide her beauty and charm a bit. 

Also, the glasses made her seem older. But Ji Yanli didn't know any of this. Wang Haixiao helped her wear the glasses as lovingly as he could. 

"Is it fine now? Do I look good?" As Ji Yanli nudged the eyeglasses a bit, she asked. In return, Wang Haixiao nodded his head heavily. 

Afterwards, he seemed to remember something and pinched her chin. Then he lifted her head and spoke out gravely.

"Don't go too far from home. 

Don't go to the deserted roads and valleys.

Don't leave the busy streets.

Don't talk with strangers, especially men!

Don't work yourself too hard.

Don't..."

"..." She blinked her eyes and was amazed by his behaviour. After hearing the strings of 'don't', Ji Yanli felt like she was back to her childhood. Where her mother would remind her of a bunch of Dos and Don'ts before stepping out of the home. 

Any violation of those rules had always resulted in immediate spanking from her short-tempered father. And hell, spanks from him had always hurt, not that she would enjoy!

As Ji Yanli remembered those times, a chilling shiver ran down her spine. After a while, She confidently smiled and waited for the man to finish. 

After three minutes, when Wang Haixiao didn't find more to say, he finally stopped with the most iconic line, "... Don't be late, I will be waiting for you."

Looking at his face which turned from the grave to smiling, Ji Yanli paused for a second and then proudly patted her chest as she declared, "Don't worry, Haixiao. I will victoriously return for you!"

"... Good." The young man respected her confidence even though it was just taking a walk around the neighbourhood. He tried to stop his lips from twisting a lot. 

Wang Haixiao patted her black jacket and sports pants. Then, he glanced down, only for his face to break out into a laugh. 

The straps of Ji Yanli shoes were messily bound. He glanced up and shot her a sharp look. His eyes probed her up as he asked, "Are you doing this on purpose? Should I bend down and redo it for you?"

"No, no!" Ji Yanli shook her head. Then, she backed away and bent down to stop him from helping her and tied the straps by herself properly. 

After Ji Yanli was done, she left the doorway and walked out of the apartment. Then the young lady energetically waved her hands to him as she went to the lift, "Bye! Wait for me to return."

"Hmm. Bye." When Wang Haixiao lifted his hand to wave back, the corner of her lips went up. In the next moment, Ji Yanli threw a hard flying kiss towards him.

"Gotcha!" He comically waved his hands ahead and acted as if he had caught something between his closed palms. 

Not only that, he had gone too ahead to dramatically smack the hand which had caught her [not-visible-but-I-see] kiss against his chest with his body stumbling a few steps back.

But a disgrace that Ji Yanli was already by the lift and her eyes were focused on the lift's button. Her mind was already thinking of coming back even though she had to leave yet!

"Fighting!" Ji Yanli shouted in the lift as she raised her fist in the air with force. 

The security guard watching her from the surveillance room threw up the water he was drinking by her abrupt action. As he wiped his lips with a tissue, he couldn't help but mutter while staring at Ji Yanli, "What is happening to today's generation?! One is weirder than the other…" 

The old man could only sigh~

…

Finally, Ji Yanli left her apartment. She glanced back for the last time and then with a smile, she went to the footpath.

Afterwards, she began to jog on the street. After a while, she stopped before a tree and gazed at the bushes intensely.

Like a hoodlum, she kicked at the bushes and coughed loudly with a cheeky expression. In the next second, something shook in those bushes. 

With a demonic smile, she called out loudly as if for the other people to hear, "Aish! People these days… Can't they go to the hotel? Or is the bush the right place? Yo! You two, it's me. Come out!"