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

The clock gate aka the gate of rebirth, reincarnation and regression sighed as it saw the soul burning in the lava. Even if the ocean water was healing Luo Lixiang's newly made burns, the pain was still terrifying to describe. 

The clock gate: 'Guess I will have to take him?'

As it thought, it willed and the large amount of healing ocean water turned into lava. Then, it roasted, burned and melted Luo Lixiang's soul again and again. 

In that mysterious place, for a century, Luo Lixiang was punished for his greatest sin. For killing himself and someone, he underwent the cruellest punishment. His body killed his own soul again and again with the little gun he used for suicide while holding immense hatred.

The clock gate: "Didn't you want to get freedom? Taste the freedom you have chosen back then. Does it feel good?" [In a sarcastic telepathic voice~]

Luo Lixiang: "AHHHHHH~..."[Enduring while screaming nonstop in the boiling lava].

His soul got purified each time he underwent that bone-melting pain and the clock gate saw all these things in silence until the scars on his body vanished. 

After a long century, the clock gate willed again and the lava turned into ocean water. The healing water entered Luo Lixiang's mouth. 

Even if the man choked, the water continued to enter without giving him any mercy. After all, he wouldn't die. But this time, it affected him differently, unlike Luo Lixi. 

The clock gate: [In a thunderous voice] "You are neither a good soul nor a bad one. The holy ocean water has washed away all of your bad karma but at the same time, the good karma has been spent in nothingness. You shall forget everything of your first life and try to be one of them in the next one. Turn evil or a good soul and make my life easy! Damn!"

"Al… alright…" With much difficulty, Luo Lixiang whispered. In that last century, the lava was burning his soul as if it would destroy him any moment but he didn't die and get punished for his bad karma. 

Only when he had the realisation of his wrongdoings, the scars vanished and ocean water helped him to regain his sanity. 

After getting his answer, the gate nodded in satisfaction. Then, the clone of the ancient clock appeared behind Luo Lixiang and it rotated backwards crazily. 

After an unknown period of time, with a loud creak, the clock gate opened itself. Luo Lixiang realized his time to leave had finally come. While he was walking slowly, the knife he once used to cut Luo Lixi's wrist, materialized behind him. 

It held jealousy, hatred, confusion, doubt, bloody-evil aura, killing intent, bewitchment and mercilessly slithered his wrist. The pain he felt was thousands of times more painful than how Luo Lixi felt once. 

Luo Lixiang knew that it was the last punishment he must undergo to leave this place. He didn't make any sound and tried to withstand the pain as he took in a deep breath, hoping for a better start and slowly stepped towards the gate. Watching the soul moving like a snail, the clock gate lost its patience. 

The ancient clock which was hovering mid-air behind Luo Lixiang suddenly moved and madly crashed against his body. 

The light soul flew over because of the trajectory while experiencing the pain of coughing blood nonstop and fell into the void. 

The clock gate: "Annoying mortal!" [Clicking its imaginary tongue in irritation.]

After the clock gate left, the whole place turned into the shade of a very uncomfortable dark. Then it began to shrink and soon, it turned into a gigantic black hole and regained its work to keep the scientists entertained!

…

"AHHHHH! I'm falling! I'm falling! I'm falling!" Luo Lixi screamed nonstop as she slipped into the void for who knew how long. Her soul shook nonstop as she screamed without any break.

But Luo Lixi didn't know, the void was wrapped around the gigantic earth. 

Her soul turned into a streak of light and travelled the earth in the opposite direction, inside the void. If she could have seen the earth in that position, she would have noticed the more she rotated the earth backwards, the more green it looked and how mesmerising the scene was... 

Roam~ Roam~ Roam~

Finally, a day came and a little clock gate appeared right in front of a little baby in a cute pink dress, sleeping soundly on her little pink bed. 

Boom! 

A loud thunderous sound rang out in the surrounding area as it was a rainy night. The rainstorm outside was going on in full swing and thunders began to hit the landscapes while the rain water was falling on rivers and lands, cleaning them.

"Wuaaaaaa!" Luo Lixi suddenly opened her eyes with a start and cried out in fear. Her little heart began to thump frantically as she squirmed on her bed and thought in panic, 'I will die! Someone, save me!'

After hearing her scream, many people woke up from their sleep. One person rushed into the room and turned on the light. As soon as the light turned on, Luo Lixi covered her eyes with her little palms subconsciously. 

"Ah, my baby, are you scared?" A man asked worriedly as he removed the blanket covering her and gently picked her up from the bed. 

Luo Lixi stiffened when she heard the familiar voice which seemed vague in her memory. Slowly, she moved her palms away and gently opened her eyes. 

Looking at the man who was holding her while gently patting her back, Luo Lixi could no longer force back her sorrow and mumbled while large drops of tears fell from her eyes. "Father?" 

"What? Father? Who taught you to call me father? Call me Pa or Baba or Dada like before...!" Luo Baiyun's concern was entirely on a different matter than hers. Father sounded very distant and weird when it came from a little one's cute lips. 

The man hugged her tightly and went out of her room as he coaxed her gently, "Did your mother tell you to call me Father? Don't listen to her. Call me by what you used to in the past, okay?"

"Eh?!" Luo Lixi was puzzled as she stared at him without blinking. "...Baba?"

"Good girl~" Luo Baiyun patted her back and kissed her cheek gently. 

Luo Lixi tried to hug him back and lifted her hands to do so with a lot of emotions in her eyes when she paused. She blinked and glanced at her little hands.

'Aren't they... too small?' Luo Lixi lifted her eyes and stared at Luo Baiyun who was walking towards his room. The enlarged face, not to say she was being carried by the man, Luo Lixi had a very strange idea. 

"Did you bring Xixi?" A lady, who was on Luo Baiyun's bed, asked while rubbing her two eyes. Luo Lixi turned over her head and glanced at her. 

That's it, another round for the tears to fall like a spring. 

"Mother?… Ma!" Luo Lixi whispered as her face started to crease into a twisted paper. Sun Xumei paused rubbing her eyes fiercely and she lifted her face up in surprise. 

"Xixi, your words are sounding so clear! My good daughter! Come to Ma!" Sun Xumei smiled broadly and raised her two arms to receive her baby. 

Luo Lixi also spread her two little arms and called out in a cute sweet voice, "Ma~"

She cried out when she saw her mother after so many years. At that moment, Luo Lixi felt as if all the things she was watching were all dreams. Someday, she would wake up from a coma again and return to Sheng Ruming. 

Luo Baiyun, however, didn't give her to Sun Xumei. He glanced at the lady's bulging belly and replied straightly, "You can't. You are pregnant, remember?" 

After saying that, Luo Baiyun took away Luo Lixi and went to his side of the bed. He took wet tissues and wiped his daughter's tears gently. 

Boom! 

Another thunder fell and lightning lit up the stormy night sky. Luo Lixi was startled and hugged his hand tightly as she stared at him. 

Sun Xumei snorted as she rubbed her big belly. The man bothered her and laid down on the bed while placing Luo Lixi in the middle as he hugged her tightly. 

Sun Xumei felt very jealous when she saw this scene. She slowly laid down on the bed and stared at Luo Baiyun coldly. 

On the other hand, both parents had no idea that their dear daughter's face had turned into a red tomato when she was hugged by her father very tightly to sleep. She stiffened and turned into a brick, not moving a bit. 

"Hey, let me hug her to sleep!" Sun Xumei protested when she saw the father-daughter duo sticking like candy. 

Usually, in normal times, her cute daughter would make a lot of fuss if she got the chance to sleep in their bed and then she would hug her to sleep. 

Even though whenever Sun Xumei would wake up in the morning, she would find her little baby in the man's arms, being held firmly. She didn't even bother to listen to the pathetic excuse, 'I am protecting you from Xixi's kick. What if she hurt you in her sleep?!'