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

Ji Yanli glanced at the three men who were looking at her at the same time. She squinted her eyes and asked, "What?!" 

Wang Haixiao turned around, Zhou Lei looked down on his hand while Chen Shubin didn't know where to avert his attention. 

She put her bag heavily on her desk and asked, "Has uncle asked for me yet?" She was nervous when she asked.

"Yes, I guess." Wang Haixiao nodded.

"Ah, I am doomed!" The woman put her hand on her mouth. 'I am done for! Ah! Why did I wake up so late?'

Wang Haixiao smirked when he saw she frantically turned around and left the room.

"Where is she going now?" Chen Shubin asked.

"In the CEO's office I guess." Wang Haixiao replied.

The room quieted down as fast as it became noisy.

*** ***

"Have you slept well?" Luo Lixi asked. Currently she was standing before a mirror and adjusting her dress.

"Hmm." Sheng Ruming replied through the phone. "You?"

"Yeah." She was gripping the phone with one hand and with the other one, she was brushing her hair.

Both of them didn't say anything for a while. Luo Lixi said after thinking, "Ruming, where are you staying now?"

"That place where we stayed for a little while before we went to your home.." 

As the morning light fell on his bare chest, the slight dampness of his gave a very charming view. But it was a pity the woman who could have enjoyed this scene wasn't beside him.

"Oh." Her sight fell on the clock. "I will have to go now. Let's talk later." 

"Alright." Sheng Ruming reluctantly cut the call and dropped the phone on the duvet.

Luo Lixi blinked her eyes as she looked at the phone screen for a few seconds and put the phone in her purse.

After she stepped out of the room, she went to her grandfather's room. As she gently knocked at it, it turned out to be unlocked. 

"Come in."

"Grandfather, good morning." Luo Lixi said as she saw him standing before his desk at a corner of the room.

"Hmm." Luo Qintian was looking at something. He put it down and turned at her. His face instantly hardened as words flowed out.

"From today, you will have to start working as the sole pillar of the company. Others can only be your temporary support. Always try to make the best decision on your judgement and make the company see the real capability of yours."

Luo Qintian patted her shoulder and asked, "Are you confident you can do this?"

Luo Lixi stared at the old man's eyes and then she looked down on the floor. Her voice shook a little as she replied, "No. Grandfather. I don't think I can fulfil this wish of yours."

Luo Qintian frowned when he saw her dejected appearance, "Don't say. I am still here. You shall work hard and be confident. Just remember you should always be confident about yourself."

Luo Lixi smiled slightly, "I will try my best." 

"Yes. My granddaughter should always be optimistic." Luo Qintian turned around and took the paper he was looking earlier, "Take this with you." 

She took the thing and lifted it upwards to take a glance. Her eyes narrowed as she gave the paper back to Luo Qintian.

"Grandfather!" 

Luo Qintian hardened his face and shouted, "Do as I say. All the candidates here have a clean history and are perfect for you. Just choose one and get married. I want to see you settle down as soon as possible. That brat is not good for you!" His face turned gloomy when he talked about Sheng Ruming.

"... I promised him I will stay with him. I don't want to marry other people." Luo Lixi faced the person and said without hesitation.

"Don't be stubborn. Your eyes have only seen one man till now. If you see other men, I am sure there will be at least one to be your liking." He waved his hand and signaled her to go. "Pick someone and let me know. I will arrange for you to meet."

She faced the man's back and didn't leave the room. Luo Qintian waited for her to go but she didn't.

He turned around and asked, "Why aren't you leaving?"

Luo Lixi remained silent and then slowly she walked towards him, her deep eyes felt like she wanted to keep something to her but she couldn't anymore.

As she went to stand so close to him, Luo Qintian raised his eyebrows and saw her reaching out for his hands.

Luo Lixi took his two hands in her palms and grabbed them tightly. She looked at his eyes and began to say, her face held the gentleness she used to show before.

"Grandfather, you know, when I was thrown to the river and was dying, the thing that most bothered me was you." 

Luo Qintian held his breath as he listened to her. The thing that she was being late for the company, left their minds.

"I was shocked and helpless, by Lixiang but I was afraid I wouldn't see you…" Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes turned watery.

Luo Qintian felt remorse when he was listening to her. "It's this old man's fault for not protecting you well."

The woman shook her head. She smiled wryly, " Men were appointed to protect me from outsiders but… you aren't supposed to protect me from my own brother. How would we have even known?!"

Luo Qintian snorted and said, "Just forget him. Act like he doesn't exist."

Luo Lixi loosened her hands and retracted them back. As she stood straight, she asked while frowning, "How can you be so nonchalant? Also, it feels like you don't care if he's here or not. His actions didn't surprise you either…" 

Luo Qintian sighed as he walked towards the window. As he stated outside, his disappointed voice came to her, "You still have lingering feelings for him. Forget him. He doesn't deserve to be mentioned by us."

Luo Lixi clenched her hands as the following things she was going to say weren't pleasant to hear at all. "Why do you resent him? I always had the illusion you despise him but I thought I was wrong. After all, he's your grandchild. But..."

Luo Lixi stopped talking when his sharp gaze fell on her. A shiver ran through her spine when the intensity increased, "Mind you'd boundaries before you say something. I adore you the most. That doesn't mean I will tolerate everything." 

"Grandfather, I…" She wanted to speak but he stopped her. Luo Lixi was flustered when the familiar gaze of her grandfather, that he only used in the past to look towards her father, was on her.

"Don't say anymore. I have put the company under you. Made you my sole successor. So now, you should listen to me and do as I say." The old man made a loud sound with his cane and shouted, "Go now."

She couldn't say anything before his formidable presence. When he saw her unmoving stance, he narrowed his eyes.

"I won't marry anyone else but him. Please don't force me. I feel suffocated whenever you insist on this matter." Luo Lixi turned around and said one last time and hurriedly left the room afterwards, "Don't force me to leave everything behind."

Luo Qintian's facial expression changed when she left the room. He felt like all the air from his lungs were flowing out. He hurriedly went to his medicine box and took out an inhaler.

Luo Lixi walked down the stairs. Her heart felt like it was pounding so hard as if it would burst open. "I won't see any other man. Never…" Her mood turned worse as she got down. 'It feels bad to argue in the morning.' 

As she turned to walk out, Aunt Zhu called out from behind, "Miss, you didn't eat your breakfast yet."

"I won't. I will go now. Bye~" Luo Lixi walked out from the mansion.

"Take these back then. I guess the old man will eat in his room."

Aunt Zhu took a tray and put some plates in. Then she walked to the second floor. Upon seeing the open room, she entered directly. 

As she stepped in and saw the scene of him trying to catch his breaths, she was frightened till her hands shook. "Old master!" She put down the tray she had brought and hurried towards him in anxiety.

"Have you used the inhaler? Are you alright? Should I call the doctor?!" The woman panicked. She rushed to call some people to come into the room.

"Zhu, I am alright. It's nothing. Don't call people to come." Luo Qintian took deep breaths and tried to regain his composer.

Aunt Zhu waited for him to calm down. When she moved her eyes, her eyes fell on the paper he was holding. 

"This…" The content was visible to her. She was worried what might have happened earlier.

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