After saying that, she pulled him by his hand and walked towards a corner where no one else was there. Li Ming watched his and Wang Yuju's interlocked hands, an indescribable emotion flashed in his eyes. He should feel happy seeing that she took the initiative to get close to him but why did he feel conflicted instead? He didn't know why but he had a feeling as if this was the last time they would be this close...
Wang Yuju dazedly stared at his handsome face. Suddenly, an old memory from their childhood surfaced in her mind. They had always been very fond of each other. Li Ming loved teasing her and pampering her since they were little. Wang Yuju still remembered every part of her childhood with him and cherished those moments. Because she had always been sick and weak, the other kids often bullied her and cornered her.
One day, after Li Ming accidentally found out about her getting bullied in school, he flew into a rage. She still clearly remembered how badly he fought with the bullies to protect her. At last, they all ended up in the Headmaster's office. He had gotten seriously injured and was punished by the Headmaster just for protecting her. She always blamed herself for being so weak because of that incident.
She had waited for Li Ming outside the Headmaster's office for hours before he came out. Upon seeing her, Li Ming's injured and swollen face had brightened up. He rubbed her head and gently said with a smile, "Tell Brother Ming if they pick on you again, okay?" She had kept silent and simply hugged him, bursting out in tears. Regret and self-blame were apparent in her small cute face.
"Xiao Yuju, don't blame yourself. It is all my fault that I am weak and cannot protect you well." Wang Yuju shook her head and hastily said, "No, Brother Ming is the best!" Walking in the school's garden, they both laughed and cried together. By that time, the sun was already setting on the horizon, making the skies appear extremely beautiful.
That day, Li Ming had said to her with a gentle smile, "Xiao Yuju, don't worry. While Brother Ming is with you, no one can even think about hurting you!" Wang Yuju brightly smiled and nodded her head: "Xiao Yuju is very happy to have Brother Ming by her side!" Li Ming suddenly looked at her with seriousness written all over his small, handsome face. "Xiao Yuju! I promise that I will grow up to become a strong man and protect you from others! I will only be devoted towards you for the rest of my life!"
Recalling his serious demeanor from that day, Wang Yuju suddenly felt that he was very cute. Now that he had grown up, he sure became cuter and more handsome. Li Ming patiently waited for her to finish looking at himself. After Wang Yuju came back to reality, she looked at the tall man in front of her and took a deep breath. "Brother Ming..." She called out to him, her beautiful pair of eyes reddening slightly.
Li Ming looked at her with a tender expression as if she was his most precious treasure and waited for her to speak. After a long while of waiting, she finally spoke. "Brother Ming, I know about your and Zhang Family's Miss's marriage." Li Ming was shocked by her words. "You.." No wonder he felt something was off with her all this while. But before he could say anything else, Wang Yuju abruptly cut him off: "Brother Ming, don't worry; Xiao Yuju believes in you and will listen to what you have to say."
Li Ming was initially overwhelmed by guiltiness and wanted to explain to her quickly. But when he heard that she gave him a chance to explain, he was completely dumbfounded and was at a loss. If it were other women, they would surely throw a tantrum and fly into a rage if they found out that their men were marrying other. But as expected, his Yuju was completely the opposite. Rather, she calmly gave him a chance to provide her a good explanation.
Li Ming knew that though she was calm and collected in the outside, she must be heartbroken inside. After all, who could bear the news of their loved ones with another person once they returned back home? He hurriedly explained to her without any delay. He talked about how the Li Family owed Zhang Family a huge favor and in order to complete the promise, he was sacrificed. He even told her about how he completely objected this and his grandfather had a heart attack. And because of that, he had to comply with his wishes.
Li Ming clearly knew how much this explanation would impact their relationship, so he told her everything and didn't hide anything at all. When Wang Yuju heard his part of the story, she was surprised. The unknown person clearly hinted on how he cheated on her with a Miss from another family. Her sources also proved that it was true. But as expected, the whole story was totally different and what others knew was only a small portion of the truth. Now that she knew the truth, the jittery feeling in her heart finally subsided.
Wang Yuju said with a happy smile. "So that was what actually happened! I also believed that you wouldn't betray me.." But... She took a deep breath and looked at Li Ming with loving gaze. "Ming, you are an excellent and astounding man. I... really admired and loved you since we were small. I know that you also love me back as much as I do.. But we cannot ignore the decision of our elders.." Li Ming knew what was coming and he helplessly watched her, wanting to stop her from continuing.
As he expected, Wang Yuju sighed and continued with a forlorn expression on her beautiful face. "Grandpa Li has suffered because of us so if we cannot fulfill this wish of his, we will end up with regrets. Moreover, this matter concerns not only us but also everyone.. Ming... For respect to the dead Matriarch of Zhang Family, I cannot bear to selfishly be with you. So, the answer for your proposal, I'm sorry.. I cannot agree to it.."
With that said, she immediately turned around. After turning around, Wang Yuju suddenly burst out into tears. She wiped her tears and quickly left that place to avoid herself breaking down in front of him. With a blank expression, she walked through the crowds and ran into an unexpected person. That person was the Zhang Family's Second Young Miss, her "love-rival", Zhang Qian Mi.