Shen Yang stared at her and parted his lips. "Young mistress…"

Jiang Ruiling placed her finger on his lips and said, "Don't address me like that."

His heart skipped a beat as he gazed into her beautiful eyes. The rush of emotions made him feel as if he was intoxicated.

Of course he loved her. Only he knew how deep feelings he had for her. Jiang Ruiling was a strong and intelligent woman who didn't back out of any situation no matter how difficult it was.

He fell in love with her not because of her beauty but because of the strength and aura with which she carried herself. There was always a queue of socialites who envied and felt jealous of her. Many had even tried to embarrass her out of spite but she always calmly handled them. The air of elegance around her always made her shine the brightest of all.

She wasn't a typical, rich and spoiled heiress and he learned this the more he came to observe her. One day, Jiang Weiyuan assigned him his new position as her bodyguard.

He was shocked but happy as well that he would be closer to her even if it was a master-servant relationship. He wanted nothing else but to be by her side and always protect her.

The more he spent time with her, the more he fell in love with her. He realized that life in the Jiang villa was truly hard if one went against Old Madam's wishes. It was suffocating to live in an atmosphere like that but Jiang Ruiling never complained.

In fact, she always interested him with the way she tackled anything. She was calculative and shrewd and no matter what she did, she won without anyone lifting a finger to point at her. Her calm and mature nature only added to his respect for her.

Then one day, Jiang Ruiling confessed that she loved him. At that moment, he felt as if he was dreaming. He never thought that she would return his love.

Why would she bother to look at a servant and even fall for him?

He had prepared himself that his love for her would always be one-sided. He could only see her from a distance and adore her. One day she would marry a wealthy and suitable man for her and he would be left alone.

But Jiang Ruiling loved him. She really did and seeing his love return made him feel as if was floating in the clouds.

But no matter how much he loved her or she loved him back, he realized the bitter truth that there was no future for them. She was a young heiress and he was merely a bodyguard. There was no way that the Old Madam would ever accept their relationship.

He had seen first hand how cruel Old Madam was. If something didn't go her way, she would ruin their life forever. And Shen Yang could bear any amount of pain for himself, but he could never see anything happen to Jiang Ruiling.

So, even though she had opened her arms for him, he was forced to take a step back with a heavy heart and reject her embrace.

Shen Yang firmly believed that duty came first and when the time would come to say goodbye, he would do it with a smile on his face. When he would see her on the pedestal one day with her to-be husband and taking her vows, he thought that he would wish her all the happiness in this world.

But when Wen Yaoting came into the picture, he felt unsettled.

The time came to bid goodbye. Wasn't he supposed to be happy for her? Didn't he decide to let her go and give her his best wishes?

Then what happened that shook his resolve?

He felt his heart tear apart to see them on the date and truthfully, he was relieved when he came to know about Wen Yaoting's frivolous nature. No woman would accept a man like him who changed women as if they were bedsheets.

He thought Jiang Ruiling would, too, reject him and it was a strong reason that even the Old Madam would not be able to oppose it. But to see her agree to marry a man like him burned his heart in unease and misery.

Slowly, he felt a pair of warm hands envelope his cheeks and he trembled. "Say it, Shen Yang. Say that you love me too."

Her pleading voice shook him.

If he rejected her today once again, was he ready to see her with another man?

"Tell me, can you really see me marry someone else and bear his kids?"

He widened his eyes and before he knew it, the discomfort in his heart took the form of words that expressed his innermost feelings. "No!"

Another man... children…

He felt as if somebody tightly squeezed his heart that gave an insurmountable pain.

Shen Yang slowly placed his hands upon hers and whispered, "I... cannot see you marry someone else…"

"Why?" She asked.

He firmly clutched her soft hands and lifted his gaze to meet hers. "I am an idiot who thought that I was strong enough to do that. I thought that I would be able to see you happily living your life with another man and your children with him. But...I really cannot do it young mistress... b-because I want to be at your side. I want to hold your hand and walk with you," his voice shook as he spoke, "I want to be the one that you will say your vows to because I really love you."

Her eyes teared up and the drops softly fell from her cheeks. The words that she always wanted to hear finally rang in her ears. His deep, husky voice finally confessed his love for her.

He gently pulled her towards her. His orbs turned a little misty too. "I love you, young- J-Jiang Ruiling. I have loved you ever since I saw you for the first time. I am really sorry for always rejecting your feelings, but...I had no choice."