"I have to go, Mother. There's still work for me to do if we want to save Tang Enterprise. You wouldn't be able to keep up with your lavish lifestyle if I fail, and you wouldn't like that, right?"

  As soon as the smile on Zhang Wuying's face vanished, Tang Moyu realized that she'd got the upper hand this time. She wouldn't let her mother get under her skin anymore.

  No. Not anymore. From time to time, Zhang Wuying had reminded her again and again why she should treat her twins better and should strive to become a better mother compared to her own.

  She left the Tang Estate in a hurry, asking the family driver to drop her back at Tang Enterprise to get her own car. She ignored how her younger brother looked at her pleadingly to wait for him, but she didn't. She just didn't want to be there any longer.

  Leaving the Tang Enterprise with her car, she decided that it wouldn't hurt to fetch her twins earlier than promised.

  'Love? Do you really believe in such a thing, Moyu? I'm only trying to help you face reality. Why won't you listen to me?'

  'Feng Tianhua betrayed you? Weren't you the one who became full of yourself and dared to outsmart him?'

  'You are still young and beautiful. Why don't you just abort that bastard and start anew? No man would be stupid enough to take in and raise a bastard that isn't his own.'

  Her mother's words cut deep inside of her. Maybe it had something to do with how her life seemed to fuck itself, sending her to hell, only to be revived to suffer the same thing over and over again.

  Tang Moyu didn't want to be reminded of how much of a failure she was. Five years ago, when she was blacklisted by Feng Tianhua, she had no one to call or ask for help from except for Li Meili. She had no other friends to rely on.

  If only she wasn't socially awkward and an introvert, forbidding her to easily make friends with random people. She also knew she hadn't been the nicest person around, but she hadn't forgotten to treat everyone with the respect they deserved.

  All of the sudden, Tang Moyu pulled over her car at a stop on the side of the highway as she felt an overwhelming sadness consuming her. Her hands were shaking as she cradled her head and screamed at the top of her lungs, allowing her tears to flood.

  If only it was loud enough to drown the nasty, sharp words her mother tried to ingrain to her person, to remind everyone that she wasn't an invincible cold empress that could make miracles.

  Sniffing, she pulled out clean napkins from her compartment and dried her tears. It wouldn't be good if her twins noticed that she was crying, making them worry about her.

  Why was she crying anyway? It wasn't like these tears would do her any good. She'd already shed enough tears when Feng Tianhua betrayed her and her family turned their back on her.

  For her mother, she was nothing but another artwork, destined to become a trophy wife, not a businesswoman who would outshine her own husband. She was trained to become an eye candy, who should cling onto her husband, taking advantage of her own charms.

  Zhang Wuying might be right. Yun Zhen was perfect husband material. He was from a good family and wasn't a nouveau riche. To top it off, he was the most sought bachelor right now.

  His status was above Feng Tianhua and his station and accomplishments were far better than Tang Moyu's ex-fiance. The fact that Yun Zhen was good looking was a bonus, but alas, Tang Moyu wasn't interested in getting a perfect husband.

  Besides, she didn't want to be defined and acknowledged by everyone because she was someone's wife. Zhang Wuying had nitpicked every one of her flaws since she was younger, always comparing her to her elder sister whom she hadn't seen and talked to since she got married.

  Not fit enough, not beautiful enough, not sociable enough. For her own mother, Tang Moyu would never be enough. Zhang Wuying always looked at her as if she'd seen something distasteful.

  Tang Moyu dried her tears and checked her reflection in the mirror, making sure her eyes weren't bloodshot before she drove towards Qin Jiran's apartment. She wasn't born out of love. She was born because of the need of an heir.

  Her eyes then landed on the silver band on her ring finger.

  No. This wasn't the same expensive engagement ring Feng Tianhua had given her. She sold that piece at a high price before she left Shenzhen. She wore this ring to remind herself of what she had become when she put too much trust in a man and to remind her of her mistakes.

  True, there was no love between them but her pride was hurt. She'd expected Feng Tianhua to be rational, but he proved to her that he was like the rest. Never again would she suffer such humiliation.

  This wasn't the right time to feel bad for herself. She had a company to save and two sweet little buns waiting for her return.