The empress couldn't help but let her happiness bloom at the sight of her children being happier these days in Qin Jiran's company. She supposed she owed him for looking after her twins while she worked during the day, which made it easier for her to tuck her children in their beds at night without them throwing a fit or tantrums, instead of bestowing her kisses while telling her the activities they did with Qin Jiran during the day.

  She and Li Meili were silent as they drove towards the event, for once since Moyu's return, Li Meili was excited to have some girl time with her and Lin Qianrou. The car pulled to a stop with Li Meili handing her keys to the valet before entering the five-star hotel with Tang Moyu.

  The party had barely started, yet Tang Moyu couldn't brush off this eerie feeling she had as soon as she and Li Meili arrived at the Women's banquet. Several women turned their heads their way, hiding their smiles and curiosity upon seeing the empress after her five long years of absence in Shenzhen.

  "Are you nervous?" Li Meili cast her an amused look. She was impressed by how well Tang Moyu was taking this so far. She was briefly reminded of what had happened at the last party she and Moyu were in.

  Wasn't it the same party where Feng Tianhua ruined Moyu in front of everyone? Has it really been five years since then?

  Had it been another woman, she would surely cower in fear and ran away as fast as she could. Out from everyone's scrutiny. The shame that Tang Moyu had received back then was enough to ruin one's reputation and confidence, but now… Li Meili was proud to see her best friend not cowering in fear.

  The empress would never lower her head for anyone.

  "Nervous? Why should I be? I don't owe anyone an explanation of what had happened. They haven't done anything for me to spare them any of my precious time." Tang Moyu shrugged as she followed Li Meili to the bar and ordered a drink for the two of them.

  She figured she should have been used to the starrings and mutterings of others around her. When she made her first public appearance in the social circle as Feng Tianhua's fiancée, she'd been the focus of everyone's attention.

  Now, after an absence of five years, she had suddenly reappeared on the scene, not as Feng Tianhua's fiancée but as CEO Tang of the Tang Enterprise.

  "I suppose you are right. I've already lost count of how many of them have asked me where you are or what you've been doing these past years. It was tiring and irritating at the same time." Li Meili let out a chuckle and shook her head. She then looked around, trying to see if Lin Qianrou had already arrived before them.

  "Then I'm sorry, Moyu. You're alone in that. I'm not happy with the way they talk about you. They don't know a thing about you."

  "You're a good friend, Meili. You've never left me after all these years we've been together and for that, I will be forever grateful to you." The empress shot her a genuine smile, something she only reserved for people she really cared about.

  "Oh, Moyu. Don't patronize me. You were stuck with me from the moment you punched my older brother's nose when we were younger." The moment Tang Moyu stood up to protect her, Li Meili made a vow to be on Moyu's side from then on.

  Tang Moyu's retort was silenced by a woman who appeared next to Li Meili. The woman took the seat at the stool and gave them a warm smile. She had a beguiling beauty that people couldn't easily ignore. Her eyes sparkled with innocence and honesty that Tang Moyu rarely saw from the other socialite women she'd met from the past.

  "I hope I wasn't too late," she told Li Meili before giving the empress a curt nod. "Miss Tang, nice to meet you. I'm Lin Qianrou and I was really looking forward to meeting you."

  Tang Moyu nodded and gave her a smile. So this was the wife of that idiot, she thought.

  "Moyu, this is my friend, Lin Qianrou. Remember the painting I gave you three years ago? She's the artist." Li Meili introduced her other friend to the empress.

  "Ah, is that so? I'm impressed, Miss Lin. I asked Meili for more of your works, but she said you've stopped painting." The empress responded. She never thought that she'd been somehow associated with Lin Qianrou by keeping one of her paintings.

  "I'm glad you like it." A slight blush appeared on Lin Qianrou's cheeks upon the mention of her works. She had no idea Li Meili gave one of it to Tang Moyu. She thought that Li Meili only bought those paintings out of pity. Who would have thought that she actually gifted it to Tang Moyu?

  Tang Moyu rested her chin on her hand, letting Li Meili and Lin Qianrou catch up with each other. She occasionally answered Lin Qianrou's questions, and allowed the woman to call her 'Sister Moyu', and at her insistence, Tang Moyu had started calling her 'Qian' as well.

  It was then she realized that she couldn't avoid meeting and getting involved with Xu Wenyang and Lin Qianrou even if she declined the man's proposition, as Li Meili explained to her that Lin Qianrou was set to divorce her stupid husband who was barely at home to see her.