"Wen, this is Qin Jiran. He's Sister Moyu's friend, the one I was talking about." Lin Qianrou introduced him to the familiar man sitting in a wheelchair, the man who was looking at him as if telling him to hold back whatever he wanted to say for now.

  "Mr. Qin, nice meeting you." Xu Wenyang shook Feng Tianyi's hand as if this was the first time he was meeting the devil face to face.

  "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Xu." Feng Tianyi gave him a curt nod before turning his head towards the little buns who had flocked around Qian, pulling the woman to the garden to show her the seedling they had planted the other week, while Tang Moyu followed after them.

  Feng Tianyi wheeled himself to the gazebo that was recently constructed inside the garden with Xu Wenyang, who walked alongside him. This had become his special place for writing, a sweet spot where his imagination could run wild, encouraged by the rain and wind outside, whenever the little buns weren't around to accompany him.

  The place looked better than the first time Feng Tianyi saw it. The grass had been mown short. However, the stone path was still punctuated with weeds after every stone, while the weeping cherry tree had become the center of the garden. Even the empress herself was impressed at how the tree was looking better each time she saw it.

  "Qin Jiran, huh," Xu Wenyang chuckled in amusement. "Or is it Young Master Feng? When did you come back?"

  Xu Wenyang took a seat across the crippled man and watched his wife from afar, looking around excitedly with Tang Moyu's children. He hadn't seen Qian happy like this for the longest time.

  "About two months or so," Feng Tianyi replied as he poured himself a cup of tea.

  "Does Tang Moyu know?" Xu Wenyang continued to probe.

  Was the devil still intent to destroy anyone who dared to extend a hand to help his half brother? But didn't Tang Moyu have a bad rift with Feng Tianhua? What would be Feng Tianyi's intention in luring the empress to his side?

  "No, not yet. It's not the right time for her to know." Feng Tianyi looked down at the cup in his hand with a perplexed expression. Xu Wenyang couldn't understand it, but he could already imagine how the empress would react once she found out the truth.

  The twins' laughter reached their ears, as they watched the twins run towards the other side of the garden to see if the crops they planted with their Daddy Ji last week had begun to sprout.

  "Be careful not to trip!" Tang Moyu said behind them, while Qian twined her arm with hers.

  Ever since he and Qian met days ago, Xu Wenyang had been spending more time with his wife. He also realized that there were so many things he still didn't know about her, like how she preferred sponge cakes over lemon tarts.?He also found it endearing whenever Qian would furrow her brows when she couldn't choose the right color for the nursery room they decided to take on as a project together.

  "I heard that you offered Moyu to double your investment if she could convince your wife not to kick your ass," Feng Tianyi said nonchalantly. "Don't forget to pay your dues on time."

  Xu Wenyang let out a laugh at that. "Why do I feel like I'm being extorted by you when it's Tang Moyu who should be asking me for this."

  "I know her. She wouldn't possibly be asking you for this." The devil retorted.

  "Hmm, right. Since she's now friends with Qian, I don't think Miss Tang would like the idea of using it to gain more favors from me." Xu Wenyang rubbed his chin and smiled when he saw Qian laughed beside the empress. He didn't know if it was because of her pregnancy, but he thought that his wife's face was glowing these days.

  "Hn, if Moyu needs help, you are the last person that could help her." Feng Tianyi pointed out.

  "And you are the best one out there?" The other man raised a brow at him.

  "Who else? In this city, who else could protect the empress from everyone?" The devil seemed confident that no other man could compete with him.

  Xu Wenyang stared at Feng Tianyi for a moment, wondering if the devil himself was aware that he was smitten with the empress.

  "Actually, I think there's one person who could be comparable to you in terms of looks and status." He said in a matter of fact tone.

  Feng Tianyi's eyes turned into slits. He liked competing with others as it gives him a thrill and satisfaction to prove that he was above the rest, but not on this.

  "Who?" He was curious to know about the other man. Did Tang Moyu know him?

  "Ever heard about Yun Zhen? He took over the Yun Group around the same time your brother inherited the Feng Conglomerate. How long has it been since then? Seven? Eight years? I think he was acquainted with Tang Moyu before her exile. I wonder if he was the one who fathered her children, because I couldn't think of anyone else who could get close to the empress at that time." Xu Wenyang said out loud. Thankfully, the two women were far enough not to hear what they were talking about.

  Feng Tianyi's expression turned sour in an instant.

  Yun Zhen? Of course, he knew who he was. It was just he never thought that the man was acquainted with Tang Moyu too.