She didn't want to have a confrontation with him nor to be reminded of what they'd lost because of her cowardice. Just as He Lianchen said before, she was a coward for running away at the first sign of trouble.

  Not that she could blame him, but Gu Yuyao really wanted to shed her identity as the heiress of the Gu family. Just like Moyu, she had a family, but she was no better than an orphan.

  Several years ago, her older brother, the rightful heir of the Gu family, died in a car crash they were in. Since then, her parents seemed to have forgotten about her existence and blamed her for her brother's death.

  Her mother lost her mind and went into depression after her brother's passing, while her father drowned himself with work, hoping he could forget the grief of losing his son.

  Ten-year-old Gu Yuyao then realized that she wasn't needed, she was the unwanted child. The child her parents loved deeply was her older brother, not her. That no matter how outstanding a student she became at school, she would never be enough for her parents.

  "You should be the one who should have died, not him!" Her mother once shouted in her face, that same moment broke her heart into several million pieces. It then dawned on her that she need not try too hard to prove herself.

  Perhaps, this was why she and Tang Moyu got along. They were never truly loved by their own parents and were cast aside.

  When she graduated from university, things turned worse when her grandfather suddenly took an interest in her and wanted her back in the family.

  "Auntie Yaoyao, you're back!" Xiao bao and Little Star ran towards her at the same time, wrapping both their arms around each of her thighs.

  Gu Yuyao let out a laugh and lifted the bags she had in both hands.

  "En! And did you know, Auntie Yaoyao brought you some cheesecakes and macarons!" She said and gestured to the bags she brought with her.

  The two little buns beamed her a wide smile, their eyes sparkling with delight upon the mention of the desserts she bought for them. Ah, Moyu's children were so easy to please! She had fallen in love with them the first time she met these two.

  How can she not when Xiao Bao was so smart and Little Star looked like an adorable doll? She wouldn't be able to resist even if she tried.

  And since Gu Yuyao didn't think she would be able to have a child on her own, she had planned to spoil these two rotten, regardless of what the empress thought of it.

  Tang Moyu lifted her head from the book she was reading, on the couch inside the main house, waiting for her friend's return.

  "Is that so? You didn't wait for Auntie Yaoyao for dinner? Then a slice will do! You two must share and Auntie Yaoyao will eat the rest of it!" Gu Yuyao teased the little buns.

  Little Star pouted at her, while Xiao Bao scowled. This auntie was really tricky! Dare not to share the sweets with them? No way!

  "No! Auntie Yaoyao, don't cheat! We'll eat one slice each tonight, but you can't eat all of it!" Xiao Bao complained, followed by his twin sister.

  "It's also off limits for Auntie Yaoyao! If we can't have them, you can't eat them either!" The little girl insisted, which made Gu Yuyao burst into a round of laughter, seeing their annoyed look.

  "Alright, alright. Auntie Yaoyao promises not to eat them all and will only have one slice too. But you have to brush your teeth and go to bed on time. Your Mommy and I have some things to discuss, so you better go to bed early!"

  The twins looked at their mother pleadingly. Why did they still need to sleep early when they weren't attending school anymore? However, their mother had made up her mind and couldn't be moved no matter how hard they tried to convince her.

  As promised, Gu Yuyao gave both of them a slice of cheesecake each before she sat next to Tang Moyu on the couch.

  "Mind telling me what was that all about during breakfast?" Tang Moyu asked as she looked at her friend from the corner of her eye as her little buns sat on the floor near her, busy devouring their desserts. She made a mental note to remind them to brush their teeth again before going to bed.

  Gu Yuyao shrugged and pierced her cheesecake with a fork.

  "An ex I thought I would never see again," she admitted to the empress, not that she would hide it anyway.

  Tang Moyu eyed her for a moment, then shook her head. And here she thought that Gu Yuyao was only running away from her family.

  "Is he the same guy you talked about before?" Tang Moyu asked with curiosity in her eyes.

  Gu Yuyao nodded her head and hummed. He Lianchen was the only boyfriend she had who was able to leave an impact on her life. Obviously the sex was good, but He Lianchen gave her more than she could ask for. Unfortunately, she wasn't quite ready for it.

  In fact, it scared her, shocked her. His love was so strong, she thought she would be drowned by it. And because he loved her so deeply, it scared her. She was afraid that he would jump head-on in the face of danger for her sake, and she didn't want that.