"Why are you avoiding me again?" Feng Tianyi asked when he managed to corner her at the gazebo while the twins were busy playing with their new pet, Hunter.

  "Am I?" Tang Moyu arched a brow at him, feigning ignorance although she was aware of what he was talking about. "I'm just avoiding any misunderstandings between us, Qin Jiran. You aren't really interested in me, are you?"

  "Who said I'm not interested?" Feng Tianyi said with a deadpan face. "I'm not playing around, Tang Moyu."

  "Then I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Qin. I'm not interested in you." Tang Moyu said with all honesty. "I'm giving you my answer now."

  "Hold it! I don't wanna hear any of it!" Feng Tianyi said through gritted teeth. He wasn't expecting that the empress would reject him this early. He refused to believe that she felt nothing for him, even a little.

  For him, she was an addiction he couldn't give up on. A single kiss was enough for his blood to boil with need and want for her.

  Couldn't she see how serious he was about her? Or was she bothered because he was bound by this inferior chair he was on?

  "Qin Jiran! You have to listen to me!"

  It was rare for Tang Moyu to snap, but when she did, Feng Tianyi couldn't help but be in daze as she berated whoever annoyed her even if it was him, himself.

  She had this cold aura emanating from her, forbidding him to look away or ignore her.

  "Qin Jiran, you have to listen to me. I've said it before. I don't want to start a misunderstanding or create any awkwardness between us. I treat you as a good friend, please don't make me hate you." She started, "I could see that you truly love my children and for that I'm grateful, but this…"

  Tang Moyu paused and looked at him straight in the eyes.

  "I'm not capable of love, Mr. Qin. The only love I'm accustomed to is my love for my children. I don't know what parents' love feel like nor do I know what the love of a man is. There could only be my children in my heart and that's enough for me. I'm sorry, Qin Jiran but I'm not willing to let another person into my heart."

  She looked down at her finger and fiddled with her ring. Feng Tianyi followed her gaze and it dawned to him why she was rejecting him. His jaws hardened, hatred flashed his eyes as he realized how Feng Tianhua ruined something beautiful that could bloom between him and Tang Moyu.

  Feng Tianhua had broken Tang Moyu's heart. It made it hard for her to trust another man.

  "Do you understand now, Qin Jiran? It's not because you cannot walk, nor because I don't find you attractive at all. It is just that I'm incapable of loving another person other than Xiao Bao and Little Star." Tang Moyu continued, hoping that Qin Jiran would see her point, given how smart he was. She was determined to make everything right between them.

  Feng Tianyi's face contorted with frustration and the need to punch his little brother's face. He couldn't also understand why her rejection hurt so much compared to those other people who turned their backs on him.

  No… he corrected himself. Just as Tang Moyu said, he was her dear friend and she didn't want to complicate things between them.

  "I want you to be happy, Qin Jiran even if it means I'm not the reason for it. I cannot be with you."

  "Stop it," Feng Tianyi couldn't take it anymore. "Stop it already."

  Why? Why did her rejection hurt him so much? They've only known each other for a few weeks, and yet, she was able to affect him like this.

  He didn't know why, but he wanted her beside him, wanted her and her children in his seemingly boring life. Perhaps, if he wasn't bound to this chair and was able to walk, would Tang Moyu change her mind?

  Feng Tianyi forced himself to wheel out of the gazebo, leaving the empress alone as he made his way back to the guest house, aware that Tang Moyu was watching his back.

  A part of him hoped that she would run and chase after him, that she would regret saying those words at him. However, seconds passed and no Tang Moyu appeared on his side, clearly a reminder that he wasn't hearing things when she rejected him.

  Meanwhile, Tang Moyu remained seated where Qin Jiran had left her. It wasn't like she wasn't attracted to him, in fact, she thought of him as a great temptation. If she didn't make this clear now, she was afraid that they would cross a line of no return, something she wasn't hoping to get entangled in.

  "I did the right thing. I should have done this from the start to spare him from disappointment." She told herself as if the one she was trying to convince was herself and not Qin Jiran.

  Qin Jiran was a decent man, she had no doubt about that. It didn't matter to her that he couldn't walk, because his company and his attitude were enough to let her know that he was a good man.

  She remained silent and looked down at her tea cup and suddenly felt like her drink was too bland after rejecting Qin Jiran's advances. She was the one who rejected him, but why did she feel a pang of pain in her heart?