In return, the man had never overstepped his boundaries and had treated her children kindly. In fact, she had felt a pang of guilt, letting her twins bother him when she knew he also had his own life to live. She thought that perhaps if he had never met them, he would have more time to focus on writing his books.

  She had always paid attention to how he engaged and interacted with Xiao Bao and Little Star and she didn't think his concern was pretentious. She also noticed that her little buns were easier to deal with these days with his help.

  Several weeks ago, when Little Star fell sick and had a high fever during one of her business trips, it was Qin Jiran who looked after her daughter and kept her posted on Little Star's condition.

  "Her fever finally subsided." Qin Jiran informed her over the phone. "Get some rest and don't worry too much. She will recover soon."

  Tang Moyu released a sigh of relief and rubbed her temple. Thank goodness Qin Jiran and Auntie Lu were there to help her, or else she wouldn't have any other choice but to leave everything and cancel all her appointments to go back and take care of Little Star.

  Of all the days that her daughter could fall sick, why did it have to be when she was out of town for work? She'd only been gone for two days and wouldn't be able to come home for another three days when she received the phone call from Auntie Lu.

  "I'm sorry for troubling you, Qin Jiran. Auntie Lu said she'd put Xiao Bao in the other room for the meantime to make sure he wouldn't catch Little Star's cold."

  "No worries, Moyu. In fact, I should be the one who should apologize to you. I shouldn't have let them stay out too late in the afternoon. It must be why Little Star caught a cold. This will never happen again." He promised her.

  Now, as she looked up at his grinning face, she wondered at which point did she start having feelings for him. Most of the time, their topics of conversation ranged from her curiosity over the meals he made for them on a daily basis to other mundane topics that she never thought she would take an interest in, such as gardening.

  Feng Tianyi took in the sight of her flushed face, feeling her smooth skin on his fingers.

  "Fine. But you have to tell me when so I can arrange something for the twins. I can't just leave Xiao Bao and Little Star without supervision for a dinner date." She conceded, pointedly ignoring how hot her face felt at that moment.

  "I know. But are you sure about your answer?" He murmured teasingly.

  Tang Moyu tilted her head at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"

  With a hum, Feng Tianyi explained to her.

  It was the empress's turn to huff and roll her eyes.

  "What's there to worry about? It's just one dinner date."

  Amused, the devil raised a brow at her while his fingers brushed a few strands of hair from her face.

  "Let me correct you. All your dates in the future will only belong to me now."

  "But Mr. Qin, I don't remember agreeing to that." Tang Moyu replied with a bashful smile. She swallowed hard at his rather intimate gesture, which was foreign to her.

  With a sly smile, Feng Tianyi pressed his head against her. "Then I'm telling you now."

  His fingers trailed down from her cheek to her neck before ending up on her nape. Tang Moyu shivered under his touch, but she didn't dare to pull away from him.

  "Now where were we?" He smirked at how timid the empress was as she held onto his shoulders for support.

  "The interest? But won't they see us?" Tang Moyu could feel her heart beating fast in her chest. She blushed as Qin Jiran kept his eyes on her. This relationship she had with Qin Jiran would probably be one of the most daring things she had done in her life.

  Perhaps, if her little buns didn't see him fit to be with her or dislike him, she would never dare to take this chance with him. Her warped mind had long decided to put her children as her utmost priority over everything.

  She couldn't remember any other person looking at her like this. She couldn't understand why he was so comfortable being with her when others would scatter away to avoid her.

  She took in how relaxed Qin Jiran seemed to be as his eyes looked at her with adoration. Was this what it felt like being someone's special person?

  She heard him chuckle.

  "So what if they see us? I don't see anything wrong with it. But if you're really worried, don't worry, this weeping cherry tree is our sole witness." Feng Tianyi said before his lips descended on hers.

  Tang Moyu's eyes instantly shut, her body stiffening upon the rather intimate contact. At first, she felt the softest brushes against her lips. When she felt his lips connect with hers again, she responded.

  His right hand moved down her back while his other hand ran along her side, making the empress gasp, involuntarily opening her mouth from the sensation. Feng Tianyi took the opportunity and slid his tongue into her mouth, slanting it to get better access. He felt her arms wrapped around his neck as she pressed her mouth more firmly against his.

  Kissing Tang Moyu, after so many frustrating moments between them was more than enough to drive him insane. Unknown to her, the devil feared by so many was being humbled by the power of the empress.