The empress hadn't been good at striking conversations with other people, much less with older women, as she had always found herself to be on guard against insults and demeaning remarks from the women she'd met in the past.

  Song Huifen was obviously different from her mother, Zhang Wuying, and Feng Tianhua's mother, Wang Ruoxi. There was a sense of wisdom behind her obsidian eyes, one that reflected the years and experience she had gained.

  Rare strands of wisp of silver hair could still be seen among the thick black mane that limply framed her face that didn't seem to be affected by age. Knowing that Feng Tianyi was already in his thirties, his mother's appearance could've been mistaken as his older sister, their resemblance was more apparent than ever.

  "Still, allow me to thank you, Lady Song. I should be the one who should say thanks for assisting us today. If it wasn't for your help, I don't think we would be able to retrieve the children without causing a commotion with the Ye family." Tang Moyu told Song Huifen. She hadn't expected that Song Huifen would blatantly threaten Ye Xixi using the Qing Tian Group.

  The corner of Song Huifen's mouth quirked up.

  "How can I ignore my son's request? For the longest time, Moyu, Tianyi refused any help from me. I couldn't even remember when was the last time he asked me for something. I'm glad I was able to help. It also gave me a good reason to meet your Little Feiyu and the sister he's been talking about." She replied.

  The two continued their conversation uninterrupted at the porch until it was time for everyone to call it a night and head home.

  "Moyu, next time please visit me and bring your children with you. I would love to spend some time with them." Song Huifen patted Tang Moyu's hand gently.

  "And please make sure that my hard-headed son doesn't miss his therapy sessions." She chuckled. "It wasn't easy for me to convince Dr. Huang to oversee his recovery." She added, glancing at her son's way, who had pinched the bridge of his nose when he heard her comment.

  "Don't make such a face!" She chastised her son. "And you better make sure you don't give Moyu any more trouble than you already have."

  While Feng Tianyi was glad that his mother didn't seem to reject the idea of having Moyu in his life, he could already imagine his mother indirectly using the empress to make him do things he usually despised. And the worst part is, Moyu seemed agreeable to everything his mother was saying.

  This could be bad for the devil, who didn't like being manipulated by other people, especially by his conniving mother. Was his mother forgetting that he was her son and not Moyu? Why did she look more concerned about Moyu than him anyway?

  "Did you really have to do that?" The empress asked him as they headed back to the guest house after bidding goodbye to his mother and her friends.

  "Ye Xiaozu needs to man up if he wants to protect Lu Tianxin and Luo Luo. The child didn't deserve to be used as a pawn by anyone, that's why he needed to make shut those naysayers up and take control in leading the company." Feng Tianyi slowly wheeled himself before glancing at her beautiful face. Illuminated by the moonlight, her beauty so ethereal, he didn't think he would ever get tired of looking at her.

  Tang Moyu inclined her head and hummed in agreement. Indeed, only Ye Xiaozu could stop his own family from going after Luo Luo. However, that would only be possible if he managed to attain total control, shutting down those who questioned his capabilities.

  "Anyway, enough about him. Don't ever beg me that way again, Moyu." The devil felt tired after a long day today. His energy drained from worrying about the little buns. When he received that call from Tang Moyu earlier, informing him about her twins' kidnapping incident, he could've sworn he saw red at that moment.

  If he wasn't worried about how Tang Moyu would clean the mess, he would definitely consider giving the Ye family a lesson they would never forget in their lives. He didn't mind returning to the public eye as the devil who destroyed anything in his wake.

  In his opinion, Tang Moyu wouldn't resort to begging on her knees if it wasn't for Ye Xiaozu's incompetence. A man needed to know when he should be assertive when the time called for it. The devil didn't care if Ye Xiaozu couldn't stop his aunt or any of his relatives, but for innocent children to be dragged into it was quite stupid.

  "I know, but would you still help me if I didn't?" She asked him.

  Feng Tianyi stopped his wheelchair on the stone pathway leading to the guest house to face her.

  "Of course. I promised you I would protect them, right? Can't you have a little faith in me, Moyu?" He looked at her straight in the eyes, refusing to break their eye contact. He wanted her to know that he wouldn't betray her and won't turn back on his word.

  He might be crippled and physically useless now, but he still had some connections to utilize, right? Even if he wasn't ready to show himself and stand beside her in public, he could still protect her and her little buns at will.