"M-Moyu…" Li Meili released her hold on Tang Beixuan and faced her best friend. She hadn't expected that Tang Moyu would catch them under such circumstances. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Tang Moyu, she just didn't know how her best friend would take it.

  "Sis, it's not Meili's fault. Let me explain…" Tang Beixuan stepped forward and hid Li Meili behind him. Since his sister already knew, he would come clean and would profess his pure intention to his sister's sworn sister.

  Tang Moyu then shifted her gaze to her younger brother, her eyes unreadable.

  "Go home, Beixuan. I want to hear this from Li Meili's lips." She said nonchalantly, her overbearing presence made the younger Tang shivere.

  "But Sis! You have to listen to me… Meili and I…"

  "You heard what I said, Beixuan." The empress's tone was cold and domineering. "Don't make me repeat myself"

  Tang Beixuan clenched his jaws, daringly disobeying his older sister for the first time.

  "No, Sis. I won't let Meili take the responsibility again. Please, can't the two of you stop treating me like a child? It's infuriating." He told Tang Moyu.

  The empress narrowed her eyes and scoffed.

  "Then start acting like a grown up, Beixuan. Now go home and let me and Li Meili have a nice long talk. Don't you think, Meili?" She raised a brow at her best friend, who decided to step forward to show herself to her.

  "It's fine, Beixuan. You can go. I'll be fine." Li Meili told Tang Beixuan, hoping he would listen to her.

  Tang Beixuan looked at her then to his older sister, then took a deep breath.

  "Alright, call me if you need anything." He told Li Meili before walking towards Tang Moyu. "Sis, please try to understand. Please don't blame, Meili. It is I who wanted to pursue her." He said before leaving the two women behind, worried about Li Meili. He didn't want her to take responsibility for what happened between them.

  Once he was gone, Li Meili led her best friend to her office. Tang Moyu took a seat on one of the armchairs while Li Meili sat across her on the couch.

  "So you and my brother…" The empress started. "I have never thought that the mystery man was closer than I think. How long has it been going on?"

  Li Meili shook her head. "No, Moyu. You don't understand. Beixuan and I aren't in a relationship."

  "You aren't? But I caught you in a liplock with my brother." Tang Moyu pointed out, which made Li Meili shiver in her seat. "Meili, what's going on? I think you owe me an explanation. Start at the beginning." She demanded.

  When her date started to make inappropriate remarks, wanting to get in her pants, she had beaten him into pulp before leaving the place in a groggy state. It was at that time that Tang Beixuan followed her outside and took her home.

  In her drunken state, she heard his confession about wanting to court her, wanting her to be his girlfriend if she could wait for him for a few years. Li Meili had shrugged it off and thought he was joking.

  Anyway, she had forgotten what led the two of them to stumble on her bed and ended up having a one night stand. Upon realizing what they had done the next morning, Li Meili had regretted everything and blamed herself for her stupidity.

  "I'm so sorry, Moyu. I should have known better than to forget that your brother is off-limits. I'm the older one. I should be the more responsible one." Li Meili was still mortified when she thought about it. "I didn't tell you about it not because I want to lie to you, but because I'm not sure how to explain myself without ruining our friendship, Moyu."

  Tang Moyu gave her a slow nod but refused to show her reactions.

  "And after that? Beixuan still pursued you?" She questioned.

  Li Meili nodded. Her assumption about his confession had only sunk in her mind days later when he consistently sent flowers to her office since then, without fail. He also told her to wait for his return before he flew to New Jersey to finish his studies.

  She hadn't given him her word and thought that the distance between them would eventually cause him a change of heart. Anyway, it would be impossible for him not to meet other women when she wasn't around. Perhaps it should be enough for his feelings to waver and forget about her.

  Li Meili felt horrible right then, saying all of this to her best friend whom she had known for a long time. Did Tang Moyu feel that she betrayed her? Li Meili hoped she didn't. She didn't want to think that this would be the end of the beautiful friendship they had built over the years.

  "I'm really sorry, Moyu. I didn't want all of this to happen. I assure you I tried my best to convince him to give up, but he's very persistent." Li Meili covered her face with both hands in shame. She didn't mean to keep her best friend in the dark, but she also couldn't stop herself falling in love with Moyu's younger brother, no matter how hard she tried not to.

  Tang Moyu remained silent and only Li Meili's sobs could be heard inside the room. Li Meili wouldn't blame her best friend if she couldn't understand her.