It was Saturday, so he expected that the empress wouldn't leave home for work for today; still she refused to show herself throughout the day, leaving Feng Tianyi with the twins and Auntie Lu again. Tang Moyu didn't intend to ignore him for too long, but she really did have a lot of work in her hands that needed her attention.

  It was late at night when Tang Moyu turned to her side, not being able to fall asleep despite the exhaustion her body had. She wasn't sure what was keeping her awake late at night. Had she overeaten this dinner? She wondered. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take a stroll tonight, as the weather wasn't chilly anyway.

  Midnight was approaching, and while her twins were sleeping peacefully in their beds, Tang Moyu took a leisurely stroll in the vast garden of her property. Ever since Qin Jiran moved to live at the guest house, there had been several changes made in her garden.

  He had made a mini-farm with her twins, teaching the two the virtues of patience and hard work as they tended to the seedlings of the crops. Tang Moyu checked their work and realized it would take some time before the crops m.a.t.u.r.ed and bore fruits and vegetables for them to eat.

  She then moved to the pond that was yet to be fixed and renovated by the contractors. Perhaps she should ask if they could put preventive measures to make sure her children would not fall and drown in the pond while they were in the garden.

  She clutched her shawl tighter around her as the evening wind came, making her long hair flutter in the air. As she opened her eyes, Tang Moyu realized she wasn't alone in the garden.

  A few meters away from her, Qin Jiran stared at her with wide eyes, as if he wasn't expecting to see her there late at night.

  "Mr. Qin." Tang Moyu was the first one who recovered from shock and gave him a curt nod. It was too late for her to hide from his sight anyway, since he'd already seen her.

  Why did she have to see him, of all people? Tang Moyu pressed her lips into a thin line. She went out for a stroll to clear her mind, not to confront Qin Jiran.

  "It's been awhile, Miss Tang," Feng Tianyi said in return. He wheeled himself closer to where the empress was standing next to the pond.

  Has it been more than two weeks since he last saw her? He wondered.

  "En," Tang Moyu said, then both of them fell silent, not knowing how to break the awkwardness between them.

  They stared at the pond in a companionable silence.

  "I didn't know you would be here. I didn't mean to disturb your private time. I will take my leave then…" the empress said and was about to leave when Feng Tianyi caught her wrist.

  "Wait, Miss Tang. If you aren't busy, could you accompany me for a while?"

  Tang Moyu gave him a confused look. He might be living under her roof, but that didn't mean he wasn't a stranger to her.

  The detectives she'd hired to check his background all reached a dead end. Who was Qin Jiran? The only clue to his identity was that he was no doubt related to the Qing Tian Group, which was owned by the Song family.

  Tang Moyu already suspected that Qin Jiran wasn't just a simple author who had a lot of money under his name. The fact that he was able to fund her, help her secure her authority within Tang Enterprise was enough for her to be wary of this man.

  During the brief moment Tang Moyu hesitated, Feng Tianyi released her wrist and stared back at the pond, where the reflection of the moon could be seen. The sky was clear, and the weather wasn't chilly, much to his delight. Just as he thought of giving up trying to befriend the empress, he found himself in the garden with her.

  "Do I make you feel uncomfortable?" he asked. "If I do, then I apologize, Miss Tang. It's not my intention."

  Tang Moyu didn't answer and Feng Tianyi thought it might be better as he knew he would be at loss on how to explain himself.

  "Mr. Qin, is there something you want to tell me?" Tang Moyu asked after a long silence between them.

  Feng Tianyi wasn't expecting her to ask something like that, and he stared at her in shock. Had she already known who he was? Did He Lianchen and Song Fengyan fail to stop the empress probing, after all?

  "Yes, I guess I should tell you, but I'm sorry, Miss Tang. I don't think I'm ready to tell you about it," he revealed his thoughts to her.

  If Tang Moyu was to know who he really was, Feng Tianyi would rather let her hear from his own mouth than from other people.

  Tang Moyu glanced at him then back to the pond, her thoughts going full drive as several possibilities crossed her mind at once.

  "I see." If Qin Jiran put it that way, how could she deny him?

  "How was the cake? Was it to your liking?" As if wanting to dispel the awkwardness between them, Qin Jiran decided to change the topic between them.

  "It's surprisingly good, but giving me something like that… Mr. Qin, is there something you want from me?" she confronted him.

  "Would it be outrageous if I ask if we could be friends?" Feng Tianyi said in response. "If not, I wouldn't like to continue having this awkwardness between us while I live here with you and the twins."

  Tang Moyu remained silent, her face turned towards the sky. She wasn't sure if Qin Jiran had a clear intention towards her or to her children. When men sought after her, it was only because they wanted to have her to themselves or to use her to their advantage, just like how Feng Tianhua abused her ability to run the company.

  "Being friends doesn't sound so bad, but I regret to tell Mr. Qin that he might need to work hard to earn my trust. A simple bribery of cake and sweets wouldn't be enough to win my favor," she answered him.

  "Then that's a relief." Feng Tianyi let out a chuckle and regarded Tang Moyu.

  "Mr. Qin, do you mean to say that you aren't going to give up yet?" She raised a slender brow at him.

  The end of Feng Tianyi's lips curled up into a satisfied smile, and he hummed.

  "There's nothing wrong if I try harder, right?"

  "Like I said, relying on sweets alone isn't enough, Mr. Qin. You might find yourself cooking and baking more in the future."

  "Well, if that's what you want, Miss Tang. I don't mind. I actually enjoyed cooking aside from writing. If it's not enough for you, I will try harder."

  Tang Moyu scoffed and said nothing more. She would have to see it for herself if he was able to keep up with his words.

  To earn her trust, he said…… Tang Moyu almost laughed at the absurdity of his words. Humans were naturally greedy. He might say that he only wanted to have her trust now, but once he got it, Tang Moyu was sure he would ask for more.

  Weirdly enough, Tang Moyu found herself at ease once she had a word with him.

  "Miss Tang should go back before you catch a cold here. I appreciate giving me some of your time to accompany me," she heard Qin Jiran say.

  Tang Moyu tucked a stray lock of her long hair behind her ear and smiled at him.

  "Then I bid you good night, Mr. Qin," she said, and turned to leave, leaving the devil on his own.

  Just as Feng Tianyi thought that she would continue to avoid him, the following nights had proven him wrong. Once everyone was asleep, he often found himself admiring the moon and the empress's cold beauty as they sat in companionable silence in the middle of the night.

  Some nights, he and Tang Moyu talked about their experiences abroad and the problems the empress was dealing with at Tang Enterprise, then there were nights that they remained silent, not saying a single word but the company of each other was enough for the two of them.