Take One Step at a Time 1

"En! Mommy likes it so much! She told me to say thanks to you, Uncle Ji."

"Did she now?" Feng Tianyi was apprehensive of what Tang Moyu would think of it.

It sounded unbelievable to him that Tang Moyu cares about him when all she'd done recently was to avoid him. Would she start treating him better now?

"Yes! She said she loved the flowers. We even searched what they meant together." Then the boy continued to narrate what he'd done with his mother earlier at Tang Enterprise.

Xiao Bao seemed to enjoy his baby day out that he'd already passed out from exhaustion when they arrived home at Peach Blossom Garden. Little Star was already there at the guest house, waiting for their return.

Song Fengyan brought the sleeping boy to the spare room and let him sleep while Feng Tianyi rested at the couch and entertained Little Star's questions.

"I shouldn't have left with Auntie Yaoyao if I knew you'd visit Mommy." The girl pouted beside him. It was really unfair that their Daddy Ji let her twin brother tag along with them.

Feng Tianyi smiled and ran his fingers over her silky locks.

"It's alright, Little Star. I promise we'll bring you next time. Your brother didn't forget to bring you some pastries though. But you'll have to wait for him to wake up, okay? Let him give it to you later."

Little Star hummed her agreement. Since their Daddy Ji already promised her, then she could only wait for the next time.

Meanwhile, Tang Moyu was nowhere to be found when Li Meili arrived at her office to see her.

Even Cheng Ning had no idea where her boss went, but she was sure that the empress hadn't left the building yet. She must be somewhere within Tang Enterprise.

Thankfully, Tang Moyu didn't have any appointments for the rest of the afternoon.

"You said Xiao Bao came here with Song Fengyan? What about Qin Jiran?" Li Meili asked her friend's assistant.

"Yes, Miss Li. I was told that Mr. Qin had opted to wait in the car downstairs. Why? Is there something wrong?" Cheng Ning blinked. She wasn't aware that the empress was close to the mysterious popular author Qin Jiran.

Li Meili held her chin as she crossed her legs after settling down on Tang Moyu's couch, looking at the bouquet of yellow daffodils on Tang Moyu's desk.

"Say, Miss Cheng. Is the door leading to the rooftop open?" She had a gist of what might've happened between the two.

Cheng Ning blinked twice and nodded. Why didn't she think of that? She hadn't checked the rooftop yet.

She turned the doorknob that led to the rooftop and opened it, not surprised to see the empress, who had a faraway look on her face and a cigarette on one hand, there.

Tang Moyu used to smoke even before she had her little buns, but she only did this whenever she was stressed out about something. Just what exactly happened between her and Qin Jiran for her to act like this? Li Meili wondered.

"What are you doing here?" Tang Moyu asked when she noticed Li Meili's arrival.

She'd shed her outer coat and was wearing her white half sleeve blouse and a high waist black pencil skirt highlighting her feminine curves. With a pair of high heels, Tang Moyu's height reached 185 centimeters.

"I know you'd be here." Li Meili sauntered towards her and opened her palm.

Tang Moyu gave her a pointed look before passing another cigarette to her friend. Together, they smoked in silence on the rooftop, away from everyone's prying eyes.

"What's with you and Qin Jiran?" Li Meili broke the silence between them.

Tang Moyu remained silent for a moment before answering her.

"Qin Jiran wants to pursue me."

"And is that a bad thing?" Li Meili countered.

"Meili, you already know how complicated my life is. On top of that, I already have children from another man. A man who I don't even know." Tang Moyu lowered her gaze and watched as the tip of her cigarette turned into ashes.

She didn't want to complicate things further than it already was, and because she treated Qin Jiran as a friend, if things didn't work out between them, it would be awkward.

"I thought you have the I-don't-give-a-fuck gene in you, Moyu. I never thought you would be bothered about what people would think regarding you and Qin Jiran. If you like each other, isn't that a good thing?" Li Meili hummed and eyed her best friend.

It was time for Tang Moyu to allow a man in her life. She'd already wasted her whole life on that Feng Tianhua that she didn't even get to experience romance and dating with other men.

In a few months, Tang Moyu would turn thirty and yet she was still oblivious and inexperienced when it came to men. How could Li Meili allow Moyu to lose this chance? Even she thought that Moyu and Qin Jiran looked good together.

"It's alright to be afraid of the unknown Moyu, but I think you should give Qin Jiran a chance. Don't deprive yourself the happiness you deserve just because some bastard didn't cherish you when he had a chance. Take one step at a time."

Tang Moyu pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She couldn't understand why she was feeling this way towards Qin Jiran. He made her feel something she'd never felt before.