Chapter 697   - More Than Enough (1)

It took some time before Little Star calmed down and let Zhang Jiren leave. Feng Tianyi took the chance to placate his daughter while Xiao Bao accompanied the two of them.

Tang Moyu sighed and rubbed her temple as she and Li Meili stepped outside the mansion to get some air and allow Feng Tianyi some privacy to talk with their children.

"I didn't know Little Star had been thinking this way. I should have known better." The empress muttered, disappointed that she didn't catch on earlier. If Zhang Jiren hadn't shown up today, she and Feng Tianyi wouldn't know that their daughter was harboring such thoughts since Tang Beixuan's passing.

"It wasn't easy for us." Li Meili nodded. "It's natural that she would be afraid of being left behind by those she held dearly in her heart."

Like their other uncles, the two little buns were very close to Tang Beixuan when he was still alive. Tang Beixuan was their only uncle who actively played with them whenever he came for a visit and when he was still staying with them a few months ago.

"You are right." Tang Moyu agreed with her. "I guess Tianyi and I would need to have a good talk with them so they wouldn't worry too much about us whenever we leave for work."

She understood that her daughter's fear wasn't unfounded and that her young mind was still having a hard time understanding why her Uncle Beixuan suddenly died and could never return to them again.

"But you and Zhang Jiren…" Tang Moyu eyed her best friend. This was the issue that she and Li Meili have yet to discuss today.

"It just happens, Moyu. My father somehow found out about my pregnancy and Zhang Jiren had no other choice but to cover for me." Li Meili confessed, chewing her lower lip, knowing that she could not keep the secret from Tang Moyu for too long. "But we are in a contractual marriage…"

"Meili!" Tang Moyu couldn't believe that her best friend had gone to that extent. Didn't Meili know that being married wasn't something one can just end, especially if two people had known each other on a personal level?

It didn't matter if she had accepted Zhang Jiren as her twin brother or not, but she was truly against this set up between the two of them. Tang Moyu knew she could not dictate what Li Meili wanted to do with her life. All she could do was only to give her some advice here and there.

"I know, Moyu but it's been done. We can only do our best and tolerate each other for two years." Li Meili said in defense. "We'll do our best not to get on each other's bad side."

Just because they had a contract marriage, it didn't mean they didn't need to get along with each other. The last thing Li Meili wanted was to have arguments and disagreements with Zhang Jiren after all the things he'd done for her.

Tang Moyu contemplated if she should inform Li Meili about Zhang Jiren's identity as her twin brother, but because the two had just married, and so suddenly too, she was still unsure of the kind of person her twin brother turned out to be after living with the Zhangs all these years.

She looked at Li Meili from the corner of her eye, pondering her choices. In the end, she decided to keep the fact from her best friend for the meantime while she observed Zhang Jiren.

It wasn't like Tang Moyu wanted to betray her best friend, but because since they had known each other for years, more than anyone else, she knew Li Meili would understand why she made this decision, just like how she respected Li Meili's decision to marry Zhang Jiren under such short notice.

"Did you move out of your apartment? I thought you came back last night." She asked Li Meili. When Tang Moyu made a phone call last night, there was no response from Li Meili, even from her cell phone.

"Yes, I returned with Zhang Jiren, but we need to move to one of my family's villa nearby soon. It seems like my Dad doesn't trust Zhang Jiren fully, so he made him sign a prenup with me and gave us a place where he could keep an eye on us." Li Meili explained, taking a seat on a nearby bench before patting her side, gesturing for Tang Moyu to take a seat next to her.

Tang Moyu sighed and accepted Li Meili's invite. It had been a while since they spent time together like this. So many things had happened since Tang Moyu's return with her little buns and it was surprising, even for Li Meili, to think that the empress would find love and would get married soon after.

As the afternoon breeze softly blew by, Li Meili leaned her head on Tang Moyu's good shoulder while the empress allowed her best friend to do whatever she wanted. There were no words needed to be uttered between them as they understood each other well enough.

They depended on each other for years and knew each other better than anyone else. Even now that she was married to Feng Tianyi, there were still things that Tang Moyu could only share with Li Meili.

"If you need anything, you can call me anytime." Tang Moyu said after a long silence between them. Even if she didn't promise Tang Beixuan to keep Li Meili safe, she would do it nonetheless.

Li Meili hummed and shut her eyes, feeling at peace for the first time since Tang Beixuan's death. The pain of losing him was still there, but knowing she cannot allow herself to drown in grief and self pity, Li Meili knew she could only move forward.

"That's more than enough for me, Moyu. Thank you." She said in response, indulging herself in this rare time where she could relax and spend time with Tang Moyu. Li Meili knew that the empress would always have her back, no matter what happens in the future.