"Do you dare refuse?" Tang Wenqiang asked coldly.

"Of course I refuse. Your son is no good, and I have no intention of marrying such a Demon. Besides, when your Tang Family proposed this marriage, did you ever ask for my opinion? What kind of society is this where you still practice arranged marriages? It’s ridiculous," Ye Qianqian said. "I didn’t even want to come out today. I only came to tell you to leave."

"Audacious!" Wang Junru slammed her cane on the floor and exclaimed angrily, "Ye Qianqian, have you lost your mind? Do you realize what you’re saying? You’re rejecting a marriage proposal from the Tang Family of Sea City!"

"If you won’t think of yourself, you have to think of your parents! You have to think of the Zhao Family! Do you have any idea what the consequences are for rejecting the Tang Family?" Zhao Haishan desperately wished he could slap Ye Qianqian.

They truly didn’t dare refuse. Rejecting the Tang Family meant the end of the Zhao Family.

"Enough!" Zhao Huan stepped forward, took her daughter’s hand, and said, "If you’re worried about implicating the Zhao Family, then from this day forward, I, Zhao Huan, will leave! I will no longer be a daughter of the Zhao Family. I refuse to see my daughter thrown into a wolf’s den. My daughter will absolutely not marry a malicious man like Tang Chuan!"

"Exactly!" Ye Zuisheng added. "You keep saying this is for our own good? We never forced Qianqian to marry anyone. As for your Zhao Family, you never cared about us before, yet now you suddenly remember we exist. There’s no need. We don’t need the Zhao Family meddling in our affairs!"

Hearing their words, Tang Wenqiang’s expression turned incredibly dark. Calling his son a demon and his family a wolf’s den? Weren’t they just cursing him to his face? The look on his face made everyone from the Zhao Family tremble with fear. They were terrified he might lose his temper and kill them all on the spot. The Tang Family of Sea City definitely had the power to do so.

Frantic, Zhao Haishan pointed at Zhao Huan and began to curse loudly. "You unfilial daughter! You eat our food and wear our clothes! Refusing to follow our arrangements is bad enough, but now you’re inciting your own daughter? Let me tell you, this marriage is not up to you. She’ll marry him whether she wants to or not!"

"Indeed!" Wang Junru added coldly. "Don’t blame us elders for being heartless. This is all for the greater good. Whether you are willing or not is meaningless."

"All of you, shut up! Do you really think our Tang Family is here to snatch a bride?" Tang Wenqiang glared fiercely at Ye Qianqian, unleashing his terrifying aura. Ye Qianqian felt as if a hand had seized her by the throat, making it difficult to even speak.

"I, Tang Chuan, am a famous and wealthy young master in Sea City. Countless women want to marry me, and I wouldn’t even give them the time of day. Yet you, the mere granddaughter of the Zhao Family, dare to refuse me? You’ve got some nerve. You had better think very carefully and choose your next words wisely," Tang Chuan said as he, too, released a formidable aura, suppressing Ye Qianqian and her parents. This was blatant bullying.

"I am not willing!"

Ye Qianqian screamed with all her might. Her head was drenched in sweat, but she still forced the words out. After screaming, she collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained away.

"Kneel!" Tang Chuan roared.

Ye Zuisheng and Zhao Huan were only ordinary people. Unable to withstand the terrifying pressure, they collapsed to the ground. But they did not kneel. They would rather lie sprawled on the floor than kneel before them.

"Father! Mother! You’re from a prestigious family in Thunder City, yet you’re letting yourselves be bullied like this? Have you no shame?" Zhao Huan shouted.

"Heh, it seems your daughter and granddaughter are quite stubborn. They’d rather die than agree to this marriage. Tell me, is this all just a ploy?" Tang Wenqiang sneered.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. Is the Zhao Family trying to make an enemy of our Tang Family of Sea City?" Tang Chuan jeered.

"No, no, no, that’s impossible! How would our Zhao Family dare to make an enemy of the Tang Family of Sea City? We wouldn’t dare, not even if you gave us a hundred times the courage! This is all because our unfilial daughter is stirring up trouble!" Wang Junru hurriedly explained.

"Yes, yes, that’s right! It’s all because of Zhao Huan, this unfilial daughter! In the past, she refused to listen to our arrangements and marry the man we chose for her. Now, she’s inciting Ye Qianqian. She truly deserves to die!" Zhao Haishan added, nodding repeatedly.

"Then let her die," Tang Wenqiang said with a cold laugh.

"What?"

Wang Junru and Zhao Haishan were stunned. No matter how disobedient Zhao Huan was, she was still their own flesh and blood. How could they bear to kill her? They had only said such things out of fear of the Tang Family. When faced with the reality of it, they couldn’t possibly go through with it.

"Hehe, what a domineering family you are, Tang Family of Sea City. Just because I don’t want my daughter to marry your son, you want to kill me? What kind of twisted logic is that? Do you really think you’re untouchable?" Zhao Huan sneered.

"Will you shut your mouth? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Wang Junru roared.

"Why should I shut my mouth? Did I say something wrong? My daughter doesn’t agree to marry into the Tang Family, and neither do I. Is that so wrong?" Zhao Huan retorted.

"She’s right. The Tang Family is too overbearing. This is unreasonable," Ye Zuisheng chimed in.

"Hahahahaha!" Tang Wenqiang suddenly burst out laughing. "You’re right. I *am* overbearing. The Tang Family *is* overbearing. So what? Our Tang Family of Sea City is stronger than your Zhao Family, so you will agree to any marriage we propose. Refusal is a capital crime!"

"Your family is far too naive. This world is, and always has been, about the survival of the fittest! The Tang Family of Sea City can get away with things like this. Why are you even resisting?" Zhao Haishan sighed deeply.

He felt helpless, too, but what could he do? As the head of the Zhao Family, he had to consider its interests, so he could only sacrifice his granddaughter. He would sacrifice not only his granddaughter but even his own daughter or son if he had to. In his eyes, the family was all that mattered.

"Perhaps we are naive, but I will not push my daughter into a pit of fire. Besides, how do you know for certain that we are weak and they are strong? Maybe they’re just being arrogant!" The thought of Yang Qi gave Ye Qianqian a sudden surge of confidence.

"Exactly. You can call us weak, but you can’t say we’re wrong!" Ye Zuisheng added, clenching his teeth.

"Heh, weak or wrong, it doesn’t matter. You have offended our Tang Family today, so you must be punished," Tang Wenqiang said, clearly taking out the humiliation he suffered last night on Ye Qianqian and her parents. "Now, kneel and slap yourselves in the face until I’m satisfied!"

"Impossible!" Ye Qianqian shook her head.

"You can beat us to death today, but we will not kneel. We believe someone in this world can put you in your place. The Tang Family of Sea City is not invincible!" Ye Zuisheng gritted out.

He dared to speak so boldly mainly because the thought of Yang Qi gave him courage.