If Roxy Shangguan had truly wanted to strike hard, Joyce Du wouldn't still be standing here.
Sylas Ren inconspicuously took two steps closer to Roxy Shangguan. He had long noticed how much Quentin Hua valued her, so he would never let anyone harm her—who knows what that demon would do if she were hurt!
For a moment, he forgot that with Roxy Shangguan's skills, why would she need his protection? Maybe her appearance was just too deceiving, always making people instinctively want to shield her.
Roxy Shangguan glanced at Sylas Ren without saying a word, stuffed the rest of her pastry into her mouth, and munched contentedly. Watching her, Sylas Ren's mouth twitched—did she even realize she was in trouble?
Autumn Du glanced at Joyce Du, who hung her head in silence, and walked over to pull away the hand covering her cheek. Seeing her swollen face and five bright red marks, Autumn couldn't help but ache with sympathy, and anger flared in her heart. Joyce's place in her heart wasn't quite as high as Wendy Hua's, but she still genuinely cared for her. Watching her get bullied, she couldn't just swallow it—so she barked, "Guards, seize this little wretch and beat her soundly!"
Wendy Hua watched the guards approach Roxy Shangguan, a gleeful, malicious smile on her face. If she couldn't deal with that bastard child, she could at least punish this little wretch. How dare she touch Joyce! She'd beat her to death now, and once that old man was dealt with, she'd kill the bastard child too!
Sylas Ren's expression darkened. The Hua Family was simply unreasonable—acting without asking, ready to strike at once. Did they really think Sunflower Town was theirs alone?
"It seems Miss Hua is very eager to marry Raymond Lei!"
The chilling words made Autumn Du shiver. That's right—she'd actually forgotten that she still needed that bastard child to deal with Raymond Lei. Autumn was clever enough to realize that if she harmed someone close to Quentin Hua, he might abandon all family ties and refuse to help. After all, the Hua Family hadn't treated Quentin well in the past.
Joyce Du's eyes flickered as she softly said, "Aunt, I believe she didn't mean it. Let's just let it go." Roxy Shangguan had struck her, and of course she hated it, but she couldn't let Quentin Hua think she was ganging up with the Hua Family to bully that little wretch. Still, she would have her revenge, sooner or later!
Autumn Du felt a wave of comfort—Joyce had always been so considerate, probably just trying to spare her any embarrassment. The thought made Autumn feel a bit guilty, but now was not the time to fall out with Quentin Hua. Still, once Wendy's situation was resolved, she would make sure to avenge Joyce.
She turned to tell the guards to stop, but caught sight of Sylas Ren's mocking expression. The anger she'd tried to suppress surged again. Thinking of how Joyce, such a sensible child, had been struck by that little wretch and now had to worry about her feelings, Autumn could only swallow her pride, her fury boiling over.
She had always detested Quentin Hua, and now she had to worry about him too. The frustration had been simmering in her for ages, and now even a martial world wanderer dared to mock her—how could she bear it any longer?
But Sylas Ren was tall and handsome—how could anyone mistake him for a ruffian?
Autumn Du swallowed her words and changed her command: "Beat her soundly!"
"I dare you to lay a hand on her!" The gentle tone was chillingly cold. Quentin Hua had returned looking for Roxy, only to catch sight of this scene.
Good! Very good! The moment he left, they came to bully his people. Did they really think he was that easy to push around?
Hearing his voice, Autumn Du froze, her anger dissipating. She was suddenly annoyed with herself—why couldn't she keep her cool?
She glanced at Quentin Hua, softened her tone, and said, "Quentin, it was she who struck Joyce. You can't just defend her like this!"
Quentin Hua pulled Roxy into his arms, sneering, "So what if I defend her? She hit Joyce? If it makes Roxy happy, I wouldn't care if she killed her." His icy gaze swept over the crowd as he smiled, "Any objections?"
Everyone stiffened under his gaze. The next moment, a crisp slap rang out. When the crowd snapped back to attention, they saw five red marks appear on the other side of Joyce Du's face—her pale cheek now swelling even higher than before.
Joyce Du stared at Quentin Hua in disbelief. Had he really hit her without even asking why? The disappointment she'd felt when he defended Roxy Shangguan now turned to a chilling sense of fear.
Wendy Hua couldn't help but touch her own face, a flicker of fear in her eyes.
Autumn Du snapped out of it, glanced at Joyce Du's swollen face, then glared at Quentin Hua. "You..."
Before she could finish, Quentin Hua sneered, "I've hit her now too. Should I be arrested along with her?"
The crowd stood frozen, perhaps intimidated by the coldness in Quentin Hua's eyes, not daring to say a word. Roxy wrapped her arms around Quentin's neck and planted a loud kiss on his cheek, gazing at him with adoration. "Hua Hua, you're so impressive!"
Quentin Hua couldn't help but laugh, pinching her cheek. "Didn't I tell you not to let yourself get bullied?"
Roxy blinked and said, "I wasn't bullied at all!"
Autumn Du stubbornly interjected, "Quentin, you see, she herself says she wasn't bullied, but she still struck Joyce..." She was so insistent because she believed the facts were on her side—after all, nothing had happened to Roxy.
Quentin Hua couldn't be bothered to respond to her, instead turning to Roxy. "Does your hand hurt? Didn't I give you poison? Next time, don't bother—just poison them directly."
At those words, Autumn Du dared not say another thing. The Hua Family were pure businessmen—if Quentin Hua really poisoned them, they would truly die!
Joyce Du felt even colder inside, her eyes full of grievance as she looked at Quentin Hua.
Even Sylas Ren couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He thought the Hua Family was bad enough, but Quentin Hua was something else—these were his own relatives, after all!