The moment Ye Fengwu spoke, the faint smirk faded from Qin Guangnan's face. His brows furrowed, deepening the wrinkles carved by years of pride and control.
At his side, Qin Fei leaned close, whispering in his father's ear with a sly smile.
"Father, if Qinghan refuses to be obedient, then let her have that rapist. He won't live long anyway. When he's dead, she'll come crawling back to Zhang's boy—crying for forgiveness."
Qin Guangnan's eyes flickered with cruel amusement. His lips curled into a sinister grin as he turned toward Ye Fengwu.
"So," he said slowly, voice dripping with mockery, "if you fancy that ruined flower, she's yours."
The words landed like a whip crack.
He didn't even look at Qin Qinghan as he said them—just tossed her away like an unwanted servant.
Her face went white. Her body trembled. She knew she had no power to refuse.
Her parents, however, couldn't stay silent.
"Father!" cried Yang Yu, tears trembling in her eyes. "How can you do this to Qinghan? She's your granddaughter! She's suffered enough for this family!"
Qin Zhi, her husband, clenched his fists at his sides. But instead of speaking up, he only sighed and muttered, "Let it be. Maybe this is her fate…"
Smack!
The slap echoed through the hall. Yang Yu's hand trembled as she struck him.
"Useless!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "You can't even protect your own daughter!"
Qin Zhi didn't move. Didn't defend himself. He knew she was right. In this family, he was a powerless man.
Ye Fengwu watched the scene unfold—saw the despair in Qinghan's eyes—and his chest tightened painfully.
I'm sorry, he thought. This is the only way I can protect you.
He turned toward Qin Guangnan, his expression calm again.
"Seems you've done me a favor, old man," he said softly. "But an engagement deserves a ring, doesn't it?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd as Ye Fengwu reached into his pocket and drew out a small velvet box. He walked toward Qinghan slowly, each step echoing across the marble floor.
Qinghan's arms tightened protectively around Jingsi, her daughter. Her gaze filled with fear, suspicion—and disgust.
Ye Fengwu tried to soften his face, to smile without frightening the child.
"Jingsi," he said gently, crouching down to her level, "how about I be your dad?"
The little girl looked at him with wide, wary eyes. She had seen him break men like twigs minutes ago. His calm voice couldn't erase the memory of that violence.
She shook her head. "Mommy won't agree," she whispered.
Ye Fengwu forced a pained smile.
"If I become your dad," he said quietly, "no one will ever separate you from your mom again."
For a moment, something flickered in her eyes—a tiny, trembling spark of hope. But she didn't answer. Instead, she turned to look up at her mother.
Qinghan's expression softened for the briefest instant.
Despite her fear, she could feel something real in his voice—something she hadn't heard from a man in years: tenderness.
That warmth toward Jingsi couldn't be faked. She knew that much.
But still—he was a rapist. A violent man. A stranger who terrified her.
And she couldn't imagine a worse kind of life than being tied to someone like that.
Ye Fengwu stood a few feet from her, taking in her face—so heartbreakingly beautiful, even in her defiance. For a moment, he almost hated himself for noticing.
"I never realized you were this beautiful," he said quietly.
Qinghan bit her lip, eyes full of conflict. Her fear only made her look more fragile, more human. Ye Fengwu caught himself staring too long and exhaled, whispering the words that had been buried inside him for eight long years.
"I'm sorry."
She blinked, startled. The apology came out of nowhere—and somehow, it hurt more than anything else tonight.
Ye Fengwu opened the velvet box. Inside, a single ring gleamed beneath the lights.
"Marry me," he said. "Let me protect you both—from now on."
To anyone else, it might have sounded romantic—a soldier's promise, raw and simple.
But coming from the mouth of a man branded a monster, it was almost grotesque.
Qinghan felt her throat tighten. She'd once dreamed of love, of laughter, of holding hands with someone who cherished her. But her dreams had died the night her innocence was stolen.
And now, fate mocked her with a proposal from another man the world called a rapist.
Still… she couldn't refuse. Her hands trembled as she slowly reached forward.
Laughter rippled around the room.
"What a joke," sneered Qin Fei. "A rapist with a ring? Probably stole it off someone's finger."
"Looks like a cheap flea-market trinket to me," scoffed Zhang Ge, his jealousy barely hidden. It was supposed to be his night. He was the one who should've been slipping a ring onto that delicate hand.
Grinning coldly, Zhang Ge pulled out a small velvet case from his pocket and flipped it open. Under the chandelier's glow, a dazzling diamond—at least ten carats—flashed brilliantly.
Gasps filled the room.
A ten-carat diamond like that was worth millions. Clearly, Zhang Ge had spared no expense to buy Qin Qinghan's obedience.
"Qinghan," he said smoothly, "if you agree to send that child away, this ring is yours."
His tone dripped with confidence. He'd seduced countless women before—he knew the power of money, the weakness of desire. Every woman has a price, he thought smugly.
But when Qinghan didn't even glance at him, the smugness drained from his face.
Because Ye Fengwu had already slipped his ring onto her trembling finger.
"It fits perfectly," Ye Fengwu said with a faint smile.
Then someone gasped.
"Wait… that ring—" A middle-aged man in an immaculate suit had risen from his seat, eyes wide with shock. He was a well-known jeweler, respected throughout Haihua City.
"That stone," he stammered, staring at the vivid blue gem set in the ring. "If I'm not mistaken… it's one of the Azure Sea Jewels. Only two exist in the entire world. Each worth over a hundred million dollars."
The room erupted.
Even Qin Guangnan and Zhang Ge stood frozen, disbelief plastered across their faces.
A priceless gem—on the hand of a woman they had called a disgrace.
And given to her by a man they'd just called a rapist.
Zhang Ge's diamond suddenly looked like glass. His arm, once raised high in arrogance, now hung limp at his side.
But Qin Guangnan scoffed, waving a dismissive hand.
"Nonsense. A priceless treasure in the hands of a convict? Ridiculous. It's a fake. It has to be."
Qinghan didn't care. She didn't even glance at the ring. Whether it was worth a dollar or a billion meant nothing. She would never truly accept anything from this man.
She just pulled Jingsi close, holding her tightly.
The guests, however, couldn't look away. The gem shimmered with an ocean-blue brilliance so vivid it seemed alive.
Ye Fengwu's expression softened as he looked at her. "Wife," he said, half-smiling, "I'm hungry. Take me home. Cook me something."
The word wife made her stomach twist, but she didn't argue. He spoke with the weary tone of a man who had no home to return to—and perhaps he didn't.
Was she really about to bring this man—this stranger—into her house?
Before she could answer, Jingsi tugged gently at her sleeve.
"Mommy," the little girl said softly, "Uncle's hungry. Let's go home."
Qinghan froze. Then, at last, she nodded.
Expressionless, she turned and began walking toward the hotel's glass doors, her daughter in her arms.
Behind her, Ye Fengwu followed in silence.
And for the first time that night, no one dared to stop them.