Chapter 17: The Domineering Xu Bancheng

That morning, within the vast Xu family compound, only Xu Bing’s piercing screams echoed through the air.

From that day on, she spent her entire two-month summer vacation on a hospital bed.

The day before school started, she was touching up her makeup; bruises still mottled her face.

Never before had Xu Bancheng struck her so harshly.

And after that day, Xu Bing became obedient.

Xu Bancheng had said, “No dating in university,” and throughout her university years, she remained as cold as ice. To those attentive young men, she simply turned a blind eye.

It was clear: Xu Bing feared Xu Bancheng from the depths of her heart.

“Come home with me!”

Seeing the fear in his sister’s eyes, Xu Bancheng spoke in a commanding tone.

He turned and walked ahead, with Xu Tianming bowing respectfully. “Miss, please.”

Xu Bing quickly nodded, trailing behind Xu Bancheng as they left the ship.

“Bingbing!”

Feng Baobao rushed forward, but Xu Tianming stopped her.

“Xu Tianming, what are you doing?” Feng Baobao watched anxiously as Xu Bing’s figure disappeared, her face etched with worry.

Glaring at Xu Tianming, her voice rose several octaves in anger.

“The young master has said it: the siblings need to talk, outsiders are not allowed.”

Xu Tianming replied politely, then turned and left the ship.

“Outsiders? He’s calling me an outsider?!”

Feng Baobao nearly jumped with rage.

She’d called him brother-in-law for so long, yet now she was nothing but an outsider!

Xu Bancheng was simply too much!

Yet, looking at the gangway before her, she truly lacked the courage to step forward, for the right side of her face was already numb.

“How could Xu Bancheng hit someone like that? What if he breaks something?”

Clutching her cheek, Feng Baobao’s aggrieved tears streamed down her face.

“Brother, you saw it yourself. That man is not a real man. Just looking at him disgusts me. You can’t let me marry him, or my whole life will be ruined.”

On the ship, watching Feng Baobao wiping her tears on the other vessel, Xu Bing shivered with goosebumps.

“In the Xu family, do you have any right to speak?” Xu Bancheng glanced coolly at his sister, sat down on a deck chair, and elegantly sipped some lemon water.

Xu Bing stood quietly to the side.

As long as Xu Bancheng was present, unless he invited her, she would never dare to sit.

“Sit.”

Seeing his cautious sister, a faint trace of a smile flickered in Xu Bancheng’s eyes.

People must be disciplined. Too much indulgence only leads to ruin, especially for a girl—she must be properly taught.

Xu Bing obediently sat down.

The ship began to turn. Not wishing to endure the oppressive silence, Xu Bing hurriedly shifted the topic, speaking about the little dolphin.

Xu Bancheng listened quietly, his brow occasionally furrowing, sometimes even more deeply.

This was his way—he would never interrupt when others spoke.

Only after the other had finished would he respond.

Xu Bing spoke rapidly, her mouth parched by the end, and she took a sip of lemon water.

A heavy silence settled in.

Xu Bing’s heart tensed.

Whenever she finished speaking with her brother, she dreaded this abrupt silence.

It made her feel like a clown performing a solo act—after the curtain fell, only awkwardness remained.

At last, Xu Bancheng spoke: “Tianming, when we return, find the best psychologist and psychiatrist for Miss.”

“Yes, young master!” Xu Tianming replied respectfully.

“Brother, no—it’s not like that. There’s nothing wrong with me, everything I said is true.”

Xu Bing grew anxious. Her brother always meant what he said. If she didn’t defend herself, she’d suffer when they got home.

“Brother, have you ever seen a seahorse over a hundred meters in size?”

“There you go again with your nonsense. Tianming, when we return, arrange for Miss to be admitted to the hospital. If necessary, send her straight to the psychiatric ward.”

“Yes, young master!”

Xu Tianming’s reply was as respectful as ever.

Xu Bing felt as though her world was collapsing.

But then, her eyes brightened. She hurriedly pulled out her phone and brought up the photo of the seahorse.

“Brother, look!”

She thrust the picture before Xu Bancheng.

Seeing the massive seahorse carcass on the phone, Xu Bancheng’s pupils contracted sharply.

Behind him, Xu Tianming gasped.

Was this really a seahorse?

Waves of shock crashed in their hearts. Neither doubted Xu Bing’s words—within the Xu family, she’d never dare deceive her brother.

“Tianming, tell the captain to increase speed!”

“Yes!”

With orders received, Xu Tianming hurried away.

At this moment, even the sun overhead could not warm them.

If everything Miss had said was true, then this ocean was something to be feared.

If a single seahorse could reach over a hundred meters, what about the other creatures?

“A dolphin that can write Chinese characters! Mutated sea beasts! Extraterrestrial aliens!”

Xu Bancheng closed his eyes, thoughts racing.

Xu Bing scarcely dared to breathe, accompanying him in silence.

“Hurry, keep up!”

On the trailing ship, Feng Baobao watched the accelerating vessel with growing anxiety, urging her crew onward.

Soon, calm returned to that part of the sea, with only an abandoned, powerless ship and an enormous seahorse corpse drifting on the surface.

Just then, a splash broke the surface—an inquisitive little head emerged.

Lin Qiu’s clear, bright eyes watched the rapidly departing ship, speaking softly to himself, “I hope the ocean can be sealed off. Otherwise, many people will die.”

His voice was filled with compassionate concern.

After all, he had once been human.

The mutated sea creatures could not leave the ocean; otherwise, humanity would face disaster.

But the system had also told him—

Every creature in this world had mutated, with only humanity spared.

What did it mean for all creatures to gain intelligence?

Perhaps the old dog lying at your door, once enlightened, would become a scheming old dog indeed.

Once awakened, such beings would begin to massacre in the pursuit of evolution.

Perhaps they would even attack humans.

After all, no one could guarantee otherwise.

Lin Qiu’s heart was heavy with worry as he gazed at the large ship ahead.

“System, can I use this ship?”

He flicked his tail and swam toward the vessel.

“Host, remember who you are. You are a fish!”

“I…”

That simple reply cut deeper than any insult.

“If I can’t use it, I’ll eat you instead.”

The little dolphin bared its sharp baby teeth, which gleamed pearly white in the sun, and let out a playful but threatening “yaa!”