Li Shua glared at Li Ziyang, “Li Ziyang! What deceit have you fed my son with!?”

“Why don’t you ask yourself?” Li Ziyang put his hands into his pockets languidly.

Bai Shu-Huang read the paper he took out and his expression changed. Li Shua knew her bad premonition was right.

“Father, you’ve raised me since I was born and whoever blood runs in me doesn’t matter. You’ll always be my father,” Bai Liang hugged Bai Shu-Huang. “That’s why, I don’t want Mother to use you any further than this. You don’t have any responsibility in this matter, Father. You don’t need to endure anything for the Li family just because of Mother.”

Bai Shu-Huang crumpled the paper until his hand trembled. He looked at Li Shua in anger, betrayal, and heartbreak. His eyes became bloodshot and veins bulged on his forehead from the turmoil in his heart.

Bai Liang slowly let go and Bai Shu-Huang walked towards Li Shua, each step was as heavy as a mountain, “You said you love me regardless of my species. You said we’ll love our children regardless of their species. In the end, am I just another lowly human for you? Was it fun fooling me all this year?”

“Shu-Huang, it’s–!”

“Don’t call my name!”

Bai Shu-Huang raised his hand and Li Shua flinched. Everyone in the room gasped and the men readily moved to stop him, but his hand stilled on air. In the end, he couldn’t do it and lowered his hand before turning back to Bai Liang.

“You’ve suffered, Ah-Lun. Thank you for telling me,” Bai Shu-Huang gripped his shoulder, trying to contain his emotion. “You’re legally my son and I won’t accept anything otherwise. You bear my surname, hence, regardless of what species you are, my family will accept you as a Bai. And since you’re a Bai, I won’t let you suffer any more grievances for anyone with the surname Li. Come with me. We’re going home.”

Water suddenly burst out from below the floor and shot up into the ceiling, encasing the hall with water walls. The violent stream of water split at where the door was and an elderly man entered with his retainers.

“None of you are going anywhere,” Li Wen-Gui spoke. “All of you here inside this hall are members of the Li family which means you are obliged to obey me.”

Except for Bai Liang, Bai Shu-Huang, Li Ziyang, and Ming Zhu, everyone shuddered from Li Wen-Gui’s power and respectfully bowed. Ming Zhu let Li Shua’s arm go and sensibly returned to Li Ziyang’s side.

Bai Shu-Huang didn’t back down in the slightest, “My family does not spend a cent on your cruise project. I will not bring my Bai family down with you and I will not let you use my son.”

“He carries the blood of Li, not Bai, so he will obey me not you. You’re only an inferior human anyway. Your gene will only defect ours,” Li Wen-Gui’s eyes shone. “You should be grateful my niece brought you to our superior family.”

A powerful column of water shot out from the wall, aiming toward Bai Shu-Huang. He raised his guard in reflex when the water suddenly halted a meter away from him. The column kept spinning and drilling to get him but it seemed as if it hit an invisible wall.

Everyone was stunned, including Li Wen-Gui. He doubtfully looked at Bai Liang smiling mysteriously behind Bai Shu-Huang. However he tried to control the water the column didn’t budge.

“Grandfather, you must be going senile,” Bai Liang stepped forward and reached out to the water column. “The Bai family is three times bigger than the Li family and dominates 15% of this country’s economy. After Father married Mother, almost half of Li family's projects rely on his investments. You wouldn’t have reached this high this fast without Father’s support.”

“What do you know about our business? Don’t talk back to your elder as if you’ve lived longer than us!” Li Wen-Gui rebuked.

Ten more columns were shot out from different parts of the walls and ceiling. They charged toward Bai Liang and Bai Shu-Huang but were stopped once again by Bai Liang’s force.

“For species with special powers like us, eventually, strength is all that matters, no?” Bai Liang snapped his fingers.

The sound rang across the room and pierced into every mermaid’s ears. The water lost Li Wen-Gui’s control and showered down to the ground as the mermaids all dropped to the floor clutching their bleeding ears.

“You–!?” Li Shua looked at Bai Liang, eyes widened in disbelief.

“Your dead lover has a great job giving me his special power,” Bai Liang smiled. “Other than water, I can manipulate sound too. I must say, at the very least, you have a good taste, Mother.”

“Impossible!” Li Wen-Gui gritted his teeth.

Sound manipulation was a rare mermaid ability with only 3% of mermaids having it. Moreover, mermaids were supposed to only have one power. Bai Liang stopped his attacks by overpowering his control of the water.

Li Shua couldn’t believe it either. She always thought that person was defective since he couldn’t manipulate water and only played around with him because of his looks. He was actually hiding something like this!?

“It’s too bad I didn’t have telepathy instead. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Bai Liang chuckled and waved his hand.

None of them couldn’t react when the water grasped and wrapped around their body like snakes. They couldn’t overpower Bai Liang’s control and were trapped in balls of water one by one. The water forcefully kept them in place, preventing them from swimming out of the sphere. Their yelling was muffled and Bai Liang couldn’t care less what they were shouting at him.

“Father, you can head back first,” Bai Liang prompted. “Once things have calmed down, I’ll come back home.”

Bai Shu-Huang looked at Bai Liang and the Li family trapped in his water prison. He sighed, “Be careful. Mermaid laws have been established since 20 years ago.”

“It’s not that extensive and doesn’t prohibit the use of power towards fellow mermaids,” Bai Liang calmly said. “Stay safe, Father.”

Bai Shu-Huang nodded and finally left, briefly glancing at Li Ziyang as he passed him by. Bai Liang couldn’t have found the truth by himself. It must be with this person’s help. What did he want?

Once Bai Shu-Huang had left, Bai Liang returned to Li Ziyang’s side and hooked his arm, “I did a good job, didn’t I? Praise me~”

Li Ziyang looked at Bai Liang in dissatisfaction, “Was hugging him necessary?”

“He’s my father,” Bai Liang helplessly said.

“And I’m your uncle. Biologically,” Li Ziyang wasn’t appeased.

“Alright, I was wrong,” Bai Liang kissed Li Ziyang’s cheek and smiled ambiguously. “You can punish me all you want later.”

Li Ziyang’s temper deflated from the kiss and he couldn’t even stay upset. He rubbed his temple with a defeated sigh, “I can never win against you.”

Bai Liang laughed pleasingly. He looked up at the swirling spheres floating under the ceiling, “Should we dump them into the ocean?”

“Tempting, but not yet,” Li Ziyang turned to Ming Zhu. “Lock them up as planned. We’re going to the port.”

“Yes, Boss.”

Bai Liang helped bring the people out along with their water prisons. Ming Zhu familiarly led the way to the basement and even further down until they arrived at a dark, concrete room where Li Ziyang’s people were waiting.

He first dumped Li Shua and stabbed her acupoints. One of Li Ziyang’s subordinates then took her to be cuffed to a metal chair. One by one, he disabled their ability to manipulate water and they were taken away to their chairs.

“W-what is this? My ability!?” Li Shua was hysteric.

“What did you do to our body!?” Li Wen-Gui screamed.

“Relax, it’s only temporary,” Bai Liang chuckled and waved as he walked away. “That is if you get to survive though.”

He ignored the yelling and curses behind him. Li Ziyang waited for him outside the door and they walked back to their car. As they set out to the port, Bai Liang checked on Li Shen and Han Wubin.

Since Li Wen-Gui ordered everyone to gather, Li Shen was also told to participate in the memorial but he could go to the port on his own. More importantly, since he believed whoever was behind this was aiming for Li Shen, Li Wen-Gui wanted to use him as bait and draw out his enemy.

But that wouldn’t happen because Li Shen was already captured by Li Ziyang’s men. Han Wubin was injured in the car crash and wouldn’t be able to save him any sooner.

When they arrived at the port, hundreds of people and media were already there. Seeing their car appearing, the cameras immediately pointed at them, not losing a second of the moment when Bai Liang and Li Ziyang stepped out of the car.