Xia Qingyu's words plunged Xiang Xueyuan into a brief silence.
"You've given me a new direction," Xiang Xueyuan said, looking at Xia Qingyu and chuckling. "Even if you aren't Mobius, just for what you just said, you're capable enough to be my successor."
"Huh?" Xia Qingyu's lips twitched slightly. "Who wants to be your successor! I'm going home!"
With that, Xia Qingyu turned and left. Xiang Xueyuan watched her retreating back with a faint smile.
"Father, Qingyu didn't mean to talk back to you," Tarik said, more concerned that Xiang Xueyuan might lose patience with Xia Qingyu due to her strong attitude.
"It's alright, it's good for young people to have some spirit," Xiang Xueyuan chuckled. "Tarik, since Qingyu isn't Mobius, then Mobius must be among those people. Go investigate."
"Yes," Tarik lowered his head and replied.
"Since you're here, let Mobius stay here forever," Xiang Xueyuan's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes darkened slightly.
Originally, he thought the person opposing him was his daughter. His own child, he was happy to indulge her tantrums, to turn a blind eye.
Since it wasn't his daughter, he no longer needed to tolerate her. Better to kill her. m..oΓg
"Understood," Tarik replied in a low voice, his gaze shifting slightly.
Just then, Xia Qingyu, who had stormed off in anger, returned the same way. Her face was still displeased, with a touch of unnaturalness in her brows.
Xiang Xueyuan and Tarik both looked at Xia Qingyu, unsure of what she was up to now.
"I don't know the way out," Xia Qingyu said sullenly.
"Haha." Xiang Xueyuan burst into hearty laughter. Tarik's eyes also held a smile.
Hearing their laughter, Xia Qingyu's cheeks flushed. She pursed her lips, seemingly unwilling to engage with them further.
In the end, Xiang Xueyuan asked Tarik to escort Xia Qingyu back.
The fluctuations in the crystal energy readings left Xiang Xueyuan with some unease, so he remained alone in the laboratory.
On the way back, Xia Qingyu slept soundly with an eye mask on.
Tarik gazed at Xia Qingyu's sleeping face and couldn't help but reach out and lightly trace her cheek.
His adoptive father had ordered him to kill Mobius. Now it seemed Mobius was definitely among Xia Honglang's group.
Xia Qingyu cared so much about those people. No matter the outcome, killing someone would be a huge blow to Xia Qingyu.
At that time, what kind of look would Xia Qingyu give him?
Just thinking about it made Tarik's chest ache.
He was the last person he wanted to hurt.
But he couldn't refuse his adoptive father's orders, couldn't resist.
"What should I do?" Tarik murmured, looking at Xia Qingyu. "What should I do with you?"
At the same time, Sif, who had stayed at the mansion, emerged from Xia Qingyu's room and then went to Tarik's room. After she came out of Tarik's room, a smooth pearl was in her hand.
This thing did not belong to Tarik.
As soon as she handled it, she knew it was hollow.
Sif took the item back to her room and used a sharp needle to press forcefully on a spot on the pearl. The pearl in her hand opened.
It was empty.
The contents had already been removed.
Holding the pearl between her fingers, Sif brought it to her nose and took a deep breath, memorizing the scent on the pearl.
Before Tarik and Xia Qingyu returned, Sif placed the pearl back in Tarik's room.
Afterward, Sif returned to the sofa and sat there as if she had been resting the entire time.
Not long after, Xia Qingyu and Tarik returned.
The effects of the anesthetic had mostly worn off. Xia Qingyu and Tarik walked into the hall side by side.
Sif pretended nothing had happened and went forward to greet them. Xia Qingyu, feeling groggy, ignored Sif and went straight back to her room.
Feeling snubbed and ignored by Xia Qingyu, Sif clenched her fists at her side, vowing to herself: she would definitely find leverage against Xia Qingyu, expose Xia Qingyu's tricks to her father, and completely drive Xia Qingyu out of here!
Closing the door securely, Xia Qingyu leaned against it. Her still groggy mind replayed the crystal she had seen today and Xiang Xueyuan's words like a movie.
"Madman," Xia Qingyu murmured, placing her hand on her chest. Beneath her palm, her heart beat rapidly and erratically.
What was most frightening was the uncontrollable tremor she felt after hearing Xiang Xueyuan's words and seeing the crystal with her own eyes.
But then she thought that this thing might destroy the world her sister lived in, and Xia Qingyu's surging excitement instantly extinguished.
She couldn't allow such danger to exist, one that threatened her sister's life.
Xia Qingyu immediately thought of contacting Xia Qingtian by phone, but then she stopped herself.
Since Xiang Xueyuan brought her there, he had calculated that she wouldn't dare involve the Xia family.
She was Xiang Xueyuan's biological daughter, so he didn't hide the matter of the crystal from her, believing it didn't matter if she knew.
However, this trust came with conditions and limitations.
The anesthetic eye mask on the journey to and from proved this.
But what about others?
Xiang Xueyuan would not let anyone who knew the secret of the crystal leave this country alive.
She couldn't tell her sister; her sister still had to take her away.
She couldn't let her sister fall into danger.
Xia Qingyu gripped her phone tightly, her eyes gazing at the night sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window, her heart heavy with sadness.
She now knew about the crystal. Would Xiang Xueyuan really let her leave?
"Sister..." Xia Qingyu's gaze shifted, her timid voice tinged with a hint of tears. "I miss you so much..."
A knock on the door behind her startled Xia Qingyu. She immediately asked with a defensive tone, "Who is it?"
"It's me," a male voice came from outside the door.
Xia Qingyu recognized it as Tarik's voice. She raised her hand to wipe her face before turning to open the door. "What is it?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to see if you were scared silly," Tarik said, trying to use a light tone. "If you were, I could take you to the hospital in time. Maybe we could save you."
Xia Qingyu knew Tarik was worried about her. For once, she didn't retort. She just glanced at him and said, "I'm fine."
"Doesn't look like it," Tarik's gaze swept past her into the dark room behind her. "Why isn't the light on? Aren't you going to invite me in?"
"Suit yourself," Xia Qingyu said lazily, turning and walking inside.