"Why would Miss Xia be there at this time?" Mobius steered the conversation back to Xia Qingtian.
"Jogging, morning exercise," Xia Qingtian replied casually. "Who knew my first morning out for exercise would land me in something like this..."
"Past 4 AM? That's rather early," Mobius found Xia Qingtian's explanation not very credible.
"It is a bit early," Xia Qingtian yawned. "Can I catch up on some sleep?"
"Yes, sleep," Mobius agreed, adjusting the car's air conditioning.
Xia Qingtian kept her head down and her eyes closed, but she had no intention of sleeping.
Catching up on sleep was merely an excuse to evade further questioning. She was wide awake, replaying the scene of Song Junhan being hit by the truck in her mind.
[Beep—]
[Chosen Son System has been activated.]
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the hidden mission and achieving the initial 'Avoiding Calamity' accomplishment of a Chosen Son.]
[The Chosen Son Mall is now unlocked, along with ten points. We hope the Host will continue to strive for more achievements and level up~]
Xia Qingtian was somewhat surprised that she had completed the hidden mission. Moreover, the system's electronic voice sounded happier than she was, suggesting that her achievements were also beneficial to the system. As soon as the system's voice ended, a blue interface appeared in Xia Qingtian's mind. The value in the top left corner was 10. The layout below resembled a game character's equipment screen. On the left, the redeemable items were few, consisting only of some cash and fast-acting medicine. On the right was a lucky roulette, costing 5 points per spin, marked as [Not yet available]. At the very bottom were Xia Qingtian's unclaimed rewards and pending tasks.
While Xia Qingtian was studying the Chosen Son Mall, Mobius had already driven her to the entrance of the Xia residence. The early morning light was faint, with the sky already showing signs of paling.
"Miss Xia," Mobius's voice was soft and deep. He didn't touch Xia Qingtian, simply calling out twice, "Miss Xia."
Pretending to be asleep, Xia Qingtian merely mumbled and slowly opened her eyes, meeting a pair of dark irises. She felt a flutter of panic. For some reason, she felt as if Mobius's gaze saw through everything yet said nothing. Mysterious and dangerous. Without prying or probing, he politely advised Xia Qingtian to drink some ginger soup to warm herself up, and to contact him anytime if she had nightmares. After thanking him, Xia Qingtian got out of the car.
Watching Xia Qingtian's retreating figure until she completely disappeared behind the door, Mobius then turned the car around and headed back towards the road. Once the car was driving smoothly, Mobius contacted his driver. "How is it?"
"The police are still investigating," the driver replied. "The truck driver seems to have a criminal record and is currently on the run. Preliminary findings suggest fatigue-induced driving and hit-and-run. The patient is in emergency care at the hospital and should be out of danger. The current trouble is that the road segment has no surveillance, so the specific details are still unknown."
"Alright, I understand," Mobius replied and hung up. After a moment of thought, Mobius dialed another number in his phone contacts. "Help me investigate something."
"Gu Yuanjia, do you know what time it is?" came a sleepy, coquettish male voice from the other end of the line. "Even a machine needs rest, let alone me!"
"Triple the usual fee."
"Alright, you have my attention." As long as the money was there, he could shed his humanity. He was just a relentless money-making machine.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian returned to the Xia residence. Passing through the living room, she casually picked up a bright red apple from the fruit basket and sniffed it. The pleasant fruity aroma made her mind even clearer. "Why didn't I think apple scent smelled so good before?" she murmured, walking up the stairs.
At that moment, a pair of orange and white indoor slippers caught her eye. Following the slippers upwards, her gaze moved past slender ankles, past a light-colored tracksuit, finally settling on a delicate face. Waving the apple in her hand, Xia Qingtian said, "Morning, off for your morning workout?"
"Where did you go?" Xia Qingyu asked, looking at Xia Qingtian.
"Morning workout." Xia Qingtian prepared to pass Xia Qingyu but was stopped again.
"You went out at 4 AM," Xia Qingyu raised her hand to block Xia Qingtian. "Morning exercise shouldn't be this early."
Xia Qingyu had a nightmare and woke up unable to recall its details, losing her sleepiness. She had intended to get a glass of water but spotted Xia Qingtian leaving the house on the stairs. Not knowing what she was up to, and not wanting to endure scolding by meddling, Xia Qingyu hid and waited for Xia Qingtian to leave before coming downstairs. After getting a glass of water and returning to her bedroom, Xia Qingyu became increasingly uneasy. She worried about Xia Qingtian while also feeling that her concern was foolish and that she deserved being humiliated by Xia Qingtian every time. After much deliberation, she decided to follow her, coincidentally meeting the returning Xia Qingtian. Xia Qingtian, acting as if nothing had happened, walking upstairs while smelling the apple, made her own worry seem redundant and foolish.
"You saw me?" Xia Qingtian took a step forward, her face close to Xia Qingyu, their gazes level.
"So what if I did? You... do you have something to hide?" Xia Qingyu met Xia Qingtian's eyes and, for some reason, felt an inexplicable lack of confidence.
"Are you... going to look for me?" Xia Qingtian narrowed her eyes slightly, sly as a little fox.
Xia Qingyu opened her lips, wanting to deny it, but didn't know how. She had never been good at lying.
"You were worried about me," Xia Qingtian concluded, curving her lips. She pushed the apple into Xia Qingyu's palm. "I'm going back to sleep. This is for you."
"Hey!" An apple was suddenly thrust into Xia Qingyu's hand. Before she could react, a hand gently ruffled her hair. "Don't worry, I'm fine." With that, Xia Qingtian yawned lazily and went straight to her room.
"I! I wasn't worried about you!" Xia Qingyu stubbornly called out to Xia Qingtian's retreating back.
Hearing this as she closed the door, Xia Qingtian merely curled her lips and said nothing. She had seen many things during the system's review of past life truths. After her car accident and leg injury, Xia Qingyu had visited her while she was asleep, whispering, "Sister." The concerned look in her eyes, the tears, the carefulness with which she held her hand—it wasn't fake.
The scene in her mind shifted, and Xia Qingtian seemed to meet Mobius's all-knowing eyes again. Her heart skipped a beat, a sense of danger washing over her. Combined with Mobius's actions when he drove her home, Xia Qingtian increasingly felt... This man was dangerously captivating.