Xia Qingtian originally thought the photo was meant to be a bluff.
Upon receiving Xia Qingyu's reply, Xia Qingtian became even more certain that the person who sent the photo wasn't targeting Xia Qingyu, but herself.
Having done such a pointless thing, in both lifetimes combined, there was only one person who could be responsible.
After thinking it through, Xia Qingtian began to plot in her mind.
The rewards currently given by the system, besides the "Day's Luck +10" used on the college entrance exam day, included some unused rewards.
If things went smoothly... perhaps these rewards could be used to accomplish something.
With this thought, Xia Qingtian narrowed her eyes slightly.
Soon, it was the following Tuesday. At 4 AM, Xia Qingtian left her home.
Xin Ying Park was not far from the Xia family's residence, only about a twenty-minute walk. It was still dark, and the streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow.
Xia Qingtian wore a hooded jacket, her hands tucked into her pockets. A visible puff of white dissipated in the wind with each yawn.
Xia Qingtian remembered that Xin Ying Park was built when she was very young. Now, over a decade later, maintenance wasn't very thorough, and the facilities were somewhat old. The east gate was particularly lacking, without even a single security camera.
It was indeed a perfect spot for committing evil deeds.
Scanning the area, Xia Qingtian spotted a man's figure under the bus stop sign. He was wearing a dark tracksuit and a baseball cap, leaning against the sign and looking in her direction, seemingly confirming something.
The man took out his phone, the screen lighting up, and then Xia Qingtian's phone rang.
On the deserted street, Xia Qingtian's phone ringtone sounded particularly conspicuous.
At this moment, the man seemed to have finally confirmed Xia Qingtian's identity and waved at her.
Xia Qingtian took a step towards the man.
Just then, a large truck emerged from a turn.
Simultaneously, Xia Qingtian crouched down to tie her shoelaces.
Seeing Xia Qingtian's action, the man froze. His peripheral vision had already caught the truck's headlights.
Why tie shoelaces now!
Hurry up and come over!
Xia Qingtian, however, maintained an unhurried pace, only standing up as the truck approached.
And at this moment, two hands appeared behind Xia Qingtian.
"Use adrenaline," Xia Qingtian murmured, and in an instant, just as the person behind her was about to push her, she dodged to the side with extreme speed.
It seemed instantaneous. The person who was about to push Xia Qingtian suddenly pushed nothing but air. Before they could react, they stumbled forward a large step due to inertia.
Immediately after, the truck let out a screech of brakes, followed by the sound of a heavy object impacting the ground.
The person who had been standing under the bus stop sign was completely stunned and turned to flee.
Xia Qingtian glanced at him casually before strolling towards the front of the truck.
A visible dent had appeared on the front of the large truck.
The truck driver, sitting in the driver's seat, stared at his target standing unharmed, while his employer lay on the ground unconscious from his own collision.
What was going on?
Without time to think, the truck driver glared at Xia Qingtian, opened the door, and immediately fled.
This job was probably not going to get the remaining payment. He considered himself unlucky!
Seeing the truck driver leap from the vehicle and escape, Xia Qingtian did not stop him. Instead, she looked at the person in the pool of blood—Song Junhan.
She had known that given Song Junhan's character, after failing once, he would be extremely cautious the second time. The person who met her would definitely not be him.
And Song Junhan wouldn't be too far away; he needed to ensure the matter proceeded smoothly.
When Xia Qingtian intentionally lowered her head to tie her shoelaces, she was certain Song Junhan would act personally.
Therefore, Xia Qingtian used the adrenaline. According to the system's instructions, this adrenaline could be used to break through physical limits in critical moments.
Tilting her head, Xia Qingtian sized up Song Junhan and smiled.
She took out her phone and dialed the emergency center, stating the specific address.
Bright headlights illuminated Xia Qingtian's side. Beneath her hood, her perfectly formed face held a deep gaze and a radiant smile.
The last thing Song Junhan saw before losing consciousness was this scene.
Xia Qingtian, like a vengeful spirit crawling out of hell, displayed her most beautiful smile, her eyes filled with bloodshed.
"Does it hurt? This is only the beginning," Xia Qingtian murmured.
Just then, a black private car drove up. The person inside glanced at the truck and froze.
Why was there a large truck on this street today? This street had height and weight restrictions; trucks shouldn't be on this road.
As the car passed the truck, the person inside spotted Xia Qingtian standing in the headlights and frowned.
"Stop the car."
"Yes, Mr. Gu."
Xia Qingtian had noticed the bright headlights when the car approached. She had assumed it would drive straight past, but she hadn't expected it to stop midway, and for someone to get out of the car.
Meddling busybody.
Curses inwardly, Xia Qingtian's brow furrowed. She quickly adopted an expression of fear and unease.
"Miss Xia?"
The voice came from behind her. Xia Qingtian was startled for a moment, then immediately turned her head and saw Mobius standing behind her.
"Mobius?" Seeing it was him, Xia Qingtian couldn't even hide her shock and unease before being pulled into a warm embrace.
"Don't look," Mobius said, cupping the back of Xia Qingtian's head. "You must be scared."
"..." Xia Qingtian's heart trembled, and her entire body stiffened.
The September morning was very cold, and her ears were icy, but this embrace was very warm.
Clutching Mobius's collar, Xia Qingtian remained silent.
Mobius looked at the pool of blood on the ground and the person lying on their back in the crimson pool. His gaze deepened.
It was only then that he noticed who this person was.
He remembered that this person was supposed to be Xia Qingtian's future husband, Song Junhan, the son-in-law who later seized the Xia family's assets.
Originally, Song Junhan wasn't supposed to have such a calamity.
With this thought, Mobius lowered his head to look at Xia Qingtian, who was curled up in his arms, his eyes profound.
This Xia Qingtian...
She might just be a mischievous little fox.
The ambulance soon arrived, and Song Junhan was taken into the vehicle by medical personnel.
Police officers also arrived, clearly to investigate the accident.
"Xiao Lin, go with them," Mobius said to his driver.
"Yes," the driver nodded and left with the police.
Mobius then took the driver's seat and drove Xia Qingtian home.
"I really didn't expect to run into you at a time like this." The car's air conditioning was on high, and Xia Qingtian felt much warmer.
"I just finished work and happened to be passing by," Mobius said, glancing at Xia Qingtian in the rearview mirror. "With the current market conditions, working overtime is the norm."
"Finishing work at midnight..." Xia Qingtian pouted. "You work very hard under Mr. Gu. It's true, bosses nowadays are capitalists, inhuman."
"Mm."