It turns out!
This matter was someone deliberately playing tricks!
Going by the system's usual behavior, the bonus of 5 million for option b would likely come from my own pocket in the end, perhaps a reward from Father Xia after I told him.
Since that's the case, she might as well choose option a.
Moreover, Xia Shang had already investigated for her. This project had enormous expenditures. If it were stopped now, the money already spent would be unrecoverable. Xia's company would have to shed a layer of skin even if it didn't collapse!
[I choose a.]
[The host has chosen the more difficult option, and an additional assist reward is hereby activated.]
[With divine help, please collect it in a timely manner.]
Divine help?
What the heck was that?
Before Xia Qingtian could ponder this, she saw a black private car approaching from a distance.
"Someone's coming!" Little Fatty immediately pointed at the approaching private car.
"I'll go tell the adults!" Little Ni jumped up and said.
"You three go together, hurry! I'll hold them off!" Xia Qingtian nudged the three children, "Run!"
The three children didn't have time to think and bolted.
Only after the three children had run far away did the private car stop. As the door opened, a familiar face emerged.
"Mobius?" Xia Qingtian was startled to see him, inwardly praising the system for arranging such a divine teammate!
"Qingtian?" Mobius seemed to have not expected to meet Xia Qingtian here.
"There's no time to explain, get in the car!" Xia Qingtian immediately pushed Mobius back into the car and then tapped the driver sitting in front on the shoulder, "Head back to the city center."
The driver, receiving a look from Mobius, turned the car around and drove towards the city center.
Not long after the car drove away, the three children returned with adults in tow.
Upon their return, everyone was stunned looking at the empty construction site.
Where did they go?
The three children were also stunned.
Where was the big sister who was drawing?
Meanwhile, in Mobius's car, Xia Qingtian gathered her long hair with her hands, casually tying it into a low ponytail at the back of her head. She then removed her unfashionable black-rimmed glasses before asking, "I haven't asked you yet, what were you doing there?"
"Gu Corporation Entertainment had invested partially in Xia's resort project. I recently heard it wasn't going smoothly, so I... I came to investigate on Mr. Gu's orders," Mobius said, looking at Xia Qingtian.
The driver in front cast a silent glance at Mobius in the rearview mirror.
Never mind, as long as the boss is happy.
Xia Qingtian understood.
Since Gu Corporation Entertainment had also invested in this, she and Mobius were now teammates on the same side.
As allies, Xia Qingtian didn't hold back and directly relayed what she had learned from the children to Mobius.
Mobius's brows furrowed as he listened.
He knew Xia's project was not going smoothly and had brought a lot of trouble to Xia's company later on. He had only invested out of courtesy at the time.
It was only recently, out of curiosity about Xia Qingtian, that he had started to take a more serious look at this project.
He never expected such inside information.
"Immortals in the divine mountain?"
"It's all superstitious talk, just deceiving people," Xia Qingtian waved her hand and said, "Someone must be pretending to be a deity. However, it's not easy to infiltrate now. But I've bribed a few children. Next time, you can wear casual clothes, and we'll come again."
"Bribed a few children?" Mobius's lips curved into a subtle arc.
Noticing Mobius snickering, Xia Qingtian snorted, "Don't underestimate children, they're very smart!"
"Smart, yet you could bribe them?" Mobius found a loophole in Xia Qingtian's words.
"They're just not smart enough yet," Xia Qingtian rationalized, ultimately setting up their next meeting.
Three days later, Xia Qingtian met Mobius, dressed in casual wear, at their agreed-upon location.
This was the first time Xia Qingtian had seen Mobius in casual attire.
Before, she had only thought that Mobius was perfectly suited for the elite style of suits, ties, and white shirts.
She hadn't expected him to look so good in simple casual outfits like a white hoodie paired with dark jeans.
"We'll take the bus over," Xia Qingtian pulled Mobius onto the bus before explaining, "They are very wary of outsiders, but they are a bit more accepting of people arriving by bus." m..oΓg
This could be seen from the fact that the three children didn't immediately run to call the adults after she left last time.
"Also, just tell them you're a student from the painting department at Z University," Xia Qingtian took out two presentable student IDs from her backpack, "I borrowed them from a classmate in the painting department. Don't lose them."
"You're quite well-prepared," Mobius said with a light chuckle.
"Of course, our goal today is very clear: find a way to see that divine mountain," Xia Qingtian clenched her fist.
She had planned all night yesterday and barely slept.
The direct consequence was that for the first half hour after getting on the bus, she was chatting animatedly with Mobius, but for the remaining three hours, she slept soundly, leaning on Mobius's shoulder.
Xia Qingtian: "Hoo..."
Mobius: "..."
Upon reaching their destination, Xia Qingtian slowly woke up and then wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into as Mobius helped her off the bus.
"I'm sorry, was my head very heavy?" Xia Qingtian's cheeks flushed.
"It's fine, I can still manage," Mobius said, moving his slightly numb shoulder, "Treat me to a meal when we get back."
"It's on me," Xia Qingtian patted her chest and promised.
Just then, the three children also spotted Xia Qingtian and ran over: "Sister! Are you okay?"
"It's you guys!" Xia Qingtian smiled at the three children and said, "I'm fine. I'm sorry I left last time without saying goodbye."
"Did the bad guys take you away?" Little Ni asked anxiously.
"Not bad guys, it was people from the city who gave me a ride," Xia Qingtian explained.
"Is that so." The three children drooped their heads.
"Why does it feel like you're disappointed that I wasn't kidnapped by bad guys?" Xia Qingtian asked, blinking.
At this point, the three children told her what had happened after she left.
It turned out that the adults hadn't seen anyone from the city, nor had they seen that big sister, and thought they were lying. They thought they were being naughty and not guarding their posts, and had reported false information.
"What about the snacks you guys had left over?" Xia Qingtian asked.
"They're gone," Little Fatty said with a crying face, "That's why everyone believed us even less."
"What should we do..." Xia Qingtian said, "Should I go explain to them?"
"Forget it, it's useless. Today they're going to the divine mountain for blessings and rituals, so no one will be home," Little Ni said.
Xia Qingtian and Mobius exchanged a glance, then she said, "Then I'll go explain to them at the divine mountain. You guys come with me. This time, they should believe you! I want to show them that you are not children who lie and are irresponsible!"