That identity was indeed tempting. If they could connect themselves to an Air Force pilot, their whole lives would be set—they would no longer be trapped in this mountain hollow.
But…
Just because he said he was a pilot, did that make it true? What if he was just another fraud?
Look at his build—he clearly ate a lot. And now he was injured; treating him would cost money. If they weren’t careful, they might lose more than they gained.
While Li Lao’er and the others were still calculating, Xie Jinwen had already walked far away.
“Oh no, that calamity star ran off!” Aunt Wang shouted.
The others snapped back to reality and yelled, “Don’t let her escape! If that man is really a pilot, Xie girl would never just hand him over. It must be a scam to trick us!”
They couldn’t catch up to Xie Jinwen. But even if the monk runs, the temple remains.
A few of them carried Ling Xiao and dumped him at the entrance of Xie Jinwen’s house before quickly fleeing.
When Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes, the light was dim. A faint but calming scent of bitter herbs filled the air. The dull pain in his chest reminded him of the crash and his near-death injuries.
As the ace pilot of the base, he had experienced countless simulated emergencies and high-risk missions. But he had never been so close to death.
A sudden cloud shift, engine failure, total instrument blackout—no chance to report distress. The fighter jet had fallen like a broken kite into the mountains.
His last memory was the piercing pain of a wing fragment tearing through his chest, followed by darkness.
And then…
He hadn’t died.
Once his eyes adjusted, he finally saw his surroundings.
He was lying on a bed, covered with a thin blanket, his body warm.
Ling Xiao moved his eyes—and froze when he saw the girl beside the pillow. He shot upright in shock.
He was lying in the same bed as a girl.
Xie Jinwen was startled awake by the movement. She frowned in displeasure.
“Playing dead like a pig—so heavy I could barely move you. Now you’re suddenly so energetic? If you’re not sleeping, get out. Don’t disturb me.”
Ling Xiao was still stunned.
“You… me… we’re sleeping together?”
Xie Jinwen rolled over and wrapped the blanket around herself.
“Nonsense. There’s only one bed in the house. If we don’t sleep together, should I throw you outside?”
Ling Xiao slowly calmed down and looked at the girl curled up like a caterpillar.
“You saved me?”
“Or what?” she replied.
“Then why did you throw me halfway earlier?”
Xie Jinwen opened her eyes slightly. This guy remembered everything—and he was quite petty.
“You were too heavy. I let them carry you the rest of the way. Saved energy.”
“What if they threw me away too?”
“They wouldn’t.”
Ling Xiao fell silent.
He found it absurd that he was lying in bed with a stranger, even talking like a nervous abandoned puppy.
Who was he? The ace pilot of the base. The rising star of a top military family in the capital. Someone who normally stood above others.
And now he was afraid of being abandoned?
Was he losing his mind?
Carefully, he tried to crawl toward the edge of the bed, avoiding contact with her. Just as he reached the side, a slender leg hooked him.
“Stop moving. Come back.”
Her leg lightly pressed against his abdomen. He could have pushed it away easily—but he didn’t dare move. His ears turned red.
“Miss, isn’t this moving a bit too fast? Shouldn’t we at least get to know each other first… meet the parents… register the marriage… and then—”
He stopped, but the implication was clear.
Xie Jinwen rolled her eyes.
“Are you really that thoughtful a person?”
Ling Xiao froze slightly.
“You know me?”
“You’re Ling Xiao. I’m Xie Jinwen. Now we know each other. Sleep. Otherwise, you won’t get any sleep later.”
Ling Xiao lay there, unsure whether to stay or leave. He quickly changed the topic.
“I’m single. From the capital. My parents are decent people. I have one older sister and two younger brothers—they’re all easy to get along with.”
Xie Jinwen ignored him.
After a pause, he asked, “I remember my injuries were severe. Why do I only feel slight pain in my chest now?”
He touched his chest. The skin was intact—no wounds at all. Yet he clearly remembered being pierced there. It should have been fatal.
Xie Jinwen grew impatient.
“What else? I saved you. Did you think I was doing charity?”
“…Are you a divine doctor?” his voice lowered.
Her patience finally snapped. She hooked her leg again and kicked him off the bed.
Ling Xiao reacted quickly and steadied himself on the floor.
Xie Jinwen closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
Ling Xiao sighed softly, feeling something he couldn’t quite name.
The room’s furnishings were strange, but he didn’t wander. He pulled a chair over and sat beside the bed, closing his eyes to rest.
A dragon in shallow waters still had to adapt before rising again.
Late at night—
Screams erupted outside the house.
“Ah!”
“Ah! Ah!”
“Ah! Ah! Ah!”
Ling Xiao, already lightly asleep, immediately opened his eyes and stood up to investigate.
“No need to care about them. They’ll quiet down soon.”
Xie Jinwen’s voice was muffled, like sleep-talking.
Ling Xiao turned back. “Do you know what they’re here for?”
“They’re here to steal a person.”
His gaze sharpened. “They’re trying to hurt you?”
“No,” she said clearly, “they’re here to steal you.”
Ling Xiao: “……”
Xie Jinwen explained lazily, “The village chief and others went to check the crash site. They found out it was an Air Force fighter jet and that you were still alive. They realized they wrongly dumped you at my house and are now regretting it so much they’re slapping their thighs blue. But they’re afraid I won’t hand you over, so they came in the middle of the night to steal you.”
Ling Xiao picked up on something else entirely.
“This is my first time here, but you don’t seem unfamiliar with this kind of thing. Do they often climb walls at night?”
Xie Jinwen let out a self-mocking laugh.
“I misjudged you. You really are quite perceptive.”
Ling Xiao clenched his fist slightly, emotions rising without a clear target.
“This isn’t funny.”
“It really isn’t,” she said. “I lived with my grandmother. She passed away a few years ago, so now I’m alone. Look at me—don’t I look pretty?”
In the dim light, Ling Xiao could still make out her features—well-proportioned, clearly beautiful even if not fully visible.
She continued, “The villagers call me a calamity star. The women curse me even more fiercely. First, because they blame me for all their misfortunes. Second, because of how the men look at me.
“I’m the kind of appearance men like. But no one would dare marry a calamity star home. They’re afraid of gossip.
“But they’re not afraid to come harass me in the middle of the night.”