XueLing’s landing was more of a controlled plummet, XiShi clutched tightly in his arms, her body pressed against his as if he were a human shield―or perhaps a very warm and slightly annoying security blanket. Honestly, she felt like a ragdoll being flung about, and the lack of projectile vomiting considering her past life’s horrific motion sickness was nothing short of a miracle.

"Well, if the rock mountain tribe is truly sorry," XueLing drawled, the sarcasm dripping from his voice like honey-dipped daggers, "then they should compensate us appropriately for the losses." His arms tightened around her as he spoke, a possessive embrace that had nothing to do with her safety and everything to do with his inability to be mere feet away from her for any elongated period of time.

She stood there, awkwardly tucked against his side, and then she saw her. Little Lin HuanHuan, the novel's all-knowing, sickeningly sweet protagonist, was staring directly at XueLing. Or, more accurately, staring at the gaudy, ridiculously expensive gems that adorned him. XueLing, of course, interpreted the intense gaze as something far more significant, a silent declaration of some unspoken adoration in the novel.

Everyone around them reacted differently, a symphony of awkward and uncomfortable. Some regarded her like she was an exotic bloom, a rare curiosity. The feather clan members wore expressions of pity, no doubt imagining her being dragged around by this nightmare of a man. And XueLing... well, he looked at her like she was a five-course meal he was desperate to devour, a look that made her want to bury herself in the nearest hole. This man was going to be the death of her.

"Quit staring at me!" he snapped, flicking his hair dramatically, a movement so hilariously over-the-top it almost made her snort. HuanHuan's face, however, twisted into the physical embodiment of I wanna punch that dude in the face.

"Well, then shouldn't you teach your children not to trespass into other's territories!" she retorted, her voice edged with exasperation. She was trapped in a ridiculous drama, and she wasn't even getting paid.

God.

XiShi felt a sudden urge to jump back into the safety of non-existence when XueLing's usual cocky smirk morphed into a scowl. It was the precursor to negotiation XueLing style, which meant loud, theatrical, and likely to end with someone crying. HuanHuan, clearly not one to back down, stood her ground, her tiny form oozing stubborn persistence. This was going to be a long, excruciatingly tedious day. A day with a lot of drama, and she was only here to support her weirdly possessive mate......... What a life she had chosen.

Or well, not chosen.