The little star from the Gobi Desert, handed over to the state, is hailed as a national treasure.

In that instant, Sweetie felt as if the whole world had stopped.

There was no wind, no sound, nothing at all, only the black-clad man's chillingly cold eyes, growing farther and farther away until they became a tiny black dot and disappeared into the moonlight.

Immediately afterwards, a strong wind arose.

call--

She was once again engulfed by the overwhelming feeling of falling.

She thought of her father. He loved Tian Tian so much. Would he be very worried if he couldn't find Tian Tian?

She thought of her mother again. Her father said that her mother had gone to a very far place and would come back when she grew up.

But when she was three, her mother still hadn't come back. When she was four, her mother still hadn't come back.

Now that she has fallen, will her mother come to pick her up?

Mom, are you down there?

Sweetie isn't afraid of the dark anymore. Sweetie misses you.

She also thought of many people: Grandpa Xu and Grandpa Feng at the mine, Grandpa Liu and Grandpa Qian in the desert, as well as Grandpa Wang, Grandpa Bai, and so many uncles and aunts. If Tian Tian could never go back, would they still remember her?

And what about Sister Xiaoyu? That bad guy pushed her down and she bled a lot. What if Sister Xiaoyu fell down too? Is she still alive?

The rocks continued to rush past her, one after another, becoming denser and faster. She heard something chirping and rustling, sounds she had never heard before.

Sweetie was so frightened that she closed her eyes tightly.

The wind was still howling in her ears, as if it wanted to tear her apart. She wanted to curl up into a ball, but her body wouldn't obey her commands; her hands and feet were stiff, and she could barely move.

"Daddy..." she cried in her heart, "Catch Sweetie quickly, Sweetie is so scared..."

suddenly--

"squeak!"

A sharp, clear cry rang in her ears without warning.

Before Tian Tian could react, she felt her falling body suddenly stop. The suffocating feeling of weightlessness was instantly supported by a warm and solid force.

The howling cold wind was instantly shut out.

What is it? Catch her!

The furry touch enveloped her, warm and cozy, carrying the scent of the forest. Two strong, powerful claws gripped her waist and legs, helping to dissipate the force that threatened to tear her apart.

Sweetie's little heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat. The rush of blood made her dizzy, and she struggled to catch her breath for a long time before she dared to peek out cautiously through a crack in her eye.

A hairy face loomed close to her, so close that she could see every single grayish-brown hair. Two round, animalistic eyes stared at her with a bright yellow light.

When it opens its mouth, two small, sharp teeth are visible.

"Sun Wukong?!" Sweetie blurted out.

The picture book Grandpa Xu gave her depicted the all-powerful Monkey King, who rode on auspicious clouds, soaring through the heavens and diving into the earth, and possessing seventy-two transformations! The monkey in front of her was different from the one she had seen at the zoo; it must be Sun Wukong who had transformed to save her!

The monkey tilted its head, seemingly not quite understanding what the little girl was saying. It supported Sweetie's little body with its two front paws, nimbly leaping through the air, while its remaining two paws and its thick, long tail clung tightly to an old vine that stretched out from a crack in the cliff face, as if it had taken root.

The vine was suddenly pulled down, swayed a few times, and made a groaning sound as if it could not bear the weight.

Sweetie was so frightened that she held her breath and didn't dare to move.

Like a frightened koala, she stretched out her little hands and hugged the monkey's neck tightly, burying her face in its thick, warm shoulder fur, almost afraid to open her eyes and look out.

The monkey didn't move. It just held her there, hanging in mid-air, swaying gently with the movement of the vines, as if patiently comforting her and helping the frightened baby in its arms to recover.

The moonlight shone on the monkey's face, revealing the wrinkles of varying depths. It was clearly an old monkey, with thick, dense fur and a few strands of gray on its neck.

It looked at the little girl hanging on its body, its clear yellow eyes flashing a few times, as if scolding, curious, and a little confused, as if wondering, "How did you fall down from up there, little thing?"

Sweetie had no idea what the old monkey was thinking; all she knew was that she was saved.

Having barely survived, she wanted to thank this kind "Monkey King" properly.

The man and the monkey hung on the vine for a while, and then a few more squeaks came from all around.

Several dark figures nimbly climbed up the vines and branches, and even several hairy heads poked out from the crevices of the protruding rocks.

They looked at Tian Tian without any fierceness or mockery in their eyes. They neither pounced on her to scare her nor abandoned her.

They exchanged a few words of advice with squeaks, and then the old monkey, carrying Sweetie, slowly scurried down the vines and trees.

Sometimes it lands on protruding rocks, and sometimes it swings onto thick tree trunks, moving nimbly and swiftly, as if flying through the mountains and forests.

Sweetie nestled in the monkey's arms, feeling the wind gently brushing against her face. Her body no longer felt like a lost kite, but rather enveloped by a sense of security, filled with a feeling of complete peace.

Surrounded by little monkeys, they leaped and bounded between the trees as if walking on flat ground, giving Tian Tian the illusion that she was in a huge zoo.

Gradually, Tian Tian's heart, which had been in her throat, slowly settled back down. Her little head, which had been huddled fearfully against the monkey's chest, began to peek out, her round eyes wide with curiosity as she looked at the strange world she had never seen before.

The shadows of trees and the strangely shaped cliffs remained, but what reached the ears were the clear chirping of birds, the tinkling of mountain streams, the rustling of leaves, and the familiar, comforting "squeak" sounds.

After an unknown amount of time, the old monkey's paws finally touched solid ground. It first landed on a huge rock covered with moss, and then with a light leap, it jumped onto a thick pile of fallen leaves.

The pile of fallen leaves was dry and soft, like a natural hay mat. It carefully placed Sweetie on it, jumped to the side and squatted down, its long tail sweeping behind it as it tilted its head and watched Sweetie.

The little girl had just experienced a near-death experience, and her legs were still weak. She plopped down on the fallen leaves, panting heavily, patting her small chest and quietly encouraging herself.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Sweetie isn't afraid."

My mother used to comfort me like this whenever I was scared.

After encouraging herself, she raised her head and looked at the old monkey in front of her by the moonlight.

It was larger than any golden retriever I had ever seen before, its fur was grayish-white, a small piece was missing from its left ear, and there was a faint old scar on its neck, clearly showing that it had weathered many years of storms.

To Tian Tian's surprise, the old monkey had a long, shiny chain around its neck. It wasn't the kind of iron chain used to tether small animals, but rather resembled the pretty chain her mother used to wear around her neck.

Because of its age, the chain was tangled with the fur, and most of it was even buried in the fur, making it impossible to see what was hanging underneath.

Sweetie curiously reached out her little hand, wanting to touch the chain. The old monkey hesitated for a moment, but did not dodge. Instead, he moved closer obediently and even raised his neck slightly.

Sweet fingertips touched the cool chain, and following the chain downwards, they found a hard object hanging below, which looked like a bronze plaque.

A few words were faintly engraved on the bronze plaque. Unfortunately, the moonlight was hazy, and they couldn't be seen clearly. The little girl sighed with regret, wishing she could learn more from Grandpa Qian so she could know what secret the plaque contained.

Just then, several little monkeys darted up to her, surrounding her and tilting their heads to look at her curiously. They would occasionally touch the hem of her clothes with their furry little paws, and the bolder ones even sniffed at her feet.

Sweetie wasn't afraid of them at all. She reached out her little hand and gently touched the old monkey's back, then half-huddled around its neck, asking in her childish voice, "Sun Wukong? Are you Sun Wukong?"

The old monkey, of course, didn't know who "Sun Wukong" was, and could only stare at her with wide eyes, puzzled.

Sweetie explained to it, "You saved Sweetie from such a high mountain, so you must have seventy-two transformations, right? Can you turn into a big bird and take Sweetie back?"

To make sure it understood, the little girl imitated the bird, flapping her arms twice and pointing towards the mountain.