Chapter 18: First Fight for Her

A quick-eyed kid pointed at the chubby guy and yelled, "Look, that uncle wet his pants! So embarrassing—still wetting himself at his age!" The chubby guy, utterly humiliated, blushed deeply and wished he could just disappear into the ground. It was the most embarrassing moment he had ever experienced. Tristan kicked the man in the chest. "Answer me!" The crowd around them grew bigger. Nova started to panic—they were in a subway station, and security might be on their way. The chubby man, now bruised and swollen, had obviously been punished enough. If they kept this up, Tristan might end up in trouble again. "Let's go, Tristan. Any more and it might get serious," Nova urged, pulling on his arm. However, Tristan stayed put, not budging. He wasn't ready to let it go. "People like him deserve a beating, it'd be a service to society," he said coldly. The chubby guy, seeing a chance to plead for mercy, crawled over to Nova. "Beautiful lady, beautiful lady, please ask this gentleman to forgive me! I swear I'll change my ways completely! Just give me another chance!" Seeing him in such a state, Nova believed he wouldn't dare do it again. She nodded, "I believe you." She quickly pulled Tristan away from the scene. If they were any slower, they might have ended up detained again. As they walked away, Tristan took Nova's hand and pulled out a wet wipe from his bag to carefully clean her hands. She must have gotten some of the man's greasy residue on her during the scuffle. "Next time something like this happens, leave it to me. You shouldn't have to lift a finger." Tristan was becoming increasingly protective of Nova. Even a slight bump or scrape on her seemed to hurt him deeply. He realized he was getting too caught up, his whole world revolving around this fascinating woman. Remembering a recent misunderstanding, Nova shyly apologized, "Sorry about that." "That's it?" Tristan teased, raising an eyebrow. "You're apologizing without offering anything?" Before Nova could react, he quickly kissed her cheek and smiled satisfactorily, "That's more like it." "You!" Nova, both embarrassed and annoyed, stomped her foot and moved ahead. "Are you mad?" Tristan hurried after her. "How about a kiss back to make it even?" Nova gritted her teeth. His timing was terrible but the idea wasn't all bad, "Seriously? Is this the time for jokes?" "Still mad?" "I'm not mad, just worried that guy might call the cops." Last time he barely avoided detention; getting caught again would be much harder. Tristan gazed earnestly at Nova, her worried expression tugging at his heart. Could it be that she was actually worried about him? "Hanging out with you, every day is like a rollercoaster ride," Nova chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You seem so mild-mannered and well-mannered, yet you throw punches like a pro. Used to fight a lot before?" Tristan gave her a long look, a slight smirk crossing his face as if to say no one worth his fists had crossed his path yet—except for the chubby man. "No." It dawned on Nova then; Tristan had fought for the first time because of her. Her heart tightened, and she almost cried, remembering that, apart from Margaret, nobody had been this kind to her for a very long time. It felt a little sad, realizing that Tristan, whom she'd known for just under a week, showed her more kindness than her own father, her long-term ex-boyfriend, and even her classmates, who seemed only to enjoy her misfortunes. Feeling a touch grateful, she told him, "Tristan, you're really a good guy." Teasing her, Tristan replied, "Right, so you better start hustling to pay off that debt." Nova realized he had a point. Theirs was, after all, a creditor-debtor relationship. She made a face, "Got it, I'll pay you back, don't worry." Just then, Tristan's phone buzzed in his pocket. It was his assistant calling. He shot Nova a look and moved to a nearby patch of greenery to take the call, "Hello?" Nova couldn't catch the details from the distance, but Tristan's furrowed brow was enough to tell her something was off. True to her guess, Tristan came back looking serious after ending the call. "Something's come up, I need to handle it," he said, his expression more somber than usual, indicating the gravity of the situation.