Chapter 4 He Wants to Follow Her Forever

'I take back everything I said. This is the most badass young female I've ever seen.' 'She looks so gentle and sweet, but d*mn—she's fierce!' Inside the restaurant, the males didn't dare make a move. The only sound that echoed through Celadon House was Xenia's pitiful cries of "Oww! Oww!" Tessa released her, but Xenia refused to back down. She glared at Tessa with pure venom and suddenly tried to kick her. Tessa effortlessly sidestepped. Xenia's foot met nothing but air, throwing her off balance. With a sharp yelp, she stumbled forward and crashed onto the floor. At that moment, the livestream's viewership skyrocketed, surpassing even the top-ranked influencers. The vlogger, who had started the stream just to review food, had never experienced such a dramatic surge in popularity. Torn between the fear of causing trouble and the gold mine of content unfolding before their eyes, they chose to keep filming—albeit with trembling hands. New viewers flooded in, having heard that there was major drama. But no one had expected this level of chaos. 'Am I hallucinating from lack of sleep, or am I witnessing two females fighting?!' 'It's called self-defense, not a fight.' 'But Xenia was originally trying to hit Jacob.' Jacob, as a male, had no right to fight back. In this society, if a female hit a male, he could do nothing but take it. If he retaliated—even slightly—he'd be charged with assaulting a female and sentenced to at least ten years in prison. Xenia, humiliated by her back-to-back failures, finally remembered that she wasn't alone. "You two! Are you just going to stand there and watch me get bullied?!" Her companions—two newly acquired consorts, a pair of brothers—looked utterly mortified, caught between a rock and a hard place. As Xenia's partners, they were obligated to protect her and fight for her honor, but the opponent was also a female. And not just any female—Tessa looked even more delicate and fragile than Xenia, the kind that evoked deep protective instincts. Even if they were willing to risk imprisonment, they physically couldn't bring themselves to attack her. Xenia waited for them to act, but when nothing happened, she took a deep breath—then suddenly burst into tears. Tessa was dumbfounded. Honestly, she had never fought anyone this weak before. Nor had she ever met someone so fragile. Sure, Xenia had a terrible temper—but her actual combat ability? Completely negligible. After a moment of hesitation, Tessa reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, offering it to Xenia. It was something she had brought with her when she transmigrated over—a small, delicate piece of fabric hand-stitched by herself. A little sunflower was embroidered in the corner. Xenia snatched it without hesitation and wiped her face, sniffing pitifully while sneaking occasional glances at Tessa. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She simply could not understand what Tessa was thinking. "I can't believe you actually fought me for a male!" They were both females—the highest-ranking beings in society. Males, no matter how powerful their status, were meant to be beneath them. She had always taken it for granted that she could hit one whenever she pleased. Yet, this strange female had actually sided with a male and turned against her. Tessa raised a single finger. "First, I didn't fight you. I simply stopped you from hitting someone. Second, whether male or female, everyone has basic rights and dignity. You feel humiliated now, don't you? Well, tell me—wouldn't Jacob have felt the same if you had slapped him in front of everyone? "And third—you're just a stranger to me. But Jacob? Jacob is family. You attacked him right in front of me without a second thought, so of course, I defended him." Xenia stood there, completely dazed. She stared at Tessa—this petite yet commanding presence—completely unable to process what she had just heard. The live-stream audience had spiraled into pure frenzy. 'Who is this young female?! I need to know her name—NOW!' 'She's so badass, I'm in love! Aaahhhhh!' 'I'm going to clip the part where she said, 'Of course, I'll protect him,' and play it on a loop a hundred times every day!' 'Males have dignity too… I'm so moved.' 'I wish I could be part of her family, to have someone like her protect me.' 'Oh, Divine Solvyr, I swear—I would follow her for the rest of my life. No other female will ever make my heart race like this again.' The viewers flooded the chat with comments, desperate to break through the holographic screen and confess their devotion to the female in person. Meanwhile, Alexander received a message from a friend, alerting him that a live stream was broadcasting the entire event and had already drawn massive attention. Scanning the crowd, he immediately locked onto the vlogger, his sharp gaze issuing a silent warning. Then, exchanging a knowing nod with Jacob, they swiftly escorted Tessa out of the restaurant. At this point, Xenia had already returned to her consorts, clutching the handkerchief tightly in her fist as she watched Tessa leave. For once, she didn't throw another tantrum. … Inside the aircraft, Jacob sat to Tessa's left, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on her profile. The memory of her standing in front of him, the words she had spoken so firmly, played on an endless loop in his mind. His heartbeat pounded relentlessly against his chest. Tessa felt his gaze, of course—but she pretended not to notice. She had always been an introvert by nature. Back in the restaurant, she had acted on impulse, swept up in the moment. But now that she had calmed down, she was slowly realizing how dramatic her actions had been. After reeling in mortification for some time, she finally couldn't take it anymore and turned toward Jacob, blurting out, "Why are you staring at me like that?" Jacob remained silent for a long moment. Then, instead of answering her question, he said something completely unexpected. "I'm an orphan, born on H-973, a waste planet." It was the first time he had ever spoken about his past since leaving there. "Waste planets are abandoned worlds—resources stripped bare, populations migrating away, and the remnants left to decay in lawlessness. Crime, violence, death… there is no future there." Tessa imagined something akin to those dangerous, war-torn countries on Earth—the kind where tourists risked getting kidnapped and sold for organs. "Then that makes you even more impressive," she said sincerely. "To come from a place like that and make it this far—you must be truly exceptional." She understood all too well what it meant to climb up from the bottom. People like them—who started with nothing—had to be both extraordinarily intelligent and ruthlessly determined to succeed. Jacob smiled. The gold-rimmed glasses he wore were a barrier that always concealed every trace of emotion. No matter the situation, his expression remained cold—distant, untouchable. But now, that ice melted. A warmth, deep as spring water, surfaced in his gaze. Not even his glasses could hide it. His entire life had been a battle—struggling to survive, enduring scorn, carrying the weight of sneers and whispers about his lowly origins. He had walked this path alone, never once stopping. Even when he played the role of the perfect gentleman, deep down, he refused to submit to females like Xenia. He refused to debase himself, refused to be another consort vying for favor. That was why he had chosen solitude, rejecting Xenia and fleeing to the military instead. With Tessa, he had only agreed to be her guardian out of goodwill—he had never once considered becoming her partner. But now, something inside him had changed. Now, he wanted to follow her forever. Tessa, meanwhile, was growing increasingly nervous under his intense gaze. He's… not about to confess, is he?