The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 758: TWO WORKING ADULTS

WULFRIC read these comments and felt a hot, angry feeling bubbling up inside him. Chemistry? What chemistry were these people even talking about? The kind that could create poison? They must be blind. How could that pale, vampire looking man ever be a match for his Aster?

Before he realized what he was doing, he found himself typing a message on [Cyberspace].

@astridsnumber1fan: [Please stop pairing Aster with every person he works with. He does not need rumors to get people to talk about him. He should be known for his incredible talent, not for who people think he is dating. Aster can shine brightly all on his own. So please, stop this.]

But just as he was about to press ’post’, he stopped and quickly deleted the message. He remembered how famous Valentine was and how many rabid fans he had. While most of them were not attacking Aster now, Wulfric knew that if he posted this, the backlash would not fall on him. It would be directed at Aster. That was simply how these things worked, a lesson he had learned after spending months in online fan spaces.

It was a good thing his brain kicked in at the last moment, allowing him to stop himself from acting on impulse.

Wulfric really wanted to call Aster right then, but he still had duties to attend to. He let out a sigh and got to his feet. He should head to the meeting room before Leland came looking for him. If he finished all his work for the day, he might even be able to leave early.

Ah, the sorrows of being a working adult.

***

Astrid opened his apartment door and the first thing he did was head for a long, relaxing bath. His only scheduled event for the day had been the recording for [Stage of Two]. After the show was finished and he had lunch with Ellis, he returned directly to his apartment.

He had only worked in the morning, but he already felt completely drained. It was not a physical tiredness, but more of a mental exhaustion. This was mostly because he had spent the whole time worrying about what kind of mind games Valentine was playing. But in the end, all his worrying was for nothing, and the other had not done anything at all.

No, Valentine had definitely made him cringe at the end. Remembering how the other said they could be family soon gave him serious goosebumps. And it was not the good kind at all.

But at least that gave Astrid a clear idea of why Valentine had wanted to appear on the program with him. It was definitely to check him out, probably to see if he was worth all the ’hype’. To figure out why Wulfric liked him, and if there was something special about him. And based on Valentine’s reaction at the end, it seemed he had passed the test.

Although his comment about them being family soon was a bit... yeah, that was a level of confidence that could rival even Wulfric’s. Was he really that sure that he and the Emperor would end up together? Well, Astrid had to give him credit for that sheer boldness. Few people would possess that kind of unwavering self assurance, especially when the person they were pursuing was the Emperor of the Empire himself.

Thinking about that, Astrid remembered what Wulfric had said about giving the Emperor advice on his love life. Maybe that advice had worked in Valentine’s favor, which would explain why he was so confident now.

In any case, everything turned out alright in the end. He supposed that’s the most important thing.

After his bath, he made some tea and sat at his dining table to read the comments on [Cyberspace] about his appearance with Valentine on [Stage of Two]. Most of the comments were positive, praising him for holding his own against Valentine during their improvised scene. Of course, there were also the usual hateful and negative remarks, but he had expected those. What did surprise him, however, was seeing people shipping him with Valentine.

Astrid had thought Valentine’s fans would be against the idea. But most of them actually seemed to welcome it. Though most of the support was for them acting together in a movie, not for them actually dating. Still, that was a significant development, given how fiercely Valentine’s fans usually reacted against any dating rumors involving him and other celebrities.

Had the fandom simply matured over time? Or was it because they did not believe Valentine would ever be interested in someone so much younger? It was probably a combination of both. But Astrid had a strong feeling that if he and Valentine were ever photographed in a truly compromising situation, that tolerant attitude would vanish instantly. Fortunately, he had absolutely no intention of letting that happen.

He wondered how Valentine’s fans would react if they found out about his relationship with the Emperor. They probably would not dare to say anything negative. After all, their emperor was involved with the actual Emperor. What possible complaint could they have about that?

Anyway, after Valentine’s comment about being in the same project together, Ellis was completely determined to make it happen. She said it might not be this year, but she would ensure it happened, eventually. She seemed even more excited about the prospect than he was. He couldn’t really blame her. He liked the idea too. He just hoped that if it did happen, it would be an excellent project that would truly highlight both of their talents.

But that was likely still a long time away. So for now, Astrid needed to focus on what required his immediate attention. That meant preparing for his role in the [Blind Justice] movie, which would start filming next week.

So, he opened his copy of the script once more and read it.

Astrid did not notice how much time had passed until his Terminal chimed with a video call request from Wulfric. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost six in the evening.