The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

ASTRID and Ellis arrived at a private space port that the program team reserved for today. But it didn't mean that this was the location where they would film and broadcast this episode. This was just a stopover of some kind. From here, they would travel to the real location.

They greeted the show's director as well as the other staffs.

"Oh my, you look even better up close," the director said. "It's no wonder people are going gaga over you these past two days."

The director – Rachel Lynch – was actually quite worried when the staff of [The Sleeping God] told their program team that one of the actors they would send to the show was a rookie.

It's natural for a movie crew to send actors to variety shows to promote their movie. But usually, the ones they sent were those that already had a solid fanbase. Like Lauren Watts and Miria Lane, for example. Even though they weren't the main characters in the movie, their weight in the industry was heavy enough to carry the variety show, as well as promote their movie.

So, when Rachel heard that a rookie actor would appear instead of one of the already established side characters, it came off as a shock. If she didn't receive Director Trevane's assurance, she would have already suggested to change this rookie for another actor.

But after watching {The Sleeping God], she understood why Director Trevane opt for the other instead. Because Astrid Townsend was simply the type that attracted people's attention. His looks and his talent were just added bonus. His actions could easily be a source of topic. Which, of course, was helpful to any show he would guest in.

With her prejudice out of the way, Rachel very much welcomed Astrid's presence in her program.

"Thank you for the compliment," Astrid said in a polite and gentle manner.

Rachel smiled and then turned to Ellis. The two exchanged polite greetings with each other. After a few more exchanging of words, one of the staffs led Astrid and Ellis to a room where they could wait for the other guests to arrive.

"Please, wear this," the staff said after they entered the room. He gave Astrid some kind of bracelet. "It's for the camera that will follow you later."

Astrid took the bracelet and wore it. "Thank you," he said to the staff.

Then the other said goodbye and left the room.

Astrid and Ellis both sat down and waited for the others to arrive. While doing so, Astrid stared at the bracelet the staff gave him.

"Sister Ellis, do you know the purpose of this thing?" he asked.

"Ah, that. It emits signals which made it easier for the camera to follow the one wearing it."

Astrid nodded. That's an important aspect. Especially since they would be streaming everything live.

After a few more minutes, the door to the room opened. Miria and her manager walked in. Both smiled when they saw Astrid and Ellis. The latter two also did the same.

"Congratulations on your new song," Astrid said after Miria sat beside him. "It's now on the top five of every music chart list, right?"

"Thank you," Miria responded with a smile. "Being the movie's OST, plus having Shir Atkins as the composer really helped a lot. Also, your appearance in the MV helped boost the song even further. So, really, if the song failed, then I can only blame myself."

"Hey, the main reason your song is charting is because of you," Astrid said in a jokingly scolding tone. "You have a very beautiful voice."

And that was not just lip-service. He truly thought so. Miria's singing voice was soft and sweet. Anyone who listened to it would feel like they were experiencing again the moment they fell in love. But that didn't mean that her voice couldn't be powerful. When it did, it's like thunder that could shock anyone.

What he said earned a smile from Miria. "That actually makes me really happy."

Her agent – Jenny Smith – was also very happy to hear that. It would be a huge boost of confidence for Miria. Her artist, despite being a great singer, had been hiding a huge inferiority complex. No matter how good of a singer she was, it was always never enough.

But after filming this last movie, Miria had been much more cheerful and yes, a bit more confident. A big reason for it was definitely because of Astrid. Although the start of the two was a bit shaky, after they fixed whatever misunderstanding they had of each other, Miria's disposition became much brighter.

Astrid receiving the role of Lord Aether had truly been a blessing in disguise.

The door of the room opened once again and this time, Lauren and his agent walked in. The moment Lauren saw Astrid, he quickly rushed towards him.

"Aster!" Lauren called. If Astrid was standing, he might have actually hugged the other. "I missed you! It feels like forever since we last saw each other."

Astrid chuckled at Lauren's enthusiasm while Miria looked at the other with disapproval.

"Can you watch your words?" she said. "It's a good thing that there's only us here. What you said could be misinterpreted by others, you know?"

Lauren pouted. "What's wrong with what I said? Is it so wrong now to admit that I missed my friend?"

Miria rolled her eyes. "This is why you're always followed by dating rumors. I truly pity your future lover. They would definitely have headaches because of your careless antics."

A certain person suddenly popped up inside Lauren's head at the mention of 'future lover'. He quickly shook it off and pretended that it didn't happen. "Hmp! If he couldn't handle something like that, then he clearly didn't deserve the title of being my lover."

Astrid smiled inwardly. Although Miria didn't mention any gender, just by Lauren saying 'he', one could see that the other already had someone in mind.

"Don't worry, Lauren. Your future lover will definitely be able to handle it," he said, smiling mysteriously at the other.