The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

[I'm someone working part-time at <New Star>. I was there when they were recording their latest episode. And guess what I witnessed? A certain rookie actor blatantly ignored a rising singer! The said singer asked if they could have a picture together and this rookie actor didn't even show a bit of respect and just walked away! No, I'm not making anything up. Just look at the photo below and you can see clearly what I'm talking about.]

Attached below the post was a photo of Nadia Beck with a shock expression while looking at Astrid Townsend. The latter had his back to her while talking to One Leaf with a smile. The contrast between the two having a harmonious atmosphere with Nadia with that shock expression was too much that anyone would have doubts in their mind whether what the original poster was really true or not.

Sure enough, Nadia Beck's fans quickly came to the fore and tried to crucified Astrid as if he was a sinner.

[What's this? Does this kid think that just because he looks good he could do whatever he wanted?]

[How dare he ignore Nadia?!]

[Look at how heartbroken Nadia is!]

[If Nadia asked me to have a picture with her, I will be thankful instead of walking away like that.]

[I knew there's something shifty about that kid. Remember that one time he trended because someone from Redwood Academy tried to bully him? What if it's not true and it was all just for clout?]

[Upstairs, are you kidding me? That topic was proven without a shred of doubt. Don't make conspiracy theories here! Besides, was that photo even really a proof? So, what if Nadia was looking at Astrid and Astrid had his back turned on her? Unless it's a video showing exactly what the poster just said, I won't jump into conclusion and spread hate!]

[That's right! Aster is just a teenager. The original poster should think more before making up gossip that could destroy a kid's dream and future!]

[Oh, so just because he's young we should just condone his bad behavior? Isn't it more important to discipline him so he could grow up into an upright citizen?]

[What kind of discipline are you even talking about? Did you not see that video of him standing up to a hostage-taker? I think that's more than enough proof of what kind of character he has.]

[Wow. I can't believe that Astrid Townsend actually has this many shooters. Is this because of his pretty face?]

[Yeah. He should really be thankful for that face. LOL. With that face alone, he could do the worst thing and his fans would still forgive him.]

[They're really all brainless.]

[Excuse me, I think you people are the brainless ones. Anyone with normal enough IQ would question the authenticity of this post and yet here you all are, jumping on a hate train against a rookie and a kid at that. Shame on you people.]

[Why are Astrid's fans using the 'kid card' here? If you can't even handle this degree of criticism, it's better to just get out of the entertainment industry.]

As the comments under the original post were divided into two. One attacking Astrid and the other defending him. When both sides were on the edge of biting each other, Nadia Beck posted something on her [Cyberspace] that ignited the argument even more.

[@nadiabeck: Have you watched the new episode of <New Face>? I met the beautiful rookie Astrid and the talented writer, Miss One Leaf! I really want to take a picture with them. Too bad I wasn't able to. But being in the show with them was enough. I really had fun! ^^]

To the untrained eye, this post seemed to be trying to appease the arguing fans, telling them that everything was fine and she had fun during the interview. But to those who had been in this industry for a long time, they could easily see that Nadia was making herself out to be the victim while Astrid and One Leaf the villains.

How? Just looked at how she constructed her words. Her saying that she wanted to take a picture with the two already confirmed the allegation made by the one who posted that post about Astrid ignoring Nadia. Also, the way she seemed to be trying to show that she was fine despite that, painted her like she's trying to hold it in together while feeling really hurt inside.

As expected, Nadia's fans became more enraged and attacked Astrid more fiercely. But this time, it was not only Astrid they attacked but One Leaf as well.

=====

Nadia let out a satisfied smile as she read through the comments on [Cyberspace]. Everything was going according to plan because of the firepower of her fans. She knew how brain dead most of her fans were that's why she had confidence to do this. This was mostly because she started out in an idol group before transforming into a solo singer.

Although that group didn't really make a huge splash in the industry, she gained a lot of loyal fans during her time there. They were so loyal that they would fight anyone who tried to 'bully' her regardless of the reason. Whether it's logical or not, the important thing was for them to defend her.

These fans were one of the major reasons why she managed to survive in this industry these past few years even though she hadn't managed to release a hit song.

Now that her career was on the rise, Nadia couldn't afford the attention of the general public to dwindle. And the best way to do that was to always be part of the trending hot topic list. She needed to increase the awareness of the general public about her.

Being a guest in [New Star] should have been a good chance for her to do that. But then, Astrid Townsend happened and the other completely took away all the spotlight.

Nadia couldn't help but grit her teeth remembering that.

**NOTE: I edited the first part of the last chapter because I made a mistake. Please do read to see the correction. I'm sorry. It's because of my carelessness and me not fact checking past events in the story. I'll try my best not to repeat that. (╥﹏╥)