The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era

Chapter 716: AFTER DINNER CONVERSATION

”THE reaction to your surprise appearances at the viewing parties has been incredibly positive,” Ellis said, scrolling through posts and comments about Astrid and [Serendipitous Summer] on [Cyberspace]. ”Most people are saying theyʼve never seen an actor put this much effort into fan service before.”

Of course, there were a few negative comments too—people claiming Astrid was trying too hard or cheapening his image—but they were far outnumbered by the positive ones. Ellis didnʼt pay them much mind. In her opinion, an actor who genuinely cared about their fans was always better off. After all, no actor could succeed without fan support. Showing gratitude mattered.

These days, that mindset wasnʼt as common anymore. But she was glad the artist sheʼd chosen when returning to the industry understood its value. That kind of respect would carry Astrid far.

”The box office of [Serendipitous Summer] is also climbing steadily,” she added. ”Director Hale called me last night to share the good news—the film has already broken even.”

Astrid nodded. That meant the movie wouldnʼt be a flop. Heʼd been confident it wouldnʼt happen, but hearing the confirmation was still a relief—especially since this was his first lead role.

”I should probably post something later to thank everyone,” he said.

Astrid, Ellis, and the rest of the Polaris staff were currently on a spaceship, returning to the capital. Now that the movie was out, he only had two or three promotion schedules left. After that, heʼd have two weeks off before he needed to focus on filming [The Shadow Within].

Once filming began, he likely wouldnʼt have time to return to school until the school year ended. Most colleges and universities in this era didnʼt have semester breaks—just nine straight months of classes followed by three months of vacation.

Since [The Shadow Within] would probably take over a month to film, attending classes regularly would be impossible. He might still have to show up on the last day, though, just for formalityʼs sake.

With his spotty attendance, Astrid should be grateful Redwood counted industry jobs related to a studentʼs major as completed course credits. That didnʼt mean he got out of exams entirely, though—some subjects still required them.

Which, now that he thought about it, meant Redwoodʼs finals would fall right in the middle of his two-week break.

He turned to the window, gazing out at the endless stretch of space. As the stars flickered in the distance, his mind drifted back to last night—to the conversation heʼd had with Wulfric after dinner.

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Astrid found the entire dinner thoroughly satisfying. And that chocolate mousse at the end? Absolute perfection.

The earlier courses had already been good, so Astrid hadnʼt expected much from dessert. But Wulfric had somehow managed to impress him again. Now he couldnʼt help but wonder—just how many hours had the other spent in the kitchen to improve this much in only a few months?

Astrid sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the city lights flicker below. Across the room, Wulfric cleared their dinner plates. Heʼd offered to help, but the other had refused—something about him being a ”special guest” who shouldnʼt lift a finger.

It made him chuckle. Wulfric was a literal prince, after all. So, seeing him doing something so domestic was kind of novel. Then again, heʼd already let the prince cook for him tonight. Letting him handle cleanup wasnʼt so strange in comparison.

”Do you want more wine?”

He glanced back at the sound of Wulfricʼs voice. The other had shed the black vest, his white sleeves now rolled up to the elbows, revealing toned forearms. His hair, no longer neatly slicked back, fell in its usual unruly waves—far more fitting for his wild, untamed aura.

The sight made Astridʼs breath catch, just for a moment.

Astrid shook off the moment and smiled playfully. ”Youʼre not trying to get me drunk so you can have your way with me, are you?”

”No!” Wulfric protested, sounding very indignant. ”If I wanted to have my way with you, Iʼd make sure you were stone-cold sober and wide awake.”

The second the words left his mouth, his entire face flushed crimson. As if it was only then that he realized what he just said.

Astrid blinked—then burst out laughing. ”Well, Iʼd certainly hope so.”

Wulfricʼs face burned even redder. He glanced away, suddenly finding the ceiling, the floor, anything but Astrid intensely interesting. After a beat, he stalked to the chair across from him and dropped into it.

After a moment of silence, Wulfric spoke again, steering the conversation away. ”I want to apologize again for showing up at the viewing party unannounced. It wonʼt happen again—I promise.”

Astrid chuckled and let the subject change slide. He did say they would talk about it after dinner.

”Itʼs not that I didnʼt want you there,” he said. ”I just didnʼt like how you were staring—like you were trying to burn a hole through me. Since I didnʼt know it was you, I thought someone was planning to harm me. And it gave me a headache.”

Guilt flickered across Wulfricʼs face. ”Yeah. I didnʼt realize it would affect you like that.”

Astridʼs expression softened. ”As Iʼve said, youʼre already forgiven. Just next time, send me a heads-up if youʼre coming to one of my events.” He paused, then added quietly, ”And... thank you. For being here even with your busy schedule. The headache aside, it meant a lot.”

Wulfric stared at him for a moment before breaking into a grin. ”Can I ask for something?”

Astrid raised an eyebrow. ”What?”

”A hug.”

Astrid chuckled. Instead of answering, he stood and pulled Wulfric up. The other let himself be drawn in, and then Astrid wrapped his arms around him.

For a second, Wulfric froze—stiff as a board. Then, all at once, Astrid felt strong arms wrap around him, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them.

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Astrid caught himself smiling at the memory. Now that he was heading back to the capital and Wulfric to Alluna, he, surprisingly, already missed the other. He wondered when they would have another chance to meet again.