By the time she snapped back to reality, Astra Yao found herself already half-leaning against Andrew's chest.
The loss of balance forced her brain to wake up. As she regained her footing, Astra Yao felt Andrew's solid arm supporting her waist.
She subconsciously pursed her lips, and her body began to stiffen involuntarily.
Not daring to meet his gaze any longer, Astra Yao's eyes started to dart around. A blush crept up her fair earlobes out of shyness, but her soft, thick black hair hid her ears well, so Andrew didn't notice.
But no matter how stiff her body became, she had no intention of breaking free from Andrew's arm.
The embrace during the shockwave earlier served as a precedent.
Caught off guard then, she hadn't had time to properly appreciate Andrew's protection before he had already let her go.
But this time, having mentally prepared herself, Astra Yao wasn't about to let this perfect opportunity slip by.
She began to slowly relax the support from her legs, letting her body go limp, transforming from half-leaning to completely relying on Andrew's arm.
Then, with a look of genuine exhaustion, she said:
"Sorry, Andrew. I think I used too much energy. I'm a little weak."
A full day of high-intensity rehearsals yesterday, an attack on the road, then a high-intensity music production session at home after dinner that lasted until the next morning.
Any one of these things would leave most people exhausted, and Astra Yao had done them all in a single day and night.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't tired.
Seeing her exhausted state, Andrew didn't hesitate or fuss, but acted directly.
Without releasing the arm around Astra Yao's waist, Andrew's other hand slipped directly under the crook of her knees.
Then, he exerted a slight force from his waist.
"Ah!"
With a soft cry from Astra Yao, Andrew's slight effort was enough to sweep her up into a princess carry.
Feeling his chest pressed tightly against her side, it wasn't just Astra Yao's ears that were red this time.
Her eyes widened involuntarily as she looked up at Andrew's face. The blush on her ears spread quickly, and Astra Yao's face gradually began to feel scorching hot.
She felt like her face was about to catch fire.
But even so, Astra Yao had no intention of getting down, letting Andrew carry her while she maintained her original posture.
The recording studio wasn't far from Astra Yao's room; in just a dozen steps, Andrew had brought her back to her room.
Astra Yao had never felt this path was so short before. Seeing her own room in front of her, she squeezed her eyes shut, then looked at Andrew innocently and said:
"Andrew, I think I forgot something in the recording studio. Should we go back?"
Thinking it was something important, the unsuspecting Andrew didn't hesitate and carried Astra Yao back to the music room.
But after three round trips from the bedroom to the recording studio—the first time for a teddy bear, the second for skin cream, and the third for just a hairpin.
Even Andrew began to feel that something was a little off.
Surely she wasn't taking advantage of him, right?
But feeling the side of Astra Yao's chest pressed against his own, and the touch of her incredibly well-proportioned legs on his arm.
It was a bit hard to say who was taking advantage of whom.
But no matter how good it felt, he couldn't delay any longer.
After all, it was getting late. If they delayed any further, there wouldn't be enough time to rest.
So when Astra Yao suggested a fourth trip back, Andrew chose to place her directly on the bed and said:
"Being carried like this all the time can't be that comfortable, can it? You rest here. Tell me everything else you need, and I'll get it all for you in one trip."
Lying on the bed, Astra Yao glanced at Andrew's chest with a hint of regret. Then, her previous fatigue vanished, her bright eyes sparkled, and she said with an expression of having misremembered:
"Ah! Sorry, Andrew, I remembered wrong. There's actually nothing else I need."
Without thinking much of it, Andrew handed a bottle of Healing Potion to Astra Yao.
"Drink this. It should help you recover better."
Although Astra Yao had no injuries to heal, the life force it contained could effectively restore her physical condition.
The effect was somewhat weak, but something was better than nothing.
Without any suspicion, Astra Yao immediately took it.
Watching Astra Yao's delicate, pretty face involuntarily scrunch up from the potion's bitter taste, Andrew casually snapped a photo, then felt a bit of regret.
He should have planted a Nitroshroom on the road back then. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in this predicament of wanting to plant one but having no seeds.
With an Energy Drink, one swig would be guaranteed to wipe away any fatigue, instead of relying on something as inefficient as sleep.
After confirming that Astra Yao, who hadn't noticed him secretly taking a photo, had fallen peacefully asleep, a relieved Andrew returned to the living room and began to disassemble and maintain the W-Engine, which had been through several ordeals.
After all, whether it was used as an ability-enhancing W-Engine or as a remote commander for his Gouram.
If something went wrong during a battle, it would be troublesome.
---
Pushing the door open, Evelyn, who had toiled all night at DGA Entertainment's technical department, didn't return to the apartment until almost ten in the morning.
Facing the grilling and incessant chatter of DGA Entertainment's upper management, on top of making arrangements for the other technical staff, Evelyn hadn't slept a wink either.
To avoid delaying today's concert, a group of them worked overtime to repair it, and even managed to fix all the minor issues Astra Yao had felt while using it before.
The reason the board members were so agitated was mainly because.
The price of a purely custom-made microphone was incredibly high, so if something went wrong, it wasn't an expense that DGA Entertainment could just casually ignore.
In order to fool Secretary-General Jebsen and not affect Andrew and Astra Yao, Evelyn had spent considerable effort colluding with the technical department.
Fortunately, the people in the technical department were also fans of Astra Yao.
As the saying goes, workers don't make things difficult for other workers. They went along with Evelyn's story and successfully fooled the tech-illiterate Secretary-General Jebsen.
Looking at the familiar door before her, Evelyn stood outside.
Facing this place she could gradually call home, the exhaustion from before drifted away like smoke.
She let out a light sigh of relief, doing her best to dispel all negative emotions, before gently pushing the door open.
But unexpectedly, she didn't see the familiar figure she expected in the living room.
Not even in the music room.
Meanwhile, Astra Yao's door was still tightly shut, clearly indicating she was fast asleep, and in the living room, only Andrew was sitting on the sofa, disassembling and maintaining his W-Engine.
"You're back, Eve? They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"
Hearing this, Evelyn shook her head. After all, that level of questioning could hardly be considered a reprimand.
"I'm back. Don't worry, it was handled easily."
Placing the staff back in its dedicated storage spot, Evelyn asked with some confusion:
"The Young Miss isn't up yet? What's going on?"
After all, Astra Yao's so-called love for sleeping in was based on her schedule, which, combined with makeup, hairstyling, and wardrobe arrangements, often required her to wake up before six.
But on a day like today with no scheduled activities, she should have been up by her usual time.
Hearing Evelyn's question, Andrew, who was maintaining the W-Engine that had been overloaded several times, raised his hand a bit sheepishly and said:
"Sorry, because of me, Astra worked hard all night without sleep. She just couldn't hold on any longer and went to sleep a little while ago."
Hearing Andrew's answer, Evelyn's brain short-circuited for a moment.
As a knowledgeable adult who had also seen countless dark sides in her former organization, Evelyn successfully... got the wrong idea when she heard Andrew's words.
Scenarios of coercion and the like instantly flashed through her mind.
The next moment, with a subconscious flick of her wrist, a combat dagger appeared in Evelyn's right hand. At the same time, she was in slight disbelief.
"I asked you to take care of the Young Miss, and this is how you take care of her?!!"
Completely unaware of the misunderstanding, Andrew thought she was angry because he hadn't taken good care of Astra Yao, so he said directly:
"Sorry, it really is my fault."
No matter how you looked at it, it was his responsibility for not noticing Astra Yao sneaking into the music room.
"I really didn't notice until I woke up this morning. By the time I found out, it was already too late. She had already finished everything."
Clang
The folding dagger that had been tightly gripped in her right hand slipped from her fingertips and fell to the floor.
For a moment, Evelyn felt as if her brain had connected to the depths of space. Countless stars streaked through her mind, sending her into a complete brainstorm.
Although she had sensed that Astra Yao had a good impression of Andrew, Evelyn never expected Astra Yao to be the one to make the first move.
And she acted so quickly?!
Why didn't I notice she was the predator type before?!
Shouldn't there be a gradual process for this kind of thing?!!!
Looking at Andrew, Evelyn was at a loss for what to do.
Here was Astra Yao, the light of her life, and here was Andrew, whom she didn't dislike.
Two happy things coming together should have made one even happier.
Why did it turn out like this?
If it were just an enemy, it would be simple for Evelyn. She'd just use her strings and dagger to dismember their body, then use flames for a clean disposal.
But, that was the problem.
In the scenario Evelyn imagined, she wasn't even sure if Andrew could be considered a victim.
During her brainstorm, her body's subconscious actions caused the taut strings to wrap around her fingertips, but she made no further move.
Just as she was struggling, Evelyn noticed a bottle of healing potion appearing in front of her.
Andrew held the potion out to Evelyn and said:
"Don't worry too much. I gave her a healing potion, which should lessen the impact of pulling an all-nighter on her condition. You too, drink one and get some rest as soon as possible. Leave the security to me."
Looking at the healing potion before her, Evelyn's slightly raised eyes gradually calmed down again.
Her brain had become muddled from the long lack of rest, but after re-evaluating, Evelyn immediately realized something was wrong.
Her entire previous perception was based on her own preconceived notions.
Besides, having spent the last month together, even though Astra Yao was often very childish and liked to do things that caused headaches, she would never be so casual in this regard.
Moreover, having gained a much better understanding of Andrew's strength and character through their recent interactions, if the Young Miss really had initiated something like that, he wouldn't have waited until it was over to find out.
Evelyn took a deep breath to calm herself. There must be some misunderstanding.
So she spoke up to confirm:
"What exactly did the Young Miss do that made her tired all night without sleep?"
Andrew was a bit baffled for a moment. He took out the records and placed them in front of Evelyn, saying:
"Recreating the songs I told her about. Weren't we doing that before you left?"
Instantly realizing she had gotten it all wrong from the very beginning, Evelyn couldn't help but cover her face, which was starting to feel hot with embarrassment.
It really was her own fault.
She had caught Astra Yao pulling all-nighters several times before, but why did she suddenly get the wrong idea this time?
But for some reason, upon hearing that she had misunderstood Andrew, Evelyn felt a heartfelt sense of relief.
She had thought she was already prepared for the Young Miss to find her own happiness, and she had never felt this way before when thinking about it.
Why was she so nervous this time?
I must have been worried it would affect her performance tonight, and my concern just got the better of me.
Andrew, noticing Evelyn's constantly changing expression, had no idea she had gotten the wrong idea. Because he couldn't follow her train of thought, he just looked at her with a blank expression.
And Evelyn silently decided to bury this matter deep in her heart.
Looking at Andrew's somewhat puzzled face, Evelyn tried to explain away her behavior:
"Actually, part of the reason is that I left in too much of a hurry and forgot to ask you to keep an eye on this."
Thoroughly relieved, Evelyn returned to her professional agent persona, becoming calm, cool, and competent once again.
She continued:
"This is far from the first time this has happened. She's couldn't resist sneaking off to the music room a few times before, which affected her recording condition the next day. So I usually do a surprise check after about half an hour."
Andrew immediately understood. So she's a repeat offender.
No wonder she was so skilled at it.
_____
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