Chapter 358: A POSSIBLE PROBLEM
“THE host might surprise you with a sudden question. But just try to keep your cool and don’t panic. If you feel panicked, just take a deep breath and then answer the host’s question as calmly as you can,” Ellis reminded Astrid as they walked inside the broadcasting station.
Astrid nodded. He wasn’t really that worried about any surprise questions. He had done a lot of interviews like this in his past life. So, he wasn’t really nervous or anything like that.
Ellis continued, “The program also has a segment where the host revealed some secrets they uncovered from the guest’s past. This is based on the research they’ve done. I don’t think you have any questionable past, so there’s probably no need to worry about that.”
That almost made Astrid stop. Well, technically he didn’t really have anything in his past that could be considered as problematic or something that people would take issue with. But if this program team delved too deeply, then they might show pictures of his parents. And that would be the problem.
Having his parents’ faces on national TV was definitely a no-go. Now, he’s starting to worry. Although there’s a low chance of that happening, a chance was still a chance. But he couldn’t ask Ellis about it directly because the other might think that he was hiding something. Which was indeed the case. But that something was related to his family instead of just him.
Astrid’s relationship with Ellis was still not on the stage where he could freely divulged the secret of his family to her. So, the only way to inquire was to ask in an indirect manner.
“What kind of secrets do they usually reveal? Is it like some everyday stuff or do they just pick the ones that could be considered as controversial?” he asked in a nonchalant manner as if he was truly just curious.
“Well, if there’s something controversial, of course that would be the one they’d choose. It’s the one that would make a buzz after all. But that doesn’t usually happen since people with dubious past don’t usually guest in this program. So, it’s usually just your regular everyday stuff.”
“I see,” Astrid said with a nod.
But deep inside, he kind of wished that Ellis discussed things first to him before agreeing on putting him in this talk-show program. Okay. She did discussed it but not in so much detail. That’s why Astrid didn’t find anything wrong in guesting in this program.
But because Ellis trusted him more than he imagined, it never crossed her mind that there was something in his past that was worth worrying over. Of course, it’s not bad for an agent to trust their actors. It’s just that, it kind of backfired this time.
No, it’s still too early to say that it backfired. Besides, if he thought about it carefully, he doubted that this program team would personally go to his home planet which was two galaxies away just to get a footage. Aside from that, this program had only invited him a day after the official premier of [The Sleeping God]. There’s no way they could have found anything about his parents in just a couple of days.
Yes, that’s right, let’s just be calm for now.
The two arrived at the dressing room provided for the guests of [New Star]. They were led there by a staff. Walking inside, they saw two women already there, sitting. One looked like an agent while the other must be either the singer or the writer.
It was a girl who looked to be about in her 20s. But one couldn’t really tell in this era. She could be in her 50s and no one would think that’s ridiculous. She had short light brown hair and a pair of soft green eyes.
It was obvious that she was very nervous, as evidence of how hard she’s clenching the pant suit that she’s wearing. She didn’t even look up when they walked in. She probably didn’t even feel their presence.
“That’s the web novelist, her pen name is One Leaf,” Ellis whispered to Astrid.
He walked up to the other and introduced himself. “Hello, Miss Leaf, my name is Astrid Townsend.”
The other finally looked up with a start. Then, her eyes widened like saucers when she saw Astrid.
“Jace!”
The other three in the room was startled by her sudden call. Although Astrid tried not to show it by continuing to smile, he was still a bit confused by the other’s reaction.
One Leaf’s agent quickly resolved the awkward atmosphere by apologizing. “I’m sorry, Miss Leaf is just very nervous. I hope you can understand.”
As if only now realizing her mistake, One Leaf put her hand over her mouth. “I- I’m sorry!” she said in a muffled voice.
Astrid chuckled. “It’s okay. I must have looked like this ‘Jace’ for Miss Leaf to mistake me for him.”
One Leaf put down her hand covering her mouth and shook her head. “Jace is not really a person. He’s- he’s a character I created in one of my novels. You- Mr. Astrid looks exactly the way as how I envisioned him to be.”
As she continued speaking, her voice became smaller and smaller. But since both Astrid and Ellis had good hearing, they didn’t miss a word of what she said.
Astrid raised his brow in interest. He searched a bit about the two guests who would be with him in this talk-show program. So, he knew that One Leaf was currently very hot in the world of web novels right now. She only had three published web novels but all of them were all popular. Especially the latest of the three.
If she could maintain this popularity, then there’s a high chance for her works to be turn into live action. And if she thought that Astrid perfectly fit one of her characters, then the chances of him being considered for the role once it became a live action would definitely be high.
There’s no reason not to be on the other’s good side. So, he smiled and said;
“For Miss Leaf to think so, it’s definitely an honor.”