ASTRID settled into a comfortable position on his bed and called Wulfric back. The other answered quickly. From what Astrid could see in the background, Wulfric was also in his room.

"Hey, sorry I missed your calls," he said. "I was in the bath and ended up soaking longer than I meant to."

Wulfric stared at Aster. His cheeks had a pinkish tint, and his hair was still a little messy. It was clear he had just gotten out of the bath. He looked much younger like this. How adorable.

"It’s fine. Did you just get home?" he asked worriedly. "I called earlier because I thought you would already be resting by now."

Aster had been working nonstop for weeks. First the filming, then all the press and promotion for the movie. Even after all of that, he still had school and other commitments. Wulfric wanted to tell him to slow down, but he held back. Instead, he just kept watching Aster’s face, looking for any sign that he was pushing himself too hard.

Astrid smiled when he saw the obvious worry on Wulfric’s face. "I’ve been back at my apartment for over an hour now. I just ate and spent most of that time in the bath."

Wulfric frowned when he heard that. "You just ate dinner? Did no one think to let you eat earlier? What is your agent even thinking? Or does she not care as long as you keep working?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Astrid almost laughed at the rapid-fire questions. Anyone overhearing them might think Ellis was overworking him or mistreating him. "I’m the one who did not want to eat out. I just wanted to get home quickly."

Wulfric still had a disapproving look on his face. "Please tell me you at least bought something to eat, so you did not have to cook when you got home. You must have been exhausted from the premiere and everything else."

A small smile crossed Astrid’s face. Whenever Wulfric showed how much he cared in small ways like this, it always made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Don’t worry, I did not cook," he said. "I made something this morning and just heated it up." When he saw Wulfric frown, like the idea of him eating reheated food was somehow a huge problem, he quickly changed the subject. "By the way, did you go see [The Shadow Within]?"

It seemed to work, because Wulfric’s frown quickly turned into excitement. "Yes, I did, and I loved it. I actually only realized after watching that I really enjoy that kind of genre. And you did amazing, as always."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. So Wulfric actually enjoyed thriller mysteries? Or was it the police side of the story that he liked? Either way, it was good that he found something he genuinely enjoyed. Astrid knew that Wulfric mostly only watched his projects because he was in them. His interest had always been Astrid himself, not the movies or shows. So he was glad that this time, Wulfric had actually liked the story too.

"Thank you. I’m glad you liked it," he said. "So, did you get the surprise gift box? Which photo did you end up getting?"

Wulfric blinked and looked like he was trying not to panic. Astrid was amused by his expression. Unless Wulfric tried to lie his way out of this, he would have no choice but to show him the photo he got. After posting that unboxing video, if he showed it now, he would have to know that Astrid might get suspicious and start wondering if he and White Wolf were the same person. Astrid was curious how Wulfric would handle this.

But to his surprise, Wulfric quickly recovered and reached beside him to pick up a photo card that had been lying on his bed. It was a picture of Astrid in just a simple shirt and pants, with his hair tucked under a red cap.

This time, the smile on Astrid’s face almost slipped. What the—? How did Wulfric have another photo card? He stared at the picture, his eyes narrowing. It did not look fake. He remembered taking that photo. So how did Wulfric get a second one?

As soon as the question crossed his mind, the answer followed close behind. The only way Wulfric could have gotten another photo was if he had someone else get it for him. He could easily give them the answers to the quiz, have them buy tickets, and claim the gift box. But who would agree to that and just hand over the box without question? The answer was simple. Didn’t Wulfric have an entire group of people he could order around, people who would do whatever he said without hesitation?

The soldiers under his command.

Astrid shook his head. He couldn’t believe Wulfric had actually used his military resources for something like this. Did Leland approve of this? No, with how strict that man was, he seriously doubted it. He wasn’t sure whether to be amused or something else entirely.

"Aster?" Wulfric called. "Is something wrong?"

Seeing the innocent expression on Wulfric’s face, like he had not just been caught hoarding photo cards using army soldiers, Astrid almost laughed. Which was understandable in away, since he didn’t know that Astrid knew he was White Wolf.

This guy. He looked so pleased with himself, holding up the picture like he did nothing wrong. Astrid shook his head again. He still didn’t know if he should scold Wulfric or just let it go and laugh.

But he could not actually scold him without giving away that he knew Wulfric was White Wolf. If he wanted to ’punish’ him for this, he would have to find another way. Just as he thought that, an idea came to him.

"Nothing," he said with a smile. "I was just thinking, did not we agree to meet on VirtualNet after the premiere? Are you free tomorrow night?"

Wulfric’s face lit up at the suggestion. He looked like he was about to say yes, but then he paused, seeming to think something over. "But do you not need to rest?"

Okay, that earned a point in his book. Astrid smiled. "No, it’s fine. Let’s meet tomorrow night?"