To avoid punching a hole straight through the wall with the lance, Andrew opted to let Astra Yao try the much safer shield.
But no matter how safe it was, there was no way he was letting go.
Gazing at the shield, which resembled the face of a wolf, Astra Yao's eyes began to sparkle.
"It's not the sparkly, glittery type I usually like, but it's still so cool! I feel like I could write a song inspired by this!"
The ronin-like armor, the fierce wolf mask, and now a shield shaped like a wolf's head—Astra Yao felt her inspiration bubbling over.
However, a burst of inspiration didn't translate to a burst of strength.
After getting a firm grip on the handle, Astra Yao used every ounce of her strength to lift it, but the shield was like it was welded in place, not budging an inch in Andrew's hand.
Staring at the unresponsive shield, a defiant Astra Yao tried a few more times, her face turning bright red from the effort.
But in the end, the shield remained perfectly still, with no effect whatsoever.
Finally, after several fruitless attempts, Astra Yao had no choice but to give up. She stroked the shield's surface regretfully, her cheeks puffed out slightly as she asked:
"Andrew, just how heavy is your shield?"
At this question, Andrew could only spread his hands helplessly. After all, the raw materials on both sides were vastly different, and plus, he hadn't used materials from such a ferocious wyvern to craft a lance before, so he had no point of reference.
"Honestly, I don't know either. I don't have a scale that can handle its actual weight. The heaviest-duty one I had at home already got crushed by it."
"Huh?"
The brutally honest reason left Astra Yao momentarily speechless. Her unsatisfied curiosity now felt like an itch she couldn't scratch.
But as for how to get an answer, she had no clue.
"Oh, okay..."
She pouted, a little disappointed, but with no other options, Astra Yao could only temporarily abandon her quest for an answer.
After all, there wasn't enough time left for her to keep trying.
Thanks to Evelyn's perfect time management, the three of them descended the stairs at a leisurely pace, and Astra Yao's private car arrived downstairs just as they did.
Just as they stepped outside, they noticed a Public Security Bureau police car parked in the distance in front of a public restroom.
From the crowd of onlookers, even from a distance, they could faintly hear the sound of someone inside retching their guts out.
"What's going on? What happened?"
As they say, rubbernecking is a basic human instinct.
A little curious, Astra Yao stood on her tiptoes, trying to see what was happening.
Unfortunately, her status as a celebrity meant she couldn't, and wasn't allowed to, get drawn into such a commotion in a crowded public place.
In response to Astra Yao's question, Andrew subconsciously exchanged a look with Evelyn. They both already knew the reason for the scene unfolding before them.
This sudden, shared understanding made Astra Yao tilt her head.
What... What's going on?
Didn't Eve seem super cold toward Andrew right after dinner?
So even without me playing matchmaker, Andrew and Eve seem to be getting along just fine?
Still, this relieved Astra Yao, who had been a little worried about whether the two would get along.
A normal car couldn't handle Andrew's weight either.
While waiting for Andrew to get his motorcycle, Evelyn explained to Astra Yao what had happened when they first met up.
Evelyn's detailed retelling satisfied her curiosity, though she conveniently left out the awkwardness of going upstairs and their subsequent chat.
But more than how the paparazzo was caught or the omitted details, Astra Yao was instantly fascinated by the way Andrew had punished him.
"What, what?! Andrew can actually toss someone that high in the air and then catch them safely?!"
As she spoke, Astra Yao's eyes lit up, and she said with an eager expression:
"That sounds so exciting! I want to try it too!"
Hearing Astra Yao's words, Evelyn slapped a hand to her forehead in exasperation.
She should have known what would happen if she told Astra Yao.
But the cat was out of the bag. Astra Yao had already leaned out the car window and was asking Andrew, who had just pulled up beside them on his motorcycle, "Andrew! That flying trapeze thing you did, can I try it too?"
"Flying trapeze thing?"
A question mark practically appeared over Andrew's head upon hearing her words.
After a flurry of explanations and gestures from Astra Yao, Andrew finally understood what she was talking about and could barely keep a straight face.
This was the first time he'd ever heard someone volunteer for that experience.
But after a brief hesitation, Andrew agreed.
After all, worry was for people who weren't confident. Andrew, who had absolute confidence in his abilities, wasn't concerned about any accidents.
So in that sense, it really was similar to an amusement park ride.
The difference was that an amusement park relied on equipment, whereas Andrew relied on himself.
Riding his motorcycle, Andrew stayed close to the car, which was also the perfect position to react to anything happening in their surroundings in real-time.
On the twenty-minute-or-so drive, Andrew used his launcher to ping five or six staked-out paparazzi with small stones. Not a single one escaped his notice.
The man was the very picture of diligence.
After all, he wasn't getting paid this much for nothing.
By the time they reached the venue, including the one caught downstairs earlier, the total count had reached seven.
Evelyn watched as Andrew handed over the few paparazzi he'd caught outside the venue to the arriving Public Security Bureau officers. She stood with her arms crossed, her fingers subconsciously tapping her arm.
Recalling the situation, Evelyn muttered to herself in confusion:
"Why have so many popped up all of a sudden? Normally, two or three would be the absolute maximum."
She tried to remember if she had missed any, but she was sure she had checked all the locations where they appeared today and hadn't noticed anyone's presence.
Evelyn sensed something was wrong, but she had no way of figuring out what the problem was.
Before handing each paparazzo over to the Public Security Bureau, Evelyn had thoroughly interrogated them, but their verbal accounts, expressions, movements, and most importantly, their motives, were all completely normal.
After asking a hacker friend of hers to run background checks, she found that their backgrounds were also clean.
The camera equipment found on them was standard for paparazzi, used for snatching speculative photos.
Her instincts as a professional spy told her something was off. Even though it was just a gut feeling for now, that didn't mean Evelyn would let it go.
Conveniently, there would be a long break during the young lady's rehearsal, and with Andrew on guard duty...
It seemed she'd have to use that time to do a little investigating.
No matter who it was, she would never allow them to pose any threat to Astra Yao.
____
🔥 Check out the new story releases! 🔥
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
✅ Unlock a 40-chapter backlog for ALL my series.
✅ Receive exclusive content and regular updates!
Help us reach these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 universal bonus chapter
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters for ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan