Thinking of this, Evelyn couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of her own good fortune.
Compared to that hacker who also chose to flee the organization—who was now constantly hiding, concealing their identity, and changing locations from time to time to evade pursuit, even while turtling up in safe houses as much as possible—she was truly blessed.
Being able to meet Astra Yao and Andrew was undoubtedly an incredible stroke of luck for her.
Not to mention that she could now completely break away from the organization and live openly under the sunlight of New Eridu with the identity of a normal person.
To the side, Astra Yao had been listening to their conversation the whole time.
Although she wasn't entirely clear on the specific details Evelyn and Andrew were discussing, relying on her clever wits, she quickly guessed the general idea.
But just as Evelyn had said herself, Evelyn was Evelyn.
She was the Evelyn Astra knew, and the Evelyn she trusted.
Although she appeared cold and icy at first, she had always tolerated Astra's willfulness.
At the same time, she was the partner who constantly and patiently helped block out all the noise for her, the person who protected her with gentleness and resilience.
Moreover, Evelyn had never harmed her.
So, Astra Yao simply tossed the matter to the back of her mind without a care, having no intention of prying further.
However, regarding what Evelyn had said, Andrew didn't see it that way.
He waved his hand and said, "It's not that exaggerated. At most, I just gave you guys a push and sped things up a bit. Being able to achieve all this is mainly because you made up your minds and took the initiative yourselves."
Andrew had felt this way from start to finish.
With the capabilities of these two, they would inevitably have been able to achieve what they had now in the future; the only difference was the length of time.
But Astra Yao, standing to the side, decisively shook her small head and voiced her disagreement.
"No, no! If we didn't have Andrew to let us 'fox exploit the tiger's might,' there is absolutely no way we could have accomplished all this right now!"
Seeing that both of them were in full agreement, Andrew, unable to out-stubborn them, had to silently accept it.
Feeling the intense gratitude from Astra Yao and Evelyn, which seemed to elevate his status, Andrew suddenly felt uncomfortable all over.
So he extended a finger, wagged it left and right, and then issued a rebuttal: "Alright, alright, but I have to refute one point."
Hearing this, both of them looked at Andrew with a bit of confusion, waiting for his explanation. Andrew straightened his back slightly and continued seriously:
"It can only be called 'fox exploiting the tiger's might' if you have no way to actually call the person over."
"In a situation like yours, where you can summon me at a speed of 320 kilometers per hour to beat up the opponent at any time, it should be called being a 'Stand User.'"
Astra Yao looked a bit blank upon hearing this. "Stand User? What's that?"
"That... is a long story."
Explaining this in a world without JoJo was indeed a bit broad, so Andrew described it concisely and to the point:
"The two most typical representatives of this are: one summons a Purple Yam Spirit to 'Ora' the opponent, and the other summons a Yellow-Skinned Guy to 'Muda' the opponent. And when these two are put together, they even form a combo technique, shouting 'Ora' and 'Muda' together."
After this explanation, the two people in front of him were even more confused.
However, Andrew's incomprehensible gibberish successfully relaxed the originally serious and solemn atmosphere completely.
Andrew then directly started telling them about the worldview of JoJo, which counted as answering Astra Yao's confusion.
Taking advantage of this atmosphere, Evelyn, who had always been somewhat afraid to express her emotions, looked at Andrew, who was busy in front of the teppanyaki iron plate.
Half-jokingly and half-seriously, she said, "In return, is there anything you want me to do? Anything you say is fine."
Hearing this, Andrew's eyes rolled, and the corners of his mouth hooked up into a wicked grin as he teased, "At a time like this, surely it has to be that, right?"
Evelyn couldn't help but tilt her head slightly, asking with a bit of confusion, "That?"
The arc of his wicked grin growing wider, Andrew suppressed his laughter and nodded heavily, acting like a creep: "Generally speaking, when talking about repayment, the first reaction should surely be 'This little woman has nothing to repay you with, so she can only devote her body to you,' right?"
The moment his voice fell, the air suddenly became quiet. Aside from the sizzling of the roast meat on the iron plate, there was no other sound.
The other two people present were instantly petrified.
Evelyn, who was originally confused, was stunned. Even Evelyn, who had always been incomparably decisive and quick to react, couldn't react for three or four seconds.
De... devote my body?
Evelyn's mind was a bit chaotic.
She had naturally heard of such classic tropes and knew what "devoting one's body" meant.
So, was Andrew... pro... proposing?
Or could it be that this actually counted as him expressing his feelings?
Evelyn naturally knew her own situation.
Having been trained as a professional spy, she actually had many old injuries on her body.
Even now, these wounds would ache faintly from time to time, reminding her of their existence. The pain also reminded Evelyn of her past.
Furthermore, she usually kept a straight face with no expression, had a scarcity of emotions, and treated everyone coldly.
There shouldn't be any man who would like her.
Not to mention that during their first meeting, she had even threatened Andrew with a knife. Evelyn felt ashamed just thinking about it.
But this seemed to conversely explain Evelyn's doubts.
After all, pure profit wasn't worth Andrew doing so much. Evelyn had thought about this before, but the final conclusion was that he was willing to help her and the Young Miss like this because he liked Astra Yao.
She was just counting as a package deal relying on the Young Miss's connection.
After all, facing the Typhon because of a commission to protect Astra Yao could be considered normal. But facing a Diablos was already hard to explain using the so-called benefits of a commission; the risk and reward were completely disproportionate.
And to help her fight against an organization deeply hidden in the shadows for the sake of a commission, as well as helping the Young Miss fight against the DGA Entertainment Group—the Golden Emperor that, in a true sense, paid the commission fees...
Especially the last point—that made absolutely no sense.
So Evelyn felt she had grasped the truth.
But now, this sudden sentence made her suspect: Could it be that the reason he helped me was also because he liked me?
In the silence where Evelyn's thoughts were racing, Andrew felt as if seconds were dragging on like years.
I shouldn't have said such creepy stuff if I had known.
Completely unaware of what associations his words had triggered in Evelyn, Andrew suspected that his "creepy guy" speech had made her so awkward she didn't know how to answer.
Thus, Andrew, who was also a bit awkward, gave a light cough and wanted to laugh it off and skip over it directly.
But as the light cough sounded, Evelyn instantly snapped back from her contemplation. Just before Andrew could speak...
Evelyn, having made up her mind at the same time, began her move.
Evelyn suddenly took two steps forward, causing the words Andrew originally wanted to say to be cut off directly. As she pressed close, a faint fragrance drifted from Evelyn's body into Andrew's nose.
At the same time, after carefully examining Andrew with her eyes, which were the color of violet flowers...
Evelyn answered seriously:
"I'm very sorry, but during my usual working hours, I still have to prioritize the Young Miss. But as long as you don't mind that point, I am, of course, willing."
As soon as these words came out, the one who turned to stone became Andrew.
Taking a step back subconsciously, Andrew, who absolutely hadn't expected Evelyn to agree just like that, was instantly a bit confused.
For a moment, he could only squeeze a few meaningless words out of his throat.
"Uh... huh? No, I..."
Seeing Andrew retreat subconsciously and the surprised emotion on his face, Evelyn instantly realized she had overthought things.
Her originally bright eyes dimmed slightly. She bit her lip gently, and then she said softly with some depression:
"Someone like me having someone like them... surely it was... Sorry, I overthought it."
As soon as her voice fell, Evelyn wanted to turn around and go back to her room to sort out her emotions. As for throwing a tantrum or anything, they were all adults, and the main reason was her own misunderstanding, so Evelyn certainly wouldn't do that.
Seeing this expression on Evelyn, Andrew instantly knew he had messed up. Hurting a girl's heart was a grave sin.
So Andrew immediately reached out to stop her.
He said, "No! Of course I like someone as good as Evelyn!"
Hearing this, her originally dim eyes sparkled instantly. turning back immediately, Evelyn looked at Andrew and asked, "Really?"
"Of course. In my eyes, you have always been a very charming woman."
Andrew was sincere about this.
Although the time he spent with Evelyn over these two days was indeed much less than with Astra Yao, back when she didn't yet know his strength, her first reaction when facing Ryza's ambush wasn't to let him take Astra Yao and flee to safety.
Instead, she sacrificed herself to block all the dangers and pursuers alone.
The degree of danger between the two choices was completely different.
Plus, aside from cooking, Evelyn took care of him and Astra Yao meticulously in various details, as well as her appearance that grew completely in Andrew's strike zone.
Saying he had no good feelings for her would be completely false.
Andrew didn't want to lie.
The problem was, he hadn't said yet that he already had a girlfriend!
Isn't this purely two-timing?
Toying with a girl's feelings will get you 'Hatchet'ed'. The spirit of Brother Cheng in heaven is still watching me!
But before Andrew could voice the explanation of the situation, just then, Astra Yao, recovering from her petrified state, also suddenly leaned in close.
"And me, and me! If you ask me, I've been saved by Andrew three times! So I want it too!"
No, what do you mean 'you want it too'?!
Andrew looked at Astra Yao beside him with astonishment. Given the intimate relationship between Astra Yao and Evelyn...
Could it be she's jealous?
He already felt a bit unable to understand her thoughts.
After all, even if she was really jealous because he confessed to Evelyn, she shouldn't have said it like that at a time like this, right?!
A three-person dance is still too hard to dance.
No, this isn't the time for thoughts to drift!
Andrew immediately reached out to stop the two from moving closer again and said seriously:
"Sorry, I was joking earlier, because I actually already have a girlfriend."
"?!"
In an instant, Andrew's words were like a heavy hammer, causing Evelyn and Astra Yao's movements to stop simultaneously, both freezing in place.
Astra Yao's eyes couldn't help but widen slightly, and Evelyn couldn't help but hold her breath slightly.
Then Evelyn shook her head with some helplessness and sighed, "Should I say 'as expected'?"
In a city like New Eridu, a man like Andrew—high morals, good personality, very good looks, ridiculously strong, and even able to cook a great meal.
Most importantly, that respect for others regardless of status that one could feel as long as one interacted with him.
One should say that for such a man, there is a common saying in New Eridu: "If your hands are slow, he's gone."
Just as Evelyn felt Andrew didn't have that kind of intention and was ready to sigh secretly about having fate but no destiny, preparing to retreat...
Astra Yao suddenly raised her head. Although her expression was a bit heavy, she still asked seriously:
"Andrew, do you truly like me and Evelyn?"
Although he didn't know why she suddenly asked this, and felt that admitting it truthfully would likely make them angry...
Andrew, not wanting to deceive the two people in front of him, still answered sincerely and truthfully:
"To tell the truth, although this sounds very 'scum-bag,' I do indeed have feelings of fondness for both of you."
At the same time, Andrew had prepared himself to get beaten up.
What made him rejoice was that, because it was a celebration banquet, he had already taken off his armor.
The result, which made Andrew feel blank, was that after hearing him say this, Astra Yao and Evelyn instead looked relieved.
Amidst Andrew's slightly confused gaze, Astra Yao first nodded seriously, then revealed a smile.
"I understand."
Then she continued to ask casually:
"By the way, Andrew, what is your girlfriend's name? Where does she live? I'm a little curious and want to see what kind of person she is."
?
The relief I felt before was indeed fake, right?
Following this kind of question, the follow-up likely isn't anything good, is it?
It's just... why does the atmosphere feel more relaxed instead?
This isn't right!
However, as the saying goes, "If it's a blessing, it's not a curse; if it's a curse, it can't be avoided." Since he had already confessed, covering it up further was meaningless, so he said candidly:
"Her name is Belle. She lives right across from my shop on Sixth Street."
After thinking for a moment, Andrew continued, "I've already told her about the agreement between us before. If you want to meet, you can just go to my shop with me and you'll see her."
"You already told her?"
Hearing this, Astra Yao was a bit surprised, and then asked with some impatience, "Then what was her reaction at the time?"
"Hmm... Envious? She's actually a fan of yours."
"She wasn't angry?"
Hearing this, Andrew shook his head firmly and said, "No."
Upon hearing this, Astra Yao's heart settled completely. Not because Andrew's girlfriend was her fan, but because of her reaction when hearing about the agreement between herself and Andrew.
Her intuition told her that the situation regarding this matter shouldn't be as bad as she thought!
Maybe there really could be a turning point!
____
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