The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!

Chapter 243

"Matthew, I've never seen a single one of your movies, but from this day forward, I'm your staunchest supporter!"

Standing at the foot of the auditorium stage, Matthew, still in his Will Turner costume, took a textbook from the student who had just spoken. "Thank you," he said. "I appreciate that."

He signed the book and handed it back to the boy, who nodded his head energetically.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was electric, bordering on frantic, but thanks to the teachers maintaining order, it never devolved into chaos. The students who wanted Matthew's autograph mostly formed an organized line, preventing a mob from swarming him.

A girl from the back of the line reached him and threw her arms around him, crying out, "Matthew, I love you!"

A chorus of similar sentiments echoed through the room.

Then the girl added loudly, "I didn't even know who you were before, but I've decided I'm going to drag everyone I know to see your movie this weekend!"

Lily Collins stood on the periphery, watching the scene without any intention of joining the queue.

"Aren't we going to go?" a girl named Jen asked from beside her.

Another girl chimed in, "Celebrity signings are timed. If you're late, you won't get one. Don't you like him?"Lily stared at Matthew, lost in the crowd, and didn't move for a long moment before finally saying, "He's here for me! For me! He's my hero! He'll definitely come for me!"

One of the girls standing near her mentally rolled her eyes, thinking that the delicate-looking girl beside her was a delusional fangirl. Did she really think she deserved anything more than to be a cheerleader?

If she didn't have an influential mother and a rich family, who would even give her the time of day?

Lily paid no mind to the two girls beside her, her gaze fixed on the crowd. In her mind, all the stars in the world couldn't compare to Matthew Horner—not even her own father.

"Thank you. Thank you all for your support."

The signing continued for a while longer. Seeing that no one had mentioned the letter, Matthew decided he had to take the initiative. "Alright, everyone, that's enough for now. I want to ask something."

The students still in line saw the solemn and serious expression on his face and instantly fell silent.

Matthew raised his voice. "I came to your school today because I received a letter from one of your students. She told me that the principal here is oppressing all of you."

All around him, heads turned as students looked about, seemingly searching for the girl who had written the letter.

"The person who wrote the letter signed it as Lily," Matthew announced. "Who is the Lily that wrote to me? Is she here?"

The students glanced around before their gazes collectively settled on a seemingly fragile but pretty girl standing at the back of the auditorium.

Matthew looked across the room at the girl and called out, "Are you Lily? Did you write me the letter?"

Lily pressed her lips together, too overcome with emotion to speak. She gathered all her strength and nodded vigorously.

"May I come through?"

Hearing his words, the students parted like the Red Sea, clearing a path for Matthew to walk over to Lily.

"Hurry! Get the camera over there!"

The ABC reporter barked at his cameraman, "Get a close-up of the girl! Now!"

The camera lens immediately shifted, focusing on Lily.

The taller Ilana watched the two of them with great interest through the lens of her own camera, the shutter clicking intermittently.

Matthew walked up to Lily, stopping about a meter away from her. "Lily?" he asked gently.

Lily nodded in one fluid motion. "That's me! Me! I wrote the letter!"

She looked at Matthew with a hopeful, intense gaze. "You came for me?"

"Yes," Matthew replied with a gracious, natural smile. "I'm here for you."

Two trails of tears streamed from Lily's eyes and down her cheeks. In that moment, she felt she would love Matthew Horner for the rest of her life.

"Get in there!" the ABC reporter ordered his cameraman again. "Get a shot of them together!"

The two men rushed toward Matthew and Lily, and the other camera operators quickly followed their lead.

Lily opened her arms and threw herself at Matthew. He gave her a polite, gentle hug before quickly stepping back.

"I love you so much!" Lily exclaimed, pulling away. "Matthew, I'll be your fan forever!"

A reporter then shouted, "Matthew, Lily, look over here! Can we get a picture?"

"Of course."

Matthew turned, and Lily stood beside him, posing for a photo together.

Ilana then approached. She calmly shifted her gaze to Matthew, but instead of addressing him, she turned to Lily. "Hi, may I ask you a few questions?"

Lily smiled. "Of course."

After this period of adjustment, she was gradually returning to her usual self. Instead of being nervous, she seemed to be finding her footing in front of the reporter.

"Did you really write the letter to Matthew?" Ilana asked.

"Yes!" Lily turned her head to look at Matthew before continuing, "I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean last weekend. Matthew was so handsome, cool, and strong as Will Turner, and I thought at the time that it would be amazing to call a hero as powerful as him to come beat up that fat guy."

She smiled shyly. "And if we defeat the strict principal, it'll definitely make our school life more interesting and free in the future."

Ilana asked again, "Do you like Pirates of the Caribbean and Matthew's character?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Lily replied, "Very much!"

Ilana was still interviewing Lily when a reporter with a Polaroid camera handed Lily the photo he had just taken of her and Matthew.

Lily immediately paused the interview and presented the photo to Matthew. "Can I have your autograph?"

Matthew took a pen from Ilana and wrote on the back of the photo, "To the ever young and beautiful Lily—"

He looked at Lily, who hastily supplied, "Lily Collins!"

Matthew nodded and continued writing, "To the ever young and beautiful Lily Collins."

He added a final line: "Always answering your letters, Matthew Horner."

After signing, he handed the pen back to Ilana, gave the photograph to Lily Collins, and the two of them once again stood before the crowd of media reporters for photos and interviews.

The event, which had lasted all morning, was a resounding success.

Matthew returned to his car and had just finished removing his makeup when Helen informed him that the story had already appeared on portals like Yahoo Entertainment and MSN. Staff at the Angel Agency were preparing to spread the news across numerous forums and websites.

Moreover, Disney Pictures was also leveraging its influence. Soon, news of the event would thunder across the United States, which would be immensely beneficial for promoting both Pirates of the Caribbean and Matthew himself.

Matthew finished removing his makeup, changed back into his own clothes, and was about to leave when a knock came from the side door of the vehicle. Helen opened it to find Ilana standing outside.

"Hi, Helen," she said casually.

Helen nodded gently and replied, "Hello, Ilana."

Ilana gestured toward the car and asked, "Mind if I ride with you?"

Helen glanced back at Matthew. Seeing him nod, she moved aside as Ilana climbed in and sat down next to him.

"It's been a long time, Ilana," Matthew said, looking at her.

"It certainly has." Ilana smiled. "You're a big star now. A very busy man."

Her smile faded as she said seriously, "I'm preparing to leave Yahoo Entertainment."

"Hmm?" Matthew was a little surprised. "Aren't you already the editor-in-chief of your section at Yahoo Entertainment? Why are you leaving? Changing careers?"

Ilana shrugged. "It's not so easy to change careers."

It wasn't that the thought hadn't crossed her mind. There was one career that would suit her perfectly, but unfortunately, now was not the time.

Matthew understood and asked, "So, you're moving to another publication? Which media outlet are you planning to join?"

Ilana and Matthew had been working together for a long time, and both sides knew some of each other's secrets. She didn't beat around the bush. "Warner Group is preparing to launch a gossip website, with Disney and other companies holding a stake."

Helen picked up on it. "I've heard about that. Apparently, Warner wants to make the site the flagship media platform for the world of gossip."

"Exactly," Ilana continued. "At the beginning of next month, I'm jumping ship to become the deputy editor over there, presumably."

Hearing this, Matthew exclaimed, "That's great! I'll throw a party to celebrate!"

This was what you would call a major leap up the career ladder.

Ilana, however, shook her head. "There's no need for that. You just have to give me something explosive so I can secure the top column on the site when the time comes."

She suddenly asked Matthew, "Is our partnership still on?"

When Matthew didn't answer right away, Helen jumped in. "Of course it is. We've always worked well together, haven't we?"

Ilana understood. Matthew had become famous very quickly, and continuing to work with him would be of great benefit to her. She immediately replied, "That's right. We'll continue to have a happy working relationship."

This kind of collaboration required sincerity from both sides.