After leaving Skydance Pictures, Matthew got into his car and told the driver to head back to Beverly Hills. Lily had called him unexpectedly the day before to arrange lunch today at Mr. Chow's.
For the past two years, he and Lily had only communicated by email. Her mother, presumably for educational reasons, had sent her to Oxford University as an exchange student, and she had only recently transferred back to USC.
From what Lily had said on the phone, she didn't plan on returning to the UK this ti.
On the way back to Beverly Hills, he had the misfortune of hitting a traffic jam caused by a car accident, and the rcedes-Benz was stuck in place for a long ti, unable to move.
It took forty minutes before the rcedes finally pulled up to the restaurant, nearly twenty-five minutes past their appointed ti.
"Sorry, Lily."
The first thing Matthew said when he saw Lily was an apology. "There was a jam on the road, so I kept you waiting."
Lily stood up, opened her arms to hug Matthew, and said, "It's all right, I just got here myself."
They parted, and she tilted her head, looking at Matthew. "You're as easy on the eyes as ever."
Matthew looked her over as well. Lily was wearing fitted khaki pants with a tailored beige sweater and a small, dark gray blazer that accentuated her bright eyes and a modern, feminine charm.
"Lily," Matthew offered a sincere complint. "You get more and more beautiful with ti."
He pulled out a chair and waited for Lily to sit down before taking the seat across from her, adding, "You were cute when you were little, and now you have a beauty that's no less than Audrey Hepburn's."
Just then, a waiter approached. The two placed their orders, and Lily replied, "How could I compare to Audrey? You're exaggerating."
Matthew casually remarked, "They didn't have HD caras back then, which was a stroke of luck for actresses. It allowed them to preserve their most glamorous side."
Lily thought for a mont. "That... seems to make sense."
Matthew chuckled. "Look at today's high-definition lenses and caras, even the ones the paparazzi use. They can capture the tiniest pores on your face, which is why people say actresses now aren't as beautiful as they used to be."
"That's true too." Lily agreed with Matthew's point. "Photography technology has advanced so much that not a single imperfection on a woman's face can escape the cara."
The two had t many tis before, and though it had been a while since Lily had been in England, the initial strangeness and distance vanished without a trace after just a few words.
The waiters brought their dishes one by one, and Matthew continued the conversation as they ate. "If you took photos of today's actresses in their full glory and compared them to the ones left from Hollywood's golden age, they certainly wouldn't lose out. In fact, they'd probably win by a wide margin."
Lily disagreed. "That's not necessarily true."
Matthew speared a piece of beef with his fork and smirked.
"What?" Lily asked curiously, seeing his expression.
"You can edit photos," Matthew said after swallowing the beef. "Even if they had retouching technology back then, it was definitely not as good as it is now. Photoshop can give a woman the most perfect body and face."
Lily hadn't expected Matthew to say sothing like that and couldn't help but smile.
He added, "And don't forget, plastic surgery technology back then was also incomparable to what we have now."
Hearing this, the smile on Lily's face suddenly vanished. After a mont's hesitation, she asked, "You don't like girls who've had plastic surgery?"
Matthew glanced at Lily. It seed there had been so changes to her face since their last eting. He had noticed it when they hugged, but he'd assud it was because Lily had matured and her features had beco more refined.
However, Matthew acted as if he hadn't noticed anything and replied, "It's nothing, really. It's normal. What Hollywood actress hasn't had so? Surgery can make an already beautiful face even more perfect."
A smile returned to Lily's face.
"What I can't stand is radical plastic surgery," Matthew said, thinking of the thousands of botched faces he'd seen on stars around the world. "Often, many of them look extrely unnatural afterward."
"Yes," Lily nodded energetically. "I think so too."
She leaned closer to him and lowered her voice as if sharing a secret. "I ca back to Los Angeles last year and had so minor adjustnts done."
Matthew gave her a careful look. "I can't tell."
It was true. Even with Lily wearing very little makeup, one couldn't detect any signs of plastic surgery just by looking at her.
Lily pointed to her nose. "Here."
Matthew shook his head. "Still can't see it."
"Really?" Lily smiled. "Are you just trying to make
happy by saying I'm beautiful?"
Matthew emphasized, "You were beautiful to begin with."
Lily covered her mouth and giggled before saying, "You're still the sa Matthew I've always known."
Matthew wondered, "And what Matthew is that?"
"A friend, an idol..." Lily's expression turned unusually serious. "A goal to learn from and a role model."
Matthew put down his fork. "I'm not a very good role model."
Following his path would an taking a very crooked road.
"No! You are!" Lily retorted with unusual determination. "You went from being a regular extra to the huge star you are now!"
Matthew heard sothing in her tone and asked, "Lily, you're not thinking of becoming an actress, are you?"
Lily nodded her head vigorously. "Yes! That's why I quit my job as a host on Nickelodeon. I'm going to be an actress."
She looked at him with a particularly resolute expression in her eyes.
"I want to be a star, like you."
"Have you really thought this through?" Matthew asked an important question. "And does your family have any objections?"
Lily imdiately replied, "No objections. Dad and Mom don't mind
taking this path."
Hearing her words, Matthew recalled that Lily's parents also worked in the entertainnt industry. It was indeed more advantageous for their daughter to go into Hollywood than to pursue a career in other fields.
"It won't be an easy road," Matthew said, having a good impression of Lily. "Even if your parents can help, you have to be ntally prepared for setbacks and rejections."
Lily put down her fork, picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, and said, "I know."
She brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and hesitated for a mont before saying, "I ca to you to ask for help. You've invested in the movie 'Twilight.' I loved the novel, and my mom sent my headshot to your production before I ca back from London... Oh, and Mom is my temporary agent now."
She cast a timid glance at Matthew. "Anyway, I tried to apply for the role of Alice Cullen, but the casting director just brushed
off."
Matthew asked calmly, "You didn't ntion that we're friends?"
"No," Lily said honestly. "I wanted to try on my own."
She smiled sheepishly. "But it didn't work out."
Matthew considered it. Lily's looks and temperant were undoubtedly a cut above many, but her acting ability... he wouldn't use her if her skills didn't et even the most basic requirents.
Matthew spoke directly. "I'll put in a word for you with the crew. You'll go audition for the role, but if you can't pass, I can't help you. This project is too important."
Lily nodded her sharp chin happily. "I understand."
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