In the living room of Horner Manor, Brown Williams glanced at Matthew and then at Helen Herman. The tense atmosphere made him feel a bit uneasy, so he asked, "Should I leave if there's nothing else?"
Matthew waved his hand. "Go ahead."
The day after the incident, Brown Williams rushed back to Los Angeles from Hawaii.
Matthew had already realized that those people might have deliberately chosen to strike when Brown Williams wasn't around.
"The Los Angeles County Police and the FBI are still investigating if anyone got away," Helen Herman said after Brown Williams left. "The danger hasn't passed yet, and going to a foreign country is too risky."
She adjusted her glasses. "I think you should cancel your trip across the Pacific."
Matthew shook his head. "My plans were set a long time ago. They started promoting the event over ten days ago. If I cancel now, the negative impact would be huge."
As a Hollywood star, breaking promises could lead to a backlash, especially after the success of Fast & Furious 4.
Helen Herman rarely insisted but said, "The market over there is huge, and the future prospects are great, no doubt. But your safety is more important than any of that!" She stared at Matthew. "If something happens to you, the market and profits won't matter."
Matthew shook his head again. "Helen, you don't understand the other side of the Pacific."
"I don't," Helen said calmly, "but I don't think it's safer than Los Angeles or Beverly Hills."
Matthew suddenly laughed and pointed to himself. "For someone like me, a celebrity, safety is the least of my concerns when traveling across the Pacific."
Helen frowned and was about to speak, but Matthew raised a finger and shook his head. "That place is one of the safest countries in the world, known for its hospitality. For someone like me, a foreign public figure, safety is never an issue."
If something like the attack outside Angel Agency happened over there, the world would already be at war.
The city hosting the global premiere of Fast & Furious 4 likely has streets that are safer than Beverly Hills.
Matthew thought for a moment and added, "Things are too chaotic here. Everywhere I go, I'm surrounded by reporters and paparazzi. Going over there will give me some peace."
Over the past few days, while staying at the manor, he had already made plenty of preparations for the trip across the Pacific. He was sure he'd make a big impression.
"Alright," Helen Herman said, seeing that Matthew was determined. She no longer objected but reminded him, "Just be careful."
"I know," Matthew nodded lightly.
In the situation the other day, a more impulsive person might have pulled out a gun and fired back at the drug dealers. But his first instinct was to avoid danger. If he hadn't been forced to, he wouldn't have personally stepped in.
Running into danger could mean risking his life. After all, bullets don't have eyes.
Over the past couple of days, the media had gone into a frenzy with coverage, and even the gates of Horner Manor were swarmed. His fans were more hyped up than ever, following him everywhere.
Going across the Pacific meant he could leave all that behind.
No matter how bold the paparazzi in Los Angeles were, would they dare follow him across the Pacific? They'd be deported in no time.
Many media outlets also wanted to interview him, but on Helen Herman's advice, Matthew had refused them all.
With so much video evidence and public opinion overwhelmingly on his side, there was no need for him to make any statements. He didn't want to give the impression that he was trying to stir things up.
At this point, he didn't need to say anything to the media.
The buzz was already big enough. Apart from Disney and Paramount, some of his other partners saw an opportunity and used the incident to their advantage.
A prime example was Mercedes-Benz. Their recent ads suddenly featured the slogan: "Mercedes is the safe choice."
In the footage from that day, the Mercedes van shielded Matthew from countless bullets. Despite the assailants wielding powerful AK rifles, not a single bullet penetrated the vehicle.
That van had inevitably become a viral sensation.
Apparently, there had been a surge in orders for that model in recent days.
Of course, Mercedes wasn't going to reveal that Matthew's van was a custom-built version.
There was even a viral video online analyzing how everything Matthew wore that day was from Armani.
Even Rolex, which hadn't officially made Matthew their spokesperson, quietly posted an image of his wrist from that day on social media.
At the time, he had been wearing a Rolex Submariner.
All of this added fuel to the fire, and in the end, Matthew himself was one of the biggest beneficiaries.
Still, no matter how beneficial it had been, Matthew didn't want to go through something like that again.
So, two days later, he left the chaos in North America behind and boarded a flight across the Pacific, heading to the capital city on the other side.
Even if some of those criminals were still at large, he seriously doubted that Mexican drug dealers would dare cause trouble in such a city.
They'd be wiped out in an instant.
A week before the global premiere of Fast & Furious 4, Matthew arrived on the other side of the Pacific.
At the capital's airport, hundreds of young men and women gathered near the VIP exit, holding up a banner with red background and white text, written in both Chinese and English, making it very eye-catching.
Years ago, the airport security would have dispersed them, but now, it was obvious to anyone that they were just fans, here to welcome their favorite celebrity.
Many travelers passing by noticed the Chinese name on the banner and the image on the posters they were holding. Some were surprised—was that Hollywood superstar really here?
Perhaps it was a case of herd mentality, or maybe people just wanted to catch a glimpse of the famous star from overseas. Either way, more and more people gathered.
"He's here! He's here!"
Hearing the news from a companion, a female fan quickly looked toward the VIP exit.
Accompanied by four bodyguards, Matthew pushed a luggage cart, following the staff who had come to pick him up. His expression was calm, though he was curiously looking around.
In the past, due to his financial situation, he had never visited this city.
Walking alongside the staff from Walt Disney, Matthew didn't say a word, but as they neared the airport exit, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Would he be greeted by fans, like in North America?
From what he knew, actors like Daniel Day-Lewis or Sean Penn didn't have a large following here. But commercial stars like Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, and Leonardo DiCaprio had a much bigger fan base.
He was now Hollywood's hottest commercial star. Would he have a lot of fans here as well?
He figured he would, but whether anyone had come to the airport was another question.
As he stepped out of the airport, the bright sunlight made him squint. He instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, and that's when he saw the crowd gathered near the exit.
To his surprise, there were hundreds of people, many of them holding up posters with his image, seemingly waiting for him.
Matthew felt a surge of excitement. His influence had clearly reached across the ocean.
Especially the high-hanging banner that made him feel quite proud.
"Matthew Horner, we love you!"
"Matthew! Matthew! Matthew…"
The crowd suddenly erupted into synchronized chants. Matthew quickly smiled and waved in their direction. After all, this trip was meant to lay the groundwork for future endeavors.
Of course, he wanted to leave a good impression on his fans here.
"Did you see him? Did you see?" one girl in the crowd exclaimed excitedly. "Bai Xue, did you see? Matthew waved at us!"
The girl named Bai Xue was equally thrilled. "He noticed us! He really did!"
In that moment, an indescribable sense of fulfillment filled her entire body.
She had noticed Matthew Horner years ago when she saw Pirates of the Caribbean during a trip to Hong Kong. The blacksmith had been so striking, so captivating.
Of course, his handsome face and rugged charm only added to his allure.
Since then, she had learned about Hollywood, the world's largest film industry, and about the superstar known around the world.
She began obsessively collecting everything related to him—newspapers, magazines, movies, and even hard-to-find merchandise of his characters.
That's when she realized just how amazing Matthew Horner was, as if the whole world had fallen for him.
She was satisfied, and so were her fellow fans, who had come together because of him. Their idol was exceptional. Word was that American media had even started calling him "great."
The only regret was that he was so far away, across the vast Pacific, separated not just by distance, but by the complex relations between their two countries.
Because of that, they never dared hope they would actually meet him, only appreciating his performances through various media.
But a few weeks ago, the local media announced the guest list for the global premiere of Fast & Furious 4 in their city, and Matthew Horner was among the names!
They finally got to see him in person.
"Can... can I get an autograph?"
As Matthew passed by the crowd, he heard someone stammering in English. The speaker was a girl with a ponytail.
"Hello," he said, taking the pen from the girl's hand. Switching to Chinese, he asked, "Can I know your name?"
Bai Xue hadn't expected Matthew to speak Chinese and froze for a moment before quickly responding, "I... my name is Bai Xue."
"White as snow?" Matthew asked, seeing her nod blankly. He wrote down
a personalized message in her autograph book: "May the pure snow dance like graceful jade butterflies."
At the bottom, he added his name in Chinese characters
Bai Xue was completely stunned. She never expected to receive such a special autograph. This must be the first Chinese signature Matthew Horner had ever written!
This trip had been totally worth it. Not only had she seen her idol in person, but she had also spoken with him and received such a unique gift. Looking around at her fellow fans, she could see their envious eyes.
No, she had to protect this precious gift at all costs!
After quickly signing a few more posters, Matthew returned the pen to the girl. Surrounded by airport security, he got into the car, waving to the crowd as it drove away, disappearing down the road.
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