Chapter 415 - 411: Fan Support

Lily Sterling felt her hand suddenly empty and shot a surprised glance to the side.

’You can do that?’

Hope Miller’s forward enthusiasm was clearly more to George Lowe’s liking, and his attention was immediately captured. "Hope, is it? That’s a lovely name. Sounds nice."

"Teacher Lowe, I admire you so much. I’m new to the business, so there’s a lot I don’t understand. I hope I can count on you to teach me. I’ll definitely work hard to learn."

"Of course, of course."

The two seemed to hit it off exceptionally well, and Heather Keaton quietly pulled Lily Sterling away.

"It’s enough to just greet him on the surface so he knows who you are. That old lech has a creepy look in his eye, so don’t get too close to him," Heather Keaton whispered to Lily, having seen right through him at a glance.

Lily had thought the atmosphere was a little strange, and now that Heather had pointed it out, she instantly understood.

"Heather, I’m so glad you’re here today. Thank you."

"What’s there to be formal about? I promised Connie I’d look after you," Heather said with a smile.

After waiting a little longer, the director and the others finally arrived.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. The opening ceremony is ready, so let’s all head over to the plaza."

The whole group proceeded from indoors to the plaza in a vast procession. Due to the opening ceremony, security had already cordoned off the area with barriers. Inside the enclosure were various media outlets invited by the production team, while outside stood the fans who had come to support their idols.

Lily’s fans were particularly eye-catching, as each one held a cup of CHAGEE tea. Yuna had been clever; knowing that ordering from a single shop would be slow, she had ordered from all the nearby CHAGEE stores, getting twenty to thirty cups from each. As a result, the drinks were all delivered quickly.

"After I finish this, I’m taking the cup home to save it."

"Me too! This is milk tea that Lily bought for us."

"It would be amazing if Lily could sign our cups."

"Yuna, will Lily have time to see us again after the opening ceremony? Could we get her autograph?"

Yuna paused at the question. Instead of giving a direct refusal, she just said, "I’m not sure. I’ll go and ask in a little while."

Having been with Lily Sterling for so long, Yuna knew her well. These fans had come from all over the country, from so far away; Lily would never let them go home after just a brief glimpse of her.

"Come on, The Pearls in the front row! Help me hold up this banner!"

At that moment, the fan leader, Jared Keaton, suddenly pulled a massive banner from his backpack. Seeing this, the fans in the front row all reached out to help. When unfurled, it was easily over ten meters long.

The massive banner instantly drew the attention of the media up front. Since Lily was currently riding high on the popularity of a hit show, and this was her first offline appearance with such an impressive display of support, all the cameras and lenses swiveled in unison to focus on her fans.

Aside from a beautiful photo of Lily Sterling, the banner had large, red words printed in the center: "It’s Lily Sterling, thank God! We’re saved!"

On the other side were Heather Keaton’s fans, who were clearly a more experienced and organized group. They had everything: banners, light-up signs, and official fan colors. Seeing Lily’s fans make their move, they couldn’t wait to start their own display, complete with a powerful fan chant.

"Heather, moon’s embrace! Our stars will keep the faith!"

"Heart of gold, a warmth so true—Heather Keaton, we will always protect you!"

The power of their unified voices was staggering. Heather Keaton’s fanbase was the largest to begin with, and the force of their chanting echoed across the entire plaza. The cast and crew heard it before they even stepped out of the building.

Seeing this, Lily’s fans felt they’d been instantly outshone.

"Ah, we should have come up with a chant too! With so many of us shouting together, Lily would definitely hear it."

"Our Lily doesn’t even have an official fan club yet."

"Heather Keaton is her senior, and they share the same manager as our Lily. We probably shouldn’t try to compete with them."

"Exactly. Lily is still a newcomer. Having this kind of support is already incredible."

"It’s okay. Even though we don’t have a unified chant right now, if we all shout for Lily together, she’ll still hear us," Jared Keaton said.

The others nodded in agreement. Someone looked at Jared Keaton curiously and asked, "Hey, handsome, when did you start following Lily? How come she seemed to recognize you and even remembered you!"

Jared Keaton grinned, unable to hide a hint of pride. "Since her very first promotional still was released."

"That early? You became a fan from a single photo?"

Jared Keaton nodded readily.

Just then, the cast and crew began to walk onto the stage that had been set up in the plaza, and a commotion immediately erupted from the surrounding crowd.

"Heather, moon’s embrace! Our stars will keep the faith!"

"Heart of gold, a warmth so true—Heather Keaton, we will always protect you!"

Heather Keaton’s fans were the most formidable, their cheers rising in wave after powerful wave.

Lily’s fans reacted, shouting in unison, "Lily! Lily!"

Fans of some of the other actors were also present, but they clearly lacked the sheer force of these two groups. The cheers from those standing near Heather Keaton’s fans, in particular, were completely drowned out.

The actors on stage began waving to their respective fans. Lily waved to hers as well, and upon seeing her, the fans all raised their cups of tea in unison. The sight was breathtaking, and the media on-site quickly lifted their cameras to capture the moment.

After the traditional good-luck ceremony was completed, the main cast and creators interacted with the media for a while. Because the weather was so hot, it wasn’t long before the director called everyone over for a group photo.

Heather Keaton and the director naturally took the center spots. Everyone else consciously shuffled toward the edges. That’s just how the entertainment industry works; no matter what you’re really thinking, you have to appear humble on the surface.

Because if you stand in the wrong spot, you’ll get absolutely flamed by netizens.

Lily had already picked a spot on the very edge.

"Teacher Lowe, come stand in the middle! If a senior like you is on the edge, where does that leave these kids?" the director called out, beckoning George Lowe to a central position for the photo. His status, after all, warranted it.

Even Jett Hughes, who was now in the center, chimed in, "Teacher Lowe, come on over."

But George Lowe just waved his hand with an amiable smile, declining, "I’m not one of the leads. The edge is fine for me."

As he spoke, he walked over to stand next to Lily, greeting her cheerfully, "Hope, I’ll stand with you!"

Lily felt a little awkward. "Teacher, I’m Lily Sterling, not Hope."

George Lowe froze for a second, just as a coy voice complained from behind him, "Teacher, *I’m* Hope!"

At some point, Hope Miller had already slipped in to stand right behind George Lowe.

"Oh, oh, oh!" George Lowe laughed, looking flustered. "Oh, my memory is so bad. I’m really getting old. I’m sorry, Lily."

Lily shook her head lightly. "It’s alright, Teacher."

"Lily, you’re one of the leads, and you’re practically standing off the stage. Come over here and stand with me," Heather Keaton said, seeing the situation and intervening at the perfect time to get her out of it.