Chapter 578 - 574: Everyone Should Give It a Try

"And what about you? How do you feel about him?" Estelle pressed. "Do you have feelings for him?"

Cecilia Sterling nodded without hesitation. "Yes. There’s a special charm about him. I find him a little captivating."

Hearing this, Estelle and Blair exchanged a look. They had a good idea of what would happen next.

Because once Cecilia Sterling took a liking to someone, they were basically meat on the chopping block.

*

That day, Lily Sterling finally wrapped up filming for "March Alley" and took an afternoon flight back to Lorcain.

At the airport, her fan club had organized a large-scale reception. Hundreds of fans gathered at the domestic arrivals exit, with the club president, Jared Keaton, once again in charge of organizing the crowd and maintaining order.

Lily Sterling was completely used to such scenes by now. As she emerged, she was flanked by bodyguards tasked with keeping order. The fans were enthusiastic but not chaotic.

Jared Keaton hurried to keep up with Lily Sterling, saying, "Lily, you’ve worked hard."

"You’ve all worked hard, too," Lily Sterling said as she walked, wearing a hat.

Yuna, at her side, took the opportunity to hand a bag to Jared Keaton. "Lily signed these on the plane. There should be enough to go around. You can hand them out later. There are too many people today, so we won’t be doing individual photos."

To avoid causing a disturbance with such a large crowd, Lily Sterling had no choice but to leave quickly.

But she knew her fans had gone to a lot of trouble to greet her at the airport, so she had signed a lot of photos for them on the plane ahead of time.

"Okay, thank you, Lily."

"Lily, are the rumors online about your new endorsement true? Is this your first official endorsement deal?"

A fan suddenly asked excitedly.

Lily Sterling smiled and explained, "It’s not certain yet. Connie is probably still in negotiations. If it’s confirmed, there will be an official announcement. Please look forward to it."

"Lily, no matter what you endorse, we’ll support it!"

"That’s right! We’ll always support you."

While thanking them, Lily Sterling also reminded everyone to be sensible with their spending, as the first endorsement Connie was negotiating for her was with a luxury brand.

After getting into the minivan, Lily Sterling waved goodbye to her fans.

"Lily, are we heading home first?"

Leaning back against the seat with a weary expression, Lily Sterling nodded.

Jasmine Sterling knew her daughter was wrapping up filming and coming home today, so she had finished her work early to wait for her. She had originally wanted to pick her up from the airport herself, but her daughter told her the company had arranged a car and she’d be using a private exit, so she shouldn’t go to the trouble.

Her daughter had been gone for several months this time, and Jasmine Sterling missed her dearly.

Keeping an eye on the time, she waited at the main gate with Yoda. When she saw a black minivan approaching in the distance, she knew it was Lily’s car and quickly waved happily.

As soon as Lily Sterling saw her mother, she rolled down the window and leaned out. "Mom!"

The car slowly came to a stop. Yuna got out first and helped Lily down. Jasmine Sterling rushed forward and pulled her daughter into a hug. "You’re finally back! Mom missed you to death."

"I’ll be able to stay longer this time. I’ll spend some quality time with you."

Jasmine Sterling nodded. After helping bring the luggage inside, Yuna and Finn left.

"You’ve lost weight. Weren’t you able to rest well on set?" Jasmine Sterling said, her heart aching as she looked at her daughter’s thinner cheeks.

"It was actually fine. The conditions on this set were quite good. Since it was a modern drama, food and lodging were convenient," Lily Sterling said, pulling her mother to sit on the sofa. She continued, "I heard from my sister that you’re the one who’s been working hard. I think you’ve lost weight, too."

"Have I?" Jasmine Sterling touched her face. "I thought I’d gained weight. My appetite has been great lately; I’ve been eating more than before."

"You have. I can tell." Lily’s heart ached for her mother. "My sister and I can both earn money now, so don’t wear yourself out, Mom."

"I’m not tired." Jasmine Sterling smiled, a look of satisfaction on her face as she thought about her current life. "You both have your own things to be busy with, and I have things I want to do, too. You might not know since you’ve been away, but my company has become very successful."

"My sister told me. You even opened a branch office?"

"That’s right. There was a small incident a while ago, but it was resolved quickly. The branch office just finished renovations two days ago. Things will only get better from here."

Hearing this, Lily Sterling nodded. "Your happiness is what’s most important, Mom. I’m just worried you’re working too hard."

"It’s not hard work; I enjoy it." Jasmine Sterling stood up and headed to the kitchen. "I knew you were coming back, so I started preparing this afternoon. I made your favorite fish maw chicken soup. Go wash your hands. The day after tomorrow is the weekend, and your sister and brother will both be home. We’ll have a big family feast then."

Lily Sterling’s face lit up and she nodded happily.

At that moment, someone tagged her in their dorm group chat.

Hannah Warner: "Lily, are you back?"

Lily Sterling replied, "I just got home. My mom made some delicious food. Should we get together tomorrow?"

Hannah Warner: "Tomorrow’s good! Nina’s coming back tomorrow too. Are you heading back to campus?"

Lily Sterling: "Not just yet. I want to stay home for a few days."

The next evening, Lily Sterling, dressed inconspicuously in a hat and sunglasses, arrived at Aetherium. Her other roommates were already there.

The moment Lily Sterling appeared, Hannah Warner was the first to jump up and shout, "Welcome, superstar!"

Anna Sanders and Nina Zimmer hadn’t seen Lily Sterling in a long time either, and they rushed over to hug her.

Anna Sanders said, "You’re going from one film set to the next without a break. It’s not easy for us to see you at all."

Nina Zimmer added, "We were just talking about visiting you on set if you didn’t wrap up soon."

Lily Sterling’s eyes reddened, touched. She looked at them and replied, "But aren’t you all busy too? Nina, didn’t you just get back today?"

They all sat down as they talked. Nina Zimmer said, "The few of us are just messing around with small, bit-part roles. But the role Hannah got for her first project is great! Hannah keeps telling us it’s all thanks to you."

Back during the auditions, Lily Sterling had been the one to encourage Hannah Warner to go for that challenging role. She ended up getting it through a twist of fate, which gave Hannah Warner’s career a huge head start.

"It really is all thanks to Lily. Otherwise, I might not have even had the chance to be on a set yet."

In response, Lily Sterling said, "It’s mainly because you’re talented. Otherwise, no amount of help from me would have mattered. It’s a great thing that all four of us from our dorm have successfully landed roles."

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

"Lily," Anna Sanders asked suddenly, "I saw you say in the group chat yesterday that you aren’t joining a new project anytime soon?"

The others also looked up at her. Lily was one of Connie’s artists now; if she wanted to, she shouldn’t have any shortage of roles.

"It’s not that I’m not joining a new project; I’m taking some time to prepare for a new role." Lily Sterling didn’t hide it from them, whispering to her good friends, "Connie took me to meet with Director Alan for his new movie."

Those words made the other three’s eyes go wide in astonishment, quickly followed by expressions of delight.

Hannah Warner asked excitedly, trying to confirm, "Director Alan? You mean *the* Director Alan we all know?"

Lily Sterling nodded and, looking at the three of them, made a suggestion: "And the auditions for this movie are being held right here in Lorcain. Director Alan asked me to be a scene partner for the actors who are auditioning. If you guys are in Lorcain then, you should all come. An opportunity like this might never come again. You should all give it a try."