Chapter 180: Enduring in Silence

At Santa Monica's commercial plaza, workers had just replaced a billboard. The previous Motorola phone poster was now a stunning movie poster featuring a muscular man with a sword, his bare upper body chiseled like marble, drawing the eye. The caption beside, "Matthew Hona as the Scorpion King," complemented the image perfectly.

This was a huge billboard ad for "The Scorpion King," chosen by Universal Pictures for its placement in Santa Monica, one of Los Angeles' busiest business centers.

Nearby, in a café by the window, a young, handsome man sat sipping coffee, flipping through a newspaper, seemingly in a good mood.

"Hey, Paul!" someone greeted him, "There's a party this weekend, you going?"

"This weekend? Can't, I'm busy."

After he declined, a young girl entered the café, glanced his way, and immediately approached with excitement.

"Are... are you Paul?" she asked, clearly thrilled, "I'm a fan of your work in 'Fast & Furious'; it was amazing!"

Paul Walker, with his radiant smile, looked at her as she pulled out a notebook and pen, asking for an autograph.

"Of course!" Paul Walker promptly signed his name.

The girl blushed, thanked him, and quickly left.

Paul Walker, always humble, couldn't deny the thrill of being a star. Since "Fast & Furious" hit big, he'd become a sought-after actor, and fans seeking autographs were a common occurrence.

The best part? The sequel to "Fast & Furious" was greenlit, and Vin Diesel, whom he considered a pain, was completely out of the picture with Universal Pictures.

Drinking his coffee, Paul decided not to think about Diesel any longer and turned his attention back to the newspaper. He happened upon the entertainment section of the "Los Angeles Times."

"Universal Pictures' upcoming release 'The Scorpion King' received universal acclaim at an internal screening. Particularly, the action scenes starring Matthew Hona as the lead have been praised. This 40 million dollar adventure-action blockbuster is set to premiere on April 9th and will hit North American theaters on a large scale starting April 12th…"

Next to the article was a familiar face, Matthew Hona, in period costume. Paul recognized him instantly.

"This guy, a lead now?"

He pulled out his phone and called Matthew. Once connected, he said, "Hey, it's me, Paul. Your new movie's premiere is coming up, right? Yeah, I was planning to attend. Great, let's do it! If the crew has no objections, send me an invite!"

After hanging up and leaving the café, Paul saw the massive "The Scorpion King" billboard almost finished being set up, featuring that familiar face.

"Looks like Matthew's going to make it big too if he's lucky."

Elsewhere, on a street in Burbank, Matthew pocketed his phone after leaving a cold drink shop, holding a large paper bag and walking towards a prearranged destination.

On the other side of the street, a black MPV's side door opened, and the tall figure of Ileana Boyar emerged. She chose a spot, raised her camera, and began snapping photos of Matthew.

Matthew acted surprised by the paparazzi, covering his face as if not wanting to be photographed, while Ileana continued to shoot until he turned a corner.

Packing up, Ileana hopped back into the car, reviewing the photos. Matthew, naturally photogenic and fit from working out, looked perfect on camera.

Despite it being a staged street shoot, the spontaneous feel of the photos was rare. Ileana credited this to Matthew's qualities and her own photography skills, considering herself top-notch in the industry.

Matthew also boarded the MPV, glanced at Ileana, and asked, "How are the shots? Need another take?"

"No need," she replied, carefully packing her camera, "They're excellent. Let's go."

Matthew checked his phone, found it to be spam, and pocketed it again.

Ileana asked, "Is Helen urging you?"

"No," Matthew shook his head, "Just an ad."

Recently, such spam messages were becoming rampant.

The crew member from "The Scorpion King," in the front passenger seat, asked, "Shall we head back?"

This shoot was funded by the "The Scorpion King" crew as part of their internet promotion strategy.

"Where to?" the crew member asked Matthew.

"Drop me at Angel's Agency," Matthew pointed left, "My car's there."

"And you?" the crew member turned to Ileana.

"Just to the editorial office," Ileana replied, "I need to process these photos quickly."

The black MPV started, leaving the street within minutes and stopping near Angel's Agency. Matthew and Ileana said goodbye before he got out, watching the car drive away before heading into the agency.

Before reaching the agency, several reporters approached for interviews. The security personnel from Angel's Agency quickly escorted Matthew inside.

Such scenarios had become frequent with "The Scorpion King" nearing its premiere. Universal Pictures had invested significantly in him as the male lead, and the release of the trailers had catapulted him to near-celebrity status.

Matthew spent the afternoon at Angel's Agency before joining Helen Helman to attend a press briefing at Universal Studios.

The meeting wasn't large, attended only by Matthew, the female lead Kelly Hu, their agents, and four crew members – Sean Daniel, public relations officer Burt, Stephen Sommers, and director Chuck Russell.

Sean Daniel outlined the next phase, "We're increasing TV promotions. Kelly will focus on tabloid-style coverage, and Matthew, prepare for an exclusive interview with Yahoo Entertainment."

He stressed, "Universal Pictures will utilize its entire group's platform for promotion. We hope for everyone's continued cooperation."

Like other major studios, Universal Pictures was part of a large media conglomerate, NBC Universal.

Burt then added, "Once everyone executes their plans, we'll manipulate media coverage to generate buzz!"

"Understood," nodded Helen Helman.

Matthew stayed silent, just listening.

"Next week, we'll focus on boosting positive news about Matthew," Burt detailed, "Our aim is to portray him as a hardworking underdog who made it big, to attract more teens."

As previous discussions had aligned their plans, Matthew had no objections. It would only boost his personal fame.

Helen had already briefed Matthew, who gave a slight nod, his demeanor unchanged.

These plans would benefit him, so naturally, there was no reason to object.

The meeting, reiterating points of emphasis and caution, ended with the crew's full support, given Universal's 40 million dollar investment and resources.

With Universal's strength and meticulous planning, the promotional effect was expected to match that of other major studios' similar investments.

After discussing some implementation details, Matthew and Helen left Universal Pictures.

In the parking lot, Helen cautioned Matthew, "You'll face a lot of pressure until the premiere. Be careful with your words and follow the plan. Don't act independently and contact me with any issues."

"I know," Matthew reassured, "I'm not new to this."

Despite understanding that much of the recent media pressure was promotional hype, it still affected him.

Seeing news about himself, true or not, in papers, magazines, and online was bound to impact his mood. He had to stay informed, yet it was hard not to be affected.

And with no one to confide in, brief calls with Britney, busy with work, didn't allow for sharing such burdens.

These pressures, he had to endure alone.

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