Chapter 232: A Burst of Acting Talent

The red carpet was flanked by throngs of fans, while the flashes from media photographers lit up half the sky. A giant banner hanging from the rooftop caught everyone's attention, featuring a huge shark baring its teeth, seemingly ready to devour two little fish in front of it.

Today's protagonists on the premiere's red carpet were not any celebrities but animated characters like Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Flik, Sulley, and Mike Wazowski.

It was well-known that Walt Disney's own animation movies had declined, and for the past few years, Pixar Studios had been holding the fort, undoubtedly standing as a powerhouse in the computer animation world.

A black Mercedes stopped at the entrance of the red carpet, and dozens of photographers immediately surrounded it.

As the car door opened, Matthew stepped out first and then turned back to lead Keira Knightley out of the car.

"How come they arrived together?" wondered a reporter. "Could the media hype be true?"

Reporters, always in the loop, were aware of the recent buzz surrounding these two individuals in newspapers and some websites.

Matthew led Keira Knightley out of the car, and together they faced the cameras, their faces illuminated by the flashlights.

Both Matthew and Keira Knightley were already accustomed to such attention.

Their outfits for the day undoubtedly made them very photogenic. Matthew was in a black suit that fit perfectly, highlighting his physique, with his hair, grown out since filming "Pirates of the Caribbean," neatly falling behind him, adding to his wild appearance.

Keira Knightley's style emphasized her British classical charm, with her silver-white evening gown contrasting with Matthew's black, complementing each other well. Her hair was tied up, further accentuating her elegance.

Seeing Matthew and Keira Knightley exit the car, the fans on both sides of the red carpet burst into cheers, with numerous people shouting and waving, treating them like A-list celebrities.

Unfortunately, that's how the world works; handsome men and beautiful women always receive special treatment.

Compared to other guests who had walked the red carpet, such as the leading figures from Pixar and the voice actors of the animated characters, Matthew and Keira Knightley were undoubtedly the most visually appealing of the night.

Their black and white attire hinted strongly at something more, leading gossip-hungry fans to murmur, "They really do look great together!"

Surrounded by cameras, Matthew and Keira Knightley raised their hands almost simultaneously, waving towards the red carpet as a response to the fans' cheers.

Then, Matthew took Keira Knightley's hand and headed towards the premiere theater at the end of the red carpet.

Dozens of photographers on both sides frantically took pictures, with their clasped hands becoming the focus of all cameras!

This was not just any hand-holding; their fingers were interlocked, a clear sign of a couple.

"So Matthew Horner and Keira Knightley are really together!"

The continuous hype, combined with the blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean," instantly made Matthew and Keira Knightley the focus of the night.

But no one found it odd. The trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean" had already shown them as a couple on screen, and they looked just as compatible off-screen.

Walking on the red carpet, they looked intimate and joyful, occasionally whispering to each other, invoking envy in many.

Unfortunately, outsiders couldn't hear their conversation, or they might have been even more fascinated.

"Just sitting in the car, I didn't notice..." Matthew first waved at the fans shouting his name, then whispered to Keira Knightley, "But now it's very obvious."

"What's obvious?" Keira Knightley asked in a soft voice, maintaining her composed demeanor.

Walking on the somewhat soft carpet, Matthew continued, "Your chest seems to have gotten bigger, at least two cup sizes larger. It used to be less than A, now it's at least a B."

Keira Knightley kept her smile, spitefully saying, "Matthew Horner! Do you believe I can hit people?"

"I don't!" Matthew continued on the topic, "Keira, how did you manage such a miraculous change?"

Their discussions about each other's bodies weren't new, and they didn't mind the topic, or else Matthew wouldn't bring it up so often.

Keira Knightley glanced down at her dress, squeezed Matthew's hand tightly, but only felt the rock-hard and coarse texture of his hand, realizing her strength couldn't possibly hurt him.

She chuckled and coldly huffed at Matthew, "I've never met someone as ignorant and stupid as you."

As they approached the interview area, Matthew declared, "I get it, you secretly had breast augmentation surgery!"

Keira Knightley rolled her eyes quietly, "Haven't you heard of something called a push-up bra?"

Matthew had an epiphany, "So that's it."

Entering the media interview area, they were immediately surrounded by reporters eager for gossip, which is always a popular topic, and a main reason why Hollywood often uses such tactics for publicity.

If they were just ordinary, low-tier celebrities, the effect might not have been as significant, but the aura of "Pirates of the Caribbean" with its $140 million budget was clearly working its magic.

"Matthew! Keira!" a reporter in front shouted, "Are you two dating?"

Keira Knightley took the initiative to respond, openly saying, "I accepted Matthew's pursuit. He's now my boyfriend."

The reporters weren't satisfied and directed their mics towards Matthew.

The production team had prepared responses in advance, and Matthew recited them in his own way, saying naturally and sincerely, "I really like Keira, and I've been pursuing her. After filming 'Pirates of the Caribbean,' Keira went back to the UK, and I was in Los Angeles, but she was all I could think about..."

"I know I'm hopelessly in love with Keira; she is my Elizabeth Swann."

Keira Knightley gazed at Matthew with deep affection, and despite knowing these words were fabricated, she found them very pleasing to hear.

Women enjoy the feeling of being pursued by men.

Matthew's acting might not be top-notch, but it wasn't terrible either. He handled the situation with ease, "So, when Keira returned to Los Angeles this year, I started pursuing her crazily, and fortunately, I succeeded!"

He turned to look deeply into Keira Knightley's eyes, "I feel like I'm the happiest man in the world right now!"

This heartfelt declaration, full of emotion, was moving, making it seem like he and Keira Knightley were the world's most deeply in love couple.

The cameras never stopped clicking, and the video cameras kept rolling, faithfully recording everything.

This would become a hot topic of gossip, discussed during many people's leisure time.

Matthew, with one arm around Keira Knightley's waist, turned to face her, both wearing sweet smiles.

Suddenly, a reporter shouted, "Kiss her! Kiss her!"

The reporters all wanted explosive news and started chanting together, "Kiss her! Matthew, kiss Keira! Do it now!"

Matthew, ever compliant, leaned in to kiss Keira Knightley on the lips. Although they hadn't rehearsed this, as actors, kissing scenes were a basic skill. Keira Knightley cooperated by closing her eyes, seemingly enjoying this passionate kiss.

At that moment, their acting talent exploded, almost reaching Oscar-worthy levels.

The surrounding reporters, seeing how well Matthew and Keira Knightley were cooperating, frantically captured the moment. Each of them was thinking about how to craft their articles for the next day.

This high-profile display of affection achieved its intended goal.

After the brief kiss, Matthew and Keira Knightley, hand in hand, continued towards the theater.

Of course, both were well aware that this wasn't real; it was all a performance for the media and the public.

Matthew, holding Keira Knightley's hand, glanced back at the reporters still snapping photos of their departing figures, a reminder that in this industry, what you see isn't always the truth.

He vaguely remembered reading online that celebrities who show off their love tend to crash and burn faster.

Indeed, not just fake couples like them who show affection for publicity, but even real-life celebrity couples who have broken up or even detest each other privately continue to display their love publicly.

In that moment, Matthew concluded a lesson: for celebrity couples who want to last, it's better to keep a low profile.

"What are you thinking about?" Keira Knightley noticed Matthew's distraction.

Matthew smiled and joked, "That kiss was so sweet. Could I fall for you because of it?"

"No way," Keira Knightley pouted. "It's the sweetness of my lipstick."

Shaking his head, Matthew stopped the frivolous banter. Before entering the theater, he looked up at the giant poster for "Finding Nemo," the gaping mouth of the shark reminding him of Michael Fassbender.

He always thought Michael Fassbender's smile resembled that of a certain shark from this movie.

Unfortunately, Pixar didn't choose Michael Fassbender to voice the vegetarian great white shark.

Rumors were circulating about Pixar Studios' tense relationship with Walt Disney and Disney CEO Michael Eisner's plans to acquire Pixar.

Matthew figured this might be one of the reasons behind Disney's tight budget; wanting to buy Pixar would certainly require early preparation.

With these thoughts, he entered the theater.

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