Chapter 213 - 211: Unofficial Airport Pickup

All her things were packed and ready. Yuna had gathered Lily’s personal belongings from the hotel early that morning and brought them to the set, so they could head straight to the airport as soon as filming wrapped for the day.

Before leaving, Lily stood in the center of her dressing room and glanced around the small space. A wave of sentimentality washed over her; it felt as if everything had just happened yesterday.

In the blink of an eye, she had already finished filming her first-ever show.

"Lily."

Just then, Andrew Sutton appeared in the doorway. It was open, and he stood there, calling her name softly.

Lily looked over at Andrew, no longer feeling as composed around him as she once had. But since she was about to leave, she did her best to act natural.

"Andrew, I’m about to leave. You’re almost done with filming too, right?"

Andrew nodded. After a moment, he pursed his lips and asked, "Are... Are you spending the New Year in Lorcain?"

The sudden question took Lily by surprise. "Er, I’ll probably go back to my hometown."

Sensing the awkward tension, Yuna grew worried that Andrew might impulsively confess his feelings. He could afford to be reckless with his career, but Lily couldn’t.

She quickly poked Finn in the side. Finn got the hint and immediately picked up Lily’s large suitcase. "Lily, the car’s waiting. We need to get going, or we’ll miss our flight."

Lily nodded and started for the door. Andrew subconsciously stepped aside to let her pass, his eyes never leaving her.

Lily looked at his handsome face and, before leaving, offered him a gentle smile. "Goodbye, Andrew. Thanks for everything."

After saying this, Lily turned and left.

Andrew watched her walk away, the confession on the tip of his tongue. But his train of thought was broken by Yuna and Finn’s successive goodbyes of, "Goodbye, Mr. Archer!" By the time he looked up again, Lily was already far in the distance.

He let out a soft sigh, his expression complex. With Lily gone, the turmoil in his heart finally settled, at least for the moment.

He had indeed felt the impulse, but his rational side still had control.

The company had booked their plane tickets back to Lorcain. Lily was in first class, while the rest of her team was in economy.

「5:10 PM. Lorcain International Airport.」

Lily’s flight was scheduled to land in twenty minutes.

「Domestic Arrivals Hall.」

"Everyone, remember what I said. When Lily comes out in a bit, we must be orderly. No shouting or pushing, and don’t bother the other people here."

"There aren’t many of us today. If we’re organized, everyone will get a chance to say something to Lily, okay?"

A handsome, clean-cut young man in light-colored jeans and a white down jacket was organizing the welcoming party of a dozen or so girls. They were the core members of Lily Sterling’s fan club—an unofficial group of die-hard fans who volunteered out of pure passion.

Some had become fans after seeing Lily at the production’s opening ceremony, while others were drawn in by the promotional stills released by the crew.

And this young man was the fan club’s president, Jared Keaton.

He was a fan purely for her looks. It was "love at first sight" from the moment he laid eyes on the girl, who looked as delicate and pure as her namesake flower. He had quickly set up the "Lily Sterling Unofficial Fan Club" online, and it had expanded rapidly. The account now had tens of thousands of followers.

"President, can we take a picture with Lily later?"

"Yeah, yeah, I want a picture with Lily too."

"I even brought a gift. Can I give it to her?"

These young women ranged in age from sixteen to twenty-five. Some were veteran fans, but most had never been to an airport meet-up before.

Jared Keaton gave off a reliable and self-assured impression. That, combined with his role as the fan club’s president, meant everyone trusted him and was eager to hear his advice.

In truth, Jared was new to being a fan himself. But he had done his homework before organizing this meet-up, researching the answers to everyone’s potential questions in advance.

"For photos, we have to respect Lily’s wishes. If she agrees, we can quickly take a group picture. Individual photos would take too much time, and from what I’ve seen online, other celebrities don’t take them with fans at the airport. So, you can get your cameras ready on your phones and try to snap a few pictures when you get a chance, as long as you’re not bothering Lily or any passersby."

"As for gifts, it’s best not to give any, especially food. Her team most likely won’t accept them. Letters should be fine, though. If you wrote one, you can give it to me, and I’ll pass them all to Lily or her assistant in a bit."

Jared was a skilled organizer, not to mention handsome. Everyone’s first impression of him—both in looks and in demeanor—was excellent, so they readily obeyed his commands.

Soon, Lily’s flight landed at the airport, right on time.

Lily, her two assistants, and four security guards hired by the company were the first to emerge from the arrivals gate. She hadn’t even taken any precautions to disguise herself—not so much as a pair of sunglasses.

She simply hadn’t expected any fans to be there. Her flight information hadn’t been leaked; in fact, the tickets had only been booked the night before.

When they saw Lily emerge, the fans grew ecstatic. But, following Jared’s instructions, they didn’t scream or yell. Instead, they just waved enthusiastically, their voices trembling with suppressed excitement as they called out at a normal volume, "Lily, congratulations on wrapping the show!"

Lily was taken aback for a moment, then a wave of happiness washed over her. Some people held bouquets, while others carried gift bags. They were clearly her fans, here specifically to welcome her.

Although she had never cared for such displays and certainly didn’t encourage them, this completely unexpected surprise moved her deeply.

Yuna muttered suspiciously, "Huh? Didn’t Connie say we weren’t arranging for fans to be here?"

"Did they organize this themselves?" Finn was just as baffled. "Where’d they get her flight info?"

But Lily didn’t overthink it. She smiled, waved back, and started walking right toward them.

Seeing this, the security guards quickly pushed the luggage carts and followed, worried the fans might get overzealous and hurt her.

To their surprise, the fans were perfectly orderly. There was no crowding at all; the shorter ones stood in the front, and the taller ones stood in the back.

Jared Keaton was six feet tall, and though he stood at the very back, he was the only young man in the group, so Lily noticed him right away.

"Lily, we’re your fans!"

"Lily, I’m a fan of the original novel! I became a fan after seeing your promo photo as Flora."

"Oh my god, she’s so adorable and full of life in person!"

"Lily, can we get a picture?"

The fans were thrilled, but no one surged forward. They all maintained a respectful distance from Lily, though their phones were all raised, eager to capture their first in-person meeting with her.