"The winner of the Fan Favorite Male Star Award is..."
On the stage of the Wiltern Theatre, Anne Hathaway opened the envelope in her hand and announced the answer, "Matthew Horner!"
A round of enthusiastic applause erupted, and Matthew stood up and clapped, but he didn't feel any surprise. In Helen Herman's negotiations with the organizers, as one of the most prominent actors among the attendees, he was certainly going to receive a major award.
As he passed the "Mean Girls" cast, he hugged Rachel McAdams and Amanda Seyfried, who had stood up to congratulate him, and then walked onto the stage. He accepted a uniquely shaped black trophy from Anne Hathaway and stood in front of the microphone.
"Oh, this trophy is heavy!" Matthew looked down, gripped it firmly, and continued, "I'm very excited to receive this award. This is the biggest recognition for me. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You are the best, and I will always love you!"
He didn't drag out everyone under the sun to thank them; there was no need.
Matthew then went backstage. The Fan Favorite Male Star Award was one of the grand finale awards of the ceremony, followed by the Fan Favorite Movie Award, and then the Young Hollywood Awards came to an end.
However, Hollywood awards, regardless of their size, tend to emulate the Oscars in their hosting style.
After the awards ceremony, there was also a grand celebration party. Guests attending the awards ceremony didn't need to leave the theater; the party was held in a hotel next to the theater, and there was a special passage from the theater to the hotel.
Because he had arranged with Amanda Seyfried to attend the celebration party, Matthew didn't leave immediately like some others. Instead, he walked through a long corridor into the hotel's ballroom. Amanda Seyfried hadn't arrived yet, so he found an empty round table, sat down, and asked a waiter to bring him something to eat.
Like the "Oscar Night" party, the dinner offered a rich selection of food and drinks.
Most celebrities who walked the red carpet, especially those who paid attention to their image and appearance, would eat little or nothing for lunch and dinner on the day of the red carpet. Now that the awards ceremony was over, most of them were practically starving.
After attending one "Oscar Night" party, one of Matthew's most profound impressions was of the A-list celebrities eating like gluttons at the party.
When the food arrived, Matthew ate in small bites. After half a steak, he felt much better from his rumbling stomach. He looked up and saw that many places in the restaurant were occupied. Perhaps it was due to their relative positions, but he saw the Olsen sisters again. However, this time the youngest, Elizabeth Olsen, wasn't there; only the twins were sitting and eating.
The click-clack of high heels sounded, and a woman in a red evening gown walked over. The woman was tall, probably around thirty years old, and her appearance could also be categorized as beautiful.
What Matthew didn't expect was that this woman came directly to his side.
"Hello, Mr. Horner." The woman in red pointed to the chair to Matthew's left and asked, "is this seat taken? May I sit here?"
This wasn't an awards ceremony where seats were pre-arranged. Matthew picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, and said, "No one, feel free to sit."
After the woman in red sat down, she extended her hand and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Horner." She introduced herself, "I'm Claire Wilkinson."
Matthew lightly shook her hand, "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Wilkinson."
As he spoke, he quickly sized up the woman in red named Claire Wilkinson, confirming that he didn't know her, and the name didn't sound like a Hollywood celebrity he remembered.
Matthew raised his hand and checked his watch. Amanda Seyfried still hadn't arrived.
Claire Wilkinson smiled at him and then suddenly lowered her voice, saying, "I just saw Mr. Horner looking at the Olsen sisters?"
"Hm?" Matthew frowned slightly, not understanding what she meant.
"I wonder if Mr. Horner is interested in the Olsen sisters?" Claire Wilkinson's voice was low, but her words were astonishing. "If you're interested, I can introduce you."
Matthew wasn't a naive teenager; he didn't need to think much to understand what Claire Wilkinson meant by an introduction.
"Ms. Wilkinson..." He remained calm, "Are you joking?"
"Of course not." Claire Wilkinson looked very serious and whispered, "I'm sure Mr. Horner has heard that there are organizations like ours in Hollywood and the modeling industry."
Matthew remained silent. This wasn't much of a secret in Hollywood. Some minor celebrities, models, and even TV show hosts sold themselves through intermediaries in exchange for huge cash payments.
It was relatively less common in Hollywood but reportedly very prevalent in the modeling world. He had heard James McAvoy say that if you could pay a high enough price, it wasn't impossible to arrange a meeting with those British supermodels.
This aspect isn't limited to women; there's also a large number of men.
The modeling services provided by Red Penguin, for example, are relatively low-to-mid-range.
This is different from exchanging sex for work. Using one's body to get work in Hollywood isn't new, and no one would despise it as a stepping stone.
For instance, Brad Pitt—Matthew, who had been following the sensational gossip about him, Angelina Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston recently, saw TMZ dig up Brad Pitt's old stories.
It's said that Brad Pitt, with a little money, ventured into Hollywood alone and, with his handsome face and humble attitude, won the favor of then-gay actor Tom Lachina. Tom Lachina hired Pitt as his male servant. Besides basic chores like running errands, cleaning, and walking dogs, Brad Pitt also had to satisfy some of his "other needs." Eventually, Brad Pitt used Tom Lachina as a stepping stone to successfully break into Hollywood.
However, TMZ's revelations are not 100% accurate, and these old stories are impossible to verify.
Claire Wilkinson saw Matthew's silence and thought he was interested. She continued, "As long as you're willing to pay a small fee, Miss Olsen would surely be happy to spend the night with a charming gentleman like Mr. Horner."
Matthew first turned to look at the Olsen sisters. The two sisters were still eating. Then he turned back to Claire Wilkinson. He wasn't sure if what this woman said was true or false, as media reports always portrayed the Olsen sisters as absolute successes and representatives of young wealth.
Instantly, his vigilance peaked.
Hollywood not only has legitimate professions like actors, directors, and agents, but there are also many people who exploit this circle through deception and trickery.
Moreover, this was the Young Hollywood Awards dinner, not an "Oscar Night" party, so the entry threshold wasn't high.
Matthew remained calm and asked indifferently, "How much is this small fee?"
Claire Wilkinson held up a finger, "You need to pay one million dollars upfront!"
Hearing this number, Matthew raised an eyebrow. Before he could speak, Claire Wilkinson added, "If both Olsen sisters are involved, you pay three million dollars."
Matthew really wanted to blurt out something about diamonds or something similar, but he held back.
Because Claire Wilkinson wasn't finished, "These three million dollars aren't just for tonight's compensation; we'll also give you products of equal value."
This completely confused Matthew. A word called "pyramid scheme" popped into his head. Could it be that the Olsen sisters wanted to develop him as a downline, and then have him develop others as downlines?
Claire Wilkinson then said, "The Olsen sisters have just taken over as presidents of their invested Dual Star Entertainment Group. The company has many brands they founded, from clothes, books, furniture, DVDs to cosmetics, all readily available. We will give you Olsen sisters' brand products equivalent to three million dollars. Of course, both sides must publicly declare that you highly endorse the Olsen sisters' brand, and therefore purchased a large quantity..."
Matthew finally understood. If Claire Wilkinson wasn't a scammer, the Olsen sisters were using this special method to promote and sell their own brands.
He looked towards the Olsen sisters again.
Claire Wilkinson then asked, "Mr. Horner, what do you think?"
Just then, the Olsen sisters stood up. Matthew felt no interest at all. The two sisters were not tall, and they had rounded shoulders, hunched backs, and stooped waists... "Do I have to pay upfront?" Matthew asked.
"Yes," Claire Wilkinson said with a smile, "at least one-third of the deposit."
Matthew didn't want to hear her continue. On one hand, he really wasn't interested in the Olsen sisters, and on the other hand, who knew if this woman was even their agent?
Just then, he saw Amanda Seyfried enter the ballroom. He pointed to her and said to Claire Wilkinson, "I can only apologize, I have no interest in such a transaction. Ms. Wilkinson, please excuse me, my date has arrived."
Claire Wilkinson frowned slightly, turned to look, and seeing Amanda Seyfried approaching, politely said, "Excuse me, Mr. Horner."
She stood up and walked away towards another single male celebrity in the distance.
Amanda Seyfried came to Matthew's side, looked at Claire Wilkinson's retreating back, and asked curiously, "Who was that woman?"
Matthew told the truth, "A salesperson. She left when she saw I wasn't interested."
"To be selling things here..." Amanda Seyfried muttered, then suddenly lowered her head and whispered into Matthew's ear, "I just got a room upstairs."
Hearing her say that, Matthew immediately lost interest in staying here and said, "Shall we go?"
"Alright!" Amanda Seyfried replied.