After using a dazzling transition to skip past the morning greeting—
Well.
There wasn't actually any fancy transition.
Isabella simply twirled her hand and covered the lens with her palm, and the kind of transition you'd see in film and television appeared.
The darkened video looked like the stamen inside a flower bud. As the petals rapidly blossomed, a bright world suddenly appeared, and the surrounding beauty was presented to the audience almost in an instant:
It was the streets of London, where thick white snow decorated centuries-old buildings—
Tower Bridge seemed to have put on a snow-white cloak, standing quietly like a guardian within the river of time;
The Victorian buildings seemed capable of pulling people into the fairy-tale kingdom written by the Brothers Grimm, while the drifting goose-feather snow seemed to whisper a story called "Snow White" beside everyone's ears;
The London Eye in winter looked rather lonely, but its figure standing tall against the cold wind resembled the unique accent of the British—aloof, elevated, like the way Britons look at others when questioning them, examining everything;
Then the camera moved to Leicester Square—
Distant yet clear flames illuminated a mysterious yet beautiful magical world.
Although Millia had never been to New York, nor visited Los Angeles, at this moment she still felt that no matter how prosperous those American metropolises were, they could never be as beautiful as London.
This wasn't to say America lacked the capability to build impressive things.
It was simply that wealth can be seized or accumulated quickly, but history can only be built slowly.
When it comes to historical depth, the United States only has the disadvantage of being a latecomer. Even if it spent a lifetime trying, it could never quite reach Britain's level. Not to mention that Britain was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. After pushing human civilization forward by such a huge step—
that kind of pride carved into the bones wasn't something you could obtain by seizing five cities today and ten cities tomorrow.
"Oh—this video is shot so well—"
Millia showed a look of admiration.
The vlog transition wasn't long. In just over ten seconds, accompanied by light and lively music, Isabella moved from her home to a hotel.
Then, holding a DV camera, Isabella stood in front of a full-length mirror and waved to the audience outside the video.
In the next moment, with a push and pull of the camera, Isabella had already finished changing outfits.
The Venus-like styling made Millia's eyes light up.
The little pose she struck in front of the mirror to show off her figure let Millia catch a glimpse of Isabella's cuteness.
But something even cuter came afterward.
When Isabella got into the limousine and was about to head to the premiere venue, before putting down the DV she sneakily avoided the staff and voiced the "anger" in her heart.
"Honestly, ever since I walked my first red carpet, there's been one thing I've always wanted to know."
"Who designed the red carpet segment for winter premieres?"
"The Philosopher's Stone—or what places like the U.S. call The Sorcerer's Stone—was released in November 2001."
"..."
"London winters are really cold, so— the cast and guests wear glamorous clothes that aren't warm while walking outside on the red carpet? Fans and moviegoers stand in the freezing wind waiting to watch? Wow—everyone is a warrior—"
"And now, I'm about to go be a warrior again."
"Wish me luck! I hope I don't catch a cold!"
Isabella shook her head and prayed to God.
Meanwhile, Millia, sitting in front of the computer, held her face in both hands and burst out laughing.
"Oh—Isabella is really too funny—"
"Does she think winter red carpets are stupid?"
"Hahahahaha—looks like she doesn't like going to work either."
As the progress bar slowly moved from left to right, Millia increasingly felt that the real-life Isabella was even more interesting than she had imagined. If previously Isabella had left the impression of being a beautiful academic genius, now she felt that Isabella carried the same everyday warmth and ordinary humanity that most people had.
Isabella was no longer a lofty goddess.
Like everyone else, she had her own joys, anger, sadness, and happiness.
Uh—
There was no helping it.
Since her debut, Isabella had rarely accepted interviews.
Up to now, she had hardly appeared on serious talk-show-style TV programs.
This made fans who liked her feel that she was somewhat distant from the real world.
Although the situation was understandable, since Isabella was extremely busy. She had only been active for five years, yet she had already filmed five HP movies, one independent film, released an album, and appeared in a variety show.
If she still had time to do other things, then the UK's "Minor Protection Act" would probably step in.
But for those who liked her, this still wasn't enough.
Sigh—
Liking someone always makes people involuntarily greedy.
As Isabella waved and disappeared, the preparation record before the premiere also came to an end. Energetic music suddenly began, and after a sharp and stylish red carpet sequence, the ordinary girl from the video's thumbnail finally appeared before Millia.
Only then did Millia learn that the girl on the thumbnail was also a fan of Isabella, and that she had only gotten the chance to take a photo with Isabella after moving her with sincere feelings.
But—
Even so, Millia still felt the girl's luck was incredible.
Because—
"If I lived in the UK, I would go too!"
"Camping in a square for a night— I could do that too!"
Just as Millia was jealous and thinking that the girl wasn't anything special, the footage related to the red carpet quickly came to an end. Immediately afterward, what approached her was a door to a new world slowly pushed open by Isabella.
When Isabella said that next she would show everyone the closed-off venue after the premiere's red carpet show—
Millia instantly stopped muttering and pricked up her ears!
She suspected she had heard wrong!
As big names appeared one after another like a flowing stream, smiling, waving, and nodding toward the people outside the camera—
"Whoa—"
Millia's eyes went wide!
Because everything she was seeing right now was something she had never seen before!
"Oh—Is that Hugh Grant? Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones's Diary!"
"My God—that's Gandalf! Ian McKellen!"
"Wait—Mr. Bean is here too? What? He's kneeling on one knee to present flowers to Isabella? OMG—this photo is hilarious—Mr. Bean is seriously funny even when he's completely serious—"
"Wait—that's—David Beckham? Oh—he brought his son to watch the movie?"
"Ahhhhh—Madonna—this is actually the Madonna I like, she's here too???"
"…"
The massive lineup, like an annual grand gathering of the cultural and sports worlds, made Millia scream with excitement!
The countless intimate interactions between the big stars and Isabella made Millia's cheeks turn red!
Her head practically started steaming!
At this moment, she felt that she finally understood why someone in the comments had said that watching this video made their eyes grow moist.
Because Isabella hadn't filmed a video.
She had filmed a life that ordinary people would never get to see.
The logic behind it was simple—
Before this, even though people knew that pop music and film and television were arts of the masses, once singers or actors became famous, they would quickly distance themselves from the public.
Singers would stand on stage one moment saying they would love their fans forever, and the next moment after leaving the stage they would disappear as quickly as possible, avoiding fans as if dodging disasters. Not only that, they would constantly emphasize that this was simply for safety reasons, because not everyone was rational and not everyone had good intentions.
Actors were even more extreme. There had always been a saying in the entertainment industry: actors must remain aloof, actors must maintain their mystique, actors must not hug fans. Because once they hug them and increase exposure, their performances will no longer surprise the public. So if you truly love an actor, then don't disturb them.
At first glance, these statements sounded quite reasonable.
But if you thought about them carefully, you would realize the logic was complete nonsense.
Take singers first. Are you afraid bad people might disguise themselves as fanatic fans and harm you?
Okay, fair enough.
Considering your own safety is perfectly normal.
But telling your fans that you're doing well doesn't require meeting them one-on-one, does it?
Is it really that hard to say "I'm doing well" through newspapers, through cameras, across two different worlds?
Yet they just won't do it.
Or rather, aside from hip-hop artists, most of them won't.
Then actors—
If the surprises brought by award-winning actors every time are just sudden bursts after hiding themselves away—
can that really be called good acting?
If actors fear that too much exposure will cause audiences to grow tired of them—
then isn't the saying "a thousand faces for one actor" just a joke?
Anyone whose performance is affected by exposure is just a mediocre hack.
In the end, celebrities avoiding fans is simply the purest form of "work is work, life is life."
You support my career, you're willing to throw money at me?
Okay!
We are family!
But after you've spent your money, you want to see the world I live in after success?
Huh? Who are you?
Get the fuck off, you bastard!
Precisely because so few celebrities in this world treat their fans like actual people—
so—
Isabella sharing her life?
"Oh—"
At that moment, Millia suddenly felt her nose sting.
She wanted to cry.
Just as she sniffed and tried to hold back her emotions so she could finish the video,
as the progress bar gradually disappeared, Isabella returned home after the premiere ended.
Leaning against the sofa, she looked somewhat tired, but the excitement in her expression shone even brighter. After telling the camera about how happy she had been that day, she suddenly changed the topic.
"Thank you all for watching this far."
"When you see this part, my vlog of the Goblet of Fire (Part 1) premiere will have come to an end."
"But this video hasn't ended."
"Because there are two more things I want to say."
"First, the website you're currently watching this on, YouTube, is actually something I invested in."
"At the beginning of this month, in early December 2005, I reached an investment agreement with YouTube. So this video is basically me using my popularity to promote the website."
"I don't know if you like this kind of advertisement, but personally I think recording life through video is quite interesting. So in the future, there will be more videos like this. As for when they'll be released— that depends on whether I'm busy."
"Of course, I also hope everyone will actively upload videos too, because— the website needs users, and I love telling the truth, haha~ Besides that, I also want to say that recording wonderful moments through images can let beauty stay forever."
"Second, this is a small idea that suddenly came to me while attending the premiere today."
"That girl who stayed overnight in Leicester Square moved me a little."
"Her choice to camp also made me a little emotional."
"I believe that if her financial situation allowed it, she wouldn't have chosen to camp."
"Because the hotels near Leicester Square are really expensive."
"So, after entering the theater and while watching the movie, some thoughts started popping into my mind. For example, everyone's love for me and for HP might be the same, but each person's life and experiences might be different."
"Among the people who like me, some might be well-off? Some might need help? So I thought, maybe I could start a foundation? To help those who like me but have encountered difficulties?"
"If you're my fan, or a fan of HP, and you run into trouble in life, you could ask the foundation I set up for help. After passing the review, you could receive some support."
"Since this is something I only thought of today, my explanation might not be very clear. But that's okay. If this video gets published, it means I've already turned the idea into reality."
"I'll leave notes about the idea at the end of the video."
"If this part of the video gets cut out, then—"
"To be honest, I hope it does get published."
"Because besides HP, I also like Marvel."
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Hahahahaha."
As the bell-like laughter rang out, Millia immediately snapped back to her senses.
Yes!
When Isabella said that YouTube was a website she had invested in, Millia had frozen on the spot!
Because Isabella's sincerity left her completely speechless.
In the past, when celebrities accepted endorsements or did advertisements, they always tried their best to hide their money-grabbing intentions!
They were terrified that fans would think they were exploiting them!
But today?
Isabella openly admitted that she was promoting a website she had invested in to bring it traffic?
Oh, that was truly unprecedented!
Not to mention, Isabella also seemed to say in the video that she wanted to create a special foundation for the fans who supported her?
To help fans who liked her and liked HP but had run into difficulties because of accidents?
Th-th-this… a celebrity setting up a special foundation specifically for their fans had truly never happened before!
In the past, celebrities also did charity, but that usually meant the celebrity donating first and then calling on fans to follow along!
To put it bluntly, the rich would get their money back intact, while ordinary people's money would be split thirty-seventy!
But now—
"Oh—Isa is truly beautiful and kind!!!"
Millia shouted excitedly.
The next second—
"Hiss—"
"Did the goddess of luck kiss me or something???"
Thinking about how she herself was currently struggling, Millia held her breath and stared at the screen.
She wanted to know what the final concept of the charity foundation Isabella mentioned would look like.
Under her gaze, as the Goblet of Fire (Part 1) premiere vlog ended, the entire video suddenly switched to a black background. Immediately afterward, the sound of rapid keyboard typing appeared, and white words began popping up one after another.
The first thing that appeared was an introduction about the preparation of the foundation—
Because she thought the idea was excellent, the day after the premiere ended Isabella had already asked people to start working on it. Fortunately, before the New Year arrived, the Beaver Charity Foundation had successfully registered in both the UK and the US.
And at present, starting from January 1, 2006, the foundation had officially begun trial operations.
Of course, for now it only operated in the UK and the US.
Next came the foundation's assistance scope, application requirements, and website—
At the time the video was released, the foundation only offered assistance in two areas: illness and education.
For the former, there were no restrictions on the type of disease. Whether it was a terminal illness or an ordinary condition, as long as the applicant's family income could not cover the medical expenses required for treatment, or the treatment itself caused financial hardship, they could submit an application to the foundation. As long as the information was verified and help was needed, they could receive aid of up to $100,000.
For the latter, the assistance was limited to education at the secondary school level and above. If the applicant's family income could not afford the cost of studying at that level, or if heavy student loans seriously affected their life, they could submit an application for assistance. Once approved, they could receive up to $50,000 in aid.
The application process was also simple: fill out the form online. After submission, staff would contact you within fifteen working days for an in-person verification of your documents.
There were also three very important points.
First, the foundation was currently only open to Isabella's fans. During the offline interview, the reviewer would definitely verify the applicant's fan status by asking questions related to Isabella and HP. If too many answers were wrong, then unfortunately the application would be rejected.
Second, the foundation's only donor at the moment was Isabella herself. Therefore, before donation channels were opened to the public, the total amount of aid distributed each year would be capped at five million dollars.
Third, all recipients had to cooperate with the foundation in publicly disclosing their assistance information. A photo taken when the aid was granted would be posted on the official website, displayed in the format: On a certain date, a certain person received a donation from the foundation due to a certain circumstance.
As soon as this simple and direct description appeared, Millia's eyes practically burst into flames!
She immediately opened a new webpage!
Entered the URL shown in the video!
The moment she pressed Enter, the official website of the Beaver Charity Foundation appeared.
To be honest, the webpage was very rough.
Those who understood would know it had been rushed due to lack of time. Those who didn't might even think it was a fake website.
But none of that mattered.
Because right in the center of the page was the application portal.
Click to enter, fill everything out step by step.
After finishing all of that, Millia finally let out a long breath.
"I hope the goddess of luck comes."
She muttered to herself, a relieved smile appearing on her face.
After stretching with hope, she suddenly realized that her internet time was running out.
So she began browsing YouTube like crazy again.
She wanted to see why this website had gained Isabella's favor.
At first she didn't think much of it, but after scrolling and seeing a bunch of everyday life videos—
The excited, energetic faces testing the platform's functions made her smile unconsciously as well.
Sixty minutes of internet time passed in the blink of an eye.
Reluctantly logging off, she returned home with a nervous heart, called her best friend, and shared her joy and expectations.
Then, after waiting until January 3, the phone she had been waiting for finally came from an unfamiliar number—
"Hello, is this Ms. Millia Kaufman?"
"Yes, it is. Who are you?"
"Oh, I'm a staff member from the Mickey Mouse Club in Memphis, Tennessee, and also an external reviewer for the Beaver Charity Foundation. Did you submit an education-related assistance application to us on January 1, 2006?"
"Yes, yes! That's right! That was me!"
"Okay, then now we need to verify the information you filled in. We need you to provide proof of enrollment at Vanderbilt University, proof of your full scholarship there, your UCLA admission letter, proof of the half scholarship, as well as your parents' income statements and the admission letters of your two younger brothers."
"You have two ways to submit the documents. First, we can come to your home to verify them, which would require your home address. Second, you can bring the materials to our office. Our office is the offline registration site for The Voice in Memphis. You should know that place, right?"
"I know! Of course I know! I even registered there before!"
"Yes. In fact, it's because our records show your registration for the first season of The Voice that we were able to contact you so quickly. So—will you come yourself, or—"
"I'll come myself! Right now?"
"If your documents are complete, you can come directly. If not—our working hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, with no lunch break or holidays."
"Okay! I'll prepare the documents right away! Thank you so much!!!"
The sudden call made Millia jump up in excitement!
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
She wildly threw a series of clumsy punches in the air.
At that moment, all she wanted to do was hug God.
No—
Isabella!
Because she was truly doing charity!
Because she was truly helping her fans solve problems!
Because she really was a wonderful person!
At the same time, many others were just as excited as Millia.
Among them were people who, like Millia, thought Isabella was adorable.
Among them were people who, like Millia, felt Isabella was sincere.
Among them were people who, like Millia, thought the scenery of this new world was beautiful.
Among them were people who, like Millia, were waiting for a phone call, hoping to receive assistance.
Just as they shouted with excitement and celebrated with joy, a plane departing from London landed at New York's airport.
The moment she stepped out of the cabin door, Isabella saw Nathan Bailey waiting to pick her up.
The guy first greeted Isabella and the others with a cheerful smile.
After ushering everyone into the van, he excitedly reported:
"Isa! Your video passed ten million views on the first day! The total views in twenty-four hours reached fifteen million! And as of midnight today, it has already surpassed fifty million!"
"OMG—these numbers are shocking!"
"And YouTube's registration data is even more incredible!"
"An hour ago, Chad Hurley called me and said that YouTube's registered users have officially surpassed twenty million! Before you posted the video, they hadn't even reached three million!"
"Two days! Seventeen million users! You created a miracle!"
His high-pitched voice made Isabella beam with joy.
In the future, in an era where mobile internet is widespread, it would be very easy for a company to gain tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of users in a short time. For example, Threads gained one hundred million users in five days after launching.
But right now—
Web 2.0 had only just begun.
After Facebook needed two and a half years to gain one hundred million users, her single video bringing YouTube seventeen million new users in two days was already terrifying.
After all, computers were not something every household owned.
At the time, in the United States, only one out of every two households even had internet access.
Globally, the total number of internet users had only just surpassed one billion at the end of last year.
When the entire cake was only the size of a palm, taking 1.7% of it in just two days was already extremely frightening.
And the more frightening part was still ahead.
Because internet data snowballs.
Once you gain a first-mover advantage and start rolling the snowball, others can't beat you in that field anymore.
However, even though YouTube gained seventeen million users in two days, Isabella didn't look overly excited.
The reason was simple—
"Oh—Nathan—I thought I could bring YouTube one hundred million users in a single day."
"I didn't expect that after two days there are only seventeen million?"
"Sigh—this just shows I'm not strong enough."
Isabella sighed in mock regret.
Her words nearly choked Nathan Bailey to death.
He looked like he wanted to speak but couldn't.
The expression of wanting to complain but being unable to spit it out or swallow it made Isabella burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha—Nathan, what kind of expression is that?"
Right now, she was very happy.
The regret on her face?
Completely fake.
Hehe~
After laughing, Isabella said again:
"So, Nathan, did you come today just to tell me this?"
"Of course—not."
Although Isabella had teased him, Nathan Bailey only pretended to be angry for a moment before smiling again.
"Besides YouTube, there are a lot of things I want to talk to you about."
"For example charity, bandwidth, movies, or even The Voice."
"So—let's talk slowly when we get to the hotel."
"Because the materials I need to show you are already a huge pile."
"A mountain-sized pile."