Bang—Bang—
Gunshots rang out consecutively. Matthew rolled to dodge the incoming bullets, and before another thug wielding an AK-47 could rush in, he leapt and crashed through the window. The specially made glass and wooden frame shattered like snowflakes, scattering across the ground.
Using his forward momentum, Matthew jumped onto a platform slightly lower than the window.
According to the scene's design, he was supposed to keep running forward, all the way past the corner of the platform to complete the shot.
However, as soon as his feet hit the ground, Matthew felt a slight weakness in his waist and knees. He couldn't push off properly, and his body tilted as he fell toward the ground.
Fortunately, due to years of consistent exercise, he had reflexes and strength far beyond an average person. He quickly braced himself with one hand on the ground, regaining his balance, and stood up swiftly.
"Cut!" The action coordinator called a stop to the filming. "The movement wasn't smooth enough!"
Matthew exhaled deeply and moved his body slightly, knowing this was his own issue.
In fact, from the start of today's action scenes, he had already noticed that movements he used to execute effortlessly were now causing problems.
Particularly in his legs and waist, he felt a noticeable lack of strength.
The action coordinator approached and asked, "What's going on? Not feeling good today?"
"Yeah," Matthew couldn't explain the truth, so he just agreed. "Not my best day."
Although he had rested the entire day yesterday, the previous night's indulgence had been too wild. After battling it out with so many Victoria's Secret Angels, there was still some aftermath.
To put it bluntly, he had overdone it.
The most obvious sign was that during today's action scenes, despite his best efforts, he just couldn't perform as well, leading to multiple takes.
After all, he was only human, not made of steel.
As Matthew sat in a chair to rest, he silently reminded himself that while occasional indulgence was fine, doing it too often, even for someone as physically fit as him, was too much to handle.
There's an old saying that holds true: It's not the land that wears out, but the ox that collapses from exhaustion.
Many in the crew were curious, especially those who had worked on Fast and Furious 4. They knew Matthew was a master of action scenes, easily handling anything that didn't involve dangerous stunts requiring a double.
This was the first time since Fast and Furious 4 that they had seen Matthew struggling like this.
Some people even wondered if it was because he was getting older. But when they counted, they realized that Matthew, born in 1980, was only thirty, right at the peak of his strength.
Nini, one of the insiders and a participant in the previous night's events, knew the real reason for Matthew's mistakes during filming. This was the punishment for indulgence.
Aside from her, Paul Walker, Gal Gadot, and others had seen Matthew board a business van with several Victoria's Secret Angels the night before, so they had a rough idea of what had happened.
After a short rest, the shooting resumed. Since there were no spare windows, the scene was altered to start with Matthew running from the platform. Though the movement's continuity was disrupted, most of it could be fixed in post-production.
With the action coordinator's signal, Matthew sprinted forward, rounded the corner, and only stopped after the special effects crew triggered a smoke effect with simulated bullets.
"Huff... huff..."
After stopping, Matthew took a couple of deep breaths. Suddenly, a cup was handed to him, and a familiar voice said, "Regulate your breathing first, then drink some water. It'll help."
Matthew adjusted his breathing, took the cup, and drank a sip. Looking across at Gal Gadot, he asked, "You're quite experienced, huh?"
Gal Gadot suppressed a laugh and said, "Running cross-country was routine when I was in the army."
"Right," Matthew nodded and took another sip. "I almost forgot you served in the Israeli army."
Paul Walker came over as well, and Gal Gadot lightly tapped Matthew on the arm, saying, "You really should take care of yourself and show some restraint."
"Uh..." Matthew found himself at a loss for words.
As Gal Gadot walked away, he finished the water and handed the cup to a crew assistant.
"Matthew," Paul Walker approached with a mischievous look on his face. "Did you... really hook up with all of them?"
Among men, this was a timeless topic.
Matthew didn't bother denying it and nodded. "Which is why I'm off my game today."
Paul Walker couldn't hide his envy. "You really did it!" He punched Matthew playfully. "Man, you're something else."
Matthew shrugged helplessly. "I called you that night, didn't I? You didn't come."
"I thought you were joking." Paul Walker sighed. "All those Victoria's Secret Angels... just thinking about it gets me excited."
Matthew shrugged again. "Too many, and it becomes a burden."
Honestly, before the party got out of hand, Matthew hadn't expected things to turn out the way they did.
Initially, his plan was to get closer to the Angels, maybe see if he could land a date with Candice Swanepoel or Doutzen Kroes.
But after drinking too much, it turned into a wild, no-holds-barred event.
These supermodels, used to changing clothes in front of countless men, certainly weren't the shy type.
"You..." Paul Walker didn't know what to say for a moment. After a pause, he finally said, "That's a bit over the top, Matthew. Do you know how many guys dream of dating just one Victoria's Secret Angel? You got a whole group, and now you're calling it a burden?"
He snorted, "What's next? Are you only satisfied if you round up all the Victoria's Secret Angels at once?"
Matthew quickly shook his head. "No way, I'm definitely not thinking that."
To be honest, there were some black models among the Victoria's Secret Angels, and he had never been interested in Black women.
As Matthew and Paul Walker chatted, Tyrese Gibson walked over.
"Whoa... oh... man!" Tyrese exclaimed dramatically, then put on a serious face in front of Matthew. "You're my idol, man! You're the one I respect the most!"
Matthew sighed, "Don't put me on such a high pedestal. The higher you lift me, the harder I'll fall."
Tyrese quickly shook his head. "No way! Never!" He gave Matthew a thumbs-up. "When it comes to picking up women, you're number one in all of Hollywood!"
He suddenly grinned, flashing his white teeth. "Hey boss, can you teach me? You must have some secret trick, right?"
Matthew did have a trick, but he didn't know how to explain it.
"Come on, let Matthew rest," Paul Walker said, nudging Tyrese aside. As they walked away, Paul said, "Actually, Matthew's secret trick is pretty simple. It's more of a passive ability."
"A secret trick? A passive ability?" Tyrese was all ears.
Paul Walker explained, "You just need to be as handsome, rich, and famous as Matthew. When your name is constantly in the tabloids, whether it's in the acting or modeling world, there'll be plenty of beautiful women lining up for you."
Tyrese paused for a moment, then shook his head. "I'll never be able to pull that off. There's no one in Hollywood who can do it like Matthew."
The entire day, Matthew struggled with his scenes. Action shots that usually took just one take often required several, and some long takes needed four or five tries. This was incredibly rare for him.
Justin Lin even adjusted the filming schedule and gave Matthew a day off.
Matthew's body was naturally strong, and after a day's rest, he returned to peak condition. The nimble, energetic action star was back on set, performing as usual.
This experience reminded Matthew that such indulgent group parties, while tempting, were harmful. Once in a while was enough—he had to be more restrained.
Then again, who knew when the next time would be? After all, nights like the one where everyone got drunk and overly excited didn't come around often.
Rumors about what had happened in the Fast and Furious 5 crew spread quickly. Several days later, the gossip was all over the set.
Of course, Matthew didn't care about this. He had been in countless scandals before.
Naturally, this gossip reached the ears of entertainment reporters, who swarmed Matthew for answers. He kept his usual stance, neither confirming nor denying anything.
In contrast, a few of the Victoria's Secret Angels were using the buzz for their own publicity.
For instance, Alessandra Ambrosio told a Brazilian media outlet that Matthew was her ideal lover.
Matthew knew he would have to give something in return after taking advantage of them. He had long accepted this, so he refrained from commenting on the Angels' media frenzy.
Let them have their fun. Who knows, there might be more "friendly competitions" in the future.
That night, he even overheard Miranda Kerr mentioning that the Victoria's Secret Angel team would be expanding soon, with new models born in the '90s joining the ranks in the coming years.
Speaking of '90s Victoria's Secret Angels, who was the most famous? He vaguely remembered hearing that a Kardashian sister often participated in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show back then.
The mention of the Kardashian name killed Matthew's interest instantly. Kim Kardashian was a regular in the tabloids now, and a couple of years ago, that infamous tape had circulated everywhere.
Kim
Kardashian and Khloé Kardashian had been very active in recent years, especially with various Black celebrities. Matthew could never quite understand their appeal. To him, Kim and Khloé Kardashian's looks and figures were absolutely dreadful, yet Black celebrities flocked to them like sharks smelling blood.
Black folks really do have a different taste, he thought.
In any case, for someone like Matthew, being associated with the Kardashian family would be a major step down.
With Matthew back in top form, filming resumed smoothly. The crew was set to film several large action scenes in Rio de Janeiro, scenes that would surpass Fast and Furious 4 both in scale and intensity.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]