The cylindrical object was clearly a camera lens. Matthew felt that he might have been targeted by a reporter or paparazzi, and they might even follow him all the way to Malibu.
Suddenly, the door of the yellow Chevrolet opened, and a person wearing a baseball cap got out of the car and walked towards them.
This was clearly a woman, and a very tall one at that. Matthew estimated she was at least 1.85 meters tall. She was wearing a pair of running shoes and a form-fitting tracksuit that highlighted her slender figure. As she walked, her golden ponytail swayed behind her head.
Matthew simply rolled down the car window and looked back. Under the brim of her cap, he could roughly see that the woman had a typical strong Western face, with deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, thin cheeks, a broad forehead, wide shoulders, and long legs... The blonde woman had already noticed Matthew observing her, but she showed no intention of avoiding his gaze and walked directly over.
"Where's Bill Mattson?" the woman asked, coming up to the driver's side.
Matthew knew she was asking about the previous driver and replied, "He quit."
"F@#$!"
The blonde woman immediately cursed, "That despicable scoundrel!"
Matthew looked at her in confusion, wondering what entanglement she had with Bill Mattson.
"How dare he take my money and disappear!" The blonde woman was furious. She lifted her large foot, still in running shoes, and viciously kicked the Ford's tire. Matthew quickly stopped her, "Hey, what are you doing! This is private property!"
The blonde woman raised her foot, preparing to kick a second time. Matthew pushed open the driver's side door and jumped out.
"Stop!" Matthew glared at the blonde woman.
If anything happened to this car, he would have his salary deducted.
The blonde woman lowered her raised foot, looked at Matthew, and asked, "Are you the driver of this car?"
Matthew's eyes were full of vigilance. He retorted, "Who are you? Why are you following me? All the way from Hollywood Boulevard to here!"
"We..." The blonde woman looked around, "Can we talk in the car?"
"If you have something to say, say it here." Matthew couldn't just take a stranger into the car.
The blonde woman lowered her voice, "Are you going to Malibu?"
Matthew became even more wary, "Are you a reporter or paparazzi?"
"A reporter." The blonde woman had no intention of hiding it, "An entertainment reporter."
She quickly added, "If the information Bill Mattson gave me is correct, you're working for Jonny Lee Miller's wild party tonight, and the attendees include Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, and Ewen Bremner, among other British celebrity actors, right?"
Matthew had taken over this job at the last minute. The information Lister gave him only stated it was Jonny Lee Miller's large party and didn't mention who was invited. He wasn't familiar with Ewen Bremner and Jude Law, but he knew Ewan McGregor was a big star because of Star Wars.
"No wonder it attracted reporters." Matthew suddenly realized.
But he said, "No comment!"
After Matthew finished speaking, he was about to get back in the car, but the female reporter suddenly stepped forward, blocking him with her tall, strong body. "Wait."
"If you keep pestering me," Matthew pulled out his phone and checked the time, "I'm calling the police."
He heard the clatter of high heels from the other side. He turned his head and saw that the model named Rachel had already left her house and was walking towards them.
The female reporter was still persistent. She pulled out a few banknotes. "If you take me into Jonny Lee Miller's estate, these three hundred dollars are yours."
"Three hundred dollars?"
In the past, Matthew might have been tempted, but now he didn't care for it.
He directly shook his head, "I am a very professional person."
To risk it for three hundred dollars was a joke, and reporters, unlike Angelina Jolie, would definitely expose certain things.
Jonny Lee Miller alone was one thing, but adding Ewan McGregor, he'd better not.
Not to mention three hundred dollars, even five thousand dollars, he would have to think about it carefully.
As if disdainful of the female reporter's bribe, Matthew didn't even look at the banknotes. He walked around the female reporter, realizing that this woman was really too tall, a head taller than him, and quite strong, somewhat resembling that Russian girl named Sharapova he had once seen playing tennis.
The female reporter put her hands on her hips, watching Matthew get into the Ford minivan. Matthew closed the car door and saw her raise her foot, intending to kick the tire again. He suddenly shifted gears and accelerated, and the car shot forward a bit, startling the female reporter.
He stopped the car next to the approaching female model. Matthew opened the other car door, and after Rachel got in, he drove away directly.
"Oh..." Rachel saw Matthew and came to the seat beside him. "You're back, Matthew."
Matthew turned to her and smiled, "Bill Mattson quit, so I'm back driving this car."
"Bill said you got a role?" Rachel's eyes showed obvious envy. "And it's a film directed by Ridley Scott."
"Mmm." Matthew nodded, feigning a very casual demeanor. "A small role, with a few close-up shots."
"Close-up shots?" Rachel's mouth dropped open. "And several?"
She patted her chest. "God! Did I hear that right! I remember this is your third role, isn't it?"
Seeing Matthew nod, Rachel said again, "Your luck is so good it's enviable!"
"My agent has some connections with Ridley Scott," Matthew said casually, "that's why I was able to get this role."
Rachel was still somewhat envious. If she had had such an opportunity back then, she wouldn't have ended up where she was now.
The two chatted casually, as they had done several times before. Matthew picked up seven female models in total, dropping them off at the estate in Malibu. When entering and exiting the estate, he specifically observed that the security was significantly tightened, and a guard followed the Ford until he left the estate.
Driving to the usual waiting spot, Matthew had just parked the car and hadn't even turned off the engine when he saw the yellow Chevrolet also pull up and park to the right of the Ford.
The tall, strong female reporter picked up her camera, aimed it at the estate, and took pictures for a while. She then placed the camera on the passenger seat, pushed open the door, got out, and knocked on the passenger window of the Ford.
"Hey!" The female reporter gestured for him to roll down the window.
Matthew lowered the car window and asked, "Give up. I won't take you in."
The female reporter answered with a different question, "I'm Elena Boyar, a reporter for American News Report. What's your name?"
"Matthew." Matthew didn't give his last name.
"Hello, Matthew." The female reporter's temper had clearly subsided. "Don't worry, I won't ask you to take me in again. I'll just wait outside and take a few photos."
She knocked on the car door, "Can I come in and chat for a bit?"
Matthew opened the car door and let the reporter named Elena get in.
"This car is very nice." Elena Boyar sat down in the seat next to Matthew and surveyed the equipment in the car. "Even those minor celebrities' minivans aren't much better."
Matthew didn't respond to her comment, but instead asked the question on his mind, "You know Mattson?"
"Mmm." Elena Boyar, being exceptionally tall, pushed the seat back. "He's one of my informants, specializing in providing me with entertainment news. Last week, I learned about this party from him, gave him some money, and asked him to take me in to get some explosive news."
"How much money did you give him?" Matthew asked.
Elena shrugged and shook her head, "A thousand dollars, and now..."
Then, she stared at Matthew, "Are you interested?"
Matthew knew what she was asking, "To be your entertainment informant? To sell you inside information about the company's clients?"
"I'll offer you a price you'll be satisfied with." Elena's voice was seductive.
"I'm not interested in these things," Matthew refused. "And I don't have time. I have to rest at night, otherwise, I'll doze off during acting class the next day..."
"Acting class?" Elena turned to him and asked curiously, "Are you an actor?"
Matthew nodded gently, "I'm an actor." He tapped the steering wheel, "This is my part-time job."
Elena Boyar understood that he was just a minor actor, and there were countless such actors in Los Angeles.
"Which film crews have you been to?" She wanted to see if she could glean any useful information.
Matthew was about to answer when his phone rang. He pulled it out and saw it was Helen Herman calling.
He pressed the answer button, "Hi, Helen. is there something wrong calling so late?"
Helen Herman's clear voice came through the receiver, "Get ready. Be at the company before nine tomorrow morning. There's a job you need to audition for."
Matthew didn't want to be as confused as he was last time going to the Gladiator set, so he asked directly, "Can you tell me what the job is?"
Helen Herman said straightforwardly, "The male lead in Britney Spears' new music video."
"What?" Matthew almost stood up. "Did I hear that right? The male lead in Britney Spears' music video?"
His voice was loud enough, and with the sound leakage from Matthew's secondhand phone receiver, Elena Boyar immediately looked over. Britney Spears had become famous across America from the beginning of the year, and every piece of news about her was enough to attract readers' attention.
She looked at Matthew, "This guy is going to audition for the male lead in Britney Spears' music video? is this true?"
"Good! Good! Good!"
Hearing Helen Herman's confirmation, Matthew nodded repeatedly, "I'll be there on time."
Anyone who had even slightly followed entertainment news knew who Britney Spears was, and besides, this woman was a gossip machine. Matthew had seen some entertainment tidbits about her shaving her head, her 'bucket waist,' and arguing with childhood friends, which had helped him pass a lot of boring time.
Hanging up the phone and putting it away, Matthew suppressed his somewhat excited mood. After all, it was just an audition, and whether he would get the role was still unknown.
Beside him, Elena Boyar, confirming that the news might be true, her mind started racing.