East of the Chinese restaurant was a small park. During working hours, there were very few people there. It was also where Matthew went for his morning run every day. He had arranged to meet the entertainment reporter, Elena Boyar, there.
Near the park entrance was a grove of trees. In the clearing in the middle of the grove, there was a stone table. Matthew sat on a stone bench nearby and waited for about half an hour before he saw the tall and robust Elena Boyar walk into the grove.
"Hi, Elena." Matthew waved, "Over here."
"I see you." Elena Boyar hurried over.
Matthew had been scrutinizing her. Elena Boyar was wearing a well-fitted tracksuit. Although somewhat robust, her tall stature made her appear very well-proportioned.
After Elena Boyar arrived, she sat on the stone bench opposite Matthew and asked directly, "You called me so urgently. Did you get private photos of Britney Spears?"
Matthew didn't answer her. Instead, he reached out his hand and said, "Your phone."
Elena Boyar didn't understand what he meant. "You want my phone?"
"Don't worry." Matthew shrugged, "I wouldn't rob a poor reporter."
Elena Boyar took out her phone and placed it in Matthew's hand. Matthew opened the flip phone and took a look, realizing it wasn't necessary at all. Few phones from that era had a recording function.
"A recorder…" Matthew opened his hand again, "Or a voice recorder pen."
"Didn't bring it!" Elena Boyar said testily, "Why would I record you? You're just a small-time actor, and part-time at that."
Matthew didn't speak but tilted his head, looking at her.
Elena Boyar was a bit annoyed, "Matthew Horner, don't go too far!"
"I'm going too far?" Matthew pointed to himself, "If I were going too far, I'd make you strip naked!"
"Heh…" Elena Boyar sneered, "What? You want to sleep with me? Here? Don't tell me that's your condition!"
"I'm not interested in you." Matthew knew this woman had a bad temper, "How do I know you won't turn around and sell me out?"
Elena Boyar nodded, defiantly opening her handbag first and emptying its contents onto the stone table. Then, she turned all her pockets inside out. Just as she said, there was no recorder or voice recorder pen.
"Do you want me to take off my clothes?" she asked, glaring at Matthew.
Matthew shook his head, "No need."
Elena Boyar put her things away and then said, "You think too highly of yourself. Even if I sold you out, what would I get?"
Matthew knew she had a point. He was just a small fry, and no one cared about him from top to bottom.
He was just doing this as a precaution, as it's always better to be safe than sorry.
After tidying her handbag, Elena Boyar glared at Matthew, extended a hand, "Where's the stuff?"
"What stuff?" Matthew asked subconsciously.
"Britney Spears' private photos!" Elena Boyar raised her voice, "Malibu, we talked about it, mutual benefit."
Matthew directly shook his head, "I don't have private photos of Britney Spears."
Elena Boyar suddenly stood up, her blue eyes wide and round. Coupled with her tall and robust physique, she exuded a powerful aura.
"Are you wasting my time?" she demanded, "Or do you think this is fun?"
"Am I that bored?" Matthew looked up at her, pointed to the stone bench opposite, "Sit, Elena! Of course, I called you because I have news that interests you."
Elena Boyar tilted her head, looking at him, "About Britney Spears."
"Mm." Matthew nodded.
Elena Boyar sat back down, appearing much calmer, no longer as furious as before.
"Tell me," she asked, "What is it? Gossip? Scandal?"
Matthew, of course, wouldn't say it directly. "News that can keep you reporting for a month, even digging for several months, and readers will love it."
"Stop with the nonsense." Elena Boyar urged, "Just say it directly."
She had a bad temper but wasn't stupid. Plus, having dealt with Matthew before, she knew there had to be conditions.
"Help me report on someone in the media you work for." Matthew said, following the plan he had thought of last night, "Someone who might become the male lead in Britney Spears' MV."
Elena Boyar snorted, disdainfully saying, "Just say it's you. Why beat around the bush so much?"
Matthew shook his head, "It's not me, it's someone else. If I were the male lead, I wouldn't be looking for you."
If he hadn't thought of any other way, he wouldn't have called Elena Boyar, this bad-tempered entertainment reporter.
"Just say it!" Elena Boyar was very unaccustomed to Matthew's Eastern way of speaking and reminded him again, "Stop beating around the bush!"
"There's a person, my competitor, who might pose a threat to me."
Although director Martin Jackson's say wasn't the most important, Michael Sheen having his support would certainly increase his chances of getting the role. Matthew couldn't not be cautious. "You publish an article about him in the newspaper."
After their last meeting in Malibu, he had specifically inquired and found that the newspaper Elena Boyar worked for, "American News Report," sounded prestigious but was actually a publication dedicated to reporting Hollywood and celebrity gossip.
"He's not famous." Elena Boyar disagreed, "My editor won't approve."
Matthew continued, "What if he's linked to two female celebrities? And you can follow him, dig deeper into the clues I give you, and get more attention-grabbing news!"
Elena Boyar's temper gradually subsided, and she sat on the stone bench, deep in thought.
"This is just the beginning of our cooperation." To persuade Elena Boyar and to ensure she wouldn't go back on her word after agreeing, Matthew continued to ramble, "Elena, you can check my resume. I've acted with Angelina Jolie and Winona Ryder, participated in the filming of director Ridley Scott's 'Gladiator,' and the character I played was even used as the main subject of the promotional poster!"
Hearing this, Elena Boyar remembered the poster she had seen, stared at Matthew for a while, and asked, "The barbarian leader you played."
"Yes." Matthew nodded, "You can find all of this in the crew records."
Elena Boyar immediately realized that she had underestimated this young actor.
Matthew smiled, pointed to his head, and said, "There's a lot of news here. If you're willing to cooperate with me…" He used Elena Boyar's words, "We'll benefit mutually."
Elena Boyar was tempted, feeling that she might be able to persuade her editor, and said, "Okay! I can help you, but I can't guarantee it will definitely be published."
Matthew knew she was just a field reporter, and her power couldn't be very great. If she had thumped her chest and said it would definitely be published, he would have had to seriously consider her sincerity.
"Here's his information." Matthew pulled out a printout from his back pocket. The front had a picture of Michael Sheen, and the back had a written description. "Just say he's a die-hard fan of Christina Aguilera and is about to become the male lead in Britney Spears' MV."
He added, "Preferably within this week."
Taking the printout, Elena Boyar glanced at it and immediately realized the hidden meaning in Matthew's words, "Are you saying there's a problem between Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, who were both in the Mickey Mouse Club?"
Matthew had specifically checked online and in newspapers before. Britney Spears had just become famous this year, and Christina Aguilera had only been famous for about a year. Although both were very popular, news of them targeting each other hadn't appeared yet.
"It's not just a disagreement, it's a sharp conflict!" Matthew had once seen some gossip about the two in entertainment pushes on his phone. At this point, he could only blurt out, "When I was on the MV set, I personally heard Britney Spears' assistant say that Britney often privately cursed Christina Aguilera, calling her a bitch, and saying she stole her thunder back in the Mickey Mouse Club."
He looked at Elena Boyar, "You can definitely dig into it. I imagine those two had quite a story back then."
A catfight between two popular female singers would definitely be very appealing.
Matthew thought so, and so did Elena Boyar.
"Are you sure what you're saying is true?" Elena Boyar asked.
"I swear!" Matthew raised his right hand, solemnly vowing, "I can swear to God, I heard this with my own ears!"
Elena Boyar quickly calculated in her mind. This news was truly valuable. If she could dig up some explosive material, the manuscript fees alone would be a huge sum, and if she played it right, becoming an associate editor wasn't out of the question.
But ever since she arrived, Matthew had been leading her by the nose, and she was very unhappy about it.
"It's also possible the assistant was just talking nonsense," she deliberately said.
Matthew raised his eyebrows, looking at her. Was she trying to renege on the deal? It didn't look like it… "Even if they don't have sharp conflicts." He blurted out testily, "With the abilities of you gossip newspapers, can't you create conflicts?"
"That's right!" Elena Boyar opened her mouth and slapped her thigh hard, "Why didn't I think of that? If we do it this way, we can create gossip even if there isn't any!"
She stood up, preparing to leave in a hurry. Before leaving, she said, "I'll do my best. I've memorized your number!"
Elena Boyar clearly took Matthew's deceptive words seriously.
Watching Elena Boyar hurry away, Matthew also prepared to leave. Now that one aspect of the plan was settled, he would need to visit the Disney studio where the crew was located more often in the coming days to create a suitable opportunity.
Oh, and he still needed a helper.
Matthew walked all the way home but couldn't think of a suitable candidate. All the actors under Angel Agency were out of the question; they were competitors and would sell him out in a heartbeat.
His agent, Helen Herman? This woman was deep and calculating; who knew what she would be thinking.
When he opened his apartment door, Matthew thought of a suitable candidate: Amanda was a good choice. She would likely accompany him to the costume fitting and screen test, and she lacked social experience and cunning.
Then, he contacted Amanda and made a series of preparations, just waiting for the day of the costume fitting and screen test to arrive.