Golden sunlight streamed down from the sky, landing on the bushes at the edge of the cliff. Hidden beneath the bushes was a crescent-shaped beach. A long wooden pier extended from one corner of the crescent beach, reaching into the azure sea.
This beautiful beach was Paradise Cove in Malibu, managed by a restaurant, and entry required a ticket.
However, today the beach was devoid of tourists. Instead, countless reporters with long and short lenses gathered on the cliff behind the beach.
Britney Spears' record company had temporarily leased this beach to film the music video for "Sometimes."
Early in the morning, Matthew arrived at the beach with the crew. The record company had rented not only the beach but also the restaurant.
Several rooms in the restaurant had been temporarily converted into lounges and dressing rooms.
Thanks to Helen Herman, who had also come along and advocated for him, Matthew, as the male lead, had a room all to himself.
"I didn't expect you to come in person."
Matthew sat in front of the makeup mirror, letting the makeup artist apply makeup to his face, and said to Helen Herman, who was sitting behind him reading a newspaper, "I thought you'd just throw me to the crew and not care."
Helen Herman didn't take her eyes off the newspaper and said, "I don't have any other work at the moment, and you were chosen not only by them but also by me."
This remark was a bit puzzling. Matthew thought for a while before he understood.
"Oh..." Matthew casually asked, "So, I'm your most important client."
He had heard from Amanda that Angel Agency wouldn't be very large, and Helen Herman wouldn't be able to get too many resources, so she would concentrate on using them.
"You haven't shown that potential yet," Helen Herman denied.
Matthew looked at Helen Herman through the makeup mirror, but her face was completely obscured by the newspaper, so he couldn't see anything.
After his makeup was done, Matthew changed into a white T-shirt. The T-shirt was form-fitting, clinging tightly to his strong body, highlighting his smooth muscle lines.
His muscles were the result of long-term, high-intensity physical labor, different from the exaggerated muscles developed in a gym.
Matthew looked very strong, but this strength was not like Arnold Schwarzenegger or The Rock; instead, it was more like a taller version of Tom Cruise.
Since he had to film barefoot on the beach, after changing clothes, Matthew put on a pair of flip-flops. Ignoring Helen Herman, who was still reading the newspaper, he picked up his work bag, walked out of the dressing room, and headed towards the beach along the wooden pier that led directly to the restaurant.
Stepping down from the pier onto the beach, Matthew saw the temporary resting place for actors under a tent. He found his chair and sat down, looking towards the area near the sea, where a dance troupe of about seven or eight people, led by a choreographer, was doing a final run-through of their dance moves.
He was an amateur when it came to dance and music, so he couldn't tell much, but from the faces of the young male and female dancers, he guessed they were performing a dance popular with teenagers.
"Miss Spears..." A cautious voice came over, "Please come this way."
Matthew turned to look. Britney Spears, wearing a white crop top, walked into the tent.
Perhaps because they were the male and female leads, her chair was very close to Matthew's.
Director Zack Snyder was still setting up the filming location with the crew, so shooting wouldn't start for a while. Britney Spears sat in her chair, patiently waiting.
Matthew was prepared. Seeing that there was no one else in the tent for the moment, he took out a notebook and pen from his work bag, stood up, and walked over to Britney.
Britney Spears looked at him with a slight surprise. Matthew pretended to scratch his head awkwardly, revealing a bright, sunny, yet slightly shy smile, "Hello, Miss Spears, I'm a fan of yours. I've always wanted to get your autograph but couldn't find a suitable opportunity."
He hadn't rehearsed with Britney Spears, nor had he spoken to her directly.
"Could you..." Matthew awkwardly pointed to the pen and autograph book, "Could you sign this for your loyal fan?"
For some reason, Britney remembered Matthew. She readily took the pen and notebook and asked, "You're Matthew Horner, right?"
"Just call me Matthew," Matthew said with a look of surprise, as if being remembered by Britney was an incredibly significant event for him. Then he tentatively asked, "Can I... can I call you Britney?"
Britney signed the notebook and said, "Of course."
She suddenly stopped writing, unable to contain her curiosity, and asked, "Who is your least favorite singer?"
Matthew suddenly felt an urge to bang his head on the sand, and also a curiosity to crack open her skull beneath her blonde hair to see what peculiar structure was inside.
But when he saw Britney's fresh face, which was completely different from her sexy, mature figure, he gradually realized that this was just an inexperienced girl with a relatively simple mind. And judging from the gossip he knew, Britney's maturity was progressing very, very slowly.
While thinking this, Matthew's mouth didn't stop, "I don't really like Christina Aguilera."
He felt that for simple-minded people, it was best to give the simplest answer at this time.
"Why?" Britney asked curiously.
Matthew had never heard Christina Aguilera's songs and had almost no impression of the singer, except for pictures he'd found online recently. But he reacted very quickly, just like he did during the audition, though he chose his words more subtly this time.
"I think she looks very strange," Matthew said, not as directly as that day, "Her voice is also very strange. When I listen to her songs, I always get goosebumps, like eating something that disgusts me."
"Like disgusting food?" Britney Spears suddenly laughed, "That's so cool!"
Her pen quickly scribbled on the notebook. After a while, she handed it back to Matthew. Matthew immediately looked at it, and his eyes suddenly twitched. Britney had not only signed her name but also left a strange message.
"May Matthew Horner, who hates Christina Aguilera, be happy every day! Britney Spears."
How was this any different from those boisterous, childish girls in middle school who drew stick figures to curse girls who were almost as pretty as them?
Matthew had figured it out: perhaps Britney was a genius in singing, but in dealing with real life and interpersonal relationships, she probably didn't even meet the average.
Such a person, once intentionally provoked, often wouldn't even know what they were doing.
"Thank you, Britney," Matthew closed the notebook and continued, "I can brag about this when I go to acting class!"
Britney's understanding of this was completely different: "Do those people also hate Christina Aguilera?"
Some concepts became clearer and clearer in Matthew's mind: Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera already had a deep conflict, and with the media fanning the flames, wanting the two to literally stab each other, they were destined to be lifelong enemies.
"No!" Matthew's limited brain capacity was almost fully engaged now. "Some people like Christina Aguilera, and are even her fans."
He saw Britney frown, looking a bit unhappy, then continued, "I've always been at odds with them. I once said in acting class that people who like Christina Aguilera have problems with their brains and should all be euthanized!"
Hearing Matthew speak so amusingly, Britney's unhappiness instantly vanished, and she laughed again, "Yes, they should be euthanized! Along with Christina Aguilera!"
"Britney," Matthew said, as if just realizing, "You don't like Christina Aguilera either?"
With the previous groundwork laid, and her naturally simple way of thinking, Britney said directly, "It's not that I don't like her, it's that I hate her! I hate her very much!"
Matthew scratched his head, revealing an embarrassed smile, "What a coincidence. Actually, I hate her too. 'Dislike' is just a polite way of saying it, after all..."
He seemed unable to find the right words.
Britney waved her hand generously, "I know, it's okay. We're united in hating Christina Aguilera."
"Right! Right! Right!" Matthew nodded repeatedly, "We're united!"
He felt that Britney probably rarely talked about such things with people, so he specifically asked, "Do you also think Christina Aguilera is ugly and has a terrible voice, like me?"
"No," Britney shook her head and said bitterly, "I've known her since the Mickey Mouse Club. She's just a..."
Since there was no one else nearby, Britney, ignoring that this was an MV filming set, poured out many old stories about her and Christina Aguilera to Matthew. They were basically all about two self-important and impulsive young girls constantly trying to one-up each other for attention.
Matthew became a listener. Aside from expressing agreement with interjections like "Mm" and "Ah," he never interrupted Britney's words.
Only after Britney finished speaking did Matthew say very seriously, "I didn't realize Christina Aguilera was so detestable. She's just a total bitch!"
Britney nodded vigorously, "Exactly!"
Matthew pretended to kindly remind her, "Britney, you have to be careful when dealing with people like her."
"Mm!" Britney continued to nod, then looked at Matthew, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye. She simply said, "You can call me Boo-Boo. That's what my friends call me."
In just under ten minutes, thanks to Matthew's efforts, their friendship level had soared.
At the edge of the wooden pier, Helen Herman stood by the railing, watching the actors' resting area. She had seen everything, from Matthew first asking Britney for an autograph to their enthusiastic conversation, but she hadn't gone over to disturb them.
By the end, even she was a little impressed. To be able to chat so happily with a simple-minded, low-EQ girl like Britney, Matthew certainly had a knack for it.
"Maybe idiots and idiots are the only ones who have common ground?" Helen Herman muttered.