"There's no language class this afternoon." Rachel McAdams asked Matthew as they walked out of the acting class, "Where are you going? Hollywood Boulevard?"
Matthew thought for a moment and said, "I want to buy a cell phone." He turned to Rachel McAdams, "Do you know where I can buy a cell phone around here?"
His old second-hand phone had serious sound leakage, so it was time for a replacement.
"There's a large shopping mall on the east side of Valley Avenue," Rachel McAdams, who had been there before, said. "They have cell phone counters, both Nokia and Motorola. Why don't I go with you to take a look?"
Matthew nodded. "Sure, that would be great. You can help me choose; I don't really know much about these things."
By the time he first used a cell phone, smartphones were everywhere, so he didn't really understand these older models.
"I'll go get the car," Rachel McAdams said, heading to the parking lot. "I'll wait for you at our usual spot by the school gate."
Rachel McAdams went to the parking lot, and Matthew walked alone towards the school gate, thinking about the gossip about him and Britney Spears in today's "American News Report." He wondered if he should visit Britney Spears in the hospital.
He imagined there would be many reporters at the hospital entrance, right?
His second-hand phone rang at that moment; it was an unfamiliar number.
"Hello, this is Matthew Horner," he said politely.
"It's me, Helen," Helen Herman's voice came through the receiver. "Are you still at school?"
Matthew switched the phone to his other hand and, without answering the question directly, asked, "Did you change your phone number?"
"This is my private cell phone number," Helen Herman explained simply. "I'm not in Los Angeles right now. Britney's agent is looking for me, so I won't be using my old phone number for the next few days. Call this number if you need anything."
Matthew thought for a moment and guessed Helen Herman's intention: she clearly wanted this fake scandal to brew for a while.
Just as Matthew was thinking of walking forward, Helen Herman spoke again on the phone, "Also, go visit Britney at the hospital today. Aren't you quite familiar with her? You should see things through."
"Ah..." Matthew had already considered this idea, but he hadn't expected Helen Herman to think of it too. "I'll go this afternoon. First, I'm going to buy a phone."
Helen Herman finally urged, "If Britney's side contacts you, remember! Don't do anything! Don't make any promises! Wait until I get back! I need you to have exposure right now! Once you have a certain level of fame, the things I'm going to discuss will go more smoothly!"
Matthew immediately asked, "is it a new job?"
"Yes," Helen Herman didn't deny it. "I'm negotiating a role for you in a mini-series, one with a lot of lines and character development."
"Good! Good! Good!" Matthew arrived at the school gate, nodding repeatedly. "I will definitely cooperate with you!"
A role that Helen Herman would speak of so seriously must be more substantial than the barbarian leader in "Gladiator."
Hanging up the phone, Matthew walked out of the school gate when suddenly a dazzling white light flashed, causing him to instinctively cover his eyes. Before he could understand what was happening, more than a dozen reporters surrounded him, thrusting microphones and small recorders directly in front of him.
"Mr. Matthew Horner, are you really dating Britney Spears?"
A barrage of miscellaneous questions flew at him simultaneously.
"When did you two start dating?"
"Have you and Britney slept together?"
"Was Britney still a virgin when she was with you?"
Matthew didn't say anything, but the reporters and paparazzi had already defined their relationship.
"Will you get married?"
"Are you pursuing Britney for ulterior motives?"
For a moment,
Matthew was somewhat stunned by the reporters' questions. He had never faced media reporters before and had no experience in dealing with them.
Fortunately, he remembered Helen Herman's instructions: no matter how the reporters and paparazzi questioned him, he kept his mouth tightly shut, not uttering a single word, and just kept walking forward step by step.
He had already seen Rachel McAdams's car parked not far ahead.
But the paparazzi and reporters wouldn't let him go. The camera flashes never stopped, and all sorts of chaotic questions kept coming. Some reporters even absurdly asked if Britney's hospital visit was due to pregnancy... Compared to them, Matthew felt that Eliana Boyar, whom he had previously encountered, was an incredibly conscientious and professional reporter.
With a great deal of effort, he finally approached Rachel McAdams's car. Then, finding a gap, he winked at Rachel McAdams, who had been watching. As Rachel McAdams opened the passenger door, he suddenly dodged a few reporters in front of him, rushed into the car with lightning speed, and slammed the door shut. Rachel McAdams had already started the car and immediately stepped on the gas, speeding away.
As the car drove away, the reporters gradually dispersed. Two reporters remained; they wore badges from the same newspaper and were discussing something together.
The one with the small recorder asked the one with the camera, "Did you get the person in the car?"
"Got it!" the cameraman said with certainty. "The driver was a woman, and a blonde beauty at that!"
"We have something to write about! Maybe it'll even make the front page!" The reporter with the small recorder laughed happily, muttering, "Britney's new boyfriend allegedly dating another woman while she's hospitalized with an injury..."
The cameraman also laughed; readers would surely love such explosive news.
They left shortly after. Rachel McAdams's car drove further and further away. Once the car was far from the entrance of the Los Angeles School of Performing Arts, Matthew exaggeratedly made the sign of the cross.
"What are you praying for?" Rachel McAdams asked curiously.
"For the god of luck to favor me..." Matthew said, equally exaggeratedly, "So I could get into the car alive."
He had once seen the craziness of paparazzi online, living on the other side of the Pacific, where there was a very crazy paparazzi and studio. But seeing it and directly facing it were two completely different feelings.
He had originally thought that people like himself or Eliana Boyar were already quite shameless, but compared to the questions from those paparazzi, they were absolute paragons of morality.
"is it that exaggerated?" At a red light ahead, Rachel McAdams stopped the car and asked, "Many people are hoping for such a scene."
Matthew didn't answer, but instead asked, "Why didn't you call to warn me?"
Rachel McAdams started the car and, once it had passed the intersection, said, "I called you, but you were on another call."
"Right!" Matthew slapped his forehead. "I was on the phone with my agent the whole time."
The car quickly arrived at the mall Rachel McAdams had mentioned. After parking, the two headed straight for the phone counter in the mall. Phones from this era all looked quite bulky, and their functions couldn't compare to the smartphones of the future.
"What kind do you want?" Rachel McAdams stood in front of the counter and asked Matthew, "Do you have any requirements for features?"
Matthew said directly, "It needs to be cheap and able to make calls!"
What other features could a phone from this era possibly have?
Adhering to the principle of spending as little money as possible, Matthew, with Rachel McAdams's advice, bought a Nokia candy bar phone. It had very few features, but it was enough to meet his need for making calls.
"Didn't you get a good amount of pay from your acting?"
As they walked out of the mall, Rachel McAdams asked curiously, "And you had a decent part-time job. Why are you so stingy with yourself?"
Matthew shrugged, saying rather helplessly, "I lost my part-time job. I took too many leaves of absence and got fired."
Rachel McAdams shook her head. "That's a shame, your job was perfect for an actor to do part-time."
"Tell me about it," Matthew said, a bit of a headache. "It's hard to find another similar job."
As they gradually approached the mall entrance, Rachel McAdams suggested, "You should just become a full-time actor."
Matthew was also considering it. "I need to earn enough money to support myself first."
He checked the time. "I'll treat you to lunch."
Rachel McAdams shook her head. "I have lunch plans with my agent. I'm going to the other end of Valley Avenue soon."
"Got a job?" Matthew asked.
"Maybe," Rachel McAdams wasn't sure. "I don't know either."
"Then you go."
If he had known this, Matthew wouldn't have asked Rachel McAdams to accompany him to buy a phone. "I'll call a taxi."
The two talked for a few more minutes, then Rachel McAdams left first. Matthew called a taxi, bought a bouquet of flowers, and waited for a while at the mall entrance. When the car arrived, he told the driver to go to the University of California Medical Center.
Last night, he had called and learned that Britney Spears had been transferred to the University of California Medical Center, which had top experts in sports injury physical therapy.
There might be reporters or paparazzi at the medical center entrance, and Matthew was mentally prepared. If there weren't any reporters or paparazzi blocking the entrance, paying attention to Britney Spears, he wouldn't even go.
Dealing with those crazy entertainment reporters still gave him a headache. Fortunately, he didn't need to answer any questions; he just had to follow Helen Herman's instructions and keep his mouth shut.
The taxi arrived at the entrance of the University of California Medical Center. After paying the fare, Matthew didn't rush out of the car but first observed the surroundings. A considerable number of people had gathered at the medical center entrance, most of them teenagers, presumably Britney's fans. There were also some people holding cameras or camcorders, who were undoubtedly reporters.
The taxi didn't attract much attention. Matthew pushed the door open and got out, and although he could have easily walked into the medical center, he deliberately slowed his pace.
"Hey, who's that?" A reporter saw him, then recognized the face from the "American News Report," and immediately shouted, "Matthew Horner is here! Look, Matthew Horner is here!"
With that, he was the first to rush over.