"Christina Aguilera?" Matthew poured Britney a glass of water and asked, "Did you run into her?"
He wouldn't forget that it was this shared object of dislike that had brought them closer.
Britney seemed filled with disgust and anger at the mere mention of Christina Aguilera. "I didn't run into her, but it's even more disgusting than running into her!"
"Drink some water first." Matthew pointed to the glass. After Britney took a sip and her temper had cooled slightly, he asked, "What exactly happened to make you so angry?"
With that sip of water, Britney calmed down a bit and explained to Matthew, "My record company had originally scheduled a show this afternoon with Los Angeles Public Radio to promote my new album."
Matthew said nothing more, just nodded gently, diligently playing the role of a listener.
"When my agent and the record company contacted them again at noon today, they suddenly changed their minds!" Britney said, her face full of indignation again. "They invited Christina Aguilera to join the show, planning to have me sit in the same live broadcast room as that bitch, talking face-to-face about what happened at the Mickey Mouse Club!"
She slapped the armrest of her chair hard. "These bastards!"
Then, Britney stood up. "And Christina Aguilera, it must be her doing something behind the scenes!"
Matthew couldn't understand Britney's logic. It was clearly the radio station playing games, trying to use her conflict with Christina Aguilera to create a hot topic.
"If my agent hadn't stopped me…" Britney said venomously, "I would have gone to confront Christina Aguilera and pulled all her hair out!"
Matthew didn't know what to say, so he simply agreed, "Christina Aguilera is such an annoying person! Where is she now? I'll go find her and get even for you!"
Britney asked curiously, "What are you going to do?"
"Hire a homeless person…" Matthew was full of mischievous ideas, "to throw poop at her!"
"Could you not say such things?" Britney waved her hand in front of her nose. "We're about to eat."
Matthew shrugged. "Let's not mention Christina Aguilera either, lest we both get too disgusted to eat."
Britney nodded. "Right, let's not mention her. It's not often you treat me."
The ordered dishes were successively brought over by the waiter. Matthew and Britney changed the subject, but they had barely eaten anything when Britney's phone rang.
She pulled it out and glanced at it, her expression instantly turning very ugly. She said to Matthew, "Christina Aguilera's call!"
Matthew was curious. "How does she have your number?"
"Even though I don't keep in touch with her," Britney explained, "the people from the Mickey Mouse Club used to contact each other frequently back then."
Her good mood was completely gone. She pressed the answer button. Not knowing what the person on the other end said, she stood up from her chair again and shouted, "Christina, you bitch! I set you up? Do I need to set up an idiot like you? You'll die of stupidity on your own! You're clearly the one who set me up, and I was just about to settle scores with you, you…"
Listening to Britney curse at Christina Aguilera on the phone, Matthew increasingly felt that both girls had been set up by the radio station.
The call continued beside them. Britney was like a ruffled fighting cock, arguing and cursing at Christina Aguilera through the phone. Matthew guessed from Britney's expression and words that Christina Aguilera on the other end was no pushover either.
The call lasted for a full minute before an exasperated Britney angrily hung up her phone, sat back in her chair without a word, and fumed silently.
"Don't be angry, Boo-Boo." Matthew offered comfort, "The angrier you get, the happier Christina Aguilera will be…"
Britney picked up her water glass and drank the remaining water in one gulp, saying, "I'm not angry! I'm not angry!"
She said that, but her fuming demeanor hadn't changed at all. Her hands were even pressed firmly on the table, as if she was ready to fight at any moment.
Matthew reached out a hand and gently patted Britney's hand. "Why get angry with such an idiot?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Boo-Boo, have you ever considered that there's a way to make Christina Aguilera so angry every day that she's beside herself?"
Britney's attention immediately shifted, and she asked curiously, "What way?"
"You've told me almost all your conflicts with Christina Aguilera."
Britney was a bit simple-minded, and becoming famous too early wasn't necessarily a good thing. Matthew had spent some time with her, and although he had thoughts of using her, Britney had left him with a good impression, so he patiently said, "Why does Christina Aguilera target you everywhere? It's nothing more than you being prettier than her, singing and dancing better than her, and being more popular than her."
These words completely resonated with Britney. She nodded repeatedly, "Exactly! She's jealous!"
"Right! She's jealous of you! Jealous that you're better than her!" Matthew racked his brain, searching for the right words. "And you, Boo-Boo? You've always been better than her! Maybe you fell a little behind last year, but this year you not only caught up but once again surpassed Christina Aguilera, so her jealousy grew even stronger! And she came to provoke you again…"
Britney blinked, staring blankly at Matthew. "It really seems that way."
Matthew continued, "So, Boo-Boo, you shouldn't be the one getting angry. The more Christina Aguilera provokes you, the more it shows that she can only stay behind, looking at your back with envy and jealousy."
"Mmm! Mmm!" Britney nodded repeatedly. "You're absolutely right."
Matthew smiled and then said, "As long as you can stay ahead, Christina Aguilera will only get angrier and angrier. If you can make sure she can never catch up, I believe Christina Aguilera will explode with rage herself."
Britney kept looking at Matthew, feeling that every word he said resonated with her.
"Boo-Boo, don't get angry over that rotten person anymore," Matthew also looked at Britney. "As long as you do your best, she will always be the one who's angry."
"Mmm!" Britney's expression relaxed. "You're right, I'll listen to you."
From the moment they met until now, everything Matthew had done had been exactly to her liking. Being with him felt exceptionally relaxed and comfortable, a feeling she never experienced when interacting with others.
Britney was still looking at Matthew, her gaze never shifting.
Since Matthew had started talking, he simply continued, "What happened today clearly isn't just Christina Aguilera having issues; the radio station also seems to be doing it on purpose."
Britney said nothing, just looked at Matthew.
"Didn't your agent say anything?" Matthew asked curiously, "Boo-Boo, he didn't tell you anything?"
"No." Britney shook her head. "He rarely bothers me with these things."
Matthew patted her hand again. "You need to be wary of the media; they might deliberately frame people at any time."
"I've always disliked those paparazzi and reporters." Britney's mood had improved now, and she didn't want to talk about unhappy things anymore. She changed the subject and asked, "Aren't you preparing for an audition? How's the preparation going?"
"It's alright."
This time it was Matthew's turn to be troubled. "I only started acting this year, so I'm too inexperienced. I don't have any advantage compared to my competitors."
"I think you're great," Britney said, resting her chin in her hand. "Your performance in the music video was fantastic!"
"Let's eat first." Matthew picked up his knife and fork and said to Britney, "My acting coach gave me some advice today. I might go through some intensive training in a few days. This is a rare good opportunity, and even if the chances are slim, I have to fight for it. If I don't fight, there's no hope at all."
Britney reached over and, mimicking Matthew's earlier gesture, patted the back of his hand. "You'll definitely succeed."
The two then ate and chatted, the atmosphere even more harmonious than the previous times, with laughter occasionally ringing out. The meal lasted for over an hour.
By the time Matthew and Britney emerged, it was already dark.
Britney's car and driver were still waiting nearby. Matthew checked the time and tentatively invited, "Are you going back now? Or shall we take a walk together?"
Pedestrians hurried by, and since Britney was dressed plainly and wearing a hat, no one noticed that she was the famous pop star.
Britney didn't know why, but she really enjoyed her time with Matthew.
She really wanted to walk with Matthew by the roadside, but thinking of her father at home, she could only slowly shake her head. "It's getting late, I should go home, otherwise Dad…"
Britney swallowed the rest of her sentence.
"Hmm?" Matthew seemed to catch something and looked at Britney in confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Britney didn't know how to explain, so she simply covered it up. "Dad is still waiting for me at home."
Matthew didn't press her. He said, "Then you should go back early."
"Goodbye, Matthew." Britney walked towards the car, turning back several times. Seeing Matthew still standing there, waving at her, she shouted again, "Don't forget to call me again!"
Matthew pointed to his forehead. "I remember."
Britney smiled sweetly. After getting into the car, she rolled down the window and watched Matthew until the car turned around and drove away.
After Britney left, Matthew turned and walked towards the apartment. He hadn't gone far when he received a call from Britney, asking what he was doing. They chatted about this and that until Britney got home.
Back in his rented apartment, he put Britney aside and sat on the old sofa, continuing to read the original novel of "Band of Brothers."
Matthew not only read but also took a notebook to read and take notes, transcribing all the passages about Ronald Spiers.
As it was getting close to bedtime, he received a call from Helen Herman, informing him that she had found a suitable candidate and arranged to meet tomorrow morning.