Chapter 50: Falling in Love Through the Play

Hearing the cries for help, Matthew turned his head to see the set's medic rushing over with a medical kit. Filming on the pier had already stopped, and Britney Spears was sitting on the ground, clutching her ankle, her face contorted in pain.

It seemed Britney was injured.

Matthew quickly made his way over and, as he got closer, he could vaguely see Britney nearly crying from the pain.

"Take her to the hospital!" the doctor, after a quick examination, shouted urgently, "Quick, to the hospital!"

Britney's agent immediately panicked, calling over two male dancers, "Quick! Help Britney to the hospital!"

The dancers tried to help Britney stand, but she couldn't get up due to her twisted ankle and high heels.

"Don't touch me!" Britney burst into tears, "It hurts! It's killing me!"

"You idiots!" her agent exploded with anger, "Useless!"

Hearing this, Matthew didn't hesitate. He pushed through the crowd and approached Britney, "I'll carry you."

Britney, recognizing Matthew amidst her pain, just nodded weakly without speaking.

Matthew gently scooped her up, one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees.

Britney's agent quickly cleared the way, shouting, "Make way! Make way! Let us through, quick!"

The bystanders immediately stepped aside, and Matthew, carrying Britney, hurried along the long pier. He was wearing flip-flops, which he found cumbersome, so he kicked them off and proceeded barefoot with Britney in his arms.

The agent continued to bark orders, "Get some people up ahead to block the reporters!"

That morning, numerous reporters had gathered on the cliff above, and their numbers had only grown.

The jolting from walking made Britney's foot hurt even more, and tears rolled down her cheeks again.

Matthew carried her into the restaurant, whispering, "Hang in there, Britney."

Britney clung to Matthew, tears threatening to fall at any moment.

"Do you want those reporters to snap pictures of you crying?"

Estimating Britney's weight at around 100 pounds, Matthew found her surprisingly light to carry. "Do you want Christina Aguilera to gloat over this?"

Britney shook her head vehemently, "No! Never!"

She wiped the tears from her eyes with one hand, and Matthew looked down at her with an encouraging smile, "That's the spirit, good girl."

Matthew carried Britney through the restaurant corridors to the exit.

At the entrance, a van was already waiting, and as reporters from the cliff had gathered at the restaurant's door, Elena Pojar, camera in hand, secured a prime spot for photos despite being held back by security one meter from the vehicle. She was perfectly positioned to capture images at the restaurant exit and the car door.

Recently, Elena had leveraged information from Matthew Horner, a minor actor, to publish explosive articles in the "American News Report" after a period of in-depth investigation. These pieces not only brought public attention but also inflamed the private feud between Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera into public gossip.

Lately, Elena's work and pursuit had focused solely on Britney Spears.

Suddenly, a figure rushed out from the restaurant door, and Elena instinctively snapped a photo, only to realize it was an unknown person, apparently an entertainment agent.

"Quick!" The person shouted urgently, "Open the car door! Let Britney in!"

Was Britney really injured?

Elena kept her camera aimed at the restaurant door, capturing a tall man in a white T-shirt carrying a glamorous girl swiftly approaching.

She pressed the camera shutter as a flurry of clicks sounded around her.

"Is it him?" Elena recognized the man through her lens, surprised but relentless in her photography, "Why is he carrying Britney out?"

Having recently spoken face-to-face with Matthew, Elena couldn't fail to recognize him.

She watched as Matthew carried Britney into the van, staying with her as the van drove off.

"Quick! Drive!" Other reporters were also on the move, asking, "Who's that guy with Britney?"

"Does anyone know who that man carrying Britney is?"

While some journalists hurried to their cars, others were puzzled and even began making calls, "A man just carried Britney into a car, and she seemed quite close to him. I'm sending you the photos now; find out who he is!"

With Britney gone, the scene lost its appeal, and Elena, like the other reporters, drove after the van.

Driving her yellow Chevrolet at a distance behind the van, Elena's mind raced with possibilities. No reporter there seemed to know who Matthew Horner was, giving her an exclusive angle.

However, Matthew Horner, the male lead of Britney's new MV, helping the injured lead actress wasn't sensational news and wouldn't attract much attention.

Thus, from the moment she saw

 Matthew, Elena had no intention of writing it that way.

She had a preliminary idea to create a sensational story—perhaps Britney was in love!

She even had a rough draft for the headline:

"Britney Spears Falls for MV Co-Star After On-Set Accident, Intimate Rescue Sparks Romance…"

Accompanied by photos of Matthew carrying Britney to the car, the impact would be substantial!

Thinking this, Elena didn't follow the van but took another route straight to the news office. There was still time to publish online at "American News Report" first, before it hit the print edition tomorrow.

Back at Paradise Cove's restaurant, Helen Herman went to Matthew's private dressing room, collected his clothes and shoes in a large bag, and drove to the hospital where the van had headed.

She had seen everything that transpired.

Helen had mixed feelings about Matthew Horner. The Texan wasn't particularly bright or cunning—his approach to landing the lead role was full of flaws, reliant on sheer luck…

But one thing she valued: Matthew was good at seizing opportunities.

"Even using Britney's injury," Helen considered, "Is he planning to follow my advice? If so, I need to prepare."

The van stopped at the hospital, and Matthew carried Britney out, rushing toward the emergency department while comforting her, "It's going to be alright, Britney."

Britney just nodded, seemingly trusting Matthew completely.

A hospital porter brought a stretcher, and Matthew gently placed Britney on it, accompanying her into the building.

He might as well have been her agent.

Behind them, Britney's actual agent looked on, torn between watching Britney on the stretcher and observing Matthew, his expression increasingly troubled.

He knew Britney well; despite her public persona of approachability, she was as diva-like as any other young star who had risen to fame early—believing herself immensely important, perhaps even pivotal to the planet's rotation.

How could she possibly have such a good relationship with a minor actor?

Throughout the ordeal, the agent watched Matthew and Britney's interactions, noting their apparent familiarity and unusual closeness.

A troubling possibility crossed his mind.

Then, watching Matthew's tall figure, he realized he needed to find out more about this co-star from the MV.

The stretcher reached the emergency room doors, and Matthew paused, reassuring Britney with a nod, "Don't worry, Britney, be strong."

Britney bit her lip and nodded back.

As the stretcher was wheeled into the emergency room, Matthew sat on a nearby bench, while Britney's agent made calls, likely contacting medical specialists.

Then, Britney's assistant and representatives from the record company arrived.

Matthew knew he had done all he could and sat quietly, feeling slightly out of place in his costume.

He vigorously shook his arms to relieve the numbness, then rubbed his face with his rough hands.

Suddenly, a bag was offered to him. Looking up, Matthew saw Helen Herman standing across from him.

"Your clothes and shoes," she said.

Matthew took the bag, checked its contents, and thanked her, "I'll go change."

Helen waved him off, and Matthew headed to the men's restroom to wash off his makeup and change back into his own clothes. When he returned to the emergency room entrance, Britney's father had also arrived.

Helen sat distinctly apart from Britney's entourage, alone on a bench. Matthew joined her, and she subtly indicated a middle-aged man with blond hair.

"That's Jamie Spears, Britney's father," she informed Matthew. "As far as I know, he sees Britney as a cash machine and keeps tight control over her."

Matthew shrugged indifferently, "What does that have to do with me?"

Soon, the examination results were in; Britney had sprained her ankle, and the MV shoot had to be temporarily halted.