Chapter 17: The First Client

The two workers in front were carrying a huge bookshelf that appeared to be made of expensive mahogany. Matthew followed them inside. The ground floor was a large hall with many benches, and in the center of the hall was a reception desk designed in a circular fashion, prominently displaying the name "Angel Talent Agency" in bold black letters.

There was nobody at the reception, and the hall smelled freshly renovated.

Seeing no one to greet him, Matthew decided to follow the workers up the stairs to the second floor.

The bookshelf was extremely heavy. As the two workers started up the stairs, the one at the back bent under the weight. Just a few steps up, Matthew noticed the worker behind slip, causing the bookshelf to drop suddenly, potentially hitting someone's legs.

Having come from a background of manual labor, Matthew felt a natural sympathy for people in such positions and quickly stepped forward, grabbing the other side of the bookshelf.

His strength was considerable, and the bookshelf stabilized immediately. The worker beside him felt the load lighten and turned to thank him, "Thank you."

"No problem," Matthew nodded slightly, "Let's go."

Having offered his help, he didn't plan to retract it and continued to help the two workers carry the bookshelf up to the second floor.

"Over here, be careful."

At the top of the stairs stood a woman in her twenties, directing the workers to move items into an office, "Handle it gently, don't damage the floor!"

The flooring was clearly newly installed.

Matthew helped the workers carry the bookshelf all the way into the office, placing it behind a large mahogany desk.

"Thanks!"

After placing the bookshelf, the worker behind immediately thanked Matthew with a smile, "If it weren't for you, the shelf would have been damaged."

"It's nothing." Matthew realized that the worker was about his age, barely in his early twenties, and casually responded, "You're too polite."

The two walked towards the exit together, and the young worker asked, "Are you an employee of this company?"

Matthew shook his head as they walked, "No."

After exiting the office, he saw the woman at the staircase giving the workers tips. She soon approached.

The woman handed Matthew a bill, but he didn't take it, saying, "Are you an employee of Angel Talent Agency? I'm an actor, I called you yesterday."

"Oh?" The woman looked at Matthew with surprise, and the young worker also looked surprised before interjecting, "He just saw the shelf was heavy and gave us a hand."

"Are you also an actor?" the woman turned to the young worker.

Unexpectedly, the young worker nodded eagerly, "Yes, I am!" He scratched his head and smiled, "I delivered goods today and came to check the place out."

"Hold on a minute!" The woman went to dismiss the other workers.

Matthew glanced around, noting that the company seemed to have only one female employee.

"Hello!" The young worker introduced himself, "Michael Shane, from Nevada."

"Hello." Matthew nodded slightly, "Matthew Horner, Texan."

The woman returned and called Matthew and the young worker named Michael Shane, "You two, come with me."

Matthew followed her into an office, and Michael Shane came along.

The woman turned on her computer and invited Matthew and Michael Shane to sit, introducing herself, "I'm Helen Herman, the owner of Angel Talent Agency."

She asked, "Did you bring your documents?"

"I did." Matthew opened his bag, while Michael Shane slapped his forehead, "I left my documents in the truck, I'll go get them!"

Helen nodded, "Go ahead."

Michael Shane hurried out.

Matthew, however, was observing this woman. Having experienced an unscrupulous agent like Dennis Kurt before, he was cautious about agents.

Helen Herman was about 1.7 meters tall with common American deep brown hair neatly tied back, her face sharply defined with a professional appearance accentuated by her grey business suit.

Judging by appearances, she was more likely to make a good impression than Dennis Kurt.

Matthew handed over a stack of documents to her. Helen began entering data into the computer, "Congratulations, Matthew Horner, you are Angel Talent Agency's first client."

"First client?" Matthew asked, surprised, "Is this company new?"

Helen didn't look up, "I issued my first job ad yesterday."

Curious, Matthew asked further, "Is it just you working here?"

"For now, there are two of us," Helen answered without looking up, "but today I'm the only one here."

She continued, "Do you have a part-time job?"

"I do, night shift driver," Matthew replied succinctly. "Most of the time it's just waiting around, which allows me to rest and doesn't interfere with my day."

"Planning to stay in Hollywood long term?" Helen asked.

Without hesitation, Matthew declared, "I want to be a big

 star, make big money."

Observing her expression for any sign of mockery, which would be typical from someone like Dennis Kurt, he saw no change in Helen's demeanor, just a quick glance and a nod, "Having goals is good."

She stopped typing, looked up, and said, "Since you want to pursue this career for a long time, and it might take years before acting can fully support you, a part-time job is essential. Yours sounds quite suitable."

Matthew agreed; this was a major reason he stayed with the Red Penguin Company.

He didn't need higher paying jobs that wouldn't offer as much freedom as his current driving job at places like McDonald's or KFC.

"Are you a union member?" Helen asked.

"Not yet," Matthew shook his head, "I can't afford the $3000 membership fee, and I'm worried about the higher minimum wage reducing my competitiveness."

Helen continued entering data and noticed a special note Matthew had made, "You had lines in your first role?"

"Yes," Matthew knew this could affect future opportunities and explained earnestly, "I just finished filming yesterday, many people on the set know about it."

"Who got you that role?" Helen asked, pinpointing the critical issue.

"Julie," Matthew leveraged the name, "Ms. Angelina Julie referred me."

"Oh?" Helen paused her typing, "Are you close with Julie?"

Matthew shook his head, "Not really." He shrugged, "If we were, I wouldn't be here."

Helen looked at him steadily.

"Just a coincidence, I helped Ms. Julie with a small favor," Matthew explained casually, "She got me a role with two lines."

Though no more was said, Helen made a special note in Matthew's file. After finishing the entry, she told him, "Keep your phone on 24/7, I'll call you if there's work suitable for you."

This was similar to what other agencies had said, and Matthew didn't expect any special treatment. He stood up, exchanged pleasantries with Helen, and headed for the stairs.

Just reaching the stairway, Michael Shane came running up.

"Done?" he asked Matthew, "Leaving?"

Matthew nodded, "Case closed, waiting for a call."

"How many roles have you gotten?" Michael inquired.

"Just one," Matthew sighed, "The competition is fierce."

"Don't worry, it gets better," Michael smiled, "I was like that when I started, but now I've played over twenty roles."

Perhaps because Matthew had helped him earlier, the young mover added, "If you have time, try registering with a few more agencies, it increases your chances."

Matthew agreed, "Thanks, I'll try more tomorrow."

Michael left to complete his registration, and Matthew exited the building, buying several newspapers at a kiosk. He entered a nearby park, sat on a bench, and began looking through the newspapers for similar job ads, noting down phone numbers and scheduling times to register his information.

Possibly due to having already played a role, these companies generally didn't turn him away.

Over the following week, besides maintaining his fitness and reading, Matthew toured Los Angeles, registering with over twenty acting agencies and even visiting the two major acting unions, though he remained just a visitor due to various conditions.

He also received a call from an agency for a role in a horror movie, lying on the ground as a corpse.

Such a job wasn't much to speak of; Matthew's face was down, covered in ketchup-like fake blood, and the camera just swept over him. He earned only twenty dollars for three hours.

Luck like he had on the "Soul Transfer Maiden" set wasn't common for someone like him, so Matthew had to wait patiently for more opportunities.

Fortunately, he still had his driving job, earning enough to support himself.

Soon after receiving his first month's salary from the Red Penguin Company, Matthew finally received a call from Vanessa, assistant to Angelina Julie, fulfilling a promise to repay a favor by getting him into an acting school.