Chapter 42: The Most Disliked Singer

The crisp sound of high heels echoed in the corridor as the crew members made way for Britney Spears, who wore sunglasses and was accompanied by her assistant. Despite being famous for only half a year, Britney carried the aura of a star.

As they approached the lounge, her assistant stepped forward to open the door. As Britney entered, she immediately felt her high heels step on something. Looking down, she saw a newspaper on the floor with a headline that caught her eye.

"Shock—Britney Spears' New MV Male Lead is a Christina Aguilera Fan!"

The mention of Christina Aguilera brought back unpleasant memories from their time in the Mickey Mouse Club, where they often clashed to outshine each other.

Britney picked up the newspaper, which turned out to be a supplement from "American News Report." The article featured a photo of a man she recognized—one of the three candidates for the MV audition, and one heavily promoted to her by director Martin Jackson.

"He's a fan of that bitch?" Britney's mood soured at the thought of Christina Aguilera, "A die-hard fan?"

Frustrated, she crumpled the newspaper and tossed it into the trash, then sat on the sofa without saying a word.

Seeing Britney inexplicably upset, her assistant quickly poured her a glass of water and cautiously retreated to the side. Stars could be so difficult to handle.

Sitting there, Britney stewed over more unpleasant memories of Christina Aguilera, especially a call last year where Christina had gloated over her success...

"Wait, wait!"

Suddenly, a girl's voice echoed in the corridor, "Matthew Horner, you dropped something."

Then, a man's voice followed, "That's not mine! Why would I like Christina Aguilera? She looks like a freak, sings horribly, and only an idiot would buy her album."

Ugly? Sings horribly? Only an idiot would buy her album? Hearing these comments, Britney's spirits lifted unexpectedly—this person was speaking her mind!

"Matthew Horner, are you sure it's not yours? Then I'll throw it away."

The girl's voice faded as the two seemed to walk away, the man's voice becoming a blur, "Hurry and throw it in the trash, just seeing Christina Aguilera makes me want to vomit."

Britney blinked; indeed, Christina Aguilera could be nauseating.

"Matthew Horner, that name sounds familiar," she pondered for a moment, recalling, "I think I saw him at the last audition."

Her assistant glanced at the time and whispered, "The audition is about to start."

It was odd, Britney Spears had suddenly gotten angry, then calmed down, and now she was even smiling.

Outside the lounge, Amanda walked with Matthew back to the makeup room, asking, "Did I do alright?"

Matthew gave her a thumbs up, "Perfect!"

Approaching the makeup room, Amanda said, "I'm heading off, you go in."

"Okay."

Matthew nodded and waved to Amanda before entering the makeup room and finding a spot to stand.

Honestly, his plan wasn't foolproof and was even somewhat contrived. Someone older or more experienced might have been suspicious, but Britney Spears, only eighteen and famously naive and easily influenced by the media, might just fall for it.

He was gambling on Britney truly despising Christina Aguilera because if she did, his chances of success were high.

He dared to gamble because he had nothing to lose.

At 9:30 sharp, the assistant named York came to the makeup room to fetch James Blunt for his audition, nodding at Matthew as he left.

Michael Sheen watched all this, envious of Matthew's ability to connect even with the crew's assistant.

"That guy, he's good at networking," Michael Sheen muttered to himself, still puzzled over why his backside still hurt after several days, but confident, "Too bad, no matter how good you are at networking, I'm going to be the winner of this audition."

Michael watched Matthew close the makeup room door, scoffing, "Just like James Blunt, merely going through the motions."

When James returned to the makeup room, his disappointment was evident.

"It'll be just a few minutes," Michael checked his watch, "Matthew Horner will be back just like him."

As time ticked by, fifteen minutes passed quickly, and Michael found himself uncomfortably rubbing his backside, yet Matthew did not return.

"No rush, it's only been fifteen minutes," he tried to stay calm.

Another ten minutes went by, James had already left after removing his makeup, and still no sign of Matthew.

Michael grew increasingly uncomfortable as more time passed without the makeup room door opening.

"What's going on? He should have been just a formality like James Blunt," Michael grew anxious, "Could something unexpected have happened?"

He rubbed his backside again,

 "No, it can't be, Director Martin Jackson must keep his promise!"

But after forty minutes, with no sign of Matthew returning, Michael's panic about not receiving what he had painfully bargained for began to rise.

As he touched his backside again, recalling the humiliations he had endured and the pain that persisted, his expression darkened.

What if... what if Martin Jackson didn't keep his promise, and he didn't get the role? Had he suffered for nothing?

"I must get something in return!" he muttered, "There has to be a return."

Meanwhile, in the audition room, the director Martin Jackson quietly asked the record company representative, "Is it okay now?"

The representative glanced at Britney, who looked up from the monitor and nodded slightly.

"It's okay," he told the director.

"Cut!" Martin Jackson called to stop the audition. "Come here."

In reality, ten minutes into the audition, he had wanted to dismiss this Matthew Horner, but Britney Spears had insisted they continue.

Matthew walked away from the beach set gracefully, his demeanor humble before both Martin Jackson and the record company representatives, as if the scandalous night at the hotel had never happened.

"Anything else?" Martin Jackson asked softly, ready to dismiss him if not.

"I have a few questions," Britney Spears suddenly spoke up, not waiting for Jackson's approval, and directly asked, "You are Matthew Horner?"

Matthew nodded, "I am Matthew Horner."

"Before coming to the audition," Britney had specifically checked the trash can in the corridor, "did you throw something away?"

"Uh..." Matthew smiled sheepishly, "Someone gave me a record, it wasn't mine, I just tossed it away."

"Alright, I'm done with my questions. You can go," Britney declared.

Martin Jackson gestured for Matthew to leave. As he was exiting, he heard, "York, bring Michael Sheen here."