Chapter 62: It's Jealousy

"Christina Aguilera?" Matthew poured Britney a glass of water and asked, "Did you run into her?"

He wouldn't forget that it was their mutual dislike for this person that had brought them closer together.

Britney seemed to fill with disgust and anger at the mention of Christina Aguilera, "No, I didn't run into her, which would have been even more disgusting!"

"Drink some water first." Matthew pointed to the glass. After Britney took a sip and seemed a bit calmer, he asked, "What exactly happened to make you so angry?"

With a gulp of water settling her nerves, Britney explained, "My record company had arranged for me to appear on a Los Angeles public radio show this afternoon to promote my new album."

Matthew remained silent, nodding his head, playing the role of a listener.

"Today at noon, when my manager and the record company contacted them again, they suddenly changed their minds!" Britney was visibly upset, "They invited Christina Aguilera to join the show and planned for me to sit in the same studio with that bitch, face to face, talking about our time at the Mickey Mouse Club!"

She slammed her hand on the armrest of the chair, "Those bastards!"

Then, Britney stood up, "And Christina Aguilera, she must be behind this!"

Matthew couldn't follow Britney's logic. Clearly, it was the radio station causing trouble, trying to exploit the feud between her and Christina Aguilera to create a sensational topic.

"If it weren't for my manager holding me back..." Britney said resentfully, "I would have confronted Christina Aguilera and pulled her hair out!"

Matthew wasn't sure what to say and simply agreed, "Christina Aguilera is such a nuisance! Where is she now? I'll go find her and take care of it for you!"

Britney, curious, asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Hire a homeless person..." Matthew's mind was filled with bad ideas, "to dump garbage on her!"

"Can we not talk about that?" Britney waved her hand in front of her nose, "We're about to eat."

Matthew shrugged, "Let's not mention Christina Aguilera then, lest it ruins our appetite."

Britney nodded, "Right, let's not talk about her. It's rare for you to treat someone."

The dishes they ordered were gradually served, and Matthew and Britney changed the topic. But just after they started eating, Britney's phone rang.

She pulled it out and instantly, her expression turned sour. She said to Matthew, "It's Christina Aguilera calling!"

Matthew was curious, "How does she have your number?"

"Although I don't associate with her," Britney explained, "people from the Mickey Mouse Club used to keep in touch a lot."

Her good mood vanished, she pressed the answer button, and whatever was said on the other end made her stand up again, shouting into the phone, "Christina, you bitch! Me, set you up? Do I need to scheme against someone as dumb as you? You're the one setting me up—I was just about to settle the score with you, you..."

Listening to Britney argue with Christina Aguilera on the phone, Matthew increasingly felt that both girls were being played by the radio station.

The phone call continued; Britney was like a ruffled fighting cock, arguing and cursing through the phone at Christina Aguilera. From Britney's expressions and words, Matthew could guess that Christina Aguilera was no easy opponent either.

The call lasted for about a minute before a furious Britney angrily hung up the phone, sat back down without a word, and sulked alone.

"Don't be angry, Bubu," Matthew tried to comfort her, "the angrier you get, the happier Christina Aguilera will be..."

Britney picked up the water glass and gulped down the remaining water, saying, "I'm not angry! I'm not angry!"

She said that, but her furious demeanor didn't change at all, her hands pressing hard on the table as if ready to fight someone at any moment.

Matthew reached out and gently patted Britney's hand, "Why be mad at such a fool?" He thought for a moment and then said, "Bubu, have you considered there's a way to make Christina Aguilera furious every day?"

Britney's attention shifted immediately, curious, "What way?"

"You've told me almost all the conflicts you've had with Christina Aguilera."

Britney, somewhat naive and famous from a young age, wasn't necessarily a good thing. Having spent some time with her, though Matthew harbored some utilitarian thoughts, he didn't have a poor impression of Britney, so he patiently explained, "Why does Christina Aguilera target you at every turn? Simply because you're pret

tier than her, sing and dance better, and are more popular."

This hit home for Britney, who nodded eagerly, "Exactly! She's jealous!"

"Right! She's jealous of you because you're better than her!" Matthew racked his brains for the right words, "And you, Bubu? You've always been better! Maybe you fell a bit behind last year, but this year not only did you catch up, you surpassed Christina Aguilera again. That's why her jealousy has intensified! She came to provoke you again..."

Britney blinked, looking bewildered at Matthew, "It really does seem like that."

Matthew continued, "So, Bubu, you shouldn't be the one who's upset. The more Christina Aguilera tries to provoke you, it just shows that she can only look at your back with envy and jealousy."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Britney nodded repeatedly, "You're so right."

Matthew smiled and added, "As long as you stay ahead, Christina Aguilera will only get angrier. If you can ensure she never catches up, trust me, Christina Aguilera will probably explode with rage."

Britney kept looking at Matthew, feeling every word he said resonated deeply with her.

"Bubu, don't get upset over such a rotten person anymore." Matthew looked at Britney, "As long as you do well, she will always be the one who's angry."

"Yeah!" Britney's expression relaxed, "You make sense, I'll listen to you."

From their first meeting until now, everything Matthew did seemed to align perfectly with her preferences. Being with him felt exceptionally relaxing and comfortable, something she couldn't experience with anyone else.

Britney continued to gaze at Matthew, never shifting her attention.

Seeing he had sparked her interest, Matthew continued, "About today's issue, it's clear that not only Christina Aguilera is to blame, but it also seems like the radio station did it on purpose."

Britney didn't speak, just looked at Matthew.

"Didn't your manager say anything?" Matthew asked curiously, "Bubu, 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 cautious with the media; you never know when they might deliberately set you up."

"I've always disliked those paparazzi and reporters." Britney's mood improved, not wanting to dwell on the unpleasant topic. She switched gears, "Aren't you preparing for an audition? How's that going?"

"It's okay."

Now it was Matthew's turn to be troubled, "I just started acting this year, so I'm far less experienced compared to my competitors."

"I think you're great," Britney supported him, propping her chin up, "You were amazing during the MV shoot!"

"Let's eat," Matthew suggested, picking up his fork and knife, "My acting coach gave me some advice today. I might be undergoing some intense training soon. It's a rare opportunity, and even though the chances are slim, I have to give it my all. If I don't try, there won't be any hope at all."

Britney reached out and patted Matthew's hand just as he had done earlier, "You'll definitely succeed."

The two then continued to eat and chat, the atmosphere even more harmonious than before, with laughter ringing out now and then. They spent over an hour on the meal.

When Matthew and Britney finally left, it had already turned dark.

Britney's car and driver were still waiting nearby. Matthew glanced at the time and tried to suggest, "Are you heading back now? Or shall we walk a bit?"

The streets were busy, and with Britney dressed down and wearing a cap, no one recognized her as the famous Britney Spears.

For some reason, Britney enjoyed the time she spent with Matthew.

She wanted to walk with Matthew, but thinking of her father at home, she hesitated and slowly shook her head, "It's getting late. I should head home, otherwise, Dad..."

Britney swallowed the rest of her sentence.

"Hm?" Matthew sensed something amiss and looked at Britney curiously, "What is it?"

"It's nothing." Britney didn't know how to explain and simply covered up, "Dad's waiting for me at home."

Matthew didn't insist, saying, "Then you should head back."

"Goodbye, Matthew." Britney walked towards her car, glancing back several times to see Matthew still standing there, waving at her. She shouted, "Don't forget to call me!"

Matthew touched his forehead, "I'll remember."

Britney smiled sweetly, lowered the car window to look at Matthew until the car turned and drove away.

Watching Britney leave, Matthew turned and headed towards his apartment. Before he got far, Britney called to ask what he was doing, and they chatted about

 this and that until she got home.

Back in his rented apartment, Matthew set Britney aside, sitting on the old sofa to continue studying the original novel of "Band of Brothers."

Not only did he read, but he also took notes, jotting down passages about Ronald Spears.

Just before going to bed, he received a call from Helen Herman, informing him that she had found a suitable candidate for his training and they were scheduled to meet tomorrow morning.