"Girlfriend?"
Matthew was more surprised than the staff member when he heard this. "What girlfriend?"
A girlfriend visiting the set? Since when did he have a girlfriend?
As he walked toward the studio entrance, Matthew pondered this question. As of now, there were only two people who could be referred to as his girlfriend.
One was Britney, but they had broken up a long time ago. Although they still kept in touch occasionally, there was no chance of them getting back together.
The other was Charlize Theron, with whom he had once staged an engagement for publicity purposes...
"Could it be Charlize?"
That thought crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Charlize Theron had made it clear to him that they were just friends, and since then, they hadn't had any special relationship.
As he turned the corner of the set, Matthew saw a blonde woman standing not far away, accompanied by the assistant director, Michelle Bernardo.
The woman wasn't Charlize Theron's tall and sturdy frame; she was tall yet slender, with platinum-blonde curls and wearing a pink outfit, making her look like a Barbie doll.
Matthew immediately recognized who it was—Taylor Swift!
Behind Taylor Swift stood a rather robust young woman holding two shopping bags, likely her assistant.
As Matthew approached, Michelle Bernardo quickly said something and then hurriedly left, glancing back with curiosity in her eyes.
After all, word had spread around the set that Matthew had just been in Anne Hathaway's dressing room at noon, and now his girlfriend had shown up. The drama was too good to miss...
"Hi, Matthew."
Taylor Swift rushed over, grabbing Matthew's arm with a cheerful smile. "I hope I'm not interrupting your work?"
Matthew glanced at her and asked, "Since when did you become my girlfriend?"
Taylor Swift replied earnestly, "Didn't we agree the other day? I'm pursuing you." She tightened her grip on his arm. "You can't escape; you'll be my boyfriend sooner or later."
Sensing that Matthew wasn't pleased, she quickly changed the subject. "Are you done for the day?"
Matthew nodded lightly. "Yes, I've finished my scenes for today."
Taylor Swift tugged at his arm. "Then let's go."
Matthew accompanied her out of the studio, but as they walked, he said seriously, "Stop telling people I'm your boyfriend."
"I got it." Taylor Swift seemed worried that he might be angry. "I won't tell anyone."
When they reached the entrance of the Warner Bros. studio, Taylor Swift got into Matthew's car. She turned to her assistant and said, "Give me the bags, and you can head back. If my manager asks for me, just say I'm busy and will contact her tomorrow."
Her assistant didn't say much, got into a separate car, and left the studio.
Matthew waited for Taylor Swift to get into the car with the bags and then asked, "Where to?"
"Your place," Taylor Swift said confidently. She took out two small, elegantly packaged food boxes from the bags and asked, "Hungry? Want some snacks?"
Her actions left Matthew feeling a bit dizzy. He asked, "Why do I feel like something's not right?"
Taylor Swift opened one of the boxes, revealing a mousse cake, and offered it to him. "Try it."
Matthew took the cake, still skeptical. "You didn't drug this, did you?"
"Come on, what are you thinking?" Taylor Swift muttered in dissatisfaction. "I made it myself, okay?"
"Really?" Matthew cautiously took a bite and nodded. "Not bad."
Taylor Swift's eyes widened. "Just 'not bad'?"
Matthew took another bite, savoring it before commenting, "It's a bit too sweet."
"Oh..." Taylor Swift nodded. "Got it. I'll keep that in mind next time."
Matthew was surprised. Pointing at the mousse cake, he asked, "You really made this?"
Taylor Swift's face showed a hint of hurt. "You don't believe me?" She pouted and added, "I made it especially for you. I've been busy with it since noon."
"My bad." Matthew finished the rest of the cake and then said, "Thank you."
Taylor Swift beamed. "If you like it, I'll make more for you when I have time."
Matthew didn't reply, and as they drove out of Burbank, a billboard along the road caught his eye. It was as prominent as the Hollywood sign, featuring an image of him and Paul Walker standing with their arms crossed. It was impossible to miss for any pedestrian or driver.
It was an enormous advertisement for Fast & Furious 4.
Now that it was mid-March, the film's release was fast approaching, and both Sky Dance Productions and Disney were ramping up their promotional efforts.
Taylor Swift also noticed the billboard and said, "I'll get my fans to go see it when it comes out."
Matthew smiled and gently patted Taylor Swift's hand. "Is there anything you need my help with?"
His words were clear—he appreciated Taylor Swift's gesture but didn't want to owe her a favor. He wanted to find a way to repay her.
Taylor Swift, being a smart girl, understood the meaning behind his words. She pointed at the bags. "Just eat all the cakes I made."
Matthew took the other box from her, opened it, and found a small piece of sponge cake inside. Like the mousse, it was a bit too sweet for his taste.
"Do you like it?" Taylor Swift asked, watching Matthew eat the cake. "I'll make more for you next time."
"Do you have a lot of free time?" Matthew asked, pretending to be curious.
Taylor Swift shook her head. "Not really, I'm very busy. But no matter how busy I am, I have to make time for you." She grabbed his arm. "I even turned down an event today just to be with you."
Hearing this, Matthew felt a bit uneasy and cautiously asked, "Taylor, you're not serious about this, are you?"
Taylor Swift widened her eyes at him. "I take relationships very seriously!"
Matthew thought it was best to clarify things upfront. After a moment of consideration, he slowly said, "I'm not planning on having a girlfriend right now, and I probably won't for a long time."
"That's okay, I have plans." Taylor Swift didn't seem to mind. "I'm the one chasing you, not the other way around."
She was very open about it. "You don't need to feel any pressure. Just like the other day, we'll take things as they come. It's not like I'm getting nothing out of it—you give me creative inspiration!"
Matthew had nothing more to say. With someone like him, if a girl came onto him, how could he refuse?
Besides, wouldn't rejecting her be disrespectful to Taylor Swift? It might even hurt her feelings and make it harder for her to find inspiration in the future.
By his standards, this was a fair exchange.
When they got back to the Horner estate, without even eating dinner, Matthew led Taylor Swift straight to the master bedroom on the second floor. Once again, Taylor Swift was struck with inspiration. Although she didn't write an entire song in half an hour, she did finish a song she had been working on, completing several fragments she had written earlier.
Matthew realized that Taylor Swift truly saw him as a muse.
And apparently, a very effective one at that.
For a singer-songwriter like her, creative inspiration was crucial.
If he were a male singer-songwriter and there was a woman who could spark his creativity like this, he might make the same choice as Taylor Swift.
"I already have four songs for my new album," Taylor Swift said as she sat by the bedroom window, looking out at the brightly lit Los Angeles skyline. "It's a shame I have to leave early tomorrow."
She tightly held Matthew's hand. "If I could stay with you for a few months, I'd be able to finish all the songs for my album."
Matthew chuckled. "You're amazing. You've changed my perception of what it means to be a singer-songwriter."
"What perception? That someone with no musical talent couldn't learn even if they tried?" Taylor Swift muttered before adding, "I think if we could stay together, I'd definitely become a top singer."
"Like Shania Twain?" Matthew asked.
Although he wasn't very familiar with the music industry, he knew the name of a recent country music queen.
"Not just like her," Taylor Swift said casually.
Matthew didn't take it as a joke. After spending time with her, he could see that she had big ambitions. In many ways, her personality and approach were quite similar to his.
For example, everything she did seemed to serve her career.
Take her pursuit of him, for instance. If anyone believed Taylor Swift had fallen for him at first sight, even someone as fickle as Anne Hathaway wouldn't believe it.
Taylor Swift had decided to pursue him after he successfully inspired her creativity, allowing her to write a song in just half an hour—something that had never happened before.
And that creative surge didn't just happen once; it happened twice.
In the end, having him as her boyfriend would bring Taylor Swift many benefits, making it easy for her to advance her career.
By now, Matthew wasn't overly confident, nor was he self-deprecating. For any woman in the entertainment industry, being in a formal relationship with him for a while would clearly benefit their career.
"I don't know much about the music industry," Matthew said, putting these thoughts aside. After all, he wasn't going to become Taylor Swift's boyfriend; they were just mutually benefiting from each other. He continued, "Taylor, it's not easy to surpass Shania Twain. You might need to change your style
."
After spending so many years in Hollywood, Matthew had picked up some general knowledge. He immediately offered a suggestion. "You'll need to move beyond country music."
"Uh..." Taylor Swift clearly didn't understand what he meant.
Matthew clarified, "You need to break out of the limitations of country music."
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