The director and producer suddenly said, “You can quit if you want, but you’ll have to pay five times your contract’s penalty, plus the crew’s expenses on you. I’ll have the company’s legal counsel demand fifty thousand dollars from you!”

In this industry, it’s common to replace people during filming. Sometimes, when an actor suddenly quits and there’s no suitable replacement, even the director himself will step in to act. Although this young man was exceptionally talented, he was even less willing to waste precious time.

“I’ll have the company’s legal counsel demand that money from you!” the director and producer said indifferently, as if Matthew Carter backing out at the last minute was a trivial matter. He turned to leave, and just before walking out the door, he tossed a line to Maurice Bennett, “Find someone more reliable next time!”

After the director left, Matthew Carter shrugged at Maurice Bennett. “Goodbye.”

With that, he prepared to leave directly.

“Get ready to pay fifty thousand dollars! The company always means what it says!” Maurice Bennett blocked his way. “Kid, I’ll make you go bankrupt and come begging to me!”

“Whatever.” Matthew Carter had nothing left to lose now. He sidestepped Maurice Bennett and said, “Los Angeles is so big—do you really think you can control everything?”

Chapter 3: Vulgar Goals

As he strode away, aside from the agent Maurice Bennett and the director-producer from earlier, hardly anyone in the crew paid attention to Matthew Carter. It seemed they were used to this kind of situation and didn’t find it strange at all.

He pushed open the door, walked out of the temporary set, and saw the blue sky, white clouds, and the wide, quiet road outside. Matthew Carter let out a long breath. For some reason, he felt a sense of relief, as if he’d survived a disaster. This feeling wasn’t just from the bizarre experience of being possessed across the Pacific, but also from escaping a sexual trap.

He didn’t have a car; he’d come in the agent’s sedan, and now Maurice Bennett definitely wouldn’t give him a ride. So, he could only walk forward along the wide road, heading in the direction he remembered.

The temperature in Los Angeles in January wasn’t low. After walking a short distance, Matthew Carter took off his jacket. The breeze blowing through his long-sleeved sweater felt much more comfortable.

There were two rows of tall palm trees planted along the road. Every time Matthew Carter passed one, he would look up. He’d always lived in the north before, struggling every day just to make ends meet, never having time to travel south.

Now, he finally didn’t have to swing a sledgehammer anymore, but he still had to worry about making a living.

The memories left behind told Matthew Carter that all he had was a few dozen dollars and a second-hand phone.

Also, the crew and the agent Maurice Bennett definitely wouldn’t let him off easily. Fifty thousand dollars in penalty fees might not be much in Hollywood, but in this industry, it wasn’t a small sum. It probably wouldn’t be long before he received a lawyer’s letter or a court summons. Even if it was settled out of court, he’d still have to pay a hefty sum.

Such an amount was astronomical for him right now.

He’d just arrived and might already be in debt—a debt he might not be able to pay off anytime soon...

Would they demand payment in flesh if he couldn’t pay? Force him to keep acting in romantic action films?

Judging by the crew’s attitude, that wasn’t the main concern. It was the agent Maurice Bennett who probably wouldn’t let him go so easily.

“Sigh...” Matthew Carter fretted. “Changed places, but still a hard life.”

Though he was a bit worried, he didn’t complain about fate. He was used to a tough life.

There was a bench under the palm trees ahead. Matthew Carter went over and, not caring about the dust, sat down, leaned against the wooden backrest, looked up at the blue sky and white clouds, and started thinking about what to do next.

Was he going to keep struggling at the bottom, with survival as his only goal?

“Don’t you like money and beautiful women?”

The agent Maurice Bennett’s words suddenly flashed through his mind. Matthew Carter couldn’t help but think of that blonde beauty. Although her face wasn’t as alluring as her figure, she still made him restless all over.

Was he going to muddle through life at the bottom, or strive to climb higher? Was there even a choice?

Matthew Carter gradually clenched his fists. “I want a better life! I want to roll around in piles of cash! I want to party with a bunch of beautiful women!”

He wasn’t particularly cultured, nor had he received higher education. He was just a small-timer struggling at the bottom. His goals—or rather, his dreams—were that vulgar and realistic.

Now that he had a goal, how was he going to achieve it? Matthew Carter lowered his head, looking at the wide road. Goals could be set as high as the sky, but to get closer to them, you had to take it step by step—and find the right path!

For example, becoming the President of the United States could also achieve his goals, but he was clearly not cut out for that.

This path wasn’t easy to find. His tough past had taught Matthew Carter that class solidification in this world was very serious. Anyone wanting to climb from one rung to a higher one would find it no easy task.

Although he didn’t know much about Americans, he’d come from a highly informationized society, where a smartphone could show you countless truths and lies. So Matthew Carter believed that, in this respect, it would be even harder in America than in his own country.