Matthew Carter's eyes swept over his chubby face, but he said nothing.

The two of them arrived at the entrance of the studio. Dennis Cooper suddenly stopped and said to Matthew Carter, "You can go back by yourself. I have something else to do."

Without waiting for Matthew Carter to speak, he turned and walked into the studio.

Matthew Carter frowned slightly. If he still couldn't see through this act of burning the bridge after crossing it, he really would be an idiot.

From Dennis Cooper's series of actions, it wasn't hard for Matthew Carter to see that the other party was just using him as a stepping stone to get into this crew.

He shook his head. There was no point in dwelling on this now; after all, their relationship was one of mutual benefit.

Ignoring Dennis Cooper, who stayed behind in the studio to network, Matthew Carter walked out of the Universal Studios filming area. While looking for a bus stop near the entrance, he spotted a large bookstore. The bookstore was located on a main road in the studio's tourist area and mainly sold books related to film and television.

He had wanted to buy a few books before, so he immediately walked over. Upon entering the bookstore, he found that it was still early and there were only a few people inside; just two clerks standing by the checkout counter.

As he passed by the counter, Matthew Carter glanced inside absentmindedly and noticed a surveillance monitor running in a relatively hidden spot behind the counter. He couldn't help but sigh—Americans are so corrupt, even a bookstore has surveillance.

He then walked into the aisles between the bookshelves, found the shelf with books about actors, and pulled out a hefty tome. The shelf opposite was probably empty, so the spot where the big book had been became a gap, just enough to see the aisle between the next two rows of shelves.

Matthew Carter didn't pay much attention at first, just glanced over instinctively, but his eyes were immediately drawn to a woman.

This woman had short, ear-length black hair and flawless, delicate features. From this angle, she looked slender, pure, and beautiful. Besides her feminine beauty, she also had an unmistakable tomboy vibe!

Chapter 9: An Angry Roar

Anyone who saw such a beautiful woman would stop and look for a while, and Matthew Carter was no exception. With the bookshelf in between as cover, his gaze followed the short-haired woman as she moved. She was not only beautiful but also browsing in a bookstore—she could definitely be called the intellectual beauty of legend.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Matthew Carter's eyes suddenly widened. The woman seemed to have found a book she liked, stopped in front of a shelf, and with lightning speed, pulled out two colorful, small-format books and stuffed them into her handbag.

Matthew Carter squeezed his eyes hard, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Could such a slender, delicate, and pure woman really be a thief?

The short-haired woman put the books in her bag and continued browsing the store as if nothing had happened. Matthew Carter thought she might just be putting the books in her bag temporarily and would take them out to pay at the counter, so he quickly picked out a few books about acting and moved to the aisle where the woman was. He saw that she was already heading toward the checkout.

"If she's a thief and gets caught, that would be something to see!"

Curiosity got the better of him, and Matthew Carter followed. As he passed the shelf where the woman had taken the books, he glanced over and, sure enough, saw two empty spots.

Just as he was leaving the aisle, the short-haired woman, carrying her handbag, swaggered past the checkout counter. The two female clerks behind the counter even greeted her warmly, as if they knew her. The woman nodded and walked straight out the door.

Matthew Carter couldn't help but shake his head. He walked over, put his books on the counter, and said nothing. After paying, he left. Although the incident surprised him, he didn't see any need to meddle.

To save money, he didn't take a cab but took the bus home. The small apartment he rented was old, but it meant he now had a fixed place to stay in Los Angeles.

Back home, he sat on the sagging sofa, casually picked up one of the books he had bought, and started reading. It was "Film Acting: Techniques and History for Performing for the Camera" by O'Brien. After reading for a while, just like when he read contracts before, he found it difficult to get through...

Bang—

Matthew Carter closed the book. Improving his reading ability was now urgent. After thinking for a bit, he ran downstairs to the newsstand and bought two newspapers. Compared to the hefty tomes full of technical jargon, newspapers were a bit easier to understand.

After finishing a tabloid, he set himself a task: from now on, he must set aside time every day to read and improve this most basic skill. Once his reading improved to a certain level, he would also work on his writing skills.

Even if he couldn't become a Hollywood star, he couldn't be half-illiterate.

And then there was acting school, which was also very important. But he couldn't rush it. Matthew Carter had looked into it over the past few days: if he wanted to further his studies, there were countless acting training institutions in Los Angeles, including professional acting schools, short-term training classes, temporary acting courses at various universities, Broadway acting workshops, and so on. For example, the Hollywood Academy of Film and Drama offered a six-month course with five classes a week.

The problem was that all of these were expensive, and with the risk of breach-of-contract penalties hanging over him, he simply couldn't afford such a large sum for now.

Just as he thought of the previous breach of contract, his phone rang.