Thursday afternoon arrived in the blink of an eye. Landon and Jennifer Connelly sat side by side in the resting area behind the director's monitor, observing Russell Crowe perform the scene where Nash faces his mental predicament alone.
Sunlight gilded Jennifer's silky black hair, and her fingers rested on the back of Landon's hand, warm and peaceful.
Just then, Zoe quietly approached Landon's side.
She leaned over slightly without making a sound, simply using her right hand to make a phone gesture, her eyes signaling toward the outside of the set.
Landon's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface.
He gently squeezed Jennifer's hand to reassure her, then naturally left his seat and followed Zoe toward the outside of the set.
They walked until they reached a deserted corner, where Zoe stopped and handed him the phone, lowering her voice:
"It's a call from Rachel, just hung up. Judging by her tone... she sounds a bit agitated, and she said she's waiting for you to call back."
Landon nodded as he took the phone.
He walked further away to a small window overlooking the parking lot and dialed the number back.
"Honey!" The call was answered, and Rachel's voice came through, with the faint sound of a girl sobbing in the background. "Britney and Justin have broken up!"
Landon was stunned. A breakup? Now?
This didn't match the timeline of the "breakup of the century" that shook the entertainment industry in 2002, which he remembered; it was way too early.
Rachel spoke quickly, filled with indignation: "The point is Justin! He's blaming the whole breakup on Britney! He just did an interview this afternoon, acting so devoted and pained in front of the camera, saying how much he loves Britney! How could he do this?"
Immediately on the other end of the line, a voice filled with heavy sobbing and anger replaced Rachel's: "Landon! Are you men all this shameless?"
It was Britney Spears's voice, and she was clearly on the verge of a breakdown.
Landon subconsciously held the phone slightly away from his ear, his mind racing.
This was completely different from his expectations; he hadn't predicted that Britney and Justin would break up this early at all.
And why was Britney with Rachel after the breakup? Were they really that close?
He remembered Britney having an assistant and close friend named Felicia, who used to pick Britney up with bodyguards at night.
Various questions flashed through his mind, but this was not the time to delve into them.
"Britney, listen to me," Landon steadied himself. "It's not worth shedding tears for such a hypocritical person. The media is following his lead right now, but lies will never outrun the truth." He comforted her with a few words.
Britney just needed an outlet to vent; after sobbing and complaining for a while, the phone returned to Rachel's hands.
"Thank you, Landon." Rachel's voice softened, laced with exhaustion. "She's in a terrible state; she suddenly just ran to find me. I don't even know why I called you, or maybe, I just wanted to hear your voice?"
Her tone was somewhat uncertain.
"I understand." Landon responded briefly, but his eyes grew sharp.
After hanging up, he stood where he was, his thoughts swirling.
It looked like those photos could come in handy.
He had originally intended to use those photos as a backup, but he hadn't expected things to develop so far beyond his expectations.
He didn't know why Britney broke up with Justin so early, but perhaps because Britney and Justin had only just started dating and didn't have the deep feelings he remembered from the future, it made sense.
He saw that Zoe was still waiting, her expression having returned to normal.
"Zoe, do me a favor. Find a store nearby, buy a color printer, and have it delivered to my hotel room. Get it done within today." He added specifically, his tone brooking no argument. "I'll give you the cash later."
A flicker of confusion crossed Zoe's eyes.
On set, all document printing had logistical support; Landon suddenly asking for a private printer and using cash for the transaction seemed a bit abrupt.
But she didn't ask any more questions, simply nodding: "Okay, I've noted it down."
He didn't want Zoe to know too many details.
When he returned to sit beside Jennifer, she turned her face and looked at him with those charming eyes, as if asking silently.
Landon just smiled slightly, took her hand again, squeezed it gently, and didn't speak.
Jennifer didn't press him either, resting her head gently back on his shoulder and continuing to watch the performance on set.
That night, in the living room of Jennifer's suite, they watched the entertainment news on TV.
Sure enough, the news of Britney and Justin's breakup had already started airing.
On screen, Justin Timberlake looked dejected, portraying himself as a perfect boyfriend who loved deeply but was helplessly hurt, while being vague about the reason for the breakup.
Landon watched in silence, his fork frozen in mid-air.
Jennifer sighed softly: "Relationships in this circle, whether real or fake, are things outsiders can never see the full picture of."
She felt a bit sentimental, but she didn't directly associate this with the call Landon had received that afternoon.
Landon just gave an "Hmm" in response, but the plan in his heart became increasingly clear and firm.
Late at night, after Jennifer had fallen into a deep sleep, Landon gently moved her arm away and got out of bed silently.
He first returned to his own room.
On the desk, a brand-new printer and a few packs of printing paper were already sitting there quietly.
...
After one in the morning, Landon returned to his room, changed out of his disguise, packed it away, and then, as if nothing had happened, quietly returned to Jennifer's room.
After undressing, he slid gently into the covers and gathered Jennifer into his arms, instantly filled with warmth and fragrance.
Jennifer mumbled with some dissatisfaction, found a comfortable position in his arms, and her breathing became steady again. Landon kissed her forehead, closed his eyes, and began to fall asleep as well.
The next day at noon, during the crew's break, some people were already holding newspapers and discussing animatedly.
The buzz around Britney and Justin's breakup news continued to rise; several young female staff members were still sticking up for the "devoted and pained" Justin on camera, harboring some criticisms toward Britney.
Landon ate his lunch quietly, listening to these discussions, his heart calm and unruffled.
Richard John, the editor-in-chief of the sixth section of the New York Post, was planning to leave work as usual when his assistant handed him a few envelopes that had just arrived. He didn't pay much attention to them, taking a sip of coffee first.
Then, he slowly opened the envelopes, until several photos printed on paper were revealed.
Richard froze, immediately calling a stop to the members of the sixth section who were about to leave.
At the same time, he made a call to stop the printing of the next day's morning paper.
The same thing happened at several other newspapers, including the National Enquirer and the New York Times.
However, because of its rigor, the New York Times spent some time verifying the authenticity of the photos, eventually confirming that they were not faked.
On Friday, when Landon arrived at the set again, the atmosphere was already different.
People who were sympathizing with Justin yesterday now mostly had expressions of shock, disdain, and contempt on their faces.
Several different newspapers were being passed around among the people.
"My God! Justin actually cheated?"
"Look at this photo! The time is clearly when he and Britney were still together!"
"So hypocritical! Cheating on the side while acting pitiful in front of the media, throwing all the mud at Britney!"
"Britney is so miserable, she was scolded by so many people before..."
The direction of public opinion reversed completely almost overnight.
Sympathy poured toward Britney, while accusations against Justin filled the newspapers.
Although the media's "sympathy" was often superficial, at least the charges weighing on that young girl were smashed to pieces.
Landon received another call from Rachel, her voice full of excitement and relief:
"Landon! Did you see the news?! I don't know how the paparazzi got them, the photos of Justin cheating. Everything has exploded now! Justin's side is in complete disarray; I heard they are in a frantic crisis PR mode. The pressure on Britney's side has suddenly decreased so much! Although paparazzi are still following her, the topic has completely changed! She is now the one being sympathized with and supported!"
Landon walked to a quiet corner, listening to Rachel's cheerful voice on the other end of the line, his face expressionless, simply responding indifferently: "Is that so? That's a good thing for her."
"It's really great! Britney's spirits are much better today... Landon," Rachel's voice suddenly softened, laced with deep longing, "Landon, I miss you!"
(TN: Sorry yall, I was planning 20-30 chapters but webnovel changed something now it takes 3 times longer for a chapter)