Landon still couldn't recall the exact name of that female star, which left him feeling a bit restless.
Justin glanced around to ensure no one was nearby. He pulled down the brim of his hat, stuffed his hands into his pockets, and walked briskly toward a more secluded and luxurious part of the neighborhood.
Landon hesitated for less than three seconds.
His damn curiosity eventually won out.
He kept a safe distance, using the roadside trees and bushes as cover as he followed from afar.
Following a distracted star wasn't too difficult for Landon.
Justin seemed familiar with the route. After a few turns, he stopped in front of a modern villa with a beautiful front yard.
He rang the doorbell.
Before long, the heavy walnut door of the villa was opened from the inside.
A girl in a pink bathrobe appeared at the door. Her blonde hair was tousled, and though she wore no makeup, she was still radiant, her face beaming with a sweet smile.
She threw herself directly into Justin's arms, giving him a big hug.
It was none other than Britney Spears herself.
Justin hugged her back with a smile. The two whispered intimately for a few moments at the door before walking inside together, arms around each other.
The villa door closed softly, cutting off all sight from the outside world.
Landon stood there, staring at the closed door from a distance, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Ha, as expected, Britney lived here too.
It confirmed Lucy's words once again—there were many big stars in this community.
But seeing Britney's defenseless, loving smile as she welcomed her boyfriend—who had just kissed another woman goodbye—into the house...
This sharp contrast and the undercurrent hidden beneath the sweet exterior made Landon feel somewhat uneasy.
Landon knew exactly how badly Justin would hurt Britney in the future!
Scumbag!
Landon secretly spat on Justin!
Well, Landon didn't realize that he was actually even more of a scumbag and more excessive than Justin.
Haha, the author is laughing in frustration—what a terrible double standard!
However, the biggest question, far from being resolved, only intensified:
Who exactly was that female star who drove Justin here?
She clearly wasn't Britney, yet she seemed to know Justin was coming to see her?
Or was there an even more complex relationship behind it?
Landon shook his head, deciding not to dig any deeper.
This was someone else's privacy, the other side beneath the glitzy surface of the entertainment industry.
Knowing too much wasn't necessarily a good thing.
However, that female star's face and her car driving away remained etched in his memory.
He turned around, started running again, and continued his unfinished morning jog.
The sunlight had completely dispelled the morning mist, and a new day in Los Angeles had officially begun.
In his life, there was a movie about to start filming, music projects to develop, complex and intimate emotional relationships to handle, and goals to strive for.
Other people's gossip was, after all, just passing scenery.
Suddenly, Landon's footsteps came to a jarring halt.
No. Something wasn't right.
An absurd thought crept into his mind, making his blood run cold for a moment.
Fuck! Son of a bitch!
This has to do with me!
Landon felt an unspeakable sense of disgust and absurdity rush to his head, as if he were being cuckolded.
He suddenly remembered that in the timeline of another world, Justin Timberlake had a very high-profile relationship with Cameron Diaz after breaking up with Britney Spears!
The gossip actually hit home!
Landon cursed inwardly, feeling as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.
Although in this timeline, these things hadn't happened yet—he and Cameron hadn't even confirmed a relationship or gone on a formal date—the thought of something belonging to him being touched by another man made him extremely unhappy, even filling him with a sense of violated rage.
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, his chest feeling tight and stifled.
Although reason told him this was irrational since none of these things had happened yet.
But emotionally, he was genuinely disgusted.
For the rest of the way back, Landon ran distractedly, his steps heavy, cursing all the way.
Even when he reached the front of his own villa, he was still feeling indignant.
"Landon? You're back... Why do you look so pale? Did you overexert yourself running?"
Rachel, who was in the living room, saw him and immediately came over with concern, pressing her soft palm against his forehead to check his temperature.
Looking into Rachel's clear, worried eyes, Landon took a deep breath, forced down the irritation in his heart, managed a helpless smile, and took her hand.
"It's nothing. I might have run a bit too fast and caught a stitch in my side. I'll be fine after a little rest."
He couldn't exactly tell Rachel: "Because I 'foresaw' that some bastard might hit on another target girlfriend of mine in the future, I'm feeling absolutely miserable right now."
It was too absurd and too difficult to explain.
After Rachel and Tracy had both left, Landon was the only one left in the large villa.
The silence only magnified the stifled frustration and faint anger in his heart that had nowhere to go.
He was restless, pacing back and forth in the living room.
No, he had to do something.
Just waiting around like this, thinking about Justin Timberlake's potential future maneuvers and his behavior this morning—casually going to see his official girlfriend after a secret tryst—made a surge of anger rise within Landon.
Especially when he recalled Britney's later tragic fate, the unfortunate beginning of which was inseparable from Justin, and the way Justin's team abandoned Janet Jackson and manipulated public opinion after the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show "wardrobe malfunction" incident... This guy was far from the simple Prince of Pop he appeared to be on the surface; beneath his glitzy image lay shrewd calculation and coldness.
Landon felt he should do something.
At the very least, he couldn't let him maintain that perfect persona so comfortably.
Even if he couldn't change the overall trend, it would be good to cause him some trouble and leave behind some hidden risks.
A plan quickly took shape in his mind: tomorrow's morning jog, bring a camera with a telephoto lens.
If he was lucky, he might "run into" him again and capture some valuable footage.
There was no need to release it immediately; at a critical moment, he could "provide a tip" to certain media outlets anonymously.
Thinking that he was actually going to engage in the paparazzi behavior he usually looked down upon, Landon felt a wave of helplessness and self-mockery.
But then he became wary again.
Behind NSYNC was the massive Universal Music Group. For an idol group at its peak with staggering profits, the company would use all its resources to protect their image and suppress any negative news.
If he handled it poorly and got exposed, it would mean directly offending a giant of the music industry, which could have a catastrophic impact on his future music plans.
"I must be extremely careful. I can't leave any traces that could point back to me."
Landon warned himself in a low voice. This required a meticulous plan and a bit of luck.
Around 9:30, Landon forced himself to temporarily suppress these chaotic and dark thoughts.
He still had business to attend to. Picking up his car keys, he drove to the Burbank apartment he had rented for Zoe and Katie yesterday.