Ethan Wraith, finally catching up on sleep, arrived at the bar for his shift with a spring in his step, finding only a handful of customers scattered around. A group of staff huddled together, buzzing with excitement, their animated chatter filling the air.
"Did you hear? She's in WestMoon City! Can you believe it? I'd love to meet her!" exclaimed a starstruck Cecilia, her eyes sparkling with adoration.
"Where do you think she is? What if she's already left? Should we take a day off and try to find her?"
"I tell you, if you want to find her, stake out some five-star hotels. You might just bump into her. And hey, if you do, get me an autograph!"
"Nah, maybe she has a place here in WestMoon City? Did you see the report? She's supposedly here for a secret rendezvous with her lover. Sigh, it breaks my heart, she already has a boyfriend."
"That must be nonsense from the tabloids, it can't be true."
"Exactly, what celebrity would get married at the peak of their career?"
Ethan, intrigued by their conversation, chimed in, "What are you all discussing?"
"Haha, Ethan's interested too! Ethan, you got promoted, you have to treat us to a feast!" Bob, the bartender, said with a playful grin. He was a handsome young man, the type who could easily turn heads, but Ethan's presence overshadowed him.
Due to Ethan's unique aura, everyone at the bar, regardless of age or position, called him "Ethan" or "Brother Ethan", a mark of respect that even the manager, James, didn't receive.
"Sure, let's find a time to get together, it's on me," Ethan agreed readily. He wasn't particularly attached to money; some people struggled to earn it, while for others, it came easily. Besides, he got along well with his colleagues, and after buying two new phones from his hefty paycheck last month, he still had enough left for a decent meal.
"Oh, Ethan's treating! Where should we go, everyone?" Bob turned to announce to the others who were out of earshot. A cheer erupted from the group.
Seeing their happy faces, Ethan's mood brightened. "You guys, you forget about my question as soon as you hear about food. I heard you talking about something exciting when I came in."
"Haha, Ethan, we were talking about Taylor White."
"Taylor White? Who's that?" The name sounded vaguely familiar to Ethan.
The others stared at him in disbelief, as if a caveman had suddenly appeared in the city.
Bob shrieked, "Boss? You serious? You don't know Taylor White? The queen of love songs, Taylor White!"
Ethan shook his head blankly. "I really don't. I only know Sola Aoi and Maria Ozawa, they are pretty famous too."
Some of the more shy girls blushed and turned away, while the men looked at Ethan with admiration. He was truly fearless, saying anything that came to mind.
A pretty girl, who often cast meaningful glances at Ethan, explained, "Taylor White is the hottest female star in the country right now. She debuted two years ago and is known for her 'White-style love songs', bringing a fresh and natural element to the music scene dominated by fast-paced songs and rap. Music critics call her 'the Teresa of the 21st century', and she's the most prestigious star right now. Other top singers are lucky to sell a few tens of thousands of albums, but hers always sell over a million copies, and they're limited editions. Today's newspaper reported that she's in WestMoon City to meet her lover, so we were discussing it. She's always been the epitome of purity in the entertainment industry, very good at keeping herself clean. There have never been any negative reports about her before, so we don't know what's going on. Why would such news break out at the peak of her career? The media must be making things up." As she spoke, Fiona Swift's voice filled with indignation, clearly a devoted fan of Taylor White.
"Exactly. Taylor White is so popular… as popular as Andy Lau. Everyone knows her, from 80-year-olds to 3-year-olds," another girl added, struggling to find the right words to describe Taylor's fame.
Ethan finally realized why the name sounded familiar. The woman he had let stay at his place last night was called Taylor White. He had even teased her about why she wasn't called "Taylor Fast Song". Could it be her? He chuckled and shook his head. Impossible! She was a world-famous star, why would she stay in his cheap rental apartment? Besides, there were so many people with the same name these days. There were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of Ethan Wraiths out there, so having a few Taylor Whites wasn't that unusual.
Suddenly, Bob started circling Ethan, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Bob, what are you doing?"
"Maxwell, come over here and take a look."
"Look at what?" Maxwell asked impatiently, his eyes glued to the newspaper in his hand.
"Look… doesn't Ethan kind of resemble Taylor White's lover?" The more Bob looked, the more convinced he became.
Maxwell looked at Ethan, then back at the newspaper. His eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "Oh my god, he really does! They look so similar!"
The others rushed over to grab the newspaper and started pointing at Ethan.
"Yeah, there is a resemblance."
"Hmm, it's too blurry though. Who took this photo? The quality is terrible."
"What do you expect? It was a candid shot… but he really does look like Ethan."
"I think Ethan is more handsome."
Ethan snatched the newspaper and his face instantly turned pale. The front page headline screamed in bold red letters: Love Song Queen Taylor White Spotted in WestMoon City, Getting Cozy with a Mystery Man. Two pictures accompanied the headline, followed by a description of Ethan and Taylor together in the residential complex that morning. Strangely, the article didn't specify which complex, which was a relief. Ethan recognized himself and Taylor in the photos. Taylor's face was fully visible, but due to the angle, only a blurry side profile of his own face was captured. Someone had been taking pictures? Ethan had noticed someone, but he hadn't thought it was a reporter. And he certainly hadn't thought the woman sleeping in his rental apartment was the queen of love songs, Taylor White… Damn, he had forgotten to charge her for the shirt.
Ethan held the newspaper, trying to appear indifferent. "How could it be me? Come on, celebrities always go for rich tycoons, why would she choose a hotel waiter? Don't be silly, I don't even recognize that face, and you guys are taking it seriously?"
"But there really is a resemblance."
"It's just a coincidence."
"Hey, his clothes are the same as what Ethan is wearing today!"
"Yeah, and his smile looks familiar..."
While the newspaper incident didn't significantly impact Ethan's life, as suspicion lacked evidence, it had a huge impact on the other party involved.
First, the entertainment tabloid "WestMoon City Entertainment", where Maxwell worked, broke the news with multiple photos. The tabloid sold out multiple times, requiring several reprints. Other evening papers across the country requested to reprint the story. Online media, television, and radio all jumped on the bandwagon, instantly thrusting the nation's top star, Taylor White, into the eye of a media storm.
Taylor White's agency remained silent, while the scandal continued to escalate.