*Chapter 368: Taylor is Pregnant*

In September, as the East Asian region gradually entered autumn, the sunshine in Los Angeles remained as bright as summer, with the clear blue sky stretching endlessly.

Link stood at the airport, gazing up at the sky. Amid the loud roar, a Boeing 747 almost grazed the top of the terminal as it flew eastward.

Perhaps his body had adjusted to the Los Angeles environment because as soon as he stepped off the plane and onto this land, he felt a sense of relief. The exhaustion from the past few days of rushing around began to ease.

As he put on his sunglasses and led his work team out of the terminal, Ms. Mandy approached him, informing him that many reporters were eager to interview him about the world tour. She asked if he was willing to do it.

Link thought for a moment and didn’t refuse.

As a public figure, without media exposure and traffic, there’s no market. Even though dealing with the media can be exhausting, he knew he had to treat it as a priority.

As they arrived at the airport plaza, a group of about 40 to 50 reporters, including many photographers, quickly surrounded him.

"Mr. Baker, welcome back to Los Angeles. Can you share with us your gains from the Asian leg of the world tour?" a reporter from the Los Angeles Times asked, holding up a recorder.

"I gained a lot, but the biggest gain, of course, was the many lovely fans I met. Although we don’t speak the same language or share the same culture, music knows no boundaries. We’re thrilled that they enjoy my songs, and this will be a great motivation for my future work. Additionally, I got to experience many Asian cities, beautiful landscapes, and a variety of cuisines,” Link responded confidently to the reporters, covering topics from fans to Asian culture, music, and singers.

"Mr. Baker, shouldn’t your biggest gain be meeting many beautiful Asian women?" suddenly shouted a reporter from the crowd.

Hahaha!

The reporters burst into laughter.

Link looked at the oddly dressed group of reporters and shook his head in resignation. Despite his fatigue from the journey, he was patiently answering their questions, only to be met with jokes and ridicule. These reporters really had no integrity.

"Mr. Baker, Asian media reported that wherever you went, you were linked romantically with the region's top female stars. How do you manage that?" a reporter from American Express shouted.

“Everyone, this will be my last explanation on this matter. During the Asian leg of the tour, my schedule was very tight, and in many cities, I stayed for less than two days. The rumors that arose afterward were clearly fabricated by the media to attract attention and are not worth commenting on. Also, dear reporters, the weather is quite hot, and my time is limited, so please focus the interview on the tour itself. I will not be answering any other questions,” Link sternly warned.

"Mr. Baker, according to a news report from Korea’s KBS television, Korea's top actress, Jun Ji-hyun, recently broke up with her boyfriend, and it is believed that you are partly responsible. Just yesterday, in an interview, her ex-boyfriend also claimed that besides work issues, you had something to do with their breakup. How do you explain this?" shouted an Asian reporter wearing a “Korean Yonhap News Agency” badge.

Link didn’t explain, nor did he want to.

After his tour in China ended, he led his team to Korea for concerts. However, before he even arrived in Korea, rumors of his relationship with Jun Ji-hyun were already spreading wildly. The gossip claimed they developed feelings for each other while filming in China, were very close, and were possibly living together.

Later, someone revealed that he learned Korean from Jun Ji-hyun, which was true. In a KBS interview, when asked about this, Link confirmed it and explained that he only learned Korean from her during filming breaks.

Later, KBS interviewed Jun Ji-hyun, who praised his linguistic talent, said he learned quickly, and was happy to be his Korean teacher. When asked if they were still in touch and if she would invite him to taste Korean food while he was in Korea, Jun Ji-hyun answered affirmatively, saying they were friends and that inviting him to a meal was only natural.

After their explanations, the rumors subsided for a bit. However, just three days later, the media exploded with news of Jun Ji-hyun and her boyfriend's breakup.

What was initially a simple celebrity breakup story turned into a sensational triangle drama, involving a cross-border romance, with Link being dragged into the mess by unscrupulous Korean media eager to grab attention. The drama spread like wildfire.

During his concerts across Korea, every time he was interviewed by the media, he would be asked about this issue. Although he explained it countless times, the media kept holding onto this sensational story.

One reason he cut his Korean tour short and returned to the United States was to avoid the growing scandal. But unexpectedly, the moment he got off the plane, he was confronted with the same question again.

Faced with the reporters' inquiries, he reiterated once more that he and Jun Ji-hyun were just friends and that there was nothing more to their relationship.

Jun Ji-hyun's breakup had nothing to do with him, and this would be his final public statement on the matter—he would not answer such questions again in the future.

Seeing that the reporters were not cooperating, he decided to end the interview and asked Ms. Mandy to hold off the reporters and announce the interview’s end.

"Mr. Baker, there are rumors that Taylor Swift might be pregnant. Are you the father? Will you reconcile because of this?"

“What?!”

Link was just about to leave when he heard this question and stopped in shock.

“Is this true?”

“When did this happen?”

Inside the moving limo, Link turned to Ms. Mandy and asked.

Ms. Mandy pulled out a newspaper and handed it to him. It was today’s edition of The Hollywood Reporter, with the headline: “Country Music Queen Taylor Swift Possibly Pregnant.” The article included a side profile photo of Taylor.

She was wearing sunglasses, dressed in a loose polka-dot dress, carrying a handbag, and walking into a recording studio escorted by her bodyguard and assistant.

From her figure, her silhouette seemed fuller than before, and she walked more slowly, resembling a pregnant woman.

The media also reported that during the promotion of her third album, Taylor always wore loose clothing instead of her usual signature look of a t-shirt and jeans. The Hollywood Reporter published twelve recent photos of Taylor's outfits, with eight of them featuring dresses, while the remaining four also had loose-fitting waists.

Additionally, the report highlighted another clue: Taylor made noticeably fewer public appearances during the promotion of her third album compared to her second one, and her appearances were brief.

The Hollywood Reporter concluded that Taylor was pregnant.

(End of this chapter)