The Rise of the White Lotus

As Lexi entered the elevator lift from the parking space, she let out a faint chuckle before a subtle smile formed on the side of her lips. 

"He's too extra… really," She mumbled as she slightly shook her head being reminded about Ethan's priceless smile when he uttered his 'I love you'. It was as if he was the happiest person even though Lexi didn't respond.

"Do you hear your heart make that bathump bathump sound~? Eh, eh, eeeh~?" Churu's voice gradually rose with excitement as she flew closer and closer to Lexi. Her bum swung left and right while her two little fists were held closely on her chest. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed in anticipation making her look extra adorable.

"No bathump bathump, alright? Just… I don't know, feel a little weird about this whole setup." Lexi blew the few strands of hair dangling in front of her as she leaned her back on the lift's wall.

Churu pouted upon hearing her response. She stared at Lexi's apathetic front for quite some time as if contemplating something. After a while, Churu's lips parted into an 'O' shape and the bottom of her tiny fist knocked on her opened palm indicating she finally cracked the meaning behind Lexi's words.

"Ooh! it's the inexperienced dilemma~!" 

"You're fast." Lexi sarcastically commended as she glanced at the flying white bun. She added with a sigh, "I've been engaged with that man since forever so this… with Ethan, I don't know what to feel -- actually, I don't want to think about it for now because I don't even know what to do with my life." 

With that said piece, the elevator lift came to a full halt and produced the sound that indicated that Lexi arrived on her room floor. While the door was opening, Lexi muttered, "Whatever. That's not important at the moment."

Lexi then exited the elevator and headed to her room to rest. Behind her, Churu followed as she lamented Lexi's last sentence with a voice filled with dismay. "Not important, not important, pwe! But that's what important to me~"

However, no matter how the adorable dumpling whined, Lexi ignored her yammering and pretended she didn't hear the flying Churu that wasn't even trying to conceal her motives.

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Meanwhile…

Lyrick Jiang kept on glancing on the rear mirror to confirm that he was not seeing things. Currently, his master was smiling from ear to ear. What more? He was blushing! How could Lyrick Jiang who had seen every side of his boss's personality not be confounded after seeing this new one?

Since Lyrick Jiang arrived in the town when Ethan dropped Lexi to the hotel, he missed the recent happenings about his boss. He was only called when Ethan Lu needed a person to drive him back to the city.

"Aiii~ I said it, hihi~" Ethan Lu muffledly giggled being reminded that he just confessed to Lexi and received her golden response. Moreover, holding her hand and being able to express even half of his feelings was enough to make him want to roll on the ground because of extreme excitement and happiness.

Tossing his curiosity on the back of his mind, Lyrick Jiang cleared his throat to catch the attention of his whispering boss, he reported. "Young Master, Director Dennis Lu called another meeting tomorrow. He had been holding meetings and convinced the chairman to continue the project you interrupted."

"Eh? Did gramps received the documents I sent him?" Snapping from his daydreaming, Ethan Lu diverted his gaze towards the front seat where his assistant perched with a furrowed brows.

"Chairman did. However, Chairman also said, 'this proof doesn't matter to me if he won't personally settle this with his uncle.'" Lyrick Jiang recalled Edward Lu's exact words which he relayed just now to his boss. 

Upon hearing this, the corner of Ethan's lips twitched. He must have known that his grandfather won't let him off so easily. If this was before, Ethan would just let it slide since he could never be bothered or rather… he wouldn't even have to deal with this in the first place.

Scratching the back of his head, Ethan Lu clicked his tongue in annoyance as he glanced at his wristwatch. Currently, it was past midnight and traveling back to the city would take at least three hours with Lyrick Jiang's driving speed. Therefore, Ethan Lu was left with little time to prepare for his crash in this so-called meeting.

"Hay... head straight to my office, I'll just rest there," With a sigh, Ethan commanded which Lyrick Jiang abided and stepped harder on the pedal.

Turning his head towards the window, Ethan Lu let out another indiscernible sigh. He never thought that he'd ever be concerned with their endless family affairs and dramas. But now, after his stay in the temple, Ethan Lu not only realized his feelings for Lexi but also, his disposition in this family.

His grandfather had been lenient with him ever since but Ethan Lu was certain that if he continued to play around, Edward Lu would eventually meddle with his life. If he didn't fell in love with Lexi, Ethan wouldn't mind as he was prepping himself to cut ties with them and live freely.

However, his situation right now was a different ball game. He had someone he wanted to protect and he wanted to prove that he could face this problem that he had been avoiding all his life. Surprisingly enough, Ethan Lu was on fire regarding this challenge. He never vied for power but right now, he was thirsty. Reason? He wanted to surpass Morris Liu.

Granting that Ethan Lu admired his best friend Morris Liu, alas, with Lexi being involved, he refused to be compared to him. Hence, his competitive side recurred. It's been a while since he challenged his brother Morris Liu and thinking about this, Ethan Lu grinned.

"Also, contact brother Mo -- I mean, set up a meeting with him tomorrow. This is important." Ethan Lu spoke, enough for Lyrick Jiang to hear.

"Yes, young master." As usual, Lyrick Jiang remained with his composed tone as he assumed that Ethan Lu would need another favor from his ever-reliable friend Morris Liu. Unbeknownst to him, his boss's agenda wasn't anything of the sort but a very mischievous one.

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After some time, Ethan finally closed his eyes to rest. Before falling asleep, a thought rolled in his mind.

'Sigh… I miss her already.'