The Rise of the White Lotus

Rika and Lexi's conversation went on for several minutes even though most of the time, it was Rika who was talking. It only ended when the staff called out Rika for another scene she must take and Lexi would have to wait for her turn again.

Sitting on her chair that was placed under the shade of the giant tree, Lexi supported her jaw as she peered at the grass on the ground. 

"What's on your mind?" Curious about Lexi's silence, Churu perched on her lap then reposed like a lazy bun. Yet, Lexi didn't respond as she was lost in thought.

"Do you miss Mr. Main task? Me too~" Jumping to the conclusion, Churu's eyes shone brightly. She urged, "Why don't give him a call~ eh, eh?"

"Call him if you miss him. I'm wondering why Rika was being friendly." Unhurriedly, Lexi cast the giddy lazy dumpling on her lap before she rolled her eyes.

Granting that Lexi was used to this kind of offer, however, her disposition right now, Rika wouldn't gain anything from her. Was her intention really pure? Lexi could not help but be wary about it. After all, she didn't have a good impression of this word friendship.

"Boohooo~! I wanted to call Mr. Main task but how?! Gift me a phone with his number on it -- maybe I can call him~!" Due to her two days' experience of acting, Churu wept as she rolled back and forth on Lexi's lap.

"*sigh* you're a hopeless dumpling." Shaking her head upon seeing Churu's dramatic act, Lexi sighed. Regardless, her worries that Rika was up to something lessened. She added in a whisper, "Well, whatever she's trying to do, you got my back, right, Sissy?"

"Boohoo~! Poor me! I was forced to act but I don't have a salary! This is illegal! Where're my rights?!" Churu ignored Lexi as she continued to lament her injustice that was also deliberately brushed off by Lexi for some time. Alas, since the dumpling kept on throwing a huge fit on her lap, Lexi conceded defeat.

"Fine, I'll sew you some great clothes alright? Also, I will make your facial mask when we get back home."

"Really~? Really~?" After receiving her host's response, Churu's whimsical pretend came into a full halt and her face instantly brightened. After all, ever since the taping started, Churu's favorite facial session was affected. Hence, her mood was akin to a grumpy old grandma every time.

"Hmm, so stop whining. Give me some peace." Lexi nodded in reassurance as she reached for her phone inside the big tote bag that clung on the side of the chair. She then started scrolling on her Weibo for the first time in a long time to read news about anything.

Lexi read different articles about the hottest topic about Regal Entertainment's prostitution scandal and of course, harsh criticism was inevitable. After that, Lexi still spotted some articles about her which she didn't bother to check. However, for some odd reason, just as she scrolled down, her hand unintentionally hard tapped the article with the title; the white lotus scandal exposé, that redirected her to the article.

"Tsk, stupid finger." Lexi clicked her tongue in annoyance as she saw the title of the long article. She was about to exit the page, but the first paragraph of the article made her stop.

[The rising star Lexi Yang was showered with criticism when ambiguous pictures of the said artist circulated around the internet. However, are these pictures legit? Were this true or just another conspiracy behind the dirty secret behind the glitz and glamor of the entertainment industry?]

Lexi's brows furrowed. What is this article? Why did it sound that it wasn't made to attack her but to defend her?

Because of that first paragraph, Lexi continued reading the whole article and to her surprise, some photos were revealed as edited pictures and the person behind the blog post showed evidence about the original photo of a girl hooking up with a wealthy old man.

At the end of the post, it says; "We are quick to judge what was laid in front of our eyes and without a seconds hesitation, he believed it. But, until when will these manipulators behind these media would control our minds and beliefs?"

After reading the article and seen the evidenced, Lexi was rendered speechless. She didn't remember Abigail Fan hiring someone to prove her innocence. Moreover, Lexi never responded to any interviews and articles ever since her scandals broke out. In other words, she didn't intend to exert effort as she knew her words weighed nothing.

That's why Lexi was rather interested in the person behind the post but to no avail, it was anonymous. Scrolling further, Lexi read the comments.

"OMG! This is creepy AF! So it means someone is trying to destroy Lexi Yang by producing falsified pictures? My… poor Lexi Yang."

"I had goosebumps while reading this whole article. I agree with the post, people nowadays don't care if they are destroying the innocent because they immediately believe what they saw."

"I knew it! My goddess wouldn't do something that disgusting! She's too classy for that!"

"If I know any better those scandals probably came from envious people that were outshined by a rookie SMH."

"Tch. this is probably Lexi Yang herself trying to push the blame to others."

Upon reading more of it, Lexi had mixed emotions. Of course, the comment section had different opinions about the article; some agreed while others questioned its credibility. Regardless, Lexi was glad that there are still people supporting her from behind. But, her curiosity about the person behind the article also heightened. After all, the article was just posted one day ago.

"Who could it be?" She murmured as her mood gradually lightened. Surely, this motivated Lexi to do well in this movie.

-------

"Master, should we boost the article?" Inside the enormous office of Morris Liu, his assistant inquired.

"No need. It will gradually gather attention in three days." Morris Liu leaned his back on his executive chair and he let out a faint sigh. Glancing at his assistant's stoic face, Morris Liu propped his temple by the back of his hand before he inquired,

"What about Ethan?"

"Young master Lu scheduled an appointment at 9 pm, noted it was important." The assistant unchanging expression relayed Lyrick Jiang's words. Morris Liu nodded in understanding before he waved his hand off, dismissing his assistant.

When his assistant left, Morris Liu's gaze traveled towards the right drawer on his desk. Pulling it open, Morris Liu picked up the turned down small picture frame. Looking at it, his eyes had an unreadable aura that emanated from it. 

It was a photograph of a girl and a boy in their early teens. In the photo, the girl was smiling brightly while being piggybacked by the boy that seemed a little older than her. The boy, on the other hand, had a satisfied smile and his cheeks blushing as he was looking at the girl.

It was him and the beautiful innocent young Lexi.