The Rise of the White Lotus

One year ago...

When Morris Liu arrived at his home at eight in the evening, an aromatic scent immediately caressed his nostrils— inciting a silent grumbling sound in his stomach as if it was protesting. Furrowing his brows, he wordlessly took off his shoes and changed into house slippers before he headed towards the kitchen. 

There, just as he arrived at the usual empty kitchen, Lexi was already preparing some dishes to eat. His eyes studied her small back, her hair was tied up in a high bun, revealing her graceful neck in plain sight. An apron clung onto her neck as she smoothly transferred food from one of the bowls to a frying pan on the stove. 

By the looks of it, she hadn't noticed his presence as she was preoccupied with cooking and a contented smile plastered on the corner of her lips. Morris Liu just watched her with an endearing gaze as a thought briefly hovered in his mind that he instantly threw out in that instant as well. 

'I'll never be excited to come home if you're not here to welcome me back...'

"What are you doing?" After he tossed his real, loving thoughts into the back of his head, Morris Liu's icy, chilling voice resounded across every corner of the kitchen. 

Upon hearing his voice, despite its blankness and piercingly cold tone, her meek smile only reduced by a millimeter before she turned around to face him. 

"You're home? Wait, I'm almost done cooking this— I heard you've been pretty busy lately and I'm sure you've been neglecting your health so I decided to cook for you." Lexi spoke as she turned off the stove and transferred the sautéed veggies to a porcelain bowl and then placed it in a tray along with the other dishes. 

"Let's eat?" After she successfully delivered a tray of food to the dining table, Lexi raised her gaze as she faced him— forcing a bright smile despite her anxiousness from his intent, indistinguishable gaze. 

"Didn't I tell you we're done?" Morris Liu clenched his jaw as he uttered his harsh words that hurt the two of them through his gritted teeth.

"No, we haven't eaten yet so we're not done." Feigning to be the stupidest person living on earth, Lexi responded as she pretended not to understand what he meant. "Brother Mo, can we just eat dinner in peace— I'm starving. I will leave after I made sure you've eaten, I promise."

"God, Lexi..." Heaving a heavy sigh, Morris Liu pinched the bridge of his nose in distress. Lexi had been so behaved in the past days and wouldn't bother him after he said he wanted to break off their engagement. However, what exactly has gotten into her again, that she suddenly showed up to his place and prepared him a dinner? 

"Please, I am just worried. I will leave after this." Lexi remained adamant and ignored the melancholic feeling of the distance between them. The feeling of her beloved going further and further away to the extent that he seemed as if he was already beyond the reach of her love now. 

Morris Liu only shot her a distressed glance before he shook his head and without a word, he perched at the head seat, that action had made her smile a little. Therefore, the two of them started eating in silence while Lexi served him properly just like how a wife served her husband. 

She had remained silent and didn't bother to give him any space. After all, she believed that he was just under a lot of pressure, so that's why he was so harsh on her. However, after sneaking into his office and checking his schedule for whatever reason, Lexi saw his hectic schedule and that he nearly doesn't have any time to enjoy a meal. Hence, she decided to try her luck and the passcode of his house was still her birthday which tugged her heart in relief. 

With snippets of her in his life, no matter how harsh he treated her, Lexi was content knowing that she still had a spot on his heart— even just a tiny bit. Glancing at his stoic profile, her gaze softened. To her, they don't need to exchange words as she was glad that she got the chance to eat a meal with him. 

Just like that, the meal ended in a lukewarm quietness. Neither of them talked nor tried to strike up a conversation until they had left the dishes in the sink for his cleaner to clean the next day. 

****

"I'll have to go home— you don't have to send me outside, I can manage, just rest, okay?" As they departed from the kitchen, Lexi lowly spoke to him, trying to sound cheery to keep their peace as an ending. She knew very well that Morris Lou wouldn't offer that but still, to make it less painful, Lexi, as per usual had pretended that he cared. 

"Wait," Seeing her taking immediate strides away from him without giving him a glance, Morris Liu muttered. Of course, Lexi habitually stopped in her tracks just like what he told her— like an obedient pet. 

"Wait here for a bit," With that said note, Morris Liu strode the other way towards the stairs, leaving her confused. 

"Okay...?" Following his figure by her gaze, Lexi blinked several times before she heaved a sigh neither relief nor of dismay but a sigh that she just needed to let out. 

As Lexi waited for him in the living area, she constantly gazed up as Morris Liu was rather taking a rather long time up there. Suddenly, she slightly flinched and turned towards the direction that broke her tranquility. There, a phone she assumed as Morris Liu's spare phone vibrated on the surface of the bar counter, causing a buzzing sound that seemed to clap in front of her ears. 

Lexi darted her gaze from upstairs to the vibrating phone a few times. Just when she thought that the caller finally gave up, it vibrated again that annoyed her. 

"Brother Mo...?" Resisting the urge to check the phone as she respected his privacy or rather, part of her was afraid about something, Lexi softly called out but to no avail, she received no response. 

That's the time she finally had enough and abruptly stood up from her seat and hurriedly headed to the bar counter. Just as she picked up the phone, the vibration it was producing stopped.