The Rise of the White Lotus

"... only I will wait for her." With that said note, Ethan Lu slowly stood from his seat and unhurriedly took a stride out of the enormous room he was staying in. Behind him, Lyrick Jiang wordlessly followed him while glancing at the broad shoulders of his boss.

'Only him? Like waiting as in actually waiting for her?' Since Lyrick Jiang was oblivious about what happened to the old master's visit, hence, he was rather confused about why his master was acting like a lonely emperor waiting for his beloved commoner woman? 

'Whatever… Madam will surely arrive anyway.' Shrugging the matter off, Lyrick Jiang entered into secretary mode as what was important tonight was the success of this banquet. Although he was certain that there wouldn't be any major problem, Lyrick Jiang still arranged men to clear the area and have a cautious eye out to watch for the troublesome family members: for example, Dennis Lu and his son, Dylan Lu.

Soon, after the long walk of the seemingly endless corridor towards the function hall, Ethan Lu along with his trusted confidants behind him entered the hall. The enormous double-door slowly opened and when it completely opened up, he was welcomed by an elegant high-class setting that seemed to only happen in the movies.

Men in their luxurious and uncreased tux suits, carrying their own drinks— champagne or wine, depending on their preference. Each had their own circle of a group as they shared interesting conversations and a few good laughs. On the other hand, women, wearing their classiest and most expensive dress gracefully mingled into the familiarity of the noble people around them.

The whole atmosphere emanated a 'ka-ching' sound of money as everyone, including the whole venue, oozed with millions of dollars spent. The chandelier hanging in the middle added to the nobility of the atmosphere as if the royal family were the ones who threw the party.

The moment the door opened and saw a dashing man wearing a bold, daring, and slim fit retro maroon tux, same hued vest, black inner shirt, and a gray tie— everyone turned their attention to the man of the night, Ethan Lu. His dark hair was neatly brushed to the side, that paraded his clear, perfect facial features.

Of course, women near his age could not help but look at him with a desire to own this powerful man before their very eyes. On the other hand, other old businessmen smiled in contentment while the younger guys slightly bowed their heads at him.

Seeing that all the attention was on him, his gaze scanned the area and to him, no matter how beautiful and lively the setting, it all felt irrelevant as the person he wanted to see was nowhere to be found. Even if he used his 'love radar', it was all for naught as Lexi's presence couldn't be detected.

Still, regardless of his disappointment, he kept his smiling front and entered the hall. Ethan Lu passed by the first group of businessmen after welcoming them as well as thanking them for giving him their precious time. He did the same to everyone else as well, giving them the same humble treatment before he approached Edward Lu, who was enjoying the night while sitting in the corner with important business partners that their family had been working with for the longest time.

"Grandpa," Courteously bowing his head to the former master of the family, Ethan Lu smiled and bowed to the rest of the old people around the table— still, only a few were actually near Edward Lu's age as the rest of the individuals sitting around the table were younger than him.

"Master Lu, you flatter us old geezers." One of the old men stated who was sitting around the table— Edward Lu, heartily chuckled seeing that Ethan Lu remained humble despite being the new family head of the Lu family.

"Hehe, I am still overwhelmed about the progress of the company when Master Lu took over— no offense, chairman." Another one from the table gleefully clapped his hands as he peered at Ethan Lu with amusement before spouting his excuse to Edward Lu who was not a bit offended.

"Hehe, these old fellows! Too bad for the lot of you that, my heir who has taken over is the best!" Chuckling as loud as he could, Edward Lu winked at Ethan Lu as if he was giving another meaning behind his words.

"Hehe, old master, your grandson is at the age to get married, don't you think? Have you decided which family will be the future bride of the Master?" One man who was calm and quiet the whole time placed down his glass of wine and grinned as he asked his question towards Edward Lu.

As far as he knows, a family just like the Lu's were still following the tradition of arranged marriage. After all, almost all family members especially the direct kin, such as the two sons of Edward Lu, were tangled in an arranged marriage. Hence, the power and connection of the Lu family was more vast than a person could think, if only the family remained high profile than in recent years, they would surely be the first at the top of the social ladder.

"Ohh…" Nodding in understanding, Edward Lu caressed his blanched beard as if he was pondering over something. Alas, he was actually just thinking if Lexi would attend or not so he could parade his future granddaughter-in-law and nag her to bear a child!

"Master Li, I am afraid this is not the right time to talk about marriage." Still bearing the same smile as he used to, Ethan Lu responded as polite as he could. Well, he was well aware of this as it was the family custom. Furthermore, he was already at the right age to marry. After all, he is wealthy and has a considerable amount of connections hence, marrying at this rate wouldn't be a problem.

The only thing was, Ethan Lu only wanted to marry one woman named Lexi Yang and have her be the mother of his children. As long as it was her, he didn't mind having his own family and protect them, even if it costs him his life.