The Rise of the White Lotus

'Not coming? And Eli said surprised?!? Did he tell her that he wouldn't come yet, he secretly did? OMG! Right! Eli should be in country J but he's here now?! Does this mean he didn't want Lexi to go alone without a date? Is he afraid that she would be snatched away by someone?!? OMG~!' Evelyn Lu's mind worked thrice more than usual as she already came up with romantic scenes inside her mind. The more she deluded herself with the scenario inside her mind, the more Evelyn Lu nearly made her nose bleed from all the fluff and X-rated scenes that might come afterward. 

Lexi unconsciously glanced at Evelyn Lu in the middle of her catching up conversation with Elliot Gong. Knitting her brows together, Lexi slightly raised her hand and mouthed "wait" to Elliot Gong before she fully turned to face the pale girl that was completely rendered speechless. 

"Are you really okay? You look pale." Worried for the first person that gave her an oddly nice approach, Lexi slightly tilted her head to the side as she peered at Evelyn Lu's awestricken countenance. Still, Lexi only got another nod from her because Evelyn Lu hadn't recovered from her shocking imagination. 

Just then, another familiar voice that Lexi wouldn't wish to hear at this moment rang behind Evelyn Lu. "Oh my! I never expected to see Miss Yang tonight!"

Raising her gaze away from the still shocked Evelyn Lu, there, Lexi saw Stella Du all dolled up with her arms crossed and an ironic sneer plastered across her lips. Still, Lexi smiled, that didn't reach her eyes, as she returned the same pretentious greeting. 

"Nice to see you too, Miss Du."

"Huh? Where is— Oopss... right, your rumored boyfriend is here." Stella Du pretended to have a slip of the tongue before she covered her mouth and murmured something that doesn't sound like a whisper as everyone around clearly heard her misleading remarks. 

"Huh? Lexi's boyfriend is Elliot Gong?"

"It's just a rumor but since they almost arrived at the same time... maybe, the rumors are not just mere hearsay." 

"Wow, it seems like a good show is about to start." The people around them that were originally just staring at Lexi and to her beauty alone, could not help but speak their mind to the friends in their circle upon hearing the loud contemptuous remarks from Stella Du of the Du family. 

Hearing all the side comments, Stella Du sneered as a vicious glint flashed across her pair of eyes. Well, since her plans failed to sabotage Lexi earlier in their trade show and ended in Lexi to benefit from it, Stella Du found another chance to unreasonably humiliate her. 

"Miss Yang, I never thought that those rumors are true that you..." Acting as if having a hard time to confront her, Stella Du circled both her index finger together. "That you liked playing with men's hearts. We are friends and classmates so, I didn't want to believe it but I really feel bad for Mr. Gong!"

"What?" Confused at the nonsense blabber of Stella Du, Elliot Gong nearly gasped in dismay upon hearing her remarks. 

'Playing with men's hearts? Feel bad for me? — why feel bad?!' He questioned internally as Elliot Gong has zero knowledge with Lexi's relationship with the woman and all of the schemes that tend to happen at this kind of event among women as he never had this kind of treatment happen to him, ever. 

"Lexi, I know we are just friends or maybe, you never seen me as a friend but you have to stop using men just because you are pretty and smart. First, you use Nico to help you with our class and to make your products while being in a relationship with Mr. Gong!" At this time, Stella Du felt giddy as her voice became even louder that had now garnered more onlookers to enjoy the show. She acted and sounded so righteous as if she was that type of friend that set her friends straight and lead them in the right path. 

Of course, aside from men standing around that had second thoughts about Lexi and the baseless accusations to her, women who had been irritated the moment she entered and stole the spotlight snickered in disgust. 

"Gosh! Now that I think about it, Miss Yang had a bombed scandal before about her ambiguous relationship with different men!"

"Lower your voice, you might not know who those old men are that she slept with and still kept in touch with her."

"My god, just because she's beautiful she thinks she can collect all of the men all to herself— disgusting!"

"She's not that beautiful actually." One after another, insecure women found this chance to diss Lexi adding more oil to the fire. They didn't care if Stella Du was telling the truth or not. Because to them, to humiliate someone like her would also push her out of the competition in tonight's event— not knowing that there has been no competition to the man they desired to achieve. 

"Miss, I think you are mistaken. We—" Just as Elliot Gong was about to explain things to Stella Du's nonsensical blabber that might also put him in a tight position if his dear friend that has the maximum level of pettiness found out, he was halted in the middle when Lexi raised her hand and spoke. 

"You don't have to explain to her. We owe her nothing." Despite that, Lexi was completely displeased by this slander, she didn't want to argue with her as it would lead to a longer discussion. Moreover, she didn't want to waste such precious seconds with this airhead, unreasonable miss of the Du family. 

"Miss Yang, I see... you really don't see me as a friend but, stop manipulating the men that showed their interest to you!" Still at it, Stella Du somehow smartly countered back as her tone slightly raised that was also laced with pain as if she was hurt that Lexi didn't see her worthy as a 'friend'. 

'Hah! Lexi Yang, let's see if you can still clean your reputation after this! I will make sure your name will forever be smeared by your disgusting past!' Sneering inwardly, Stella Du vindicated to herself as she was determined to stain Lexi's name until she could no longer hold her head high.