The Rise of the White Lotus

"What— Manager, I…" Stuttering, Jessica Dai was groveling for words to utter to the most ridiculous thing she heard today. Lexi? One of their big bosses? Though it was possible, however, it has been a year since AL entertainment was established and yet, no one has seen Lexi's shadow until today. Hence, what was she doing to become their boss?

"Boss Yang, I'm sorry about that." Awkwardly smiling to Lexi, John Qian scratched the back of his head. To him, since the relationship in this agency was more of a family be it managers, staff, trainees, or artists, their reaction towards the news was normal. After all, he too was shocked when he heard from Abigail Fan that Lexi was the person who gave her the opportunity to start this agency. Hence, the AL label— Abigail and Lexi.

"That's fine." Lexi mildly waved her hand off as if it was not a big deal. She then turned to the flabbergasted Jessica Dai who was altering her gaze from Manager Qian and then to her. Smiling, Lexi slowly took strides towards the woman's figure before she raised her hand and stroked the little strand of dangling hair of Jessica Dai's and tucked them behind her ear.

"You can still tour me around some other time, right?" As Lexi tucked Jessica Dai's hair to the side, her brows raised as the corner of her lips curled into a sweet yet cunning smile.

"I…" Swallowing down a mouthful of saliva, Jessica Dai's eyes moved to see the smile that she hated the most. In her eyes, this was the very front that the original Lexi bears whenever she had a vicious plan to go against Mia Chen.

"Hmm?" Tilting her head to the side, Lexi hummed a tune as she patiently waited for the woman's answer. It was not like she really has something in mind, but, since Jessica Dai decided to bring up her past and spited her, a little intimidation would be enough to make her cower in fear. After all, she did tug and awakened the Lexi she already tried to subdue for the sake of 'turning a new leaf'.

"Sure…" Forcing a smile on her lips, Jessica Dai's eyes were glued onto Lexi's very familiar front— especially her pair of natural sharp orbs that give off nothing but evil schemes. Seeing that Lexi wasn't moved as she seemed to be waiting for something, she muffled her mouth while she cleared her throat as she added. 

"Whenever you like, boss Yang." 

"Good girl." Upon hearing how Jessica Dai voluntarily humbled herself, Lexi smiled and whispered her reply. She then placed her hand over her head to give her a pat as if she was petting her dog. After some time, Lexi checked her wristwatch and she was already one minute late to her meeting hence, she turned to John Qian and smiled.

"Let's go?"

"Yes! This way please." With that said note, John Qian led Lexi and Nico Zhuang to the meeting room where everyone was waiting for her.

Meanwhile, aside from John Qian who was unaware of the occurrence earlier, everyone who heard about it, witnessed how Jessica Dai's complexion paled. Her boastful and cheerful mood earlier had now vanished and only an obedient pet was left. Still, after Lexi left, her hand slowly curled into a ball so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.

It was too shocking that Lexi wouldn't be their labelmate as she was in fact, their boss! Regardless, aside from feeling honored or anything of the sort, it was satisfying to watch a dog attempting to intimidate a lion by its mere barking. Hence, when Lexi left, everyone began to snicker as their eyes were glued to Jessica Dai.

On the other hand, hearing the indistinct snickers and odd glances, Jessica Dai looked around and saw that these people were probably talking about her. Hence, under this humiliating situation, she instinctively looked down before fleeing from the place.

'She did this on purpose! Lexi, you b*tch!' Still, inside her mind, Jessica Dai cursed her on and on as it was the only thing she could do for now. After all, she might have an attitude, however, she knew deep down that she wouldn't be able to touch Lexi or her career would be finished if it wasn't already. She must come up with a plan to persuade her to set aside the matter— just like in the past.

****

"I'm sorry for the delay everyone. This is Miss Lexi Yang, the co-founder of our AL''s entertainment and here to represent CEO Fan." Bowing his head in respect to the very few managers and business partners representatives, John Qian introduced Lexi as it was their first time meeting her in this way.

"Please, take a seat." Slightly bowing her head, Lexi ignored the surprised expressions plastered across their faces as some brand representatives seemed familiar with her because they relentlessly persuaded her to be their brand ambassador at one point in time.

Lexi strode towards the head seat, while she does so, her gaze shifted to the woman that had her head low with her hands held together— shaking at the critical situation of her career and her entire life. When Lexi settled on the seat and everyone sat in their respective chairs after her, she stared at the woman for a while.

None had spoken a word after they sat down as they had gravitated whether they should break Lexi's silence. Even though John Qian, who should be the host and should guide them to the files that the PR department had gathered, he remained silent because Lexi's presence was too overwhelming especially now that she had her business mode on.

"Is it you?" After the long silence, Lexi rested her jaw by the back of her hand as she turned to the involved woman that was still hanging her head low. However, even after Lexi's question escaped her mouth, the woman remained silent.

"Miss Gan, please tell us the truth! We wouldn't be able to fix the problem if you also keep us in the dark. Don't just think about yourself right now we are also affected by the scandal circulating right now!" Frowning, one of the executive managers exclaimed after the long silence when Lexi directly asked Hannah Gan.

"That's right! Even though the woman in the video looks like you, your admittance is also important. How can we help and trust you if you don't tell us the truth!" Another one chimed in as they urged Hannah Gan to admit that she was indeed the person on the viral scandal at the moment.

"Please everyone, calm down." Sensing the escalating heat from these people, John Qian cleared his throat as he tried to stabilize the situation. 

"Please take a look at the files inside we had gathered." He then distributed documents that he managed to gather from the investigation. However, he too knew that the little information he obtained was not enough to make them believe that Hannah Gan was innocent. 

"As you can see, these are the documents stating the whole schedule of Miss Gan since she debuted as an artist. Her schedule had always been packed. So, we took a look at the dates where she has free time which we assumed that the video allegedly happened." As everyone began flipping the pages of photos that Hannah Gan was spotted on the said date, from paparazzi or just from the restaurants and clubs she had been on those days, John Qian began explaining their rational deductions.

After all, to a rising star like Hannah Gan whose fame was skyrocketing at a fast pace, her schedule and projects kept surging in. Therefore, her manager, which is him, was often with her. He knew that Hannah Gan wouldn't do such a thing because he believed that she was not like that kind of person. Regardless, he could just hope that this set of evidence would quench their inquiries for now and give them more time to prove her innocence.

"Manager Qian, how about this date?" After scanning each page, the first person who launched his verbal attacks earlier pointed out a suspicious day. Aside from the other days, the report on that night was nearly empty. After the time that Hannah Gan was reported to have dined into a fancy restaurant alone, no one knows where she went or who she was with.

"About that…" Upon hearing his colleague that was his rival manager in terms of resources, John Qian was pushed to the corner as this mishap was spotted sooner than he expected. Hence, he tried to come up with a satisfying answer. However, before he could answer, they heard Lexi speak again.

"Is it you?" Again, Lexi repeated the same question while her eyes were set on the silent woman who was now being persecuted by this discussion.

"Yes…" Through a meek and shaking response, Hannah Gan responded which created a stifling silence in that instant. On the other hand, Lexi's brows arched as her eyes slightly narrowed.

"Is that what you want to hear?" Garnering the courage to face them, Hannah Gan raised her head with her lips pursed. "If I said I am not that person on the video… if I said that I went to see my grandma the night Manager Ji is pointing out— will you believe me?" Her voice shook before it cracked, yet, Hannah Gan managed to finish her sentiments without breaking down. It was evident that she was trying hard to be strong under her stressful situation without asking for everyone to sympathize but to believe her instead.

"You can just say 'no' instead of dragging it out for so long." Showing zero sympathy, Lexi emotionlessly uttered. "Manager Qian, check this hotel's log which I assumed is the location of the video and their CCTV's. I have already sent word to them and they agreed." Leaning her back against the chair, Lexi glanced at John Qian who was looking back at her with a surprised front.

"Also, if any one of you want to breach the contract with us, then, I'll see you in court." Not letting them absorb the instructions given, Lexi shifted her eyes to each and everyone of the people who were present and the side of her lips stretched into a smirk.