The Rise of the White Lotus

Three days later...

After Lexi and Ethan Lu talked about the past, and was followed by a steamy night afterward, the vibe between them got a little lighter. It just felt as if they were closer than before with less see through the curtain between them— that made their relationship more transparent. 

Thus, they had returned to their usual daily duties confident that they had each other's back. Ethan was dealing with the Lu Corporation business affairs while keeping Lexi's favor to keep an eye on Louis Lu's father. On the other hand, Lexi was still managing her company: Beauty DR while still keeping updated on AL entertainment affairs. 

So far, regarding Hannah Gan's issue, although the scandal was still hot and her reputation was being slandered here and there along with the alleged prostitution that was happening behind the scenes in the agency— Lexi remained calm. She informed Abigail Fan to keep their mouth shut for the meantime and decided not to speak a word to the media. 

Lexi didn't say the reason but, with all the trust Abigail Fan had in her, she obeyed her orders and didn't release a statement just yet until Lexi's given time which was today. 

"Yes, the deliveries will be there today. Yes... mhmm, see you then." Talking to her business partner, Aubrey Ning, Lexi smiled before she hung up the call. 

After ending the call, Lexi glanced up to see Nico Zhuang standing wordlessly in front of her desk while carrying his laptop on his side. Arching her brows, Lexi languidly leaned her back against the chair as she crossed her arms, indicating for him to say the reason for his intrusion. 

"Did you find who it was?" Seeing that he was starting to set up the laptop in front of her, Lexi glanced at Nico Zhuang's side profile before she set her eyes on the monitor of the device. 

"Yes," Nodding, Nico Zhuang stoically responded before he showed her a file of the woman who has a resemblance to Hannah Gan. 

Tilting her head to the side, Lexi slowly lifted her hands toward the right arrow button of the keyboard to see more photos of the woman. The more she sees of the photos of the woman, the more she was convinced that she was indeed Hannah Gan's look alike in some angles— especially her side angle. 

"Apparently, this woman is a high paying escort. She had been servicing wealthy men— that includes politicians. Based on the information I gathered, she once wanted to be a model but the harsh reality of the industry made her end up in her current occupation. Unfortunately, after the scandal was released, she had been laying low so even when I tried to take her service, I was rejected." While Lexi was scanning the information of the woman, Nico Zhuang delivered his summarized report so Lexi wouldn't miss out on these vital details. 

"Escort?" Arching her brows once again, Lexi raised her head to see Nico Zhuang's delicate front. "You booked her? You?" Smirking, Lexi could not help but humor him. 

Well, if she didn't know the reason why, Lexi would have the shock of her life hearing his statement. After all, aside from his skills and knowledge, Nico Zhuang still appeared like he just entered his twenties. Therefore, in her eyes, he still looked like a kid and not a man with unimaginable capabilities. 

"Yes, for the first time in my life— I tried and failed at the same time. I won't do it again." Nearly rolling his eyes, Nico Zhuang bluntly muttered as he felt weird doing that all by himself. 

If not for the fact that he respected Lexi and was rooting for her safety, he wouldn't dare do what he just did. Moreover, learning from his 'former' master's mistake, he wanted to keep his records clean. 

Upon hearing his honest complaints, Lexi chuckled as she shook her head. She had already foreseen this reaction when she asked him to do the investigation; and knowing Nico Zhuang, he would have taken it too far just for her convenience— that's how reliable he was since day one. 

"You don't have to," Still shaking her head sideways, Lexi waved her hands off before clearing her throat and getting down to business. 

"You said she's an escort and it's in this agency...?" Checking the agency that the woman worked under, Lexi smiled upon seeing him nod as a response. 

"Nico, I can't believe you missed someone who was also a former employee of that wicked place." Stretching her lips from ear to ear, Lexi grinned as a knowing glint flashed across her pair of nut-brown eyes. 

"???" Blinking his eyes, Nico Zhuang slightly angled his head to the side as he pondered what she meant. Repeating all her words inside his head, his mouth slightly gaped open as a realization struck him. 

"It's fine. Two heads are always better than one." Winking her eye before snapping her tongue, Lexi placed both of her palms on the armrest as she assisted herself to stand up. 

"Let's visit the HR department." With that said note, Lexi classily walked out of her office while Nico Zhuang followed behind her. 

*****

[Beauty DR: HR Department]

Upon seeing that Lexi arrived on their floor, that was a rare occasion, the first to notice immediately bowed to give respect to their big boss before the news reached the department's director. 

Understandably, because Lexi would always drop by to the lab or would often spend her days in her office if she has no meetings on her schedule. Therefore, it was quite a surprise that Lexi would visit this part of the company out of the blue. 

"Madam Yang! I'm sorry for not knowing you'd drop by today." Rushing to Lexi's side, the former lady cleaner of her husband that she willingly took in was now promoted as the HR department's director. 

Well, scratching her previous job as Ethan Lu's sexy cleaner and her occupation before that was an escort, she was a smart, flexible, and hardworking woman. Therefore, her title now was the fruit of her hard work because Lexi was never stingy to give opportunities to others. 

"Don't sweat about it," Shrugging her shoulders, Lexi continued to walk around the office as the woman just cautiously followed her in silence. 

Upon reaching a certain empty table in the corner of the white office, Lexi dragged the chair before sitting on it with her leg crossed over the other one. Glancing at Andy Chang's figure, Lexi slightly crooked her head towards the opposite chair indicating that she should sit as well. 

Seeing Lexi's gesture, Andy Chang nodded her head still keeping her mouth shut and sheepishly filled the other seat. Although Lexi had been good to her and had seen her hard work without bringing her past to the current time, Andy Chang still has this fear towards Lexi. 

Was it because she was Ethan Lu's former lady cleaner? Maybe. Was it because she already witnessed how Lexi got annoyed? Still, maybe. Actually, Andy Chang didn't particularly know what her fear of Lexi was, but perhaps it was because Lexi's intimidation effect was long lasting. 

"Ma'am? Did I do something?" Anxious, Andy Chang glanced at Lexi as she recalled her work enthusiasm for the past several months and if she offended Lexi without an intention to do so. 

"Miss Chang, don't overthink. I just came here to ask for some help." Lexi chuckled seeing that Andy Chang's face was screaming anxiety and her thoughts could be easily read. 

"Huh?" For a second, Andy Chang heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing Lexi's addicting chuckles. At the very least, she knew that her worst nightmare didn't come. 

"This topic might be a little sensitive to you, but I just need to know if you happen to know Cherry? It's her alias by the way. She works under the same agency you worked with in the past." Without further ado, didn't restrain her words and constructed her statement in the most short and clear inquiry. 

"Cherry...?" Furrowing her brows, Andy Chang dug through her mind to be reminded of the people she knew that has a cherry in their name aside from the cherry she knew in the club. After seconds of contemplation, Andy Chang snapped her finger before she announced. 

"Ah... Yes! I know one." Nodding, Andy Chang stared at Lexi to assure her. Just then, Lexi brought up her phone and showed her the woman's photo for validation. 

"Her?"

"Uhm... yes, that Cherry." Knitting her brows, Andy Chang was relieved that she was right after glancing at the photo of the woman. 

"Good... Andy, can you do me a favor?" The corner of her lips curled upward as she hadn't expected that Andy Chang would help her in an unexpected way.