The Rise of the White Lotus

"Haha," Chuckling upon hearing Lexi's sass, Avah Tong mildly shook her head. "Well, no one wants to be back into some hell hole, would you?" Avah Tong arched her brows as she comfortably placed her leg over the other as she slightly tilted her head to the side.

"Huh," Watching how lax the woman opposite her was— as if they were just friends casually chit-chatting— a soft scoffed escaped Lexi's mouth. "Miss Tong, don't you think stepping into my territory is still the same?" Lexi marginally raised her brows, casting her a knowing look with her lips stretched a little wide. 

"I don't think so." Feigning ignorance, Avah Tong nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "Aside from you, owning the place— this agency isn't half bad. I mean, you offer an allowance, free lunches, training and all! I can live here forever, to be honest." Avah Tong highlighted the benefits she had been receiving in the short amount of days she had joined AL entertainment. 

Well, considering that AL entertainment wasn't included in the top agencies, still, the facility and management were undoubtedly great. Not to mention, the artists they had launched were slowly making their names in each field. 

Lexi remained silent for a while as her gaze was glued to the woman across her. She observed her body language and Avah Tong's every change in facial expression. However, no matter where she looked, Avah Tong didn't give her enough clues for her to read. 

"Do you want my husband back?" After some time, Lexi's mouth slowly opened as these very words caused Avah Tong to pause from smiling. This little change of expression, Lexi arched her brows as her eyes slightly narrowed. 

"What?" Avah Tong knitted her brows before she scoffed in disdain. "Why? If I say, I do— will you give him back?" Unlike her carefree tone earlier, this time, Avah Tong's voice was laced with pure disgust. Still, she didn't forget to humor her as her question was laughable to her. 

"Then, shall I take your sudden intrusion in my life as your death wish?" Unfazed by the strange response from Avah Tong, Lexi half-heartedly guessed. 

"Why? Do you kill?" 

"I would if it means protecting my family. Unlike a certain someone who would harm her own child instead of protecting him." This time, Lexi shrugged her shoulders as she unhesitatingly spouted. As those words were dropped, the smile on Avah Tong's lips gradually faded away. 

"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" Lexi smirked witnessing the gradual change of mood emanating from Avah Tong. 

Although there was a small change when she mentioned Ethan Lu, but, this time, it was different. It was as if she was offended and hurt at the same time but, the latter emotion was not something to take seriously as Lexi was informed about the ending of the tragic story of Avah Tong and Ethan Lu. 

"Did you call me here just so you can harass me?" For some reason, instead of retaliating or sassing back, Avah Tong solemnly asked. 

'Wow, the nerve…' When Lexi heard those words, she couldn't help but comment inside her mind. Shouldn't she be the one asking that and not the other way around? 

"Miss Tong, I think you misunderstood …" Pausing, Lexi chuckled as she found this conversation a little silly. "No, maybe I am unintentionally harassing you but it's just me trying to be polite." Bearing the same entertained smile, Lexi shrugged her shoulders once again. 

"You're wasting my time, Madam." Avah Tong sarcastically responded as she jolted from her seat and picked up her bag. However, just as she turned, Nico Zhuang was already blocking her way like a strong, indestructible pillar. 

"You've wasted my time as well— I didn't complain." Glancing at her figure, Lexi indifferently muttered. She leaned her back against the sofa as she watched Avah Tong stubbornly attempt to push Nico Zhuang. But to no avail, her petite figure would never match Nico Zhuang's trained body. 

"Step aside!" Glaring daggers at Nico Zhuang, Avah Tong's true colors began to unfilter as she pushed Nico Zhuang once again. Alas, just before her fist could land on him, both of her wrists were restrained tightly by his hands. 

"My master is not done talking to you yet, Miss. Don't make me drag you back to sit." Carrying the same composed tone, Nico Zhuang threatened. A glint flashed across his pair of eyes as he could not be that lenient to her like he always does. After all, Avah Tong imposed a threat to Lexi and her beloved ones. Hence, it was supposed to be his job not to let her get close to her. However, things already happened and this situation was inevitable. 

"Nico, don't be harsh." Shaking her head sideways, Lexi was conflicted about whether to laugh or worry that Nico Zhuang seemed he could hurt a woman. By the looks of it, Nico Zhuang didn't particularly take a person's gender into account if he got a whiff of danger to that person. 

"Huh," Despite the pair of perilous eyes looking down on her, Avah Tong scoffed in disdain. Turning back to Lexi's lackadaisical sitting figure, her hands slowly curled into a fist. 

"You…" Grinding her teeth as her jaw tightened, Avah Tong paused for a second before she hysterically laughed.

"Hahahaha! I just realized that you and Ethan suit each other— No, you are well suited in their whole rotten clan." In between her chuckles, Avah Tong spouted. Her peals of unsettling laughter resonated across the whole office as she held onto her stomach. 

"Miss Yang, do you really think that Ethan will protect you? Oh please, I was told the same but what did he do? He imprisoned me in a mental hospital! Hahaha!" As Avah Tong wiped the corner of her eyes, she unreservedly stated the sweet nothings she received from Ethan Lu. Whether she was in her proper state of mind or not, Lexi didn't care because right now, what Lexi sees in her eyes was that she could not let this woman freely walk out tonight. She's crazy. 

"You're crazy. Do you know that?" Blinking her eyes, Lexi was unfazed by the unsettling laughter reaching her ears as she blatantly uttered. 

"Crazy? Well, I can only tell you:  I told you so if that day comes." Avah Tong sneered as she crossed her arms under her chest while thrusting her chin forward. 

Lexi didn't respond any more as her agenda for tonight was half complete. Although she planned to read what this woman has inside her head, now that she confirmed that Avah Tong's rationality left her— Lexi doesn't have any reason to drag this conversation anymore. 

"You can't tell me anything if you're where you belong." Picking up her phone, Lexi dialed Aubrey Ning's personal contact number. By the way, Lexi decided to contact her instead of Ethan Lu, she already thought about this a hundred times. 

"Speaking. Miss Yang called me at this hour… Make sure it's interesting." After several rings, the moment the line connected, Aubrey Ning's seductive voice was heard. 

"Stop." Gritting her teeth, Avah Tong meekly muttered which made Lexi swallow the words she was about to say as she arched her brows yet, she didn't hang up the call. 

"I don't want to play anymore." Under Lexi's gaze, Avah Tong swallowed her pride because one way or another, part of her told her that Lexi wouldn't let her off that easily. 

Moreover, who knows what she could do? After all, Lexi's main reason for her downfall in her acting career in the past was because she attempted to hit her love rival in her car. Set that aside, what's important to Avah Tong was her freedom.

"Pardon my sudden phone call, Miss Ning. However, it's a misclick. I'll try to compensate you next time." With that said note, Lexi hung up the call which rendered Aubrey Ning speechless. 

"Hmm?" Putting down her phone, Lexi then raised her head as she waited for whatever Avah Tong would say. She wouldn't mind listening to her for a bit and be the judge if it was worth the time or just a waste. 

"What do you want to know?" Slowly, Avah Tong returned to the sofa where she was initially sitting on as she asked. "You want to know if I want your husband back? No, never. Your husband is a real jerk. I will be the happiest person if you leave him and be his karma." Recalling Lexi's earlier question which disgusted her, Avah Tong bluntly stated as if she was merely saying it to her friend and not to Ethan Lu's wife. 

"What do you want from me, Miss Tong? How did you know that I am part of AL entertainment? And, why did you come back?" Lexi treated what she just spouted as weird noises but, she felt the authenticity of the heavy hatred she bears dropping each word. Hence, giving her a shot, she asked away. 

For a minute, Avah Tong just stared at Lexi and didn't respond immediately. They had a battle of gazes for a good one minute before Avah Tong scoffed. 

"How did I know? Blame it on your business partner for running her mouth while I am stalking her." Rolling her eyes, Avah Tong chuckled. She wasn't powerful enough or had tons of money. After all, she just came out of the psychiatric ward. 

Upon hearing her first answer among the three questions that were thrown, Lexi could not help but furrow her brows. She had numerous guesses and this particular one was not one of them. Hence, she could not help but question the legitimacy of her answer. 

"Believe me or not, that's the truth. So, instead of applying to your skincare company, it's still wiser to choose this building since you don't pay much attention to it. Who would have thought that we would meet earlier than I expected?" In a matter of fact tone, Avah Tong continued to explain her side as she was left with no choice. 

"Why?"

"Huh? What do you mean why? Why am I insisting on squeezing myself in your business? Isn't it obvious? Because I need protection. You and everything about you are being protected by that guy and you yourself. Ethan owes me that protection." Staring at Lexi with extreme disbelief as if she was staring at a stupid person, Avah Tong explained. 

"Protection?" Arching her brows, Lexi was trying to spot any holes in her rather simple excuse. However, her consistency wasn't faltering so far thus, she kept throwing follow up questions until she found any slight mistake. 

"Miss Yang, if I came back, that means people will come after me." 

"Then, why did you come back?" Lexi felt zero emphatic towards whatever dilemma Avah Tong carried as she just wanted to confirm if she was lying or not. Also, to gravitate whether she could let her go or not. 

"Are you really asking me that question? Really? You've heard our story and you're starting a family with him— you should've figured it out." Sounding exasperated, Avah Tong remarked with a slight scoff. Her remarks made Lexi's brows knit even more before a sudden guess struck her. 

"Yes! I want my son, my only family back from his father. I don't know where he kept him hidden but I want him back. No matter how much I hated that father, my child is not to blame. I can't let him raise my son." In the middle of her sentiments, Avah Tong's voice cracked as the corner of her eyes formed beads of salt liquid. Still, she managed to finish her sentence without breaking down just like in the past years. 

"I can't let another Lu be raised in that rotten family." Avah Tong firmly added as a determined glint flashed across her eyes. Upon hearing her statement, the whole room fell into pure silence as Lexi and Nico Zhuang were both baffled at the same time. 

"Oh? You don't know the father? It's his Uncle Den so yeah, my son is his cousin." Laughing at how silly the situation was, a touch of bitterness was laced in her voice. Indeed, back in the day, Avah Tong was originally Dennis Lu's sugar baby.