The Rise of the White Lotus

Ethan wordlessly played with her pressed cheeks with a frown. Lexi, on the other hand, was too dumbfounded to protest.

Granting that she doesn't remember when was the last time someone played with her cheeks, for some reason, Lexi wasn't dissatisfied with his action. After all, the last time she got really drunk, she almost killed Mia Chen. Therefore, it was understandable if she did gave him a headache last night.

Looking at the unappeased Ethan Lu, Lexi felt awkward as he unenthusiastically stared back at her puffed up face.

"Head hurts?" After some time, Ethan finally broke the silence between them with a question. Of course, she only nodded in response. However, Ethan didn't had a change of expression after receiving her gesture.

Still holding her face, he resumed, "Dry throat?" 

Lexi: *nods*

Ethan: "hungry?"

Lexi: *nods*

As expected, all his next inquiry were answered with a nod from her. Somehow, it made her feel relieved knowing that at least, Ethan knew how awful she felt and probably, he had prepared a few medicines or teas that is good for hangovers.

"Good, bwa ha ha ha!" Ethan meekly smiled first, after several seconds, a huge grin formed on his lips. It was as if his insane persona earlier came back with a vengeance. He continuously laughed evilly that made her brows knit and her lips curl downwards.

"Ha! Since, I didn't have an idea what to do, you must bear with the pain for the next three hours -- I'm quite meticulous when it comes to food, you know." With a smug grin, Ethan announced as if it would bring great pleasure to him if Lexi would have to suffer with her hangover a little more.

Lexi rolled her eyes by Ethan's plain as the day lie. Surely, Ethan wasn't the type of those dreamy guys in every romance novel that welcomed their partners with their cooking. In fact, Ethan was the complete opposite! 

Granting that he was dashing, to the extent that whatever he wears, flashy or not, Ethan would look good on it. Alas, that's just not her type! Where's the chivalry in him? 

Sure, Ethan was fun to be with as a friend, but as a man? Lexi could not help but feel sorry for someone who would end up to be with him.

Apparently, Ethan made himself known, what she meant was, too known as a friend that Lexi had set her mind to him as a friend standard.

"Whatever, I'm going home." Still had her face sandwiched between his palms, Lexi sighed heavily. Raising her gaze back on him, Lexi's face twitched by the ugly expression flashed across his face.

In Ethan's perspective, he was too focused on the occurrence last night and schemed his revenge that he forgot that Lexi was a capable woman. She doesn't need some pampering and wait for someone to do that because she could do it herself!

Now, Ethan Lu felt that his almost completed task to see her annoyed expression instantly failed. He only wanted to tease her… why won't she let him?

He really felt a grieve while he put down his hand from her cheeks to her shoulder. His head also dropped as if Ethan was barely hanging with life.

Just then, the doorbell of the presidential suite resonated through the whole majestic place. After several seconds, several employees of the Grand Hotel came with tray of different foods.

"Young Master, this are the dishes you asked me to." As polite as he may sound, Manager Kang announced like a good butler while the other servants placed variety of dishes on top of the round table. Manager Kang glanced at the two figures on the living area but to no avail, all he could see was the woman's back and was wearing Ethan's shirt and pajamas while his young master was looking down.

Even though Manager Kang received nothing, he still bowed his head and dismissed together with the core members of the management.

"You told me, you're meticulous when it comes to foods?" When Lexi heard the footsteps faded, she pursed and bit her lip, suppressing the urge to laugh.

Hearing her knowing remarks, Ethan raised his unenergetic and heavy eyes towards her constraint lips up to her sharp eyes. "Huh, it took more than three hours to prepare those."

"Chichi, poor Ethan Lu… oh, that's right! He made a call five hours ago for your food chu!" Churu who was enjoying how would Ethan Lu break his own heart backed him up.

Indeed, since he couldn't sleep, Ethan was inclined to do something than do nothing, or else, Lexi would hunt his brilliant mind. Hence, with years of experience of being drunk, Ethan knew how awful it is to have a hangover -- which led him to make Manager Kang ran around the whole night.

"You… you're teasing me?" Hearing Churu's clarification, Lexi raised her brows because she really took his words as the truth. Or rather, Lexi didn't expect anything more from him. Thus, even though he didn't make something for her, she won't be disappointed.

"Tch, what do you expect! Man… if I said I'm Superman, will you also believe it?" Ethan mumbled in defeat receiving Lexi's obvious question. 

"Duh, I'm not gullible -- just didn't expect anything from you." Lexi shook her head and tapped his arms, for him to removed it from her shoulders.

"Well..." When Ethan Lu retracted his palms from her shoulder, Lexi grinned as she copied what he did to her -- placing her palms on his firm cheeks and pressed them hard until it slightly puffed up. She grinned;

"Still, this isn' fun."