Bai Yuheng smiled and said, "Little Brother Lu, no need to be so polite, just speak your mind."
Lu Fei looked at the people present.
He then said, "I'm here regarding a classmate of mine, whom you met at dinner yesterday."
"Her name is Bai Qianqian."
Bai Yushu pondered for a moment.
"I have some impression of this young lady; she looked somewhat familiar. When I heard she also shared the Bai surname, I thought she might be related to someone I knew."
Lu Fei smiled faintly. "Chairman Bai, your perception is indeed sharp; it's not far from the truth."
"I heard from her that her father was also once a member of the Bai family, sharing the same lineage as you. However, he made a mistake later on and was expelled from the Bai family."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yuheng frowned, his mind already forming some conjectures.
"What is her father's name?"
Lu Fei shook his head.
"I didn't ask, and she seemed unwilling to say. But I can tell this has been a burden on her heart. As the saying goes, misfortunes should not extend to wives and children. If some matters can be forgiven, it would be good to resolve this issue."
Having been missing and suffering from amnesia for so many years, Bai Yuheng had come to see many things in a different light. Family ties, in particular, were now even more precious to him.
"Why don't you have that young lady come in? I can ask her directly."
Lu Fei grinned good-naturedly.
"Alright!"
A while later, Bai Qianqian was brought to the private dining room by Lu Fei.
Lu Fei hadn't told Bai Qianqian what they were going to do, so when she entered, she was completely bewildered.
Seeing Bai Yuheng and Bai Yushu, the two most authoritative figures of the Bai family, Bai Qianqian couldn't help but feel nervous.
Her small fists clenched involuntarily, and her body trembled slightly.
Bai Yuheng smiled.
"Have a seat."
Lu Fei, having established a good friendship with Bai Yuheng, casually led Bai Qianqian to a seat nearby.
After they were seated.
Bai Yuheng asked, "Little Brother Lu mentioned that you have some connection to the Bai family."
Hearing this, Bai Qianqian's expression changed.
She looked at Lu Fei with a hint of reproach, but Lu Fei simply shrugged, signaling her to answer herself.
Bai Qianqian bit her red lip.
She managed to utter a single word.
"Yes."
"Is that person your father?"
Bai Qianqian nodded again.
"Heh, you don't need to be nervous. Even if the previous generation made mistakes, those are matters of the previous generation."
Upon hearing this, Bai Qianqian couldn't help but feel relieved.
Her mood had been anxious on the way here. Her father had been expelled from the family, a shameful affair that brought no honor to her parents, and by extension, herself as a descendant.
As Bai Qianqian was contemplating,
She heard Bai Yuheng continue to ask, "Child, what is your father's name?"
Bai Qianqian pursed her lips, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Lu Fei offered words of comfort.
"Senior Qianqian, just tell the truth."
After a fierce internal struggle, Bai Qianqian finally gritted her teeth and said, "Bai Yuning."
Bai Yuheng suddenly stood up from his seat, a look of surprise on his face.
Bai Yushu was also somewhat astonished, his eyes filled with recollection.
"Yuning? You are Yuning's child?"
Bai Yuheng walked over to Bai Qianqian, who quickly stood up as well.
"Is Yuning doing well?"
Bai Qianqian didn't understand why this prominent figure, one of the Ten Elders, was reacting this way. Trembling, she replied, "Father is doing well. He has started a business now, and it has some standing in Cang Town."
"Oh? He started a business?"
A hint of joy appeared on Bai Yuheng's face. He looked at Bai Qianqian and said with a smile,
"Heh, Qianqian, is it?"
Bai Qianqian nodded slightly.
Bai Yuheng said, "According to seniority, you should call me Uncle-cousin."
Bai Qianqian was taken aback.
Her red lips were tightly pursed, but she couldn't bring herself to utter the address for a long time.
Bai Yuheng nodded to himself, then sighed.
He slowly said, "Did your father ever tell you why he left the Bai family back then?"
Bai Qianqian shook her head. "Father never mentioned it. Whenever he spoke of it, his eyes would be filled with melancholy and regret."
Bai Yuheng shook his head and smiled helplessly.
"He did commit some mistakes back then."
"I had entrusted him with the business of contract beast feed under the group. Because he was my cousin and had grown up with me, I trusted him implicitly. However, he had a severe gambling addiction at the time and ended up losing the entire business to someone else."
"Although he was remorseful and sincerely reformed afterwards, it's not easy for a gambler to correct his ways. Ultimately, at the unanimous request of the clan elders, I expelled him from the Bai family."
After hearing this account of past events, Bai Qianqian couldn't help but frown.
Besides the sense of loss upon learning the past, she also felt a struggle within.
In her eyes, her father was a diligent entrepreneur, a loving parent to his children, and a devoted husband to his wife—an exceptional man. But, did her father have such a past?
For a moment, Bai Qianqian's eyes welled up, her lips trembling, unable to speak.
Bai Yuheng patted Bai Qianqian's shoulder.
He comforted her, "These are all old matters. There's no need to dwell on them too much."
"Hearing you say it now, it seems your father has finally found his way back on the right path."
Bai Qianqian's lips continued to tremble, but when she heard Bai Yuheng's next sentence, she could no longer hold back and burst into tears.
"When you go back this time, I'll have Secretary Han accompany you. Find an opportunity to invite your parents over. We are all family, and there is no insurmountable hurdle."
Bai Qianqian sobbed softly.
Bai Yuheng gently stroked her hair.
Unable to bear it any longer, Bai Qianqian threw herself into Bai Yuheng's arms.
"Uncle-cousin."
Bai Yuheng looked on with immense satisfaction.
Lu Fei also wore a beaming smile.
He was pleased to witness such a happy reunion.
With this matter settled, Lu Fei spent another pleasant evening.
The next day.
It was time to bid farewell to the Bai family.
Bai Yuheng personally escorted everyone to the entrance of the group's building and arranged for a luxurious bus to take them back.
During the farewell.
Bai Yuheng sighed, "Since Little Brother Lu has other matters to attend to, I won't keep you any longer. But you are always welcome here in the future; consider this your home."
Lu Fei did not stand on ceremony.
He smiled and said, "I certainly will."