Chapter 69: Meeting the Bai relatives

Bai Tingyu and Wei Ranmiao, along with the three younger members of the Bai family, were waiting in the living room to welcome the head of the family and their long-unseen third brother when a convoy pulled up in front of the Bai family’s grand mansion.

The group walked toward the entrance.

Bai Jianning looked at the long line of cars.

One, two, three... There were five cars in total, two of them large vans.

"Why are there so many cars? I thought only Grandpa and third brother were coming."

Soon, they realized what the other cars were for.

Almost like a scene from a movie, several well-built men in black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces stepped out, surrounding the car at the center before respectfully opening its door.

Bai Jiancheng clicked his tongue. "Tsk. So high-profile."

One would think some important person had arrived. Just how paranoid was Grandpa to arrange such a large show of force?

Grandpa Bai and a young boy stepped out of the car and were greeted by everyone.

"Dad, Ah Feng, welcome back home," the husband and wife said with smiles.

"Grandpa, third brother, welcome home," the three siblings echoed.

"Thank you for the trouble, Uncle and Aunt. It’s been a while, big brother, second brother, and fourth sister. I’m happy to see you again," the boy said with a gentle smile.

As a former matriarch of a noble family, Lin Feng had grown accustomed to such social occasions.

Now that he was no longer as jumpy and anxious as before and had decided to settle down properly in this world, Lin Feng exuded a relaxed and gentle aura, graceful and accommodating.

The three Bai siblings secretly glanced at one another.

Although they had not interacted much with their highly introverted third brother, they still noticed that their cousin had clearly changed.

Before the scandal, Lin Feng had been like a flower blooming atop a distant mountain, cold and untouchable.

Now, he was like a lotus blooming gently upon a tranquil pond, its beautiful petals unfurling beneath the sunlight, radiating a quiet warmth that drew others closer.

They really couldn’t tell that he had just experienced several storms.

Lin Feng noticed their strange expressions but showed no reaction. Instead, he apologized to his uncle and aunt.

"I brought a lot of things. It might be a little too much," he said, a hint of embarrassment coloring his face.

Initially, neither Bai Tingyu nor Wei Ranmiao paid much attention to his words until they realized what the boy meant by too much.

"Did he buy an entire department store or something?" Bai Jiancheng muttered as the two large vans unloaded enormous quantities of clothing still hanging on racks.

The bodyguards, whom they finally discovered were not hired by their grandfather but actually belonged to the temporary guardian who had cared for Lin Feng in Bohai Town, carefully carried everything into the mansion, up the stairs, and finally into the large, spacious room with its equally large walk-in wardrobe.

"No wonder Dad gave such weird instructions," Bai Tingyu sighed.

Wei Ranmiao was speechless.

It wasn’t just the vast amount of clothing; there were also box after box of footwear. Then came numerous velvet boxes, which the bodyguards explained contained accessories. There were also boxes of hats, shawls, bags... There was simply too much.

It had only been a few months!

Wait, considering that the boy had spent most of that time in the mountains while being pursued, he had actually stayed in Bohai Town to recuperate for less than a month.

Even Wei Ranmiao, as a woman, felt that she fell far short of this level of extravagance.

"His uncle really dotes on him," Bai Tingyu sighed again.

"Feifei’s sworn brother?" Wei Ranmiao asked distractedly, busy instructing the servants.

Now that the former matriarch was gone, she had taken over many of the matriarchal duties, ensuring that the household affairs were handled smoothly.

"Yes."

"Just who is he? I thought he was someone from the countryside or an old man in retirement. But looking at all this, I don’t think he’s as simple as that."

Every piece was clearly expensive. Half of them didn’t even have recognizable brand names, obviously having been tailor-made for Lin Feng.

"Grandpa said not to tell anyone because the relationship was only verbal and had never been made official. The other party’s identity is also not simple."

Knowing her husband’s habit of keeping his mouth firmly shut whenever he was asked to keep a secret, Wei Ranmiao rolled her eyes and focused on the tasks at hand.

By the time all the mobilized household servants had finished arranging everything, it was almost dinner time.

Dinner was uneventful. Everyone was accommodating and displayed impeccable manners.

But Lin Feng still noticed a faint distance in the atmosphere compared to the much more relaxed atmosphere he remembered.

Pretending not to notice, Lin Feng sighed inwardly. He knew that the events of the past must have affected the rest of the Bai family terribly during his absence.

They must still harbor some grievances. Fortunately, everyone had received a good upbringing and had decent manners, so no one broke the unspoken barrier.

Lin Feng believed that, as time passed, this gap would heal.

Initially, Wei Ranmiao had thought she would need to take Lin Feng out to buy clothes and other necessities. Fortunately, there was no longer any need to do so and endure the uncomfortable stares of others.

After all, to pay off the debts incurred by President Lin’s incompetent management, the house where Lin Feng and his mother had once lived had been sold, along with all the other real estate properties not covered by Bai Yufei’s prenuptial agreement.

Patriarch Bai had already taken all his daughter’s belongings back to the Bai family’s mansion, where they were preserved in her old room. However, Lin Feng’s clothes and personal belongings had not been included and had been sold off as well.

The employees tasked with liquidating the Lin family’s assets worked efficiently, even securing decent prices for the secondhand items.

No one was willing to acquire the company because of its terrible reputation, substantial accumulated debts, and serious operational problems. In the end, the company was shut down.

Fortunately, the sale of the remaining assets generated enough money to compensate the former employees.

Having everything sold off, right down to the last pair of trousers, was a humiliating affair. Yet it also served as a testament to just how desperate the Lin family’s circumstances had once been.

However, perhaps the quick and efficient handling of the situation had helped repair the Lin family’s tattered reputation, as they had actually regained a little credibility in the eyes of investors and shareholders.

Now, although many people sighed over the Lin family’s misfortunes, they had also come to realize that the current head of the Lin family was an incredibly capable person, completely different from the scumbag Lin Dong.

Grandpa Bai told Lin Feng all this along the way.

Lin Feng thought about how he could make amends and finally came to a decision.