Bai Jinghuai laughed heartily as he led his friends to the banquet. The food and wine on the table were all his favorites, and the wine vessels had been meticulously prepared. He welcomed everyone to sit and, in his conversation, began reminiscing about the days of battle and glory on the battlefield.
Elsewhere, Bai Qingqing and Bai Yaoyao appeared before the other guests. The Bai family’s two daughters stood tall and graceful, their beauty innate and striking. As soon as they entered, all eyes were drawn to them.
Ning Zhao stood in a corner, inwardly holding his breath. He had thought the woman he saw earlier was the renowned eldest daughter of the Bai family, but it turned out she wasn’t. The real eldest daughter was indeed stunning—so beautiful, in fact, it made people afraid to look too long.
Still, he thought the second daughter of the Bai family was beautiful too, though in a sunnier, more vibrant way.
Ning Zhao stole a few more glances, thinking he could later boast about having seen true elegance. But then, to his surprise, his gaze met Bai Yaoyao’s.
Ning Zhao immediately felt he had been rude and quickly looked away, only to catch a glimpse of Bai Yaoyao tugging her sister toward him.
“My apologies for the rushed arrangements today—have we neglected you in any way?” Bai Yaoyao asked, taking a small step back.
Bai Qingqing, caught off guard but keeping a graceful smile, added, “Yaoyao is right. If there’s been any oversight, we beg your forgiveness, my lord.”
“No, no, not at all,” Ning Zhao stammered, stunned. Out of so many people, why had they come to him?
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Seeing this, Bai Yan also walked over, enthusiastically introducing them. “This is my younger sister, and this is Lord Ning.”
Bai Qingqing paused slightly—also surnamed Ning?
Bai Yaoyao looked up at the sky. Her elder brother was truly meddlesome. Did her sister and Lord Ning really need him to introduce them? She closed her eyes briefly, then stepped forward with a pleasant smile and gently tugged Bai Yan back.
“Brother, don’t you have other guests to attend to? My sister is enough here with Lord Ning—they already know each other.”
“Yaoyao, what are you talking about?”
Bai Qingqing looked at her, then at Ning Zhao. Clearly, Ning Zhao was just as clueless, even more so than her.
Bai Yaoyao turned to her and winked mysteriously. “It’s nothing, big brother wouldn’t say anything strange.”
The confusion spread to Bai Yan. “What am I supposed to say? Yaoyao, why do you speak so oddly that no one can understand?”
“Oh, it’s just that my sister and Lord Ning know each other, that’s all. It’s nothing. Lord Ning came to our house but didn’t get a chance to speak with my sister, so I was just…”
“But... I don’t know this Lord Ning.”
Bai Qingqing’s voice was soft, as if unsure, and she looked closely at Ning Zhao—she really didn’t recognize him.
Ning Zhao quickly explained, “This is the first time I’ve met Miss Bai today, but where did the mistake happen?”
Both he and Bai Qingqing wore expressions of genuine confusion, their eyes full of questions. Bai Yaoyao, who had been trying to set up her sister, was now stunned. “What... don’t know him? But, but…”
She was baffled. “Then, wasn’t it Lord Ning who peeled the nuts for my sister? The kindhearted one?”
“Yes, but it wasn’t this one.”
Bai Qingqing smiled faintly, now understanding. She reached out to put her arm around Yaoyao’s shoulder. “You must have confused him.”
Had she? Bai Yaoyao tilted her head in confusion. “But, isn’t he the Lord Ning who works with the Jin Yi Wei and is in contact with our family?”
Bai Yan and Ning Zhao exchanged glances. “That’s true, Lord Ning does have dealings with the Bai family, and in many ways, we depend on him.”
“Not at all, it’s just routine business. If there’s anything I can help the Bai family with, I wouldn’t hesitate.”