"I don't think so."

Chu Ruoxue shook her head: "I just can't think of what she could do with Chu Ruolin. Of course, I don't mean to underestimate Chu Ruolin. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone him. But he's been ignoring Chu Wei for a while now. Does he want to avenge Chu Wei later?"

Even if that's what they really think, their stance is no longer valid.

Should I tell everyone that I didn't care about my father before because I was powerless, and that revenge is a dish best served cold?

Would the Peng family lend him their influence?

So it depends on what kind of person Peng Meijie is, and what kind of thoughts and actions she might have.

After hearing Chu Ruoxue's question, Chu Linghuang hesitated to give an answer.

"You asked Peng Meijie, well, I might have to start from the beginning..." After drinking a pot of tea, Chu Linghuang actually began to tell a story.

"When I was young, there weren't any of the five major families in Yuzhou. Back then, the Wei family was the absolute big family. The Han family, the Zheng family, and our Chu family were all somewhat inferior to the Wei family, but still stronger than the other families. They were considered... smaller families."

"The Peng family is actually in a rather awkward position, neither too big nor too small. But people are naturally ambitious, and the Peng family also wants to join a larger family. So, whenever there are gatherings or banquets among the upper class, the Peng family will try their best to participate, hoping to build good relationships with everyone and, incidentally, boost the development of the Peng family, so that they can qualify as a major family."

Chu Ruoxue listened and nodded repeatedly, which was of course perfectly reasonable.

"By the way, his family's situation is somewhat similar to our Chu family's current situation. Neither of them has a particularly outstanding leader; they only have Peng Meijie as their sole representative..."

At this point, Chu Linghuang paused, seemingly trying to find a suitable word.

But after thinking it over, he finally only said, "This is not simple!"

“I’ve practically watched Peng Meijie grow up. Back then, it was perfectly normal for her to bring her children and wife to gatherings. Sometimes we’d even have games or something. I remember very clearly that I noticed Peng Meijie around that time…”

Chu Linghuang's thoughts drifted further and further away.

He turned his head, looked at the dark sky outside, and spoke in a distant voice.

"The weather back then was similar to today, except the rain wasn't as heavy."

As Chu Linghuang narrated, accompanied by the sound of rain outside—Chu Ruoxue wondered if it was just her imagination, but the sound of the rain seemed to have subsided considerably.

The scene before her eyes changed, and a picture slowly emerged: men and women dressed in clothes from the 1960s and 70s, clinking glasses and gathering in an old hotel, talking in twos and threes.

The adults all had polite smiles on their faces, and the children played in a measured and orderly manner.

It was a banquet scene from several decades ago.

After learning about it, Chu Ruoxue told Qin Yiheng about it.

It was already the second day, but the rain was still falling, though this time it had really lessened, just like it had years ago.

Chu Ruoxue slowly recounted the story in Qin Yiheng's villa...

Almost sixty years ago.

As the only large family in Yuzhou, the Wei family naturally had the responsibility to unite all families and develop together. Therefore, the head of the Wei family at that time often held banquets to connect with everyone.

Of course, he also had his own selfish motives. He wanted everyone to see how powerful the Wei family was now, and seeing others' envy of him would naturally make him feel very good.

None of these are important, so let's leave them aside for now.

During that gathering, many children attended. Wei Liguo, the head of the Wei family, wanted his son to demonstrate his talents, so he suggested a puzzle game for the children.

For adults, they generally already know the answers, so it's not challenging at all.

However, for children, whether it's a brain teaser or a real detective puzzle, it's quite challenging. This can also indirectly test the level of each family's children.

Faced with this suggestion, everyone below discussed it animatedly.

"Isn't it all just to show off how smart and capable his own son is?"

"Yes, at every gathering, they're always suggesting this game or that game... But I have to admit, the two young masters of the Wei family are quite outstanding."

"I wonder if anyone can beat them this time."

"Come on, even if you could beat him, would you really let your child win?"

Everyone knew what Wei Liguo was planning, but no one dared to say "no," and there was no need to say "no."

If one's own child performs well, it brings pride to oneself, which is naturally a good thing. Even if the child loses to the Wei family, that's normal.

It's just about satisfying each other's vanity.

Since they want to show off, then let them show off. As long as we keep the Wei family happy, our own family will have an easier time in the future. It's not a big deal.

But no one expected that what happened that time would turn out to be an accident—or perhaps not an accident at all.

To demonstrate the fairness, impartiality, and transparency of the game, no questions were prepared in advance; instead, questions were created on the spot by people of high status present.

Adults are knowledgeable and experienced, so it's not difficult for them to stump children.

Moreover, in order to help Wei Liguo showcase his two sons' intelligence, each person who set the questions tried to make them as difficult as possible, and some of the answers were even unknown to the adults.

After the question is posed, the children are free to think about it on their own. They are not allowed to discuss it with each other. Whoever speaks the fastest and most accurately is naturally the most correct and the best.

The Wei family had two young masters at the time. The eldest, Wei Zihao, was twelve years old, and the second, Wei Zixin, was ten years old. Their looks and temperament were naturally outstanding, and they were also quite excellent in other aspects. It was clear that being sought after was common for them, and they were used to it. Naturally, they all participated, and they were the main characters.

Others, like the Han family, only had one son, Han Mingyuan, at the time. Fortunately, he was smart enough that he wouldn't embarrass Han Qiang by participating.

The Zheng family has an eight-year-old daughter, and their youngest son is still in their arms, learning to speak, so they really can't participate.

The Chu family was excluded from the competition because Chu Linghuang had only recently married and had not yet had a child. As a small family, those who were not from the main family, such as Chu Wei, would not be allowed to play with the other young masters of the main family, as it would be against their status and the rules.

The Peng family had a son and a daughter at the time. The eldest son, Peng Ke, was also ten years old, and the daughter, Peng Meijie, was only six years old at the time.