Volume 1 Chapter 11: Controlling the Chessboard as an Unworthy Pawn

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  This meal was very enjoyable and can be said to have ended on a high note.

  At the dinner table, Peng Yuanzheng and Jiao Nianbo were getting along famously with these teammates. With his decades of life experience and rich inner world, it was easy for him to intentionally get along well with these young and vigorous college students.

  Feng Qianru, on the other hand, spoke very little and wore a reserved smile, basically not participating in the conversations and laughter with others. She had always been relatively reserved and introverted, plus her noble birth, so everyone else also thought it was normal.

  It was just that Peng Yuanzheng clearly felt that Feng Qianru had been sizing him up with an extremely complex gaze all along, and his eyes flickered with a thread of unknown strange light.

  Peng Yuanzheng's eyes swept over Feng Qianru's beautiful face, but his heart was gradually becoming more and more determined.

  As for his father's life, he has a relatively strong grasp. And this dragon-patterned jade pendant is definitely familiar to the Feng family, and Feng Qianru cannot fail to recognize this jade pendant. In fact, Feng Qianru's performance has already proven this point.

  So Peng Yuanzheng was certain that Feng Qianru had gone to the restroom for a reason, and undoubtedly made a phone call home to report.

  If Feng's family attaches importance to it, there will be a next step of "action", which means that Old Man Feng's heart for finding relatives has always been relatively strong, and his chances of successful recognition will be very high; on the contrary, it means the opposite result.

  Peng Yuanzheng found that Feng Qianru kept glancing at her watch, and a hint of anxiety and unease inadvertently flashed between her eyebrows. He was moved in his heart, so he pretended to be drunk and stood up to bid farewell to everyone.

  "Coach Peng, why are you leaving so soon? Sit down for a bit." Feng Qianru saw that Peng Yuanzheng was about to leave and couldn't help but feel anxious, getting up to persuade him while also giving Jiao Nianbo a signal.

  Jiao Nianbo immediately grabbed Peng Yuanzheng's arm and chuckled, "Peng, no way, you can't leave, I still don't know your drinking capacity? This little bit of wine is nothing! No way, we have to keep drinking, no getting drunk means no leaving!"

  "Yes, keep drinking, can't leave, Coach Peng!" The other team members also followed suit.

  Peng Yuanzheng smiled dazedly and waved his hand, "No more, can't drink anymore. I have something to do this afternoon, so I'll leave first. Thank you for your hospitality, tomorrow... tomorrow I will return the favor."

  As he spoke, Peng Yuanzheng seemed to be swaying from the wine, but actually very cleverly and nimbly dodged Jiao Nianbo's grasp, before anyone could react, he strode towards the door of the private room, then pushed it open and walked out.

  Feng Qianru lightly stamped her foot and chased after him.

  Before she could chase after him, Peng Yuanzheng had already disappeared from sight.

  Feng Qianru lightly pursed her lips and furrowed her pretty eyebrows, but instead of returning to the package room, she went straight to the hotel lobby.

  Before long, a middle-aged man wearing black sunglasses and a white dress shirt with his hair slicked back and his waist straight walked in big strides. Feng Qianru immediately went up to greet him. The two stood facing each other, speaking in hushed tones.

  At the corner of the hotel's staircase and lobby, Peng Yuanzheng stood quietly, gazing at the two people, his mind racing.

  The middle-aged man was dressed in simple and solemn attire, but his demeanor was extraordinary. Judging from Feng Qianru's behavior, it can be basically determined that he is her elder. The two stood in the hall and exchanged a few words before the middle-aged man hurried away.

  Peng Yuanzheng looked through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hall and saw that he had gotten into a military-licensed, olive-green off-road jeep. He guessed that this person was his second uncle, Feng Bolin, the commander of a certain field army, who was about to be promoted to major general and transferred to serve as the chief of staff of a certain group army headquarters.

  Peng Yuanzheng let out a long sigh.

  Feng Bolin personally came over, showing the Feng family's high attention to this matter.

  But Peng Yuanzheng did not want to meet the elder of the Feng family so hastily, because he deeply knew that this kind of high-ranking family had a strict gate, and its hidden sharpness and waves were far beyond ordinary people's imagination.

  He had to be cautious and more cautious, because there were some uncertain factors in between, and even a certain risk might exist.

  This recognition, for him, is an opportunity to change his fate, a challenge, and a game of chess. He must slowly and with all his might control the chessboard in his own hands, steadily promote the progress of the game, while avoiding being used as a pawn by others and unable to resist.

  The dragon and phoenix jade pendant was exposed, causing a stir in the Feng family was inevitable.

  Peng Yuanzheng understood in his heart that perhaps this afternoon, the Feng family would use their powerful connections and background to investigate his origins. Although there was only simple information such as "Peng Yuanzheng" and "Beijing University Chinese Department 91 graduate", it wouldn't be difficult for the Feng family to clarify Peng's identity with their capabilities.

  Peng Yuanzheng is not afraid of being investigated, he's just worried that the Feng family won't investigate, and remain indifferent.

  As long as the Feng family is willing to investigate, they will definitely find that Peng Yuzheng's father, Peng Yuqiang, has a unique background. His parents are adoptive parents. Following the trail, the Feng family will also discover that Peng Yuqiang's adoptive parents were outsiders who fled from Jiangnan to Jiangbei before the founding of the country and settled here.

  Peng Yuanzheng went to the village to find the village branch secretary to get a certificate before entering Beijing, which was nothing but a preparation for the secret investigation of the Feng family.

  All sorts of information put together, even if he hadn't actually seen the dragon and phoenix jade pendant and Old Master Feng's handwritten letter of recognition, would be enough to truly shock Old Master Feng who lived in the imperial palace.

  On the other hand, Old Man Feng will be eager to see Peng Yuanzheng and verify whether the dragon-patterned jade pendant in his hands is genuine or fake, and where it came from.

  So Peng Yuanzheng had to give the Feng family time to investigate. Now was not yet the best moment for him to make his move.

  That afternoon, Peng Yuanzheng found a photo studio and took pictures of the dragon-patterned jade pendant and Feng Lao's handwriting. He wouldn't hand over these evidences until he was sure enough. This was not only being cautious but also self-protection.

  The next day, Peng Yuanzheng did not go to Jinghua University, but went to the library of Jinghua University and read books for a whole day.

  Feng Qianru brought the members of the Beijing University Tai Chi performance team to the stadium early in the morning, waited for a whole morning, but didn't see Coach Peng, felt annoyed and uneasy, and didn't have the heart to practice anymore, so she went home directly.

  As expected, in just a short period of time yesterday afternoon and this morning, the Feng family had remotely investigated and clarified the details of Peng Yanzheng and his family. The clues at hand indicated that Peng Yuqiang was very likely to be Old Man Feng's long-lost son, and if so, then Peng Yanzheng who suddenly appeared in Feng Qianru's line of sight would naturally be a member of the Feng family bloodline, a third-generation male heir.

  Feng Qianru's father, Feng Botao, did not dare to be slow and immediately entered the big red gate to report to Old Master Feng.

  Feng Lao was overjoyed. The son who had been separated from him for many years had become a knot in his heart, and the older he got, the deeper the guilt in his heart became. But after searching for decades with no news, now suddenly there was a clue, how could he not be happy?

  As Feng Lao's identity and status of the Feng family, he certainly wouldn't be as eager to show off like ordinary old men.

  Feng Lao nodded after a long moment of contemplation, his expression calm and collected. "Bertao, go verify the Peng family's situation again, make sure to get to the bottom of it. At the same time, find that child as soon as possible, if necessary, meet with him in person, take a look at the jade pendant in his hand, and ask if he has any other evidence."

  "Alright, Dad, I'll go and do it. But I always feel that something is off, could it be that someone..." Feng Bogao accompanied with a smile, carefully observing Old Man Feng's expression, lightly probing as he spoke.

  Although he holds a high position and great power, as the first deputy director of the State Planning Commission who actually holds the power, and is also a high-ranking ministerial official, but in front of his father, who is a national hero and a core member of the central government, he is extremely respectful and does not dare to be even slightly slow.

  Because Feng Lao is not only his father and the master of the Feng family, but also one of the few people who control the fate of this vast country.

  Of course, for the older generation of Feng Lao, even as a child, Feng Bo Tao's heart is also filled with reverence. If it weren't for the bloody struggles of the old generation like Feng Lao, there wouldn't be today's Republic.

  A cold glint flashed in Old Feng's eyes, and he smiled calmly with a raised eyebrow. "It can't be ruled out that there's such a possibility. That's why I want you to investigate and get to the bottom of it."

  "Yes, Dad, you rest first, I'll go check now."

  Feng Botao nodded and turned around to leave Feng Lao's study.

  Feng Botao had just reached the door of the study when he suddenly heard the old man inside let out a soft sigh, "Of course, and don't scare that child either... Alright, go, go."

  Feng Botao was taken aback, turned his head and saw the old man's stern face with a faintly visible fatigue and sorrow, his heart trembled, and he turned away.