152: Chapter 152 Family Banquet

The family banquet was held in the ballroom of a prestigious local hotel, which usually hosted weddings and large-scale business events.

The interior was decorated in the currently popular New Chinese low-key luxury style, with glittering crystal chandeliers and thick, soft carpets, making the environment quite grand.

Being able to book such a venue showed that the Chen family was well-established and had deep roots in the local area.

Chen Youhua, dressed in simple casual wear, arrived at the scene with his well-dressed parents.

He had made up his mind to just be a "tool" today; after eating and going through the motions, he would find an excuse to slip away in an hour or two at most.

As soon as they entered the ballroom, their family immediately became the center of attention.

His eldest uncle, the main organizer of the gathering, greeted them warmly and led them straight to the main table at the very front without a word.

Seated at the main table were the highest-ranking elders of the Chen family, all with gray hair and steady temperaments. Seeing Chen Youhua approach, they all cast looks of admiration, inquiry, or just polite smiles.

Chen Youhua felt out of place sitting there as a junior, but he couldn't refuse and had to sit down between his parents.

Before the food was served, the elders at the table exchanged pleasantries about family history and social dealings that he didn't understand.

Unable to join the conversation and too lazy to try, he lowered his head and pretended to focus on his phone. In reality, he was checking laboratory data synchronized by enlightenment, trying to detach himself from this noisy and unfamiliar atmosphere.

He had little impression of most of the relatives at the table.

Only a few families kept in touch regularly, while these uncles and aunts before him lived far away in other provinces or had even emigrated overseas. If not for his recent rise to fame, it would have been difficult for them to gather so completely.

While his mind was wandering, his eldest uncle walked over with a high school girl wearing a school uniform and a ponytail, looking somewhat nervous, and stopped in front of him.

"Youhua,"

His eldest uncle smiled and patted his shoulder, his voice loud and clear.

"Come, come, let me introduce you. Take a look, do you recognize her?"

Chen Youhua looked up, staring somewhat blankly at the unfamiliar young girl.

His eldest uncle gently pushed the girl hiding behind him forward.

"Look, this is the Cousin Youhua you've been talking about every day at home and insisting on meeting! Why have you turned into a little mute now that you've actually met him?"

Two red clouds instantly appeared on the girl's cheeks. She lowered her head shyly, twisting the corner of her clothes with her fingers, and quickly said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.

"Hello, Cousin..."

His eldest uncle then officially introduced her: "Youhua, this is my daughter, Chen Xinran. She studies at the No. 1 Municipal High School.

This girl is your number one fan. She was thrilled to death after finding out you're her cousin, crying and shouting that she wanted to see you. She's been excited for days since hearing you'd be here today.

She also has a brother, who is also your cousin, Chen Muxuan. He's currently pursuing his doctorate at Cambridge in the UK. He really couldn't make it back this time, but he specifically asked me to send his regards to you."

Only then did Chen Youhua realize she was his younger cousin.

Looking at the nervous and flustered little girl before him who had just met her idol, he couldn't help but find it interesting, and his sense of detachment faded slightly.

He put away his phone, softened his voice, and tried asking in a gentle tone.

"Hello, Xinran. What grade are you in? Is your schoolwork stressful? Did you choose liberal arts or sciences?"

Seeing her idol cousin take the initiative to talk to her with such an approachable tone, Chen Xinran's eyes lit up. She relaxed a bit and answered softly.

"Um... eleventh grade. I chose physics, chemistry, and biology—the science track."

Her voice was slightly louder than before, but still carried a young girl's shyness.

"Sciences are good. If you build a solid foundation, you'll have a wide range of choices in the future."

Having received her cousin's affirmation, Chen Xinran seemed to grow a bit bolder and spoke a little more.

"Mm-hmm! I want to be like you, Cousin, and do scientific research in the future!

I think... I think being able to discover the laws of the world and create things that others can't is really cool!"

Chen Youhua nodded and casually asked a few more questions about her studies and school life.

Gradually, Chen Xinran became less stiff and could communicate familiarly with Chen Youhua, her eyes filled with the light of admiration.

Finally, with her father's encouragement, she plucked up the courage, blushed, took out her phone, and added Chen Youhua on WeChat. Satisfied, she was led away by her father, unable to resist stealing a glance back at him after walking a few steps away.

Next, his eldest uncle clearly didn't intend to let Chen Youhua rest.

He enthusiastically pulled him toward the tables where the young people were gathered.

The atmosphere at the younger generation's tables had been somewhat subtly awkward.

Although they were relatives, they rarely contacted each other and couldn't even name one another. They could only lower their heads to play on their phones or engage in awkward small talk about the weather or school.

However, when Chen Youhua was introduced by his eldest uncle, this stagnant pool instantly boiled over.

"Wow! It's Brother Youhua!"

"It really is him! He's even more handsome than on TV!"

"Quick, quick, get your phones out!"

The young people swarmed around him instantly, their eyes eager. The previous stiffness vanished, replaced by the excitement of seeing a celebrity.

A tall boy wearing glasses squeezed through first and said excitedly.

"Brother Youhua! Can... can we take a photo together?

I told my classmates that you're my cousin, but they refused to believe me and even laughed at me for bragging!

I have to take a photo this time to make them die of envy!"

Another fashionably dressed girl also approached and asked with a grin.

"Brother Youhua, are you still at Z University? Is Z University really amazing?

I'm taking the college entrance exam next year and want to apply to Z University too. Then you'll be my actual senior! Can you give me some advice on preparing for the exam?"

A few even younger siblings also timidly surrounded him with their phones, wanting to get close but not daring to squeeze forward too much.

Chen Youhua was instantly surrounded by a group of enthusiastic younger cousins, signing autographs, taking photos, and answering various cute questions about university, majors, and even "how to be as smart as you."

He patiently tried his best to keep smiling and fulfilled their requests one by one, taking about ten minutes to escape from this sweet encirclement.

Finally returning to a relatively quiet corner, his eldest uncle handed him a glass of water, a satisfied smile on his face, and said in a low, earnest voice.

"Youhua, look, the younger generation of our Chen family is still very energetic!

You are the most successful in their generation. With your great achievements now, if you have the chance in the future, help these younger brothers and sisters out.

After all, we're family, connected by blood. That's much more reliable than those outsiders whose backgrounds you don't know. Don't you think that's true?"

Chen Youhua took the water glass, took a sip, and hid an imperceptible cold sneer at the corner of his mouth.

So, the hidden agenda finally reveals itself?

He remained calm on the surface, only giving a vague "mm" without agreeing or disagreeing.

He understood this rhetoric of binding interests under the banner of the family, but he did not agree with it.

To him, ability and character were far more important than blood relations.

Once all the dishes were served, the banquet officially began. His eldest uncle took the stage to give a speech, full of passion.

In his speech, every other sentence mentioned "our Chen family's pride, Youhua," "Youhua bringing glory to the country," and "the Chen family producing talented people," as if Chen Youhua's achievements were nurtured by him personally. This greatly satisfied his vanity and prestige among the relatives.

He had originally wanted Chen Youhua to say a few words on stage, but Chen Youhua firmly refused on the grounds that his "special status made it unsuitable for too many public appearances."

After the banquet ended, his eldest uncle clearly felt he hadn't had enough.

At dinner time, he pulled Chen Youhua's family and his own to another quiet restaurant private room, ostensibly to "gather as a family again and have a heart-to-heart."

In the private room, his eldest uncle and aunt chatted about domestic matters with Father and Mother Chen, but the topic always inadvertently circled back to Chen Youhua.

After various praises, his eldest uncle would skillfully bring up his own business scale and network in ZJ, hinting at the possibility of a powerful alliance.

This time, Chen Xinran was arranged to sit next to Chen Youhua.

She wasn't as shy as she had been at noon and took the initiative to talk to her cousin.

With her chin in her hands, her large eyes blinked, filled with pure curiosity and admiration.

"Cousin, how did you actually do it? Solving a world-class problem at such a young age.

Our physics teacher uses you as an example in class, saying you're a once-in-a-century genius.

Many of my classmates whose dream was to go to Tsinghua or Peking University have now switched to Z University, just because you're there!"

Chen Youhua felt some aversion to his eldest uncle's utilitarianism, but he had a good impression of this clear-eyed, inquisitive younger cousin.

He put down his chopsticks and answered patiently.

"I wouldn't say I'm a genius. Maybe it's just a habit; when I encounter a problem, I like to think a few steps further and ask 'why' behind it to completely understand the essence of the knowledge. By thinking more, I've built my own knowledge network architecture."

He paused, thinking of how his system provided prompts, and added.

"But that's just my habit. For you, it's more important at this stage to build a good foundation and first master existing knowledge and the use of tools.

It won't be too late to think deeply about those 'whys' when you reach university or even graduate school.

By then, you'll find that once you're proficient with the tools, many 'whys' will emerge on their own."

Chen Xinran listened very intently, nodding from time to time, fully engaged emotionally.

"Learn to use the tools first... then think about why... I think I understand a bit! Thanks, Cousin!"

And so, the two of them continued—one asking humbly and the other answering patiently.

It had been a long time since Chen Youhua had felt this way—purely discussing learning itself—and he found it much more pleasant than dealing with the hypocritical pleasantries at the banquet.