Old Man Mo’s eyes went straight whenever he saw a beautiful woman on TV, turning into mere slits, gradually revealing a sleaziness. Ye Tian shivered involuntarily, thinking about how many innocent women this old geezer must have harmed when he was young.
He waited until the show ended before Old Man Mo, reluctantly and unwillingly, picked up the remote. After flipping through a few channels, which were just reruns that he had already seen, he finally set the remote down with resignation. As he turned around and saw Ye Tian staring at him impatiently, he gave an embarrassed smile, "Look at my memory, please, go ahead, don’t be shy."
Old Man Mo generously handed over the remote control, signaling Ye Tian could change the channel at will.
Mo Yan snatched it uncompromisingly, throwing the remote onto the bed, "Okay, better make things clear with him quickly, or there’ll be trouble."
Old Man Mo wasn’t in a hurry. He closed his eyes to rest for a few minutes before slowly saying, "You’re going to die sooner or later, no one can help you."
Sooner or later you are going to die. These were not comforting words. But Ye Tian wasn’t angered; he knew his own fate better than anyone, without needing someone else to tell him.
"Well, knowing is good."
Old Man Mo closed his eyes again.
Holy crap! Is that it?!
"Cough cough, I checked your file, but it wasn’t there. Not on the internal affairs network or even the secret network, still nothing."
Ye Tian felt annoyed, which meant they didn’t know what had happened to him.
Old Man Mo opened his eyes slightly to glance at him, "Don’t overthink it. There are only a few who can make their files appear on the secret network, either directly under the Prime Minister or personally managed by some minister. You can easily find out who they are. And besides, if it were found, then fine, but if it isn’t there, it means you have been erased."
Ye Tian clenched his fists tightly.
"Those who have been erased should not be alive in this world. But here you are, alive and well, isn’t it obvious," Old Man Mo said disdainfully.
True, at his age, nothing could probably surprise him.
"So why did you call me here?"
"To use you as a pawn, what else did you think?"
"You sure are forthright."
Ye Tian could have guessed that answer; whether to be used as a pawn or to sell his life, it had already been destined to fall on his shoulders. But before Tang Su recovered, his life had to be preserved.
"What do you need me to do? Tell me so I can prepare."
Old Man Mo waved his hand, "No rush, just lie low here for now. Once I figure things out, I’ll naturally tell you. Your life is valuable; without you, we really couldn’t succeed."
Mo Yan was taken aback, there was meaning in those words.
Having heard enough, Ye Tian didn’t press any further. Being anxious was futile. After a thought, he asked a question that had been on his mind, though Old Man Mo might not know the answer, "I had someone try to kill me once, but I fought back and nobody has come after me since then. Do you know why?"
Old Man Mo was quite straightforward, knowing everything and not withholding, "I don’t know, but I can share what I think."
"Your identity is sensitive, you were meant to die but survived. Normally, you would be pursued to the ends of the earth to be dealt with. It’s standard to eliminate problems completely to prevent further complications. But there are exceptions, maybe the circumstances changed. Perhaps there’s still use for you."
Ye Tian shook his head, "If I were still of use, they would have contacted me."
Old Man Mo nodded, "Yes, that makes sense. Another possibility is that they have something more important to deal with. You’ve been stable and not causing trouble, so they might just let you be for now. But when the time comes, they might try again. I’m thirsty, girl, get me a glass of water. Girl?"
"Oh." Mo Yan got up to get some water.
Old Man Mo looked at Ye Tian, and Ye Tian returned the gaze, holding eye contact for several seconds.
"Do you believe what I just said?"
Ye Tian shook his head, "No, not at all."
Old Man Mo, not rushing to defend himself, said, "The upper echelons’ games affect many aspects, you may not weigh much in my plans, but you still hold value."
"So, I won’t be seeing Tang Su?"
"Not for now. But I can assure her safety."
"Why should I trust you!" Ye Tian raised an eyebrow, looking fierce.
"You have no choice."
"Neither do you," Ye Tian scoffed coldly. "I am a ’dead’ man, and with no records of my existence, I am essentially a non-entity. To boldly say, there are not many who can match my skills; where else could you find such a handy weapon? If your plans succeed, perfect; if they fall apart, this weapon has no ties to you. Any rivals digging for dirt will likely expose themselves, so they’ll probably suffer in silence. If I’m not wrong, the so-called ’upper echelon games’ you mentioned are actually traps you set for others, right? Only by having yourself tied up can others possibly strike. Old man, you do play a good game."
The snow outside had turned into large flakes, swirling like big chunks of cotton. Beiping rarely saw such heavy snow, all the homes, streets, courtyard walls, bare tree limbs, and firewood... everything was blanketed in pure white.
Old Man Mo looked out at the heavy snow through the window, murmuring, "Such heavy snow, quite the bustle."
Mo Yan handed a cup to Old Man Mo and also poured one for Ye Tian, holding a can of hot LuLu for herself.
Ye Tian was not in the mood for water. After saying so much, it was mostly his guesswork, just to see Old Man Mo’s reaction. The old man spoke sincerely, but who knew what he truly thought. Ye Tian had to be wary. He couldn’t just take his word. In the political game, everyone wore masks, offering food with one hand while preparing to stab you in the back with the other. This was no new tactic, and the people who played it always seemed so utterly sincere.
"Okay, you rest now. I’ve asked about everything I needed to."
Ye Tian stood to leave, and Old Man Mo looked at him asking, "Where are you staying now?"
"A hotel. She arranged it."
"Then move over here. I know there are a few vacant houses nearby. They may not be as comfortable as a hotel, but they are safe nonetheless."