Chapter 829: Unexpected Encounter

“My father? Why are you bringing up my father here?”

Although his voice was gruff, a slight tremor betrayed his unease.

“Well… What if I told you I knew who your father was?”

“……”

I had completely forgotten about Ye Xiaotong’s existence.

When Woo Young-shik mentioned she was his daughter I briefly looked into her, but afterward, I erased her from my memory, thinking we’d have no reason to cross paths.

But in an unexpected place, in an unexpected way, she approached me first.

I had no intention of being dragged around by her, she clearly had an agenda.

As China’s top lobbyist, she was known for her eloquent way of speaking, skillfully steering conversations to get what she wanted.

That’s why I planned to start by throwing her off balance with the mention of her biological father.

“If you’re curious, I’ll tell you.”

She kept studying my face, perhaps trying to discern my true intentions.

I simply showed her a relaxed smile, making no other particular gesture.

“…I don’t have a father.”

“Is that so? I was under the impression you’d gone to great lengths to find out who he was. I heard you asked your grandfather and even your mother, but no one would tell you.”

Her eyes wavered. She seemed unsure of how much I knew.

“I’ll ask one last time. If you’re not curious, I won’t mention it again.”

“……”

Ye Xiaotong took her mother’s family name.

One of China’s ten founding marshals, Ye Jianying, was her maternal great-grandfather, and his eldest son, Ye Xianping, was her grandfather.

Instead of entering politics or business, she used her family connections to become a professional lobbyist, and she was increasing her influence by coordinating between them.

‘There’s no way she’s not curious.’

Ye Xiaotong bit her lip tightly.

Even now, with her increased reputation, she couldn’t uncover the identity of her biological father, and the fact that I knew seemed to baffle her.

Soon, she slowly opened her mouth.

“How do you know about my biological father?”

“I happened to find out. And that person knows you’re his daughter. No, it’s more than just knowing, he betrayed his country for you.”

Ye Xiaotong’s eyes shook. She showed blatant signs of being flustered for the first time.

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“Before that, I have a question. Are you truly curious about who your father is? I need to know before I can tell you.”

Originally, I had considered approaching Ye Xiaotong to use her.

But after hearing Woo Young-shik’s plea to not use his daughter, I reluctantly gave up my interest in Ye Xiaotong.

However if the daughter approached me first, that was a different story.

“…Tell me.”

She took the bait. How could she not be curious after hearing that her biological father betrayed his country for her?

I nodded in satisfaction at her choice and revealed Woo Young-shik’s existence to her.

“Your father is a Korean politician.”

Whether this would be to my advantage or not was unclear, but I decided to take a gamble.

“Your grandfather knows this too. No, it’s not just knowing, he used you to make him betray his country.”

“What? My grandfather did that?”

“Yes. Because of that, he had to give up all his power and retire from politics. Despite his long career, he now has no power at all.”

“…Please tell me more.”

I explained how Woo Young-shik had fallen from grace.

“My grandfather really did that?”

“Yes. Senior Secretary Woo Young-shik did his best for you. He took full responsibility and stepped down. Because he’s the President’s friend, he didn’t face any legal consequences, but it must have been a great humiliation for him.”

“If that’s true…”

Her hands trembled visibly.

What would she be thinking after hearing that the father who abandoned her lost everything he had built up for her sake?

I couldn’t even begin to guess.

“Whether you meet Senior Secretary Woo Young-shik or pretend to know nothing is up to you, Ye Xiaotong. He didn’t want this to be known until the end.”

“Why! Why would he do that!”

Ye Xiaotong cried out, her face contorted. For the first time, she showed raw, unfiltered emotion.

“He never came to find me!”

“When you were born, Korea and China were enemies. Even after establishing diplomatic relations, he thought his existence could be a weakness for you. That’s what parents do.”

As I spoke calmly, Ye Xiaotong covered her face.

I waited for a while as she composed herself.

“This was my gift to you, Ye Xiaotong. Now, let’s get to the point. Why did you want to meet me?”

“Just a moment. I need to gather my thoughts.”

Ye Xiaotong said in a subdued voice.

But I didn’t want her to regain her composure after she had gained some time.

“As you know, I’m a busy man. I don’t have time. I have to meet Bo Xilai in a few hours.”

“…You’re cruel.”

She said after a sigh.

“Do you know Xi Jinping, Boss Kim Mu-hyeok?”

This was unexpected.

In my past life, she grew even more after Xi Jinping took power.

Because of that, there were rumors she was Xi Jinping’s mistress, but this question made me reconsider.

Perhaps she helped him become General Secretary from behind the scenes.

“I know him.”

“I heard Xi Jinping was originally chosen to be the Party Secretary of Shanghai. But I heard you said he absolutely couldn’t be. Thanks to that, it was changed to Bo Xilai.”

Fewer than ten people knew the inside story of Shanghai’s Party Secretary appointment.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by her connections once again.

“I’m impressed. You know all of that.”

“Why? Why did you oppose Xi Jinping?”

“Why should I tell you that? We’re not that close, are we? If you’re mistaken just because I told you about your father, you’ve misjudged me.”

I spoke coldly, and she looked at me silently before opening her mouth.

“Bo Xilai can never become General Secretary. He has far too many weaknesses. I don’t think it’s a good choice for you to take sides, Boss Kim.”

“Not a good choice?”

“Yes. It’s true that Bo Xilai is one step ahead now that he’s become Shanghai’s Party Secretary. However, Xi Jinping has good relationships with all factions of the Communist Party. If Bo Xilai makes even one mistake, Xi Jinping will become the next General Secretary.”

Her words were not speculation but close to certainty.

I looked at her with interest and smiled.

“Our thoughts differ. I think Xi Jinping’s weaknesses are greater than Bo Xilai’s.”

Ye Xiaotong smiled.

“I know you have a hold on Xi Jinping’s weakness. I also know you used it to make Bo Xilai the Party Secretary of Shanghai.”

Who is it? Who told Ye Xiaotong the whole story of this incident?

Unless someone intentionally gave her this information, there was no way she could know such details.

“But a weakness that’s been used once is no longer a weakness.”

“That’s where we agree. But do you really think the weakness I have on Xi Jinping is just that one?”

I raised the corner of my mouth and looked at her, and Ye Xiaotong swallowed hard.

“I don’t think a man like Xi Jinping should become China’s leader. That’s for my sake, but also for China’s.”

“Why… Why do you hate him so much? You and Xi Jinping shouldn’t have any connection at all.”

“Well. From what I’ve seen, Xi Jinping is a power-hungry man. He may be hiding his true intentions now, but if he gains power, I guarantee China will return to the era decades ago when Mao Zedong held sole power.”

“…He’s not that bad of a person.”

Ye Xiaotong’s feeble response made me chuckle.

“Do you think you’re blinded by love because you’re Xi Jinping’s mistress?”

“……”

“As much as you know about me, I know a lot about you too. I had no intention of leaving you alone. But you approached me first, using my sister.”

Ye Xiaotong tried to say something, but I raised my hand to stop her.

“Don’t say no. What I hate most is lying. If you try to deceive me with lies, you’ll make an enemy of me.”

“……”

“What’s the reason? There must have been other ways, why did you use my sister?”

Looking at her with শীতল eyes, Ye Xiaotong’s face turned pale.

She seemed to know what kind of person I was, so she must know she had to answer well.

“As you know, I don’t tolerate anyone using my family. Especially using them as bait to lure me. I’ll ask one last time. Why did you do it?”

I was giving her a chance now.

If I joined hands with her in China, I could move the political and business worlds more easily than doing it myself.

“…It’s true I met Ji-young to approach you. But that wasn’t the case afterward. As I met her, I realized she was a perfect match for me. Since then, I’ve looked at her not as your sister, but as herself. This is sincere.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“Would your sister be so naive about the world? Have I ever mentioned your name to her even once? Ask her. I’ve never asked about you, Boss Kim.”

I already knew that from Cheon Ji-young.

“I did invite her to the party hoping to meet you, Boss Kim. But my desire to see Ji-young was greater.”

When I didn’t respond, she added.

“I won’t ask you to trust me. But if I wanted to use Ji-young to get to you, I wouldn’t have invited her without letting you know. You know how big a difference there is between a chance encounter and already knowing each other, Boss Kim.”

That was what I found strange.

If I had left the party early or not attended at all, I wouldn’t have met Ji-young.

And I wouldn’t have met Ye Xiaotong either.

Was it really a coincidence? Doubts lingered, but I didn’t need to press her further.

“I don’t fully understand, but I’ll trust you for now.”

Ye Xiaotong visibly sighed in relief.

I had successfully taken complete control of the conversation’s flow.

“I have no intention of becoming enemies with you, Boss Kim.”

“Well, I don’t mind.”

“Today, that resolution has deepened. I’ve also gained certainty about you.”

Who’s evaluating whom? I raised an eyebrow and spoke coldly.

“Well. Let me tell you one thing. I have no intention of supporting Xi Jinping. If you, Ye Xiaotong, continue to support him, we can never have a good relationship.”

“…Please tell me a proper reason.”

“Didn’t I already tell you? To me and to China, a politician like Xi Jinping is a cancerous tumor.”

I spoke firmly, and Ye Xiaotong muttered in a daze.

“What on earth makes you think that…”

“Let’s just say I saw the future.”

“How can you say such nonsense without even changing your expression?”

Ye Xiaotong narrowed her brows, speaking in an exasperated tone.

“Anyway, there’s nothing more to say about Xi Jinping. I can manage Bo Xilai’s risks. Most of it is already taken care of, and I’ll deal with any new issues as they arise.”

“So you’re not going to change your mind?”

“No. I won’t change it no matter what you say. No matter what you promise me. I will never trust him.”

Ye Xiaotong couldn’t understand, but there was nothing she could do.

“If there’s nothing more to discuss, let’s wrap it up for today.”

She seemed to have given up on persuading me, nodding in agreement.

“Alright. Let’s meet again and talk. Next time, I’ll come to Korea.”

Her mention of coming to Korea made me pause as I was about to stand up.

“Are you planning to meet your biological father?”

“I should. Before that, I need to ask my grandfather and mother. I need to find out what they did to my biological father using me.”

She didn’t seem to believe all of my words.

Well, the sudden existence of her biological father must be quite a shock.

“Alright. Then let’s meet in Korea.”

I stood up and extended my hand to Ye Xiaotong.

Ye Xiaotong also stood up and took my hand.

“I hope we can become closer next time.”

“That depends on your choices, Ye Xiaotong.”

I gave her a faint smile, a subtle curve playing on my lips.