Fortunately, you are well.

In the car by the entrance.

As soon as Lin Mo got into the car, Long Tianqi couldn’t help but ask.

“Do you know Qin Suishou?”

“No, but he’s probably one of the inner circle’s offspring. He didn’t seem too happy about me destroying the Chai family.”

Long Tianqi had seen Lin Mo pat Qin Suishou on the shoulder from a distance earlier.

But she hadn’t noticed anything unusual about it.

“They all have their quirks, but at least they haven’t made the wrong choices when it comes to the greater good.”

Long Tianqi defended Qin Suishou with one sentence.

“They haven’t made the wrong choices yet, that’s all. Which means he’s neutral—neither merit nor fault.”

Lin Mo stared out the window at Qin Suishou and Dongfang Shuye, murmuring, “Or maybe his merits and faults just cancel each other out.”

Long Tianqi said nothing. She knew that in front of Lin Mo—who had been acknowledged by the Ancestral Dragon—the line between merit and fault was crystal clear.

Still, she didn’t blindly believe everything Lin Mo said. Just because he declared something right or wrong didn’t mean he was always correct.

Long Tianqi kept her reservations. The man Lin Mo remained an enigma to her.

So she drove on, heading toward Taiye Lake.

Taiye Lake.

This was the heart of all of China, the nerve center of national power. Countless decisions originated here, shaping the lives of over a billion people.

Lin Mo’s spiritual sense swept across the area and clearly detected sentries every five steps and watchtowers every ten.

The visible guards were only the tip of the iceberg. Under his spiritual perception, the hidden auras lurking in the shadows revealed the true level of security here.

There were assassin-type ability users stalking through the darkness, sentry-type ability users covering specific zones with their mental power, and even several defensive-type ability users whose auras were as thick as mountains, encircling the most important courtyards in an impenetrable formation.

It was, without a doubt, an extravagant lineup.

Yet Long Tianqi’s car—a perfectly ordinary vehicle with standard license plates—glided smoothly along the ancient palace roads as if it were driving through her own living room, ignoring every checkpoint.

“Your position as Director is carrying quite a bit of weight, huh? Just your face gets you through?” Lin Mo leaned back in his seat, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

He genuinely felt a sense of novelty toward this place, which he had only ever heard about.

After all, as a kid, he’d watched movies like Taiye Lake Bodyguards, and the mere mention of “Taiye Lake” had always stirred his curiosity.

Of course, Lin Mo’s spiritual sense had already scanned the area. What his mind’s eye saw and what his physical eyes saw offered two very different perspectives.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of an inconspicuous courtyard gate.

Long Tianqi killed the engine but didn’t get out. Instead, she turned her head to look at Lin Mo.

“We’re here. Go on down. I’ll drop you off here but won’t go inside.”

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow and shot her a sly glance, the corners of his mouth curling into a playful smirk. “What, afraid that if things actually get physical and you can’t stop me, you won’t have a good excuse?”

Long Tianqi was momentarily choked by his words, then shook her head with a mix of exasperation and amusement.

Lin Mo didn’t wait for her response. He opened the door and stepped out.

The moment the car door closed, a wave of solemn, imposing dignity washed over him—utterly different from the world outside.

Two guards stood erect by the entrance. Their eyes lacked focus, like two silent human statues.

But Lin Mo could feel that every fiber of their being was locked onto him.

Two more ability users.

To be honest, Lin Mo was a little nervous.

After all, in his previous life, the Leader had been a formidable figure with an iron will.

Under him, all of China had entered an era of hyper-speed development.

And that only made Lin Mo feel a bit at a loss.

“Pfft!”

The car window rolled down, and Long Tianqi, watching Lin Mo’s rare and flustered expression, burst out laughing without restraint, slapping the steering wheel in delight.

“I didn’t think you could get nervous too.”

Lin Mo’s face flushed with embarrassment. He turned back and shot her a glare, stubbornly retorting, “Come on, I’m just an ordinary citizen. It’s my first time visiting the Leader’s home. Do you understand what ‘human nature’ means?”

With that, ignoring Long Tianqi’s laughter, he took a deep breath and stepped across the vermilion threshold.

Inside the gate, nothing was particularly extraordinary.

It was an elegant siheyuan—a traditional courtyard—with gray bricks paving the ground, a few bamboo stalks gracing the corners, and an old, leafy tree standing in the middle of the yard.

Beneath the tree stood a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit. Seeing Lin Mo enter, he immediately walked over, a perfectly measured smile on his face.

His steps were neither fast nor slow, each one steady and composed.

“Lin… classmate? Is it all right if I address you this way?”

The form of address was unusual—neither too formal nor too casual, maintaining a certain distance while seeming friendly.

“Sure. I am still a student, after all.” To Lin Mo, what he was called didn’t matter. It was just a form of address.

But he knew that the question itself was a form of observation and testing.

The middle-aged man seemed to relax slightly, his smile growing a touch warmer. “Please make yourself comfortable. The Leader is handling some urgent diplomatic matters and will need a few minutes. Let me prepare some tea and refreshments for you first.”

“No need to go to any trouble. I’ll just sit here.”

With that, Lin Mo made himself right at home, settling onto the stone bench in the courtyard and studying the old tree with casual interest.

This man was probably some kind of secretary. Lin Mo had never seen him before, not in newspapers or on television.

He must be the Leader’s chief Secretary.

What interested Lin Mo was that he caught a faint wisp of red fortune lingering around this man.

It was faint, yes, but as long as it didn’t signify the black of sin and decay, there was no cause for concern.

Watching the Secretary turn and disappear into the house, Lin Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the stone table.

In his previous life, he had only known the legendary figure—a strong-willed leader who had driven China into an age of explosive growth with an iron fist.

And now, in this life, he was finally about to meet him.

He wondered if the face would look any different from the one etched in his memory.

Lin Mo extended his spiritual sense and saw the Leader scanning a diplomatic report while talking on the phone—something about foreign policy issues involving Annam and the Sanbian Slope.

It took only a minute before the Secretary returned, carrying a tray.

On it were a pot of tea and some nuts, candied fruits, and small snacks.

It looked about the same as the buzzing hearth tea culture of Sichuan.

“I’ll go inform the Leader now. Please wait here a moment.”

“Alright.”

The Secretary walked unhurriedly into the study just as the Leader set down the phone.

“What’s the matter?”

“Lin Mo is here. He’s waiting in the courtyard.”

“Good. I’ll go see him.”

The Leader stood up, and the Secretary immediately grabbed his coat.

“There’s a bit of a breeze outside.”

“It’s nothing,” the Leader said with a dismissive wave.

When Lin Mo saw the Leader with his own eyes, he felt a brief flash of surprise, then quickly set it aside.

After all, he was looking at more than ten years of change compressed into a single moment. The Leader before him was still relatively young.

But what truly eased Lin Mo’s mind was the red aura radiating from this man—no weaker than Director Long’s.

“Hello, Lin Mo. You looked relieved when you saw me.”

The Leader extended his hand.

Lin Mo nodded. “Yes. I was worried I might see someone shrouded in black aura. I’m glad to see you’re as you should be.”

As he spoke, he clasped the Leader’s hand firmly.

Passing by the Sports Center, there were massive crowds for the Xue Zhiqian concert. Luckily, I took the BRT, otherwise I would have been stuck in traffic.