Hi soulfist,
I agree with you, what we say is a reflection of who we are and that applies to you as well as me, but one can also do this face to face, so when you visit Chen Yong-Fa, you can always see what he chose to answer and what he chose to avoid, when he smiles and when he frawns, to "read" him, so my direct approach would also include your hidden observations.
But when you speak to another person about Chen Yong-Fa, this person, no matter how clever you can be, reading in between the lines, will still be his own point of view on Chen Yong-Fa, not how Chen Yong-Fa sees himself in front of you, so in my view it is still better to take to direct approach, you have nothing to loose, unless you are afraid that Chen Yong-Fa can "read" you as much as you claimed that you can "read" him.
Now I chose to answer you this question and in this way, what does it say about me? Just keep in mind, whether you'd choose to answer me or how you'd answer me will tell us something about you!
Now I can see why you chose "soulfist".
XJ