Chapter 2
“It’s me who’s been giving you too much face, or else how would you have the nerve to ask me to clean up after your little mistress!”
I couldn’t be bothered to hold back anymore and lashed out at her.
There was a moment of silence on the other end before she spoke again, suppressing her rage,
“Jack Thompson, what’s wrong with you? You’re being so vulgar. Have all those years of education gone to waste? I told you I’d make it up to you when I get back, why are you still angry!”
“If I don’t receive Ryan’s speech in my inbox by tonight, then let’s just call it quits!”
I clenched my fists tightly, “Fine, let’s call it quits. Who wants to be with you anyway!”
Before I could finish, I heard Ryan’s voice on the other end, “Rachel, Grandma’s calling you for dinner.”
Rachel covered the mouthpiece, her voice suddenly as sweet as a well-mannered college student, “I’m just arranging some work, I’ll be right there.”
Then she turned back to me, her voice cold enough to kill:
“What did you just say?”
I laughed:
“Rachel Walker, listen carefully. I said if you enjoy being a lapdog so much, then keep at it. Don’t get cocky and provoke your grandma into teaching you a lesson!”
Rachel barely contained her fury as she shouted:
“Ryan was bullied in the village, and I, as his mentor, am just helping him save face. What’s wrong with that? Do you think everyone is as heartless as you?”
“Jack Thompson, if you can’t even write this speech well, then you don’t need to stay in our team anymore!”
She hung up abruptly after saying this.
I sat at the cold entrance of the operating room, rubbing my stomach, feeling a surge of bitterness rising within me.
My relationship with her was like this painfully inflamed appendix - it should have been cut out long ago.
After the surgery, I went home and fell asleep alone.
But early the next morning, I was woken by urgent knocking on my door.
I opened it to find officers from the National Security Department. They said someone had reported me as a foreign spy and asked me to cooperate with their investigation.
I felt a sudden sense of unreality and reflexively asked, “How could I possibly be a spy? I’m even a member of the counter-espionage team!”
But they showed me the report directly.
I immediately felt dizzy and followed them back to the office.
As soon as I entered, I saw the disappointed look in my boss’s eyes, and my heart sank.
The report mentioned several translation receptions that I had indeed led, and confidential information had been leaked afterward. It was hard not to suspect me.
But when I saw the witness, everything became clear. The so-called witness was the meeting recorder, also Ryan’s most loyal lackey. Remembering how the two of them had acted separately from the team several times, I suspected they might be the real spies. I hurriedly tried to explain:
“Officers, he can’t be a witness. Everyone knows he’s Ryan’s man, and Ryan has a grudge against me!”
“Besides, during those translation receptions, I was with everyone the whole time and had no chance to leak information. But those two…”
“Shut up, don’t embarrass our translation team!” Rachel angrily interrupted me. She took two big steps towards me, keeping a disdainful distance:
“What grudge? I think you’re just randomly accusing people because you’ve done something wrong!”
“Jack Thompson, I used to think you were just petty and lacked quality, but at least I didn’t think you’d betray the country. I never imagined you’d do something so inhumane!”
“Do you know what the punishment is for falsely accusing a public official? I can’t believe you’ve become so depraved as to turn traitor. You’re not human, you scum! You don’t deserve to be my husband!”
My throat felt like it was blocked by a red-hot iron, and I couldn’t utter a word.
After a long while, I finally squeezed out a few hoarse words,
“Rachel, in your heart, am I the kind of person who would betray my country out of jealousy?”
I stared straight at her, but saw her gaze growing colder and colder,
“You didn’t have a chance to leak information on the day of the reception, but you knew several people from the visiting delegation. Who knows what you might have said when you met them privately?”
Rachel’s righteousness in condemning her husband led to my immediate suspension pending investigation.
Suddenly, a family member of one of the victims picked up a chair and smashed it on my head, causing me to bleed profusely. “You beast! You traitor! It’s all your fault for leaking secrets that got my sister killed!”
The man unleashed all his strength on me, beating me until I was nearly unconscious. He only stopped when he saw I was barely breathing. As I lay on the ground, I saw Ryan approach, looking down at me with glee.
“Jack Thompson, of all things, why did you choose to be a traitor? Now you’re getting what you deserve.”