Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

"Things are getting more mysterious," Ben Cohen said.He sat on the bed naked, with his mistress Qiuzi next to him.They watched "Meet the Press" together, and Mary made another appearance. Mary talked eloquently: "I firmly believe that after China takes back Hong Kong and Macau, it will move further towards a more open and communist society that emphasizes individual values." "What does this woman know about China?" muttered Ben Cohen.He turned to Qiuzi: "Look at this woman, she was originally a little-known housewife in Kansas, and she became an expert in everything overnight."

"She seems quite clever," Qiuzi commented. "It's one thing to be smart. The problem is, when she meets the reporters, the reporters go berserk and crazy. Why is she on 'Meet the Press'? Tell you, someone decided to make her a celebrity Son. Who is this man? What is his intention? Charles Lindbergh has never been held so high." "Who is Charles Lindbergh?" Ben Cohen sighed: "This is a generation gap problem, and there is no way to communicate." Qiuzi said coquettishly, "There are other ways to communicate." She pushed Cohen gently onto the bed and climbed on top of him.She moved down his body, her silky hair brushing his chest and belly.He became horny.She stroked him and said, "Arthur, are you well?"

"Arthur wants to..." "Don't be too busy, I'll be right back." She got out of bed and went straight into the kitchen.Ben Cohen turned his gaze to the TV and thought, "This woman has got me in the dark. There's so much more I can't see. I'm going to get to the bottom of it!" "Qiuzi, what are you doing?" he yelled, "Arthur is almost asleep." "Tell him not to go to sleep," Qiuzi replied inside, "I'll be right back." A few minutes later, Qiuzi appeared, holding a plate full of churned ice cream and cherries.

"For God's sake," he said, "I'm not hungry." Thus, the couple performed another ridiculous and lascivious show. At this time, Mary was speaking generously on TV: "The best way to prevent countries with hostile ideologies from going to war with the United States is to increase our trade with them." Late that night, Ben Cohen called Ian Villiers. "Hi, Ian." "Brother Ben, what can you do?" "Do me a favor." "Say it, it will be done." "I know that you are in charge of the relationship between the new ambassador to country A and the press."

"Not bad." The voice became hesitant. "Who's holding her back? Ian, what I'm interested in is..." "I'm sorry, Ben. This is State Department business and I'm just an employee. Why don't you write a note to the Secretary of State?" The phone hangs up.Ben said to himself: "Why did he ask me to find out by myself?" He suddenly had an idea in his mind, "I will leave here and go to other places for a few days." "Where are you going, baby?" Qiuzi asked with concern. "Jackin City in Kansas." Ben Cohen only stayed in Jiang Kexin City for one day.He spoke for an hour with Sheriff Munster and his deputies, then took a taxi to Fort Riley to visit the Army Criminal Investigation Service.He caught the last flight in the afternoon and arrived in Manhattan, Kansas, and immediately changed planes to fly back to Washington.

As soon as Ben Cohen's plane took off, someone inside Fort Riley made a call to a number in Washington, DC. Mary Ashley reported to James Stickley through the long corridors of the Diplomatic Building.She suddenly heard a deep bass behind her saying: "It's almost ten." Mary turned and saw that it was a strange man speaking.He leaned against the wall, staring at her presumptuously, and smiled arrogantly.He has a brutal look and wears jeans, a T-shirt, and tennis shoes.What made it even more sad was that his face was dirty and unshaven.Those blue eyes shone mockingly.That supercilious, nonchalant expression was especially annoying.Mary turned away annoyed, feeling the man's eyes still on her back.

Mary's conversation with James Stickley went on for over an hour.Back in the office, the man she met earlier was actually sitting on her chair with his feet on the desk, still flipping through her documents.Mary suddenly became angry: "What are you doing?" The man glanced lazily at Mary, stood up slowly, and said, "Mike Slade, everyone calls me Michael." Mary was not polite: "What business does Mr. Slade have?" "Just for fun, really." He said casually. "We are neighbors. I work in this department. Come here for a walk. Please be safe."

"You have already asked Ann. Since you work here, you must have your own office. Therefore, please don't sit on other people's chairs and sneak through other people's things in the future." "Too bad tempered. I've heard the Kansas guys, or so they're called, are friendly." Mary gritted her teeth angrily: "Mr. Slade, if you still don't get out of my office after two seconds, I'll call the guard!" "It seems that I burned incense at the wrong temple gate." He said to himself. "You'd better go home and shave and change your clothes. Don't embarrass our department!"

"My wife used to lecture me like that," said Mike Slade beggingly. "It's a pity she's gone." Mary was furious: "Get out immediately!" He waved at her: "Bye! My dear, I will come to see you in the future!" roll!Get away.Mary thought angrily.Never see you dog head. The whole morning was full of unhappiness.James Stickley was openly hostile.By noon, Mary was too angry to eat.She decided to use her lunch hour to go for a drive in Washington, D.C., as a way to vent her anger. Her car was parked on the side of the road in front of the diplomatic building.

"Good morning, Madam Ambassador," the driver greeted, "Where are you going?" "Anywhere. Marvin, go around." "Yes, ma'am." The car drove steadily to the middle of the road. "Would you like to visit the embassy district?" "Okay." As long as you can get rid of the bad breath in the morning, you can go anywhere. Car turn left and go straight on Massachusetts Avenue. "This is the embassy district," Marvin said.The car is driving on a wide road.Marvin slowed down and pointed out the embassies to Mary. Mary recognized the Japanese embassy at a glance, because the sun flag was flying in front of the door.There is an elephant emblem on the gate of the Indian embassy.

They passed a beautiful Islamic mosque.In the vestibule of the temple, there are kneeling prayers.The car drove to the corner of 23rd Street, and there was a white stone building in front of me.There are two columns on the front of the building, with three stone steps sandwiched between them. "This is the embassy of country A," Ma Wen introduced, "next to it is..." "Stop." The car pulled to the side of the street and stopped.From inside the car, Mary can see that there is a plaque on the outer wall of the building, engraved with the embassy of country A. Impulsively, Mary said, "Wait for me, I'm going in." Her heart couldn't stop beating wildly.She has talked about this country for many years, but now she is in contact with it for the first time, and she will stay in that country for several years in the future. She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.No one opened the door.She pushed the door open, and stepped in when the door was unlocked.The front reception room was not lit and looked deserted.A red couch is placed in front of the alcove, next to it is a pair of names placed in front of the TV.There was a sound from the stairs, and she turned around when she heard the sound, and saw a tall and thin man hurried downstairs. "Is something wrong?" the man asked hastily. Mary said: "Good morning. My name is Mary Ashley, the new ambassador to country A..." The man slapped himself on the face: "Oh, God!" Mary was also taken aback: "What's the matter?" "We did not expect your visit at all, Madam Ambassador." "Oh, that's what it is. I'm driving by, and I'm coming in..." "Ambassador Kobiscu will be very disturbed." "Uneasy? Why? I just want to say hello." "Of course, of course, please forgive me. My name is Gabriel Stoika, deputy minister. Please allow me to turn on the lights and the heat. We did not expect a visit from a distinguished guest. We are very remiss, very remiss." He panicked, and Mary couldn't bear to trouble him.She was about to leave, but it was too late.Gabriel Stoika was busy switching on the overhead and wall lamps.The room was instantly brightened. "The heat won't come in for a few minutes," he said apologetically. "We try to save on heating bills, Washington stuff is too expensive." She wished that the cracks in the ground would let her get in. "If I expected..." "No, no, it's all right, all right. The ambassador is upstairs. I'll let him know at once that you're here." "Don't bother him." Stoika has already run upstairs. Five minutes later Stoika came downstairs. "Please go upstairs, the ambassador is very happy for your visit, very happy." "Are you sure?" "He's waiting for you." He accompanied Mary up the stairs.In the conference room upstairs, there is a long table surrounded by fourteen chairs.In the cabinet next to the wall, there are craft sculptures shipped from country A. There is a three-dimensional map of country A on the wall, and the national flag of country A is stuck on the fireplace.Ambassador Kobiscu came forward. He was wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, but his coat was hastily put on.He was tall and strong, with dark skin.A civil servant was busy turning on the lights and adjusting the heat. "Madam Ambassador," Ambassador Kobiscu shouted, "I am sorry to welcome you. Your country's State Council did not notify you of your visit in advance, resulting in poor reception. Please forgive me." "How can you blame this?" Mary was also a little shy, "I just passed by your embassy..." "It has been a great honor to meet you. We have read about your fame on TV and in the newspapers and magazines, and have great admiration for you. Would you like some tea?" "I'm troubling you." "Trouble? You're being too polite. It's rude and disrespectful enough that we haven't prepared a feast. Excuse me, I'm ashamed." I should be ashamed.Mary thought to herself.How can I do such a stupid thing?What an idiot!idiot!idiot!I dare not tell the children about it yet, it must be buried forever in my heart. Tea was served. The ambassador of country A was so nervous that he spilled the tea. "Blind! I'm so stupid, please forgive me." How Mary wished he would stop saying such kind words. The ambassador's efforts to keep the conversation free made things worse.It was so obvious that he was uncomfortable that Mary had to leave. "Your Excellency, I am honored to meet you, thank you very much. Goodbye." She fled. No sooner had Mary returned to the office than James Stickley sent for her to talk. "Mrs. Ashley," he said dryly, "can you explain your behavior?" I thought it was going to be my permanent secret.Mary thought. "You mean my visit to the embassy of country A? I just stopped by to have a look and say hello." "This is not a trivial matter like going home to reunite with your family," Stickley was furious. "This is in Washington, and you can't go to any embassy! One country's ambassador wants to meet another country's ambassador, only by invitation." .You made people feel ashamed, and I have to apologize to him, and ask him not to make a fucking formal protest to the State Department. He said that you deliberately went to the embassy to catch him off guard and watch his jokes." "What? It's so serious..." "Remember, you are no longer an ordinary citizen, you are a representative of the United States! Next time, if you want to do something bigger than brushing your own teeth, you have to discuss it with me first. Understand? I asked yes Don't you understand very well?" Mary was speechless: "Understood." "Just understand," he grabbed the phone and dialed the number, "Ms. Ashley is here, can you come sometime? Not bad!" He put down the headset. Mary sat in the chair without saying a word, like a child who has been scolded.The door opened and it was Mike Slade. He smiled at Mary: "Hey, I follow my advice and shave off my beard." Sticky looked at Mike, then glanced at Mary: "Have you two met?" Mary glared at Slade: "It's not a meeting. He was peeking at the documents in my office, and I caught him on the spot." James Stickley said: "Mrs. Ashley, Mr. Mike Slade is your Deputy Minister." Mary's eyes widened: "What did you say?" "Mr. Slade belongs to the Eastern European Branch and is often sent to work outside Washington. It has been decided that he will go to country A as the deputy minister." Mary jumped up from her chair. "No!" she protested loudly. "It can't be done!" Mike's attitude is very easygoing: "I promise to shave every day." Mary said to Stickeri: "Ambassadors have the right to choose their deputies." "Not bad, but..." "In that case, I don't choose Mr. Slade, I don't want this kind of person!" "Under normal circumstances, you have that power, but in this case, you have no choice. It's an order from the White House." The shadow of Mike Slade hangs over Mary at any time, and she can't escape.Met him at the Pentagon, met him in the Senate Dining Room, met him in the corridors of the State Department.He was either wearing denim pants, a T-shirt suit, or tracksuit.I don't know how it is that he can dress like this and pass through these very solemn places. One day Mary saw him having lunch with Colonel McKinney, talking in whispers.Mary couldn't help thinking: These two people have such a close relationship, did they meet as old friends, or conspired against me?I'm going paranoid.Mary secretly groaned in her heart, how would she live in country A? At the Corcoran Palace of Arts, Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Charlie Kempel hosted a banquet for Mary.When Mary entered the banquet hall, she saw that the women were all elegantly dressed.Her first thought was: I don't belong to this circle, they seem to be born with beauty, competing with each other for beauty. How did she know that she herself is more beautiful and shocking. That night, there were as many interviewees as ants, and I don't know how many photos they took of her.She was invited to dance with many married and unmarried men, and everyone rushed to leave her phone number.Her reaction made them feel bad. "I'm sorry," she explained politely, "I'm on official business, and my family has a heavy burden, so I can't go out." It was unthinkable to be with any man except Edward.There is no more desirable man in the world. She sat at the table with Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Campbell and six officials from the State Department.The conversation turned to anecdotes about ambassadors. "A few years ago, in Madrid," recalled a guest, "hundreds of rioting students gathered in front of the British embassy to demand the return of the Strait of Gibraltar. As the students were about to storm the embassy, ​​a minister in General French's government A phone call came: 'I heard that there were people provoking disturbances in front of your embassy. I am deeply worried. Do you need me to send the police again?' The ambassador replied: 'No, you'd better send fewer students.'” Someone asked: "Don't the Greeks think that the patron saint of ambassadors is Hermes?" "Yes," objected one, "he is also the patron saint of rogues, thieves, and liars." It was a very comfortable night for Mary.Everyone was talented and had a great sense of humour.She couldn't bear to leave the table and go home. The person sitting next to her asked her, "Are you going to get up early tomorrow morning for your appointment?" "No," said Mary, "tomorrow is Sunday, and I'm going to sleep in." After a while, a woman couldn't help moaning: "Why does today pass so slowly?" "I think so, too," echoed Mary, being clever. "It's been slow." The house seemed strangely quiet.Mary looked around and everyone was staring at her.What's the matter?She raised her wrist to look at her watch, it was half past two in the morning.She suddenly remembered the words of Stanton Rogers: It is a custom at a banquet that the guest of honor leaves first.She broke out in a cold sweat. She is the guest of honor!God!Mary has lost her mind.I'm detaining everyone here! She stood up all at once and stammered, "Good evening, everyone. Have a great time tonight." She turned and left the table, and walked out quickly.She heard the guests rushing away behind her. On Monday morning, she met Mike Slade in the aisle.He smiled and said: "It is said that you detained more than half of the famous people in Washington last Saturday night." His schadenfreude look was really annoying.Mary passed by and rushed into James Stickley's office. "Mr. Stickley, Mr. Slade would do nothing to the embassy's work if he were working with me." Sticky, who was reading the papers, looked up at her. "Really? What happened?" "He has a bad attitude. Mr. Slade is rude and defiant, frankly, and I hate him!" "Oh, I see. Mr. Slade has eccentricities, but..." "More than a quirk, he's a rock! I formally ask you to replace him!" "Are you finished?" "It's over!" "Mrs. Ashley, Mr. Slade is a field expert on Eastern European affairs, first-class! Your task is to make friends with the locals, and my task is to help you. His name is Mike Slade. I will I don't want to listen to your gossip, do I understand enough?" No use, Mary thought ruefully, no use at all. She returned to her office, still angry.Complain to Stanton, and she makes up her mind.He will understand me, but doing so will expose my weakness.All right, I'll take care of him myself! "Daydreaming?" Startled, Mary looked up to see Mike Slade standing in front of her desk, holding a stack of memos. "This pile will surely entertain you tonight," he said, laying the papers on the table. "Next time you come into my office, please knock first." His eyes were mocking: "Why can't I make you feel good about me?" She couldn't get angry: "Tell you, because you are messy, dirty, and you think you can do it." He raised a finger: "You are poor at words." "How dare you make fun of me?" she roared involuntarily. He lowered his voice and said maliciously: "Do you think I dare not stand with others? Do you know what people in Washington think of you?" "Let them talk!" "You should listen." He leaned against his desk. "They said, why should you be an ambassador! I have been working in country A for four years, miss. It is a bomb, and it will explode at any time. However, our government has invited a elm-brained person from a small ditch. Stupid kid to play with bombs." Mary gritted her teeth angrily. "Mrs. Ashley, you don't know anything. If anyone pays you to go, you can only be sent to Iceland as an ambassador." Mary couldn't take it anymore, jumped up and slapped Slade across the face. Mike Slade sighed: "If you don't listen to the old man, you will suffer from hunger and cold."