Li Haojun strongly disliked the daily on-site work requirement at Shuisheng Sci-Tech Company, finding it far less flexible than his previous job. Before, he often had time to spend at home with Qin Wenjing, whereas this position demanded a long commute every day.
李皓珺非常不喜欢水生科创公司每天要到岗的工作方式,远不如之前的工作自由度高,之前时常还可以有时间在家里陪着覃文静,而这里的工作则需要每天长途往返.
Gritting my teeth, I made it to the office again today. The overcast morning already had me feeling down. Just as my brain was slacking off and my thoughts were crashing, a knock came at the door, and Sienna walked in.
硬着头皮今天又到达办公室,一早上的阴天就让人心情压抑,就在大脑偷懒,思绪宕机的时候,随着敲门声,西耶娜走了进来,
"Ethan, good morning,"
"伊森,早上好,"
"Good morning," Li Haojun felt much better seeing Sienna's vibrant face.
"早上好,"看到西耶娜充满朝气的脸庞,李皓珺的心情好了很多,
We need to take a long-distance business trip to maintain client relationships at aquariums in New York and Boston. When would you like to depart, and what mode of transportation would you prefer?
"我们需要一次长途差旅,去维护客户关系,去纽约和波士顿的水族馆,请问你想什么时间出发,乘坐什么样的交通工具?"
"Us? You and me?"
"我们?是我和你吗?"
Yes, I'll prepare the materials, itinerary, and accommodations for you.
"是的,我要给你准备资料和行程还有住宿,"
"Oh, thank you so much. What kind of transportation would you prefer? You choose—you're handling all the arrangements anyway." Li Haojun's mind, still reeling from the shock, hadn't fully recovered. He didn't want to get caught up again in memories of a beloved woman who wasn't by his side.
"哦,非常感谢,你喜欢什么交通工具?你选吧,反正你需要安排一切." 李皓珺宕机的大脑似乎还没缓过来,他不愿意又陷入到对一个不在身边的佳人的回忆中.
"So we'll take a flight to New York in an hour, stay at a hotel there, meet with our New York clients the next morning, then head to Boston in the afternoon for another client meeting before checking into a hotel. We'll return here on the third day. Sound good?"
"那么我们一小时后乘坐航班首先到达纽约,然后住旅店,第二天上午会见纽约客户,下午到波士顿,会见客户,然后住旅店,第三天返回这里,好吗?"
"Alright, that's settled then. Thanks, I'll get ready too."
"好,那就这样,谢谢你,我也准备一下."
Sienna had booked a six-seat executive jet, pilotless. Traditional regional flights, once as common as buses, had been marginalized. In the comfortable cabin, Li Haojun skimmed through the client relationship descriptions and product catalogs Sienna had prepared for him. He wasn't interested in any of it, nor did he care to do a good job—emotional resistance had taken hold.
西耶娜订的是六座椅行政机,无人驾驶,传统的支线航班如同公交车一样的原因已经被边缘化了.舒适的机舱里,李皓珺大致翻看了西耶娜为他准备的客户关系描述,自家产品样本目录,总之他并不感兴趣,也没有兴趣做好,因为情绪上的抵制.
Li Haojun wondered when exactly Sienna would fall asleep in the evening. He really needed to keep an eye on her to prevent any falls or accidents. Watching Sienna, with her identical flight path and baby face, reminded Li Haojun of Malaya. He couldn't help but wonder what the little fairy was doing now and if she was living happily.
让李皓珺好奇的是,西耶娜会在傍晚什么时候会马上进入睡眠吗?还真得留意她不要发生摔倒或者什么意外.看着西耶娜,同样的航线,同样的娃娃脸,让李皓珺不由得想起玛莱雅,也不知道那个小精灵现在在做什么,生活过的是否快乐.
"Are you thinking about someone?" Sienna suddenly asked.
"你在想一个人吗?"西耶娜突然发问,
Li Haojun was a bit taken aback. He stared into Sienna's eyes across from him, and it took him a moment before he remembered to ask,
李皓珺有点吃惊,望着坐在对面的西耶娜的眼睛,过了一阵子才想起来询问,
"Can you sense what I'm thinking too?" Only after saying this did Li Haojun realize he'd tangled his experiences with Kesiya into the mix.
"你也能感觉到我在想什么吗?"说完这句话李皓珺才意识到,自己把与凯西娅的经历也搅合进来了,
"Yes, otherwise how could I be your assistant?"
"是的,不然我怎么做你的助理呢?"
"哈哈,我岂不是在你面前没有任何隐私了?"
Ha ha, doesn't that mean I have no privacy left in front of you?
"你为什么需要隐私呢?"西耶娜似乎有些不解地问,
"I was afraid my thoughts might offend you. Honestly, as an old man, I don't need any privacy, haha," Li Haojun chuckled self-deprecatingly, then asked curiously,
"我怕我的想法会冒犯到你,其实我一个老男人,不需要什么隐私,哈哈,"说着,李皓珺自嘲地笑了,接着又好奇地问,
Were you born with this ability?
"你是生来就有这样的能力吗?"
"No, I require a cochlear implant to process auditory signals due to a congenital hearing impairment. It also happens to include brainwave sensing capabilities."
"不是的,我因为先天的听力问题需要芯片辅助处理听力信号,顺便增加了脑波感应功能,"
Hearing her say this, Li Haojun was taken aback. He hadn't expected such an adorable girl to have this shortcoming, and couldn't help but feel sympathy. He hurriedly said,
听她这么说,李皓珺很意外,看起来这么可爱的姑娘没想到还有这样不足,不免心生同情,急忙说,
Oh, I see. I'm sorry, I'm really sorry.
"哦,是这样,抱歉,真的很抱歉,"
"It's okay, don't worry about it," Sienna said with a smile. Though her expression was subtle, it was light and sweet. But Li Haojun didn't notice; instead, he pressed on with the question that occupied his mind.
"没关系,别在意,"西耶娜笑着说,虽然她的笑容表情不大,但是笑得轻盈甜蜜,但是李皓珺并没有注意到,而是继续试探着问自己心里专注的问题,
"So, when I drove you home that time, was it because of this chip? You went straight to sleep as soon as you got home and wouldn't wake up no matter what. But when I carried you to my car to take you to the hospital, you woke up again."
"那么,我送你回家那次,是这个芯片影响的吗?你回到家里就睡觉了,怎么也叫不醒你,但是我把你抱到我的车里要带你去医院的时候你又醒了,"
"Really? I don't remember. Probably not. Oh, I remember the scene in your car."
"是吗?我不记得了,应该不是吧,哦,我记得在你车里的情景,"
This time, Li Haojun truly believed what Sienna had said. It seemed she had no recollection of what had transpired in her own home. Though trusting Sienna, Li Haojun was also analyzing the possibility that she herself might have misunderstood the chip's functions. It could also be the chip's effect, but one she herself didn't understand or hadn't realized. Li Haojun was always highly wary of human applications involving chips and other internal functions she didn't fully comprehend.
这一次李皓珺真的相信西耶娜所说的话了,似乎在她的家里发生的事情她都不记得,虽然相信西耶娜,但是李皓珺也在分析,关于芯片功能是否存在她自己弄错了的可能性,也可能是芯片的作用,但是她自己不了解或者没意识到,李皓珺对芯片这类内部功能不详的人体应用总是非常警惕.
May I ask who you were thinking about just now?
"我可不可以问,你刚才想的人是谁?"
Lost in thought, Sienna, seated across from him, leaned forward, cradling her chin in both hands with her elbows resting on the table between the facing seats. She looked directly at Li Haojun and asked,
就在思索走神的时候,坐在对面的西耶娜,上身前倾,用双手托着下颌,双肘支撑在对向座椅之间的餐桌上,与李皓珺面对面发问,
"Of course," Li Haojun said with a smile.
"当然可以,"李皓珺笑着说,
She was my secretary at my previous company, with duties similar to yours. Last year, I flew this route with her as well.
"她是我在上一家公司的秘书,和你的职责差不多,去年我和她也飞过这条航线,"
"Oh, I see," she said, leaning back into the seat.
"哦,是这样,"说着,西耶娜又往后坐,靠在了座椅的靠背上,
Face-to-face conversations like this weren't Li Haojun's forte. Staring intently into the other person's eyes made him feel a bit nervous, so during pauses in the conversation, he glanced out the porthole to adjust his rhythm.
这样的面对面交谈,不是李皓珺的强项,总是盯着对方的眼睛看也会让自己觉得有些紧张,交谈间隙,望向了舷窗之外,调节一下节奏.
He had never flown this type of aircraft before. It was a single-engine jet featuring a transition from a standard fuselage to a slender tail section, equipped with a canard engine mounted at the rear. Its T-tail configuration incorporated a bidirectional counter-rotating outer duct encasing the rear fuselage. Powered by bio-aviation fuel, the main wing placement was positioned relatively far back due to the engine's weight, giving it a rather aggressive appearance.
他没有乘坐过这种类型的飞机,这是一款由正常机身过渡到细长尾部的单引擎喷气机,在尾部安装了内涵道引擎,T型尾翼,有着包裹后部机身的双向对转外涵道,使用生物质航空燃料,因为引擎的重量,主翼布置也比较靠后,外观看起来比较激进.
From takeoff to cruising altitude, Li Haojun kept a close eye on its flight performance, as if these mechanical toys were forever the favorite pastime of big boys. Even after reaching cruising altitude, the occasional turbulence and the persistent engine noise still captured his attention. At times, he'd peer through the window, curious to see how the wings behaved in the air currents.
所以从起飞到巡航高度,李皓珺一直留意着它的飞行表现,似乎这些机械大玩具永远是大男孩儿们的最爱.直到到达巡航高度,不时的气流扰动,持续的引擎噪音,还吸引着他的注意力,有时还好奇透过舷窗看看机翼在气流中的动态表现.
When his gaze returned to the cabin, Li Haojun noticed Sienna was still looking at him. Not wanting to ignore her, he smiled back at her.
当视线再回到舱内,李皓珺发现西耶娜依然在看着自己,也不好冷落了人家,便对视一笑,
"Who is the one you think about more?" Sienna asked again.
"你想得更多的那个人是谁?"西耶娜再次发问,
Li Haojun kept drifting back to thoughts of Malaya's older sister. Images of her discussing Malaya's studies filled his mind, along with the messages Kasiya had sent him these past days and some cherished moments he'd shared with her.
李皓珺刚才时不时地又想到玛莱雅的姐姐,脑海里与她谈论玛莱雅去学习了的画面,凯西娅这些天来发给自己的消息,以及自己和凯西娅的一些美好瞬间,
Li Haojun tapped his forehead, a look of embarrassment on his face, and said with a smile,
李皓珺拍了一下自己的额头,面带惭愧,笑着说,
"Sorry, my mind just wanders—I can't help it. When I'm bored, my thoughts run wild. She's my intern," Li Haojun replied, debating whether to explain his close relationship with the intern to Sienna. He wondered if she could sense the vivid flashes of memory playing in his mind. Then he realized he absolutely mustn't think about the time two days ago when he and Qin Wenjing had joked about Sienna—otherwise she might figure it out too. But the more he tried not to think about it, the more it flooded his mind. Li Haojun had no idea how to stop this chain reaction, so he could only look at Sienna awkwardly and shake his head. Fortunately, she offered a gentle smile and said nothing more.
"抱歉,我的思绪总是,我无法控制,在无聊的时候就会浮想联翩,她是我的实习生,"一边回答着,李皓珺一边思考着要不要跟西耶娜解释自己和实习生的亲密关系呢?也不知道她是不是能详细地感觉到自己脑海里的回忆画面,接着又意识到千万不要去想前两天自己跟覃文静开西耶娜玩笑的情景,不然可能也会被她知道了,可是越是不要去想,却确实想到更多,李皓珺也不知道怎么停下这条链式反应,只好一边略带尴尬地看着西耶娜一边摇头.好在她微微一笑,也并没有再说什么.
During the in-flight lunch, Li Haojun recalled the dinner he and Qin Wenjing had once shared mid-air. He glanced across at Sienna, their eyes meeting just then.
在飞行中的午餐上,李皓珺又想起了自己与覃文静曾经的空中晚餐,抬眼看了一眼对面的西耶娜,正好目光对视,
"Who is she? Ethan, you seem like a man of few words, but one who enjoys reminiscing about the past," Sienna seemed still quite curious.
"她是谁?伊森,你看起来是一个话不多,但是喜欢回忆过去的人,"西耶娜似乎依然很好奇,
She is my partner. Sienna usually doesn't say much, but today she's been quite talkative.
"她是我的伴侣,西耶娜看起来是一个平时话不多,今天话很多的人,"
Oh, right. Since no one else is around, isn't this the perfect time for a private conversation?
"哦,是啊,因为现在没有其他人,不是正好适合私人交谈吗?"
"Oh," Li Haojun replied, wondering if she was overly concerned about others' opinions of her or simply disliked being in the public eye. Her choice of punishment for work mistakes seemed to confirm this.
"哦,"一边答应着,李皓珺想到她是不是很在意别人对她的看法,或者不喜欢成为公众焦点,想到她对于工作失误的惩罚选择,似乎也印证了这一点,
But it seems you care more about your interns?
"但是,似乎你对你的实习生更加在意?"
"Maybe so, since we've been apart lately," Li Haojun said with a wry smile.
"也许是吧,因为最近与她分开了,"说着李皓珺苦笑,
"I don't know either."
"我也不知道,"
I think what you feel for her is more concern and worry, while what you feel for your partner is cherishing and longing.
"我觉得你对她更多的是担忧和牵挂,对你的伴侣是珍重和惦念,"
"Oh!" Li Haojun seemed to feel a sudden clarity. His complex emotions and psychological state had been analyzed with remarkable precision by this young woman who knew nothing of the background.
"哦!"李皓珺似乎感到眼前一亮,自己复杂的情绪和心理却被这个根本不了解这些背景的年轻女性分析得头头是道,
Amid the hum of the engines after lunch, Li Haojun felt drowsiness overtake him and reclined his seat to rest for a while. But Sienna was full of energy, simply gazing out the porthole by herself.
午饭后的引擎嗡嗡声中,李皓珺困意来袭,自己放倒了另一侧的座椅要休息一会儿.但是西耶娜精力很充沛,只是自己独自望着舷窗外.
The afternoon sun felt warm and comforting on my skin. The thin, clear air at high altitude reduced the loss of sunlight as it filtered through, making it feel as though the intensity of the midday sun had already reached that of late spring or early summer. Lying there lazily, it seemed as though I could absorb the sun's energy and fill my body with it.
午后的阳光照在身上暖融融的很舒服,高空的空气稀薄晴朗减少了阳光透射的损耗,感觉上似乎已经到了春末夏初的午后阳光强度,懒洋洋地躺在那里,仿佛能够接收太阳的能量充实自己的身体,
In a daze, Li Haojun faintly sensed someone leaning close beside her. She tried to open her eyes to see who it was, but couldn't make out a clear image—whether it was the backlight or her proximity. Recalling the situation, it must have been Sienna, who had been on the same flight with her.
恍惚之中,隐约感到有人靠在了自己的身边,李皓珺想要睁开眼睛看是谁,但是怎么也看不清楚,不知道是逆光还是她太近了,回想一下应该是与自己一同乘坐飞机的西耶娜,
"Don't you remember me?" Sienna asked, her face almost pressed against Li Haojun's as they stood face to face.
"你不记得我了吗?"西耶娜几乎把脸贴在了李皓珺的脸上面对面地问,
That flat bridge of the nose, upturned tip, oval face—a face that looks innocent and childish.
那趴趴的鼻梁,翘翘的鼻尖,椭圆的脸蛋,看起来天真幼稚的脸庞,
Li Haojun braced both hands against her shoulders, afraid she might slip to the floor. Her shoulders were narrow, her arms slender. Li Haojun strained to open his eyes wider, trying to see her clearly. They seemed to be blue eyes—was it Malaya? Li Haojun silently wondered to himself.
李皓珺双手扶住她的双肩,怕她滑落到地板上,窄窄的肩膀,纤细的胳膊,李皓珺又试着睁大自己的眼睛想要看清楚她,似乎是蓝色的眼睛,是玛莱雅?李皓珺在心里暗自疑惑,
But she didn't want to slide off Li Haojun's body onto the floor either. As she pressed herself upward, her chest was now pressed against Li Haojun's face.
但是她也不想从李皓珺的身上滑落到地板上,一边往上趴着,这时已经是胸部压在了李皓珺的脸上,
Li Haojun could no longer see her face. To prevent her from slipping, he wrapped both arms around her hips, but it wasn't enough—she kept sliding down. So he grabbed her thigh with one hand. Was it Kasiya? That familiar curve of her waist and thigh...
李皓珺也看不到她的面容了,为了不让她滑落,李皓珺用双手搂住了她的臀部,还是不行,她还在往下滑,于是又用一只手搂住她的大腿,是凯西娅吗?那熟悉的腰肢与大腿的轮廓,
At this moment, her thigh was pressed against Li Haojun's lower body. Slowly, Li Haojun began to feel something. But who was she? Could it be Kesiya? Or might it be Sienna? How awkward that would be—they'd only just met, and their relationship was purely professional as ordinary colleagues.
这时她的大腿已经压在了李皓珺的下身,慢慢地,李皓珺有了感觉,可是她到底是谁?是凯西娅吗?会不会是西耶娜?那样的话多么尴尬啊,才和她刚刚认识,又是普通同事的工作关系,
But her movements didn't stop. When her knees pressed against Li Haojun's lower abdomen, he suddenly realized his bladder was about to burst and he needed to relieve himself.
可是她的动作并没有停下来,当她的膝盖顶到了李皓珺的小腹,李皓珺忽然意识到自己的膀胱都要爆了,需要去放水,
"Kesiya, Sienna, let me up, let me get up," Li Haojun said, suddenly opening his eyes. Only then did he notice Sienna standing across the aisle, watching him.
"凯西娅,西耶娜,让我起来,让我起来一下,"说着,李皓珺忽然睁开了眼睛,这才发现西耶娜正在机舱过道对面望着自己,
It turned out he'd fallen asleep and had a dream. Li Haojun recalled the scene from moments ago and felt his lower abdomen—his bladder was indeed full, and he genuinely needed to use the restroom in the rear compartment. But Sienna seemed able to sense the visual memories in his mind through brainwaves. Yet now he had no choice but to use it. What to do? It felt awkward. Well, he'd just have to avoid looking at her while using it. That was the only option.
原来是自己睡着了,做了一个梦,李皓珺回忆了一下刚才的情节,感受了一下自己的小腹,膀胱确实是充盈的,确实是需要去尾仓的卫生间,可是西耶娜似乎能够通过脑波感受到自己头脑之中的记忆影像,可是自己现在又不得不去使用它,怎么办呢?有些尴尬,那就用的时候别看它吧,也只能这样了.
After returning from the restroom, I sat down across from Sienna. Before I could think of anything to ease the awkwardness, I saw her placing two takeout boxes on the table and saying,
从卫生间回来,坐到西耶娜对面,还没想好说些什么缓解尴尬,看到西耶娜正拿出两份快餐盒放在桌面,说,
It's time for lunch; it's about that time.
"该吃午饭了,时间差不多了,"
Li Haojun stared at the pair of familiar takeout boxes, completely dumbfounded.
李皓珺盯着这一对儿眼熟的餐盒,彻底愣住了.
Didn't I just have lunch? And I even took a nap. Why am I hungry again now?
我不是刚吃过了午饭?还睡了个午觉.怎么现在又?
Li Haojun hurriedly checked the time—it was still morning. He reached out to touch the lunch boxes; they felt real too. Li Haojun's mind raced, analyzing what exactly was happening in reality.
李皓珺急忙看时间,是上午时间,又伸手触摸餐盒,它们也是真实的,李皓珺的脑子飞速运转分析现实中到底发生了什么,
Either time has reversed, and I've returned to the moment before lunch—how did that happen? Did Sienna do it?
要么是时间倒流了,我又回到了吃午饭前的时间点,怎么做到的?是西耶娜做的吗?
Either everything that just happened was an illusion, yet the sensation felt so real—did Sienna create the illusion in my mind?
要么是刚才的一切都是幻觉,而事实的感觉却是那么的真实,是西耶娜制造了我头脑中的幻觉吗?