Boomerang 'SEE YOU MORNING' 090 Opposite Directions

“Ethan, I’ve had a lot of maintenance tasks on hold for months—some require a guardian to operate, and some I simply can’t handle on my own. I just noticed your assignment is no longer in Kalispell. Maybe the company will assign you to help me with my work next week.”

“Great, I haven’t been with you for a long time.”

“Do you miss me?”

“Yes, I miss you so much, so much.”

“Haha.”

“Send me a recent photo of yourself right away. I almost don’t recognize you anymore.”

In the photo, Kesiya seemed to have lost some weight. Li Haojun didn’t know if it was because she had been overworked lately, and looking at her slightly thinner face, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of tenderness.

“Your hair has grown so long.”

“Yeah, I’ve started growing it long again. Do you like it?”

“I like it both long and short.”

……

On the flight to Boise, Li Haojun looked back at his chat with Kesiya from a few days ago, a sweet smile hanging at the corner of his mouth. The anxious heart that had been unsettled during the months of separation from Kesiya finally relaxed. The Kesiya from before was still his Kesiya, and the feeling of rushing to see her was as fresh and vast as the blue sky and sea of clouds outside the plane’s porthole.

The whole morning was spent on the road, and it was almost noon when he finally walked towards the factory. Late spring, early summer—the blazing white sun filtered through the swaying tender green leaves of the poplar trees, telling the story of spring’s vitality. Sometimes the sun shone through the gaps in the leaves, backlighting Li Haojun’s face; in that dazzling brightness, the colors of life overflowed.

Turning the corner to the front gate of the factory in Eagle, he saw Kesiya waiting for him from afar. Today she wore a pair of pink skinny jeans and a light-blue denim jacket with a slanted zipper and a turned‑down collar. Her hair was tied in a bun at the back of her head, but the hair on both sides wasn’t long enough, so it fell naturally, framing her cheeks. She was pacing back and forth in front of the factory gate, her white sneakers exceptionally clear and eye‑catching in the near‑noon direct sunlight…

Suddenly Li Haojun felt as if a strong wind from behind had tossed him into the air, then a sensation of weightlessness and falling. He instinctively tensed every muscle, ready to absorb the impact of hitting the ground, but only a slight jolt came.

Li Haojun opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a lifting‑body air taxi that had already landed. The door opened, and a noisy crowd outside reached his ears. He realized he had been dreaming—a dream during the flight. He tried to recall: indeed, he had been planning to go to the Eagle factory.

He checked the time; it was already afternoon. Only then did he remember that he had fallen asleep right after eating lunch on the plane, and he didn’t know why he had slept so deeply, still groggy. Stepping out of the aircraft, he looked around. He was indeed in the square in front of the Eagle factory. But Kesiya was not there to greet him. For some reason, many people had gathered on the streets.

With a ding‑dong notification sound, Li Haojun took out his terminal and saw an instant message from Kesiya:

“Ethan, I see you. Please come into the plant as soon as possible. I’m waiting for you in the control room.”

With joy, Li Haojun trotted to the factory control room on the first floor. Just as he was about to step through the door, he calmed his mood and breath, feeling a little timid as he looked inside.

Simple white top, light‑blue jeans—the familiar figure.

Watching the side profile of her face, Li Haojun quietly entered the room, full of anticipation yet with some unease, and softly called her name:

“Kesiya.”

She turned her head, didn’t answer, but simply stood up and gave Li Haojun a hug.

All his hesitation and anxiety vanished at that moment. He held her tightly in his arms, unwilling to let go. After a long while, Kesiya shook Li Haojun’s shoulder and said,

“Ethan, you’d better take a look at what’s happening here first.”

Hearing that, Li Haojun released her and asked,

“What’s wrong?”

She pointed at the surveillance camera feeds from outside, switching between them as she spoke,

“Look, so many unknown people are gathering around our factory. Actually, I’ve been here for a whole day and night. At first, there was a equipment malfunction, and the company sent me to check it. Ever since I got here, more and more people have been gathering around the factory, and the equipment damage appears to be deliberate.”

“Oh, I see. Have you called the police?” Li Haojun asked hurriedly.

“Yes, I did, but no police came. Then I reported the situation to the company, and they sent you.”

“Oh,” Li Haojun smiled helplessly, carefully observing the state and movements of those people outside, and asked,

“What do the local news say?”

“According to reports, there really is a riot in Boise. It seems all the police have been sent there,” Kesiya explained.

“How much water and food do we have left?”

“Don’t worry about that. Enough for the two of us for a few days. But I’m worried about these people.”

“I understand. Unidentified people gathering here, and they may have already damaged the workshop equipment.” Saying this, Li Haojun took out his terminal to request rescue services, but there was no signal. He also regretted not bringing any weapons. But looking at the number of people outside, he figured it would take a machine gun.

“Sorry you had to stay here alone in danger for so long.”

When Li Haojun said that, a sweet smile appeared on Kesiya’s face, but he didn’t notice—his attention was focused on observing the movements of the rioting crowd and thinking of a way to escape.

“Kesiya, were there many people gathered here last night?”

“Not many, but in the afternoon when I tried to leave, some people came toward me. I got scared and ran back into the factory, and I’ve been here ever since.”

“Why didn’t you call me directly?” There was a hint of reproach in Li Haojun’s tone. Still not paying attention to Kesiya’s reaction, he analyzed the news and surveillance footage while saying,

“I think these people might be waiting for darkness. According to the news, the rioting and destruction in Boise started at night. After dark, it’s hard for both fixed surveillance cameras and police drones to recognize faces. Report the situation to the company. We’re going to evacuate. You keep watching the monitors here, and we’ll stay in touch on the walkie‑talkie. I’ll go prepare the things we need for the evacuation.”

“All right,” Kesiya said in a flat voice, but with a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

As dusk fell, Li Haojun used the walkie‑talkie to tell Kesiya to meet him at Door No.5 of the office building. He appeared carrying a hand‑pump disinfectant sprayer on his back, four beer bottles tucked into his chest, a straight ladder in his right hand, and a satchel over his left arm.

“Here’s food and water. Put this on your back,” Li Haojun said as he handed the satchel to Kesiya. Then he said,

“Follow me. We’re going out the back wall.” Without looking back, he walked out of the building.

Leaning the ladder against the back wall, Li Haojun climbed up first, sticking his head out just a little to look left and right. No one was there. He didn’t speak, just straddled the wall and gestured for Kesiya to climb up as well.

Li Haojun held the ladder steady at the top. When Kesiya came up, he helped her sit across from him, then pulled the ladder up, lowered it to the outside, let Kesiya go down first, then climbed down himself. He laid the ladder flat and hid it in the grass.

By then, night had completely fallen. Li Haojun didn’t speak. He took Kesiya’s hand and followed a back‑hill path toward a general aviation landing pad at the top of the mountain. As he walked, he kept an eye on Highway 55 to the right. He could see a steady stream of vehicles and people gathering toward Eagle—headlights and all kinds of illumination lit up the entire highway.

In the evening breeze, halfway up the mountain path, Li Haojun set down the sprayer and the beer bottles he was carrying, hiding them in the grass by the roadside. Only then did Kesiya softly ask,

“What are those?”

“Molotov cocktails and a flamethrower.” After saying that, Li Haojun took the backpack from Kesiya and put it on his own back. Then he took her hand again and continued light‑footed up the path.

Fortunately, this small trail was very remote; none of the rioters came to this area—they seemed more intent on destroying the city. In the ease of the night breeze, holding Kesiya’s hand, he occasionally turned to look at her face and figure in the darkness, filling the longing for her that had built up since their separation.

With light steps, the two reached the landing pad on the mountain ridge. The wind was stronger at the summit, but still warm and gentle. While waiting for the air taxi, Li Haojun put his hands on Kesiya’s shoulders, gazing at her face as if he could never look enough.

“Where are we going now?” Kesiya asked softly.

Li Haojun lovingly stroked her cheek and whispered,

“Come home with me.”