Malaya's Return ‘SEE YOU MORNING’ 132 Midsummer Return

The road trip Li Haojun and Kesiya took around Montana, along with the purchasing orders, lasted a little over ten days. By the time they returned to the office, it was already the height of summer.
Because the latitude along the Seattle–Moses Lake–Kalispell line is relatively high, the weather in mid-June still hadn’t reached scorching levels. Li Haojun didn’t turn on the air conditioning in the office; the light sweating, he believed, was the metabolism that summer ought to bring, capable of expelling the cold and toxins accumulated over winter. He also thought that low air-conditioning temperatures were bad for women’s health. Kesiya was at her workstation entering the sales contracts, crop varieties, and quantities from the past few days—data she had originally wanted to record day by day during the trip, but Li Haojun hadn’t let her.
The newly built factory was far more modern than the previous ones in Boise and Ellensburg. The workshop featured a long-span white curved structure, like pure white lotus petals layered and clasped together on the ground, while the office building on the site adopted a polished aluminum-colored metal frame with large, curved, color-changing glass. The overall look was clean, elegant, and brimming with a sense of technology; it seemed the company intended to make this factory a model for the industry.
Gazing out the window at the deep summer sky with its blue and white clouds, the breeze from the ventilation window carrying the freshness of sun-scorched grass and trees, with a beautiful woman by his side—days like these truly made him feel even gods could not compare.
“Ding-dong,” a message notification popped up on Li Haojun’s computer screen. He opened it and found that the new factory’s auxiliary artificial intelligence had provided fresh suggestions for improving execution effectiveness.
First, it suggested that Li Haojun use brainwave interaction equipment to connect to Kalispell’s central management system. That way, he could use his consciousness to direct the company’s locally hired subordinates to carry out the work he needed done, which would boost execution efficiency.
Li Haojun pondered it. Since it involved non-invasive brainwave interaction equipment, he was not as worried about security or the risk of being manipulated, though he remained vigilant and unwilling to use it. Yet it struck him as a good conversation topic, so he forwarded the suggestion to Kesiya to ask her opinion, but he approached it from a different angle.
“Kesiya, if I integrated my consciousness into the network, would others be able to perceive the experiences I share with you?”
Kesiya turned her head, her single high ponytail swinging with the motion, her gaze and smile as she looked back both strikingly vivid.
“That’s certainly possible,” Kesiya answered with a smile.
“Then if I did this to improve work efficiency, would you mind?”
“Maybe I could help train you on how to control what parts of your consciousness you share and what you keep to yourself.”
Surprised by that answer, Li Haojun pressed further.
“Ah? Is it that difficult? What if I can’t learn? I feel like I’m a completely transparent person, never able to hide my thoughts and emotions. You can sense that, right?”
“Yes, you really are that kind of person,” Kesiya replied, beaming.
“Then if I accidentally leak something to others, can you forgive me?”
“If it’s for your work, I’d have no choice.”
“Oh, I’ve got a great idea. I’ll only hire female employees, so no one can take advantage of you.”
“Fine, then let me introduce someone to you.” Kesiya stood up with a smile.
“It’s almost lunchtime. I’ll go order the food, set up the dining room, and arrange for a female employee to meet you.” With that, she walked out of the office.
Li Haojun froze. At first he thought she was joking with him, expecting her to say she would be jealous and thus satisfy a bit of his vanity, after which he would tell her he wouldn’t do it for her sake. Instead, she actually went to order food and arrange the dining room. Did she truly have a female friend to introduce to him? Wouldn’t she be jealous for him?
Half his mind had already drifted away. With Kesiya no longer there to chat with him, he had no choice but to continue reviewing the system’s suggestions. In addition to real-time consciousness-linked collaboration, there was another method: consciousness transcription. It involved recording the brainwaves of his own work process, then analyzing and transmitting them to other executors. That was not a bad method and could serve as an alternative.
The simplest method, though, was to bring along an employee to observe and learn the entire process firsthand. Wasn’t that just an apprentice? He couldn’t help finding it laughable, but upon closer examination, he realized this apprentice was different from the ordinary kind—the apprentice would be brain-linked, meaning that a single person’s observation could allow many to learn simultaneously.
“Lunch is ready.”
Kesiya sent a message. Li Haojun, mulling over his own ideas and how they might be applied, had already forgotten Kesiya’s earlier proposal about a newcomer.
Walking into the dining room, he saw Kesiya and another young woman already seated across the table. Was she really about to introduce a new employee to him?
Seeing Li Haojun enter, both of them rose to their feet at the same time. The new girl had her hair in two braids draped over her chest, wore light makeup—mauve lipstick, a pale orange blush, crimson eye shadow—and was dressed in a pale pink T-shirt printed with newspapers from the 1950s and 60s, paired with light blue skinny jeans.
“You’re… Malaya.” Li Haojun could hardly recognize her. After not seeing her for over half a year, she seemed to have grown taller, and her face had changed slightly. Most importantly, the makeup she wore today had shed much of the girlishness of those early days.
The two of them just smiled without speaking, radiating that uniquely feminine, understated charm. Li Haojun hurried around the table, wanting to give Malaya a hug, but standing before her, after such a long time apart, he felt a sense of distance. And this young girl seemed to have grown into more of a woman; he wasn’t sure if he could still embrace her as freely as he used to.
Malaya seemed to read his mind. She took the initiative, wrapping both arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against his nape, giving him a hug.
Li Haojun hastily put his arms around her waist and gently patted her back, but his eyes darted toward Kesiya off to the side, a little embarrassed. Kesiya simply smiled and said nothing.
The reunion after such a long separation, and with a beautiful woman no less, filled Li Haojun with excitement. As they sat down and started eating, he couldn’t help asking Malaya about her experiences over all this time.
“Hey, why didn’t I get any company notification about your return today?” Gazing at Malaya’s face, Li Haojun suddenly thought of this puzzle. And what kept him from tearing his gaze away might not have been just the question in his heart, but more likely her allure. The time apart was certainly a factor, but today Malaya’s changed looks and figure, especially her makeup and aura, made it clear that she had reached her blooming age and was no longer that little bud waiting to open.
“She’s no longer part of our company,” Kesiya answered on her behalf.
Malaya just looked at Li Haojun with a smile and still said nothing.
“She’s with the field team now. Not in the same system as us.” Kesiya continued to explain for her.
“Ah?” Li Haojun was somewhat startled. He never imagined that this delicate, well-behaved girl would choose such a career path.
“Doing fieldwork—is it safe?” Li Haojun’s eyes widened in surprise as he gazed at Malaya with concern.
“Don’t worry. I’m just a junior field operative, only responsible for arranging your daily schedule,” Malaya finally spoke.
Only then did Li Haojun feel somewhat relieved.
“Okay,” he said, almost subconsciously, his eyes still fixed on Malaya’s face, trying to find the trace of memory that the girl from his recollections had once left in his heart.
Malaya, however, silently met his gaze, blinked, then looked at the sister beside her and let out a soft laugh.