'SEE YOU MORNING' 020 Journey

After saying goodbye to Qin Wenjing, this journey would take me away from her for a few days, as the several visiting locations were quite far apart. Setting off early in the morning, Li Haojun chose the faster lifting-body air taxi to head to Boise. Domestic general aviation had been squeezed by the unmanned aerial vehicle market, and commercial short-haul regional aviation had long since disappeared.
The tandem two-seat cockpit had slightly cramped interior space, but it offered lower frontal drag, making it more suitable for high-speed flight. With faster speed and higher cruising altitude, one could overlook the continental terrain. After takeoff, we flew straight south by east, gradually transitioning from alluvial plains to river valley mountains. The rivers were almost too thin to be seen, yet they had carved deep gorges into the valleys. In an instant, the white water reflected the bright sunlight like a mirror, winding as if alive, shimmering brightly.
Arriving at the Elegant Charm Hall store in Boise, it was a modern-style building with a structure of metal and stained glass, a small direct-operated experience store. Li Haojun walked into the lobby, and the front desk was empty. Sunlight shone through the stained glass supported by metal grids at various angles onto the lobby floor, patches of color, soft and sharp, overlapping each other. Everything seemed so leisurely, as if one were in a pavilion of time, where different moments were frozen.
Li Haojun approached the empty front desk, wanting to see if there was a bell or some other tool for guests to call for service. He didn't want to appear in front of the employees as if conducting a surprise inspection.
As he got closer, Li Haojun seemed to hear chattering voices from behind the front desk. Suddenly, a little girl stood up from behind the counter. She had fair skin, pale blonde shoulder-length hair, an oval face with a small mouth, a turned-up nose tip, a flat bridge, and light blue eyes. As he was looking her over, she spoke,
"Ethan? You must be Mr. Li. I'm Malaya, Malaya Rodney, your newly appointed personal assistant."
At this moment, Li Haojun matched her appearance with the personal file he had seen earlier. But she actually looked like a child, both in appearance and behavior, with a childish air. However, it was impolite to ask a girl her age, as that was her privacy. Li Haojun quickly reached out to shake her hand,
"Yes, I'm Ethan Li. I'm looking forward to working with you. Thank you for your support in advance." As he spoke, Li Haojun shook her hand with appropriate firmness to show enthusiasm and sincerity.
At this time, Li Haojun noticed another girl sitting behind the front desk. It turned out the two of them had been talking just now. After mutual introductions, Li Haojun asked Malaya,
"Excuse me, are you an employee of Elegant Charm Hall?" Because he wanted to be introduced to the store manager and other staff.
"No, I'm just your personal assistant. I'm an intern personal assistant, and I was waiting here to meet you today."
"Oh, okay," Li Haojun said, turning to the other front desk clerk. "Excuse me, are the other employees here?" After saying that, he was still thinking about Malaya's answer just now, feeling that she seemed like a smart, quick-witted and straightforward girl. Maybe she could help me with some things in the future.
"Please wait a moment. The store manager will be here soon. I've already called her," the front desk clerk said.
"Okay, thank you." After expressing his thanks, Li Haojun turned back to Malaya. He didn't want to waste time,
"Do you like the job you've chosen?"
"Yes, I like helping people and taking care of others," Malaya replied. As she spoke, she walked out from behind the front desk and stood beside Li Haojun, not leaning on or supporting herself against the counter, looking very independent.
Li Haojun looked at her and smiled, thinking to himself how could someone so young take care of others? But he didn't want to discourage her, especially a child who had just entered society, and he couldn't say it directly, so he asked,
"Then I'll be counting on you in the future. It's just that this job requires frequent business trips with me. Do you have any concerns or family responsibilities?"
"It's okay. I like going to different places, and I don't have any family responsibilities. You don't have to worry," Malaya replied very straightforwardly.
"Okay, thank you very much for your support."
Just as he was speaking, Li Haojun looked up and saw the store manager coming. She came from the dimly lit corridor. At first, only her figure was visible—slender and bony, but with wide hips that contrasted sharply with her narrow waist, her shoulders even narrower than her hip bones. Her thighs were firm, her calves slender, and her steps light. When she swung her arms, her elbows pressed close to her waistline, exuding feminine grace.
When she entered the front hall, the light fell on her long wavy brown-black shoulder-length hair. In the shadow of her hair, her face appeared even softer, with a pointed chin, soft-cheeked features, a slender nose with narrow nostrils, sensual lips below, delicate brow bones above, well-proportioned eyes, and elegant eyebrows. Her upper eye sockets were slightly deep, and when she blinked, there seemed to be a faint sadness in her eyes, utterly charming.
"I'm Ava Bishop. Nice to meet you," she said, shaking Li Haojun's hand, but quickly pulled her hand back.
Li Haojun subconsciously only shook the tips of her fingers and hurriedly said, "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Ethan Li. I received a new appointment to come to Boise and meet my colleagues."
Li Haojun realized that his gaze on her just now had been a bit inappropriate, staring for too long. Out of the corner of his eye, he also noticed that Malaya was observing their interaction, and the other front desk clerk's eyes had been fixed on the store manager the whole time. She was truly a beauty that drew everyone's attention.
Like previous experiences, everyone met in the conference room, held talks, exchanged opinions, and collected data. But throughout the process, Kesiya, who was mentioned in the appointment, was nowhere to be seen. Li Haojun had originally planned to let her familiarize herself with which experience data needed to be collected and analyzed, but she didn't show up. Li Haojun had thought about asking Malaya, but he didn't want to make things difficult for this little girl.
It wasn't until the affairs of the experience store were basically handled that Li Haojun asked Malaya,
"Next we're going to other experience stores. You and Kesiya will be accompanying me. Do you have any questions or difficulties?"
"No problem. I should be arranging your itinerary for you."
"Okay, thank you. Then why isn't Kesiya with you? Where is she?"
"She's at the production plant in Eagle. Should I call her over?"
"No, let's go to the factory to visit her and take a look at the facilities there while we're at it."
Malaya arranged the vehicle very quickly. Her competence and proficiency surprised Li Haojun a little, completely out of proportion to her age.
Eagle was not far from Boise. When we arrived at the parking lot in front of the factory gate, Kesiya was already waiting. As soon as Malaya parked the car, she jumped out and gave Kesiya a hug. At her young age, she should be that energetic.
Li Haojun walked towards them. When Kesiya put Malaya down, she was face to face with him. She was much taller than Malaya, mature and steady. Her brown hair had natural curls, but most of it was covered by a headscarf. She had warm, gentle brown-green eyes, a tall narrow nose, cheeks that smoothed into a narrow jawline, and a pointed chin. Could she be Muslim? Li Haojun wondered in his heart but didn't ask directly, just greeted her,
"Hello, I'm Ethan Li."
"Kesiya Rodney," she simply introduced herself, then smiled slightly, tilted her head, curtsied, and with her left arm around Malaya, made a small gesture of tugging at her skirt with her right hand—like an old European lady's greeting.
Li Haojun was a little surprised and quickly nodded in greeting, then accompanied them into the factory. This was an older factory, with somewhat outdated facilities and buildings, but fortunately, the necessary industrial data recording and control systems were still intact. During the communication, he learned that Kesiya was also an intern who had just arrived at this factory not long ago.
I have two interns to train, Li Haojun thought to himself. They can't jump right in and need to be taught some things, but the advantage is that they're like blank sheets of paper, and I can write on them according to my own working methods. He spent more time explaining work matters to Kesiya, and time passed quickly. The afternoon was almost over, and then Malaya's energy kicked in again,
"Ethan, there are three more locations on this business trip: Spokane, Seattle, and Portland. What order would you like to visit them in?"
Li Haojun thought for a moment. "That order is fine."
"We'll arrive in Spokane tonight. Do you want to go home to visit your partner? I can arrange transportation for you."
Li Haojun was taken aback. He had indeed thought about this possibility but hadn't made up his mind yet. He didn't expect this little girl to be so thoughtful. Looking at her expressionless face as she asked the question, he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"Time might be a little tight. You'll get home between ten and twelve o'clock, but you can give her a surprise," Malaya added specifically.
Li Haojun looked into her light blue eyes. Her childish face was completely out of proportion to her thoughtfulness. He paused for three seconds before answering, "Okay, thank you."
Then Malaya asked Li Haojun about his preferences regarding transportation options and work-rest schedules, her face expressionless, completely immersed in her work state. The whole process was like a teacher checking a student's mastery of knowledge points.
Throughout the process, Kesiya watched silently from the side. She was very steady, but her reserved personality couldn't hide her full breasts, slender waist, and strong thighs—all the charms of a mature woman.
We set off to fly to Spokane. In the sunset, Malaya had chosen a biodiesel-powered unmanned regional aircraft, a traditional fixed-wing plane that could only take off and land at airports, but with a fast cruising speed, low drag and low energy consumption.
As we reached cruising altitude, the roar of the turbocharger on the rear-mounted propulsion engine gradually subsided. Li Haojun, who was admiring the sunset glow outside the port window, heard chattering voices from the back seats. It was Malaya again. She was always expressionless and spoke in a flat tone when talking to him about work, but she was full of enthusiasm in private conversations. Originally, Li Haojun didn't want to listen to the two girls' private conversation, but more or less he always heard them mention his name. He looked back at them several times, but they didn't strike up a conversation with him, so Li Haojun didn't join their chat either.
"Do you love Qin Wenjing?" Malaya suddenly asked from the back row.
Ordinarily, such topics shouldn't be discussed in a work relationship, but facing a little girl who had just started her life, asking a question that might serve as a reference for her own life, Li Haojun felt it would be bad to refuse to answer, so he said,
"Maybe. I'm not sure. Because I accidentally lost my memory in a traffic accident before. I don't remember how we started, so I'm not really sure."
Kesiya just listened from the side, almost never taking the initiative to talk to Li Haojun. Malaya was very proactive, and it seemed there were no topics that were off-limits to her,
"I checked your and Qin Wenjing's company files. You've been together for many years."
"Yes, but I don't remember anything from before," Li Haojun replied casually. Then he felt something was wrong and asked, "You and I have a work relationship, so it's okay for you to check my information. How did you get Qin Wenjing's information?"
"Because I'm your personal assistant! To understand how to cooperate with you, it's also a way to get to know the people you've been in long-term contact with. My application was approved by the company."
"Oh," Li Haojun replied, sighing inwardly. This little girl is really going places.
"Then how do you feel about her now?" Malaya continued to ask,
"I miss her. I worry about her."
"Do you think that's love?"
"Not sure. It's affection, that much is certain."
"Do you love Ava?" Malaya was always so direct.
"Hahaha," Li Haojun laughed and glanced at Kesiya, thinking why don't you stop this little lunatic. Kesiya didn't get his meaning, just smiled and watched the fun between them.
"She's really charming. I think a lot of people would be fascinated by her."
"But you won't be the one to pursue her, will you?" Malaya pressed on.
"Well, no. There are many choices in life. You have to evaluate the costs and benefits of each choice, so you can't do everything you want to do. You can only focus on succeeding at the things you want most."
"But you love her, don't you?"
"Okay, yes. At least physically," Li Haojun had nowhere to hide from the questioning and had to answer directly. Malaya asked a lot of personal privacy questions that adults probably wouldn't ask, but for a child, children say what they think. To save her from embarrassment, Li Haojun joked and asked her,
"Does getting to know me like this help you with your work?"
"Yes," Malaya looked at Li Haojun, a smile spreading across her face.
The pleasant time passed quickly. The plane landed at the airport near Spokane. Li Haojun took the air taxi Malaya had booked for him home, while Kesiya and Malaya went into Spokane together.
It seemed late at night. The better visibility at high altitude allowed more stars to be seen. Li Haojun slightly opened the side window vent and breathed in the cool evening breeze. There was no moonlight, and the fields and earth were pitch black, with only scattered cars on the roads and anti-collision lights on landmark buildings.
What is Qin Wenjing doing now? Li Haojun murmured in his heart. The monotonous and tedious motor noise, along with the noise of the propellers cutting through the air, made this wait feel especially long.
The estimated arrival time was around eleven o'clock. In order not to disturb her rest, Li Haojun deliberately chose a landing spot far from the residential area.
From a distance, he saw that all the lights had been turned off. Walking along the highway in the evening breeze, Li Haojun quickened his pace. The stars were shining brightly, but the road and the area ahead were still dimly lit.
Walking into the familiar courtyard, he could see inside through the living room glass, and suddenly had an illusion of traveling through time. For some reason, Li Haojun couldn't help feeling a little nervous. Was the person he cared about in there?
Walking into the living room, it was dim and empty. Looking towards her bedroom, the door was ajar. Li Haojun took off his coat, threw it in the living room, and walked into her room.
It was her, lying on her side on the bed, her back to the door. He was so familiar with the faint outline of her body. He climbed gently onto the bed and lay down behind her, putting his right arm around her waist. In her long hair, Li Haojun searched for her familiar scent. The rise and fall of her breathing proved that she was still here. Just wait until tomorrow morning, and the familiar her will be by his side again.