'SEE YOU MORNING' 025 Clouds in August

'SEE YOU MORNING' 025 Clouds in August

By mid-August the summer heat was gradually fading. Li Haojun and Qin Wenjing sat on a bench at the solar farm in the afternoon. Though the sunlight remained strong, its rays piercing through the blades of grass and leaves, light and shadow outlining the contours of the walls and fences, creating a crystalline summer world of sharp contrasts, the breeze already carried a hint of coolness, as if the footsteps of high summer were slowly receding.

Qin Wenjing wore a vintage-style round-collar long silk blouse and had her hair up in a fresh double-bun style. Her lips, traced with a touch of red, stood against the pale green of her gauze garment, as she sat beside Li Haojun with an air of pure and understated grace.

The afternoon sky was pale blue and clear, white clouds rolling and rising endlessly under the sunlight, constantly shifting their shapes—elusive, never repeating, like fleeting time and the trancelike moments of life. Gazing long enough, one could almost see the brilliance at the cloud tops shimmering with pale gold, while the heavy depths of the cloud bases held a hint of somber blue.

A silent breeze carried the chirping of insects from the nearby grass, singing the last aria of deep summer. In this rare moment of leisure, Qin Wenjing tugged at Li Haojun's hand and asked,

"Can it stay like this forever?"

"Yes," Li Haojun answered with just one word, quietly gazing at Qin Wenjing's face turned toward him—the gentle smile at the corner of her lips, the strands of hair drifting by her temples, the depth within the pupils of her eyes.

After a long, long while, Qin Wenjing pursed her small lips, turned her head to look at the scenery before them, and then asked, as if making casual conversation,

"A new promotion and new assistants—how has this phase felt for you?" She turned back to look at Li Haojun after speaking.

"Nothing much, heh." Li Haojun seemed to realize something, smiled at her, and then added,

"This morning I dreamed of that little girl again. This time I saw her face—she was about seven or eight years old. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, her legs coiled around my waist, and I held her by the waist, cupping her bottom as we sat on the bench in front of the school gate, picking up my daughter from school. Isn't that a bit strange?"

"Mhm," Qin Wenjing nodded as she listened, thoughtful, but said nothing.

"Is it you? Do you have any photos from when you were little?" Li Haojun asked with a smile.

"Why must it be me? Maybe she's your daughter from a previous life, who knows," Qin Wenjing said, shifting her gaze away, looking off to the side. After a moment's thought, she turned back to Li Haojun and said,

"If you really want that so much, I don't mind you treating them like daughters. Whatever makes you happy."

"What are you talking about," Li Haojun said, taking one of her hands in his, wrapping his other arm around her waist. The two of them sat closer, pressed together.

"I'm just curious why I keep having these dreams and this feeling of losing a child. It's strange where this complex comes from."

"Mhm," Qin Wenjing murmured in response, leaning against Li Haojun, gazing ahead. She tilted her head gently into the breeze, narrowing her eyes, a smile on her face, quietly taking in the view before her. Strands of hair fluttered softly, the cool breeze whispered, the sunlight still blanketed them with warmth.

Just then a new message notification broke the afternoon stillness. The two rose and slowly made their way back. Before them, the blue sky, white clouds, warm sun, and gentle breeze still held a trace of reluctance to part. Li Haojun grumbled,

"If only I didn't have to work."

"Would you spend every moment of your time on me then?" Qin Wenjing asked, her hands clasped behind her back, turning to look at him, leaning forward slightly with a teasing tone.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Li Haojun looked into her eyes, as if through their meeting gaze they could feel the ties that bound them across lifetimes.

"It is," Qin Wenjing said, facing Li Haojun as she walked backwards before him, her face brimming with a smile. Then she added,

"But then maybe I would never have a chance to grow young again, and you might never have met me. And maybe we'd each be living in ordinary citizen communities, or living in residential areas on government welfare. Even though we wouldn't have to answer to anyone, we'd still have to deal with all kinds of people and neighbors. Would you still say the same thing then?"

"True, people are never content..." Li Haojun paused, then broke into a mischievous grin and cried out, "Yes, yes, yes, I'm never content—come here and let me kiss you!" With that, he made as if to chase Qin Wenjing, teasing her.

Qin Wenjing played along beautifully, calling out, "Oh no, I'm not letting you kiss me," as she skipped and danced along the garden path, running with great showiness.

At last, in the backyard, Li Haojun caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. The lilac leaves beside them swayed gently in the breeze, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck quivered in Li Haojun's slightly quickened breath.

In that frozen silhouette, in that frozen moment, it seemed that only the heartbeats and breathing of the two could be heard. Li Haojun held her waist, one hand gently brushing her cheek to slowly turn her face back toward him. Gazing into her eyes, he softly kissed her red lips.

It turned out there was a new notification—official business requiring a trip to Sacramento.

"With your two new assistants again?" Qin Wenjing asked from the side.

"Not this time, actually," Li Haojun replied, reading the mission details. "It's with... Lily Brent. I'm to meet up with her in Rocklin first."

Qin Wenjing leaned in to look at the screen as well and said,

"She's field ops. Strange, they've assigned you a new field operative. Maybe it's divided by region."

"Mhm. This time it's the same routine—delivering some of our products, and then I need to provide some related training for the user personnel. But this time they haven't arranged for John to carry it with me; they're just sending me out to conduct the training."

Li Haojun explained to Qin Wenjing as he read through the mission briefing.

"But this client has a military background."

"Oh? Molecular Dynamics Company? Hey, look, Lily Brent... her forehead is rather broad. No, no, I should say it's full and well-rounded." Compared to the mission details, Qin Wenjing was more interested in the travel companion the company had assigned to Li Haojun.

"Mm, and a square and ample chin too," Li Haojun teased.

"Hey, look, isn't it? Look at the contour of her cheeks, the transition to the jaw—rather smooth, and the mandible is on the wider side," Qin Wenjing studied the image more closely and added,

"Look, look—she even has an omega chin." Qin Wenjing burst out laughing as she said it.

"What are you laughing at?" Li Haojun asked, a bit puzzled.

Qin Wenjing smiled, hesitated for a moment, then shook her head with a pleased air and said,

"For a woman, having a cleft chin like that gives her a look that's a little too firm and resolute. Heh heh, not your type." She finished speaking and gazed smugly out the window.

"Yes, yes, yes, you're absolutely right. I love a petite, gentle little woman like you, all soft and tender," Li Haojun said, leaning in, once again cupping her face, gently turning it toward him, and kissing her lips. Yet after just a few days together, they were about to part again in the blink of an eye. A pang of sorrow rose in his heart; he felt he had let her down.

He did not know if Qin Wenjing felt the same way inside. The gentle kisses gradually deepened into passionate kisses, caresses, and embraces, as if only the touch of skin could convey the other's presence, as if only by holding each other tightly could they feel their loving hearts merge into one.

When everything returned to stillness once more, in their gaze they each saw deep attachment reflected in the other's eyes.