'SEE YOU MORNING' 069 You Can't Go Back on Your Word

After returning from Sienna's room and having a heartfelt conversation, believing there were no more misunderstandings or hard feelings, Li Haojun took a quick shower and then hurried to rest—after all, there was work the next day.

Yet the sisters who tugged at his heart lingered in his mind. The elder sister had gone from being accompanied by him to now rushing about alone; the younger sister, so young, had gone off to study by herself. It didn't seem like any of his business, but one was gentle and well-behaved, the other clever and lovely—how could he not worry about them?

Waking up the next morning, he headed to the nearby New York Aquarium in Long Beach. Unexpectedly, during the conversation and interaction with the client, Li Haojun—normally quiet and not much of a talker—suddenly turned into a social butterfly. Not only did he vividly explain the technical features of his company's products, but he also chatted cheerfully for a long time with the male and female staff in different positions at the client's side. After finishing the morning's work, Li Haojun felt he had performed beyond his usual level and didn't know where all that quick wit and enthusiasm had come from.

In the afternoon, he rushed to Boston, where he again performed spectacularly, so much so that the other party wanted to place an order on the spot.

When the meeting ended and he walked out of the client's building, Li Haojun finally realized something was absolutely off. On his way back to the hotel, he looked at Sienna, into her eyes, but didn't ask. Instead, he reflected on his own performance that day—the source of his ideas, his perception of the atmosphere, the gap between how he acted and his usual self.

Sienna occasionally glanced back at him, sometimes running a hand through her hair, but didn't take the bait. Back at the hotel, during dinner, she only ate a little, looking somewhat tired—far from the energy she had shown the night before.

Li Haojun even wondered if she was sick. As he walked her to her room, he studied her and asked,

"Are you feeling unwell? You look a bit exhausted."

"No, I'm just tired," Sienna replied, looking into his eyes, then smiled and turned her gaze forward, as if amused by something.

Only after following her into the room and sitting down did he tentatively ask,

"I feel that today, my thoughts and conversations with the client were unusually clear and sharp—beyond my normal performance. Are you helping me? Are you projecting those ideas into my brain?"

Sienna laughed as he asked. Her mouth stretched wide in a smile, sometimes lowering her head in restraint, sometimes looking up to meet his eyes, but she didn't answer.

"Is it exhausting to do that?" Li Haojun pressed.

"Mm," came the simple reply.

"Thank you, but you don't have to do this. It's not part of your job."

"Oh, you don't like it?" Sienna responded, then asked back.

"No, I don't want you to tire yourself out over something outside your job duties."

"Why not? But I like it," Sienna said, lifting her face with a smile, looking a little proud.

"Ha, to be honest, I don't really like this job—raising fish. I was just assigned to it," Li Haojun said, spreading his hands and shrugging, then continued,

"I feel this work isn't very meaningful, so I don't want you to invest too much in it, especially beyond your actual duties. I think the return for you wouldn't be fair."

"Oh? How do you know the return for me isn't fair?" Sienna tilted her head, lifting her chin slightly with a hint of coquettish pride.

"Based on my common sense, my feelings, my experience," Li Haojun said, then chuckled and shook his head.

"Haha, you're right—my perspective may not fit you."

Sienna laughed too, then lowered her proud head, dropped her gaze, tucked her chin slightly, then raised her brows and stared seriously, saying somewhat sternly,

"I'm here to experience things. I'll do whatever I want."

For a moment, Li Haojun felt a chill. How had Sienna suddenly seemed to shift into a different personality—harsh and stern, completely unlike the naive sweetheart she had been before? At this moment, it was as if a dark angel lived inside her body.

"Ah, ha," was all Li Haojun could manage, not knowing how to respond.

"Do you think I've done work outside my duties, and now you feel you owe me something personally, and that weighs on you?" Sienna's tone remained icy.

"Ha, yeah," Li Haojun answered awkwardly.

"You don't want to owe anyone, especially people you haven't connected with more deeply."

"Mm, I suppose," Li Haojun replied, secretly startled. She could not only sense what he was thinking but even feel the instinctive reactions rooted in his personality—she was like a mirror of himself.

At that, Sienna's tone and expression finally softened. She said,

"If you feel you owe me, you can compensate me—treat me the way you treat Kesiya."

Li Haojun couldn't help finding it amusing. Who asks for affection like that? So brazen and forceful? He hadn't asked for her help; she did it all voluntarily, and now she was cashing in on his sympathy.

But Li Haojun didn't argue or say anything. He just put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a hug—going through the motions.

Sienna rested her head on his shoulder and whispered softly,

"Please don't be perfunctory with me, okay?" Her voice was gentle and low, and Li Haojun's heart trembled at the thought of Kesiya. Hesitating for a moment, he held her shoulders, slowly pushed her back, looked into Sienna's eyes, and seemed to find traces of Kesiya in them.

"Can you treat me the way you treat her?" Sienna asked, looking into his eyes.

"Why should I treat you the same way I treat her? Isn't it better to treat you like you?"

Sienna didn't understand what he meant. She just looked into his eyes.

"You exhausted yourself helping me today, didn't you?" Li Haojun said, pulling her over to sit in his chair. With one arm around her shoulder and the other around her waist, he pulled her sideways into his embrace and said,

"Thank you."

At first, Sienna leaned against his shoulder and gazed at him. After a while, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his neck.

"Earlier, why did you say you're here to experience things? I'm curious. Can you tell me?" Li Haojun asked.

"Who isn't here to experience things?" Sienna answered softly.

"True. You don't need to help me like this anymore. I don't want you to tire yourself out."

"But," Sienna hesitated, then looked into his eyes and said,

"Aside from this, I don't have anything special about me."

Li Haojun smiled, stroked her cheek and the hair at her temple, and said gently,

"Who said you have to be special to be loved? You don't need to compare yourself to them." Then, suddenly recalling her earlier behavior, he asked,

"A while ago, why were you so stern and cold—both in expression and tone? It was like you'd become a different person."

"I learned it from you," Sienna said with an innocent look.

"Learned it from me? When have I ever treated you like that?" Li Haojun found it odd.

"I found it in your memories."

Hearing that, Li Haojun laughed to himself. He thought, my memories only go back a year—I don't even remember ever acting like that. So he asked,

"I don't even remember. How did you find it?"

"Feeling. Just a feeling."

"All right," Li Haojun said, then thought of how Kesiya had also said she could sense his thoughts. He couldn't help but marvel—were such abilities standard for young people nowadays? In comparison, ordinary folks like him seemed like antiques, completely uncompetitive. Then he reconsidered and asked,

"Then why do you learn my way of treating me?"

"Because," Sienna hesitated,

"Because I don't know how to treat you either."

"Why do you say that? I've seen you getting along quite harmoniously with our colleagues these days," Li Haojun asked curiously.

"Because with them, it's a colleague relationship. I know how to handle that. But with you, mm," she paused again, looked at Li Haojun, and said,

"It's not just a colleague relationship."

"Oh, I see," Li Haojun smiled and quickly added,

"I'm honored."

Hearing that, Sienna also laughed—a sweet, restrained smile—and added in a low voice,

"Besides, you're male."

"Haha, I really am lucky. I'm the only male in the company, surrounded by beauties every day," Li Haojun said, echoing Sienna's self-deprecation while also feeling a bit puzzled. He pondered it but still remembered to urge Sienna,

"Don't help me like this anymore. It wears you out, right?"

"Yes, but—"

Before she could finish, Li Haojun shook her shoulder gently.

"Don't. There's no need to do it when it's unnecessary. If you want me to do something for you, just say so directly. You don't have to help me first."

"Okay, it's a deal. You can't go back on your word."

The moment Sienna said that, Li Haojun began to regret it. His promise had come too soon, with no boundaries. He didn't know if she would later ask to take Kesiya's or Qin Wenjing's place.

It seemed Sienna had been monitoring his thoughts. Just as he thought that, she gently rested her head against his neck again and murmured,

"Don't worry. I won't cling to you for long. Once I've experienced this world, I'll leave."

Her words stirred a wave of melancholy in Li Haojun's heart. His right hand slid from her waist down to her hip, then along her thigh to pull her closer, turning her more toward him, while using his shoulder to push her head up.

Sienna looked up into his eyes, wondering why he had suddenly done that.

"Don't say things like that. You're still young; you have a long road ahead. Don't talk about leaving. Don't say such unlucky things," Li Haojun said very seriously, looking into her eyes.

"Oh, I understand." With that, Sienna smiled, a smile hanging at the corners of her mouth, and rested her head on his shoulder again.

The night after finishing a day's work felt especially light. In that relaxed mood, outside the window hung a bright moon, haloed, with a pale yellow, undulating texture on its surface—mysterious and enchanting, lighting up the edge of the night sky and spilling the quiet of the night across the earth.