After finally enduring a week of work since his new appointment, although he was surrounded by beautiful women at work, Li Haojun still thought of Casey most fondly. Every work report she submitted stirred his emotions, to the point where he could no longer calm himself down and felt a nameless anger rising within him—though of course, it wasn't directed at Casey.
On Saturday morning, before breakfast, under a light drizzle, Li Haojun silently took a pair of scissors and began pruning the roses planted in the front courtyard of the small house, as if this mechanical action could clear the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
“Breakfast is ready,” Tan Wenjing had already prepared breakfast and walked to the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window, calling out to him through the glass,
“Alright, Li Haojun replied, glancing up at Tan Wenjing.
She wore a emerald green pencil skirt, a small round collar, and a buttoned round-collared red-based cotton coat embroidered with childishly depicted images of the twelve zodiac animals—pigs, horses, cows, sheep, dogs, rabbits, and snakes. Her hair was untidy, loosely braided into a single plait hanging over her left shoulder. Watching her departing figure and footsteps, Li Haojun’s inner restlessness made it impossible for him to focus on admiring Tan Wenjing.
After washing his hands and sitting down at the dining table, Tan Wenjing lowered her head to eat her own meal without acknowledging him, so Li Haojun also ate on his own. He occasionally glanced up at her, but she showed no intention of speaking to him.
After finishing his meal, he looked up at Tan Wenjing. She had already finished eating and was sitting there, fiddling with her braid, still silent. Occasionally, she would glance at him, but she didn't speak. So Li Haojun asked,
“What's wrong? Why are you fiddling with your braid?”
“Ah,” Tan Wenjing sighed, then deliberately drew out her voice in a sweet tone,
“Look at this braid—two of the three strands are missing. How can I braid it properly?”
Li Haojun leaned in to take a closer look and said,
“But it’s still three strands, isn’t it?”
Upon hearing this, Tan Wenjing pouted, rolled her eyes, and said in a displeased tone,
“Oh, this three-strand braid? One strand belongs to me, one has already gone to Malaya, and one has gone to Kasiya. I’m braiding it all by myself—how can I possibly braid them together?” " After saying this, she puckered her lips and gave Li Haojun a sideways glance.
Hearing this, Li Haojun quickly went around the table to stand in front of Tan Wenjing, kneeling on one knee and wrapping his arms around her thighs, saying,
“You noticed? Sorry, I guess I can't keep things to myself—it must show on my face. I've made you unhappy too,”
“Nonsense, I'm almost a hundred years old. What can't I see?” Saying this, Tan Wenjing smiled and poked Li Haojun's forehead with her finger.
Li Haojun didn't hesitate, burying his face between Tan Wenjing's legs, burrowing in tightly until he could barely breathe, then muttered to himself,
“I'm sorry. Who knew how this crappy company would arrange things? You know, even if a little cat or dog dies, people still feel sad for a while. This is a real person, and they just split us up like that. My heart is made of flesh too. I'm not trying to be mean to you on purpose,”
Tan Wenjing giggled, shaking his head as she said,
“Alright, alright. Why don't we go see her?”
Li Haojun looked up suddenly, staring at Tan Wenjing in surprise,
“Let’s just treat it as our weekend getaway,” Tan Wenjing added,
Li Haojun continued to look at her, unsure of what to say,
“Why don’t you ask her if she’s free today? She might get taken by another guy,”
Li Haojun chuckled, finally finding his words,
“If she’s already been asked out, I’ll just give up, okay?”
“Go on, don’t make a scene here,” Tan Wenjing said with a laugh, pushing him gently.
Li Haojun sent her a message. At first, Casey was a bit confused and replied casually, but when she heard it was Tan Wenjing's idea and that the two of them were going together, she took it seriously and arranged a time and place.
Li Haojun didn't choose the newly purchased flying car; he wasn't familiar with it yet and didn't want Tan Wenjing to take the risk with him. Instead, he chose a commercial plane.
Flying over the spring-covered land, the feeling of going to work in Calispear with someone was different. Having a companion by his side, with a loved one waiting at the destination—ah, this was pure enjoyment throughout the entire flight. Li Haojun didn't look out the window much during the flight; all he saw was the person beside him, and all he thought about was the person in his heart.
Soon they arrived at the meeting place. Since it was noon, they had agreed to meet at the food street. From afar, they could see Casey already waiting there, still with short hair, wearing a black fitted jacket and light blue jeans. As they approached, they could see clearly that her top was a smoky-colored leather jacket with a diagonal zipper, an asymmetrical large collar, no scarf, but that freshwater pearl necklace.
Tan Wenjing took the initiative, taking Li Haojun’s hand and stepping forward first,
“Hello, Casey, sorry to keep you waiting,”
“Hello, Emily, it wasn’t that long,”
Tan Wenjing spread her arms and gave her a hug, then gave her a polite kiss on the cheek. After letting go of each other’s hands, Casey turned to Li Haojun, about to embrace and kiss him as well, but she froze instinctively, unsure of what to say.
Tan Wenjing, noticing this, turned her head and smiled slightly to the side, then walked forward alone, gently pushing Casey’s back with her hand. Li Haojun instinctively pulled her into his arms, pressing his face against hers, breathing in her scent, compensating for his own unrequited love, and comforting her longing, but he said nothing. Because Tan Wenjing had only taken a few steps away, he didn't want to overstep his bounds.
The moment they embraced felt like it had lasted forever, but in the end, it was Casey who gently pushed Li Haojun away, took his hand, and turned to catch up with Tan Wenjing.
Tan Wenjing walked slowly ahead on her own, browsing the shops along the food street. When she saw the two of them catch up, she asked Casey,
“What do you want to eat for lunch? I’ll treat you,” then took her hand and continued,
“We came over so suddenly, I don’t know if we’ve disrupted your normal life,”
“No, you're not disturbing me. I don't have any plans for the weekend either.”
At that moment, Li Haojun caught up and interjected,
“No, no, no, Emily, let me treat you today.”
Upon hearing this, Tan Wenjing glanced at him and leaned close to Casey's ear, whispering,
“If he's treating us, let's choose the most expensive option.”
Upon hearing this, Casey looked at Tan Wenjing and burst into laughter,
“Why don’t you try the local specialties?” Casey recommended gently,
“Alright,” Tan Wenjing replied with a smile,
while Li Haojun simply smiled contentedly, glancing from one woman to the other without interjecting.
Kathy led the two of them to a restaurant that served a grilled trout platter. The same ingredients, but different cooking methods, made it perfect for people with different tastes to enjoy together.
Kathy took Tan Wenjing's hand and sat her down on one side of the table, while Li Haojun sat across from them. Both were people he cared about, and it seemed like two eyes weren't enough. Tan Wenjing kept smiling at Li Haojun, but she was chatting with Kasiya.
“Have you been busy with work lately?”
“Yes, a bit. I've been running between factories for the spring orders.” Kasiya answered while glancing at Tan Wenjing and Li Haojun.
“Yes, I've heard Ethan mention you. In the past, you two always went together, but now you have to handle things on your own, and he's a bit worried. Since I had some free time over the weekend, I came by to check on you.” After saying that, she glanced at Casey, who blushed slightly, exchanged a smile, and then lowered her head.
Seeing that Casey wasn't speaking, Tan Wenjing turned back to look at Li Haojun, smiling without saying a word.
Li Haojun thought to himself, I never said that. It was clearly you who suggested coming to see her together. But he didn't want to go into details in front of Kasiya, so he paused for a moment before saying,
“Yes, although there are intelligent robots accompanying us according to procedure, they're no substitute for real people.”
Kathy kept her head down, glanced up at Li Haojun with a smile, her shy charm evident. Her large eyes, hidden beneath her fluttering eyelashes, were truly captivating.
Tan Wenjing watched Li Haojun’s awkward expression for a moment before turning back to Kathy.
“Since we parted at Christmas, I haven’t seen you, and I’ve missed you a bit too.”
“Thank you for thinking of me, Sister,” Casey replied, looking into Tan Wenjing’s eyes, then lowered her gaze to the table. After a moment, she glanced at Li Haojun across from her before withdrawing her gaze.
“Unfortunately, Malaya isn’t here today. Ethan told me she went to study.”
“Yes,” Casey replied casually,
while Tan Wenjing stared into Li Haojun’s eyes. She wanted to see how greedy his eyes would become when he heard about Malaya, wanting to see him make a fool of himself. The subtext seemed to be, “Is one sister enough? Do you need a younger sister too?”
Li Haojun just smiled and looked over, seeming to know that Tan Wenjing was mocking him.
After a while, the food arrived. At first, Casey felt a bit awkward, but Li Haojun and Tan Wenjing both stepped in to help her taste the dishes. After a while of bustling around, Tan Wenjing looked up, smiled, and glanced at Li Haojun.
After they had eaten their fill and admired the people in front of them, Li Haojun finally looked around. It was a small traditional shop with a wooden structure. It was clearly not decorated, as the doors and windows were obviously handmade, and the walls were made of wooden planks supported by beams and columns. There was no paint, just the natural color of the wood, which made the traces of time even more apparent. The glass in the doors and windows seemed to be of an older type, uneven and tinged with green. The spring sunlight, not yet too strong, scattered and refracted through the glass, casting mottled patches of light and shadow on the tables, chairs, and floor, evoking a sense of nostalgia. Li Haojun couldn't help but imagine the woman sitting across from him in that sunlight as his own wife and daughter—how perfect life would be then.
After leaving the food street, the group walked to a nearby park. The poplar and pine trees had sprouted new branches and leaves, and the air was filled with the vibrant energy of spring.
As they strolled, they came upon a children's playground with swings, slides, and colorful climbing frames. Seeing no one else around, Tan Wenjing felt inspired,
“I want to try the slide,” she said with a smile, running over,
“Don’t you want to try it too?” Li Haojun asked Casey beside him. She replied, her gaze gentle as she looked at Li Haojun. Her short hair swayed in the breeze with each step, occasionally lifting strands of her hair.
By the time the two of them reached the slide, Tan Wenjing had already slid down from the top. The size of the person and the dimensions of the slide were indeed mismatched; her buttocks almost filled the entire slide, and her body was much taller than the slide’s handrails. She slid all the way down, then got up and ran back up the stairs with a thud.
However, Li Haojun was already standing beside the start of the slide. Seeing Tan Wenjing still sliding down excitedly and uncontrollably, he glanced at the bottom of the slide and predicted that Tan Wenjing would end up sitting there again. As she began to slide down, he reached out to stop her and said,
“You just finished eating. Slow down. Don’t upset your stomach.”
Surprisingly, after sliding down this time, Tan Wenjing fell silent and lost her earlier enthusiasm, walking away on her own.
Li Haojun glanced at Casey and thought, What's wrong with this woman? He hurried after her and asked,
“What's wrong? Why are you unhappy?”
“Nothing, nothing,” Tan Wenjing said, turning her face away.
Li Haojun looked at Casey again and thought, “Can you tell what’s wrong with her?” But Casey didn't say anything either, just silently staring at him.
Li Haojun hurried a few steps forward, stood in front of Tan Wenjing, and saw the expression on her face. She was silently crying, biting her lip without making a sound.
Li Haojun grabbed Tan Wenjing's shoulders, held her close, and asked face-to-face,
“Tell me, what's wrong?”
“I... I remembered when I was a child, playing with my father on the slide...” Before she could finish, she burst into tears.
Li Haojun finally understood the reason, wiping away her tears while trying to comfort her, but how could he comfort her? Li Haojun could only hold her in his arms, gently patting her back to comfort her.
At that moment, Casey also came over, wrapping her arms around both of them. She too wanted that warmth and love.
Li Haojun turned to look at her and embraced her as well.
On the return flight, the last streak of red dawn remained on the horizon, about to be swallowed by the blue-purple sky and the dark earth in the night.
Tan Wenjing sat calmly by the window, the evening glow outlining the contours of her cheeks, and the bloodshot veins in her tear-stained eyes were still faintly visible. Li Haojun silently approached, cradling her head along with the sunset in his arms, gazing alone out the window as the last vestige of light faded into the darkness.
Running his fingers through Tan Wenjing's hair, watching her rest peacefully in his arms, Li Haojun couldn't help but ponder the coming year of 2095—how he would face the new year.
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