The speed of the jet was efficient; the aircraft landed on the rooftop of Las Vegas in less than two hours. Malaya put on the tunic Li Haojun had prepared for her—a white linen, semi-transparent style with a ruffled hem at the waist. It effectively concealed her hips without appearing bulky.
喷气机的速度是高效的,不到两个小时飞机就降落在了拉斯维加斯的楼顶.玛莱雅穿上了李皓珺为她准备的罩衫,白色亚麻半透明的束腰荷叶边下摆款式,很好地遮挡了她的臀部却又不显得臃肿.
After unloading the suitcases and equipment cases from the plane, Li Haojun strapped the equipment to the suitcase. Malaya did not lead the way. As he turned to ask why, she spoke first.
从飞机上卸下行李箱和设备箱,李皓珺把设备捆在了行李箱上,然后玛莱雅并没有引路,正看着她想问怎么回事,玛莱雅说话了,
"You walk ahead. I'll follow behind and guide you. The elevator doors ahead," she pointed.
"你前面走,我跟在后面,听我指路.前面电梯门,"说着她用手一指,
"Oh," Li Haojun turned and walked forward. He trusted Malaya completely and rarely overthought things, though this time it felt like the same protocol he'd followed with John during missions. Was she protecting the equipment? It didn't seem necessary.
"哦,"李皓珺转身走在前面,他对玛莱雅完全信任,从不会想太多,只是这次感觉好像自己以前和约翰出任务一样的程序,她是要保护这个设备吗?没有这么大必要吧.
The elevator had no other passengers and went directly to their floor, where guards stood. Li Haojun glanced back at Malaya.
电梯没有其他乘客,直接到了目的楼层,有守卫.李皓珺回头看了一眼玛莱雅,
"Keep moving forward to Room 1721," she instructed, giving directions without explanation.
"继续向前,1721号房间,"她只是指明前进方向,没有解释什么,
The room door was open, with worktables and some installed equipment already in place. After entering, Li Haojun received the equipment installation guide.
房间门是开着的,已经有了工作台和一些安装好的设备,进入房间后,李皓珺收到了设备安装指南.
As he connected and calibrated the devices according to specifications, he pondered their purpose. The equipment he brought was his company's detection system, capable of identifying formulations derived from their proprietary technological pathways, including applications in medical aesthetics or human biological enhancement.
他一边按照要求连接设备,然后调试校准,一边思索这些设备是为了完成什么任务使用的.他带来的是本公司的检测设备,可以用于检测是否含有本公司技术路线的制剂,衍生应用的医美或者人体生物增强技术.
Once calibration was confirmed successful and the report completed, the new terminal directive was simply to follow Malaya out.
调试结束没问题,填写完成报告,然后新的终端指令就是跟随玛莱雅离开.
Only after descending to the ground floor and glancing back at the building's name did Malaya finally speak.
直到下到一楼走出大门回头看了一眼自己所逗留的场所名称,这时候玛莱雅才说话,
"Alright, come back to the hotel with me. We'll attend the exhibition tomorrow."
"好啦,跟我回旅馆,明天参加展会,"
Only then did Li Haojun sense the familiar Malaya he knew. Unable to hold back, he asked,
此时李皓珺才感受到那个他熟悉的玛莱雅,他禁不住问,
"Do you really enjoy this kind of work?"
"你真的喜欢这样的工作吗?"
"What do you mean?"
"怎么了?"
"This cold, dangerous work doesn't suit you. It feels like the job has changed your personality."
"这样冰冷危险的工作我觉得不适合你,我觉得你的性格好像都被这项工作改变了,"
"Has it? Do you really think you understand my personality? Besides, people grow up."
"是吗?你认为你真的了解我的性格吗?再说人总是要长大的."
There it was again. Li Haojun didn't want to argue or delve into life philosophies now, so he stayed silent.
又来了,李皓珺不想和她犟嘴或者在这个时候探讨人生,所以一时也无语了.
"Don't you want to go on adventures with me?" After asking, Malaya chuckled softly to herself.
"你不想和我一起去冒险吗?"问完这句话,玛莱雅自己呵呵呵地笑了.
Her laughter was like a warm breeze, seeping into Li Haojun's heart and dispelling some of the chill from the building. He recognized the words she'd spoken to him a year earlier, though he'd never fully understood them.
她的笑声宛如一缕暖风,吹进了李皓珺的心里,多少驱散了从那一栋大楼里带出来的冰冷,他知道玛莱雅重复的一年前她对自己说的话,只是自己一直不太理解.
They walked back to the hotel in silence. The prebooked room had two beds. Li Haojun glanced around.
一路无言,两人步行回到旅店,早已经定好的房间,李皓珺扫了一眼,一个房间两张床,
"I'm responsible for your itinerary and safety, so we'll share a room," Malaya explained.
"我负责你的行程和安全,所以我和你住一个房间,"玛莱雅解释道,
"Will you also escort me to that testing lab whenever the equipment malfunctions?"
"你也负责随时把我押送到那个检测实验室吗?"
"Yes. Other personnel handle the actual operations."
"是的,在设备不能正常工作的时候,具体使用操作由其他人员."
"Fine," Li Haojun agreed, suddenly feeling a distance between them. She was no longer the girl who once arranged his trips freely, relying solely on her own judgment. Now, she seemed merely an executor of external orders.
"好,"李皓珺答应着,顿时觉得自己与她的距离疏远了,再也不像之前那个为自己安排行程的小姑娘了,那时候她不用听从任何人的指令,只是用她自己的脑子,贴心地安排着自己的行程.而如今,她似乎只是另一个指令来源的执行者了.
A strange sadness washed over him as he walked deeper into the room. Suddenly remembering something, he turned.
李皓珺莫名地觉得有些伤心,独自向房间深处走去,忽然想起什么,转身问,
"Do you manage others' itineraries too?"
"你也会负责别人的行程吗?"
"No. Only yours."
"不,我只负责你的,"
"Oh," he replied, his expression freezing as he met her gaze.
"哦,"李皓珺答应着,看着玛莱雅,表情凝固,
"Do you trust my sister?" Malaya stepped closer, holding his eyes for a moment before saying, "You can trust me just as you trust her."
"你信任我的姐姐吗?"玛莱雅一边问,一边走进到他的面前,看着他的眼睛片刻说,
"Oh," he answered woodenly.
"哦,"依然是有些木讷地回答,
Seeing his reaction, Malaya paced back and forth before him, then abruptly turned.
见他这个样子,玛莱雅在李皓珺面前来回踱步,然后忽然扭头问他,
"Would you go on an adventure with someone you don't trust?"
"你会去和一个你不信任的人去冒险吗?"
"I wouldn't."
"我不会,"
"Neither would I. Yet here I am with you." She stood before him again, locking eyes.
"我也不会,但是现在我和你在一起,"说完,凯西娅又站在李皓珺的面前,望着他的眼睛,
Li Haojun gently pulled her shoulder into an embrace.
李皓珺轻轻搂着她的肩,给了她一个拥抱,
"Let's sit and talk. I just don't understand—your sister wanted care and affection from me, but you want to adventure with me. What kind of adventure do you seek?"
"咱们坐下聊吧,我只是不太明白,你的姐姐和我在一起只是想要,想要被关爱,而你却是想要和我去冒险,你到底想要什么样的冒险呢?"
"In a way, this is it now," she said.
"某种程度上,现在也算是吧,"
"But if it's someone you care about—like me and your sister—I wouldn't take her into danger. I'd want us to stay safe together. Yet you seek danger and drag others into it. If something happened, what would be the point?"
"但是,假如是你在乎的人,比如我和你姐姐,我不会带着她去冒险,我希望能和她平安地在一起.而你却要去冒险,还要拉上一个人和你一起,万一发生意外,那还有什么意义呢?"
"If something happened, only your body would die—not your soul."
"万一发生意外,死掉的只是你的身体,不是你的灵魂,"
"Alright, you're right. But I've never died, so I can't make life choices like that," Li Haojun replied logically, still unable to grasp Malaya's worldview.
"哦,好吧,你说得对,但是我没死过,我不能做那样的人生决定."李皓珺依照他自己的逻辑回答着,但是真的无法理解玛莱雅的世界.
"I prefer adventuring with those who haven't died. That's where the value lies," Malaya smiled, eyes fixed on his.
"我就喜欢拉着没死过的人去冒险,才有价值,"玛莱雅笑着说,看着李皓珺的眼睛,
"Oh," he murmured, beginning to understand. "But isn't that too extreme?"
"哦,"答应着,李皓珺似乎明白了她的意思,便强调,
"Just that it's too radical, isn't it?"
"只是那太激进了,不是吗?"
"Hmm," she chuckled, rising to end the topic.
"哼哼,"玛莱雅笑着起身,不聊这个话题了.
Watching her move, Li Haojun wondered if this girl desperately craved care or attention. Testing her, he posed an extreme question.
李皓珺看着她走动的身影,暗暗感到这个丫头或许是极其需要关爱或者关注.于是他也试探着问她极端的问题,
"If your orders were to detain or kill me, would you obey?"
"如果你收到的指令是拘禁我,或者杀害我,你会执行吗?"
"I'd never receive orders at that level."
"I不会有那样级别的指令,"
"But if you did?"
"如果呢?"
"I wouldn't. We'd play a runaway adventure game—just you and me." She laughed heartily.
"我不会啊?正好我们一起玩亡命天涯的冒险游戏,只有你和我."说完哈哈哈地笑了.
Her voice, clear yet subtly magnetic, held him captive. Li Haojun stared, comparing this Malaya to the one he once knew, unable to imagine what she'd endured these past months.
她的声音清脆而略带磁性,李皓珺盯着她,脑海中对比着从前那个自己熟悉的玛莱雅,不敢想象这大半年她都经历了什么.
Unfazed by his gaze, Malaya walked to the window, drew the curtains, and placed a button-sized device there from her belt. Then, still under his watch, she positioned another by the door before returning to sit beside him.
面对李皓珺的注视,玛莱雅并没有在意,也没解释什么,只是走到窗前,放下窗帘,然后从自己的腰带中拿出一个纽扣,放在了那里,然后依然在他的注视下,在门口的墙边又放了一个,转身回来坐在了李皓珺身边,看着他,片刻开口,
"That little girl posed no threat, did she?" she began. "Now she's grown, trained by unknown parties. You have no idea what happened during that training."
"当初那个小姑娘毫无威胁性,是吗?而如今她长大了,还被不明方培训过,而对那一段培训时间究竟发生了什么你一无所知."
"Yeah, heh," Li Haojun replied, knowing both sisters could sense his thoughts.
"是啊,呵呵,"李皓珺知道她和她姐姐都有能力知道自己在想什么,只是应声回答,
"This trip isn't just for the exhibition. Other parts of the city might see simultaneous events requiring our equipment. But I don't know the full picture—we're just small fragments of the task. Don't worry too much," she explained, adding, "After all, I'm just field staff, and you're commercial tech support. We're not specifically targeted."
"这次来这里确实不是单纯参展,这个城市的其它地方可能同步有事情发生,需要我们带来的设备,但是我不知道全景,你我只是任务分割的一小部分,你不用太担心."玛莱雅给他解释说,然后接着又补充,
"Besides, watch out for deception—like orders that hide the truth," Li Haojun warned, suddenly considering the possibility.
"哦,还有,你也小心不要被骗,比如隐瞒实情的任务指令,"李皓珺突然想到了这种可能性,便提醒她,
"I will. It's just a job, and it has its thrills. That's why I chose it." Malaya's lips curved faintly.
"是啊,我会小心的,这只是个工作而已,并且有些趣味,所以我选择了它."说完,玛莱雅嘴角微微一笑.
Seeing Li Haojun's silence, her smile faded.
看着李皓珺没有什么表示,玛莱雅的脸上淡去了笑容,
"Can you still shield that little girl from the storm?" She gripped his arm.
"你还能为那个小女孩遮风挡雨吗?"询问着,拉住了他的臂弯,
"Hah, of course," he laughed, though a strange distance lingered as he faced the changed Malaya.
"哈,当然可以,"李皓珺笑着回答,但是看着眼前已经变了的玛莱雅,心中莫名的生疏感,
"I know why you can't treat me like before," she said softly.
"我知道你为什么不能像从前那样待我了,"玛莱雅轻声说,
"Oh? Why do you think that is?" He leaned in, eager to hear her insight on his unspoken unease.
"哦?你说我是为什么?"李皓珺急忙追问,他很想听听玛莱雅对于这个自己无法言明的困扰的看法,
"I only want you to know—I've never been controlled by anyone, owned by anyone, or belonged to anyone."
"我只想对你说,我依然是不被任何人主导的,不被任何人占有,也不曾被任何人占有过."
"Oh," Li Haojun nodded, a silent suspicion surfacing. Was this truly the root of his subconscious hesitation?
"哦,"李皓珺答应着,点了点头,难道真的是自己潜意识里这个芥蒂?
(Translated by Qwen)