After a weekend off, it was time for another mission in Kalispell. The task list was long, but without Kesiya assigned to accompany him, Li Haojun couldn't help but feel disappointed. Then he began to wonder why she hadn't been included. Upon inquiry, he learned it was due to company confidentiality protocols. But looking at the task list, which included interviewing new hires, he couldn't understand why current employees couldn't participate due to confidentiality restrictions, while new recruits could.
休息了一个周末,又是卡利斯佩尔的任务,工作列表很长,但是没有凯西娅被安排同往,李皓珺不禁内心失望,转而又疑惑为什么没有这样的安排.询问之后才了解到是公司保密安排的原因,但是看看任务列表,之中还有招聘雇员面试的内容,为什么现有的雇员限于保密原因不能介入,而新招聘的却可以?
Soaring through the sky, I felt more keenly that winter was departing. The ice and snow on the earth had already melted in patches, while drifting white clouds cast shadows upon the ground. The sunlight grew ever more abundant, and the scent of spring grew ever stronger.
飞行在半空中,更深切地感到了冬季即将离去,大地的冰雪已经斑驳融化,朵朵游动的白云在地面投下阴影,阳光也越来越充足,春天的气息越来越浓了.
However, as the seasons changed, so did the personnel. Li Haojun couldn't help but wonder: the facilities weren't newly built, so where had the previous staff gone? And why? Amidst these doubts, the flying car landed at Kalispell Airport. Li Haojun altered his route again, passing through the small town beneath the reservoir to investigate its condition. Though it possessed schools, shopping malls, and hospitals—a fully functional city—it remained eerily quiet. The streets were nearly deserted. Were all the residents confined within the buildings?
只是,这季节在更替,可是人员也在更替,李皓珺不禁暗自疑虑,设施并不是新建的,之前的人都去了哪里?又是什么原因呢?疑虑之中,飞行汽车降落在卡利斯佩尔机场后.李皓珺又换了一条路线穿过水库下方这个小城镇,想要了解它的具体情况.虽然这里也有学校,商场,医院,是个功能齐全的城市,但依旧是冷清,街上几乎没有人,难道都待在建筑里吗?
Driving through the city along winding roads, he arrived at the factory by the reservoir. Upon entering the building, he found today's interviewees already waiting on benches outside the office. The robotic receptionist transmitted data to Li Haojun as he passed by. Glancing at the interviewees, he noticed they were all stunningly beautiful. He couldn't help but wonder if they possessed the required professional skills—this wasn't a beauty pageant, nor were they applying for customer-facing or public-facing roles demanding physical appearance.
穿城而过,沿着蜿蜒的小路开车到达水库边的工厂,进入厂房发现今天要面试的人已经在办公室外的长椅上等待了.机器人接待员在李皓珺经过的时候把数据传给了他.在经过这些面试者时,李皓珺瞟了她们一眼,全是美女,李皓珺不禁怀疑她们是否有所需要的专业技能,这里又不是选美,也不是什么面向客户或者公众的,需要颜值的岗位.
With so many people waiting for her, Li Haojun felt a pang of guilt. She greeted them and briefly pointed out the locations of the restrooms, changing rooms, and the lounge area where coffee and breakfast were served. After asking them to wait a moment, she thanked them and entered her office.
有这么多人在等待自己,让李皓珺觉得有些愧疚,便跟她们打了招呼,简要介绍了她们可能用到的,盥洗室,更衣室,提供咖啡,早餐的休息区位置.告知对方稍等片刻后,道谢,进了自己的办公室.
Powering up the office equipment, he pulled up his to-do list, starting with the job interviews. This was supposed to be a task for selecting an assistant, so naturally he needed to be selective. No one wanted to tackle a tough assignment with a bunch of dead weight, risking a complete mess. But this group of stunningly beautiful applicants had already deflated Li Haojun's spirits. If they devoted their energy to perfecting their looks, what level of professionalism could they possibly achieve?
打开办公设备,列举工作清单,首先面试工作.本来是选取工作助手的任务,自然要精挑细选,谁也不想带着一群猪队友承担艰巨任务,还不得把自己搞砸了.但是这一群大美女的应聘者已经让李皓珺泄了气,当她们把精力用在打扮自己的形象上,专业素养能达到什么程度呢.
First was Ariana Snyder, with blonde hair, blue eyes, an oval face, and a pointed chin. A local resident with all her education completed locally, Li Haojun had her briefly describe the position she was applying for and her personal strengths.
第一位是阿里安娜·斯奈德,金发蓝眼睛,鸭蛋脸尖下颌.本地人,教育经历也都是在本地,李皓珺便让她自己陈述了一下应聘岗位和自身优势.
Second was Ania Joyce, clearly placed in alphabetical order by name. Though sharing the same initial, her appearance was entirely different—dark brown hair, deep brown eyes, large and widely spaced, with sharp facial contours, a small mouth, and delicately defined lips. This suddenly reminded Li Haojun of a mermaid. Both were locals, and both had received their education locally.
第二位,阿妮娅·乔伊斯,明显是按照名字开头字母顺序安排的.虽然字母排序相同,但是形象完全不同,她是深棕色头发,深棕色眼睛,大眼睛而且眼间距很宽,脸型线条硬朗,小嘴,唇线精致,让李皓珺忽然想到了美人鱼.同样是本地人,教育经历也都是在本地.
Third was Delilah Flynn—blonde hair, blue eyes, oval face—and suddenly the phrase "Tennessee girl" popped into Li Haojun's mind. It felt distinctly like a beauty pageant. Scrolling further down, her entire educational background was local. How peculiar—had talent become so stagnant these days?
第三位,黛利拉·弗林,金发蓝眼睛,椭圆脸蛋,让李皓珺脑海中突然蹦出个词,田纳西女孩,分明有种选妃的感觉.再往下看,她的教育经历也都是在本地,很奇怪,难道现在的人才这么没有流动性吗?
Skeptical, Li Haojun scrolled down to review the other candidates—all locals, without exception. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Finding this many beauties locally was no small feat. Scrolling further, he noticed one position had only one applicant. What was the point of me interviewing then? Was I supposed to play the villain and deny someone else their chance?
怀疑着,李皓珺又往下翻了翻其他候选人,清一色都是本地人.李皓珺不禁暗笑,本地能找出这么多美女也不容易啊.再往下看,居然一个岗位只有一个候选人,那我还在这面试个什么劲儿啊?难道要我去做坏人角色,把人家的机会给否决了?
With that thought, Li Haojun selected "Agree" in the personal opinion column for the remaining candidates' direct managers, submitted the form, and stared at the system response. As expected, the system instantly replied: Hiring approved. So the interview was just a formality—once she gave her approval, they'd be hired. The feeling of wielding such power over others' destinies was truly satisfying.
想到这,李皓珺把剩下人的直线经理个人意见栏也都选择了同意,然后提交,盯着系统回复.不出所料,果然系统秒回,录用通过.原来面试就是走个程序,自己同意她们就会被录用,掌握他人命运这种权力的感觉真好.
The instructions for processing their onboarding paperwork had already been sent to the robot administrator. At that moment, Li Haojun recalled the two young women who had started the interview process. He hadn't mentioned that results would be available today, nor had he asked them to wait. This was his first time handling such a situation, and he hadn't anticipated the circumstances unfolding before him. He hurriedly opened the door and stepped out to ask,
然后就是给她们办理入职手续的指令,已经发到机器人管理员了.这时李皓珺想起了开始面试的那两位姑娘了,自己没说今天会有结果,也没有要求她们等待,而自己也是第一次做这种事情,没有想到会是眼前这种情况.急忙开门出来问,
"Have the first two girls who interviewed left yet?" For a moment, Li Haojun couldn't recall their names, only searching the crowd for their faces.
"她们走了没有,前两位面试的女孩?"一时间李皓珺也想不起她们的名字,只是在人群中寻找那两个面孔,
"No, I told them to wait over there."
"没有,我告诉她们在那边等待了,"
The one who stood up to speak was a girl with long hair—light brown, shoulder-length locks that fell naturally without any big waves or curls, giving her an innocent look. She had an oval face, a small mouth, a slightly upturned nose, and gray-green eyes. Her face still held a touch of childishness, which couldn't help but remind Li Haojun of Malaya.
起身说话的是一位长发女生,淡棕色披肩发,自然下垂,没有烫大波浪或者卷,显得很纯真,鸭蛋圆脸,小嘴儿,爬爬鼻梁,灰绿色眼睛,脸上带着几分稚气,不由得让李皓珺想起了玛莱雅.
"Hello, who are you?" Li Haojun asked softly, slightly surprised.
"你好,你是?" 李皓珺略感惊讶,轻声问她,
"Hi Ethan, I'm Sienna Swain, your administrative assistant."
"伊森你好,我是西耶娜·斯温,你的行政助理,"
Alright, thank you. Then please complete your onboarding first, get your access permissions activated, and arrange work lunches for everyone, okay? For specific procedures, consult the administrator or refer to your work personal terminal device.
"好的,谢谢你,那么你先办理入职,然后把权限开了,先给大家订工作午餐好吗?具体程序问管理员,或者看一下你的工作个人终端设备,"
"Okay,"
"好的,"
The morning passed amidst the bustling flow of people. The sudden influx of young faces swept away the quiet solitude of these mountains and waters. Yet this enthusiasm seemed a bit too fiery—surrounded by so many beauties, Li Haojun found it hard to adjust. At lunchtime, he chose to sit in a corner.
上午的时间就在熙熙攘攘的人流往来中度过了,一时间多了这么多年轻人,把这山水间的冷清一扫而光.只是这热情似乎有些过于火辣,太多的美女萦绕让李皓珺一时难以适应,午餐时间他选择坐在了角落.
The new colleagues were still getting to know each other and exchanging greetings. Some came over to introduce themselves to Li Haojun, but most of the young people were chatting and laughing together.
新入职的同事们还在彼此结识交流,也有人过来和李皓珺打招呼认识一下,但是更多的还是年轻人们在一起谈笑.
"Hi Ethan, may I sit here?"
"伊森你好,我坐这里可以吗?"
A crisp voice—it was Sienna from the morning. Li Haojun recognized her voice. Though he disliked being disturbed, he agreed anyway. After all, a good start was needed.
一个清脆的声音,是上午的西耶娜,李皓珺记得她的声音,虽然不喜欢被打扰但还是同意了,毕竟需要一个好的开始,
"Sure, please have a seat."
"可以,请坐,"
"It's a pleasure to serve at Aquatic Sci-Tech. I'll be assisting you in your work going forward—please keep me in mind," Sienna said politely, taking a seat beside Li Haojun.
"很高兴服务于水生科创公司,将来我会协助你的工作,还请关照,"西耶娜很客气,说着坐在了李皓珺身边,
"Sure, thank you," Sienna replied politely and warmly. Yet Li Haojun felt an inexplicable resistance, as if she were trying to dilute the place Malaya held in his heart by engaging in small talk about trivial matters.
"好啊,谢谢你,"虽说西耶娜很礼貌亲和,但是李皓珺却感到无名的抵触,因为她似乎在冲淡玛莱雅在自己心中的位置,便找一些无关痛痒的问题闲聊,
Do you know them? Thank you for helping keep things orderly this morning.
"你和她们认识吗?上午谢谢你参与维持人员秩序,"
Oh, nothing much—just some specific work details in the notification I received.
"哦,没什么,我收到的通知有一些具体工作信息,"
I see you're from this town, and your education was also local. Many of them are too. Is there very little population turnover in this town?
"我注意到你是本城镇的,教育经历也是本地,她们有好多也是,这个城镇人员流动性很小吗?"
"Yes, there are hardly any outsiders, and not many of us have left either."
"是的,几乎没有外来人员,我们离开的人也不多,"
"Don't young people want to see the world outside?"
"年轻人不想去看看外面的世界吗?"
No, this is just fine. It seems the residents here aren't particularly ambitious; they're content with the status quo.
"没有,这样挺好,似乎这里的居民都没有那么大的野心,安于现状."
No, this is just fine. It seems the residents here aren't particularly ambitious; they're content with the status quo.
西耶娜的回答似乎解决了李皓珺内心的一些疑问,但是依然没有解释为什么这里没有外来人口,公司为什么没有选择雇佣外来人员,或许是成本因素吧,李皓珺只能暗自猜测.
The afternoon session began with training for new hires, and Li Haojun participated as one of the new employees. The first part focused on familiarizing participants with the physical environment, explaining the different levels of security and cleanliness zones, delineating hazardous areas, and outlining access qualifications and permissions.
下午时间就开始了新入职职员培训,李皓珺也一同参加,他也是新职员.首先是熟悉物理环境,并且说明了不同的保密和洁净区域,以及危险区划定,和进入资格与权限.
At first, Li Haojun didn't think much of it, but when it came to the company's systems and procedures, there seemed to be an excessive emphasis on his absolute authority as a supervisor. While certain safeguards were necessary due to technical controls and confidentiality requirements, it now appeared these measures infringed upon employee rights. Given the large number of female staff members, this situation was highly susceptible to resulting in discrimination and harassment.
开始李皓珺还没觉得很怎样,但是到了公司制度与流程部分,似乎过分强调了自己作为主管的绝对权威.虽说因为技术控制和保密等因素,会有些制度保障,但是现在看来已经侵害了员工权益,考虑到大量的女性职员,极其容易造成歧视与骚扰的后果.
Li Haojun silently continued watching the training video, observing the reactions of these new employees based on the content being discussed. Yet their responses were unexpectedly muted—lacking the expected confusion or indignation, as if they were completely unaware of their rights. Reflecting on the town's silence and stagnation, its closed-off personnel flow, Li Haojun wondered how many more surprises lay ahead.
李皓珺默默继续观看培训视频,根据提到的内容,观察着这些新入职的职员的反应.然而她们出乎意料地反应平淡,没有应有的不解与气愤,似乎完全不了解自己的权益.想到这个城镇的沉默与死气沉沉,人员流动的封闭,李皓珺不知道接下来还会有多少的出乎意料.
On the return flight, Li Haojun reviewed the facility data and current production records of the newly acquired factory, striving to grasp everything to get up to speed quickly. Yet the constant pop-ups of Kesiya's work reports beside him left him uneasy. The paths they had once walked together were now hers to navigate alone, while she was left to retrace their steps in solitude. Surely the one far away was missing the one before her, and the one before her was missing the one far away...
回程的飞行中,查看着新接手工厂的设施资料与当前生产记录,李皓珺试图理解这一切使自己尽快进入角色.然而一旁不断跳出的,凯西娅的工作汇报却让自己无法心安.过去都是两个人一起走过的路程,如今自己被安排了新的任务,而她只能孤单一人重复之前两个人走过的路.想必遥远的那个人在思念眼前这个人,而眼前这个人也在惦念遥远的那个人...
I think of you constantly, yet we cannot meet.
念念,却不能相见.