The afternoon sun cast a yellowish glow into the living room. As the sun sank lower, even the midday rays had lost their warmth. Qin Wenjing wore a high-neck, light pink, long-pile mohair sweater, browsing the news after lunch.
午后泛黄的阳光照进客厅,随着太阳的角度越来越低,即使是中午时段的阳光都没有了什么温度.覃文静穿了一件高领的淡粉色长绒马海毛毛衣,午饭后浏览着新闻,
Haojun, do you remember those people who participated in the riots and vandalism? The ones sent to work on the farm at the border between the residential district and the free zone?
"皓珺,你还记不记得之前有游行打砸的人?被送到居民区与自由区交界的农场劳动的人?"
"Hmm, what is it?" Li Haojun turned his head to answer, catching sight of Qin Wenjing against the light. Golden sunlight outlined the contours of her sweater and flowing hair. The backlighting made her features indistinct, and in that moment, an image of Malaya's face in the drizzle flashed briefly through his mind.
"嗯,怎么了?" 李皓珺扭头回答着,正逆光看到覃文静,金色的阳光照亮她毛衣和秀发的轮廓.由于是逆光,她的面容不太清晰,而这时玛莱雅那细雨中的容貌却在脑海中一丝闪过.
Facing Qin Wenjing, yet still haunted by Malaya's image, Li Haojun felt torn, tormented by his inability to fully focus on the moment with the woman before him. So he rose from his seat, walked to Qin Wenjing, knelt on one knee, wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her thigh, truly feeling her presence and warmth. Lifting his face, he asked her,
面对着覃文静,脑海中却还有玛莱雅的影子,这让李皓珺感到纷扰,以至于为无法专心陪伴眼前人的时光而懊恼.于是他离开座位,走到覃文静跟前,单膝跪地,一手搂着她的后腰,一手抱着她的大腿,切实地感受着她的气息与陪伴,一边扬着脸问她,
What's up? Remembering this?
"怎么啦,想起这个了?"
Huh, I saw the news about them—they've escaped from the farm again. This time they've rallied a bunch of people from the Free Zone to come back and protest. They're protesting against the dictatorship and authoritarian rule that sent them to the farm to restrict their freedom and force them into labor.
"呵呵,我看到了关于他们的新闻,他们又从农场逃跑了,这次是鼓动了好多自由区的人跑回来抗议了,他们在抗议独裁专制,把他们送到了农场限制了自由,还强迫劳动."
"Oh, not enough to warrant jail time, but still socially disruptive—that's the hardest kind to deal with," Li Haojun said before turning to glance at the news.
"哦,不够关监狱,但是又有社会破坏性,这样最难搞了,"说完李皓珺也扭头看了看新闻.
Well, how should I put it? Their freedom is restricted because they failed to follow social rules, and they're subjected to forced labor because they undermined the achievements of others' labor laws. Of course, whether it's social rules or personal freedom, leaning too far to either extreme isn't good. But I believe the current rules are fairly balanced—fair to him too, though that's just my opinion. Clearly, he doesn't see it that way, or even if he does, he refuses to accept the consequences. That's why all this happened. There's nothing to be done—he simply belongs to one of the fringes at either end of the normal distribution.
"怎么说呢,限制了自由是因为他们没有遵守社会规则,强迫劳动是因为他们破坏了别人的劳动法成果.当然了无论是社会规则还是个人自由,偏向哪个极端都不好,但是我认为现在的规则还算公平,对于他来说也是,但是这是我的想法.显然他不这么认为,或者他即便这么认为也不想接受处罚,所以才有后面这些事情.没办法,他就属于正态分布两侧边缘部分的某一边."
Ha ha, the edge of the clock got knocked off, ha ha ha," Qin Wenjing said, covering her mouth and laughing uncontrollably.
"哈哈,钟的边缘就是被撞的,哈哈哈,"说完覃文静捂着嘴哈哈笑个不停.
"你说的太对了," 李皓珺连忙鼓掌赞成,
"Huh, I wonder what'll happen to them next," Tan Wenjing murmured to herself, her laughter subsiding as she stared at the screen.
"呵呵,不知道接下来会对他们怎么样," 覃文静笑够了又看着屏幕自言自语地说,
What else can be done? I suspect it'll remain the same—the outlook is bleak. Those individuals missed something crucial in their formative years, and now it's extremely difficult to change them or get them to make any kind of change on their own.
"还能怎么样,我估计还是这样,效果很悲观,那些人是成长过程中缺失了什么,现在要想改变他们或者他们自发地做出某种改变很难."
Hey, deep immersion virtual reality—how about teaming up with Dreamland to create an immersive gaming experience that gives him a wholesome childhood?
"诶,深度沉浸虚拟现实,怎么跟智梦神域合作的沉浸式游戏体验,给他刷一个健康的童年?"
That's actually a good idea—it would fundamentally have a positive impact on his life. But he himself would definitely disagree, so doing this would be illegal.
"这倒是个好主意,本质上对他的人生是有积极意义的,但是他自己肯定不同意,所以这么做违法啊."
Hmm, maybe one day there will be an opportunity for them to make a positive change.
"嗯,也许有一天会有一个契机让他们做出积极的改变吧."
"I hope so," Li Haojun murmured, gently caressing her thigh. He knew deep down that she was kind-hearted and deserved his care.
"但愿,"说着,李皓珺轻轻抚摸着她的大腿,他心里清楚她是善良的,应该被自己爱护的.
"What about those from the Free Zones?" Tan Wenjing pressed on. She was like that—she enjoyed talking with Li Haojun, and whenever she was around him, her IQ seemed to drop. She completely stopped using her own brain to analyze things.
"那么那些自由区来的人呢?" 覃文静又接着问,她就是这样,喜欢和李皓珺交谈,并且在他面前就会智商下线,完全不用自己的脑子分析问题了.
" They're not doing anything wrong, nor are they engaging in violence. They're simply exercising their rights and expressing their views. Regardless of whether their views are right or wrong, that's their right. Moreover, they haven't broken any laws. There are no restraining orders against them, and they are free to move anywhere. It's just that they rarely leave their settlements in the Free Zone. In truth, they have no formal contract with the government. But the Constitution grants every person on this land the right to resist tyranny. So when they come out shouting this slogan, there's nothing wrong with that. It's their right."
"他们没什么,又没有什么暴力行为,就是行使自己的权力,表达观点.反正不管他的观点对错,那是他的权力.并且他们没有违法,本身没有限制令,可以自由前往各地移动,只是他们平时很少离开自己在自由区的聚居地.其实他们本身跟政府也没有什么契约,但是宪法赋予了这片土地的每个人有反抗暴政的权力,所以他们出来喊这个口号也没什么问题,这是他们的权力."
"Hmm, so many people have been stirred up," Tan Wenjing said, then played another video.
"嗯,好多人被煽动出来了哦," 说着,覃文静又放了一边视频,
Oh, I remember now—that time a few days ago when I got back late from Erensburg.
"哦,我想起来了,前几天我去埃伦斯堡回来晚了那一次,"
"Hmm, I remember," Qin Wenjing replied, glancing down at Li Haojun as she spoke.
"嗯,我还记得," 覃文静一边接茬一边低头看着李皓珺,
At the time, protest groups had also blocked traffic. Police drones arrived swiftly, followed by the deployment of officers. There was no chance for riots to erupt. We have virtually no privacy left—whether walking on the streets or navigating virtual digital spaces, we are being tracked.
"当时也是有抗议的队伍,把交通堵了,警方的无人机很快就到了,然后就是警员的部署.暴动他们是没有机会了,我们基本上已经没有什么隐私了,走在路上,或者虚拟的电子访问混迹,都会被追踪."
Oh, it's kind of like a prison, constantly under surveillance.
"哦,有点像监狱哦,时刻被监视."
Would you be willing to give up this aspect of your privacy for the sake of social management, thereby creating a safer environment for you?
"那你愿意放弃这部分隐私用于社会管理,从而给你带来更安全的环境吗?"
"How should I put it? It feels a bit off."
"怎么说呢,有点怪怪的感觉,"
Then your obsession with privacy is the prison that imprisons you, offering only the illusion of greater security.
"那么你想要隐私的执念,就是囚禁你享受更多安全感的牢."
"Oh? Is that so?" Qin Wenjing blinked, looking at Li Haojun.
"哦?是吗?" 覃文静眨眨眼睛,看着李皓珺.
After locking eyes for a moment, Li Haojun suddenly felt inspired. He stood up, squeezed past Qin Wenjing, and sat down on her chair. Then he leaned over her and said,
对视片刻,李皓珺忽然来了灵感,起身挤着覃文静也坐在了她的椅子上,往她身上一趴说,
Just as my heart yearns for you, no matter where I roam, I'll always be by your side. With that, he smugly rested his head on Qin Wenjing's shoulder and gazed at her.
"就像我牵挂你的心,不论走到天涯海角,都是我坐你的牢."说完得意洋洋地把脸枕在覃文静的肩头看着她.
Qin Wenjing chuckled softly, saying nothing. After a moment, she asked,
覃文静扑哧笑了,什么也没说,过了一会儿问,
"How do you feel about them?"
"你对她们感觉怎么样?"
Li Haojun knew she was asking about Kesiya and Malaya, but felt awkward saying it outright in front of Qin Wenjing, so she remained silent for a moment.
李皓珺知道她问的是凯西娅和玛莱雅,但是不好意思在覃文静面前直说,便沉默了一会儿.
"Tell me how you feel about them. I don't mind," Qin Wenjing added.
"说说你对他们什么感觉,我不介意," 覃文静又补充说,
Oh, very sharp, organized, and quick yet steady.
"哦,很伶俐,做事情有条理,快速稳妥."
Qin Wenjing chuckled softly.
覃文静呵呵一笑,
"Do you have feelings for them?"
"对他们有感觉吗?"
"Well, a little bit, but nothing compared to you. After all, I've known them for a while, and they're orphans—it's pretty sad."
"嗯,有点儿,但是完全不能和你相比,毕竟认识段时间了,而且她们是孤儿,挺可怜的."
"If you're happy when you're with them, I don't mind." Qin Wenjing said, looking at Li Haojun. Then she giggled and added,
"如果你跟她们在一起的时候觉得开心,我不介意." 覃文静说完看着李皓珺,一会儿又扑哧笑了,说
I know you, hmph, you always have a soft spot.
"我了解你,哼哼,你总是心软."
"Sorry for always leaving you home alone. Honestly, I miss you every time I go out. Why don't you come with me from now on?" As he spoke, Li Haojun couldn't help but recall scenes from not long ago.
"抱歉,经常把你扔在家里一个人,其实每次外出我都很想你.要不以后你跟我一起吧?"嘴里说着,李皓珺不由想起了不久前的一幕幕.
Qin Wenjing smiled faintly.
覃文静微微一笑,
No, thank you. I'd rather wait for you at home. That way, you'll feel more at ease about me, and so will I. Because if something happens out there, knowing I'm not worrying about you will make it easier for you to protect yourself.
"不用了,我还是在家里等你回来吧,这样你更放心我,我也是,因为如果在外面遇到什么问题,没有我牵挂,你会更容易保护好你自己."
"Yeah, you're right. Last time I went to Sacramento, I was followed." As he spoke, Li Haojun noticed her mood had dipped a bit. He wondered if she still felt a little uneasy about him traveling with other women, so he asked,
"嗯,也是,上次去萨克拉门托就被人跟踪,"说着,李皓珺看她情绪有点低落,心想是不是她多少还是介意我和其他女性一起出差呢,便问,
Why did you bring them up just now?
"刚才你为什么要和我谈论她们呢?"
"You taught me that," Qin Wenjing replied with unwavering certainty.
"你教我的啊."覃文静斩钉截铁地回答,
"How could it be—" Li Haojun trailed off mid-sentence. How could it not be? She truly had no recollection of her past.
"怎么会是," 说了一半,李皓珺便卡住了,怎么不会呢?自己是真的不记得从前的事情了.
You told me long ago that we should share our inner feelings with each other to avoid misunderstandings, disappointment, and failing to understand one another.
"是以前你很早就跟我说的,我们之间要告诉对方自己内心的感受,避免误会,失望,和不能理解对方."
Watching Qin Wenjing speak slowly and earnestly, Li Haojun silently pulled her into his arms.
看着覃文静缓缓道来那认真的言辞,李皓珺默默地把她搂在了怀里.
Face pressed against face, heart pressed against heart, The pale golden sunlight of late autumn cast no warmth upon them, Only the warmth of each other's bodies kept them warm.
脸贴着脸,心贴着心,深秋午后淡金色的阳光照在身上毫无温度,只有这对伴侣的体温互相温暖.