Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Social Anxiety

“What’s this? I’ve never seen this kind of Lego before.”

“Is it a new release? Limited edition? What’s the theme?”

“But it looks so cool. I’ve never seen a Lego set with this much style.”

The white Lego pieces passed from hand to hand.

There were so many pieces that everyone got a handful, and the office was full of laughter as they played.

The air filled with the sharp click and snap of plastic joints.

Lin Jianyuan answered calmly, “Oh, those are samples from a client.”

Account manager Su Zhiwei frowned. “Which client? How come I haven’t—”

Lin Jianyuan cut her off, “One I brought in myself. Don’t say anything yet, it’s not a done deal. Don’t let the idiots upstairs catch wind.”

Everyone nodded in silent agreement. “Got it.”

The company had a rule: if you brought in your own project, you got an extra 5% commission.

“But bro, is this really a knockoff? Not the real thing?” Pei Shuo happily clicked two vertebrae together, then pulled them apart, then snapped them back.

Bone Sonata: “……”

Pei Shuo was thrilled. “It feels amazing! The joints are so smooth, they snap together in a second, and come apart just as easily! The quality’s insane! How much does this go for?”

Bone Sonata: “…………”

Qin Shi said, “Aren’t these just samples? The brand’s pretty generous, giving us so many. Feels like everyone could take home a whole basket.”

Bone Sonata: “………………”

Lin Jianyuan watched it all, keeping his cool.

When he’d first met this pile of bones in the basement, they’d screeched and rattled nonstop.

But now, in his coworkers’ hands, it was quiet as a grave.

As if it really were just a bunch of Lego bricks.

Proves it’s just Lego. Not a hallucination.

Definitely not a harp made from human spines.

Diagnosis: confirmed!

Lin Jianyuan let out a sigh of relief.

“By the way, bro, does your… partner have any food restrictions?” Pei Shuo suddenly asked.

The office fell silent.

“Not really.” Lin Jianyuan glanced at his roommate and smiled. “He’ll eat anything. Loves food.”

“Yeah?” His roommate’s duodenum wagged softly, like a little tail.

Digestive systems don’t have eyes, but Lin Jianyuan could feel him watching with a gentle, smiling gaze.

Maybe that’s what love is.

Pei Shuo stared at them, frozen for a moment.

Qin Shi nudged him, and Pei Shuo snapped out of it. “Oh, right, no restrictions? I’ll start ordering then.”

“Sorry, um, sis-in-law.” Qin Shi looked in Lin Jianyuan’s direction. “We were going to eat out tonight to celebrate Yuan-ge getting discharged. Restaurant was booked and everything, but you know how Jiang Chen is—always dumping work on us last minute. Sorry about that, sis—uh, sis-in-law.”

Qin Shi sounded awkward.

Makes sense.

After all, the “sis-in-law” sitting in front of her was a guy.

And “sis-in-law” was younger than her.

Sis-in-law was still a college student.

Putting himself in Qin Shi’s shoes, Lin Jianyuan had to admit it was pretty awkward. He laughed.

Lin Jianyuan laughed and smoothed things over. “No worries. He didn’t have class this afternoon anyway. Came to keep me company at work.”

He slung an arm around his roommate, grinning. “Right? Time to get a taste of corporate life.”

His roommate just smiled, silent.

And just like that, he’d come out.

Lin Jianyuan hadn’t planned on coming out so soon. It was supposed to be private.

At the very least, he should have asked his roommate first.

But his roommate had come straight to his office, saying he was worried.

He claimed it was out of concern, but he’d dressed up for the occasion.

Clearly, he was ready to make a grand entrance.

Wasn’t that a declaration of ownership?

Lin Jianyuan teased, pinching his roommate’s side. “Handsome, let’s go get you a coffee. Find a spot to sit, and we’ll eat together once everyone’s done.”

“Okay~” His roommate’s voice was soft and sweet.

So gentle, as if he’d never get mad.

Lin Jianyuan realized he liked his roommate more every day. Even that little “okay” felt like a duodenum curling around his heart and giving it a scratch.

His heart turned to mush.

So, full of love and peace, Lin Jianyuan led his roommate and his duodenum out of the office.

But behind him came a rapid tapping sound.

“W-wait!”

The voice was low and timid, like someone with social anxiety working up the nerve to speak.

But it cracked from being too rushed.

Lin Jianyuan turned, but saw no one.

Lately, he’d been hearing things more often.

He kept walking with his roommate.

“Wait… please, sir! Please wait!!!”

The anxious voice grew desperate, footsteps pattering behind him.

Lin Jianyuan stopped.

Something bumped into his heel.

“Eek—!”

The voice gasped in fright.

Then came a torrent of apologies: “Sorry, sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you, I swear! I was just in a hurry! Not that you’re walking too fast—your pace is perfectly normal for a tall human! I’m just too slow, sorry for wasting your time, but please, could you stop for a second, please—”

A string of shrill, frantic squeaks, like someone punching a rubber chicken in the gut.

Lin Jianyuan: “?”

What the hell now???

He turned, suspicious—and finally saw it.

It wasn’t some anxious human trailing him.

It was a bone.

A vertebra, shaking so hard its spinous process trembled.

Lin Jianyuan: “……”

Even a damn vertebra could have social anxiety now!

He was about to curse, then remembered his wife was right there—better rein it in, don’t scare him.

Sure enough, his wife asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

His voice was soft and warm.

He knew all his attention was on him. The second he acted off, he was there.

Lin Jianyuan’s lips curled into a smile. He was about to say it was nothing, when the anxious vertebra let out a loud hiccup.

It sobbed and hiccupped at once.

Lin Jianyuan: “……”

Is that what a rubber chicken hiccup sounds like?

“Please!” The vertebra rolled over, voice trembling. “Please, don’t let them play with me anymore! I have anthropophobia! Every bone in my body has anthropophobia!”

…Anthropophobia, seriously.

My worldview just gets weirder by the minute.

Lin Jianyuan was in a hurry to get his wife coffee and cake—he couldn’t be bothered.

He spun and kicked the bone away.

Digestive system: “?”

The little toys: “……”

Lin Jianyuan pretended to stretch. “Ahem, nothing, just loosening up my wrists and ankles. Sitting all day makes my back ache.”

His digestive system reached out a gentle coil of intestine, wrapping around his wrist.

The cool, slick membrane felt strange, like an ice pack on his wrist. The tendonitis from years of mouse use eased immediately.

Lin Jianyuan was moved.

Wife! My wife!

Is he an angel?

How does just one touch from him fix my carpal tunnel?

His digestive system said, “You’re a bit low on calcium.”

Lin Jianyuan instantly changed tone. “Should we get some calcium tablets later?”

Roommate: “Huh?”

Lin Jianyuan nearly burst out laughing. His wife had never dated a guy before—probably didn’t know what calcium tablets were.

“Never mind, I’m just kidding. Don’t want to corrupt you.”

He hooked an arm around him, marveling at his soft, cool body.

Perfect for summer—so cool to the touch.

His wife really was the best. Heh.

Behind him, the anxious patter started up again.

“Uh… I, I can…”

The vertebra, pushed to desperation, summoned all its courage and yelled,

“Please! Don’t let them play with me! I can provide him with calcium, vitamin D3, and chondroitin sulfate!”

Lin Jianyuan: “?”

You can get calcium from eating a socially anxious vertebra? How does that work?

A second later, he let it go.

Whatever. Why am I even listening to my hallucinations?

And this vertebra couldn’t even keep its pronouns straight—sometimes “you,” sometimes “him.”

A mess, just like that crazy squish toy.

Thinking of the squish toy’s tantrums reminded him of its banned skip key—he got mad all over again.

He smacked the squish toy upside the head.

Squish toy: “??? Lin Jianyuan, what was that for?”

Little Rock shouted, “He’ll hit you if he wants! Does he need a reason?”

Angel Eyeball hesitated, then chimed in, “Yeah, he’ll hit you if he wants. No need to pick a special day.”

The squish toy exploded, “Shadow Devourer, you little $#@!%&—why do you always copy the worst stuff?!”

The little toys were fighting inside Lin Jianyuan’s brain!

Lin Jianyuan was about to yell, “What the hell!” when his wife reached out with a gentle loop of intestine.

He scooped up the vertebra and tucked it into his pocket.

“You get back pain easily, right? Better get some extra calcium.”

His roommate said, “I saw on Xiaohongshu that sitting in an office all day without sunlight leads to osteoporosis.”

Lin Jianyuan froze, staring at his roommate.

“What’s wrong?” His roommate seemed amused by his dazed look, and patted his cheek with a warm, soft loop of duodenum.

“It’s nothing, I just…” Lin Jianyuan rubbed his nose. “Just thinking how good you are to me.”

His roommate ran a little cooler than most.

But if they stayed together long enough, he’d warm up.

He never expected that, after all his dirty jokes, his roommate would still remember his back pain.

Most guys his age only had one thing on their minds.

But his roommate was different.

He wasn’t like any other guy.

A strange, sweet ache filled Lin Jianyuan’s chest—and a flush of embarrassment.

He was several years older, after all.

How could a simple word of concern make his eyes sting?

He coughed awkwardly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“Baby.” Lin Jianyuan leaned in, brushed his lips, and whispered, “I’m so glad I met you.”

“Yeah?” His roommate smiled, wrapping him in warm, soft coils. “Me too. I’m glad I met you.”

Man and intestine, tangled together in their own little world.

But they couldn’t stay like that for long—work called.

…Come to think of it, Lin Jianyuan noticed something.

Whenever he got close to his wife, the little toys went dead silent.

Good.

Sure enough, as soon as his focus shifted, all the hallucinations vanished.

Proves the toys never talked in the first place.

Time Thief, Stumbling Block, Shadow Devourer—all fake.

They were just a squish toy, a little rock, and a plush keychain.

All little gifts from his roommate, tokens of love~

Lin Jianyuan took his roommate downstairs, bought him snacks at the café, found a spot for him to play with Lego and the squish toy, then went back to work.

There was a ton of work—everyone had to work late.

Lin Jianyuan wanted to finish early and take his wife home, so the second he sat down, he threw himself into work.

He was on fire.

For some reason, everyone else seemed extra motivated too.

Maybe it was because there was a ridiculously handsome mascot in the office now. Hahaha.

Anyway, by 7 p.m., the work was nearly done.

The takeout they’d ordered arrived right on time.

“Dinner time!”

Everyone tore open the food boxes, crowding around the table with noisy excitement.

There was an empty chair next to Lin Jianyuan—for his wife.

His wife seemed a little shy, barely talking during dinner, just sitting quietly beside him with a gentle smile.

His coworkers looked just as unsure—Lin Jianyuan figured they were still processing the fact that he was gay.

It was a lot to take in.

At lunch, everyone had been talking about “girlfriends.”

Then his “girlfriend” showed up—and turned out to be a guy.

A coworker had come out, just like that.

It would take some getting used to.

Only Pei Shuo stayed upbeat the whole time.

The golden retriever of the group, always making sure the roommate had food and drinks.

The meal ended quickly, laughter lingering in the air.

Even though it was just takeout, everyone sitting together made it feel special.

After dinner, everyone pitched in to clean up.

“Huh, the trash can’s so empty?” Qin Shi opened the half-tall bin, surprised. “Doesn’t the cleaning lady only come in the morning? Or did she come again this afternoon? At lunch, it was nearly full. I was worried we wouldn’t fit all the trash tonight.”

“No worries, if it doesn’t fit, I’ll take it downstairs,” Su Zhiwei said, reaching for the bag.

“It’ll fit, it’ll fit,” Qin Shi replied.

Lin Jianyuan glanced at the bin and did a double take—the black trash bag had a familiar pattern.

White, with sharp shark-tooth edges.

—Wasn’t that the trash bag from his own place?!

Lin Jianyuan turned to his roommate. “You brought our trash bags here?”

His roommate nodded. “Yeah. The bin was getting full, so I swapped it out.”

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t believe it—he rubbed his roommate’s side, half-laughing, half-exasperated. “Babe, how are you so domestic, even at my office?”

“That’s domestic?” His roommate smiled softly. “I just thought the bin was getting gross.”

Oh, mystery solved.

Lin Jianyuan smacked his forehead. He’d almost forgotten—his wife was a neat freak.

She couldn’t stand a full trash can.

But changing out the office trash bags? That was next-level caring.

Crap, with a wife this perfect, would someone else try to steal him away?

He couldn’t resist and took his roommate’s little… little duodenum in his hand.

Gave it a happy little shake.

His roommate’s smile said it all: “~”

He could tell he was in a great mood too.

Man and intestine, both in high spirits.

Abyssal Maw: “.”

Angel Eyeball: “.”

Angel Eyeball whispered, “Bro, you too…?”

Abyssal Maw, mouth trembling: “Don’t. Life forced me here.”

Little Rock looked pleased.

The squish toy cackled with glee.

The joys and sorrows of humans and Aberrants would never match.

Now, even Aberrants couldn’t understand each other.

The table was cleared, everyone full and content.

Lin Jianyuan said, “I just have a bit of work to wrap up.”

His roommate’s intestine bulged and rumbled. “Okay. I’ll go for a walk downstairs.”

His roommate had a great appetite, but his digestion wasn’t the best—always burping.

Lin Jianyuan wanted to kiss him, but with so many coworkers around, he just squeezed his throat instead. “Go on. Remember the café downstairs? There’s a plaza across from it—lots of people walk their dogs there at night. You can play with them. Some of those dogs are real extroverts… Are you afraid of dogs?”

“Not at all.” His roommate smiled softly. “You think I’m that timid?”

“Of course. You’re a total baby,” Lin Jianyuan joked.

He said it quietly, a little embarrassed.

He really had become lovesick—since when could he say such cheesy things?

But somehow, with his wife, it just came out.

He couldn’t help it. He was head over heels.

His roommate smiled, quietly “watching” him.

Lin Jianyuan took his little… little duodenum again, giving it a gentle shake.

Everyone: “……”

The little toys: “……”

“Ahem.” Now he was truly embarrassed, face turning red. “Alright, enough. I need to get back and finish up so we can go home early.”

“Okay~” His roommate smiled.

A warm, soft duodenum hooked around his pinky before leaving.

Lin Jianyuan: “……”

God, he couldn’t take it.

How could someone be this cute?

Downstairs, in the plaza.

In a deserted patch of shadow.

Snap.

Snap.

A pale vertebra soared into the air.

Snap.

It fell, caught by a coil of intestine.

Click, click, click, click…

The soft, trembling sound of vertebral joints grinding together.

“Talk?”

In the darkness, a massive, flesh-red shadow radiated silent menace.

The pressure was so overwhelming that the terrified Bone Sonata couldn’t even tremble.

It was pinned down, vertebral joints locked tight.

“Let’s talk, Bone Sonata.”

Xie Yu was calm, unhurried.

He still wore that gentle, soft smile.

But his voice was cold, mocking.

“Why did you approach him on purpose?”

Xie Yu asked,

“Why did you start getting close to him back in the psych ward?”

“And even followed him here?”

Upstairs, in the office.

Pei Shuo was staring blankly at his screen when someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned and saw Lin Jianyuan’s familiar face.

“What are you spacing out for? Get to work, unless you want to sleep here tonight.” Lin Jianyuan raised an eyebrow.

Same as always—half mentor, half big brother.

Pei Shuo looked at that familiar face, and couldn’t stop picturing Lin Jianyuan talking sweetly to thin air, over and over.

Yuan-ge’s condition had gotten worse!

Ever since he’d awkwardly introduced “this is my partner” to a patch of empty air, everyone’s heart had skipped a beat.

But no one dared call it out.

Everyone played along. At first, Pei Shuo was lost, but he got it soon enough.

You couldn’t break the illusion!

Dating the air was tragic enough.

If someone called him out in front of everyone, that’d be even worse!

What else could they do?

Just keep playing along!

Honestly, it wasn’t that hard.

Lin Jianyuan’s mental illness wasn’t news—everyone had practice acting.

But this time was different—there was a new challenge.

Now they had to pretend they could see the “roommate,” and be friendly with him too.

After all, “roommate” was Yuan-ge’s boyfriend!

And he was a guy!

A 20-year-old college student!

…Who knew Yuan-ge was into that…

Ahem, not the point.

The point was, how could they interact with thin air without seeming weird to Yuan-ge?

Couldn’t ignore his imaginary boyfriend!

Long story short, dinner was tense and exhausting for everyone…

But they got through it…

Thinking about it, Pei Shuo let out a long sigh.

He met Lin Jianyuan’s concerned gaze, wondering how to steer the conversation back.

Then Lin Jianyuan rubbed his nose, looking sheepish and a little smug.

“Hey, by the way. You all seemed on edge this afternoon. Last time someone came out, no one made a big deal. But today, you all look shocked… Is it because my wife’s too handsome?”

Pei Shuo: “Huh?”

“Be honest,” Lin Jianyuan suddenly sat up, looking him in the eye, “Tell me the truth—what do you think of my wife’s looks?”

Pei Shuo: “………………”

How the hell was he supposed to answer that?!