Chapter 83

Chapter 83: Let’s Go! Overtime Together!

But when they saw the blood-red alert flashing on the mobile terminal, all three of them fell silent.

Xie Yu: "Delirium?"

His tone was slightly mocking as he glanced at Shi Shaoning.

Shi Shaoning pressed his lips into a thin line.

Lin Jianyuan quickly pulled his wife to his side and whispered, "Honey, don't blame him. Last time... do you remember last time, when the whole bureau surrounded our old apartment?"

The only reason the Bureau came knocking that time was because of Delirium.

Delirium had somehow wandered into their home, and its imprint was detected by the Bureau. When they chased Delirium, they accidentally picked up Xie Yu’s imprint too.

That’s how the whole "your wife isn't human" drama got started.

The thing is—

Lin Jianyuan had been out of it and, of all things, mistook Delirium for his roommate.

His roommate, in turn, threw Delirium eight hundred kilometers away with one swipe of his intestines.

So after Shi Shaoning finished cleaning up their mess, he had to take a helicopter overnight to retrieve Delirium eight hundred kilometers away.

"But by the time he got there, Delirium was already gone," Lin Jianyuan whispered. "He totally lost it, both mentally and physically, and that’s why he cursed out the director on the phone and demanded a vacation..."

Lin Jianyuan had written that failed containment report for him.

So he knew exactly what had happened back then.

And he knew just how close Shi Shaoning was to losing his mind.

Xie Yu: "."

He remembered now.

"...Still, you can't blame me," Xie Yu muttered. "It was Delirium—"

"I'm not blaming you, baby," Lin Jianyuan said gently. "I just think we should cut him some slack, okay? He's got it rough too. We work full-time for the Bureau, but he's juggling this on the side. It's tough. And Delirium may be an idiot, but it's still S-class—damn hard to catch. If he can't catch it, that's not his fault. He's just a regular human, same as me. Like, if I couldn't catch Remorse, you wouldn't call me useless, right?"

Xie Yu said, "Of course not."

His voice was sweet and obedient.

Lin Jianyuan gave his little tail a gentle squeeze.

"You two have fun." On the other side of the basketball court, Shi Shaoning hadn't heard any of the couple's whispered conversation.

He just put on his baseball cap and a black full-face mask, transforming back into his signature masked cool guy.

The cool guy said calmly, "I'll handle Delirium."

Xie Yu: "I'm coming too."

His roommate stepped forward.

His little tail brushed softly against Lin Jianyuan's palm.

It felt like a kitten had plopped down on his belly, warmth and softness spreading all the way to his gut.

Xie Yu said to Lin Jianyuan, "Wait here for Pei Shuo. He should be here soon. We'll finish up quickly."

Lin Jianyuan grinned. "Alright."

His roommate and Shi Shaoning left together.

What a weird pairing.

Lin Jianyuan watched the two disappear, leaving the basketball court oddly empty. He scratched his head, feeling a strange emptiness inside.

The squish toy suddenly piped up, "Boss, boss, we'll play with you!"

Little Rock: "Yeah! We can play too!"

Lin Jianyuan pulled the two little toys out and laughed. "You guys? How? You're not even as big as a basketball."

Squish toy: "I can get bigger! But only for a little while... I can bounce around like a seal and play with you!"

Little Rock: "Eyeball can fly, right? Let it carry the trash bag as a hoop. You throw the ball and let them fetch it. Just like humans playing with dogs."

Eyeball: "?"

Trash Bag: "??"

Woof woof woof?

Little Rock: "Ah, sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to call Shadow Devourer and Abyssal Maw dogs. Really, I'm sorry, I just thought Yuan-ge might be lonely and wanted to give him something fun to do..."

Squish toy snapped, "Can you quit with the fake innocence already? You're always like this! Aren't you tired?"

Little Rock: "Waaah, I’m not, I didn’t…"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing," Lin Jianyuan laughed. "It's not like I get lonely the second my wife leaves. I'm not some separation-anxiety puppy. Take the chance—nobody's around, so you guys can come out and get some air. Must be boring stuck in my pocket all the time, right?"

The little toys: "!"

Shock!

Lin Jianyuan was actually letting them out to play!

What is this!

Is this what being in love does to people?

Does it make you soft to the whole world?!

Oh my god!

Who says Lin Jianyuan’s love-struck brain is a problem? This is the best kind!

They all raised antennae, horns, wings, spines, and rows of teeth in full support of this relationship!

Lin Jianyuan was about to let all the little toys loose to play on their own.

He turned around—and suddenly saw Pei Shuo.

"Uh, bro..."

Pei Shuo looked at him, a little lost.

"Hey, you’re here. When did you get here?" Lin Jianyuan walked over and clapped him on the shoulder, grinning. "Had dinner yet?"

"Uh, yeah..." Pei Shuo glanced around nervously, remembering how Lin Jianyuan had just been talking to a snail-shaped squish toy. His expression grew more and more complicated.

"Bro, um, so, uh..."

Pei Shuo hesitated, struggling with himself for a long moment, then finally asked the question he cared about most—in the most roundabout, tactful way possible.

"So, uh... your wife...?"

Lin Jianyuan's hand froze on Pei Shuo’s shoulder.

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Crap.

Lin Jianyuan glanced around the empty court, mouth twitching.

He took a deep breath and said sincerely,

"If I told you my wife and my friend just happened to have something to do and went to work overtime together, would you believe me?"

Pei Shuo nodded without hesitation. "Of course I believe you! Why wouldn't I?"

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Alright, you little shit.

You should win an Oscar for that performance.

No doubt, in Pei Shuo’s mind, Lin Jianyuan’s condition had just gotten worse.

Not only did he have an imaginary wife, now he had an imaginary friend too...

Lin Jianyuan’s first instinct was to explain—he wanted to say, "You definitely know my friend, he's actually a celebrity."

But then he thought better of it.

That would just make him sound even crazier...

"It's fine," Lin Jianyuan said, trying to reassure both Pei Shuo and himself. "They'll be back soon. You'll see for yourself. Let's play first."

Pei Shuo: "Sure, sure!"

Pei Shuo was fresh out of college—well, not quite, he'd already spent half a year at that shitty company.

But he still had all the energy of a recent college grad.

His stamina was no joke.

Even though their outfits were swapped—Lin Jianyuan in a T-shirt, shorts, and white sneakers, Pei Shuo in a casual suit—once they started moving, Pei Shuo was way more energetic.

"Bro!" Pei Shuo called out, grinning as he bounced the ball over. "Your turn!"

Lin Jianyuan was already exhausted, panting like a dog as he reluctantly caught the ball.

"I can't, I need a break..." Lin Jianyuan said, holding his waist as he shuffled to the side.

"Bro, are you tired? Want some water?" Pei Shuo’s eyes sparkled. Noticing Lin Jianyuan didn't have any, he looked around and spotted a convenience store across the street. "I'll go grab some water!—Don't sit down, bro, the more you sit, the more tired you'll get. Stay up and keep moving."

Lin Jianyuan laughed helplessly. "I can't move anymore, I can barely breathe. My heart and lungs are shot..."

"You're just not warmed up yet," Pei Shuo said. "Once you get going, it won't feel so bad."

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

What! They'd already been playing for half an hour!

Half an hour of intense exercise was just a warm-up for Pei Shuo?

College guys' stamina was terrifying!

And he’d just worked a full day! How was he still this energetic?

Damn, was he one of those legendary high-energy types?!

Lin Jianyuan could only wave him off, resigned. "Go ahead. Grab two more for my wife and my friend. My wife wants a cold Coke. My friend... he's watching his diet, so just get him bottled water."

Pei Shuo paused for a split second.

But he quickly grinned again. "No problem!"

Pei Shuo headed across the street to buy water.

Lin Jianyuan watched him go, shaking his head.

This misunderstanding was getting worse and worse.

Whatever. Once they came back, everything would be clear.

When Pei Shuo saw Shi Shaoning, his jaw would hit the floor.

After all, Pei Shuo was a fan—he’d watched all Shi Shaoning’s dramas, ha!

The more Lin Jianyuan thought about it, the funnier it got. He couldn’t wait for this epic reunion.

...Which is why you should never tempt fate.

Pei Shuo came back with the water.

The two of them sat on the edge of the court, drinking.

They drank and chatted.

They talked for twenty minutes.

Xie Yu and Shi Shaoning still hadn’t returned.

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Lin Jianyuan started to feel awkward. To prove he wasn’t lying, he sent his roommate a voice message right in front of Pei Shuo: "Honey, honey, how’s it going over there?"

Pei Shuo turned to watch him.

Lin Jianyuan sent the WeChat message. No reply.

He quickly messaged Shi Shaoning: "Captain Shi, what’s taking so long? Hurry up, my friend’s already here!"

The message was sent.

Still no reply.

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Pei Shuo’s gaze grew more and more complicated as he watched Lin Jianyuan.

Lin Jianyuan: "...I really do have a wife."

Pei Shuo: "I know, bro. Why are you bringing it up again? It's not like I don't believe you."

Lin Jianyuan: "...And I really did bring a new friend to introduce to you."

Pei Shuo smiled. "I know, you told me. But they got called in for overtime, right? It’s fine, bro, I get it. Really, it’s fine."

Lin Jianyuan let out a long, dramatic sigh.

"By the way, bro, did you hear that Yu Xiuli quit?" Pei Shuo suddenly remembered, his face full of gossip.

Pei Shuo’s little tricks were way too obvious to Lin Jianyuan, who immediately realized he was trying to change the subject.

But it worked—Lin Jianyuan was interested.

"Hm?" Lin Jianyuan said. "I didn’t know. Isn’t she from the head office?"

"Yeah, head office. But she quit all of a sudden. Almost right after you."

Lin Jianyuan: "Why? It can’t be because I called her out that day, right?"

"No, no, haha, it’s actually kind of funny." Pei Shuo looked around like a thief, suddenly a little uneasy. "Wait, is it okay to talk about this so late at night…?"

Lin Jianyuan laughed. "Come on, you can’t just tease me and not tell. Spill it!"

"Alright, I’ll tell you." Pei Shuo lowered his voice, all mysterious. "Rumor has it, Yu Xiuli saw a ghost at the office!"

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

"You know the day you came in to quit and do the handover? You argued with her about using your computer. She went to the bathroom to cry—and that’s where she saw the ghost."

Something clicked in Lin Jianyuan’s mind. "Tell me more."

If someone saw a ghost in the office, it might not have been a ghost at all.

Could be some weird Aberrant again.

He was starting to think their company was a magnet for Aberrants.

Would exorcisms or temple visits even help at this point?

Pei Shuo said, "Honestly, there’s not much to tell. She went to a temple that same day and then quit. I only heard the rumors. Some say she saw a little girl with her guts hanging out, some say it was a woman in red holding her own intestines and asking if they looked pretty, and others say it was an old lady with a hollowed-out stomach chasing her around asking if she’d seen her intestines... Lots of versions, who knows what’s true."

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Case closed.

Key word: intestines.

Of course, Lin Jianyuan immediately understood what had happened.

He found it funny, and couldn’t help but smile.

Pei Shuo saw him smile and laughed too. "Right, bro? It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? But it’s weird—every version has intestines in it. Maybe she really did see a pile of guts, and in the bathroom, too... Ugh. Just picturing it freaks me out. Why would there be intestines in the bathroom? Creepy. Good thing it was the women’s bathroom, not the men’s..."

Lin Jianyuan: "............"

It’s fine.

You don’t have to go to the bathroom—you’ll see intestines soon enough.

...Just kidding, of course.

His roommate obviously wouldn’t show up as a walking digestive system in front of Pei Shuo.

He’d definitely show up looking sharp as ever, maybe tweak Pei Shuo’s perception a bit.

Pei Shuo was right about one thing.

You really shouldn’t sit down right after exercising. The fatigue hits you all at once.

After sitting and drinking water for a while, Lin Jianyuan didn’t want to get up at all.

He was even starting to feel hungry.

Lin Jianyuan glanced at his phone.

Shi Shaoning hadn’t replied, but his roommate had. Just a quick "almost done."

Lin Jianyuan felt relieved and texted back: "I’ll order barbecue first. What do you want?"

Roommate: "Okay."

It was obvious he’d replied in a hurry.

This wasn’t even an A or B choice anymore. It was like asking A or B and getting "yes I do."

But then again, they were probably in the middle of an epic brawl.

Just imagining his roommate, intestines flying, beating the crap out of Delirium while pausing to dig a phone out of his gallbladder to reply on WeChat...

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t stop laughing.

Pei Shuo was surprised to see him smiling just from texting.

On a whim, Lin Jianyuan held up his phone to show him the chat with his roommate.

"See, this is my wife. Remember when I asked you why I couldn’t see someone’s Moments after they added me on WeChat? It was him."

Pei Shuo glanced at the top of the chat: the contact was saved as "Wife," with a little heart emoji.

And the chat was clearly active, messages going back and forth.

It was obvious they’d been talking for a long time.

Just as Lin Jianyuan was showing him, a new message popped up in the chat:

"Lamb skewers and fish tofu. I want pineapple too. The kind you grilled for me last time. So good."

Pei Shuo: "!!!"

His pupils practically shook.

Wait, what?

Yuan-ge was giving him an alibi?

Had he been wrong all along?

Was Yuan-ge’s "wife" actually real???

Had all of them, worrying and trying to help, just been overthinking it?

Lin Jianyuan watched Pei Shuo’s stunned face and smiled, hooking an arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, let’s go order. My wife and my friend will be here soon. You’re in for a big surprise."

Pei Shuo had lost all control of his face.

He let Lin Jianyuan drag him up, dazed. "Uh, yeah, okay..."

Just then, Pei Shuo’s phone rang.

Pei Shuo answered automatically, and Jiang Chen’s urgent voice blared from the other end:

Pei Shuo: "..."

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Lin Jianyuan instantly lost his temper, snatching the phone and yelling, "Do you know what time it is? Why the hell are you calling people back for overtime? What, will the world end if you leave it for tomorrow? Jiang Chen, were you slacking off all day playing Candy Crush again, and now you remember you forgot your work so you’re calling the sucker back in for overtime? Admit it! Am I right?!"

Jiang Chen: "?"

Jiang Chen immediately recognized the voice he feared most and stammered, "Lin—Lin Jianyuan? Why are you there? I—I wasn’t calling you for overtime, why are you so mad... It’s not my fault this time, it’s the client..."

Lin Jianyuan listened, face dark.

Turned out, this time it really wasn’t Jiang Chen’s fault—it was the overseas client.

Their tiny company had finally made it, landing a big international contract and dealing directly with the overseas headquarters.

But if local clients were bad, overseas ones were worse.

With the time difference, the client just worked on their own schedule.

So Pei Shuo had been living upside down, day and night.

When the local team clocked out, the overseas client was just starting their day.

He’d been forced to pull late-night overtime, suffering through it.

...But there was nothing to be done.

The client was king, and the time difference was real.

You couldn’t exactly ask the client to work on your schedule.

After hearing Jiang Chen’s pitiful explanation, Lin Jianyuan fell silent.

Pei Shuo quickly tried to smooth things over. "Bro, it’s fine. The office is close anyway. I’ll just go take care of it, it won’t take long."

Lin Jianyuan said coldly, "You think you’ll get out once you go back? You finish the work and send it, but the client can just leave you on read. If they message you and you don’t reply right away, you’ll get chewed out."

Pei Shuo: "..."

Why did that sound so painfully experienced?

"Bro, I know you care," Pei Shuo said, smiling like he was the one comforting Lin Jianyuan. "But you know how it is for us in this industry—being on the agency side is just our fate. And this is a rare chance, having a big overseas client. It’s a good opportunity for me to learn how to deal with foreign clients..."

Lin Jianyuan looked at him, speechless.

Great, now he was self-gaslighting.

"Let’s go. Tell me what you need to do. I’ll help you."

Lin Jianyuan slung an arm over Pei Shuo’s shoulder, heading for the subway while snapping at Jiang Chen on the phone, "You got a problem with that, Jiang Chen?!"

"No problem, no problem," Jiang Chen said, sweating bullets. "Thank you so much, Lin Jianyuan, really appreciate it..."

"Bro, you don’t have to!" Pei Shuo protested, panicking. "You really don’t! Aren’t you waiting to have barbecue with your wife? He wants pineapple, fish tofu, lamb skewers—go order for him! You already quit! Bro! Why are you coming back to work overtime with me? You don’t have to! Seriously, you don’t!"

"Shut up! No refusing!" Lin Jianyuan growled. "You think I like working overtime? I’m only doing this so you’ll finish faster, come back, eat barbecue with me, and meet my wife!"

Pei Shuo: "Huh?"

"I have to make you meet my wife today!" Lin Jianyuan raged. "You hear me? You have to meet him! You have to know he’s real! He’s not a hallucination! I swear, you are meeting my wife tonight—even if the sky falls, you’re meeting my wife!"