Chapter 1 Sudden Illness

Chapter 1: A Strange Illness Strikes

"Why are you staring at me?" My colleague touched his face, a blush creeping up his neck. "Did I get breakfast on my face?"

To be precise, it wasn’t breakfast, nor was it his face.

It was his eyes.

Lin Jianyuan stared at his colleague.

The colleague, Pei Shuo, was a 23-year-old male, fresh out of university, who had, by some twist of fate, joined the company through campus recruitment.

Still in his internship, he shadowed Lin Jianyuan, learning the ropes.

Lin Jianyuan had initially been reluctant to mentor an intern. Yet, Pei Shuo possessed a certain Golden Retriever-like charm. When he sat in the HR office, hands on his knees, looking up at people, his expression was utterly docile.

Especially those sparkling, puppy-dog eyes—when he lifted them to plead, they were almost impossible to refuse.

But at this very moment, two vines were sprouting from those large, dark eyes.

At first, Lin Jianyuan thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, imagining two worms wriggling out of Pei Shuo’s eyes. Now that he could clearly see they were vines, not worms, the situation didn't feel any better.

The vines were a vibrant green, their stems slightly thinner than a phone charging cable, adorned with a few small, swaying green leaves. No wonder Lin Jianyuan had initially mistaken them for caterpillars.

Lin Jianyuan stared at the vines for a moment and asked, "Does that hurt your eyes?"

"Huh? Now that you mention it, a little." Pei Shuo lowered his head and began rubbing his eyes. "I stayed up until two last night binge-watching a drama. Are my eyes really red?"

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Because of the vines, Pei Shuo couldn’t fully close his eyelids while rubbing his eyes. The scene looked incredibly... unsanitary.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t take it anymore. "Hey, stop rubbing. It’s not good for your eyes."

"Oh, right. Bro, do you have any eye drops?" The Golden Retriever lifted his puppy-dog eyes again.

But the eyes, now adorned with vines, didn’t look cute at all—instead, they had a bizarrely comical effect.

Lin Jianyuan pulled open the drawer under his computer monitor stand and fished out a bottle of eye drops for him.

Pei Shuo chirped, "Thanks, bro!" and tilted his head back to apply the drops.

Considering the vines were rooted right in the center of his pupils, this was no different from watering them.

And indeed, as the eye drops dripped into Pei Shuo’s pupils, the two vines wriggled even more vigorously, as if on stimulants. The green stems twisted wildly, resembling two freakishly fat caterpillars.

Lin Jianyuan’s mind flashed to an image of yellowish-green parasites writhing madly in a snail’s swollen eye stalks. He stabbed his straw into his soy milk with a *plop* and asked, "What drama were you watching?"

Breakfast had been brought by Pei Shuo. True to his Golden Retriever nature, he had a naturally thoughtful personality. Ever since he noticed Lin Jianyuan was too lazy to detour for breakfast, he’d taken it upon himself to bring him food every day.

"Ah, uh, it’s that really popular fantasy romance drama that’s trending lately. The one with Shi Shaoning and Xue Lu." Pei Shuo’s face flushed red, as if embarrassed to say the title. "It’s a pretty cliché, melodramatic fantasy romance, but it’s kinda good."

Lin Jianyuan ate his breakfast while listening to Pei Shuo recount the plot. He didn’t recognize either actor; he was just curious about what kind of fantasy romance could make an enthusiastic, cheerful young man binge-watch until midnight.

As it turned out, it wasn’t that the drama was particularly good—it was just that this young man had a taste for it.

Lin Jianyuan listened to the melodramatic plot with the same expression as an elderly person on the subway squinting at their phone. He was pondering how to politely change the subject when their boss, Jiang Chen, came down from upstairs, tapped on the desk, and announced, "Meeting in the conference room at 12:30."

Their office was an open, shared space. The first floor was filled with partitioned workstations, while the second floor housed the boss’s office.

Whenever the boss felt like being a micromanager, he could stand at the elevated level and look down on everyone. The view was unobstructed, even more annoying than a high school teacher peering through the back door of a classroom.

"Oh, okay." Pei Shuo nodded quickly, his face wearing the timid deference of a recent college grad. The other colleagues also acknowledged the announcement.

Lin Jianyuan noticed that Jiang Chen showed no reaction to the vines in Pei Shuo’s pupils. He glanced back—the two vines were still wriggling incessantly. It made Lin Jianyuan’s skin crawl, giving him an urge to just yank them out.

But what would happen if he did?

Lin Jianyuan didn’t dare imagine the scene.

As soon as Jiang Chen left, the colleagues began complaining.

"Damn it! Another meeting! That fucking idiot Jiang Chen has nothing better to do all day than mess with us, right?"

"Yeah, seriously! And at 12:30! How toxic—using our lunch break for a meeting! Let’s report him! He never lets us make up for the lost break time!"

"Ah, well, look on the bright side. Once you accept that he’s an idiot, all his idiotic decisions start to make sense..."

Lin Jianyuan sipped his soy milk and ate his tea egg, quietly observing the colleagues around him.

The vines in Pei Shuo’s eyes were still wriggling openly, yet the colleagues were completely oblivious to them.

Pei Shuo, however, looked somewhat at a loss, as if unsure how to respond to his seniors’ foul language.

"Scared?" Lin Jianyuan saw his hesitation. "Don’t worry, you’re new. After a week here, you’ll understand—it’s not that we have poor manners, it’s that the boss is truly an idiot."

"Bro." Pei Shuo laughed helplessly. "You really know how to comfort people."

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t tell if this was sincere or sarcastic, and it made him think this intern had great potential.

So he leaned in and whispered, "Our company’s official lunch break is from 12 to 1. It used to be that you could go eat as soon as you finished your work, but recently the boss has been on a power trip. Last meeting, he specifically emphasized no late arrivals or early departures, especially at noon. The boss goes to the cafeteria at 11:30 every day. After he eats, he comes back to check if you’re still here. If he doesn’t see you at 12, he’ll get mad, call you out in a company-wide announcement, and deduct your pay."

"Ah?" Pei Shuo was shocked. "That’s so tyrannical!"

Lin Jianyuan: "Here’s what you do: start ordering takeout at 11, and once the boss leaves at 11:30, start eating. Finish by 12. That way, you won’t get caught leaving early, and you’ll have a bit more time for your break."

"Great idea!" Pei Shuo was amazed, but then said indignantly, "But that’s such a double standard! He goes to lunch at 11:30 himself, so why does he make us sit around until 12 even if we have nothing to do?"

Lin Jianyuan shrugged: "You know why."

Pei Shuo looked understanding. "Oh, I get it. Because he’s a heartless capitalist."

"No." Lin Jianyuan said. "Because he’s an idiot."

Pei Shuo: "..."

By 12:30, Lin Jianyuan had already eaten and taken a short nap at his desk. Pei Shuo had followed his advice and done the same. So the two of them walked into the conference room, both still drowsy.

The colleagues who had gone to the cafeteria for lunch followed behind, their resentment almost tangible.

Everyone took their seats. The secretary had already prepared the PowerPoint for Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen cleared his throat, stood in front of the projector, and began: "Let me just briefly croak a few words..."

A frog hopped into view.

Lin Jianyuan jolted, wide-eyed, staring at the frog in front of him. The frog’s back was glistening green, its enormous pupils pitch black, surrounded by a ring of yellow... yellow-rimmed.

The frog hopped with a *plop-plop* sound, from one end of the long conference table to the other.

Lin Jianyuan followed the trail of water left behind it and saw Jiang Chen in front of the projector, spitting as he spoke. His mouth opened and closed, and a small slit on his throat opened and closed in sync.

Every time Boss Jiang let out a "ribbit," the slit on his throat spewed out frogs like eggs. The slick, wet frogs leaped onto the conference table, their powerful legs carving graceful arcs through the air.

Faced with the frogs swarming over the conference table in such a short time, Lin Jianyuan stared in stunned disbelief.

"Ge? Bro Yuan?" Pei Shuo nudged him with an elbow.

Lin Jianyuan held his forehead: "I don't feel right..."

"Bro! The boss is calling you!" Pei Shuo said.

Lin Jianyuan reflexively stood up and looked at the boss. Boss Jiang wore an angry expression, his upper mouth spitting out endless chatter, while his lower—no, his throat. The mouth on his throat was also chattering nonstop.

Lin Jianyuan could no longer focus on what he was saying; his mind was filled only with ribbits.

Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit...

The boss's chatter, mingled with the damp croaking of frogs, festered in the recirculated air into the musty smell of the rainy season.

"Boss Jiang," Lin Jianyuan decisively interrupted the boss's tirade, saying weakly, "I might need to take another couple days off. I'm not feeling well."

There were so many frogs that the conference table could no longer hold them, and many had jumped onto the floor, scrambling across the gray carpet.

Hearing this, Boss Jiang's expression instantly twisted into something strange. His scrutinizing gaze swept over Lin Jianyuan, as if judging whether he was truly weak enough to need sick leave.

Suddenly, Lin Jianyuan snapped. He said, "I've only slept two hours in three days, revising the plan until I passed out and ended up in the hospital! If I keep working like this, I'll fucking work myself to death, goddammit!"

As he spoke, Lin Jianyuan clenched his fists, his voice shaking through clenched teeth. Seeing the situation turning sour, Boss Jiang quickly said, "Then rest, I didn’t say no! Health definitely comes first, you can go back now!"

Other colleagues around also chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, hurry back and rest."

Lin Jianyuan kicked his chair away, making a loud noise. Pei Shuo quickly stood up, grabbed his arm, and whispered, "Bro, should I go with you?"

Lin Jianyuan nodded irritably, and Pei Shuo accompanied him out. Before leaving the conference room, Lin Jianyuan heard Boss Jiang complaining through the door crack: "He yelled at me? He actually yelled at me? He seems pretty energetic to me! How can a grown man be so fragile..."

Back in the shared office space, with no one around, Lin Jianyuan felt he could breathe much more freely.

Pei Shuo asked worriedly, "Bro, are you okay? What happened just now? You scared me."

Lin Jianyuan said, "I'm fine. Take the afternoon off."

Pei Shuo: "Aren’t I going with you to the hospital?"

As Pei Shuo spoke, his puppy-dog eyes glistened, and the two vines in his eyes writhed and squirmed.

Whether it was the vines or the frogs earlier, Lin Jianyuan was sure something was wrong with his brain. At the very least, it was schizophrenia. He needed to get himself to a psych ward stat.

An ordinary hospital would be one thing, but he didn’t want a colleague accompanying him to a psychiatric hospital. It's not like they were close anyway. So Lin Jianyuan waved his hand and said, "Listen, go enjoy your afternoon off. You might not get another chance like this."

Pei Shuo hesitantly walked him to the elevator. Lin Jianyuan didn't so much as glance back, just walked away with his single-shoulder bag.

The psychiatric hospital in A City is called A City Mental Health Center, located at 700 Jiangchuan North Road. People in A City often jokingly say, "Go to 700 Jiangchuan North Road," as a euphemism for "Are you crazy?"

It was Lin Jianyuan’s first time in such a place. He had expected to see some scene of total bedlam, but instead, he was met with a security check right at the entrance.

The security checkpoint felt reassuring, as if all dangers were being kept out. Lin Jianyuan got a ticket and sat in the waiting area to queue.

The screen in the waiting area called numbers. With a "ding," a rapidly flashing text box popped up on the screen, reading, "No. 314 Wang *ling, please go to consultation room 07."

For some reason, the text box was blood-red and shaking violently, looking particularly like it was about to explode. *Is this really okay?*

After waiting for over half an hour, it was finally Lin Jianyuan’s turn. He walked in just as the previous patient was leaving the consultation room. It was a young girl, probably still in middle school, accompanied by a man who looked like her father.

*Kids these days are under a lot of pressure too...* Lin Jianyuan walked into the consultation room with a sigh.

The consultation process wasn’t quite what he had imagined. He had pictured a gentle, kind doctor in a white coat listening to his tearful complaints while nodding sympathetically. He only got one-third of it right.

He didn’t cry, and the doctor across from him didn’t seem particularly gentle or kind.

The doctor was a young man wearing frameless glasses. He looked bookish and refined, very calm as he asked and answered questions.

"Do your hallucinations demand you to do anything?" the male doctor asked.

"No..." Lin Jianyuan scratched his head, "The frogs and vines don’t speak human language."

"Hmm." The doctor didn’t comment on his answer, just continued asking a few more questions.

Finally, he said, "The situation isn’t too severe. You’re likely suffering from acute transient psychotic disorder due to overwork and excessive stress. I’ll prescribe some medication for you. It should help alleviate the symptoms."

Hearing the diagnosis with "disorder" three times, Lin Jianyuan found it oddly amusing: "So you mean I’ve suddenly developed a severe condition?"

The male doctor glanced at him and said, "Don’t stress too much. Cases like yours usually clear up completely within a month and generally don’t recur. Try to relax. If work pressure is too high, take a few days of sick leave. Do you need a doctor’s note?"

"Yes, yes, thank you, doctor." Lin Jianyuan realized the doctor was actually quite kind and thoughtful, which made him seem more handsome too.

As he left, he glanced at the nameplate by the door and saw that the doctor was named Cen Zheng.

A unique name, and a good person. Lin Jianyuan decided to see him again for future visits.

The company, 700 Jiangchuan North Road, and Lin Jianyuan’s home form an equilateral triangle. Given that it takes Lin Jianyuan an hour by subway from the company to 700 Jiangchuan North Road, and another hour from 700 Jiangchuan North Road to home.

How long does it take Lin Jianyuan to get from the company to home?

Logically, it should also be an hour, but life isn’t math. Life also has rush hours, crowded subways, and no shared bikes available. So, including walking time, it’s two hours.

Lin Jianyuan carried a bag of medicine and trudged home as the sun set. He still hadn’t fully accepted reality—he actually had a mental illness. That acute transient something... a sudden severe condition.

Given how exploited he is, maybe he should just change jobs?

Rent is 3k per month, food costs 2k. The cost of living in A City is high. He mostly cooks for himself, but his cooking is terrible. When he can’t take it anymore, he eats out. Now he has to add medication costs. Psychiatric medication is surprisingly expensive...

Forget it, he'd better just tough it out for now. He graduated from a third-rate college, and in a big city like A City, that’s almost like not having gone to college at all.

Although the boss at his current company is inhuman, at least he gets 9k before taxes. That’s pretty good. After social security and housing fund deductions, he brings home 7k. After rent and daily expenses, he can put away about a thousand each month.

But the doctor only prescribed a week’s worth of medication. The registration fee, medication costs, and the deducted attendance bonus from taking leave... he’ll have to go four times a month... and he doesn’t know if he’ll fully recover in a month as the doctor said...

Just end it.

Maybe the world should just end now.

The more Lin Jianyuan calculated, the more irritated he felt. He just wanted to go find some dog shit in the neighborhood and stuff it into the boss’s mouth.

He carried the medicine to his doorstep, sighed, and felt like a fish stuck in muddy water, unable to jump out.

The key slid into the lock without any resistance, like it was being swallowed by a slick throat.

Lin Jianyuan opened the door and habitually reached for the light switch on the wall. With a *click*, the light turned on.

In the living room, a pink, flesh-toned digestive system spun toward the sound, fixing its front on him, its mouth opening and closing.

"You're back."

"Would you like to take a shower, eat, or... me?"

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Lin Jianyuan looked up and down at this mass of offal floating in midair. He saw its lips connected to the esophagus, which led to the stomach. The liver, gallbladder, and some other unrecognizable organs were arranged in an orderly manner. Further down was a large, slowly squirming mass of pink intestines.

After staring for a long time, Lin Jianyuan suddenly grew furious and yelled, "This whole goddamn set of offal is still raw—how the hell am I supposed to eat it?!"