Chapter 7 I Knew This Was My Squeeze Toy at First Sight!

Chapter 7: I Knew at First Glance This Was My Squeeze Toy!

Lin Jianyuan picked up his phone, but any desire to sleep had vanished. Still exhausted, he had no choice but to grumble and get up.

Back in the livestream room, he asked Pei Shuo, "How's it going?"

"No problem!" Pei Shuo gave him an OK sign.

Lin Jianyuan nodded and sat back down beside him.

Perhaps that short nap had done the trick—this time, the flow of time didn't feel so strange anymore.

The two-hour "sentence" passed quickly, and everyone was collectively "released." The director stood up, stretching, and announced, "Alright! That's a wrap!"

"Awesome!"

"I'm exhausted—I'm hitting the skewer spot! Anyone in?"

"Let's go, where to? Who's driving? I need a ride!"

No matter when the workday ends, quitting time is always the most harmonious moment for workers.

Everyone had overlooked how, just moments ago, they were arguing fiercely over "whether the poster was placed correctly" and "who the hell changed the teleprompter without noticing the banned words."

In twos and threes, faces tired but relaxed, they gradually filed out of the livestream room.

Lin Jianyuan remembered he'd left something behind and headed to the lounge next door. As soon as he pushed the door open, he saw Jiang Chen spread-eagled in deep sleep, mouth wide open and snoring loudly. There was even a half-eaten fruit platter by the sofa—this asshole really knew how to make himself comfortable.

The lounge was filled with noise—not just snoring, but also croaking from frogs crawling all over the floor.

At first glance, the frogs were a bit disgusting, but after a while, they grew on you.

Lin Jianyuan hadn't closed the door when he entered, and when he glanced back, he saw his off-duty colleagues still chatting and laughing in groups, completely unaware of what was happening inside.

Not even the two frogs that had escaped and hopped onto someone's foot drew any attention. It was further proof these frogs were yet another hallucination.

Lin Jianyuan stared at the blissfully sleeping Jiang Chen, growing angrier by the second. He desperately wanted to yank him from his dreams and pummel him.

Damn it—he and Pei Shuo had worked hard monitoring the livestream, mopping up Jiang Chen's mess, while this idiot slept comfortably all night!

And just as Pei Shuo said, not even a "thank you," let alone a cup of coffee! Overtime pay was probably out of the question—knowing Jiang Chen's character, he'd probably never mention his own mistake again. He'd be lucky if he didn't pin the blame on Pei Shuo...

Shit!

Lin Jianyuan felt like his chest was about to explode again. Then he remembered Dr. Cen's advice:

"Do whatever you want to do!"

(Dr. Cen did not actually say this.)

Lin Jianyuan promptly followed the "doctor's orders," bent down, picked up a frog, and shoved it right into Jiang Chen's mouth with a sickening squelch!

Finally doing what he'd been wanting to do all along, Lin Jianyuan felt much better.

He wiped his hands and was about to leave when his eyes fell on the frogs still scattered across the floor.

Damn it, after such a long day, he couldn't just leave empty-handed!

Lin Jianyuan turned back without hesitation and started rounding up frogs from the floor—forcibly collecting his dues.

For some reason, there happened to be an orange net bag in the lounge. Lin Jianyuan bent down, scooped up a full bag of frogs, and left.

"Bro Yuan, how are you getting back later?" Pei Shuo asked, without batting an eye at the net bag of frogs in Lin Jianyuan's hand.

Lin Jianyuan: "You're driving, right?"

Pei Shuo: "Huh?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Isn't Jiang Chen's car key still with you?"

Pei Shuo caught on. He smirked, glanced at Jiang Chen still snoring away in the lounge, and gave Lin Jianyuan a thumbs-up.

Pei Shuo dropped Lin Jianyuan off at his apartment building. It was already midnight, and the complex was completely quiet, with only a few scattered lights still on.

After saying goodbye, Lin Jianyuan carried the net bag of croaking frogs upstairs.

The lock swallowed the key smoothly. Lin Jianyuan pushed the door open, and a familiar voice drifted from the living room.

"You're back."

"Are you some kind of automated response system?" Lin Jianyuan shot back, casually placing the net bag of frogs on the shoe cabinet.

After a whole day of chaos, Lin Jianyuan was pretty much numb to the sight of the Pink Offal.

"Your body," the Pink Offal tilted its "head" slightly, as if sniffing the air, "reeks."

Lin Jianyuan looked at it suspiciously and couldn't help but lift his arm to sniff himself.

He didn't smell that bad. At most, there was a bit of sweat—he had been running around all day long, after all.

Is this guy really that sensitive? Maybe he has OCD.

Having OCD might not be so bad—better than being messy. Lin Jianyuan decisively pulled out a pen and paper and said, "Let's split the chores. Clean your own room, and we'll take turns with shared spaces like the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Major cleaning weekly? Sound good?"

Pink Offal: "?"

The Pink Offal seemed to find the proposal amusing and said with a laugh, "Sure."

Lin Jianyuan thought this new roommate was pretty agreeable—he just wondered how that would actually work.

Lin Jianyuan yawned and went to take a shower. A little while later, he came out wearing only briefs, drying his hair as he headed to his room.

As he passed the living room, he suddenly froze as if he'd been struck by lightning.

What was he seeing?

The Pink Offal was eating frogs!

The orange net bag was open, and the Pink Offal's intestines coiled around a frog like a snake, skinning it with a rip before stuffing it into its mouth.

"What's wrong?" the Pink Offal tilted its "head."

"Holy shit! What are you doing?!" Lin Jianyuan was completely horrified, watching as another frog was skinned, revealing a smooth, muscular body.

The skinned frog was still struggling as the Pink Offal opened its mouth and gulped it down.

The pink throat bulged slightly as the frog slid down into the stomach. Its intestines writhed with pleasure, producing a glugging sound.

"I got hungry," the Pink Offal said.

Crap!

This new roommate is the type who unapologetically eats other people's food!

Wait, no—these are frogs! And they're raw! They're even still alive!

This seems worse than just "unapologetically eating other people's food"...

His roommate is gulping down live frogs whole!

Wait, there's another issue—

"You can see this?!" Lin Jianyuan exclaimed in shock, holding up the net bag of frogs and shaking it in front of him.

"Of course," Pink Offal said. "I'm not blind."

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

The man and the digestive system stared at one another in silence. Or maybe it was just Lin Jianyuan staring at him one-sidedly, since he had no idea where his weird roommate's eyeballs were looking. He couldn't even see his roommate's eyeballs.

Pink Offal: "Are you mad?"

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Not exactly mad.

Just pretty grossed out.

That's disgusting!!! How can you eat live frogs raw!!!

Lin Jianyuan almost blurted it out, but reason stopped him before he could shout.

With four days of experience as a mental patient, he immediately realized—no, this must be another hallucination! Another delusion!

The live frogs he was seeing definitely weren't frogs in his roommate's eyes! They must be something else...

Lin Jianyuan glanced at the bright orange net bag holding the frogs and suddenly understood! It all became clear!

Ohhh! He knew what it was!

—Satsumas!

This thing you can peel and eat directly must be Satsumas!

Yes, yes, that makes everything make sense! It wouldn’t be out of place on a conference table during a meeting, and it could also appear as a fruit bowl in the break room!

Lin Jianyuan had it all figured out and instantly felt relieved.

"Can’t I eat it?" Pink Offal sighed, his intestines coiling around the half-eaten frog and placing it back on the table unenthusiastically.

"It’s not that you can’t. It’s just... could you not eat it... raw?" Lin Jianyuan said, unable to look directly at the scene. "I can’t stand seeing people eat this raw."

Pink Offal: "?"

Lin Jianyuan could imagine his roommate looking at him strangely.

While Lin Jianyuan was still figuring out how to explain, Pink Offal said, "Okay."

Then Pink Offal took the net bag and headed into the kitchen. And. Started. To. Cook.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

Flames leaped up from the stove, and Lin Jianyuan watched as Pink Offal used a section of his intestines to grasp the handle of the wok, expertly tossing the ingredients.

Before long, his roommate brought out a plate of stir-fried frog that looked and smelled perfect.

Lin Jianyuan stared in disbelief at the plate of frog. They were still steaming, coated in rich sauce, and actually looked pretty appetizing.

Lin Jianyuan: "..." Now he felt hungry.

"Want some?" Pink Offal asked politely.

Lin Jianyuan: "No thank you!"

"No need to be polite," Pink Offal said with a soft chuckle. "You brought them back."

Lin Jianyuan: "You cooked them."

To prove with actions that he had no interest in stir-fried frog/Satsumas, Lin Jianyuan rushed back to his room.

Lin Jianyuan realized his roommate was oddly good-natured, able to tolerate his weird requests—after all, those were Satsumas.

Even though they looked like live frogs to Lin Jianyuan, in reality, they were Satsumas!

Stir-fried Satsumas—who would even eat that?

Anyone who thinks of stir-frying Satsumas must be totally insane.

This roommate—he’s a keeper!

Lin Jianyuan’s opinion of his roommate improved, and he was in much better spirits as he lay in bed.

That night.

After Lin Jianyuan took his medicine and fell into a deep sleep, the last remaining lights in the residential area all went out.

In the darkness, a pinkish-red shadow slowly drifted to the entryway. It lowered itself.

The aura of menace was palpable, making the thing stuck to the sole of the shoe tremble.

"Time Thief?" a voice came from the shadows. "You shouldn’t be here."

"Evil Domain—" the voice under the sole gasped in fear. "No, no, no! It wasn’t me! I didn’t mean to! Do I look like I came here willingly?! That Lin fellow forced me to come back with him!!!"

"You know the consequences of violating my domain, right?" The tone was mocking.

"No!" the voice under the sole shrieked desperately. "I would never want your food! We don’t even have the same diet! Please don't—"

The voice cut off suddenly.

The next day.

Lin Jianyuan had his first good night's sleep in ages. When he got up in the morning and went out to freshen up, he didn’t encounter his weird roommate.

Probably still asleep.

Lin Jianyuan brushed his teeth, washed his face, got dressed, and got ready to leave. Just before heading out, he noticed a small item on the table.

A squeeze toy.

A snail-shaped squeeze toy.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

After a brief pause, Lin Jianyuan decisively stuffed it in his pocket.

—The snail I stepped on yesterday turned into a squeeze toy and appeared in my house today. Why even ask? I must be losing it again!

—I could tell right away that this was my squeeze toy!