Chapter 10 Sob Sob!

Chapter 10: Boo Hoo Hoo!

"By the way, bro, check this out!" Pei Shuo mysteriously pulled a basketball from his backpack.

Lin Jianyuan: "Going to play ball?"

"Hehe, wanna come this afternoon? It’s Friday, after all. I invited a few classmates." Pei Shuo grinned brightly.

Lin Jianyuan: "No, no, you’re all younger guys…"

Pei Shuo: "You’re not that much older than us!"

Lin Jianyuan: "...Wouldn’t I get my ass kicked playing against you?"

Pei Shuo: "."

After a second of stunned silence, Pei Shuo burst out laughing, nudged Lin Jianyuan with his shoulder, and teased, "Don’t chicken out, bro! Don’t worry, we won’t beat you to death! You’re the elder—we’ll definitely show you respect!"

Lin Jianyuan snorted and tossed a USB drive at him: "Cut the crap. Go print and bind 10 copies of this."

"Got it!" Pei Shuo stood up energetically. "Then it’s settled! After the game, let’s grab a meal together! I’ve been wanting to treat you for a long time, bro!" With that, he dashed off toward the printer.

Lin Jianyuan shook his head with a smile and went back to work.

"Waa waa waa—" The wall next to the cubicle continued to make noise.

But Lin Jianyuan acted as if he didn’t hear it, focusing intently on his tasks.

"?" The stress toy thief was puzzled. It looked at Lin Jianyuan, then at the wall, its antennae twitching in confusion.

What’s going on? Why is he in such a good mood today?

Is it because he’s going to play basketball this afternoon?

...Makes sense. On the day I met this violent maniac, he’d spent the whole day dealing with that moron Jiang Chen’s mess—no wonder he was in a foul mood.

The stress toy thief couldn’t help but bemoan its sorry fate.

Wall: "I’m so miserable..."

The stress toy thief said curiously, "So you can say things other than 'waa waa waa'."

Wall: "..."

This exchange seemed to open the floodgates for the wall. From then on, its cries were interspersed with plenty of whining.

Sadness spread like a virus, instantly shrouding the entire office in gloom.

"Waa waa..." Qin Shi suddenly sniffled, repeatedly dabbing her tears with a tissue.

"What’s wrong?" Lin Jianyuan looked up.

Qin Shi: "Nothing, nothing. I just suddenly remembered the tragic story I read last night. My OTP suffered so much, waa waa..."

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

"Waaah!!!" Account manager Su Zhiwei also suddenly bellowed.

Startled, Lin Jianyuan snapped, "What’s wrong with you now!"

"I’m so upset! Just because of two typos, the client actually made me write a written apology!" Su Zhiwei’s eyes welled up with tears, his face red and neck bulging with emotion. "I’m thirty years old! And I’m still writing apology letters! I’m so miserable! How did I become such a loser, waa waa!"

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

This client was a language teacher, so it made sense they were strict.

Driven by the sorrowful atmosphere, the entire office began to wail.

Eventually, they even stopped working, huddling together and crying their eyes out.

Pei Shuo ran back with a stack of bound documents, completely baffled by the scene: "What’s going on? What happened?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Work got to them."

Pei Shuo: "?"

Golden Retriever couldn’t bear to see humans suffering, so he rushed over to comfort everyone.

Lin Jianyuan, on the other hand, kept working as if nothing was happening.

The stress toy thief couldn’t take it anymore and said angrily, "They’re crying like this and you’re not doing anything?!"

"Who doesn’t go a little crazy at work?" Lin Jianyuan said understandingly. "It’s good to let it out and vent. I just don’t know how to cry—otherwise, I’d probably have lost my mind already."

The stress toy thief: "..."

"Waa waa hee, waa waa hee hee..." Faint laughter could be heard mixed in with the wall’s crying.

If the wall had a face, it would definitely be wearing a smug, cheeky expression right now.

The stress toy thief looked at the wall, then at the calm Lin Jianyuan, and couldn’t help but pound its chest in frustration again.

Why is he so emotionally stable today!!!

Where’s the violent maniac I was promised? Why hasn’t he exploded yet?

Get angry already! Hurry up and beat it to death! Ugh, I’m going crazy!

Amid the overwhelming sadness, no matter how much Golden Retriever tried to comfort them, everyone remained unmoved, still crying in a heap.

Golden Retriever had no choice but to return dejectedly.

"Where are we playing ball tonight?" Lin Jianyuan asked.

"Ah, at a basketball court nearby. It’s not far—just two or three stops by subway." Pei Shuo successfully had his attention diverted. He sent the location and started chatting excitedly with Lin Jianyuan about basketball.

Lin Jianyuan often played basketball in college, but after graduating and joining this company, he hit the jackpot.

Busy as a dog every day, forget exercising—when things got hectic, he didn’t even have time to eat.

Lately, he’d noticed a clear decline in his stamina, especially when dealing with stupid situations. It was easy to feel chest tightness and shortness of breath.

He was really afraid that one day he’d run into a total jerk who’d make him so angry he’d pass out on the spot and kick the bucket. That would really suck.

"I really need to exercise," Lin Jianyuan said.

Qin Shi and Su Zhiwei had cried themselves dry and returned to their cubicles, still sniffling.

Lin Jianyuan glanced around and suddenly felt that something was off.

"!" The stress toy thief instantly perked up. Is it happening? Is it finally happening? The moment I've been waiting for is finally here!

Lin Jianyuan stood up, walked over to Qin Shi's desk, and asked with a frown, "What have you been up to these past couple of days?"

Qin Shi replied hoarsely, "Huh?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Why do your eyes look so... strained? They're bloodshot, you can barely see the whites."

Qin Shi: "?"

Stress toy thief: "??"

Qin Shi rubbed her eyes, said, between laughter and tears: "Isn't this from crying just now!"

Pei Shuo also came over: "No, you had it even before you cried! Actually, I wanted to say earlier, Qin Shi, your eyes are so red, like a little rabbit's."

Qin Shi: "..."

Lin Jianyuan: "..." He couldn’t help glancing at Pei Shuo.

Damn, this kid looks innocent and simple, but he's smooth at flirting with older women. "Like a little bunny," how corny!

Lin Jianyuan plucked the vines from Qin Shi's eyes and tossed them away casually.

Noticing Su Zhiwei had them too, he walked over, pulled them out, and tossed them aside as well.

"Work belongs to the company, but your eyes are your own," Lin Jianyuan said. "Maybe drink some goji berry tea."

"I’m already on it, I’m already on it," Qin Shi picked up her delicate white porcelain teacup. "Goji berry, chrysanthemum, and cassia seed tea. It nourishes the liver, improves eyesight, and lowers blood lipids. Do you want some?"

Lin Jianyuan waved it off and returned to his desk to continue working.

"Waa waa waa..." The weeping wall continued to pollute their hearing.

Lin Jianyuan suddenly looked up.

Stress toy thief: "!"

Lin Jianyuan turned his head toward Qin Shi's direction, musing: "Can those vines keep growing after they’re out of the human body?"

It seemed like he was talking to himself. The stress toy thief quickly answered: "Yes, yes! Eye Vines grow best in human eyeballs, but they can survive elsewhere too. They’re pretty tough to kill."

Lin Jianyuan: "They seem to grow even better soaked in tea than in someone’s eyeballs."

Stress toy thief: "?"

Indeed. The vines were only about two to three centimeters long when Lin Jianyuan first pulled them out, but in no time, they had grown to five or six centimeters, with a couple even creeping over the rim of the white porcelain teacup.

Lin Jianyuan walked over. Somehow he talked to Qin Shi, and she generously handed him the teacup along with a few tea bags.

The vines, soaked in the goji berry, chrysanthemum, and cassia seed tea, grew like crazy, visibly. After watching for a while, Lin Jianyuan remarked with deep feeling: "This tea really does improve eyesight!"

"Waa waa waa!" The wall was still sobbing loudly.

Stress toy thief: "..."

Stop worrying about that health tea! Can’t you hear that thing in the wall? Doesn't it annoy you?!

Why aren't you hitting it yet? Hit it!! Go on, torment it! Ugh, I can’t take it!

The vines soon grew into a small potted plant. Lin Jianyuan placed it next to his computer—lush and green, quite a pleasant sight.

Nourished by the goji berry, chrysanthemum, and cassia seed tea, the Eye Vines didn't seem so eager to burrow into people's eyes anymore.

It had completely turned into a low-maintenance and easy-to-care-for office potted plant.

Even better, it was aquatic—it doesn’t even need watering!

"I feel like my eyes feel much better after staring at it for a while."

Lin Jianyuan said contentedly, "What is this? 'If poor, rob houses; if rich, help the world'?"

Stress toy thief: "...You're the only person in the entire world who grows Eye Vines as a potted plant..."

Lin Jianyuan: "Can these Eye Vines only affect eyesight? They're pretty lame compared to you."

"Yep," the stress toy thief puffed out its chest with pride. "Because it's D-grade and I'm A-grade, of course I'm stronger!"

Lin Jianyuan: "Oh."

Lin Jianyuan went back to work.

The stress toy thief held back for a while but couldn't resist asking: "Aren't you going to ask me about heresy grades? Aren't you even a little curious? This is the truth about the world!"

Lin Jianyuan: "None of my business."

Stress toy thief: "..."

The truth about the world has nothing to do with corporate drones. Corporate drones just want to finish work and leave early.

He still had to go play basketball with Pei Shuo today. Lin Jianyuan hadn't played in a long time, and seeing a basketball made his fingers itch.

As evening approached, Lin Jianyuan checked the clock and was about to tell Pei Shuo to get ready to go when his phone vibrated.

Jiang Chen: "Come to my office."

Lin Jianyuan’s heart sank.

"Bro?" Pei Shuo turned his head. "What's wrong?"

Lin Jianyuan gritted his teeth: "That jerk Jiang Chen called me over."

"Huh?" Pei Shuo's handsome face immediately fell, but he quickly adjusted his mood and comforted him: "It's fine, bro. Probably just something minor. There's still ten minutes until clock-out, no rush."

Lin Jianyuan, filled with resentment, went to Jiang Chen's office. Jiang Chen was also packing up. Seeing Lin Jianyuan arrive, he said: "I've finished reviewing the Life Health Kettle proposal. It's pretty good overall, but it's still missing something. Revise it."

Lin Jianyuan took a deep breath: "You finished it now?"

Jiang Chen, putting on his jacket, said: "Yeah."

Lin Jianyuan suppressed his anger: "I handed you the proposal on Wednesday, and you're only finishing it now, right before clock-out on Friday? And you're telling me it's missing something and I need to revise it?!"

The balloon in his chest rapidly expanded. Lin Jianyuan felt his heart pounding wildly, as if it wanted to smash his ribs, jump out, and beat this idiot to death. "—If I remember correctly, the deadline is 9 a.m. next Monday, right?"

Jiang Chen muttered: "I didn't say you have to work overtime. Isn't there still the weekend? Just take it home and revise it."

Bang!

Lin Jianyuan stepped forward and grabbed Jiang Chen by the collar, roaring, "Revise it over the weekend?!"

"What—what are you doing?!" Jiang Chen struggled in panic. "I’m warning you, don’t get violent! Don’t think I won’t fight back just because you have mental issues! Try it and see what happens!"

Lin Jianyuan let out a cold laugh and pointed to the desk. "Have a seat."

Jiang Chen: "What for?"

Lin Jianyuan smiled. "Aren’t we revising the proposal? You said it’s not quite there, but I’m not sure what’s missing. How about this—I’ll make the changes right now, and you review them immediately so we don’t delay Monday’s presentation. Will that work for you, Director Jiang?"

Though he used the honorific "you," his hands were already shoving Jiang Chen into the executive chair.

"Gasp!" Jiang Chen was too terrified to even breathe heavily.

Lin Jianyuan had shoved him with way too much force—he almost fell over backward, chair and all!

Crazy people really are freakishly strong! This is terrifying!

"Director Jiang, does—that—work—for—you?" Lin Jianyuan’s smile looked like it could strangle him.

"Uh, yeah." Jiang Chen, still shaken, clutched his pounding heart. "Yes, yes, yes! Just—just go do it, quick!"

Lin Jianyuan slammed Jiang Chen’s office door shut behind him and stormed downstairs, fuming.

Pei Shuo saw the dark cloud around him and hurried over to ask what happened. Lin Jianyuan told him tersely and added, "You go ahead."

Pei Shuo: "It’s fine, bro, I’ll help you with it!"

Lin Jianyuan: "You didn't follow this project. I handled it all myself before you joined. You can’t help."

Pei Shuo was taken aback and was at a loss.

Lin Jianyuan waved him off. "Go, have fun. I’ll join you if I finish early."

Pei Shuo hesitated for a second. Knowing how much Lin Jianyuan hated dithering, he said, "Alright then. Hang in there! Don’t get too angry—it’s bad for your health. I’ll head out first, bro."

Other colleagues nearby also cast sympathetic looks their way before gradually leaving.

Soon, the large, empty office was empty except for Lin Jianyuan and that inhuman monster upstairs.

Lin Jianyuan restarted his already shut-down computer, tapping impatiently on the desk as he waited.

The stress toy thief knew he was in an extremely foul mood and didn’t dare say a word, afraid of triggering the violent madman.

Humans are most vulnerable when emotionally unstable.

The thing in the wall knew this well, and soon a high, thin wailing began again.

"Wah... I’m so miserable, wahhh..."

It sounded like resentment, like longing, like sobbing, like pleading!

"I’ve been trapped in this wall for so long... Someone, take my place... Wah... It’s so awful not being able to move, wahhh..."

As it cried, the wall added to its lament, its dark, viscous negative emotions drifting like a dark cloud toward the only lit workstation.

The thick gloom made the Eye Vines in the teapot tremble, their leaves curling tightly as they shrank away.

The sticky black mist, carrying the sound of weeping, coiled around and crept into Lin Jianyuan’s ears.

"......"

Snap!

Lin Jianyuan crushed the mouse in his hand and roared, "Shut up! So annoying!"

"?" The crying from the wall halted, even startling itself into a sob-hiccup.

"?" The stress toy thief was also dumbfounded, watching wide-eyed as Lin Jianyuan stood up, grabbed the computer chair, and stormed menacingly toward the weeping wall.

After a brief daze, the stress toy thief realized!

Finally! He’s making a move!

It had finally reached its favorite moment!

Lin Jianyuan had finally lost his temper!!!