Chapter 11 Midnight Basketball

Chapter 11: Late-Night Hoops

The stress toy thief, rubbing its hands in eager anticipation, watched as Lin Jianyuan, seething with resentment, hauled his computer chair toward the Wailing Wall.

Then, he sat down with an air of defiant authority!

Thief: "?"

Wailing Wall: "?"

"You think you’ve got it bad? How about we switch places?" Lin Jianyuan growled, his voice dark.

Wailing Wall: "Huh?"

The wall, surprised by this human’s words, was about to eagerly agree when Lin Jianyuan quickly continued:

"You take my place. You revise this goddamn proposal that’s already been revised a hundred and eighty times. No leaving until it’s done."

"And don’t forget the idiot upstairs who tells you to revise the plan without specifying how, just saying ‘it doesn’t feel right.’"

"You’ve been around our company for more than a day, right? I heard you crying the past couple of days. So you must already be proficient in Word, Excel, PS, Canva, and SPSS, right?"

"Since you’re a wall and not human, you don’t need weekends—you can work 24/7. This job is perfect for you."

Wailing Wall: "?"

The stress toy thief exclaimed anxiously, "No, what are you doing? Why are you appealing to its emotions and reason? Hit it! Quickly, beat it up like you beat me!!"

Ignoring the stress toy’s protests, Lin Jianyuan, radiating dark resentment, continued addressing the wall: "And don’t think submitting the proposal is the end of it. After getting past the idiot boss, there’s an even more idiotic client waiting."

"You’ll never know what the hell the client is thinking. They’ll blow up your phone at 11 p.m. demanding revisions, you’ll stay up all night working until 4 a.m. to send it over, and then they won’t reply until three days later, saying they’ll just use the first version."

"They’ll ask you to add a last-minute kitten because their cat gave birth, allocate a budget of 2,000 yuan to hire Mo Yan, or consult an AI fortune-teller that says it’s inauspicious to use red this year, so you have to express a festive atmosphere without using a single shade of red…"

It’s enough to outrage both gods and humans! The list of grievances is endless!

The wall cried, "Stop! Just putting myself in your shoes is making me suffocate!!"

Lin Jianyuan didn’t respond, simply continuing his litany of woes.

Crack! The wall split open a seam under the strain.

Meanwhile, upstairs.

Jiang Chen huddled in his office, uneasy.

What’s going on!

Why did Lin Jianyuan suddenly lose it again out of nowhere!

He was working away on overtime just fine, then suddenly yelled "Shut up!" so fiercely that Jiang Chen was too scared to even breathe and quickly silenced his phone.

I wasn’t even being that loud… Jiang Chen was scratching his head in confusion when he saw Lin Jianyuan grab his computer chair with extreme irritation and storm over with a fierce expression.

Jiang Chen thought he was coming upstairs and, terrified, quickly locked the office door and dialed 110.

But just as the emergency call connected, Lin Jianyuan didn’t come up. Instead, he sat down by the staircase and started talking to the wall.

Jiang Chen was left speechless, unsure what to say to the dispatcher.

He ended up being sternly lectured by the police for making a false report.

Outside, Lin Jianyuan was still chattering incessantly at the wall.

Jiang Chen peeked through the door crack and saw, to his despair, that Lin Jianyuan was blocking the staircase.

If he wanted to leave, he’d have to pass by Lin Jianyuan!

Well, shit.

Now he didn’t dare go home!

Half an hour later.

The previously bare wall had cracked open a large gap, revealing the pitiful bricks inside.

"So, you feed on human sadness?" Lin Jianyuan mused, stroking his chin while sitting in his computer chair.

According to the Wailing Wall’s confession, it releases sad energy, and affected humans are triggered to feel even greater sadness.

It’s similar to a nuclear fusion reaction—the energy ultimately harvested is greater than what was initially released. This is how the Wailing Wall sustains itself.

"Yes…" the wall said weakly. "Now can you let me go…"

"I’m not holding you here," Lin Jianyuan replied. "You’re the one who didn’t run away and listened until now."

"I can’t run!" the wall whined. "My stomach is split open! All the sadness I consumed today has leaked out! Now I’m just left with anger! That’s not what I eat!"

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but look impressed.

My imagination is wild! The world-building is so detailed!

As expected of me—a creative professional!

"At first, I thought you couldn’t hear it. Turns out you were deliberately giving it the silent treatment," the stress toy thief said, side-eyeing him with its black beady eyes.

Lin Jianyuan sighed. "Why would I give a wall the silent treatment…"

Stress Toy: "Then why did you tolerate it for so long before taking action? Since when are you so patient? This isn’t like you!"

Lin Jianyuan said, surprised, "I’m mentally ill. Isn’t it normal to experience a few auditory hallucinations? I can’t just hunt down and beat up every one of them."

The stress toy beat its chest in frustration. "Then why did you only beat me! Why! Huh?! Why!!!"

Lin Jianyuan ignored it and turned to the wall sternly. "You’re not allowed to make my colleagues cry anymore!"

"Then what am I supposed to do?" the wall asked helplessly. "If I don’t eat enough, I can’t move. I don’t want to stay here either—your company is too damn awful…"

Lin Jianyuan, beautiful and kind-hearted, pointed benevolently toward the second floor.

Half an hour later, when Lin Jianyuan brought the revised proposal to Jiang Chen’s office, he found Jiang Chen teary-eyed, gazing out the floor-to-ceiling window at the dimly lit streets.

"Tell me, what is the meaning of life?" Jiang Chen said melancholically.

Lin Jianyuan’s temple throbbed angrily. He cracked his knuckles and growled, "Right now, the meaning of your life is to review my proposal! Hurry up and review it!"

Hearing this, Jiang Chen immediately snapped out of his sentimental mood and rushed over to check the proposal.

Finally, work was over.

When Lin Jianyuan arrived at the subway station, it was already the second-to-last train of the night.

Part of the subway ride home was above ground.

There were only a few passengers left in the carriage. Lin Jianyuan sat on the hard seat, feeling too lightheaded and worn out to even look at his phone, so he rested his head in his hand and gazed out the window.

The streetlights cast a hazy yellow light, illuminating his face one by one before swiftly fading away.

A young couple in the carriage were messing around before snuggling up to share a pair of earbuds.

The subway passed by an athletic field where a few college students scattered around were still playing basketball on the empty court.

The fleeting figures of young men in basketball jerseys, sweating and full of energy, lingered in his thoughts for a long time.

Lin Jianyuan looked away and thought wearily, "It's already 10 p.m. Pei Shuo’s game should be over by now, right?"

"Ah, never mind. Better not ask. If I do, he’ll probably invite me out for a late-night snack."

As a recent graduate, Pei Shuo didn’t have a lot of cash. If he offered to treat, he definitely wouldn’t be paying just for Lin Jianyuan.

Late-night snacks like barbecue and crayfish were expensive these days, and a group of guys who’d just finished exercising would probably eat a ton.

Logically, as the senior, Lin Jianyuan should be the one treating. But his wallet was painfully thin.

He didn’t want Pei Shuo to pay, nor could he generously offer, "Bring your buddies along, I’ll treat everyone."

The thought made him feel pretty pathetic. After five or six years in the workforce, as a senior, he couldn’t even bring himself to treat an intern to a barbecue.

Just as he was feeling sorry for himself—

Ding-dong.

A WeChat notification popped up.

Hao Menghai: "Hey man, you there?"

Hao Menghai was his middle school classmate. They hadn’t been in touch since graduation. Lin Jianyuan instinctively replied, "What’s up?"

Hao Menghai: "You free to come to the wedding next week? [Grinning emoji]"

Lin Jianyuan’s vision went dark.

He quickly searched online for "how much to give as a gift for a not that close middle school classmate’s wedding," then checked his bank account balance. Sighing, he replied to Hao Menghai: "Sure. Congrats!"

Mentally and physically drained, Lin Jianyuan finally arrived home and stuck his key into the lock.

The lock turned smoothly, without any resistance.

"You’re back."

As he pushed the door open, the familiar pink offal floated mid-air.

Lin Jianyuan: "Yeah."

"Why are you back so late today? Rough day at work?" The pink offal tilted its "head," its "gaze" seemingly falling on his empty hands. "No company perks today?"

Company perks? ...Oh, the frog.

No wonder his roommate had come out to greet him in the middle of the night—he was waiting for a late-night snack.

Lin Jianyuan smiled wryly but was too tired to say anything.

Just as he was about to head inside, he noticed the floor was unusually spotless.

The ground was slightly damp, so clean it practically gleamed.

Surprised, he asked, "Were you mopping just now?"

Pink offal: "..."

After a strange silence, the pink offal answered vaguely, "Ah."

Its membrane glistened with a moist sheen, looking oddly fresh.

They had agreed to take turns mopping once a week, but his roommate had done it early.

It seemed his roommate was really neat.

And hard-working, too!

At that thought, Lin Jianyuan instantly forgave his roommate’s usually odd behavior.

After all, finding a tidy, quiet male roommate was like hitting the lottery.

And his roommate could even cook!

This wasn’t just hitting the lottery—it was the jackpot.

Almost without thinking, Lin Jianyuan asked, "Wanna play ball?"

The pink offal was about to go back inside but turned around at the question: "Huh?"

Ten minutes later, at the neighborhood basketball court.

Late at night, the court was empty except for Lin Jianyuan and his roommate.

Lin Jianyuan held the basketball, dribbled a few times, and passed it to his roommate: "Go easy on me, it’s been ages since I’ve exercised."

A section of intestines wrapped around the basketball.

The next moment—thud.

The ball slipped from his roommate’s grasp.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

Lin Jianyuan burst out laughing.

His roommate said helplessly, "I don’t really exercise either…"

"Alright, alright, let’s just have a game between two beginners. Come on!" Lin Jianyuan ran to grab the ball, turned, and dribbled toward the hoop for a layup.

He had good hops—back in college, he almost made the school team.

But it had been five years since he last played, and even a simple layup was a struggle now.

Lin Jianyuan gently released the ball. The way he guided it into the net was like a wild crane stretching its wings.

Clang. The basketball swished through the net.

The streetlight cast a warm golden glow on his face. Lin Jianyuan landed on his feet and tossed the ball to his roommate with a smile, "Heads up!"

The roommate caught the ball. This time, instead of using his intestines, he used a brown liver to bounce it.

Lin Jianyuan was stunned for a second before realizing: the intestines were too slippery to grip the ball properly. The liver, with its larger surface area, was just right for bouncing...

But this was only the world as seen through the eyes of someone with a mental illness. What was his roommate actually doing in the real world?

Clang!

While Lin Jianyuan was lost in thought, the basketball had already sank into the hoop!

His vision was suddenly filled with a soft pink color. Lin Jianyuan widened his eyes in surprise, only then realizing that the guts hadn’t even jumped.

—The guts had simply stretched its long intestines and slammed it in!

—Holy crap, a guts-dunk?!

As bizarre as it was, it had to be said—it was weirdly awesome!

"Pfft, hahahahaha..." Lin Jianyuan couldn’t hold back any longer, doubling over as he burst into laughter.

"What’s so funny?" The roommate bounced the ball around playfully with his intestines. After less than half a minute of handling the basketball, he was already pretty slick.

Lin Jianyuan asked, "How tall are you?"

Someone who could dunk so effortlessly was probably like six-three.

The roommate held the basketball, seeming to think about it.

He chuckled and said, "Still taller than you."

"Quit showboating!" Lin Jianyuan laughed and went for the steal.

The sound of dribbling and laughter echoed across the court at midnight.

For guys, playing a game of basketball can quickly bond them.

Lin Jianyuan was no exception.

After playing for a while, Lin Jianyuan was soaked with sweat.

He tugged at his collar, catching his breath as he looked around to see if there was a 24-hour convenience store nearby where he could grab some water.

By chance, he glanced up at the sky and noticed it had turned a murky pink. Upon closer look, it seemed to have some kind of pattern, blurry and hard to make out.

"What are you looking at?" His roommate bounced the ball over with his liver.

Slap. Slap. The basketball made a crisp, elastic sound as it hit the ground.

"I'm tired. Wanna grab water?" Lin Jianyuan bent down to pick up his jacket.

His roommate, however, didn’t have a jacket.

Lin Jianyuan wasn’t sure if it was because his roommate was just that fit that he didn't even sweat after playing for so long, or if he simply hadn’t worn a jacket when they left.

"Sure," the roommate said, walking beside him before suddenly stopping.

Lin Jianyuan turned to look at him.

"Nah, forget it," the roommate said. "You go back first."

"You’re not coming?"

"There’s something I need to handle." A section of intestine gently slid over Lin Jianyuan’s shoulder.

Lin Jianyuan glanced back, feeling like this hallucination was way too real.

The intestine was so soft, and even through his T-shirt, he could feel its slimy, chilly feel.

Lin Jianyuan shivered for no reason. He put on his jacket and left.

The sky was a murky pink, and the asphalt road felt soft underfoot.

Lin Jianyuan felt the sensation beneath his feet growing increasingly strange, as if he were walking on intestines.

No.

He looked up at the sky and noticed that the previously indistinct murky pink patterns seemed to be writhing slightly, like an infinitely expanding stomach wall. Soft mucosa had replaced the sky, firmly closing in around him.

It was as if he were walking inside the intestine of a giant beast. Stretching on forever.

...Working overtime really makes you lose it.

Lin Jianyuan thought calmly. He needed to up his meds. Next week, he’d go see Dr. Cen for his check-up.

"Why has the Mark disappeared?"

By the basketball court, several people in black combat suits moved in carefully.

The leader held a detector, scanning it over and over before staring in confusion at the empty court.

"It doesn’t make sense," he frowned. "There was clearly an S-class alert just a moment ago..."

"You all know it’s S-class."

A light laugh suddenly came from the darkness, tinged with mockery and a don’t-give-a-damn tone.

"—Still coming?"