Chapter 39 Will You Be My Wife?

Chapter 39: Be My Wife, Okay?

Lin Jianyuan spent the entire afternoon immersed in work.

He realized he was truly a thoroughly conditioned corporate drone. Despite constantly muttering about quitting, when the time came to hand over his responsibilities, he not only meticulously detailed every task but also found himself compelled to swiftly wrap up a few minor projects.

Lin Jianyuan chastised himself for being such a pushover, yet the thought of Pei Shuo taking over spurred him to grit his teeth and power through.

He couldn't just dump everything on the poor new guy, Pei Shuo, simply because he was taking sick leave, could he?

Pei Shuo had only just become a permanent employee, after all.

Lin Jianyuan let out a long sigh, finally finishing the work, his back and waist aching.

Just as he lay down for a brief rest, the hospital room door opened.

Expecting the calligraphy enthusiast to return, he was startled when Xiao Liu from the next bed suddenly exclaimed, "Y-you... why are you back again?"

Lin Jianyuan quickly pulled back the curtain to look. Well, well—it was Red-haired.

Red-haired looked utterly furious, his disheveled hair standing on end as he declared, with an air of defiant irritation, "I came to ask what the hell you meant by that!"

Xiao Liu was completely bewildered.

Red-haired took an aggressive step forward. "Stop pretending. Were you doing that on purpose just now? Explain yourself. Right now!"

Before Xiao Liu could react, Lin Jianyuan had already stepped forward, shielding Xiao Liu behind him.

"What are you doing?" Lin Jianyuan demanded sternly, his voice imbued with authority. "This is a hospital room, and a psychiatric hospital at that. What if you burst in here and upset someone?"

"None of your business," Red-haired snapped irritably, trying to push past Lin Jianyuan to drag Xiao Liu out from behind him.

Lin Jianyuan said sharply, "What do you think you're doing? I'm warning you, don't you dare lay a hand on him! If you keep this up, I'll call the police!"

"Call the police?" Red-haired barked a laugh as if he’d heard the biggest joke. He yanked open his collar, roaring furiously, "Who should be calling the police?! Look how he bit me! Shouldn't he give me an explanation?"

Lin Jianyuan hadn’t bothered to look at first, but the two bright white bandages on Red-haired’s chest were too conspicuous—pristine white gauze covering his tanned chest, creating a stark contrast.

Even funnier, the bandages were positioned precisely over his nipples.

Perfectly covering what shouldn't be exposed.

Lin Jianyuan almost burst out laughing. "What kind of bikini is that?"

Red-haired snapped upon hearing this. He shoved Lin Jianyuan hard and roared, "None of your damn business! Get out of my way!"

No matter how arrogant Red-haired acted, he was still just an 18-year-old high school student.

His bluster came off as all bark and no bite to Lin Jianyuan.

Lin Jianyuan wasn’t afraid of him and rolled up his sleeves, ready to confront him. But then Xiao Liu behind him grabbed his arm.

"Bro, don’t get involved. Let me handle this."

Xiao Liu’s voice wavered slightly, but his tone was firm.

Lin Jianyuan was a little surprised and glanced at him.

Xiao Liu stepped around him and walked up to Red-haired, took a deep breath, but still couldn’t keep the slight tremble out of his voice: "If you’re looking for me, then look for me. Don’t drag innocent people into this."

"Hear that?" Red-haired said smugly, shooting Lin Jianyuan a glance. "I told you it’s none of your business. Why are you butting in? Trying to play the hero? You think he’ll thank you for it?"

Lin Jianyuan frowned, about to slap some sense into this little brat, when he heard Xiao Liu angrily retort, "Of course I’ll thank him! Why would I thank you instead? You total dumbass!!!"

Red-haired: "?"

Lin Jianyuan: "???"

No one expected Xiao Liu, who usually seemed quiet and gentle, to suddenly curse like that.

While Red-haired stood there stunned, Xiao Liu grabbed him by the collar and dragged him outside.

Red-haired was even more shocked, forgetting to resist. He stumbled along for a couple of steps before snapping out of it, shoving Xiao Liu away angrily and roaring, "What the hell? Are you crazy? How dare you grab my collar?!"

Xiao Liu glared at him but didn’t say a word, simply walking further away.

Red-haired stared in disbelief, looking at Xiao Liu as if he were a stranger.

His roar had been like punching air—Xiao Liu wasn’t scared at all and was even walking farther away.

Red-haired said incredulously, "Since when did this pushover become so brave?"

Then, as if remembering something, he turned and glared at Lin Jianyuan. "Did you teach him that?"

Lin Jianyuan spread his hands. "I just met him yesterday."

Red-haired muttered under his breath, "What the actual hell…"

Lin Jianyuan: "Not hell—psychiatric hospital. Did you forget this is a psychiatric hospital?"

Red-haired snapped, "Are you insane?! You have to reply to everything I say?!"

Lin Jianyuan said in mock surprise, "Of course I’m insane. Otherwise, why would you see me here? Did you forget again? This is a psychiatric hospital!"

Red-haired: "…"

Red-haired had had enough. He shot Lin Jianyuan a fierce glare before turning to chase after Xiao Liu, who was walking further away.

If it were yesterday, Lin Jianyuan would’ve been a bit worried about Xiao Liu willingly going off alone with Red-haired to talk.

But after witnessing Xiao Liu’s sharp tongue (and teeth) today, Lin Jianyuan felt that if it came to a fight, Red-haired might not necessarily come out on top.

Those two bandage-bikini patches on his chest were solid proof.

Outside, a heavy rain began to fall.

By the time Lin Jianyuan noticed it was raining, it was already pouring.

The wind howled fiercely. The calligraphy enthusiast still hadn’t returned, and Xiao Liu had been led out by Red-haired.

At that moment, the entire hospital room was empty except for him.

The storm raged against the windows. The howling wind sounded like roaring beasts, as if they could pounce and bite at any moment.

But all the beasts were held at bay by the windows. Lin Jianyuan actually quite liked this feeling.

On stormy days like this, as long as you didn’t have to go outside, staying indoors felt incredibly cozy.

Lin Jianyuan lay comfortably on the hospital bed, scrolling on his phone.

There was no work tomorrow, and no chance of overtime today.

It didn’t matter how late he stayed up playing on his phone—he could sleep whenever he felt tired.

It felt amazing.

It reminded him of the summer after the college entrance exams, before the scores came out.

As he played, he started feeling a bit drowsy.

Holding his phone, Lin Jianyuan was drifting off to sleep when a familiar scent suddenly wafted into his nose.

He turned his head and realized his roommate had appeared beside him at some point.

Lin Jianyuan was startled and said, "When did you get here?"

The digestive system was floating in mid-air, its pink esophagus resembling a newborn snake—tender and soft.

The liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas had a healthy glow.

It was a really fresh set of offal.

Every time Lin Jianyuan saw it, he couldn’t help but marvel, only to catch himself the next moment.

Ew, "fresh offal"?

He should say his roommate was young and healthy.

Roommate is human, roommate is human, roommate is human...

Lin Jianyuan had to keep reminding himself.

If his roommate really were a set of offal, let alone living together—just seeing it would scare him to death.

The roommate walked straight toward him, her appendix like a little hook, dangling a plastic bag.

The roommate said, "I'm here to bring you some stuff."

As the roommate approached, the familiar scent grew stronger.

The smell was strong. Lin Jianyuan’s first thought was of summer, and his second was nostalgia.

It felt just like summer break.

He was almost stunned for a second before he realized and said with a laugh, "Why do you smell so strongly of Florida Water? Did you bathe in it?"

The roommate was also taken aback. "What?"

Lin Jianyuan took the plastic bag from her and said casually, "When I was a kid, my parents often used Florida Water for my baths. I was a mosquito magnet—I’d get bitten all over, and it was so itchy it drove me crazy. And my skin was so tender back then, it would break if I scratched it, and then I’d cry my eyes out... Have you had dinner?"

The roommate patted her belly... no, she didn’t have a belly, so she patted her intestines instead.

The roommate patted her ileum and said happily, "Yes, I’ve eaten."

Lin Jianyuan raised an eyebrow. "What did you eat that made you so happy?"

The roommate said, "Just ate at the hospital. There’s lots of food here."

Lin Jianyuan was surprised. "There’s a lot of good food here? Well, I had the cafeteria for lunch today. It was just so-so—not as good as what you make."

"Oh." The corners of the roommate’s lips curled up slightly. "My cooking is that good?"

"Of course it is." Lin Jianyuan was always generous with praise when it came to cooking. "Otherwise, why would I beg you so desperately to cook for me? Your cooking is really awesome. In the future, if my wife—"

Lin Jianyuan trailed off mid-sentence.

He wanted to say, "In the future, if my wife cooks as well as you do, that’d be great."

But saying it out loud sounded kind of weird.

The roommate: "Hmm?"

Lin Jianyuan quickly changed the subject and began taking things out of the plastic bag one by one.

These were essentials he had asked his roommate to bring from home.

Clothes, underwear, towels, toothbrushes, and stuff.

When he’d asked his roommate for help, he hadn’t checked the weather forecast and didn’t expect such a downpour tonight.

If he’d known it would rain so heavily, he wouldn’t have asked his roommate to come all the way out.

After all, his roommate was a naked digestive system, and there was no way to tell if she was wet.

To his surprise, however, not only was his roommate dry, but the plastic bag she brought was also perfectly dry, without a single drop of rainwater.

Lin Jianyuan instinctively glanced out the window—the storm was still going strong, the wind howling so fiercely it sounded like it could slam someone into the window.

A bit curious, Lin Jianyuan asked casually, "Wasn't it raining when you came? How did you get here? By subway? Or taxi?"

If she’d taken a taxi, that would've cost a lot.

His roommate didn’t have much money, so he’d have to reimburse her for the fare.

"I just zoomed right over."

The roommate’s tone was playful, her voice rising at the end. "What’s this? A gun?"

Her attention was caught by something Lin Jianyuan had taken out of the plastic bag.

Lin Jianyuan glanced down and said, "Oh, this is a massage gun. You’ve never seen one?" He turned it on.

The massage gun looked very much like a pistol, except that instead of a barrel, it had a round, detachable massage head.

As soon as it was switched on, the massage head began vibrating from the motor, emitting a low hum.

"Where do you massage with this?" the roommate asked.

"For muscles! What’d you think?" Lin Jianyuan burst out laughing and couldn’t resist jabbing the massage gun at his roommate’s liver.

Although his roommate’s tone was straightforward, they were both guys—he could guess what she was thinking.

"I didn’t think anything." The roommate smiled. "I really didn’t know how this is used."

"Like this." Lin Jianyuan had originally intended to try it on her, but one look at his roommate’s body—all soft internal organs, even though she was human and must have bones and skin—made him unable to bring himself to use it on her.

So he decisively aimed the vibrating massage head at his own shoulder.

The massage head had strong pressure, its vibrations quickly penetrating through the skin and deep into the muscles, relieving the soreness in his shoulders from sitting improperly at the computer all afternoon.

"Sss—" The intense mix of pain and pleasure made Lin Jianyuan hiss through his teeth.

"Let me try," his roommate said eagerly.

Lin Jianyuan handed over the massage gun, curious himself.

He really wanted to see what would happen if the massage head was used directly on internal organs.

After all, those organs looked so soft—it seemed like one trigger pull would make the whole mass vibrate.

Hahaha, just imagining the scene was hilarious.

However, under Lin Jianyuan’s expectant gaze, his roommate didn’t aim the gun at himself.

Instead, he enthusiastically pointed it at Lin Jianyuan and "zapped" his shoulder.

"Ow!—Be gentle!" Lin Jianyuan nearly jumped up.

The massage gun was already set to its maximum intensity, and his roommate wasn't being careful—the impact went straight to his scapula, making Lin Jianyuan feel like his bones were about to shatter.

His roommate laughed heartily, saying, "Isn’t this what you just did to me?"

Lin Jianyuan dug into his side where the gallbladder would be, angrily, "It’s different! You’re supposed to aim for the muscles, not the bones! Bones hurt!"

Roommate: "Oh. So where should I aim now?"

Lin Jianyuan thought for a moment, turned over, and lay face down on the bed. "Help me with my back. But avoid the spine! Aim for the muscular areas on the sides."

The buzzing sound started up behind him.

Lin Jianyuan: "Yeahhh... right there, right there..."

The buzzing stopped, and his roommate leaned over his back, laughing uncontrollably. "Your voice is trembling."

Lin Jianyuan: "Yeah, because my lungs are vibrating."

Roommate: "So funny."

The buzzing resumed, and his roommate deliberately targeted his lungs. Lin Jianyuan’s entire chest tickled from the vibrations, and he stuttered, protesting, "J-just do it properly, or I’ll do it m-myself..."

His roommate mimicked him: "O-okay, I'll d-do it right..."

Both of them burst into laughter.

His roommate straightened up and aimed the massage gun at him again. Unfamiliar with human anatomy and lacking control, he accidentally hit bone again, making Lin Jianyuan wince.

"Stop squirming!" His roommate laughed, pinning his shoulder.

"It’s your fault! You’re going too hard and then too soft! Gentle... gentle! Ah!" Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help yelping, then quickly covered his mouth, remembering they were in a patient room.

Damn! His roommate was too quick—after avoiding the lungs, he nailed the most sore spot in his muscles.

The massage gun was great for relieving muscle tension, but that was also its downside—the process was so intensely sore it felt like the muscles were tearing apart.

Lin Jianyuan felt a sharp, tingling ache shoot right to his crown, like an electric current racing along his spine and spreading everywhere, making his tailbone go numb.

"Don’t... ah!..." Lin Jianyuan muffled a groan, then yelped as his roommate unexpectedly poked the soft spot on his waist.

This time, he couldn’t control it—Lin Jianyuan jumped like a scalded cat from the bed.

"You did that on purpose!!!" Lin Jianyuan snapped.

"I didn’t," his roommate replied, still innocent.

"Stop pretending!" Lin Jianyuan accused, pouncing on him, pinning him to the bed, and snatching the massage gun. "Now it’s your turn!"

"Ahh—" his roommate cried out.

Lin Jianyuan held the massage gun and casually squeezed his right side.

He pinched his roommate’s waist, watching him curl up, sensitive, and said triumphantly, "What are you yelling for? I haven’t even started yet."

His roommate dodged his hand, breathing a little heavily, "Why aren’t you pressing? I’m waiting."

Lin Jianyuan realized his roommate was waiting for him to turn his "ahh" into "ahh (buzz) ahhhh (buzz)."

This guy! He was actually looking forward to it!

Lin Jianyuan found it amusing, but holding the massage gun, he couldn’t decide where to begin.

His roommate’s whole body was soft—whether it was his slender neck or his liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas, all were vulnerable insides.

It felt like the slightest pressure might pierce them, let alone using a massage gun.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t bring himself to do it. He set the gun down and used his fingers to press against his roommate’s throat.

"Go ahead, scream," Lin Jianyuan said.

His roommate chuckled lowly.

Lin Jianyuan commanded, "Scream like you did earlier."

His roommate obediently let out a loud "Ahh—"

Seizing the moment, Lin Jianyuan pressed his fingertips against his throat and buzzed them rapidly.

The vocal cords deep within the throat trembled under the external force, and his roommate’s intentional cries quickly turned into breathy, shaky giggles.

Rain hammered against the windows, sweeping away the summer heat.

The air-conditioned room was comfortably cool, and the scent of Florida Water wafted through the air.

The air, stirred by the massage gun, felt heavy and drowsy, and the nostalgic fragrance sent Lin Jianyuan back to the summers of his youth.

Lin Jianyuan pinned his roommate to the bed, his thumb rested against his throat, and for some reason, he slowed down.

What started as a mischievous rapid vibration turned into a gentle, slow, rhythmic pressing.

The sensation was strange.

His roommate’s throat was smooth and soft, like a bare throat, cool and slightly damp with mucous membrane.

Lin Jianyuan stroked it gently with his fingertips, his gaze drifting to his roommate’s throat.

His roommate seemed to pick up on it too and stopped fake-moaning.

His lips parted slightly, and his throat bobbed with each breath.

...They looked so kissable.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but lean down and plant a kiss on his roommate’s lips.

It was a quick kiss.

No one had expected it, not even Lin Jianyuan himself; he never thought he’d kiss his roommate.

His roommate’s lips were as soft as Lin Jianyuan had imagined, and a little cool.

Only after the kiss did Lin Jianyuan realize what he’d done, and he froze.

He hesitantly edged back slightly, but the distance between them remained close.

So close that if he just dipped his head, he could kiss his roommate’s lips again.

His roommate’s mouth was hanging open a little, as if still stunned by what had just happened.

His soft, compliant digestive tract seemed to stall, with only the gurgling digestive fluids still quietly bubbling.

His roommate sighed and murmured, "So this is what kissing is like..."

Lin Jianyuan blurted out, "You’ve never kissed anyone before?!"

Roommate: "Nope."

Lin Jianyuan’s scalp tingled.

Wait, what? His roommate’s first kiss? He’s never been in a relationship before??

No, no—never kissing someone doesn’t mean never dating.

But—

Lin Jianyuan always thought he had a naturally flirtatious air. With looks like his, he must have dated plenty, but he’s actually this innocent?

The contrast is just too much...

As Lin Jianyuan was dazed, his roommate suddenly leaned in, let out a low chuckle, and said:

"Feels nice."

With that, he returned the kiss.

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Well, then.

Even without experience, some things are instinctive for guys.

No teaching required.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but smile, holding his roommate and giving him a proper kiss.

His roommate’s lips were cool but so, so soft.

How could they be so soft? As their lips brushed and kissed, his roommate’s lips grew warm, as if claimed by Lin Jianyuan’s kiss.

Lin Jianyuan was on cloud nine.

He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the nostalgic scent of Florida Water.

Suddenly, impulsively, he blurted out, "Be my wife."

His roommate was taken aback and said, "Are you sure?"

Lin Jianyuan lowered his head, hugged his roommate, and buried his face in his roommate’s soft neck.

"I think I might be a little bent. Can you be a little bent too?" Lin Jianyuan whispered, "Be my wife, okay?"

His roommate stayed quiet for a long moment.

Then he let out a long, pink burp.

Roommate: "."

Lin Jianyuan: "???"

His roommate cracked up. Lin Jianyuan was also dying of laughter.

Both of them couldn’t stop laughing. Lin Jianyuan leaned in to kiss his roommate again and said, "Say you’ll be my wife, okay? C’mon?"

His roommate laughed and said, "You’re head over heels for me, huh?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Yeah, how did you know?"

Roommate: "Kissing you turned my stomach acid pink. You must be lovestruck right now."

Lin Jianyuan: "What about you?"

Roommate: "I think going out with you might be strange."

Lin Jianyuan: "Oh."

Roommate: "But I kind of want to try."

Lin Jianyuan’s lips curled up: "Oh."

Gurgle.

The pink-digestive-system was bubbling.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but want to laugh. He hauled his roommate up and said, "Don’t lie down. Lying down right after eating makes it easy to have heartburn and burps."

"Really?" His roommate’s lips curved slightly, in a cute way. "I didn’t know that."

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but grin back.

After getting up from the bed, both of them sat properly at the edge of the hospital bed.

Like a respectable patient and a respectable friend visiting.

No one could tell that just a second ago, they were making out.

For some reason, Lin Jianyuan got kinda awkward. He scrubbed a hand over his face, unable to put the feeling into words, and picked up the massage gun to use on his own shoulder.

Amid the buzzing sound, someone pushed the door open and came in.

Lin Jianyuan peeked through the curtain—it was Xiao Liu.

Lin Jianyuan had a guilty conscience, and that awkward, uncomfortable feeling grew even stronger.

He quickly said to Xiao Liu, "My roommate came to drop something off for me. Um, so, are you okay? Did red-haired do anything to you?"

Xiao Liu had a complex expression, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. After a long pause, he finally managed to say, "I slapped him twice. He said I had balls, then left."

Lin Jianyuan: "He left in such heavy rain? Did he have an umbrella?"

Xiao Liu: "Huh?"

It hit Lin Jianyuan what kind of bullshit he'd just said. Was he actually concerned about red-haired?

Red-haired was a school bully—what did it matter if he got caught in the rain?

Served him right if a typhoon blew him away.

Lin Jianyuan cleared his throat awkwardly and hurriedly said, "No, I didn't mean red-haired, I meant my roommate."

Roommate: "Hm?"

The roommate was sitting right beside him, right up close.

That soft "Hm?" was like a little brush gently sweeping over his eardrum, making Lin Jianyuan's ears itch and his tailbone tingle.

That uncontrollable awkwardness and discomfort returned. Lin Jianyuan felt a bit restless inside, struggling to suppress his churning emotions. He said to his roommate, "So, uh, you bring an umbrella? There's a heavy storm tonight. Maybe you should, uh, just stay here tonight?"

Stay here?

Share the same bed again?

Well, it should be fine, right? After all, that's how we slept yesterday. Today... well. Today.

It should be okay today too, right?

"Okay," the roommate chuckled softly, her appendix swaying like a little tail, swishing side to side.