Chapter 42 Can You Really Eat That?

Chapter 42: Willing to Go There

The next day.

When Lin Jianyuan came in, he felt a warm, soft presence cozily nestled in his arms—his roommate, sleeping soundly against him.

No, not his roommate.

His wife.

His roommate was now his wife.

At that thought, Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but smile.

Even though it was already the second day, it still felt surreal.

He was actually dating his roommate.

Even though his roommate still appeared to him as a set of digestive organs, he now found that set of digestive organs utterly adorable.

Love is blind, but falling in love with a digestive system was beyond absurd.

Still.

After Dr. Cen finished his morning rounds, Lin Jianyuan went to his office alone.

"Dr. Cen, can we increase my medication dosage? Or is there something stronger that can eliminate my hallucinations immediately?" Lin Jianyuan got straight to the point.

Dr. Cen was typing rapidly at his computer, entering patient orders. Without looking up, he replied, "What’s the hurry?"

His tone was rushed. Sensing the doctor was annoyed, Lin Jianyuan said, "Dr. Cen, are you busy? Should I come back later? Are you free this afternoon?"

Dr. Cen seemed to realize his shortness. He stopped typing and looked up. "What’s wrong? Why the sudden request to increase your medication?"

"Um." Lin Jianyuan glanced awkwardly at the other doctors working busily in the large office.

Dr. Cen immediately understood. He stood up and said, "Let’s go to the small talk room next door."

Knowing that Dr. Cen, like himself, valued efficiency, Lin Jianyuan didn’t hesitate and followed him to the adjacent room.

The small talk room was bright and clean, with potted green plants on the windowsill, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

As they entered, Lin Jianyuan closed the door behind them.

To save time, he cut straight to the chase: "I’m together with my roommate now. But he still looks like a digestive system to me. I can manage kissing him, but going all the way feels too much. Using him as a fleshlight feels disrespectful."

Dr. Cen: "Oh."

Then Dr. Cen: "Huh???"

Dr. Cen’s eyes widened in shock.

It took him three full seconds to process what he’d just heard.

"Wait, what?" Dr. Cen said, stunned. "How did we jump to… fleshlight???"

Lin Jianyuan felt slightly embarrassed.

But to help the doctor understand his condition, he pulled out his phone, searched for an anatomical image of the digestive system, and explained his thought process.

Dr. Cen: "."

Psychiatrists are professionally trained to maintain composure, but this time, his composure was severely tested.

"...I understand," Dr. Cen said, his tone complex. "I understand how you feel."

Understand—my foot!

Did Lin Jianyuan even realize what he was saying?!

Dating his own hallucination was one thing, but seriously considering how to have sex with it?!

And worrying about the dignity of being treated as a fleshlight?!

Just imagine the scene…

Wait.

Given that Lin Jianyuan’s roommate was actually a hallucination…

Wouldn’t grabbing the end of a digestive tract and doing… things… essentially mean grabbing thin air and doing those things to himself?

…Suddenly, it all made sense again.

Dr. Cen had an epiphany.

"You’re right," Dr. Cen said. "Since you’ve decided to be together, you should consider his feelings."

Lin Jianyuan nodded.

"But I still don’t recommend increasing your medication drastically for this reason," Dr. Cen said earnestly, looking him in the eye. "You know all medication has side effects. Overdoing it might backfire."

What if his roommate-wife disappeared altogether?

Lin Jianyuan sighed. "Doctor, I understand what you mean, and I know treatment can’t be rushed. But we’re both men, and he’s just in his early twenties—you know how easily aroused people are at that age. We live together, and now we even sleep together. What if he gets turned on, but I can’t respond to him…"

Dr. Cen: "？？？？"

What arousal? What fire?

Are you even listening to yourself?

Where would your digestive-system wife even have a "gun" to fire?

That’s the reproductive system’s job! You’ve got the wrong system!

—Stop.

No, he almost lost track of the patient’s logic again.

Dr. Cen took a deep breath and tried to keep up with Lin Jianyuan’s train of thought. "Taking too much of this medication can affect sexual function."

Lin Jianyuan: "."

Lin Jianyuan immediately said, "Oh, I see. Thank you, doctor. I’ll take it slow."

Dr. Cen struggled to suppress the urge to sigh loudly at the ceiling.

After a friendly chat with his doctor, Lin Jianyuan finally gave up the idea of increasing his medication dosage and asked to be discharged from the hospital.

The reason was simple.

He was out of money.

In the middle of his conversation with Dr. Cen, his phone suddenly received a notification.

His paycheck came through!

But before he could even feel a moment of joy, Lin Jianyuan opened his paycheck and his vision went dark.

3965.52.

Thinking he must have misread it, Lin Jianyuan rubbed his eyes.

3965.52.

He exited, reopened, and refreshed.

3965.52.

Although he knew that taking sick leave would result in a pay cut, this was ridiculous!

As soon as he left the doctor’s office, Lin Jianyuan called HR.

The answer from HR was exactly what he had suspected.

First, he was deducted 500 yuan for unexcused absences.

Second, he lost a portion of his performance pay due to his absence.

After all that math, according to his contract, his salary for last month was 3965.52.

What made it worse was that this was the pre-tax amount, not what actually hit his bank account.

After deducting social security and housing fund, his take-home pay was only 3190.2.

3190.2!!!

That’s it, he had to go back to work!

Otherwise, forget providing for his wife—he could barely support himself!!

Dr. Cen approved his discharge request.

After all, Lin Jianyuan no longer needed IVs, and being with his roommate kept his mood steady, so there was no need for further hospitalization.

"Bro, you're being discharged, huh?" Xiao Liu watched him pack, looking reluctant.

Lin Jianyuan promptly stopped what he was doing and took out his phone. "Here, let's add each other on WeChat."

"Sure, sure!" Xiao Liu immediately lit up and happily added him as a friend.

While packing, Lin Jianyuan suddenly remembered the bone he had picked up in the garden yesterday.

Where was the bone? Where did it go?

Lin Jianyuan scratched his head. He recalled that he had originally intended to bring the bone back to show Dr. Cen, but Xiao Liu and red-haired had interrupted him.

He remembered casually putting the bone in his pocket at the time, but now, after searching all his pockets, he couldn’t find it anywhere.

Lin Jianyuan set a personal record for giving up on "wondering why this happened" after just one second.

After all.

He was mentally ill!

He was still a patient in a psychiatric hospital! (Even though he was about to be discharged.)

What’s the big deal if a mentally ill person hallucinates a little?

His wife was still a digestive system!

There are no unsolvable mysteries in the world—as long as you’re willing to stop thinking.

Lin Jianyuan decisively deleted the thought of picking up a vertebra in the garden from his mind and happily left the hospital with his roommate to go home.

What Lin Jianyuan didn’t know was that, the moment he and his roommate stepped onto the subway home, the entire No. 700 Jiangchuan North Road was occupied by the Authority.

"Evil Domain" was likely in the area, and all field agents were on high alert, initiating tight surveillance with 8-hour shifts, three rotations a day.

This operation was originally supposed to be led by Shi Shaoning.

But today, Shi Shaoning wasn’t there.

The reason was simple.

"Delirium" had escaped.

He had been dragged back again to track down "Delirium."

...

Being discharged meant going home, and it also meant he had to go back to work tomorrow.

But whether it was due to a change in mindset or the good rest he had gotten at the psychiatric hospital over the past couple of days, Lin Jianyuan now opened the work chat, saw 99+ unread messages, and surprisingly didn’t feel annoyed.

In the August swelter, life without air conditioning was unbearable.

The dingy old building where Lin Jianyuan and his roommate lived had no elevator, so the man and intestine had to panting and struggling their way up the stairs.

Lin Jianyuan was sweating buckets by the time they reached their floor.

Whether his roommate was sweating or not was unknown, since his roommate didn’t have skin.

I can’t take this—I should’ve bought two bottles of ice-cold Coke earlier. Wheezing, Lin Jianyuan fumbled in his pocket for his keys.

With a jingle, he pulled out his keys.

Along with it came a small fluffy keychain—an angel eyeball.

To be honest, this big, winged eyeball with three pairs of wings was quite cute.

Probably because it was made into a plush toy, it had a weirdly nice feel when squeezed. The filling was firm, bouncing back immediately after being pressed. It was both adorable and good for stress.

Almost comparable to a squeeze toy snail.

This kind of fluffy little trinket was clearly not something a grown man corporate drone like Lin Jianyuan would buy for himself.

Afraid of being misunderstood by his wife, Lin Jianyuan paused mid-action. He was just about to explain that he had no idea where the item came from when he noticed his roommate glanced meaningfully at the keychain.

Then he asked, "Do you like it?"

Lin Jianyuan was taken aback for a moment before quickly catching on, "Did you give this to me?"

Roommate: "Yeah. I had no use for it, so I gave it to you."

The key slid smoothly into the lock. Lin Jianyuan opened the door and entered, only to see the completely empty dining table.

He suddenly remembered that one morning when a snail squeeze toy had mysteriously showed up on the table and couldn’t help but ask, "Did you give me that snail, too?"

Roommate: "Yep."

The corners of his roommate’s mouth curved up into a very pleasing arc.

Lin Jianyuan used to think his smile had a player vibe, but now, looking at those curved lips, they seemed very kissable.

Really kissable.

Can confirm. Very kissable.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but recall last night’s kiss. His roommate asked again, "Was it useful?"

Everything from the past suddenly connected.

Not long after they met, his roommate had said he was special.

Whenever he came home late from overtime, his roommate was always awake, waiting for him.

When he returned home full of resentment, his roommate would ask about how things were at work.

And then, the next day, a snail squeeze toy would appear on the table.

Case closed.

His roommate had definitely had a crush on him from the very beginning!

The corners of Lin Jianyuan’s mouth were like: "~"

Feeling good again.

Lin Jianyuan was pleased.

After changing his shoes, he suddenly noticed the stuffy, stagnant air in the apartment, as if the windows hadn’t been opened for ventilation in a long time.

Probably because of the heavy rain the past couple of days, his roommate had closed all the windows.

Plus, his roommate had been pretty busy lately, running back and forth between school and the hospital.

Thinking about this, Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but feel touched.

He walked over and hugged his roommate, saying, "Wife."

The winding intestines coiled around Lin Jianyuan’s waist.

Roommate: "Hmm?"

Lin Jianyuan held him and said, "Nothing, I just felt like hugging my wife."

His roommate chuckled softly, "You’re so weird."

Though his roommate called him weird, his body was honest as he brought his cheek closer to nuzzle against him.

The cool, soft texture felt particularly wonderful in the summer heat.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t resist pinching his cheek and said, "How are you so cool? Did you sweat a lot, and the evaporation absorbed the heat?"

Roommate: "Should I go spin in the microwave for a bit?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Huh?"

His roommate made a move toward the kitchen, and Lin Jianyuan quickly called out, "Wait! Come back!"

His roommate stopped.

Lin Jianyuan: "Oh, no, don’t come back!"

His roommate opened the microwave and started to stuff himself inside.

Lin Jianyuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He reached out to pull him back, pinching his side as he said, "Enough playing, let’s make dinner. It’s almost 12, aren’t you hungry?"

Roommate: "Not really, I ate at the hospital."

Lin Jianyuan gave him a surprised look, wondering when he’d eaten. Oh, maybe he’d bought snacks from the vending machine again.

Even though his roommate was a guy, he had a surprising love for snacks.

That was one of his endearing qualities.

"You still need to have three proper meals a day, or you’ll easily get stomach pain," Lin Jianyuan said with an air of authority, lecturing him like a parent.

Lin Jianyuan himself had stomach issues.

As the saying goes, he didn’t have the life of a CEO but had the illness of one—constant overtime made him prone to stomach pain.

All because of this damn job!

"Does skipping three meals a day really cause stomach pain?" His roommate thoughtfully patted his stomach with his intestines.

"Yeah. Keep me company and eat a little," Lin Jianyuan said as he opened the fridge. "What do you feel like eating?"

There were still some groceries he’d bought a few days ago inside.

Roommate: "I want to eat you."

Lin Jianyuan: "!"

Lin Jianyuan’s first thought: Eat? What kind of eat? That "eat"? Eat "that"???

His second thought: So direct!

Is this what it’s like dating a guy?

Lin Jianyuan felt that if he were dating a girl, things definitely wouldn’t progress this quickly.

It almost made it seem like the only reason he was in a relationship was because he was lusting after the other person’s body.

If he were dating a girl, it would definitely be more gradual—after all, bringing up that kind of thing right off the bat would be disrespectful.

But with his roommate, there were no such concerns at all.

So this is what it feels like when two guys make out?

That said, facing the pink offal before him, he really couldn't quite... make himself touch it.

But he could bring himself to kiss it.

So he pulled his roommate closer, closed his eyes, and kissed him.

Lin Jianyuan's roommate seemed to pause briefly, as if surprised, but quickly adjusted well, his soft, moist intestines coiling around Lin Jianyuan's waist.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

It took Lin Jianyuan a second to process—was his roommate squeezing his waist?

Wait, what?

His roommate was squeezing his waist?!

Lin Jianyuan was torn between laughter and competitiveness.

He wrapped his arms around his roommate’s, uh, organs—liver, gallbladder, spleen, and pancreas—then, guessing where the hips were, lifted his roommate’s sigmoid colon upward.

Roommate: "???"

Roommate gasped: "You…"

Seizing the moment his roommate’s lips parted slightly, Lin Jianyuan took advantage and slipped his tongue in.

His roommate went quiet.

Honestly, it was Lin Jianyuan’s first time French-kissing another guy.

The feeling, how to describe it…

It was amazing, so good it made his head spin.

Lin Jianyuan didn’t know how long he held his roommate and kissed him, only that his roommate’s lips were soft, and his body was soft too.

So soft it felt chilly and wet, the mucous membranes sliding under his palm, twisting with a slight throbbing, as if gulping something down.

Gulping… what?

Lin Jianyuan’s throat went dry. The pins and needles sensation at the back of his head grew stronger, a jolt racing straight from his tailbone to the crown of his head.

His roommate, in fact, hadn’t moved at all, just frozen in place, his tongue sluggish, like a groggy snake just waking from hibernation.

Lin Jianyuan gently played with the timid tongue, which hesitated as if unsure what to do, letting itself be guided back and forth.

So inept.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but smile.

He felt a private glee, like he was bullying his silly "wife."

Until he heard a sound…

"Gulp."

Lin Jianyuan jerked back, instinctively letting go of his roommate.

His roommate’s lips were slightly parted, as if still dazed.

Since his digestive system had no face, Lin Jianyuan couldn’t see his expression.

All Lin Jianyuan saw was his roommate licking his lips with relish and saying happily:

"Tasty. More."

Lin Jianyuan instantly flushed hotly.

Wait, was this right?! Wasn’t his roommate supposed to be a total newbie?

How could he not be shy during his first French kiss?

Why was he, Lin Jianyuan, the one turning red and flustered?!

Talk about role reversal!