Chapter 45 The Boss Cursed Halfway and Then Died

Chapter 45: The Boss’s Scolding Was Cut Short

Lin Jianyuan emerged from the HR department and returned to his workstation, seamlessly picking up where he’d left off before his sick leave.

A glance at the project status immediately told him something was wrong. He exclaimed in disbelief, "Seriously? I was hospitalized for three days, and there’s been zero progress? Where exactly did it get stuck?"

Pei Shuo, sitting nearby, quickly leaned over, apologizing, "Sorry, Bro Yuan, I’ve been swamped these past few days. I haven’t had a chance to work on your project yet..."

Lin Jianyuan found the handover document he’d uploaded to the OA system and clicked it open—only to see the download count was 1.

That single download was clearly Pei Shuo.

But one download was as good as none.

Judging by how flustered and overwhelmed Pei Shuo looked all morning, it was obvious that during Lin Jianyuan’s absence, the junior had been treated like a pack mule, dragged from task to task across the office.

Lin Jianyuan glanced at Pei Shuo’s screen and saw he was editing a document—the speech draft Jiang Chen needed for next week’s meeting.

Classic Jiang Chen.

His own work always came first. Even if others were drowning in tasks, he didn’t care; he simply demanded they drop everything for him.

Lin Jianyuan’s temper flared instantly. He slammed his mouse down and stormed upstairs to confront Jiang Chen.

"What the hell is your problem?! Is this how you treat my team when I’m gone?!" Lin Jianyuan burst into the office, furious.

"Huh?!" Jiang Chen sat at his desk, head down, playing on his phone. Startled by the sudden intrusion, he failed to close his match-three game in time. Just then, a combo triggered—colorful animations exploded across the screen with cheerful popping sounds as little animals vanished one after another.

The lighthearted game effects clashed sharply with the chorus of muttered curses echoing through the open office: "idiot," "so annoying," "I can't stand this damn job."

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

He was fuming.

His skull felt like it was hardening.

He wanted to headbutt Jiang Chen right then and there.

And smash that stupid phone too.

Screw his damn match-three game!

We’re down here killing ourselves, and that idiot’s holed up in his office playing games—with the sound on?!

Damn it, he hated bosses like this most of all—useless, trouble-making, yet still earning more than him!

Lin Jianyuan was instantly enraged!

Sensing Lin Jianyuan’s murderous intent, Jiang Chen quickly tried to smooth things over. "No, no, it wasn’t targeted at him—or you! I read your handover notes and assigned someone else already. I didn’t dump everything on your new guy. It’s just peak season, we’re overloaded, can’t keep up… and you had to take sick leave right now…"

Perfect. Classic low-level psychological manipulation, delivered right on cue.

So, according to him, the chaos was all Lin Jianyuan’s fault.

Just because he took medical leave, everyone else couldn’t handle the workload?

So he was expected to work himself to death—collapse, go insane, or even die at his desk—and still stay loyal?

Lin Jianyuan sneered and fired back with some reverse psychology of his own: "But Manager Jiang, if a new hire is thrown into this madness right after joining, what if they quit? Not everyone is as dedicated and willing to suffer under you as I am!"

Jiang Chen rolled his eyes involuntarily: "...It’s not like he has to stay."

"Oh, but he does," Lin Jianyuan said darkly. "You wouldn’t even let me leave when I was at my worst. I’ll never forget that kindness. And I’ll never let you off the hook!"

Jiang Chen: "..."

His expression collapsed, his face twisting as if he’d just swallowed something rotten.

Though Lin Jianyuan had successfully ruined Jiang Chen’s gaming mood, his own anger hadn’t subsided.

Damn it, he’d had enough.

The peace of mind he’d regained during his three-day hospital stay evaporated the moment he stepped back into the office, leaving him agitated once more.

He returned to his desk, took a deep breath, and threw himself into work with fierce determination.

He wasn’t alone—the entire office buzzed with activity.

Yet despite the intensity, the atmosphere didn’t feel stifling.

Not because Yu Xiuli, the air conditioner hog, was absent, but because the entire space was blanketed in Eye Vines.

In the days Lin Jianyuan was gone, the vines had exploded in growth, spreading wildly as if fed by nuclear energy.

They weren’t just covering walls—they’d crept across ceilings and hallways, thick and lush.

Despite their ubiquity, the vines were considerate.

Wherever people needed to walk, they naturally parted, forming pathways like those worn into grass by shortcut-seeking pedestrians.

They had transformed the cheap office building into a livable tropical rainforest.

To be honest—it looked amazing.

Cool and shady in summer, the hallway air conditioning didn’t even need to run.

Energy-efficient and eco-friendly.

At first, Lin Jianyuan was baffled—how could two packs of goji berries have such potent fertilizing power?

But upon closer inspection, he figured it out.

Apparently, as the Eye Vines grew, they made contact with the red wires. Those red wires—turns out they could charge not only phones but also office plants.

Truly... energy-saving and eco-friendly!

"Those aren’t wires! They’re 【Blood Threads】!!" the squeaky toy on the desk protested indignantly. "Can’t you show any respect for us heretics? The true form of 【Blood Threads】 is at least B-rank!"

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t be bothered with its ideological rant and ignored it completely, diving back into his work.

Work was such a strange thing.

Even though he felt irritable and unfocused, pushing through purely on willpower and survival pressure...

Before he knew it, the morning had flown by.

Time flies, like a bird skimming over the water's surface, leaving no trace behind.

That familiar sense of futility returned—the feeling of being busy yet getting nothing done upon reflection.

It wasn't just powerlessness.

*Crack—*

As Lin Jianyuan finally finished up his work, leaned back in his office chair, and stretched out with a long yawn, he heard the grating sound coming from his spinal joints.

*Crack—*

Bones and joints rubbed against each other like some rusty hinge.

The dull, weird noise echoed straight into his skull.

He groaned, "...So tired."

A long sigh.

But this sigh didn't come from Lin Jianyuan—it came from Pei Shuo beside him.

Lin Jianyuan turned to look at him. At that moment, Pei Shuo was practically his exact replica:

Slumped back in his office chair, limbs splayed out, with no regard for appearance.

Where was the handsome, youthful idol-like charm he had when he first started working?

Look at what this damned job has done to people?

After just three months on the job, it felt like he'd done a 30-year stint—Pei Shuo's eyes had lost their light.

Even more absurdly, when Pei Shuo stretched, Lin Jianyuan clearly heard the creaking from his bones too.

Lin Jianyuan couldn't help but give him a nudge and said with a laugh, "Damn, how old are you? Why are your arms and legs already as stiff as mine? Haven’t been playing ball lately?"

"No time, man," Pei Shuo replied with a bitter smile.

But youth is still youth. After resting for just two minutes, Pei Shuo's energy had bounced back quite a bit.

His handsome face regained some of that youthful vitality.

"You really should exercise more," Lin Jianyuan suddenly remembered something and said, "Let’s squeeze in a game sometime. My roommate likes basketball too. He’s never played before and is just learning, but he’s really talented and plays well."

"Your roommate???" Pei Shuo suddenly sat upright, and the cheap company-supplied computer chair creaked sharply.

As if the chair’s spine was straining too.

Pei Shuo smiled, his eyes lit up, and looked at him with a mischievous look.

Lin Jianyuan asked suspiciously, "What?"

"Bro, this roommate of yours," Pei Shuo chuckled, "is he really just your roommate, or is he your girlfriend?"

Lin Jianyuan was shocked: "What gave it away???"

Was he so obviously gay since he came out???

Wait, Pei Shuo said "girlfriend."

So it probably wasn’t because he was coming on too strong...

Pei Shuo laughed out loud: "Aw, I should’ve filmed you just now. Bro, you have no idea how sweetly you smiled when you talked about your roommate. It’s obvious you’re smitten."

Lin Jianyuan felt embarrassed: "Ahem. Really?"

He almost had the urge to touch his own face to see how utterly besotted he looked.

But then he thought that gesture might be too gay, so he dropped it.

"So I was right?" Pei Shuo leaned forward, eyes shining. "Wow! Bro! Really? I remember last time you mentioned your roommate, you said he wouldn’t add you on WeChat or post on Moments. How’d you two get together in just… just over a month? There must be a lot of stories in between! Bro! Dish the details!"

Lin Jianyuan was surprised.

Had it really only been a little over a month?

Seems… a bit fast, doesn’t it?

Can’t blame him—it’s just that his roommate is too adorable.

After all, the roommate is so cute that even Lin Jianyuan, a zombie office worker, has started saying "oh."

No one expected Lin Jianyuan to quietly and suddenly get partnered up. The busy office fell silent for a moment, then erupted with countless voices buzzing with gossip, like a pond full of frogs after rain.

"No way, Lin Jianyuan’s off the market? Since when? How’d I miss that?"

"Quick, tell us! What happened? You got together after just a month? Was it love at first sight?"

"Bring her around sometime! Hey, why not bring your girlfriend to dinner tonight!"

Amid the flood of gossip requests, Lin Jianyuan caught the key point.

"Dinner?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, dinner… holy crap!" Qin Shi, who was waiting for gossip, suddenly slapped her knee and burst out laughing. "Oh no, we forgot to tell you! This is hilarious—I think we all forgot to tell you!"

Su Zhiwei, Pei Shuo, and the others looked at each other in surprise, then also broke into laughter.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

Pei Shuo laughed until he was out of breath: "Bro, you just were discharged from the hospital, right? Everyone wanted to get together to celebrate your recovery. But we’ve been so busy lately, I forgot to tell you. I thought Qin Shi would tell you…"

Qin Shi: "I thought you would tell him!"

Lin Jianyuan said, exasperated: "So no one told the guest of honor?"

Pei Shuo: "Yeah!"

Qin Shi: "Yeah!"

Su Zhiwei and the others: "Yeah!!!"

Everyone laughed uncontrollably, and the office once again became a wave of laughter.

The laughter was so loud that Jiang Chen on the second floor started sticking his head in.

Everyone was pissed off just at the sight of Jiang Chen’s damn face.

So all laughter died instantly.

Jiang Chen: "?"

???

Hold on, what were you all laughing about just now? Why did you stop laughing when you saw me?

You weren’t talking shit behind my back, were you!

Jiang Chen frowned, instinctively wanting to go downstairs and scold the employees.

But then he caught sight of Lin Jianyuan’s furious expression.

Jiang Chen: "."

Before his shoe even touched the next step, he immediately pulled it back.

The boss’s attempt to yell at everyone was over before it began.

It serves him right!

Lunch break arrived, and everyone set aside their work, starting to get up to eat.

Lin Jianyuan was just about to stand up when Pei Shuo chimed in eagerly, "Bro, has your takeout arrived? I’ll get it for you. I’m heading out to get mine anyway."

Lin Jianyuan smirked and said, "No takeout for me today. I brought my own meal."

Pei Shuo: "Oh, okay."

At that moment, Pei Shuo had no idea what those words meant.

It wasn’t until Lin Jianyuan took his lunchbox to heat it up, and an incredibly enticing smell wafted from the microwave.

The warm, fragrant smell instantly filled the entire office.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Lin Jianyuan, you brought your own food? Didn't you always order takeout every day before... Holy crap, what is this? Is it that your girlfriend made it for you?!"

"No way!"

"Seriously?"

"Wow!"

Even before the lunchbox was opened, the aroma had already drawn everyone's attention in the office.

When the lid came off, wow.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

Lit up by the amazing-looking food that looked and smelled incredible!

"What is this? What is this?" Pei Shuo’s nose was twitching, trying to catch the fragrant air, his eyes sparkling, his excitement visible. "Damn, that looks amazing! What is this???"

"Lemon hand-shredded chicken and apple pork chops."

Lin Jianyuan, barely suppressing the corners of his mouth from curling up to the sky, said, trying to sound modest, "Smells good, right? My wife made it for me."