Chapter 48 A Social Phobia

Chapter 48: Socially Anxious

"What's this? I've never seen Legos like these before!"

"New release? Limited edition? What theme is this limited edition supposed to be?"

"But it looks so interesting. First time seeing Lego with such a unique design..."

The white Lego pieces were passed around among colleagues.

With plenty of white Lego pieces to go around, each colleague had one to play with, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The constant clicking sounds filled the air.

Lin Jianyuan calmly replied, "Oh, these are samples sent by a client."

Account manager Su Zhiwei asked in surprise, "Which client? How come I..."

Lin Jianyuan cut in decisively, "A client I brought in myself. Keep it quiet for now, it's not finalized yet. Don’t let those idiots upstairs know."

Everyone nodded in understanding, "Oh, oh."

Their company had a rule: if you brought in a project yourself, you'd get an additional 5% commission.

"But bro, is this really an off-brand? Not an official one?" Pei Shuo happily snapped two vertebrae together and then pulled them apart, over and over.

The bone instrument: "..."

Pei Shuo excitedly said, "The texture is amazing! The joints are smooth, and they snap right into place. They come apart easily too! The craftsmanship is incredible! How much does this sell for?"

The bone instrument: "........"

Qin Shi: "Aren't these just samples? The brand is pretty generous, giving out so many at once. Seems like there's enough for us to each take a box home and still have some for the whole office."

The bone instrument: ".............."

Lin Jianyuan calmly observed all of this.

When he encountered these bones in the basement, they not only made squeaking noises but also trembled nonstop.

But now, in his colleagues' hands, they were as quiet as a mouse.

As if they were truly just a pile of Lego bricks.

This proved they were indeed Lego bricks and not hallucinations.

And certainly not a harp made from human vertebrae.

Case closed!

Lin Jianyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

"By the way, bro, does your... your partner have any dietary restrictions?" Pei Shuo suddenly asked.

The office fell silent.

"Not really," Lin Jianyuan said, glancing at his roommate with a smile. "He'll eat anything, no restrictions."

"Right." His roommate’s duodenum swayed gently like a little tail.

Although the digestive system has no eyes, Lin Jianyuan could sense him looking at him with amusement.

Maybe this is love.

"..." Pei Shuo stared at them, seeming to freeze for a second.

It wasn’t until Qin Shi gave him a subtle elbow nudge that Pei Shuo seemed to snap out of it and said, "Oh, oh, no dietary restrictions, right? Then I’ll start ordering."

"Sorry about this, um," Qin Shi said, looking in Lin Jianyuan’s direction. "Originally, we planned to go out for a meal to celebrate Bro Yuan’s discharge from the hospital. We even booked a restaurant, but Jiang Chen, that idiot, you know how he is—always throwing last-minute work at us. Really sorry about this... partner."

Qin Shi’s tone was a bit awkward.

Understandable.

After all, the "partner" in front of her was a guy.

And he was even younger than her.

He was still a male college student who hadn’t graduated yet.

Putting herself in Qin Shi’s shoes, Lin Jianyuan also found it pretty awkward. Haha.

Lin Jianyuan said lightly, "Hey, it’s no big deal. He didn't have classes this afternoon anyway. Think of it as him keeping me company at work."

As he spoke, he slipped an arm around his roommate and said cheerfully, "Right? Here to get a taste of office life in advance."

His roommate just kept smiling without saying anything.

And just like that, he'd come out smoothly.

Lin Jianyuan hadn’t actually planned to come out to his colleagues this early. After all, coming out is pretty personal.

At the very least, he should have asked his roommate first.

But his roommate had come directly to his office, saying he was a bit worried about him.

Though he claimed he came because he was concerned, he’d dressed to impress.

Clearly, he was prepared to make an impression in front of his colleagues.

Wasn’t that a way of marking his territory?

Lin Jianyuan teasingly poked his roommate’s side: "Hey, handsome, let’s go get you a coffee. Go find a seat first. We’ll all eat together when everyone's finished up."

"Okay," his roommate said agreeably, his voice lifting slightly.

So gentle, like he never got angry.

Lin Jianyuan realized he was liking his roommate more every day. Even a simple "okay" felt like a duodenum curling like a hook and gently scratching at his heart.

Making his heart soften all over again.

And so, full of love and peace, Lin Jianyuan walked out of the office holding his roommate’s hand.

But then a quick, tapping sound came from behind them.

"Wait... wait!"

The voice was quiet and hesitant, like someone struggling with social anxiety mustering courage.

But because the shout was too frantic, it even cracked a little.

Lin Jianyuan turned around but saw no one.

The auditory hallucinations lately have been a bit frequent, huh.

Lin Jianyuan continued walking with his roommate.

"Wait... please, sir! Could you wait a moment?!!!"

The socially anxious voice, driven to desperation, came hurrying after them with a rapid tapping sound.

Lin Jianyuan halted mid-step.

Thud.

Something bumped against the heel of his leather shoe.

"Eek—!"

The socially anxious voice gasped sharply in shock.

Then it began frantically apologizing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I really didn't mean to bump into you! I was just too panicked!... Oh, I don't mean to say you were walking too fast! Your pace is just the normal pace of a tall human! I was just running too slowly, sorry for taking up your time, but could you please stop for a moment? I'm begging you!..."

A series of shrill, reedy sounds, like the frantic, cracked noise a squeaky chicken toy makes when punched in the stomach.

Lin Jianyuan, "?"

What fresh hell is this noise??

Lin Jianyuan turned around warily, and this time, he finally saw it.

Trailing behind him wasn't a socially anxious human.

It was a bone.

A vertebra so nervous its spinous process was trembling.

Lin Jianyuan, "..."

Since when do bones get social anxiety?!

Lin Jianyuan was about to lash out when he suddenly remembered his partner was right beside him. He had to rein it in a bit and not scare his partner.

Sure enough, his partner immediately asked, "What's wrong?"

His tone was soft and gentle.

He knew his partner's attention was entirely on him. See, the moment he seemed a bit off, his partner immediately came to care for him.

Lin Jianyuan’s lips quirked up, and he was about to tell his partner it was nothing when he heard the socially anxious vertebra make a wet, slapping noise.

It sobbed with a hiccup.

Lin Jianyuan, "..."

Is that the sound a squeaky chicken makes when it hiccups?

"Please!" The vertebra scuttled closer with a tapping sound, saying in a tearful voice, "Please, stop letting them play with me! I have anthropophobia! Every single bone in my body has anthropophobia!!!"

...What kinda messed-up phobia is that?

My worldview is really getting richer and richer.

Lin Jianyuan was in a hurry to buy coffee and a small cake for his partner, so he couldn’t be bothered to hear it out any longer.

He turned around and kicked the bone away.

Digestive system, "?"

The little toys, "..."

Lin Jianyuan pretended to stretch, "Ahem, it's nothing, just flexing my wrists and ankles. Been sitting in the office all day, my back’s aching a bit."

The digestive system extended a length of intestine, gently wrapping around his wrist.

The cool, slick mucosa brought a strange sensation. Lin Jianyuan felt as if his wrist was being iced, and the tendonitis from years of using a mouse immediately felt much better.

Lin Jianyuan felt touched.

My partner! My partner!

Are you an angel?!

How did my mouse wrist get better just from my partner touching it?!

The digestive system said, "You're a bit calcium-deficient."

Lin Jianyuan's expression changed in an instant, "Then should we go back and watch some calcium supplements?"

Roommate, "Huh?"

Lin Jianyuan was trying not to laugh. He remembered his partner was also dating a man for the first time and probably didn't know what "calcium supplements" were.

"Never mind, I won’t ruin your innocence. I was just joking."

He reached out and drew his partner closer, feeling how his partner's body was soft and cool to the touch.

In the middle of summer, it was incredibly soothing to touch.

My partner is so great, heh.

Behind them came that frantic, rapid tapping sound again.

"Um... I-I can..."

The vertebra, driven to desperation, mustered its courage and cried out with all its strength,

"Please! Don't let them play with me anymore! I can boost his calcium, vitamin D3, and chondroitin sulfate for him!"

Lin Jianyuan, "?"

Consuming socially anxious things can supplement calcium? How does that work?

The next moment, he shrugged it off.

Whatever, why am I even humoring this hallucination? Might as well play along.

Besides, this socially anxious vertebra can't even get its pronouns straight, mixing up "you" and "him."

A complete mess. Just like a squeeze toy gone crazy.

The moment Lin Jianyuan thought of the squeeze toy going crazy, he was reminded of the skip button being disabled during its manic episodes, and anger welled up inside him.

He smacked the squeeze toy.

*Squeeze Toy*: "??? Lin Jianyuan, why did you hit me all of a sudden?"

*Little Stone* shouted loudly: "I hit you because I felt like it! Do I need to pick a special day to hit you?"

*Angel Eyeball* hesitated but haltingly added: "Hit... hit you if I want. Do I need to pick a day to hit you?"

*Squeeze Toy* went berserk: "Shadow Devour me #@$%! your damn grandpa, you piece of shit, learning nothing good @＆＃￥$#+!!!"

The little toys were actually fighting inside Lin Jianyuan's head!

Furious, Lin Jianyuan was about to yell, "What are you doing?!" when he saw his darling extend a soft, gentle intestine.

The tip of the intestine curled up, scooped the vertebra off the ground, and tucked it into his pocket.

"You often have back pain, right? You should probably take some calcium supplements."

His roommate said, "I saw on *Xiaohongshu* that if you stay in the office all day without going out to get some sun, it’s easy to develop osteoporosis."

Lin Jianyuan froze, staring in surprise at his roommate.

"What's wrong?" His roommate seemed to find his dazed expression amusing and extended a section of his duodenum, patting Lin Jianyuan’s face warmly and gently.

"Nothing, I just..." Lin Jianyuan rubbed his nose, "I just feel like... you’re really good to me."

His roommate’s body temperature was lower than most people’s.

But after spending time with him, his roommate would gradually warm up from his body heat.

He never expected that, after making a dirty joke and coming back, his roommate would still remember his back pain.

Most male college students his age only have one thing on their minds, right?

But his roommate was different.

His roommate was unlike any other guy.

Lin Jianyuan suddenly felt an indescribable flutter in his chest, but at the same time, he felt awkward.

He was several years older than his roommate.

How could he get so emotionally stirred up by a simple gesture of care that his eyes started to sting?

Lin Jianyuan coughed awkwardly, blinking back the tears welling in his eyes.

"Darling." Lin Jianyuan leaned in, gently brushing his lips against his roommate’s, and whispered, "It’s so good to know you."

"Really?" His roommate curved his lips into a smile. His warm, soft intestines also coiled around him in loops. "I think so too. It’s so good to know you."

The two of them cuddled up intimately.

But they couldn’t stay like that for too long—they still had to work.

...Speaking of which, Lin Jianyuan noticed a detail.

Whenever he and his darling were being affectionate, the little toys didn’t make a peep.

Perfect.

As expected, once he shifted his attention, all the visual and auditory hallucinations disappeared.

This fully proved that the little toys couldn’t actually talk.

Things like *Time Thief*, *Stumbling Block*, and *Shadow Devour* were all fake.

They really were just a squeeze toy, a little stone, and a plush keychain.

All little gifts of love from his roommate~

Lin Jianyuan took his roommate downstairs, bought him some food at the cafe, found him a spot to play with Legos and the squeeze toy, and then returned to work.

There was a lot of work today, and everyone in the office had to work overtime.

Lin Jianyuan wanted to finish early and take his darling home. So the moment he returned to his desk, he threw himself fully into his work.

His efficiency was through the roof.

For some reason, everyone else seemed especially motivated today too.

Maybe it was because there was an incredibly handsome mascot lighting up the office, hahaha.

Anyway. By 7:00 PM, everyone had pretty much finished their work.

The takeout everyone ordered together had also just arrived.

"Time to eat!"

Everyone worked together to unpack the takeout containers and gathered around a table, eating and chatting cheerfully.

There was an empty chair next to Lin Jianyuan—his roommate’s seat.

His roommate seemed a bit shy and didn’t chat much with colleagues during the meal, just sitting gently by his side with a soft smile.

The colleagues also seemed unsure how to interact with the roommate. Lin Jianyuan guessed everyone was still processing the fact that he was gay.

After all, it was pretty sudden.

At lunch, everyone was still calling his darling his "girlfriend."

Then in the afternoon, when the person showed up, it turned out to be a guy.

Their perfectly normal colleague had suddenly come out of the closet.

It really takes some time to digest.

Only Pei Shuo remained enthusiastically cheerful.

The golden retriever-like warm guy wasn’t just for show—he kept enthusiastically offering the roommate food and drinks.

The cheerful dinner soon came to an end.

Even though it was just takeout, everyone sitting together at the table, happy and harmonious, made it a very pleasant experience.

After the meal, everyone also divided tasks and proactively pitched in to clean up the trash.

"Oh, the trash can is so empty?" Qin Shi opened the waist-high trash can and said in surprise, "Doesn't the cleaning lady come to collect the trash every morning? Or did she come again this afternoon? When I came by at noon, there was quite a lot of trash inside. I was worried it wouldn't all fit by tonight."

"Don't worry, if it doesn't fit, we can take it down to throw out. I'll take care of it," Su Zhiwei walked over and reached out to take the trash bag from Qin Shi.

"It fits, it fits," Qin Shi said.

Lin Jianyuan happened to glance at the trash can and was surprised to find a familiar pattern on the large black trash bag—white, with jagged shark teeth.

—Isn't this the trash bag from our apartment?!

Lin Jianyuan turned to look at his roommate: "Did you bring the trash bag from home?"

Roommate: "Yep. I saw the bin was almost full, so I replaced it."

Lin Jianyuan was both incredulous and amused. He reached out and rubbed his roommate's head, saying helplessly, "Honey, why are you so thoughtful? How come you're even this thoughtful at my company?"

"Is this what you call thoughtful?" The roommate smiled gently. "I just thought the trash bin was almost overflowing. It looked dirty."

Oh, mystery solved.

Lin Jianyuan slapped his forehead. He'd almost forgotten—his roommate had a thing about cleanliness!

His roommate definitely couldn't stand seeing trash in the bin!

But even helping change the trash bag in the office? That was almost too thoughtful.

Oh no, oh no. With such a wonderful partner being paraded around by him every day, is someone going to try to steal him away?

Lin Jianyuan couldn't help but take his roommate's small… small duodenum.

He shook it happily.

The roommate's mouth curved like: "~"

It was clear the roommate was in a good mood too.

Both the person and the intestine were in high spirits.

Maw of the Abyss: "."

Angel eyeball: "."

Angel eyeball whispered: "Bro, how come you too…"

Maw of the Abyss, tearfully: "Don't ask. Life forced me into this."

The small stone looked pleased.

The squeeze toy outright laughed gleefully.

The joys and sorrows of humans and heretics are not shared.

Now even heretics and heretics don't understand each other.

The table was cleared, and everyone was full and satisfied.

Lin Jianyuan said: "I still have a little bit of work to wrap up."

The roommate's intestines bulged slightly, wriggling and making a gurgling sound, saying: "Okay. Then I'll go take a walk downstairs first."

Although the roommate had a good appetite, his digestion didn't seem great—he tended to get indigestion easily.

Lin Jianyuan kind of wanted to kiss him, but there were still so many colleagues around. He could only settle for gently squeezing his roommate's shoulder, saying: "Mm, go ahead. Remember that café downstairs? Across from it there's a square where lots of people walk their dogs in the evening. You can go play with the dogs—a few of them are really friendly... You're not afraid of dogs, are you?"

"Not afraid," the roommate smiled gently. "In your eyes, am I that timid?"

"Yeah. Not just timid—you're a baby," Lin Jianyuan said with a laugh.

Lin Jianyuan said this in a lowered voice, and even he felt a little embarrassed after saying it.

He really felt like he'd been too love-struck these past couple of days—how could he say something so cheesy?

But for some reason, around his roommate, these cheesy lines just came out naturally.

I can't take it—I'm seriously too love-struck.

The roommate smiled quietly, "looking" at him.

Lin Jianyuan couldn't help but take his small… small duodenum and give it another gentle shake.

The coworkers around them: "..."

The small creatures: "..."

"Ahem." This time, Lin Jianyuan was genuinely embarrassed. He blushed and said, "Alright, alright, enough talk. I need to hurry back and finish up so we can go home early."

"Okay," the roommate smiled.

A warm, soft duodenum hooked around his pinky finger before letting go and leaving.

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Ah, I can't take it.

How can he be so adorable?

Downstairs, at the square.

In a secluded, shadowy spot.

Thud.

Thud.

A pale gray spine was tossed into the air.

Thud.

It fell back, caught by intestines.

Click, click, click, click, click...

The light sound of interlocking spinal joints trembling.

"Care to explain?"

In the darkness, a massive, flesh-red shadow imperceptibly exuded pressure.

The pressure was so immense that the terrified Bone Instrument was unable to even tremble.

It was completely suppressed, all its vertebral joints locked tightly together.

"Speak, Bone Instrument."

Evil Domain was perfectly at ease.

His lips still held that gentle smile, yet his tone was icy and full of mockery.

"Why did you deliberately approach him?" Evil Domain asked.

"Why did you start getting close to him back in the psychiatric hospital?"

"And even followed him here?"

Upstairs, in the office.

Pei Shuo was staring blankly at the document on his screen when someone suddenly patted his shoulder.

He turned his head and saw Lin Jianyuan's familiar face.

"What are you spacing out for? Hurry up and get to work. Do you want to stay here tonight?" Lin Jianyuan raised an eyebrow.

As always, his tone was both that of a senior and a big brother.

Pei Shuo looked at that familiar face, and his mind once again flashed back to the image of Lin Jianyuan repeatedly talking to thin air with a sweet expression.

Bro Yuan's condition has gotten worse!

Ever since he pointed at the air and shyly introduced, "This is my partner," everyone's hearts sank.

But no one dared to expose him.

Everyone was playing along with his act. At first, Pei Shuo was a bit at a loss, but gradually, he understood why everyone was doing it.

They couldn't expose him!

After all, being in a relationship with thin air was already pathetic enough.

If he were exposed in front of his colleagues, wouldn't that be even worse?!

So what else could they do?

Just keep playing along!

It wasn’t actually that hard.

After all, Lin Jianyuan hadn't been delusional for just a day or two—everyone was quite experienced at acting.

But this time was different. This time, there was a problem.

This time, everyone had to pretend they could see this "roommate" and also pretend to enthusiastically interact with the "roommate."

After all, the "roommate" was Bro Yuan's partner!

And the setup was that he was a man!

A 20-year-old male college student!

...Who would’ve thought Bro Yuan was into that...

Ahem, that’s not the point.

The point is, how do you interact with thin air without Bro Yuan noticing something’s off?

They couldn’t just cold-shoulder Bro Yuan’s air partner!

In short, that meal had everyone feeling tense and mentally exhausted...

But they managed to get through it...

Thinking of this, Pei Shuo couldn’t help but let out a long sigh.

He looked into Lin Jianyuan’s concerned eyes, trying to figure out how to smooth things over.

But then he saw Lin Jianyuan rub his nose, as if suddenly remembering something, and ask with a mix of embarrassment and a hint of pride:

"Hey, by the way. I noticed you all seemed a bit uncomfortable this afternoon. When so-and-so came out before, no one reacted this strongly. Why did my coming out seem to shock everyone so much... Is it because my wife is just too handsome?"

Pei Shuo: "Huh?"

"Be honest," Lin Jianyuan suddenly straightened up, looking into his eyes with a serious expression. "Be honest—what do you think of my wife’s, uh, looks?"

Pei Shuo: ".................."

How the hell was he supposed to answer that?!!!