But the easy mood didn't last. After breakfast, his roommate had to leave.
The moment his roommate left, Lin Jianyuan felt the whole room fall quiet.
He couldn't help but feel a little empty inside.
After a while, he realized—it wasn't just in his head.
It was real.
So quiet!
Lin Jianyuan pulled open the curtains and saw that both beds on either side of him were empty.
What's going on? Where did everyone go?
He suddenly had that uneasy feeling, like everyone else remembered there was a test today except him.
Was there some routine in this hospital he didn't know about? Like, uh, maybe morning calisthenics or something?
Honestly, that sounded pretty healthy.
If there really was morning exercise, Lin Jianyuan wouldn't mind joining.
He was in the mild cases ward. Except for the doctor's rounds at ten every morning, he was mostly free.
But that freedom only went as far as the inpatient wing.
The good news: the ward was big, and downstairs there was a lovely garden with fresh air.
The bad news: the garden was surrounded by walls.
That made it feel even more like prison.
But work was prison too. If he had to be locked up, the hospital beat the office by a mile.
Just then, his phone rang.
The moment he heard that ringtone, Lin Jianyuan felt a surge of irritation. Sure enough, it was Jiang Chen.
Just seeing Jiang Chen's name put him in a bad mood. He took a few seconds to brace himself, then picked up. "Yeah?"
"Lin Jianyuan, you awake? How are you feeling?" Jiang Chen asked.
He had no patience for his boss's fake concern.
Because that idiot wasn't worried about his health—he just wanted to know when Lin Jianyuan would be back at work.
Lin Jianyuan rolled his eyes and started rambling, "Listen, the snail's turned into a perpetual motion machine, spinning at my desk. The little rock's banging on the shell, yelling the shark teeth are coming, do you want to die? My digestive system says it's a champ at doing sit-ups in a coffin. My liver can't take the party anymore. I'll bring my EKG machine to clock in tomorrow."
Jiang Chen: "?"
Jiang Chen couldn't process any of that. Lin Jianyuan kept up the nonsense, completely throwing him off.
It took a while before Jiang Chen, lips twitching, managed to ask, "Um, what did the doctor say?"
Lin Jianyuan answered solemnly, "The doctor's hanging curtains in a gourd with a fishing rod. When they drew blood this morning, I told my digestive system to stay here for breakfast. It said, sure, after this bite I'll go get your clothes."
Jiang Chen: "..."
Jiang Chen finally realized Lin Jianyuan was beyond communication. Muttering "what's wrong with him," he hung up.
Lin Jianyuan smiled. Nonsense was surprisingly cathartic.
Not bad, he thought. Clever move.
Maybe I'm a genius after all.
He was still basking in his own brilliance when he turned and saw Dr. Cen standing in the doorway, looking conflicted.
Lin Jianyuan: "."
Great. Faking insanity, caught by the psychiatrist.
Hehe → not hehe.
Lin Jianyuan straightened up and smiled, trying to look normal. "Dr. Cen! You're here early. I thought rounds were at ten?"
"I was on night shift, so I'm doing rounds early today. Once I'm done, I can go off duty," Dr. Cen said. "What were you just saying?"
Lin Jianyuan replied earnestly, "If I told you I was talking nonsense just to convince my idiot boss I'm really sick, would you believe me?"
Dr. Cen smiled. "Trying to prove you're not crazy, in a psychiatric hospital?"
Lin Jianyuan smacked his forehead. "Right, I don't have to explain! I'm here because I am sick!"
His thinking was still too limited.
Why did he keep forgetting he really was a mental patient?
"Good, you look lively. Must've slept well," Dr. Cen nodded approvingly. Then he asked, "The nurse said your roommate stayed over last night?"
Lin Jianyuan looked embarrassed. "Yeah, sorry. I don't even know how he got in. Did that break the rules? I've already told him, it won't happen again."
Dr. Cen: "There's no such rule."
Lin Jianyuan: "Huh?"
Dr. Cen's gaze swept over him, sharp and thorough, finally settling on the slight curve of Lin Jianyuan's lips.
"I think you're in much better shape today. Would you agree?"
Lin Jianyuan thought for a moment, then nodded. "I guess so. I haven't seen any hallucinations since I woke up."
Not a fluttering eyeball, not a big-mouthed jerk, not even the squish toy or little rock.
Speaking of which, where did those two stress toys go?
Did he lose them?
Dr. Cen nodded, jotting something in the chart. "Your roommate went home?"
"Yeah, he went home. I asked him to bring me some clothes and a toothbrush," Lin Jianyuan reported honestly. "He'll come back this afternoon. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Dr. Cen smiled. "The rules for visitors aren't strict in the mild cases ward. Daytime visits are fine. But if he wants to stay overnight, let the nurses know, so they don't get startled during rounds."
"Got it, got it." Lin Jianyuan breathed a sigh of relief. This hospital was nothing like he'd imagined.
The rules here were more humane than his company's.
Thinking about all the inhuman, bullshit company policies, Lin Jianyuan felt his chest tighten again.
He let out a long sigh.
Dr. Cen caught it. "What's wrong?"
Lin Jianyuan started venting about his company—the way they wouldn't even let you eat breakfast, the new idiot who wouldn't turn on the AC because he was cold, so everyone else was roasting.
Dr. Cen listened in silence.
Lin Jianyuan said, "Dr. Cen, you think I've got it rough too, right?"
Dr. Cen replied, "Not really. Just reminded me—when summer started and it was already thirty degrees, the hospital still wouldn't turn on the AC."
Lin Jianyuan was shocked. "What? Didn't you all suffocate?"
"Yeah. The patients were ready to riot, and we doctors and nurses were so hot we couldn't keep our coats on. We wanted to run around naked."
Lin Jianyuan laughed. "If you all went streaking, you'd end up in the ward yourselves. Why didn't you complain to management? How could they let it get that hot?"
"What good would complaining do?" Dr. Cen shrugged. "In the end, it was the patients' families who complained, and that's when they turned on the AC."
Lin Jianyuan nodded. "At least they turned it on."
Dr. Cen: "They turned it off again at night."
Lin Jianyuan: "..."
Lin Jianyuan started to feel hot just hearing it, but tried to comfort Dr. Cen. "Hospitals have to save energy. Big place like this, the electricity bill must be huge. And the economy's not great right now."
Dr. Cen snorted. "If it's between the hospital going bankrupt and working without AC, I'll take bankruptcy."
Lin Jianyuan imagined himself in that situation and nodded in deep agreement.
"By the way, how are you feeling?" Dr. Cen switched gears. "Any side effects from the meds?"
Lin Jianyuan answered honestly, "I was feeling so-so, but hearing you're suffering too made me feel a lot better."
Dr. Cen gave him a helpless look. "You really do see me as a brother, huh?"
Lin Jianyuan: "Huh?"
Dr. Cen said, "Afraid of your brother suffering, but even more afraid if he drives a Land Rover."
Lin Jianyuan burst out laughing.
The whole checkup felt more like chatting with an old friend.
Lin Jianyuan realized he'd been much more relaxed since being admitted.
Maybe it wasn't the hospital.
Mainly, he wasn't at work.
Anyone freed from work would find peace and harmony in their soul.
He was the only one in the three-person room. As Dr. Cen was leaving, Lin Jianyuan couldn't help but ask,
"Where did the other two go?"
Dr. Cen replied, "Xiao Liu is walking his dog. Old Wang is practicing calligraphy."
Lin Jianyuan was surprised. "You can bring dogs here? And do calligraphy? Man, your hospital really is more humane than my company."
He got out of bed, put on his shoes. "I'll go for a walk too, then. It's free time now, right?"
Dr. Cen looked at him thoughtfully.
After a pause, he said, "Yes, you're free to move around. But remember, this is a psychiatric hospital. You might see people and things you don't understand. Don't be afraid. Everyone here is just sick, like you."
Lin Jianyuan waved without looking back. "Don't worry, I'm very open-minded."
His roommate was a whole digestive system and he hadn't batted an eye. What could be weirder?
When Lin Jianyuan finally found Xiao Liu in the garden, he understood what Dr. Cen meant.
Xiao Liu was walking a dog—but there was no dog.
He held a leash, and the other end was tied to his own wrist.
He was walking himself.
"Hey, aren't you… Lin… Brother Lin!" Xiao Liu greeted him warmly.
Remembering Dr. Cen's advice, Lin Jianyuan played along, smiling as he walked over. "Yeah, Xiao Liu, out for a stroll too?"
"Yeah, I'm walking my dog." Xiao Liu shook the leash.
The leash was tied to his left wrist, the collar dangling loosely from his bony wrist, like it might fall off any moment.
Lin Jianyuan couldn't help glancing at the collar. Xiao Liu misunderstood and said, "It doesn't bite! Go ahead, pet it!"
Lin Jianyuan: "..."
Lin Jianyuan reached out and patted the air.
Xiao Liu burst out laughing, grabbed his hand, and pressed it to his own wrist. "Don't be so timid! It really doesn't bite, or Dr. Cen wouldn't let me bring it. Right, Diudiu? Come on, shake hands with big brother!"
Lin Jianyuan's hand rested on Xiao Liu's wrist. The collar felt strange, but the skin beneath was warm and human.
—Honestly, this was more normal than his digestive system roommate.
At least Xiao Liu was warm.
That thought calmed Lin Jianyuan.
He even started making kissing sounds, asking naturally, "So its name's Diudiu? What breed is it?"
He stood in the garden, playing with the air dog alongside Xiao Liu.
The sun climbed higher, its heat making the plants steam, driving the patients back indoors.
Xiao Liu finished his walk.
He even scooped up an imaginary poop. Excellent manners.
Now Lin Jianyuan finally understood why Xiao Liu was here, but he wasn't afraid at all.
After all, they were all in the same boat.
If Xiao Liu knew what he saw every day, he'd be the one scared.
So Lin Jianyuan felt completely at ease.
Almost relieved.
The two walked back to the ward together. On the way, Lin Jianyuan's phone rang again.
He glanced at the screen.
The relief vanished, replaced by a heavy weight in his chest.
"…Hello." Lin Jianyuan answered reluctantly, face dark. "Ms. Yu."
Yu Xiuli got straight to the point. "Lin Jianyuan, what's your computer password?"
Lin Jianyuan was instantly on guard. "Why do you want it?"
Yu Xiuli: "Don't ask, just give it to me. I need it now!"
Lin Jianyuan frowned deeply. Xiao Liu, seeing his dark expression, shot him a questioning look.
Lin Jianyuan waved him off, then went to sit by the flowerbed.
"There's a lot of important stuff on my computer. Don't touch it," Lin Jianyuan said. "Who's taking over my work? Have them talk to me directly."
"How many days are you taking off? Lin Jianyuan, how can you be so irresponsible? You just take leave and dump all this mess on us…"
"What mess?" Lin Jianyuan forced down his anger. "What are you doing with my computer? Don't touch my stuff!"
Yu Xiuli got angry too, raising her voice. "Who's touching your stuff! It's only because you suddenly stopped coming to work! Enough, just give me the password!"
"I'll say it again," Lin Jianyuan felt a balloon swelling in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "There are a lot of very important files on my computer—"
"Is this it?" Yu Xiuli muttered suddenly.
Lin Jianyuan's heart clenched. "What?"
Yu Xiuli: "Is it the one written on the first page of Pei Shuo's notebook?… Oh, it's open."
Lin Jianyuan jumped up from the flowerbed. "Yu Xiuli! Don't mess with my stuff!"
The call was already disconnected.
The moment the call ended, the pressure in his chest hit its peak.
Bang!
The balloon burst!
Suddenly, everything went black.
He frowned, not even able to process what was happening. His mind was still stuck on Yu Xiuli messing with his computer.
Irritation and pressure filled his chest. He took quick, deep breaths, tipped his head back, squeezed his eyes shut, and opened them.
Close. Open.
Open.
Eyes. Open.
Open. Open. Open.
Open. The world.
The—world—
A sliver of light crept back into Lin Jianyuan's vision. He blinked hard, and the world grew brighter.
The world snapped into focus.
At that exact moment—
In the pool, Delirium lifted its pale head.
In the basement, the massive tumor of Blood Thread convulsed.
The Eye Vines coiled around the office building shuddered, leaves trembling.
Not just in City A, but all over the world, every Aberrant lifted its head at the same instant.
"…" At that moment, Xie Yu, packing Lin Jianyuan's clothes at home, suddenly froze.
Lin Jianyuan blinked a few more times. His vision finally cleared.
Wait, what's this?
He realized he was holding something—must have grabbed it in his daze.
He opened his hand and looked down.
A flat, gray-white vertebra lay quietly in his palm.
The bone was smiling at him, silent and serene.