The intestine felt cool and soft—exactly the strange sensation he'd brushed against in his sleep.
The winding intestines were so long that Lin Jianyuan could lift them over his head, yet the other end—the start of the digestive tract, mouth and throat—still rested on his arm.
Why is it so damn long?!
The longer Lin Jianyuan stared, the more unsettled he felt.
Who was he, where was he, what was he even doing?
Why was he holding his roommate's intestines above his head while the guy's mouth and throat still lay across his arm…?
Oh. Right.
He was insane.
Well, that explained it.
Lin Jianyuan calmed down at once.
He gently lowered his roommate's intestines.
"Xie Yu," Lin Jianyuan whispered, "what are you doing here?"
It was already dark outside—Lin Jianyuan had no idea what time it was, but all the other patients were asleep, their snores rising and falling in the gloom.
He propped himself up, slipped past his roommate, and pulled the curtain shut across the aisle.
Just then, he heard his roommate mumble.
"…Sleepy…"
He sounded half-asleep, voice thick and dazed.
Lin Jianyuan hadn't expected his roommate's voice to turn so soft when drowsy. He paused, startled.
He crept back into bed, careful not to wake him—his arm was still pinned underneath, making every movement awkward.
He had to use every bit of core strength to get settled again. With a sigh, he whispered, "I thought you'd gone home. If you're tired, why not go back to your own bed? And how did you even sneak in? Visiting hours end at seven."
He clearly remembered the nurse's warning when he was first admitted.
No visitors after hours—the ward doors would be locked, and they wouldn't open again unless absolutely necessary.
His roommate looked too sleepy to open his eyes. Gallbladder and stomach rubbed against each other, slick and shining with moisture.
"…Ate too much…" the roommate mumbled, barely awake.
Only then did Lin Jianyuan notice how swollen his roommate's stomach and intestines were. Pancreas and gallbladder moved slowly, releasing digestive juices with soft, steady "pop" sounds, like pea shooters on slow-motion.
At the same time, little lumps pushed out from the base of the stomach—what was that called again, the pylorus? Food slipped through the pylorus into the winding intestines, inching along the loops.
God, intestines really were endless.
The thin section up front had to be the small intestine, while the rounder, thicker part at the end was the large intestine.
Where was the duodenum?
Oh, that must be this bit here…
Lin Jianyuan couldn't help poking it.
His roommate didn't react, except for a gurgle from deep inside.
The sound was wet, bubbling.
Like food floating down a river of digestive juices.
Shit. This was way too weird.
But despite the strangeness, Lin Jianyuan couldn't help grinning.
"What did you sneak off to eat without me?" he whispered, laughing. "Stuffed yourself this much?"
"So much… It was really good…" his roommate slurred, half-asleep.
Lin Jianyuan couldn't tear his eyes away—hell, who could resist staring?
This was a real, living digestive system, fresh and warm, working away right in front of him!
It was the wildest thing he'd ever seen.
He couldn't help himself—he reached out and prodded his roommate's stomach again.
It was unbelievably soft. His finger left a small dimple in the delicate stomach wall, but it didn't slow the digestion at all.
Food kept drifting down the river of digestive juices. Lin Jianyuan could almost feel it moving beneath his hand.
The stomach kneaded and churned, grinding food from half-solid lumps into smooth, absorbable liquid.
Blob after blob slid through the pylorus into the intestines.
He couldn't help wondering what on earth his roommate had eaten.
It must have been a feast.
The stomach was working overtime, grinding away for ages, but it was still stuffed full.
What could possibly taste that good?
The glistening mucous membrane, bathed in soft light, was starting to cool in the air. Lin Jianyuan grabbed the blanket and carefully tucked his roommate in.
He left only the mouth outside, so he could breathe.
Technically, a digestive system didn't need to breathe…
But this wasn't just a digestive system—it was his roommate!
He couldn't exactly smother his roommate in his own bed.
Once the blanket was in place, more gurgles bubbled up from underneath.
Digestive juices bubbling away.
Lin Jianyuan couldn't help but laugh. "You go eat all the good stuff without me."
"Mmm…" His roommate heard him, but his brain seemed too foggy to reply.
After a long pause, he finally murmured, "Next time…"
He was in a food coma.
One look at him and it was obvious—he'd eaten himself silly.
Under the blanket, Lin Jianyuan secretly felt his roommate's stomach—or was it technically his belly?
It felt amazing—cool, soft, full, and purring with every movement like a cat.
His roommate seemed to enjoy it, even pressing his intestines closer, nuzzling against Lin Jianyuan's arm.
A strange feeling swept over Lin Jianyuan.
It was like…
Like holding a pregnant wife.
Shit! What the hell, a pregnant wife? He must be losing it!
His roommate had just overeaten, that's all!
Lin Jianyuan burst out laughing at himself, then remembered something and started rubbing his roommate's belly in slow circles.
Soft intestines curled over, cool against the back of his hand.
His roommate clearly loved belly rubs.
As he helped massage the food down, Lin Jianyuan chuckled, "You're just like that snake from The Little Prince."
He kept his voice low, afraid the others might overhear.
His roommate snuggled closer, voice lazy and soft. "What snake?"
"You've never read The Little Prince?"
"Nope. What is it?"
"It's a book. A novel, or maybe a fairytale? I'm not sure what to call it."
"Oh… What's it about?"
"It's about a little prince from another planet… You should read it yourself, the original is really good. It's a sweet, funny little story."
"Tell me."
"I can't tell it as well as the book. You should read it."
"Too lazy… So sleepy…"
"Food coma."
"What's a food coma? …Tell me about the snake first."
"You ate so much you're all dizzy." Lin Jianyuan sighed, rubbing his roommate's soft belly. "Why are you so greedy?"
So he gave in and started telling The Little Prince in a low voice.
Of course, he never finished.
Because halfway through, Lin Jianyuan drifted off too.
The next morning.
Before dawn, Lin Jianyuan was woken by the scrape of metal.
He blinked awake, hearing a nurse behind the curtain call to his neighbor, "Wake up, time for a blood draw."
The young man next door yawned, hospital gown rustling as he sat up.
The nurse was prepping alcohol swabs, and turned to say softly, "Bed 1302, Lin Jianyuan, are you awake? You'll need a blood draw soon too."
Blood draw…
Lin Jianyuan was so groggy he could barely open his eyes, but vaguely remembered something about this.
He reached to roll up his sleeve, but his hand brushed against something soft and squishy.
Huh? What was that?
Still half-asleep, he squeezed it a few times. It was soft, warm—like a ball of slime, heated by his own body.
Wait, slime?!
Lin Jianyuan threw back the covers, eyes going wide in shock.
—Not slime!
It was clearly a digestive system!
No, wait, dammit.
Not a digestive system—his roommate!!!
His roommate had crashed in his bed last night!
He'd spent the whole night holding his roommate!
He'd spent the night in a psych ward, in a three-person room, cuddling his roommate!
"Mmm, morning…"
His roommate's voice was thick with sleep.
Lin Jianyuan yanked the blanket back over them and clamped a hand over his roommate's "head" before it could pop out.
Roommate: "?"
A puzzled voice came from under the covers. "What are you…?"
"Nurse!" Lin Jianyuan shouted, "How many vials do I need to give?!"
"Uh?" The nurse jumped, but quickly replied, "Four vials in total."
"Okay, got it."
Lin Jianyuan spoke as calmly as he could, pressing down on his roommate's "head" through the blanket, hoping he'd get the message.
But clearly, his roommate didn't.
Not only did he not get it, he started squirming under Lin Jianyuan's hand. "What are you doing…?"
It felt like a warm, wriggling ball of slime under the covers.
As it squirmed, it popped open his shirt buttons. Damp mucous membranes slid across his skin, sending a shiver up his spine.
Goosebumps prickled all over. He hissed, "Stop moving!"
His roommate seemed to catch on, and laughed quietly. "Don't worry, she can't see me."
Lin Jianyuan groaned, "You're huge—how could she not see you…"
"I'm huge?" His roommate sounded even more pleased, intestines sliding around Lin Jianyuan's waist like a snake warmed in a farmer's shirt.
Lin Jianyuan was beyond goosebumps—he was about to lose it.
Early morning was always dangerous, and now, under the covers, skin to skin…
Worst of all, his roommate wasn't cool anymore—he was hot and toasty.
Which made the whole thing feel even more intimate.
Lin Jianyuan's face burned. If this kept up, his pants would be gone. He pressed down hard, snapping, "Seriously, stop moving!"
His roommate burst out laughing, intestines quivering, shaking the whole bed.
Why was he laughing out loud?!
Lin Jianyuan was at his wit's end, and before he could stop him—swish!
The nurse whipped open the curtain, pushing in her cart. "Hmm? What did you say just now? I didn't catch it."
Lin Jianyuan froze.
He glanced at the mound of his blanket, then at the nurse's questioning face.
His last hope died.
With a sigh of defeat, Lin Jianyuan threw back the blanket. "Sorry, my friend came to visit yesterday and it got late, so he just crashed in my bed. Sorry about that, I'll have him leave soon."
A pale pink throat snaked out from under the covers.
Like a docile serpent.
The nurse blinked, glancing from the blanket to Lin Jianyuan.
Her face went blank.
A second later, she recovered. "Oh, your friend."
She glanced at the chart, then at the nameplate above the bed.
Then she asked, "Name?"
Lin Jianyuan knew she was verifying his identity, so he handed over his wristband and gave his name.
She scanned his band and said, "Okay, no problem. Time for your blood draw. You and your friend, try not to move, all right?"
She couldn't have been more than twenty, and her voice was so gentle—like coaxing a child for a shot—that Lin Jianyuan felt embarrassed.
He quickly nudged his roommate aside and stuck out his arm. "Of course. I won't move during the blood draw."
His roommate might be childish, but he wasn't so immature as to mess around during a blood draw.
Lin Jianyuan wasn't worried about that at all.
Just as he expected, his roommate stayed perfectly still while the nurse drew blood, quiet at his side.
Since his roommate was just a digestive system, with no eyes, Lin Jianyuan had no idea where he was looking.
He could only guess by the direction of the mouth and throat—it seemed like he was watching the blood draw.
It was a bit weird—Lin Jianyuan also liked watching blood draws. It didn't hurt when it was someone else.
But a needle in his own arm was another story.
He tensed up involuntarily. The instant the cold needle pierced his skin, every muscle clenched.
Luckily, the nurse was young but skilled.
She drew blood in one swift motion, quick and clean.
She handed him his meds, then rolled her cart out of the room.
The other two patients crawled back into bed after their blood draws. Lin Jianyuan checked his phone—only six a.m. So this was how early hospitals did bloodwork.
Thank god it was so early—everyone wanted to sleep, not gossip about his roommate spending the night. Otherwise, he'd have been mortified.
Pressing a finger to the spot where the needle had gone in, Lin Jianyuan lay back and exhaled deeply, staring at the ceiling.
His roommate slid over, resting his "head" on Lin Jianyuan's chest with interest.
There was no helping it—the bed was tiny, a single at best.
His roommate asked, "Why do you have to get blood drawn again?"
Lin Jianyuan replied, "That's just how it is in the hospital. By the way, do you have a lot of classes today? Can you go get some stuff for me? I checked in so fast yesterday, I didn't bring anything."
"Sure. How long are you staying?" His roommate started picking at the tape on his arm.
"No idea. Let me order you breakfast." Lin Jianyuan reached for his phone, then remembered he was still pressing his puncture site.
So he pulled his roommate over, making him use his arm as a pillow.
He used his roommate's "head" to help stop the bleeding.
Roommate: "?"
His roommate caught on and burst out laughing, shoving him away.
Lin Jianyuan grabbed him in a headlock, refusing to let go.
The two of them pressed their heads together, scrolling through takeout options.
Laughing, teasing, bickering.
Lin Jianyuan's first morning in the psych ward began in a way he never could have imagined—light, easy, and full of laughter.