"Drip~"
The attendance machine on the wall emitted an unpleasant and tedious sound.
"Check-in completed, Lin An, off-work time 10:07 PM."
Lin An let out a deep sigh, exhausted, feeling even the computer bag slung over his shoulder unbearably heavy.
"Wanna grab a drink? It's on me." A colleague called out to him.
Lin An just smiled and shook his head slightly.
"Ha, An can't handle his liquor, one drink and he's out, no fun, let's go, let's go." Several office mates huddled together, planning where to party afterward.
But the revelry was theirs; Lin An silently gripped his computer bag and walked toward the elevator.
He wasn't antisocial, it's just that...
As the after-work crowd squeezed into the elevator, Lin An found himself pushed into the back corner, the air filled with a mix of strange odors – perfume, coffee, cigarette, and stinky feet...
The elevator doors slowly closed, the lights flickered for a moment, and Lin An suddenly felt suffocated.
He squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing growing heavier.
"Sorry for bumping into you."
A crisp and pleasant voice sounded in his ear, and Lin An opened his eyes to see a girl in a white shirt speaking to him.
The girl beside her leaned in to whisper something in her ear, causing the girl's cheeks to blush and her to playfully punch her colleague on the shoulder.
Afterward, she leaned back slightly, creating a little distance between herself and Lin An.
Unfortunately, the elevator was too crowded, and she was pushed back toward him again.
She quickly realized that the breath of the clear-cut and handsome guy in front of her had once again become heavier, which only made her cheeks turn even redder.
Lin An didn't feel embarrassed; he felt terrified.
In his eyes, a python as thick as an adult's arm was coiled around the girl. Because she was too close, the cold scales grazed his skin, causing goosebumps to rise.
The python slowly stretched out its lengthy body, its massive head rising in midair, quickly flicking its tongue as it looked around the elevator before finally fixing its gaze on Lin An.
Those cold and aggressive vertical pupils were firmly locked onto Lin An's neck, as if ready to leap forward and take a bite at any moment.
"This is not real!"
"This is not real!"
Lin An frantically repeated this in his mind, turning to look at the walls of the elevator, smooth like a mirror, and sure enough, no python was reflected in the image of the interior.
But the sensation of the python was so real, slithering from the girl's body to his neck, gently wrapping around it, and brushing lightly against his cheek.
It was so chillingly cold.
All of this was like a nightmare. Some time ago, he'd been diagnosed with cataracts. After surgery and discharge from the hospital, he began to see all sorts of terrifying images.
The young boss who came to him for photo editing would, while discussing women, suddenly have his slick and powdered head turn into a huge wolf's head.
On the night train, he'd suddenly notice a dead cat with one eye hanging out, staring wide-eyed when he turned around.
He had no idea what was happening to him.
He was even too scared to seek medical help.
Fearing that he might be diagnosed with a mental illness.
If that happened, he'd surely be fired by the company, unable to pay the mortgage, left homeless on the streets.
He even feared being confined to a mental hospital, and as an orphan, no one would visit him, and he might spend the rest of his life hopelessly awaiting death within the walls of a mental institution.
He could only restrain himself, over and over again.
Tell himself not to act abnormally, not to harm anyone because of his madness.
He felt selfish; if he was mentally ill, perhaps he could hurt someone because of these hallucinations.
So, he clenched his teeth with great effort, enduring, just enduring.
So...
Life was tough.
He told himself nothing could bring him down; he didn't want much, just to live well.
But even living was so difficult.
The elevator finally arrived, and he abruptly opened his eyes, pushed away the girl who was staring blankly at his profile, and struggled to squeeze out of the crowd.
He ran with such big strides, quickly escaping from the crowd that emerged from the elevator, and reached the flower beds next to the southwest gate of the Software Park, panting while leaning on his knees.
Afterward, he sat somewhat listlessly on the bench beside the flower beds, staring blankly at the street outside the railing.
This bustling commercial city was so noisy; even at night, there were dense crowds everywhere. The more crowded the place, the easier it was for him to see all sorts of strange things.
Indeed, compared to the lively streets, he preferred to walk in the dark, secluded alleys without a soul in sight.
Those hallucinations, it seemed, always existed alongside human activity.
He began to fear people, yet he wasn't afraid of the ephemeral ghosts.
He curled up helplessly with his laptop bag on the bench, patiently waiting for 11 o'clock to come.
By that time, the last train of the metro, with not too many people, would allow him a peaceful journey home.
"So tired..."
He let out a deep breath, pulled out his phone from his pocket, and somberly scrolled through the web pages.
It was a post by a yoga blogger about "meditation", discussing how to regulate one's breathing and sit quietly, to relax the nerves stretched taut by urban pressure and achieve deep relaxation.
The post was long, and most comments were casual banter like 'well written, I'll just bookmark this and let it gather dust'.
Lin An, however, studied it so earnestly.
He had to learn.
He tried every possible way to keep from getting anxious, to prevent his overly tense spirit from crumbling.
He had finally graduated, gotten a not too terrible job, mortgaged a small apartment not too far from the city center, and at last had a place to shelter from the wind and rain.
He also wanted to save enough money to enjoy the early retirement others talked about.
Then, he wanted to travel, to see the beautiful world beyond his small circle of life, to taste all kinds of delicious food, which he had collected many recommendations for in his video app.
He also wanted a girlfriend, not too pretty, and a bit of a homebody would be best, so he wouldn't have to frequently accompany her outdoors.
Then, they could just... in their cozy nest.
Lin An reclined on the bench, watching the city lights, and smiled foolishly, longing for the beauty of future life.
Finally, he completely relaxed and waited for the moment when the city gradually quieted down.
So he walked briskly towards the subway station, took a nap in a deserted section of the carriage, and arrived at a community on the edge of the city.
Happiness Community—a beautifully named place.
Lin An took a hot shower, opened the window to let the night air of the city in, and lazily laid in bed scrolling through a few more posts about mental adjustment until he turned off the bedside lamp with a yawn and snuggled under the blanket to sleep soundly.
Thump, thump, thump~
A rhythmic pounding came from beneath the bed.
Lin An sleepily turned over and continued to sleep deeply.
Thump, thump, thump~
The noise underneath the bed seemed incessant; Lin An finally rubbed his bleary eyes with some resignation, pulled back the blanket, and simply peered under the bed.
In the faint moonlight, the space beneath the bed looked shadowy and indistinct.
A head was bouncing like a basketball, continuously banging itself against the underside of the bed.
Medium-length hair, skin so pale and devoid of color, eye sockets devoid of eyes, lips cracked revealing dark red lines...
Lin An sighed deeply, looking at it with a begging gaze, "Could you please not make noise? I still have to go to work tomorrow~"