Wang Hai's face, twisted by extreme rage and morbid pleasure, appeared like a malevolent demon crawled out from hell in Chu Tianyi's vision, which was blurred from lack of oxygen and humiliation. Every pore on it seemed to exude a nauseating stench. Lin Qiqi's beautiful eyes, brimming with tears yet stubbornly refusing to bow, were like two crushed stars, stirring a sharp pang in his heart. The gazes of the surrounding colleagues—some indifferent, some fearful, some gloating—were like countless red-hot steel needles, fiercely stabbing into his already riddled self-esteem.
"Get out! Get out now!" Wang Hai's roar still echoed in his ears, each word like a heavy hammer, making Chu Tianyi's very soul tremble.
He felt like a lone boat adrift in a raging storm, in danger of being completely swallowed by the merciless giant waves at any moment. Anger, unwillingness, humiliation, despair… all negative emotions, like a burst dam, rampaged wildly in his chest, threatening to completely overwhelm his sanity.
Just as he felt his spirit about to be utterly torn apart by this boundless darkness, his consciousness flickering like a candle in the wind—
"Click—"
That extremely faint sound, like the first ray of light tearing through chaos at the dawn of the universe, once again echoed softly in the deepest recesses of his soul.
Immediately after, a loud "buzz" exploded in Chu Tianyi's head, as if countless invisible strings had snapped within his mind, or as if an ancient gate, sealed for eons, had been violently blasted open by an irresistible force!
In an instant, the entire world changed!
The scene before him was still the familiar office area, filled with oppression and indifference, but his "hearing"—no, it was no longer mere hearing—his entire perception seemed to have been forcibly expanded into a completely new dimension!
Countless "voices," like a surging tide from a broken dam, indiscriminately and madly flooded into his brain!
These "voices" didn't enter through his ears. Instead, as if possessing life themselves, they exploded and reverberated directly in the depths of his consciousness! Some were sharp and piercing, some low and gloomy, some lewd and vulgar, some cold and selfish, some fearful and uneasy… Hundreds, no, thousands upon thousands of fragmented, chaotic thought snippets, filled with all sorts of raw emotions, like countless invisible insects, scrambled to bore into his mind!
At the same time, fragmented, jumpy, and variegated images began to appear before his eyes, images equally filled with intense emotional fluctuations—the crimson of greed, the dark green of jealousy, the deathly pale of fear, the dark yellow of schadenfreude…
"Ah—!"
Chu Tianyi felt as if his head was about to burst from this sudden deluge of "information"! An unprecedented, indescribable, intense dizziness and nausea swept over his entire body like a monstrous wave. He subconsciously raised his hands to clutch his head tightly, his body shaking uncontrollably, and let out a pain-filled cry, suppressed to its utmost.
"Hmph, scared now? Trying to act pitiful to gain sympathy? Too late!" Seeing Chu Tianyi suddenly turn deathly pale and tremble all over, Wang Hai assumed he had been scared witless by his earlier threat of an "industry blacklist." The smugness on his face intensified, and his tone became even more cutting and disdainful.
However, just as Wang Hai's words fell, an exceptionally clear, exceptionally loud thought, tinged with a nauseating greasiness and lewd得意, abruptly leaped out in Chu Tianyi's chaotic mind, overshadowing all other noises, like a crane standing among chickens:
"[Hehehe, satisfying! This is so damn satisfying! Chu Tianyi, this unseeing dog, is finally getting kicked out! I get pissed off just looking at his poor, shabby appearance, especially since he has such a pretty boy face! And the way he looks at that little vixen Qiqi, it's simply a toad lusting after a swan! Once he's gone, I'll definitely throw that broken, chipped mug of his into the trash and stomp on it hard! Hmph, Director Su? Director Su is nothing! If it weren't for that woman being good in bed, with big tits and a great ass, allowing me to climb into her bed and get some benefits, I wouldn't bother sucking up to her! I need to celebrate properly tonight. I'll call up that new little slut, Little Li from the finance department, get a luxury private room at 'Golden Splendor,' have dinner first, then 'eat' her, let her know how capable I am… ]"
This thought was so clear, so filthy, so… belonging to Wang Hai! Every word was like a poison-laced dagger, stabbing fiercely into Chu Tianyi's heart!
Chu Tianyi abruptly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes, looking somewhat terrifying, stared fixedly and incredulously at Wang Hai. Wang Hai still wore that hypocritical and smug sneer, spewing venomous words endlessly. But Chu Tianyi seemed to see right through his greasy face, directly perceiving the filthy thoughts in his mind, thoughts that were utterly inconsistent with his superficially righteous words and actions!
"Impossible… This is absolutely impossible… I must be crazy… The pressure must have been too much, I'm hallucinating…" A monstrous wave of shock and absurdity surged through Chu Tianyi's heart, making him temporarily forget his physical pain and mental humiliation.
Following that, more relatively clear "noises," like a flood released from an opened sluice gate, began to pour in frantically from all directions, assaulting his already fragile nerves.
He looked at Zhao Yuhang, the rich second-generation who had been loudly mocking him just moments ago. Zhao Yuhang was currently crossing his arms, watching the spectacle with a gloating expression. Yet, in Chu Tianyi's mind, he clearly "heard" his disdainful and lewd thoughts: "[Trash is trash, should've been kicked out long ago! That little vixen Lin Qiqi, acts like a white lotus, but who knows how slutty she really is deep down! Once that eyesore Chu Tianyi is completely gone, watch how this young master gets her into bed, makes her submit obediently under me! Then, I'll even film it, so she can never think of making a comeback in her entire life!]"
He then turned to the other side of the office, to a middle-aged female colleague, Sister Zhang, who was usually quiet, seemingly honest and even a bit dull. She was currently bowing her head, her fingers flying across the keyboard, appearing to be engrossed in her work, indifferent to everything happening. But Chu Tianyi could clearly perceive the fleeting thought in the depths of her heart, filled with selfishness and relief: "[Sigh, that mad dog Wang Hai is biting people again, Chu Tianyi is really unlucky… But it's good too. With him gone, the sales target pressure this month will be a little less. Maybe my bonus next quarter can increase by three or five hundred… Little Bao's piano lesson fees for next month are still up in the air… Whatever, better him than me!]"
And those a_t_t_e_n_d_i_n_g colleagues… Some had hypocritical sympathy on their faces, some indifferent apathy, some undisguised schadenfreude. But deep within their hearts, Chu Tianyi "heard" even more unbearable and darker thoughts:
"[Finally, someone can deal with this mad dog Wang Hai who bites randomly… Oh no, it's Wang Hai successfully eliminating dissidents again. Poor Chu Tianyi, but thankfully it has nothing to do with me, Amitabha!]" "[Feichi Group is just this realistic: the weak are prey to the strong, the winner takes all. This kid has no ability himself; being eliminated is his own fault, can't blame others.]" "[Who will be the next unlucky one? Please don't let it be me… My performance this month isn't up to par either…]" "[Tonight's department dinner will have fresh gossip, haha, Chu Tianyi has made his final contribution to us!]" He even perceived a male colleague, who usually appeared refined and gentle, currently sweeping his gaze almost greedily over Lin Qiqi's chest, which was heaving violently from anger, his mind filled with(filthy) sexual fantasies: "[This chick Lin Qiqi, she's really getting more and more endowed, those big white rabbits, tsk tsk, if I could get my hands on them and knead them properly, that feeling… That old lecher Wang Hai, what he said just now, could he also be trying to suppress Chu Tianyi to make a move on Lin Qiqi himself? Hehe, if I get a chance, I'll have to have a taste too…]"
Countless thoughts—malicious, indifferent, selfish, lewd, or tinged with slight, hypocritical sympathy—like a bursting dam, or like countless ghostly hands reaching out from hell, rushed into Chu Tianyi's brain, frantically tearing at his nerves, (assaulting) his worldview and values!
At this moment, Chu Tianyi felt as if he had suddenly been stripped naked and thrown into a grotesque, filthy inner world composed of the dark sides and primitive desires of countless human minds! Everyone wore thick, hypocritical masks, and beneath those masks hid the truest and ugliest desires and calculations, completely different from their everyday words and actions!
He abruptly cast his gaze towards the front-left, not far away, at the only existence in this polluted air that could still make him feel a trace of purity and beauty—Lin Qiqi.
Lin Qiqi still stood there, her delicate brows tightly furrowed with anger and worry, her large, watery eyes filled with tears, yet she stubbornly refused to let them fall. Her small hand, clutching the corner of her clothes tightly, had knuckles turning white from excessive force.
And in Chu Tianyi's chaotic, nearly collapsing perception, he "heard" with utmost clarity the voice from the depths of Lin Qiqi's heart—a voice like celestial music, carrying obvious disgust, anxiety, sympathy, and a trace of an unusual sentiment she herself hadn't even noticed:
"[Wang Hai, that bastard! How can he bully people like this! Chu Tianyi… Chu Tianyi, although he usually doesn't talk much and his performance isn't good, he… he has never done anything bad! Why should Wang Hai slander him like this and ruin his future! Zhao Yuhang is no good either, just kicking someone when they're down, bullying others with his power! They are all beasts in human skin! But… but what can I do? I'm just a junior employee who recently passed probation, I have no power at all to resist Wang Hai… Boohoo… Chu Tianyi looks so pitiful… his face is so pale, his body is trembling… Will he really do something desperate? If… if only I could help him… even if it's just… just to say a word of encouragement… But… will he think I'm weird? Will others target me because of this? Sigh, I feel so powerless… This company, it's really so oppressive, so scary… Chu Tianyi… his eyes, actually… if you look closely, they are quite good-looking, it's just that he usually seems evasive and lacks spirit… If only he could pull himself together…]"
Lin Qiqi's disgust was primarily directed at Wang Hai and Zhao Yuhang! And, towards Chu Tianyi, this "unlucky fellow," apart from deep sympathy and worry, she actually harbored a trace of admiration, like a spring rain nourishing the heart, and… an inexplicable flutter of emotion she herself hadn't even realized!
This unexpected discovery, like a faint but exceptionally bright bolt of lightning, instantly split open the heavy, leaden gloom in Chu Tianyi's heart, allowing him, amidst extreme pain and confusion, to capture a sliver of humanity's brilliance and… hope!
"So… so this is what she really thinks…"
But what followed was an even more intense, more unbearable headache! It was as if countless red-hot steel needles were frantically piercing and stirring inside his temples and skull. Every beat of his heart made his head feel like it was about to explode from within! This unprecedented overload of information and energy, surpassing the limits of human senses, subjected both his mind and body to an unimaginable, immense burden.
"Urghh—!"
Chu Tianyi finally couldn't bear this inhuman torment any longer. A cry, suppressed to its extreme, like that of a wounded beast, escaped from the depths of his throat. He clutched his head tightly with both hands, his body swayed violently a few times uncontrollably, and then, with a "thud," he pitched forward, ramrod straight, towards the cold, hard floor!
In the last moment before his consciousness completely faded into darkness, he seemed to see a pair of anxious and worried, beautiful eyes, glistening with tears, rushing towards him…