Liu Buli's reply was calm, just as his usual demeanor suggested, leaving no room for any suspicion.
His colleagues stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. It was his supervisor, a man with a gentle face, who patted his shoulder and chuckled, "Have you been doing too many bad deeds lately? You've been thinking about it so much that it's giving you quite a psychological burden?"
This man was his boss, and ultimately, the highest authority in their company. Everyone affectionately called him Brother Zhang. He was a good person, maintaining harmonious relationships with everyone in the company.
If colleagues in the workplace could be considered friends, then this man would be Liu Buli's closest friend.
Upon hearing his speculative remark, Liu Buli couldn't help but laugh. Indeed, in their line of work, they hadn't done many good deeds. However, after so many years since he joined, such psychological burdens had long ceased to be a concern for him.
Perhaps when he first joined, he might have had nightmares once or twice due to his profession.
But now, let alone nightmares, he rarely even dreamed. He had never expected to feel as uncomfortable as he did today, as if he were being pressed down by a ghost.
Just as he thought, the moment the man finished speaking, the other colleagues around them immediately and boisterously denied it.
"Brother Liu isn't the type to have nightmares because of work, is he?"
"Yeah, yeah, Brother Liu has always been so reliable. Brother Zhang, you're underestimating him!"
"I've always thought Brother Liu has the best mental fortitude among all of us. So now I'm curious, Brother Liu, what exactly did you dream about? It must have been something incredibly significant to make you feel so distressed!"
"Didn't Brother Liu say he forgot? He said it right at the beginning, he just didn't want clueless people like you asking!"
As they spoke, they dissolved into laughter again.
This was his most familiar daily life, the usual style of their company when things were normal.
Everything was exactly as he was accustomed to.
Yet, as Liu Buli looked at everything around him, he inexplicably felt out of place with this ordinary daily life.
Where had something gone wrong?
Liu Buli couldn't figure it out.
As for the dream that had frightened him earlier, his statement wasn't because he didn't want to tell others; he was genuinely telling the truth. What was in that dream, he was perhaps a hundred or even a thousand times more curious about than these gossipy colleagues.
However, it was still working hours. Waking up late from a nap was already bad enough. If he were to waste time pondering and contemplating the dream he couldn't recall after waking up, it would truly be a disservice to his high salary.
Taking a few more deep breaths, he fully adjusted his mental state to normal. Then, Liu Buli took the initiative to start working. His colleagues sitting around him saw his action and also returned to their work, causing the topic of dreams they had initially discussed to be collectively forgotten amidst their work.
By the time work ended, the sky outside was completely dark.
Brother Zhang led the charge to invite everyone who was still working overtime for some late-night snacks. Although Liu Buli didn't particularly enjoy such gatherings, there was no one at home when he returned. So, after a moment's hesitation, Liu Buli uncharacteristically agreed to the invitation and joined them at a barbecue stall near the company.
During the meal, they chatted about all sorts of gossip. At their age, conversations often revolved around love and family.
Brother Zhang was a married man with a happy and harmonious family, a newborn child, and a joyful life.
The young woman who usually followed Liu Buli around had also found a boyfriend. She shared photos of her boyfriend, and the young women giggled and playfully interrogated her about her relationship.
These were the most ordinary topics.
Liu Buli was long accustomed to them, accustomed to sitting on the side like a backdrop, quietly drinking his wine, not participating, and never egging them on.
Yet, even though he maintained this stance, the topic would invariably shift to him without any pause.
Someone must have started it, and by the time he realized it, everyone's attention had converged on him again.
He raised his perfectly sculpted eyebrows and asked indifferently, "What are you looking at me for? I've already said I'm not interested in dating."
"It's not that you're not interested in dating, it's that you're only interested in paper figures, right?" A young woman beside him shook her head, looking quite regretful. She sighed, "Brother Liu is such a good person. If you were willing to find someone in real life, countless people would be lining up to be with you. But you only read novels all day. No matter how much you like that paper figure, he can't possibly run out of the novel to be with you."
Why couldn't he? He...
Liu Buli opened his mouth, ready to retort.
But the words circled in his mind, and before he could utter them, he froze.
A paper figure running out of a novel to date him?
Wasn't that a joke?
Was he seriously going to use such an answer to refute them seriously? Had his brain gone mushy?
Liu Buli harshly berated himself internally, then shook his head and downed the wine in his cup in one go. The alcohol felt burning hot as it went down, and his head seemed to become even more dizzy.
He stood up, waved his hand, and said to them, "I've had a bit too much to drink today and I'm not feeling well. I'm going back. See you at work tomorrow."
He always had this cool, detached personality when dealing with others. In normal times, very few people dared to joke with him.
Today, it was only because he had an unusual nightmare that they had teased him a bit. Now, hearing him say he was unwell, no one dared to stop him. Only Brother Zhang stepped forward, concerned, asking if he needed help calling a car.
Liu Buli refused Brother Zhang's kind offer, shook his head, and walked towards the intersection.
The remaining people watched his gait, which was perfectly normal and showed no signs of drunkenness, and felt somewhat relieved. They returned to their table to continue their unfinished conversation.
"Let's not ask Buli about dating anymore in the future. You all know he's never been interested in that area."
Brother Zhang reminded them.
The young women nodded obediently. One of them sighed and said earnestly, "Brother Liu is a very good person. If he lowered his standards a bit, he could easily find someone suitable."
"But if he lowers his standards, then perhaps they wouldn't be suitable anymore," Brother Zhang said, shaking his head. "In any case, since he's not actively looking, he's not in the mood for it right now. When he is in the mood and brings it up himself, we'll help him out. But the type he likes... I'm afraid it's truly impossible to find in reality."