I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 103

Deliberate Approach

Could it be that she is eating her vinegar?¹

Lin Shu ate her dinner with a cold face the entire time.

Her eyes were fixed on Ni Shuang, not allowing Ni Shuang to pull any little tricks.

Shen Man took everything into the bottom of her eyes².

Her expression remained indifferent, as if she hadn’t noticed a thing.

After dinner.

Shen Man put down her chopsticks and said with a smile, “Why don’t you two go sit on the sofa for a while? I’ll cut some fruit for you to eat.”

“No need. I’m sending her back to the hotel now,” Lin Shu said coldly, casting a look full of pressure at Ni Shuang.

Ni Shuang looked but didn’t see³.

She looked at Shen Man, revealing a shy and happy smile. “The food Shen-jiejie⁴ makes is so delicious. Fruit cut by your own hands will surely have a distinctive flavor of its own.”

She deliberately emphasized the last few words, the tip of her tongue slowly licking over her lip petals as she spoke.

“Thank you for the compliment. I’m glad you liked it; I was worried it wouldn’t suit your taste.” Shen Man smiled softly, her brows and eyes gentle as water.

She gathered the dishes and turned to walk into the kitchen.

“Ni Shuang!” Lin Shu called out this name coldly, anger visible on her fair, tender face. “You are going back to the hotel right now, or else you are never allowed to come here again.”

“I don’t want to…” Ni Shuang refused coquettishly, looking at Lin Shu with watery eyes. “Baby, I didn’t regard a thousand li⁵ as far to come find you, and you won’t even spare some fruit for me?”

“Is it fruit you want to eat?” Lin Shu lowered her voice, her gaze burning. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to.”

Hearing this, Ni Shuang smiled brilliantly, showing no embarrassment at being seen through.

She tugged at Lin Shu’s arm, raised her delicate eyebrows, and whispered, “With such a stunner of the human world⁶ right in front of you, are you not moved at all?”

Lin Shu’s heart tightened, and her throat felt blocked, making it hard to breathe.

After a moment of silence, she forcefully slapped Ni Shuang’s hand away. With a look of disgust on her face, she said sternly, “Leave immediately!”

Ni Shuang stood up with a grin and ran over to the sofa to lie down.

Hugging a throw pillow to her chest, she narrowed her eyes comfortably and said, “I’ll leave after I eat the fruit.”

Seeing her acting shamelessly, Lin Shu sat down nearby, fuming.

Shen Man came out carrying the sliced fruit and placed it on the coffee table. “Take your time eating.”

“Eat quickly, and leave when you’re done!” Lin Shu gritted her teeth secretly, her tone fierce.

Ni Shuang pouted aggrievedly and sat up.

Looking at the beautifully arranged platter, she immediately smiled happily and exclaimed, “Shen-jiejie is truly clever in mind and skillful in hand⁷. Whoever gets to be your lover will certainly be very lucky.”

“Shuangshuang, you flatter me.” Shen Man lowered her head slightly, a shy smile appearing on her face.

Lin Shu watched the vague ambiguity between the two, and her heart felt stifled with panic.

She stared at Shen Man with a sharp gaze and said firmly, “Go back to your room.”

Shen Man paused.

After a few seconds, she chuckled softly and said, “I’ll head back to my room then. Call me if you need anything.”

“Shen-jiejie, don’t go…” Ni Shuang immediately stood up, reaching out to link arms with Shen Man.

Shen Man seemed startled; she leaned her body to the side and whispered, “Shuangshuang, be careful not to fall.”

“Leaning on Shen-jiejie, even if I fall, I’ll fall into Jiejie’s arms. It won’t hurt.” Ni Shuang laughed delicately, pressing her body, soft and weak without bones⁸, against Shen Man. “Shen-jiejie smells so good, what brand do you use…”

“Ni Shuang, stand up right now!” Lin Shu stood up abruptly, loudly interrupting Ni Shuang’s unfinished sentence.

She stared at their intimate posture, her face filled with icy rage.

Shen Man seemed to finally snap out of it, carefully extracting her hand.

She pushed Ni Shuang away and said softly, “I’m going to my room.”

Ni Shuang wanted to speak up to keep her there.

But after being glared at viciously by Lin Shu, she had to resentfully swallow the words on the tip of her tongue.

“I don’t think you need to eat the fruit either,” Lin Shu said coldly, picking up the fruit platter and putting it into the refrigerator.

Ni Shuang gave two fake sobs, wiped away non-existent tears, and complained aggrievedly, “That was specially prepared for me by Shen-jiejie…”

Towards the end of her sentence, meeting Lin Shu’s icy gaze, her voice gradually faded.

“Now. Immediately. Get out!” Lin Shu shouted, grabbing Ni Shuang’s arm and dragging her outside.

Ni Shuang followed with a look of reluctance.

The two got into the car.

Lin Shu suppressed her anger and started the engine.

Ni Shuang elegantly played with her hair, enjoying the cool evening breeze.

She crossed her legs, revealing her fair calves, propped her chin on her hand, and smiled leisurely. “Lin Shu, why are you so angry?”

“Scratching your head and striking poses⁹ in my room—didn’t you think you were causing enough trouble?” Lin Shu said indignantly.

Her fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

Seeing this action, Ni Shuang laughed with a look of indifference. “Usually, when I hook up with others, I don’t see you getting this angry.”

After saying that, as if realizing something, she looked at Lin Shu in surprise. “Could it be that you’ve finally recognized your feelings for me and are eating my vinegar?”

Lin Shu shot her a look that said you idiot.

Ni Shuang wasn’t annoyed. She rubbed her chin, pretending to think seriously. “If you’re not eating my vinegar, then you’re eating someone else’s vinegar?”

She didn’t specify who ‘someone else’ was, but she deliberately dragged out her tone.

Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.

A wave of heat instantly rose up her back, spreading up her neck to her face. Her fair, tender face involuntarily turned red, and fine beads of sweat even broke out.

She gripped the steering wheel tightly, maintaining a facade of calm, and said with a cold face, “I need to focus on driving. Don’t distract me.”

Ni Shuang gave a faint “Oh.”

Those naturally seductive eyes seemed to see through everything.

The wind from outside the window rushed in, slapping recklessly against their faces.

The anger in Lin Shu’s heart gradually dissipated, and her expression became calm.

Ni Shuang shifted her position, leaning comfortably against the seat back, and said lazily, “Meeting such a peerless beauty on my first day back in the country… Heaven is truly treating me well.”

“Since when do you believe in Heaven?” Lin Shu remarked sarcastically.

“I didn’t believe originally, but fate has made me a believer. Otherwise, how could I have such good luck to meet Shen-jiejie?” Ni Shuang said with a charming smile.

The address ‘Shen-jiejie’ was spoken with particular intimacy.

“For the sake of our friendship, help me out, will you? I’m not asking for a lifelong romance, just a brief memory is enough,” she said to Lin Shu, acting spoiled.

Lin Shu ignored her, staring straight ahead, her expression turning cold.

“Anyway, you two are just friends. My conditions aren’t bad; she won’t be losing out,” Ni Shuang continued to persuade.

“How are you sure she’s interested in you?” Lin Shu asked coldly.

As soon as she said it, her heart felt blocked, and she wanted to take the words back.

“I’m confident in my own charm.” Ni Shuang flicked a strand of hair, her eyes full of confidence.

Lin Shu felt even worse inside.

She stopped the car and said indifferently, “We’re here. Get out!”

“You’re being mean to me…” Ni Shuang pouted pitifully, acting shamelessly. “I don’t care, I just want that woman, Shen Man. You don’t have to help me, but you’re not allowed to cause trouble.”

“You’re friends with her, and you’re friends with me. You have to side with me!” she said quickly, blocking Lin Shu’s refusal.

The word ‘friend’ was like a needle, popping all the anger in Lin Shu’s heart.

“Whatever you want!” She heard herself say the words with feigned indifference.

Ni Shuang immediately laughed excitedly and blew a kiss to Lin Shu. “Baby, I love you.”

Lin Shu drove away without looking back.

Having spent three years together, she knew Ni Shuang very well.

Ni Shuang had a free and easy personality, passionate and unrestrained. She treated everything with a playful attitude. Even in relationships, she had always been someone who could play the game and let go easily, never getting sad over anyone.

Even when passion was at its peak, she could tattoo the other person’s name on her shoulder, yet still propose a breakup with a face of indifference.

The tattoo representing love was just a decoration in her eyes; she could talk about it with others without any qualms.

Many people said Ni Shuang had no heart and no lungs¹⁰, thinking she had been traumatized by love.

But Lin Shu knew that Ni Shuang simply didn’t care and just loved to play.

Against such a ‘little lunatic,’ how could Shen Man be a match?

Thinking of this, Lin Shu’s mood became depressed and heavy.

She parked the car downstairs, closed all the windows, and trapped herself in the small space.

In the quiet night, the sound of insects could be heard. The silvery-white moonlight spilled down, creating a trance-like feeling.

Lin Shu leaned back against the seat, staring blankly ahead.

It looked like she was thinking, yet also like she was thinking of nothing at all.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the car window.

Lin Shu was startled and immediately sat up straight.

Seeing the person standing outside, she rolled down the window and said coldly, “What are you doing standing here?”

“Shushu, I saw you hadn’t come back up for a long time, so I came down to check,” Shen Man said softly.

She glanced inside the car and asked with a smile, “Did Shuangshuang make it to the hotel?”

“What does it have to do with you?” Lin Shu said coldly, opening the door to get out.

Bang. She slammed the car door shut with force.

“She is your friend, and she just returned to the country. I should show some concern for her,” Shen Man explained gently.

Hearing this, Lin Shu glared fiercely at Shen Man and warned, “She is my friend. She has nothing to do with you. Don’t try to get close to her.”

“If I discover you doing anything out of line with my friend, I absolutely won’t let you off!” After speaking, she clenched her teeth tightly, the anger in her eyes looking as if it wanted to incinerate Shen Man.

Shen Man smiled slightly.

Her cool, elegant face looked extremely gentle under the moonlight. “Okay, I promise you. I won’t actively approach her.”

Lin Shu huffed coldly and strode forward.

Shen Man followed unhurriedly behind her, a smile of settled breath and idle spirit¹¹ playing on her lips.

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