I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 11

Just Hate Her

I’m warning you, stay away from Shen Man

Shen Man got up, washed up, and changed into a set of sportswear. When she opened her door, she saw that Lin Shu’s door was ajar.

Lin Shu was sitting in front of her dressing table, carefully applying lipstick while looking in the mirror.

A badminton racket was placed on the chair beside her.

Lin Shu pressed her lips together, looked at the beautiful makeup in the mirror, and then stood up and left her room, satisfied.

She carried her schoolbag in her left hand and the badminton racket in her right.

Shen Man sized her up for a moment, a hint of a smile flashing in her eyes.

Today, Lin Shu was wearing a white shirt paired with a small pink skirt. The skirt’s hem was just above her knees, revealing her long, fair, and straight legs. On her feet, she wore red athletic mesh shoes with black trim. Her hair was tied back in a high, braided ponytail, which, combined with her sweet-style makeup, made her look full of vitality with a touch of playful cuteness.

“Hold the racket,” Lin Shu said as if it were a matter of course, handing the racket over.

Shen Man smiled, took the racket, and glanced at the logo on it.

This model of racket cost over a thousand, and it was light and powerful to play with.

After eating breakfast, the two left the house one after the other.

Tan Kai was already waiting downstairs. Seeing the racket in Shen Man’s hand, he smiled and said, “Are you two going to play badminton today?”

“Mhm,” Shen Man nodded and got into the car.

Lin Shu sat in the front.

Tan Kai glanced at her and asked doubtfully, “Is it convenient to play badminton when you’re wearing a skirt?”

Lin Shu gave him a white eye¹.

Tan Kai consciously shut his mouth and started the car.

They drove to the school.

Tan Kai parked the car, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and said to the two of them, “I’ll come find you guys to play ball later.”

“Aren’t you going to play basketball?” Lin Shu was puzzled.

Tan Kai let out a laugh, glanced at Shen Man, and said, “I’ll come find you after I’m done with basketball.”

Shen Man wore a smile and said nothing.

Lin Shu glanced at Shen Man and nodded.

Not far away, Yan Jie and Ding Xi were walking over together.

Shen Man saw them and said, “I’ll go on ahead.”

“Mhm,” Lin Shu responded, not salty, not bland², then turned her head and waved at the two with a smile.

Shen Man didn’t mind either. After speaking, she walked toward the classroom building.

As she reached the corner of a teaching building, she almost ran head-on into someone.

Shen Man stopped in her tracks just in time. Seeing the person’s face clearly, she unconsciously revealed a smile, “Yin Ruxu, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Yin Ruxu gave a light smile, her voice soft as she explained, “I’m so sorry, I just got a message on my phone. I was looking at the message and not watching the road.”

“Did I bump into you?” Yin Ruxu asked nervously.

Shen Man smiled and shook her head, asking, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Not yet, I’m just on my way to the cafeteria to eat now,” Yin Ruxu answered with a smile, a hint of joy on her face. She pursed her lips and said carefully, “May I invite you to have breakfast with me?”

“Alright,” Shen Man agreed without a second thought.

The two walked toward the cafeteria together, side-by-side in a line, with a distance of over half a meter between them.

Neither of them spoke.

At an intersection, they happened to run into Lin Shu and her two followers.

Shen Man looked up and greeted Lin Shu with a smile.

When Lin Shu saw the scene of them standing together, her small face instantly turned cold. She walked over and said, “Shen Man, where are you going?”

“I’m going to the cafeteria with Shen Man to eat breakfast,” Yin Ruxu was the first to answer, her smile sweet.

Lin Shu snorted, her round almond eyes filled with disdain. “I was asking Shen Man, not you. Why are you cutting in?”

Yin Ruxu’s face flushed red from being choked by the retort³, and she lowered her head, at a loss. She glanced furtively at Shen Man out of the corner of her eye and apologized in a small voice, “Sorry…”

Shen Man didn’t speak, merely watching Lin Shu quietly, the emotion in her eyes unclear.

Lin Shu’s heart gave a ‘thud’. Not wanting to lose face in front of so many people, she raised her chin high and said, fierce in expression but timid inside⁴, “Didn’t you already eat breakfast at home? Why are you still going to the cafeteria?”

“I’m accompanying her,” Shen Man replied faintly.

Lin Shu choked. Her expression turned ugly, and after a pause, she said, “Class is about to start, and you still have time to accompany someone else to breakfast? Is being the Class President that idle?”

Hearing this, Shen Man curved her lips into a smile. She took out her phone, tapped it on, and held the screen towards Lin Shu, saying with perfect composure, “There are still twenty minutes.”

“This class is the head teacher’s class. As the Class President, you have to arrive fifteen minutes early.” Lin Shu seemed to have found her confidence again, raising her voice triumphantly.

Shen Man’s brow furrowed.

Seeing this, Yin Ruxu immediately said, “It’s all my fault, please don’t argue. Shen Man, thank you for your kindness, I’ll just go to the cafeteria by myself.”

“You should get to your business. If I delay you, I’ll feel very guilty,” she said, biting her lip weakly.

Shen Man nodded and said with a smile, “We’ll eat together next time there’s a chance.”

“Okay,” Yin Ruxu agreed happily.

Lin Shu gave a cold snort and rolled her eyes.

Shen Man turned, stared at Lin Shu, and revealed a meaningful smile.

Lin Shu trembled, suppressing the inexplicably rising feeling of a guilty conscience⁵, and glared back angrily.

Shen Man smiled, put her phone away, and walked towards the teaching building.

Watching Shen Man walk some distance away, Lin Shu’s face returned to a haughty expression. She stared at Yin Ruxu and warned, “You stay a little farther away from Shen Man.”

“I just want to be friends with classmate Shen Man. Are you going to control even that?” Yin Ruxu retorted in a small voice, her tone pitiful, making her look as if she was being bullied.

Lin Shu let out a displeased sneer. “I’m not one of those simple-minded boys, I don’t eat this set of yours⁶. If you dare to keep pestering Shen Man, don’t blame me for not being polite to you.”
“Just because you’re the Young Miss of the Lin family, you can bully people with your status?” Yin Ruxu’s eyes reddened as she accused her with a wronged expression.

Instantly, many gazes to watch a good show and of condemnation were cast in their direction.

Lin Shu glared back, roaring fiercely at those people, “What are you looking at?”

Many people turned their heads away, discussing in low voices.

All sorts of accusations drifted over from all directions.

Lin Shu’s little face turned red with anger.

Ding Xi hurriedly tried to persuade her, “Lin Shu-jie, you should hurry to class, or you’ll be late.”

Lin Shu gritted her teeth, shot Yin Ruxu a fierce glare, swung her schoolbag forcefully, and strode away.

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Shen Man stood on the lecturer’s platform, helping the head teacher adjust the projector.

The corner of her eye caught a glimpse of Lin Shu entering, her fair little face filled with anger.

She paused her actions and asked with a smile, “Shushu, what’s wrong?”

“None of your business,” Lin Shu snorted, walked to the last row, and found an empty seat to sit down.

She put her schoolbag down and stared at Shen Man huffily⁷, in a huff. When Shen Man looked over, she haughtily turned her head to the side.

Shen Man finished adjusting the projector, walked down from the platform, came to Lin Shu’s side, sat down, and asked with a laugh, “Who made you angry?”

Lin Shu turned her head to the side, refusing to speak.

Shen Man extended her slender fingers, tapping on the desk in thought. After a moment, she leaned over and said in a low voice, “You seem to have an issue with Yin Ruxu?”

“None of your business!” Lin Shu raised an eyebrow, her tone fierce. After speaking, she flopped down onto the desk.

“You two don’t even know each other, why do you dislike her so much?” Shen Man continued to ask, a hint of understanding in her eyes.

Lin Shu turned her head, glared huffily at Shen Man, and said haughtily, “Who I hate is what business of yours?”

“What, does your heart ache for her?” she added, her lips curling up in disdain.

Shen Man didn’t answer, the frequency of her fingers tapping the desk quickening.

For a moment, it was quiet between the two of them.

Lin Shu tilted her head, glanced at Shen Man, and looking at that exquisite side profile, she let out a cold laugh. “A certain someone believes people so easily, one day she’ll be tricked like a fool.”

Hearing the mockery in her words, Shen Man let out a laugh, lowered her head to meet that pair of almond eyes, and with a smile curving her lips, said, “Is the Young Miss concerned about me?”

“Who’s concerned about you?” Lin Shu’s heartbeat fell into disarray. She shot up, pulling distance between them. “I just purely hate her.”

Shen Man smiled, her expression turning serious as she said in a low voice, “This is a matter between her and me. I don’t want anyone to interfere.”

Lin Shu heard the warning in her words and laughed in defiance. “I don’t care about the matter between you and her, and you better not interfere with me hating her.”

“As you wish,” Shen Man stood up and walked back to her own seat.

Lin Shu curled her lips, mimicking Shen Man’s tone and expression as she muttered in a low voice, “As you wish.”

Shen Man turned back, her gaze sharp.

Lin Shu immediately lowered her head, pretending to open her textbook and study diligently.

Shen Man felt it was so amusing and also a little bit so annoying.

She stood in place for a moment before returning to her seat.

The two class periods in the morning passed quickly. As soon as the break started, the classroom instantly became noisy and chaotic.

As Shen Man was organizing her notes from class, a classmate walked over and said, “Shen Man, someone’s looking for you, right at the door.”

Shen Man looked up and saw Yin Ruxu standing outside, holding a cup of milk tea in her hands. She was looking around, seemingly searching for someone.

When her gaze met Shen Man’s, Yin Ruxu revealed a faint, gentle smile.

Shen Man stood up, walked out, and said with a smile, “Is there something you need me for?”

“This is for you, thank you for your help yesterday,” Yin Ruxu said in a soft voice, handing the milk tea over, her eyes filled with a nervousness of being rejected.

The sight of two great beauties standing together attracted the gazes of many people.

Especially Yin Ruxu, who was from another class; many people had never seen her before and were now craning their necks to look at them.

Shen Man smiled, accepted the milk tea, and said politely, “It was just a small matter, you don’t need to take it to heart.”

Yin Ruxu smiled happily, glanced around the classroom, and then left with a blush on her face amidst the curious gazes of numerous male students.

Shen Man walked into the classroom, and the first thing she saw was Lin Shu’s annoyed gaze.

She smiled, returned to her seat, and placed the milk tea on the desk of the male student behind her, saying, “This is for you to drink.”

“Thanks.” The boy immediately picked up the straw, pierced the seal forcefully, tore open the wrapper with his hands, took a big gulp, and said, “Class President, is she the department flower of the Arts Department, Yin Ruxu?”

Shen Man nodded.

The boy’s eyes grew excited. Suddenly, he felt a chill on his neck. He turned his head and met a pair of ice-cold eyes.

He shrank his neck, his voice unconsciously lowering, “Lin Shu, is there something you need?”

“I want to switch seats with you,” Lin Shu said, her eyes glaring at Shen Man.

The boy, without a moment’s pause, packed his things and left.

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