I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 110

An Invitation

Miss Lin is my friend.

Lin Shu waited for a long time but received no reply.

She tilted her head in displeasure and glared at Shen Man, demanding angrily, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Shen Man let out a soft laugh, her gaze fixed on the distance.

After a moment of silence, she said in a low, heavy voice, “I thought we would never see each other again.”

Hearing the distant and serious tone in her voice, Lin Shu’s heart clenched, and a flicker of panic rose within her.

She stared daggers at Shen Man, gritted her teeth, and enunciated each word. “DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!”

Shen Man simply smiled and said no more.

The two returned to the house.

After changing her shoes, Lin Shu turned to stare at Shen Man and declared loudly, “Shen Man, you better remember this. You can only leave me when I tell you to.”

“Otherwise, no matter where you run, I’ll find you!” she said, stepping closer, her expression turning sharp.

Shen Man was taken aback for a second.

Then, a faint smile touched her lips as she replied smoothly, “I’ll do as Shushu says.”

Lin Shu looked at that cool, nonchalant expression and knew that Shen Man had not taken her words to heart at all.

She huffed in annoyance and returned to her room with a cold look on her face.

Shen Man watched the door close, her eyes growing deep.

She leaned against the entryway wall for a moment before returning to her own room.

After washing up, Shen Man lay down in bed.

A message popped up on her phone. It was from Tian Yi. “President Shen, how about coming over for dinner this Saturday? Your Auntie Tian has been talking about you.”

Shen Man read the message, thought for a moment, and typed back, “Of course. I’ll be there this Saturday.”

“Would you mind if I bring a friend?”

“Not at all! The more the merrier. Your Auntie Tian will love it,” Tian Yi replied instantly.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Shen Man put down her phone.

She got up, walked to Lin Shu’s room, and knocked. “Shushu, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Hearing her voice, Lin Shu opened the door.

With a cold expression, she asked haughtily, “What is it?”

“Chairman Tian from my company invited me over for a gathering this Saturday. Do you want to go?” Shen Man asked with a smile.

“What would I go for?” Lin Shu shot back irritably, her chin held high.

“I probably won’t have time to cook,” Shen Man said softly, a look of delight appearing on her face. “Chairman Tian’s wife is incredibly hospitable. I usually end up staying the whole day. This time, their niece will be there, too.”

She paused, looking at Lin Shu with a knowing smile.

Lin Shu’s beautiful brows furrowed, and anger flared in her eyes.

She glared at Shen Man before changing her tune. “Fine. I get it.”

Shen Man chuckled, her eyes crinkling. “Good night.”

Lin Shu snorted and slammed the door shut.

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The weather on Saturday was pleasant.

It was much cooler than the sweltering heat of the past few days.

Shen Man prepared a simple breakfast and set it on the table.

She looked up and saw Lin Shu emerge from her room, her eyes flashing with surprise and admiration.

Lin Shu had clearly taken great care in getting ready.

She was wearing a light blue strapless dress that revealed her delicate, beautiful collarbones and accentuated her slender waist. Paired with her flawless makeup, she looked like a noble and beautiful princess from a fairy tale.

“Shushu, time for breakfast,” Shen Man said with a gentle smile, her expression back to normal.

Lin Shu gracefully ran a hand through her hair as she walked over, the picture of elegant nonchalance.

She glanced at the table, sat down, and said arrogantly, “Shen Man, are you trying to brush me off? You call this breakfast?”

“Shushu, if you don’t want to eat this, we can eat at Chairman Tian’s. Mrs. Tian has certainly prepared breakfast for us,” Shen Man replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Lin Shu’s face fell. She picked up a spoon and began to eat the congee.

A satisfied smile appeared in Shen Man’s eyes as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

After they finished eating, Lin Shu stood before the mirror in the entryway, meticulously checking her makeup and dress, practicing various smiling expressions.

Shen Man cleared the table.

Just as she finished in the kitchen, her phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID was ‘Mrs. Tian,’¹ Shen Man answered, her voice warm and smiling. “Auntie Tian, we’re about to head over.”

“Wonderful,” came Mrs. Tian’s cheerful laugh from the other end. “Manman, have you two had breakfast? I’ve prepared some pastries.”

“Thank you for your kindness, but we’ve already eaten,” Shen Man said.

“Alright then, be careful on the road,” Mrs. Tian reminded her.

Shen Man hummed in agreement and hung up.

She took her phone back to her room and picked a long blue dress from her closet.

As Shen Man walked out, Lin Shu stared at her, stunned for a moment.

“WHY ARE YOU WEARING THE SAME COLOR AS ME?” she demanded, displeased.

“I wasn’t paying attention. I just picked one at random,” Shen Man replied calmly. Seeing Lin Shu’s pouting face, she added gently, “If you don’t like it, I can go back and change into a different color.”

As she spoke, she looked at Lin Shu steadily, her eyes sincere.

Lin Shu bit her lip in frustration.

She shot Shen Man a fierce glare and turned to walk out the door.

Shen Man chuckled softly and followed leisurely behind her.

They drove to Tian Yi’s residential community.

Just as Shen Man parked the car, she saw a young woman in a pink dress standing not far away.

Their eyes met.

The woman broke into a bright, charming smile and trotted over.

Shen Man rolled down the window and smiled. “Assistant Tian.”

“President Shen! My aunt is preparing lunch, so she asked me to come down and wait for you,” Tian Meiying said with a happy smile.

Her gaze then fell on Lin Shu, and a flash of displeasure crossed her eyes when she saw the two women in what looked like matching outfits.

She quickly hid her feelings and asked with innocent curiosity, “And who is this?”

“My friend, Lin Shu. She’s the design director at the Lin Group,” Shen Man introduced with a smile.

“Here’s my card.” Lin Shu got out of the car and handed one over, glancing at Tian Meiying with a superior air. “My father is the chairman of the Lin Group. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Tian Meiying froze.

She stared at the business card for a long moment before snapping out of it, asking in disbelief, “Are you really the thousand gold² of the Lin Group?”

Lin Shu smiled faintly and countered smoothly, “Is there a problem?”

With that, she turned to Shen Man and said proudly, “If you don’t believe me, you can ask your President Shen.”

Shen Man smiled and nodded.

Tian Meiying’s mouth fell open, and she looked at Shen Man with a wronged expression.

Shen Man acted as if she had not noticed. She picked up the gifts from the car and said with a smile, “Shushu, let’s go up.”

“Alright.” Lin Shu’s lips curved into a smirk, her face a mask of smug pride.

Watching the two walk away side by side, Tian Meiying hurried to catch up.

She stood beside Shen Man and said, “President Shen, did you have breakfast?”

“We’ve already eaten,” Lin Shu answered before Shen Man could.

Shen Man nodded in agreement.

Tian Meiying was momentarily speechless.

She lowered her eyes and bit her lip, unwilling to give up.

The three of them exited the elevator and walked to the door.

Tian Meiying immediately rushed ahead to open it, saying with a sweet smile, “President Shen, please come in.”

She stared directly at Shen Man, as if Lin Shu did not exist.

“Shushu, go on in,” Shen Man said with a smile, stepping aside to let her pass.

Lin Shu glided in.

As she passed Tian Meiying, she shot her a look of disdain.

Tian Meiying flushed with anger, biting her lip and lowering her head to hide the emotion in her eyes.

Shen Man took it all in.

With an unreadable smile, she followed Lin Shu inside.

Tian Yi was the first to see Lin Shu and shot up from the sofa in surprise.

“Miss Lin, what a surprise to see you here!” he said with a delighted smile.

“Miss Lin is the friend I was telling you about,” Shen Man explained.

Lin Shu offered a polite smile and extended her right hand. “Chairman Tian, a pleasure.”

“Miss Lin, a pleasure. An honored guest has arrived! Welcome, welcome,” Tian Yi said happily, shaking her hand.

“You’re too kind,” Lin Shu replied courteously, withdrawing her hand.

“Meiying, quickly, pour some tea for Miss Lin and President Shen,” Tian Yi instructed.

“Yes, of course,” Tian Meiying replied obediently.

“Miss Lin, please have a seat,” Tian Yi said warmly.

Lin Shu sat down gracefully.

Shen Man set down the gifts and took a seat on the adjacent sofa.

“There were some rumors going around about Miss Lin and our President Shen recently. Seeing you here as a guest today really puts my mind at ease,” Tian Yi said with a chuckle as he sat down.

Lin Shu let out a soft laugh but said nothing, her gaze shifting to Shen Man.

Shen Man took the hint.

She deftly changed the subject, pointing to an antique on a shelf in the living room. “Chairman Tian, that vase has such exquisite, rustic craftsmanship. Where did you find such a treasure?”

The mention of antiques immediately piqued Tian Yi’s interest.

He began to talk animatedly about the vase’s origins.

Tian Meiying returned with three cups of tea.

Tian Yi immediately paused, stood up, and placed a cup in front of Lin Shu. “Miss Lin, please. I hope you’ll forgive us if our hospitality is lacking in any way.”

“Not at all, Chairman Tian,” Lin Shu replied, lifting the cup and taking an elegant sip.

Tian Meiying placed a cup in front of Tian Yi.

She then picked up the last cup and offered it to Shen Man. “President Shen, please.”

Shen Man reached for the tea.

The moment her fingertips brushed the rim, the cup suddenly tilted, and half of its contents spilled onto her.

The tea was warm, not hot.

But Shen Man instantly felt her abdomen and legs soak through.

“President Shen, I’m so sorry…” Tian Meiying apologized in a panic.

She quickly set the cup down and grabbed some tissues, about to wipe the spill on Shen Man’s dress.

Shen Man raised a hand to stop her.

Taking the tissues, she said with a small smile, “It’s alright, I can do it.”

“Meiying, how could you be so clumsy?” Tian Yi chided with a frown.

Tian Meiying lowered her head, looking wronged and remorseful, anxiously wringing her hands.

Lin Shu watched the scene, a flicker of contempt in her eyes.

Shen Man’s expression remained unchanged as she slowly dabbed at the wet spots.

After scolding his niece, Tian Yi turned to Shen Man with an apologetic look. “President Shen, your Auntie Tian saw a beautiful dress while shopping the other day. She thought it would suit you and bought it.”

“If you don’t mind, perhaps you could change into it now.”

As soon as he finished, Tian Meiying piped up, “I’ll go get the dress for President Shen!”

Seeing this, Shen Man found it hard to refuse and nodded with a smile.

Tian Meiying quickly returned with a white dress and placed it next to Shen Man. “President Shen, the restroom is over there.”

“Alright, thank you.” Shen Man stood up and took the dress to the restroom.

Tian Meiying glanced at Lin Shu, a triumphant smile on her face. “That blue dress looks so lovely on you, Miss Lin.”

She deliberately emphasized the word ‘blue.’

Lin Shu understood her meaning perfectly.

Her expression unruffled, she replied, “Pink suits you well. It’s simple and sweet. Pink just isn’t for people like Shen Man and me.”

Tian Meiying clearly heard the jab in her words and wanted to retort.

But with Tian Yi present, she did not dare make a scene. She forced a smile and said, “You’re too kind, Miss Lin. Actually, with President Shen’s looks and poise, she would look absolutely beautiful even in pink.”

Shen Man emerged from the restroom just in time to hear this.

She replied in a professional tone, “In a professional setting, it’s best to dress in a more mature way to earn clients’ trust.”

“But this is our personal time, not work. President Shen could try different colors. You might be surprised,” Tian Meiying suggested, tilting her head with a look of pure innocence.

“Besides, at our age, pink makes us look younger and more vibrant.”

Shen Man just smiled, refusing to continue the topic.

She looked at Tian Yi and said, “Chairman Tian, is Auntie Tian busy in the kitchen? Should I go help?”

“You’re a guest. Please, just relax,” Tian Yi said with a gentle smile. He stood up and looked at his niece. “Meiying, I’m going to check on the kitchen. You stay here and entertain our honored guests. Be on your best behavior.”

“I will,” Tian Meiying nodded obediently.

Tian Yi headed for the kitchen.

Only the three women remained in the living room.

Shen Man sat down and picked up her teacup.

She took a small sip, savoring the lingering fragrance.

Seeing this, Tian Meiying sat down beside her and asked expectantly, “President Shen, I brewed this tea. How is it?”

“It’s fine,” Shen Man answered concisely with a faint smile.

“It’s average, I suppose.” Lin Shu set down her cup, crossed her legs, and lifted her chin with an air of utter arrogance.

Tian Meiying’s heart filled with resentment.

She put on a hurt expression and said in a small voice, “President Shen just complimented it, but Miss Lin insists it’s not good…”

She bit her lip and looked down, feigning distress.

Lin Shu’s eyes turned cold.

She quickly schooled her features, leaned back comfortably, and said languidly, “The tea your President Shen brews herself is what’s truly delicious.”

Hearing this, a hint of a smile appeared on Shen Man’s lips.

Her silence was a clear sign of agreement.

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