I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 111

A Silent Contest

You are not allowed to hook up with other women!

The atmosphere in the living room quieted for a brief moment.

Outside the window came the crisp calls of birds, rising and falling.

Shen Man drank the last sip of her tea and put down the teacup in her hand.

She stood up and, looking at Lin Shu, said, “Shushu, I’m going to the kitchen to take a look.”

Lin Shu crossed her legs and answered with a faint hum.

Her delicate little face was full of an arrogant expression.

Tian Meiying was instantly dissatisfied, secretly grinding her teeth.

Watching Shen Man’s back disappear, she said in a strange tone, “I heard others say that the thousand-gold¹ of the Lin Group is extremely arrogant. Seeing you today, you’re much more formidable than the rumors say.”

Her words carried an undisguised sarcasm.

“If you had a chairman for a father, I think you could be arrogant too,” Lin Shu retorted, composed and unruffled, her eyes showing complete contempt.

“A pity you only have a chairman for an uncle.”² She deliberately emphasized the tone of the word ‘uncle.’

Hearing the ridicule in her words, Tian Meiying was so angry she ground her teeth³.

Her eyes glared fiercely at Lin Shu as she said in a low voice, “Don’t you get complacent.”

After speaking, she turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Shen Man happened to be coming out of the kitchen.

Tian Meiying immediately put on a wronged expression and said in a weak voice, “I’d better go to the kitchen to help, lest I make Miss Lin unhappy.”

Hearing this, Shen Man looked toward Lin Shu, her eyes questioning.

Lin Shu’s face fell, and she glared back with a sharp gaze.

Shen Man smiled, walked to the sofa, and sat down. “Auntie Tian is in the kitchen making pastries,” she said in a placating manner. “They’ll be ready soon.”

The words had just left her mouth when a woman in her thirties walked out of the kitchen, carrying a platter of exquisite, beautiful pastries.

“Manman, Miss Lin, I’ve made you wait a long time,” Mrs. Tian said with a smile, her expression kind.

Shen Man stood up and went over to take the platter from her hands. “Auntie, let me. You’ve been busy all morning, you should rest for a while.”

“I’m not tired.” Mrs. Tian shook her head with a smile, her gaze turning to Lin Shu. “I don’t know Miss Lin’s tastes, but I hope Miss Lin will like them.”

“Shen Man has always said the pastries you make are delicious. Right now, just looking at them, I can already sense their fragrance,” Lin Shu said with a standard smile, her voice soft.

Mrs. Tian was praised until her heart bloomed with joyous flowers⁴, and she covered her mouth, chuckling. “Miss Lin really knows how to talk.”

“You two, sit down quickly and have a taste.”

Lin Shu reached out, picked up a pastry, and chewed it slowly.

A look of surprise appeared on her fair, tender face. After one bite, she said happily, “Thank you, Mrs. Tian, they’re truly delicious.”

“Miss Lin need not be so polite. If you do not mind, just call me Auntie Tian like Manman does,” Mrs. Tian said kindly.

“Alright, Auntie Tian,” Lin Shu said with a light laugh, going along with the suggestion.

Shen Man quietly looked at Lin Shu, a playful smile in her gaze.

Lin Shu shot her a sidelong glance and continued to eat pastries with a smile on her face.

Tian Meiying came out of the kitchen and saw the harmonious scene of the three of them in conversation and laughter, and her heart was instantly filled with dissatisfaction.

She strode over and sat down beside Shen Man.

Looking at Lin Shu, she said with a face full of innocence, “Miss Lin, the pastry you’re eating now is one I helped my aunt make. I hope you like it.”

At these words, Lin Shu’s swallowing motion paused.

“Miss Lin, do you not like it?” Tian Meiying said immediately, lowering her head slightly to reveal a hurt expression.

A chill passed through the bottom of Lin Shu’s eyes.

Maintaining the smile on her face, she said in a soft, low voice, “So it was you who made it. No wonder the texture is a bit different from the one I ate just now.”

“But don’t be discouraged, it’s also quite delicious.”

“Thank you, Miss Lin.” Tian Meiying raised her head, her eyes narrowing into a fake smile.

Lin Shu raised her chin slightly, looking back arrogantly.

Shen Man ate her pastry in a slow and deliberate manner, quietly watching the two of them openly contending and secretly fighting.

When her gaze met Lin Shu’s, she was glared at fiercely.

Having come out on the losing end, Tian Meiying was seething with anger inside.

She deliberately leaned over, pressing her chest against Shen Man’s arm, and softened her tone. “President Shen, is the one I made delicious?”

After speaking, she looked at Shen Man with an expectant face.

Shen Man immediately felt a scorching gaze directed at her from the opposite side.

She leaned back without a change in expression, pulling away from Tian Meiying, and said with a smile, “Very delicious.”

Three simple words, polite but perfunctory.

Tian Meiying smiled triumphantly and said obediently⁵, “Thank you for liking it, President Shen.”

Lin Shu watched the two of them, her fingers secretly clenching tight.

“Meiying, this is home, not the company. Manman is older than you, you should just call Manman ‘jiejie’,” Mrs. Tian said with a gentle smile.

Finished, she looked at Shen Man. “Manman, don’t you agree?”

Shen Man nodded with a light laugh.

Tian Meiying’s lips immediately curled into a happy smile. She reached out to take Shen Man’s arm and said in a coquettish tone, “Can I call you Shen-jiejie? I’ve always wanted an older sister.”

“Of course,” Shen Man said with a smile.

Lin Shu’s heart seized, and an indescribable discomfort spread through her chest.

She stood up, a regretful smile on her face. “Excuse me, I have something else I need to handle. Please take your time eating.”

“Miss Lin, so suddenly?” Mrs. Tian asked, astonished.

Lin Shu smiled slightly, stood up, and walked hastily outside.

Mrs. Tian immediately followed.

Seeing Lin Shu to the door, she said in a polite and gentle tone, “Miss Lin, you’re welcome to be a guest here again next time.”

“Alright, thank you.” Lin Shu maintained her polite, smiling expression.

The moment she turned around, her expression instantly turned cold.

Mrs. Tian returned to the living room.

Seeing Shen Man looking as if she were about to leave, she asked in surprise, “Manman, you’re leaving too?”

“Shushu doesn’t have a car, I’ll drive her back,” Shen Man replied with a smile.

“Alright then. Come over to play again next time,” Mrs. Tian said, reluctant to see her go.

“Shen-jiejie, I’ll see you out,” Tian Meiying said, standing up in a hurry, her tone enthusiastic.

“No need, you all are busy.” Shen Man politely declined and turned to walk out.

Unresigned, Tian Meiying bit her lip.

She followed behind Shen Man. “Shen-jiejie, when are you coming next time?”

“Next time I have time,” Shen Man answered from outside the door, her expression indifferent.

After speaking, she left without hesitation.

Arriving downstairs, Shen Man saw Lin Shu leaning against her car with a face like frost.

She walked over with a smile and said, “Shushu, what is it? Who made you unhappy?”

Hearing this, Lin Shu glared furiously at Shen Man, the corner of her lips hooking into a contemptuous arc. “President Shen has good fortune, gaining another good little sister.”

The last three words were practically ground out from between her teeth.

The smile on Shen Man’s face deepened.

She leaned in, her lips gently parting. “Is Miss Lin angry with me?”

Shen Man’s use of ‘Miss Lin’ only made the anger in Lin Shu’s heart swell even more.

She reached out and clasped Shen Man’s shoulders, her voice low and threatening. “Remember your current identity. You are not allowed to hook up with other women. Otherwise, I will let you know what is called regret!”

Shen Man was not the least bit afraid.

She fearlessly looked into that pair of beautiful eyes and nodded with a relaxed expression. “I understand.”

Lin Shu released her hands and commanded in a cold voice, “Open the car door.”

Shen Man did as she was told.

The two of them got into the car.

Lin Shu fastened her seatbelt with a cold face, then propped her head on her hand and gazed out the window.

Wisely, Shen Man didn’t speak, driving in complete silence.

It was noon by the time they got back to the house.

Shen Man went to the kitchen to prepare a meal.

Lin Shu sat on the sofa, her eyes staring straight ahead.

Her mind was completely filled with the image of Tian Meiying leaning intimately against Shen Man, and Shen Man not dodging in the slightest.

The more she thought, the angrier she became. She picked up a nearby throw pillow and punched it forcefully a few times.

Shen Man finished cooking the meal and carried it out.

Looking at Lin Shu, she said with a smile, “Shushu, time for lunch.”

Lin Shu, her face cold, let out a huff.

She got up from the sofa and walked back to her room without a word.

Shen Man smiled, her eyes growing profound.

She sat down and ate lunch by herself.

Lin Shu returned to her room and lay on the bed.

She picked up her phone, mindlessly scrolling through web pages to divert her attention.

Suddenly, a message popped up from the company group chat. Lin Shu’s brow lowered.

After thinking for a moment, a calculating smile appeared on her lips.

She clicked on the person who sent the message and typed quickly, “Hand this design proposal over to me.”

“Understood, Director Lin.” The person replied in a hurry, as if startled.

He wondered why Lin Shu would need to personally handle such a small project, but given her usual authority, he didn’t dare to ask.

A plan quickly formed in Lin Shu’s mind.

She rolled over in bed and got up, her mood now cheerful.

She walked into the living room and saw Shen Man clearing the bowls and chopsticks. Her face immediately turned cold. “I haven’t eaten yet.”

Hearing her, Shen Man stopped her movements.

She turned to look at Lin Shu and said with a smile, “I’ll go get a bowl and chopsticks for you.”

Lin Shu sat down, her hands clasped together, propping up her chin.

She gazed in the direction of the kitchen and let out an arrogant laugh.

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