I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 123

Bringing Her a Meal

I am Director Lin’s friend

Shen Man rushed to the hospital as fast as she could.

Just as she stepped out of the elevator, she heard a harsh argument from not far away.

“It’s all your fault! If you didn’t always anger him, how could his health be so poor?” Feng Na berated loudly, devoid of her usual elegance.

Lin Shu sneered, “It was your son who pushed him down, causing him to faint and end up in the emergency room for resuscitation.”

“Don’t you talk nonsense eight ways¹ here. Xiao Jun would never harm his father,” Feng Na retorted hastily, a flicker of guilt flashing across her face.

Lin Jun stood behind her, his head lowered in fear, not daring to speak.

Shen Man walked over and smiled politely. “Auntie Feng, long time no see.”

“Why are you here?” Feng Na frowned, her gaze falling on Lin Shu as she said contemptuously, “It’s because of your improper relationship with this woman that your father was angered into sickness.”

“If he hadn’t married a homewrecker like you, he wouldn’t have had his life shortened,” Lin Shu, not willing to show weakness, retorted by turning her lips to mutually ridicule² her.

“You…” Feng Na’s face turned ashen with anger, her lips parted, unable to speak.

Shen Man turned her head away to hide the smile at the corner of her mouth.

Her eyes met Lin Shu’s, and she comforted her in a soft voice, “Shushu, don’t worry. Uncle Lin was fine last time, and he’ll definitely be fine this time too.”

“I’m not worried about her,” Lin Shu said coldly, crossing her arms.

“Family members, please keep it down. No shouting in the hallway,” a nurse said as she walked by.

“Okay, we were just too worried,” Feng Na said, retracting her fierce expression and speaking in a soft, low voice.

Lin Shu scoffed and walked over to the windowsill, gazing at the scenery outside.

Shen Man went over and stood quietly beside her.

Two hours passed, and the surgery was still ongoing.

Lin Shu let out a light breath and turned to walk toward the elevators.

Shen Man immediately followed behind her.

The two went downstairs together.

Lin Shu bought a bottle of water and sat on a hospital bench, feeling the evening breeze.

She looked up at the pitch-black sky and said slowly, “I used to be so afraid that my dad would leave me, but now I suddenly realize that even if he’s gone one day, I can still live on just fine.”

After saying this, she glanced at Shen Man, then quickly lowered her head.

Shen Man chuckled softly and put an arm around Lin Shu’s shoulders.

Lin Shu pressed her lips together but didn’t refuse.

“Shushu, were you the first one to call me?” Shen Man suddenly asked, her questioning tone laced with certainty.

Lin Shu’s heart panicked. She said quickly, “You call him Uncle Lin, so you have an obligation to come see him.”

Shen Man smiled and nodded, not pointing out the panic in Lin Shu’s eyes.

She affectionately pinched Lin Shu’s cheek and said softly, “Let’s go back up.”

Lin Shu gave an awkward “Mm.”

The two returned to the entrance of the operating room.

Feng Na shot them a glance, her expression filled with contempt.

Lin Shu snorted disdainfully and warned, “You’d better pray that he’s okay, or I won’t let your son off.”

“He’s Xiao Jun’s father. Of course, we hope he’s okay,” Feng Na yelled, then turned her head away.

Lin Shu scoffed, her eyes fixed on the light of the operating room.

Shen Man stood beside her, giving her a comforting look.

After waiting for more than six hours, the surgery finally ended.

“How is my dad?” Lin Shu asked calmly.

“He’s been resuscitated, but the patient is still in a coma. The situation isn’t very optimistic, and he needs continued observation,” the doctor said.

Lin Shu nodded, accepting this outcome.

Upon hearing this, Feng Na burst into tears, tightly gripping the doctor’s arm. “You have to cure him! No matter how much it costs, we can afford it.”

“Mrs. Lin, please calm down,” the doctor soothed.

Lin Shu frowned in displeasure at hearing this title.

She glanced at Feng Na and coldly reprimanded her, “Don’t lose face and show ugliness³ here.”

A look of embarrassment flashed across Feng Na’s face.

She let go of the doctor’s arm, tidied her hair, and put on an apologetic expression. “Doctor, you must save my husband. What will my son and I do without him…”

“Please rest assured, we will do our very best,” the doctor said.

As soon as he finished speaking, several nurses pushed Lin Huai out and headed toward the intensive care unit.

Lin Shu followed behind, her small face tense, not saying a word.

Shen Man accompanied her, saying softly, “Shushu, you should rest for a while.”

“I’m not sleepy,” Lin Shu shook her head, her eyes fixed on the room number.

“Lean on me and sleep for a bit. Maybe when you wake up, Uncle Lin will be awake too,” Shen Man said, pulling Lin Shu to sit down.

Lin Shu’s body was rigid; she didn’t move.

Shen Man smiled, put an arm around Lin Shu’s shoulders, and pressed her into her embrace. “Sleep for a while.”

Lin Shu didn’t refuse. Smelling the pleasant fragrance, she blinked her eyes and slowly relaxed her body.

In a short while, her eyelids closed, and steady breathing could be heard from her.

Shen Man lowered her head and gently brushed the stray hairs from Lin Shu’s face.

After a nap, Lin Shu felt much more refreshed.

She opened her eyes and saw a perfect side profile.

“Shushu, you’re awake,” Shen Man said softly. “The doctor came by just now. He said that if Uncle Lin doesn’t wake up, he might be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life.”

Hearing this news, Lin Shu sat up in surprise.

After a moment, her expression calmed, and she said indifferently, “I understand.”

Seeing Lin Shu’s calm little face, Shen Man felt relieved and said in a low voice, “The arrangements for Uncle Lin’s follow-up care have been made. There will be specialized staff here to look after him.”

“What you need to do now is to pull yourself together and take good control of the company’s affairs.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu’s fine brows furrowed slightly, and she let out a light scoff. “That woman Feng Na just wants our Lin family’s assets. Now that Old Man Lin has been turned into a vegetable by her son, I will definitely pursue this responsibility. I will never let them succeed.”

“I already have the complete video as evidence in my hands.”

“Shushu is so amazing,” Shen Man praised with a smile, as if coaxing a child.

Lin Shu shot her a dissatisfied glare, stood up, and asked coldly, “Don’t you have to work?”

“I’ve taken leave. I don’t have to work for a while,” Shen Man said, her expression relaxed.

Upon hearing this, Lin Shu quickly understood the meaning behind her words.

She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but when she met the smile in Shen Man’s eyes, she consciously swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue.

“Thank you for last night,” Lin Shu said haughtily, turning around.

Towards the end, her voice became extremely soft.

“You’re welcome,” Shen Man said with a smile, looking directly into Lin Shu’s eyes. “If there’s anything you need help with, you can tell me anytime.”

“Whether it’s for public or private matters.”

“I have the ability to handle it myself,” Lin Shu said, her eyes filled with confidence. “As for you, you’d better think about how to keep your job.”

“I know what I’m doing,” Shen Man replied with a light laugh.

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With no need to work, Shen Man had a lot more free time.

After breakfast, she turned on the TV and watched the news report about the Lin Group.

In the video, which was less than a minute long, Lin Shu was dressed in a high-end black suit, getting out of a car under the protection of security personnel.

Her beautiful and cold face was expressionless. Even through the screen, one could feel the powerful aura surrounding her.

Shen Man smiled and paused the frame.

She got up, poured a cup of tea, and took out her phone to browse news about the Lin family.

By now, the news of Lin Huai’s critical illness had blotted out the sky and covered the earth⁴ online.

All the major marketing accounts had reported on it, even adding oil and vinegar⁵ by chatting about the Lin family’s property dispute.

Shen Man watched the discussions in the comment sections that had reason and evidence as she slowly sipped her tea.

Recently, Lin Shu had been handling all of the Lin Group’s external affairs, with no sign of Lin Jun at all, which was enough to demonstrate Lin Shu’s current status.

Her worries were completely unnecessary.

After resting at home for a month, Shen Man went to the company to submit her resignation letter.

She went straight to the CEO’s office, saw Tian Meiying sitting in her old seat, and said with a smile, “Director Tian, please sign this.”

Tian Meiying gave a triumphant sneer, signed the document quickly, tossed it aside, and said arrogantly, “From today on, you are no longer ‘Director Shen’.”

“Mm,” Shen Man responded faintly, not caring in the slightest.

After completing the normal resignation process, Shen Man was in a cheerful mood.

She took out her phone and called Lin Shu. “Shushu, how have you been lately?”

“How else could I be? I’m so busy every day I don’t even have time to eat,” Lin Shu said, her complaining tone unconsciously carrying a hint of coquettishness.

“What do you want to eat for lunch today? I’ll make it and bring it over to you,” Shen Man said with a smile.

Hearing this, Lin Shu couldn’t help but swallow.

This past month, in order to stabilize the company, she had been working day and night and had barely eaten a proper meal.

Now that Shen Man mentioned it, she couldn’t help but miss the dishes Shen Man used to make.

“I want sweet and sour fish, braised beef…” Lin Shu reeled off a series of meat dishes.

Listening to her, Shen Man could not help but break into a smile. “Shushu, you need to eat more vegetables.”

“I don’t like vegetables,” Lin Shu said, puffing out her cheeks. While signing a document, she said quickly, “I don’t care, I just want to eat these dishes.”

“If you don’t make them, then don’t bother bringing anything.”

“Alright, I’ll make a little of each for you,” Shen Man said dotingly, her expression gentle.

“Mm,” Lin Shu replied naturally, hung up the phone, and continued to handle her work.

Shen Man stood where she was, slightly dazed, momentarily having the illusion that she was a virtuous wife.

She hooked her lips into a slight smile and drove to buy groceries.

After making lunch, Shen Man carefully packed it into compartmentalized containers.

She drove to the building of Lin Shu’s company, carried the beautiful lunch bag to the front desk, and said, “I’m looking for your Director Lin.”

“Do you have an appointment?” the receptionist asked politely.

“No,” Shen Man chuckled, holding up the lunch container in her hand. “This is the takeout your Director Lin personally ordered.”

The receptionist was a little surprised. Just as she was about to speak, she received a call.

“Yes, Director Lin.” She nodded respectfully and made a “please go ahead” gesture to Shen Man.

“Thank you,” Shen Man smiled slightly and walked toward the elevator with the lunch container.

Along the way, people cast surprised and curious glances at her, but no one came forward to ask.

Shen Man arrived in front of Lin Shu’s office and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Lin Shu’s cold voice came from inside.

Shen Man opened the door and walked in with a smile.

She placed the lunch container on the coffee table and said, “Shushu, come and eat lunch. It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

“I know,” Lin Shu said, her small face tense, but her tone softened unconsciously.

She turned off her computer, got up, and walked over to sit on the sofa.

Shen Man opened the lunch container, took out the small dishes from inside, and arranged them on the table.

Lin Shu looked at the full eight bowls of food, a little surprised. “Why did you make so much?”

“These are all the things you said you wanted to eat for lunch today,” Shen Man replied with a smile.

A warmth spread through Lin Shu’s heart. The corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl up as she asked awkwardly, “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet,” Shen Man said.

“I can’t finish all this food. You eat too,” Lin Shu said, her face slightly red.

Shen Man chuckled softly, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat slowly.

Just as the two finished their lunch, the office door was pushed open.

Feng Na stood outside with an angry expression on her face.

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