I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 137

Go Meet the Parents¹

Shushu is the Most Important

Shen Man drove, with Lin Shu in the passenger seat.

Just as they reached the residential complex, Lin Shu suddenly said, “Stop. I need to go buy something.”

Shen Man was about to say it wasn’t necessary, but seeing the nervous look on Lin Shu’s face, she just smiled and nodded.

“Wait here for me,” Lin Shu said, quickly hopping out of the car.

Leaning out the window, Shen Man watched her hurried figure retreat, a smile touching her eyes.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Gao Rou.

“Xiao Rou, where are you guys?” Shen Man asked, her voice cheerful.

Hearing the happiness in her tone, Gao Rou felt a small weight lift from her chest. She glanced at her mom and said, “We’re already downstairs. Biaojie², have you arrived?”

“Almost. I’m just picking something up,” Shen Man replied calmly.

“Manman, don’t buy anything! Just hurry over,” Xie Fei said, grabbing the phone. Her voice boomed through the receiver.

“Auntie, please just wait a moment,” Shen Man said politely.

After a few more pleasantries, Xie Fei handed the phone back to Gao Rou.

“Let Auntie know that I’m bringing a friend over today,” Shen Man said, her tone serene.

Gao Rou’s heart skipped a beat. She turned away, cupping her hand over the phone to whisper, “Biaojie, did you bring Director Lin?”

“Mhm,” Shen Man confirmed with a soft laugh. “Is that a problem?”

Gao Rou couldn’t find an answer. She mumbled a few vague words and quickly ended the call.

Clutching her phone, she turned to Xie Fei and said cautiously, “Mom, maybe we should come back another day. Biaojie has a friend visiting today.”

“So what if she has a friend? Why are you speaking so hesitantly, swallowing and spitting³ your words like that?” Xie Fei’s brows furrowed as she began to lecture her. “You’ve been working in the big city for so long. How can you still act so timid and afraid of things⁴? People will look down on you if they see that.”

Gao Rou lowered her head and listened obediently.

Shen Man parked the car downstairs and saw the angry expression on Xie Fei’s face. She got out and smiled. “Auntie, I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Manman, you’re finally here!” Xie Fei’s expression transformed in an instant, her face wreathed in smiles⁵. She nudged Gao Rou with her elbow. “Hurry up and greet her.”

“Biaojie,” Gao Rou mumbled, her eyes darting to the passenger seat before quickly looking away.

Seeing this, Lin Shu got out of the car, carrying a pile of expensive gifts.

She looked at Xie Fei and said, “Hello, Shen Man’s auntie. It’s a pleasure to meet you. This is a small gift. I hope you’ll accept it.”

“And you are?” Xie Fei asked, her eyes questioning Shen Man. “Gao Rou told me you had a friend coming.”

Shen Man nodded and wrapped an arm around Lin Shu’s shoulders. “Auntie,” she said with a smile, “this is my girlfriend, Lin Shu.”

“A friend who’s a girl, right?” Xie Fei’s expression froze, a strained smile appearing on her face.

“She’s my girlfriend. The kind you’re in a romantic relationship with,” Shen Man repeated, her eyes smiling but her voice and gaze firm.

Lin Shu’s heart hammered in her chest. Her long, slender fingers curled into a fist without her realizing.

At that answer, Xie Fei’s face turned ugly.

She stared at Lin Shu, her eyes raking over her from head to toe before finally landing on the faint red mark on her neck.

Lin Shu felt a prickle of discomfort under the intense scrutiny. She reached up and brushed a strand of hair forward, blocking the line of sight.

“Manman, I need to have a word with you,” Xie Fei said, her face cold and her eyes filled with disgust.

“Do you want to talk here, or upstairs?” Shen Man asked with a placid smile.

“I’ll go upstairs with you. Let them wait here,” Xie Fei said, unable to suppress the anger in her voice.

“Auntie, Shushu is my girlfriend,” Shen Man stated, her tone calm but non-negotiable. “Naturally, she’s coming inside with me.”

Xie Fei’s face twisted with shock and disappointment. “Manman,” she said loudly, “you used to be the most obedient child. You never gave me any trouble. How could a few years of school out here change you into this?”

“Dating a woman… What will people say about us? How am I supposed to face your parents?”

“Auntie, this is my business. I can’t control what idle gossip people spread, and I don’t care,” Shen Man said, looking directly at Xie Fei. “I won’t be going back there again. If you still acknowledge me as your niece⁶, you’re welcome to visit me during New Year’s and holidays⁷.”

“You…” Xie Fei trembled with rage, her lips quivering. “Manman, why are you so rebellious now? Did this woman corrupt you?”

“Auntie, I’ve always liked women. This has nothing to do with Shushu,” Shen Man said, her voice turning cold, shedding the respectful tone she’d used earlier. “Today, I am informing you of this. I don’t need anyone’s permission.”

“You…” Xie Fei’s face was ashen. Her gaze toward Lin Shu grew even more hateful. “If you don’t break things off cleanly with this woman, then I’ll consider myself to have no such niece.”

“Auntie, Shushu is the person I’ve chosen for myself. That will never change in this lifetime,” Shen Man said, her resolve absolute.

Lin Shu jolted at those words. She looked up at Shen Man’s perfect profile, and the frantic beating of her heart suddenly grew calm.

“Manman, nothing good will come from you being with a woman,” Xie Fei said, softening her tone as she tried to reason with her. “Not only will outsiders point their fingers at you, but even growing old will become a problem.”

“You can’t have children. You’re robbing yourself of the right to be a mother.”

“Auntie, I’m not a child. I know what I’m doing, and I know what I’ll have to face,” Shen Man said, her expression steady and composed. “Whether my future is good or bad, I will be the one to bear the consequences.”

“Since you put it that way, there’s no point in me trying to persuade you any further,” Xie Fei said angrily. She turned to Gao Rou. “We’re leaving.”

“Mom, Biaojie…” Gao Rou pleaded softly.

“Don’t you say a word! Come back with me,” Xie Fei yelled. As she walked away, she muttered, “Their hearts turn wild in the big city, learning all sorts of shameful things that cannot be seen by people⁸.”

Shen Man’s expression remained unchanged as she listened to the tirade—a classic example of pointing at the mulberry tree to curse the locust tree⁹.

Once Xie Fei’s figure disappeared, she turned her head to look at Lin Shu and smiled. “See? I told you there was no need to buy all this stuff.”

“Aren’t you going to go after them? Your aunt seemed really angry,” Lin Shu said, her voice soft and gentle.

“Does Shushu want me to go?” Shen Man asked with a playful smile.

Lin Shu froze.

She blinked, thought for a moment, then the corners of her lips curled up. “I’ll take care of you when we’re old.”

“You’re so silly, Shushu,” Shen Man murmured, leaning in to gently nip her white, delicate earlobe. “That’s not called taking care of me when we’re old. It’s called being with me until we’re old.”

The tip of Lin Shu’s ear flushed red, and her heart began to race uncontrollably.

She bit her lip, a happy light shining in her eyes. “You’ve become homeless because of me,” she said with a hint of playful pride. “I’ll be responsible for you.”

“How will you be responsible?” Shen Man asked, her gaze turning teasingly intimate.

Lin Shu was stumped. Blushing, she couldn’t come up with an answer and turned her head away. “I just will, that’s all.”

Shen Man chuckled and didn’t press further.

Taking the gifts from Lin Shu’s hands, she smiled. “We’ll stay here tonight.”

“Okay,” Lin Shu nodded obediently.

Shen Man carried the gifts upstairs.

After changing her shoes and putting the bags down, her phone buzzed with a new message from Gao Rou.

“Biaojie, I’m so sorry. My mom just can’t accept this right now, she was too emotional. I’ll talk to her, and I’m sure she’ll come around after a while.” Every character was steeped in apology.

Shen Man read the message and replied coolly, “Tell Auntie to take care of her health and not to get sick over my affairs. I’ll always remember the grace of her raising me¹⁰, and I’ll send money back every year.”

“Biaojie, are you really never planning to go back?” Gao Rou asked.

“No. You be extra filial to your mom for me. Let me know if you need anything,” Shen Man replied.

“If my mom comes around one day and can accept this, will you come back?” Gao Rou tried to persuade her.

“I won’t. You’re always welcome to come here if you need anything,” Shen Man wrote.

“Okay then,” Gao Rou typed, her head bowed with a sense of loss. “I’ll go to the company to resign the day after tomorrow, then I’ll go back to our hometown with my mom.”

Shen Man stared at the line for a moment before typing, “Do you want to stay here?”

“I want to take care of my mom, to make her a little happier,” Gao Rou replied with a soft sigh. “Maybe I’ll come back to the big city to work again someday.”

“Alright. Call me if you need anything,” Shen Man said, feeling a pang of sympathy for her cousin’s maturity.

“Thank you, Biaojie. I wish you and Director Lin a long and lasting happiness¹¹,” Gao Rou typed, adding a smiley face at the end.

“Thank you. If you ever run into trouble, your older cousin is here to help,” Shen Man replied, truly accepting this younger cousin into her heart.

“Who are you chatting with? You look so serious,” Lin Shu asked as she walked over.

Shen Man put her phone down and pulled Lin Shu into a hug. “I’ve always been alone,” she said softly. “Independent, but lonely. After coming here, I not only have Shushu, but also a true friend and a thoughtful cousin. I have family, friendship, and love—all of it.”

“Suddenly, I feel like heaven has been very good to me, giving me everything I ever wanted.”

“But I made you lose your family today,” Lin Shu said, her eyes downcast and filled with unease.

Shen Man let out a soft laugh, her fingers brushing through Lin Shu’s hair. “Don’t blame yourself, Shushu. This was inevitable. No one in this world can compare to you. I will always, only choose you.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu let out a breath of pure relief.

She pressed a kiss to Shen Man’s lips and broke into a happy smile.

Shen Man lowered her head and deepened the kiss.

Lin Shu’s red lips parted slightly, her eyes shimmering. “We already did it yesterday…” she whispered.

Before she could finish, she was pulled onto the sofa.

Lin Shu could feel that Shen Man was even more passionate today than she had been yesterday.

Those cool, clear eyes were flushed a deep red, and every single glance was utterly captivating.

“Shushu, you rest for a while. I’ll go make dinner,” Shen Man said after she had dressed, pulling a thin blanket over Lin Shu’s body.

Lin Shu let out a weak hum and curled onto her side.

The last rays of the setting sun streamed through the window, filling the entire apartment with a warm glow.

A soft laugh escaped Lin Shu’s lips as the deep-seated anxiety she had been harboring finally vanished.

Ever since yesterday, she had imagined this ‘meet the parents’ scenario countless times, mentally rehearsing the questions she would face and the answers she would give.

But in the end, she hadn’t needed to face a single one. Shen Man had stood in front of her, shielding her from all the wind and rain, giving her an unshakable sense of security and respect.

Meeting Shen Man was the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her in her entire life.

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