I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 15

Plan to Do Bad

Saw through her thoughts with one glance

After class ended, Shen Man walked in front of Shao Qi.

The noisy classroom instantly quieted down, pairs of eyes looked at the two of them.

Shen Man’s expression was indifferent. She knocked on Shao Qi’s desk, placed the gift box on it, and said in a calm tone of voice, “Thank you for your gift, please take it back.”

Shao Qi raised his head, glanced with an indifferent gaze, then lay his head down again, and said coldly, “If you don’t want it, then throw it away.”

Shen Man lowered her eyes, turned and left.

That exquisite gift box lay quietly on Shao Qi’s desk, attracting many surprised and jealous gazes.

Shen Man returned to her seat and looked through the content the teacher taught in the last class.

The surrounding classmates began to discuss in low voices one after another, the topic of discussion was inseparable from the matter just now.

Not until the class bell rang did these noisy sounds stop.

Shen Man paid attention in class.

From the front, a resentful gaze was cast over from time to time. When it met her line of sight, it would proudly turn its head away.

Shen Man chuckled lightly, took her own notes, and ignored Lin Shu.

For the entire day of classes today, Lin Shu deliberately sat far away from Shen Man and did not say another word.

After classes ended, Shen Man got into Tan Kai’s car.

Lin Shu stood to the side, the expression on her face cold.

“What’s wrong with you today? Who made you angry?” Tan Kai asked with a smile.

Lin Shu glanced at Shen Man and did not speak.

Shen Man knew the reason in her heart, curled her lips into a smile, and asked, “Are you going back to eat dinner tonight?”

“Who wants to eat with you,” Lin Shu answered irritably, her gaze turning to Tan Kai, “I have plans with friends, bye-bye.”

“Alright, go back early, don’t stay out playing too late,” Tan Kai instructed, and after speaking, started the car.

Lin Shu stared at the two’s car as it left, rolled her eyes, and turned to walk towards the milk tea shop.

At this time, a few people were sitting scattered about in the milk tea shop.

Lin Shu’s gaze swept around, finally landing on a corner against the wall.

Two people were sitting there, Yan Jie and Ding Xi.

Ding Xi was the first to stand up, smiling and waving at Lin Shu, “Lin Shu-jie, over here.”

Lin Shu walked over, threw her schoolbag onto the table, making a thud sound.

Her body leaned back, slumping against the chair, a look of displeasure on her face.

“Lin Shu-jie, what’s wrong?” Ding Xi asked carefully, picking up the schoolbag and placing it to the side.

“It must be Shen Man,” Yan Jie said immediately, a flash of jealousy in her eyes. “The matter of Shao Qi giving her a gift today has spread all over the school.”

“I heard, she even pretended to be aloof and didn’t accept it. This woman, she really doesn’t know good from bad¹,” Yan Jie said, becoming more and more angry.

Lin Shu snorted coldly, glanced at the two of them, and said irritably, “Don’t mention it, I don’t want to hear her name.”

“Lin Shu-jie, you can’t let her off so easily.” Yan Jie said with a righteous expression, and upon meeting Lin Shu’s displeased gaze, she hurriedly said, “You and Shao Qi are a match made in heaven². It’s all because of her appearance that she stole something that belongs to you. We have to teach her a lesson.”

The expression on Lin Shu’s face loosened. She thought for a moment, sat up straight, and asked in a low voice, “How do we teach her a lesson?”

“We can do this…” Yan Jie revealed a wicked smile and lowered her voice to state the plan.

After Lin Shu finished listening, she was a bit hesitant.

“Lin Shu-jie, you can’t be soft-hearted towards her. She was the one who tried to steal Shao Qi first,” Yan Jie incited.

“Right, it’s her fault.” Lin Shu instantly made up her mind, her gaze becoming firm.

Ding Xi looked left and right at the two of them, not daring to speak.

Lin Shu’s mood relaxed, and she ordered a cup of milk tea.

Fantasizing in her heart about the success of the plan, an excited smile appeared on her face.

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After Shen Man finished dinner, she happened to hear the doorbell ring.

She walked over and opened the door, and saw Lin Shu standing outside, her schoolbag slung casually on her shoulder, a brilliant smile on her small face.

This enthusiastic appearance, compared to her unresponsive and dismissive manner³ during the day, was like two different people.

A glint flashed in Shen Man’s eyes. She turned sideways and let the person in.

“Tomorrow is the head teacher’s⁴ class, you have to go to the office first, right?” Lin Shu asked with a smile, standing in the entryway after changing her shoes.

Shen Man nodded.

Lin Shu’s eyes lit up, and she said happily, “Let me help you take your schoolbag over, so you don’t have to make an extra trip.”

Hearing this, Shen Man’s lips curled up, in a way that seemed to be a smile yet not a smile.

For the young miss who always needed people to wait on her to suddenly take the initiative to help, one could know the cat’s greasiness⁵ hidden within without even using one’s brain.

Meeting Shen Man’s smiling eyes, Lin Shu for a moment had a sense of panic from being seen through.

She feigned annoyance and said, “Do you want my help or not? If you don’t, then forget it.”

After speaking, she glared at Shen Man, with an attitude that did not permit refusal.

Shen Man chuckled lightly, her scrutinizing gaze lingering on Lin Shu’s face for two seconds, then she nodded and said, “How could I dare to refuse the young miss’s kind intentions?”

“That’s good then.” Lin Shu arrogantly turned her head, holding the schoolbag in her hand, her walking posture almost with the same hand and foot moving together⁶.

Shen Man stood behind watching, did not remind her, and only found it amusing.

In her eyes, Lin Shu’s cute and laughable little face was just short of having the four characters ‘I have a problem’ clearly written on it.

Yet the person involved was still being clever in her own way⁷, thinking she had not revealed any flaws.

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Shen Man slept comfortably for a night.

Waking up early, she finished washing up and sat at the table eating breakfast.

Lin Shu walked over, rarely showing a smile, and said, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Shen Man replied with a smile, passing the congee beside her to Lin Shu, and said, “This is your congee, Auntie He specially added shredded pork inside.”

“Thank you.” Lin Shu smiled, revealing her white teeth.

Shen Man did not move in sound or color⁸.

The two finished eating their congee.

Shen Man holding a napkin, slowly and methodically wiped the corner of her mouth, glanced at Lin Shu, and gave a smile with deep meaning. “I read a book yesterday, and there was a sentence in it that left a deep impression on me.”

“What sentence?” Lin Shu asked.

“When things are out of the ordinary, there must be a demon⁹,” Shen Man said, raising an eyebrow, her smile brimming, and deliberately emphasizing the last three characters.

Lin Shu nodded in agreement, “I’ve heard that sentence too.”

Shen Man waited for a while, but did not see an expression of guilt or panic on Lin Shu’s face.

She instantly understood that Lin Shu had not at all understood her sound beyond the strings¹⁰.

Shen Man smiled, stood up, picked up the schoolbag behind her, and said in a pleasant mood, “Shushu, since you want to help me carry my schoolbag so much, why not help me now?”

Lin Shu’s brows furrowed. She struggled for a few seconds, squeezed out a smile, and said, “Okay.”

She said, then went to take the schoolbag. The moment she took it, her wrist sank, and she was pulled forward by the weight of the bag.

Shen Man watched with smiling eyes as the young girl showed an unguarded expression of surprise, and easily and naturally supported the body that was about to fall, saying with a smile, “Be careful.”

Lin Shu steadied herself, rubbed her sore wrist, and asked angrily, “Why is your schoolbag so heavy?”

“I put some fruit and snacks in the schoolbag, planning to eat them during the break between classes,” Shen Man answered, calm and composed. She paused, then added, “If you think it’s heavy, then I’d better carry it myself.”

When Lin Shu heard this, she immediately became anxious, put away the anger on her face, and said with a smile, “It’s not heavy, I’ll help you carry it.”

“Thank you.” Shen Man smiled, no longer being falsely polite, and after speaking, walked out feeling light and relaxed.

Lin Shu followed behind, carrying her own schoolbag on her back and carrying Shen Man’s schoolbag with both hands.

The two got into Tan Kai’s car. Lin Shu threw Shen Man’s schoolbag to the side and secretly rubbed her own wrist.

Tan Kai saw this and asked with a smile, “I say, Lin Shu, how are you so kind today as to help Shen Man carry her schoolbag?”

“None of your business!” Lin Shu retorted irritably. Meeting Shen Man’s gaze, she immediately turned her head away guiltily.

Shen Man chuckled lightly and said to Tan Kai, “I need to go to the head teacher’s office later.”

“Okay, I’ll drive you there directly,” Tan Kai replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Lin Shu immediately stopped him, “You take me to the classroom first, then take Shen Man over.”

Tan Kai looked at Shen Man, asking for her opinion with his eyes.

Shen Man nodded with a smile.

“Alright then, I’ll take you first,” Tan Kai said.

Lin Shu was slightly dissatisfied and muttered in a low voice, “Why ask for her opinion first?”

Tan Kai was starting the car, and the sound of the engine covered her voice.

No one answered this question.

Lin Shu looked at the schoolbag beside her and became even more firm in her inner thoughts.

Shen Man saw the flash of ruthlessness on the young girl’s face in the rearview mirror, and the amusement in her eyes deepened.

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