I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 16

Drawing a Line

The two people’s noses were almost touching

Tan Kai brought Lin Shu to the academic building.

Lin Shu got out of the car, carrying Shen Man’s schoolbag on her back, her own schoolbag in one hand, smiling as she waved at the two of them.

“Why is Lin Shu so strange today?” Tan Kai asked in a small voice.

“Is she?” Shen Man chuckled lightly.

Tan Kai hurriedly shook his head and turned the car around.

Seeing Tan Kai’s car disappear from sight, the smile on Lin Shu’s face turned cold. She put down her own schoolbag, her shoulders slumped down, and she stretched both her hands backward and joined them together.

With a THUD!, Shen Man’s schoolbag quickly slid off her shoulder and fell onto the hard ground.

Lin Shu lifted her foot, preparing to stomp on it a couple of times to vent her anger, but after thinking about it, she held back.

She stood up straight, put on her own schoolbag, and took out her phone to make a call, “Yan Jie, I’ve already arrived, where are you?”

“I’m coming,” Yan Jie said, waving to signal.

Lin Shu hung up the phone, kicked the schoolbag on the ground, and said with a smile, “You carry it.”

Yan Jie picked it up and frowned, “Why is her schoolbag so heavy?”

“It’s filled with some food,” Lin Shu said, an excited and thrilled expression appearing on her face. “Don’t worry about that, hurry up and throw it in the washroom.”

“Okay,” Yan Jie laughed.

The two of them arrived at the washroom. Yan Jie opened the schoolbag, poured out the fruit and snacks inside, and said in surprise, “No wonder it’s so heavy, she packed a lot of fruit.”

“Lin Shu-jie, she must have stolen the fruit from your house to curry favor with classmates. Her intentions are truly bad.”

Lin Shu snorted and urged, “It’s just a little fruit, I don’t care about it anyway. Hurry up, it would be bad if someone saw us.”

Yan Jie hurriedly put the fruit and snacks into her own schoolbag, then held Shen Man’s schoolbag under the faucet.

Watching the stream of water pour into the schoolbag and the water level gradually rise, Yan Jie smiled smugly. When it was almost full, she closed the schoolbag and said excitedly, “This schoolbag of hers is waterproof. It’s perfect for filling with water. The water won’t leak out, and it will soak her books until they’re ruined.”

“Good, let’s go quickly,” Lin Shu smiled with satisfaction.

The two of them left furtively, leaving only Shen Man’s schoolbag behind on the washbasin counter.

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Shen Man returned to the classroom and at first glance, saw Lin Shu sitting in the last row, chatting with the surrounding classmates with a brilliant smile.

When their gazes met, Lin Shu quickly averted her eyes.

Shen Man smiled, walked over, and asked, “Shushu, where is my schoolbag?”

“Ah?” Lin Shu stood up in surprise, reached out to tuck the hair behind her ear, blinked her eyes, and as if she had suddenly remembered, said loudly, “I seem to have… forgotten it in the washroom.”

“Let me go get it for you.” Her tone softened again, her eyes filled with guilt.

Shen Man was amused by this clumsy acting, shook her head, and said with a smile, “No need, I’ll go get it myself.”

“I should still go with you, it’s all my fault for being so careless,” Lin Shu said, hurriedly keeping pace with Shen Man.

Arriving at the washroom, Shen Man saw her schoolbag at a glance, toppled over crookedly, the water on the washbasin counter having soaked the outside of the bag.

Shen Man estimated that the inside was also wet.

She walked over and opened the schoolbag, and a bagful of water immediately spilled out.

Shen Man was already prepared and dodged it nimbly. She turned back to look at Lin Shu, her gaze turning cold, “Shushu, why is my schoolbag full of water? What about the fruit and snacks inside?”

Lin Shu felt a pang of fear in her heart, turned her head away to look outside, feigning an air of having nothing to do with it. “How would I know? I accidentally forgot it here, how would I know who did it?”

As she spoke, her tone gradually shifted from guilt-ridden to one of righteous confidence.

Shen Man smiled, her body closing in on Lin Shu, danger hidden in her deep, dark eyes.

Lin Shu subconsciously retreated, frightened in her heart, but on the surface, she still forced herself to remain calm, glaring at Shen Man and saying loudly, “What are you trying to do?”

“My schoolbag ended up like this, you have to bear half of the responsibility,” Shen Man said, placing one hand on the door panel, blocking Lin Shu’s way.

Lin Shu met that pair of cold eyes, her body involuntarily stiffening. Sticking her neck out, she refused to bow her head, “On what grounds should I be responsible?”

Shen Man pressed closer, their noses almost touching.

Four eyes met, their warm breaths intertwining.

Lin Shu’s heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably, the THUMP THUMP sound resounding in her ears, and also seeming to explode in her mind.

Her whole body began to radiate heat, her fair little face was steamed until it was bright red, and her long eyelashes trembled a few times before drooping uneasily.

“Shushu, my books are unusable now. Later, we will share your book,” Shen Man said, her voice low and carrying a hint of a smile.

Hearing this, Lin Shu wanted to refuse, but as soon as she looked up and met Shen Man’s stunningly beautiful face, which was right before her eyes¹, she lowered her head again, remaining silent.

Shen Man curled her lips in satisfaction, released her hand, stepped back two paces, and said with a smile, “Then it’s decided. You go back first, take your schoolbag, and sit in the front row.”

The pressure around her disappeared. Lin Shu breathed a sigh of relief and left as if she were escaping.

Shen Man walked to the washbasin counter, looking at the books soaked with water, the corners of her lips hooking up slightly.

These were all some magazines, all of which Lin Shu had previously read and left in the living room.

As long as one was a little more careful, they could be distinguished.

Shen Man smiled, poured out the water from inside the schoolbag, and put the magazines back.

Footsteps were heard from behind.

Shen Man turned her head and saw it was a female classmate from her class.

“Class President, did someone bully you?” the female classmate asked carefully, her gaze falling on the wet schoolbag. “Class President, do you want me to help you tell the Head Teacher?”

“It’s nothing, I accidentally got it wet myself while washing my hands,” Shen Man said with a light chuckle.

The slightly upturned corners of her lips were pure and harmless.

The female classmate was a bit disbelieving and said in a small voice, “I saw Lin Shu go out just now, the expression on her face was strange, could it be her…”

“Don’t overthink it,” Shen Man shook her head, interrupting her, and said with a smile, “I’m leaving first. You mustn’t speak carelessly about this matter.”

The female classmate instantly felt a trace of a threat from that smile and nodded obediently.

Shen Man carried the schoolbag, walking slowly down the corridor.

When she reached the classroom door, she ran into Tan Kai who was coming from outside.

Tan Kai glanced at the dripping schoolbag, frowned, and said loudly, “Shen Man, who got your schoolbag wet? I’ll teach them a lesson for you.”

Shen Man shook her head, looked into the classroom, and saw Lin Shu in the front row.

Lin Shu had her head down, the textbook on the desk in front of her was open, and she seemed to be reading.

Tan Kai immediately walked over, placed one hand on Lin Shu’s book, his handsome face full of anger, and said with his head lowered, “Lin Shu, you’re always with Shen Man, do you know who got Shen Man’s schoolbag wet?”

“How would I know?” Lin Shu’s eyes widened as she answered loudly, forcefully hitting Tan Kai’s arm once, and said with dissatisfaction, “You go away, don’t hinder my reading.”

Tan Kai moved aside, looked at Shen Man, and asked with concern, “Are you okay? Did the books get wet?”

“Thank you for your concern, Shushu has already agreed to lend me her book to use,” Shen Man said with a smile, her gaze turning to Lin Shu.

Tan Kai also looked over.

Lin Shu endured the pressure of the two gazes, nodded, glared at Tan Kai, and said irritably, “What are you shouting blindly for? Shen Man already said it’s nothing.”

“I was just being concerned,” Tan Kai said, a smile appearing on his face. “Lin Shu, you’re really strange today.”

After saying that, he was afraid Lin Shu would hit him, so he quickly ran away.

Lin Shu continued to read, holding a pen in her hand, and drew a mark in the book.

Shen Man sat down, placed her schoolbag on the floor, glanced over at Lin Shu, and asked with a smile, “Shushu, you’re really amazing, you can even read a book upside down.”

“None of your business!” Lin Shu’s face flushed red, and she quickly closed the book with her left hand, pressing it down with a THUD!.

Her movements were fast and rushed, so much so that her right hand holding the pen didn’t even have time to be pulled out. That action solidly hit her right hand, which happened to hit the pen, and the pen knocked against her hand, causing a secondary injury.

“Hiss…” Lin Shu frowned, her small face contorted in pain.

Shen Man watched with a smile filling her eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Lin Shu was both in pain and angry. She slowly pulled out her hand and gently blew on the injured spot.

Shen Man withdrew her gaze and leaned over to sit.

Lin Shu subconsciously leaned her body away and asked warily, “Why are you leaning so close to me?”

“We have to share a book, sitting closer is more convenient,” Shen Man answered with a smile, reaching out to take the book.

Lin Shu watched that slender finger pick up the book that belonged to her, preparing to scold.

Meeting Shen Man’s smiling gaze, she instantly swallowed all her words, snorted, and said, “You can use my book, but you are not allowed to cross this line.”

Lin Shu spoke, she drew a line on the desk with her finger.

Shen Man smiled, pointed at her own soaked schoolbag, and showed a troubled expression on her face, “Shushu, why don’t you use my book? Anyway, you don’t take notes in class, so it’s still usable even if it’s a little wet.”

“I would never use your book,” Lin Shu immediately refused, like an enraged kitten, forcefully spreading open her own book with both hands. “Who says I don’t take notes?”

“Alright then, you take notes, I’ll watch,” Shen Man said, going along with it.

Lin Shu choked, wanting to go back on her word, but not wanting to lose face, she could only harden her scalp² and pick up the pen.

The class bell rang, and the Head Teacher walked into the classroom.

Seeing Lin Shu sitting in the front row, he was slightly surprised, and praised with a smile, “Everyone should learn more from classmate Lin Shu and listen attentively in class.”

Lin Shu was famous in the class for not liking to study.

These words of praise sounded more like mockery in Lin Shu’s ears. Her face rapidly turned red, and her eyes didn’t know where to look.

Shen Man pressed the back of her hand to her lips, letting out a low laugh.

Lin Shu heard the sound, glared over angrily, her red lips pursed lightly, and she issued a warning in a small voice, “No laughing!”

Shen Man immediately restrained her smile, the expression on her face becoming serious and solemn, as if she were about to listen to the lecture.

Only then was Lin Shu satisfied, and she moved the book halfway over.

The Head Teacher began the class.

Lin Shu listened for a few minutes and only wrote a few words in the book.

She was bored and wanted to sleep, but when she turned her head and met Shen Man’s serious gaze, she was instantly stimulated, her spirits jolted, and she continued to listen to the class.

Not even five minutes later, her thoughts had drifted off somewhere, and the pen in her hand was tapping intermittently.

Suddenly, her arm was pushed by someone.

Lin Shu came back to her senses, looked at Shen Man with dissatisfaction, and questioned her with her eyes.

“The teacher is explaining a key point, hurry and write it down,” Shen Man reminded.

Lin Shu pouted unhappily and passed the pen over, “If you want to take notes, you do it.”

Shen Man raised an eyebrow, smiled, and said, “I can’t cross that line.”

Lin Shu was choked up, paused for a few seconds, and said, “You can only cross it for this class.”

Only then did Shen Man take the pen, listening to the lecture and taking notes very seriously.

Lin Shu was propping up her head and zoning out, her mind wandering for half the class. When she came back to her senses, she discovered Shen Man’s arm was pressed against her arm.

The two of them had their shoulders pressed against each other, without the slightest gap in between.

Shen Man’s smooth, jet-black hair fell on her wrist, creating a strong visual contrast with her snow-white skin.

Lin Shu instantly felt her wrist itch, and the place where they touched felt as if it had been scalded, rapidly heating up.

She hurriedly moved aside, folded her hands together, and carefully scratched the itch.

Shen Man noticed this movement, curled her lips into a smile, and asked in a small voice, “Shushu, what’s wrong?”

Lin Shu shot her a white-eyed glance, ignored her, and pulled away a little more distance.

Seeing this, Shen Man reminded her, “If you move any further, you’re going to fall off.”

Lin Shu froze, her body slightly stiff, and sat in an awkward posture.

One class finally ended.

Lin Shu quietly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and walked toward the back.

After a short while, she came back with Tan Kai’s book, tossed it in front of Shen Man, and said, “You use Tan Kai’s book.”

“I only want to use your book,” Shen Man curled her lips, her eyes smiling, and her deliberately lowered voice carried a hint of ambiguity.

Lin Shu froze, a flash of unnaturalness crossed her face, and she quickly said, “Whatever you want, anyway, I’m going to sit somewhere else.”

She finished speaking, she hurriedly walked away.

Shen Man smiled slightly and did not stop her.

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