I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 18

Resplendent as a Rose

I prefer bullying girls

Shen Man stood outside the door, holding a book in her hand.

After waiting for a while, the door was opened a crack, revealing a pair of arrogant almond eyes.

“What do you want from me?” Lin Shu asked in an unfriendly tone.

Shen Man smiled lightly, handed the book over, and said, “I’ve finished copying the notes. Here’s your book back.”

Lin Shu’s brows furrowed. She paused for two seconds, unable to contain her anger.

She forcefully opened the door, glaring at Shen Man, her fair and tender little face flushed red with anger. “Shen Man, you’re deliberately messing with me! Your book wasn’t damaged at all.”

“How would I dare to mess with the Young Miss?” Shen Man asked back with a smile, her delicate eyes and brows tinged with a coldness that carried a sense of pressure. “Since the Young Miss wants to play, I am naturally happy to keep you company.”

“You…” Lin Shu was taken aback, her imposing manner instantly weakening. Biting her lip, she took her book.

BANG! The door was forcefully shut, seemingly carrying an unresigned anger.

Shen Man stood outside, smiled, and turned to go back to her own room.

The book that belonged to her lay quietly on the desk.

A gust of wind blew over, happening to turn the book to the page with the notes.

Shen Man sat down, her long, slender fingers pressing on the corner of the book.

She stared at the notes she had made not long ago, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

To Lin Shu, those magazines that were ruined by water were not worth mentioning.

But she, on the other hand, had copied the same notes twice and even got her schoolbag wet.

All things considered, she was the one who lost out.

Actually, she could have played Lin Shu around in circles without paying any price.
Yet, in the end, she chose this stupid method of ‘injuring the enemy by one thousand while losing eight hundred’¹.

Shen Man let out a light laugh, closed the book, stood up, and walked to the balcony.

The wind from outside the window, carrying a hint of coolness, stirred the strands of her hair. She casually tied up her beautiful hair, gazing at the green plants interspersed among the various tall buildings.

Shen Man stood for a while and felt a trace of coldness wash over her.

She turned around and returned to her room.

The phone on the desk rang.

Shen Man walked over and saw the caller ID was ‘Tan Kai’.

When the ringing was about to end, she picked it up and spoke in a faint tone, “Is there something?”

“There’s a basketball game tomorrow afternoon. I was wondering if you’re free to come and watch,” Tan Kai said with a laugh, his voice tinged with nervousness.

“Sorry, I have something to do tomorrow,” Shen Man replied.

“What is it?” Tan Kai asked.

Shen Man was silent.

A few seconds of silence.

Tan Kai still mustered his courage and persuaded with a smile, “Class Monitor, a basketball game doesn’t take that long. Just go and cheer us on. If you really don’t like it, you can leave then, okay?”

The boy’s change of address betrayed his nervousness and caution.

Shen Man frowned.

“Shushu and the other girls from our class will be there too,” Tan Kai continued to persuade.

Shen Man paused, made an ‘en’ sound, and agreed.

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Tan Kai’s basketball game was at five in the afternoon, against students from another department.

After the last class ended.

Tan Kai excitedly walked to Shen Man’s desk and said with a smile, “Class Monitor, you should go with Lin Shu later.”

“Why should I go with her?” Lin Shu retorted, dissatisfied.

Shen Man smiled and said, “You guys go first. I have something to do, I need to make a trip to the head teacher’s office.”

“Okay.” Tan Kai immediately nodded with a smile, then looked back at Lin Shu. “Save a seat for Shen Man.”

Lin Shu shot him a sideways glance, her little face even more displeased. “Why should I save a seat for her?”

“You’re good friends, don’t be so stingy. Help save a seat, please,” Tan Kai persuaded with a smile.

Lin Shu didn’t say anything, just huffed and walked out with her schoolbag on her back.

Shen Man packed up her textbooks and got up to go to the head teacher’s office.

After half an hour, she finished her business.

She walked out the door with her schoolbag and came face to face with a girl coming out of another office.

Their gazes met.

Shen Man revealed a smile and said, “Yin Ruxu, what are you doing here?”

“I was helping to deliver homework,” Yin Ruxu smiled gently, naturally walking to Shen Man’s side, and said in a soft voice, “Are you heading back now?”

“I’m going to the basketball court,” Shen Man replied.

“I heard there’s an exciting basketball game today, I was just planning to go watch too.” Yin Ruxu chuckled lightly, tilting her head to look at Shen Man. “Let’s go together.”

“Okay,” Shen Man nodded.

The two went downstairs together and walked towards the basketball court.

There were people playing basketball on the court every day.

When passing by, one could always see those vibrant and energetic boys sweating on the court.

In the stands, there was never a shortage of girls’ figures.

Today was exceptionally lively.

The stands were filled with people, most of whom were beautifully dressed girls.

On the huge court, only two teams were competing. The other basketball courts were empty, and many boys in jerseys were sitting in the stands, some still holding basketballs.

Shen Man raised her eyes, scanned the area, and quickly found Lin Shu in a central position.

Lin Shu was cupping her chin with both hands. Her long, snow-white thighs were exposed from under her short white skirt. Her delicate and noble appearance was extremely conspicuous in the sea of people in the stands.

Two girls were sitting to her left, Yan Jie and Ding Xian.

“There are so many people. It seems we’re late, there are no seats left,” Yin Ruxu said softly.

“Let’s go over and see, maybe there’s a seat,” Shen Man said with a smile, walking in Lin Shu’s direction.

Yin Ruxu followed behind.

Lin Shu turned her head, her gaze meeting Shen Man’s, and incidentally saw Yin Ruxu.

She rolled her eyes disdainfully, propped her head on her hand, and watched the game ahead without looking sideways.

Shen Man approached.

She immediately saw that there was an empty seat to Lin Shu’s right, with a bottle of water placed on it.

“Ah, there’s only one seat,” Yin Ruxu said in a small voice, a trace of disappointment on her pretty face. She looked at Shen Man and said, “You sit. I’ll go look for a seat somewhere else.”

“This seat was saved for Shen Man in the first place. Don’t say it as if you’re the one giving it up,” Lin Shu turned her head, staring at Yin Ruxu with a cold gaze.

Yin Ruxu bit her lip, looked helplessly at the people around her, and lowered her head, aggrieved.

Immediately, a boy nearby stood up and said, “You’re the department flower of the Arts Department, right? You can have this seat.”

“How can I accept this? This is your seat. I can go find another one. It’s okay even if I have to stand and watch,” Yin Ruxu said to the boy, waving her hand with a light laugh, her voice soft and weak.

“It’s okay, you sit, you sit,” the boy said with a smile, walking elsewhere.

“Thank you,” Yin Ruxu thanked the boy, her face blushing.

The boy’s face also turned slightly red, and his smile became even brighter.

Shen Man moved the water bottle, sat down, and took off her schoolbag to place it on her lap.

To her left was Lin Shu, to her right was Yin Ruxu.

Glancing at Lin Shu, Shen Man said with a smile, “Shushu, thank you for saving me a seat.”

“Who would want to save a seat for you? Tan Kai put the water there,” Lin Shu said irritably, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over Yin Ruxu before she immediately turned her head away in disgust.

Yin Ruxu blinked, and a mist of water instantly welled up in her eyes. She said pitifully, “Lin Shu, it was my fault last time for getting you hurt. Can you forgive me?”

After a pause, she added, “It’s okay if you don’t forgive me, it was my fault to begin with.”

Lin Shu ignored her, opened the water bottle, and took a big gulp with a ‘glug, glug’ sound. She said to Ding Xian beside her, “Why does this water taste so bad? It has the flavor of bitter tea.”

Ding Xian hurriedly took a sip and replied earnestly, “No, I only taste a faint sweetness. It’s not bitter at all.”

Shen Man took a sip and said with a smile, “The water is sweet. Perhaps it’s because Shushu has a bitter taste in her mouth that she finds the water bitter.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu immediately shot Shen Man a look, her eyes widening arrogantly. “If I say it’s bitter, then it’s bitter.”

“How about I taste your water to see if it’s bitter?” Shen Man chuckled lightly, leaned over, reached out her fingers, and took hold of the water bottle.

Lin Shu’s heart tightened. Before she could speak to refuse, the water bottle was taken away.

She could only watch helplessly as Shen Man drank her water.

“It does seem a little bitter,” Shen Man pursed her lips, evaluating seriously.

Lin Shu angrily snatched the water bottle back, hugging it tightly, her rosy lips pressed together firmly.

Shen Man was close enough to hear the faint sound of teeth grinding coming from those red lips.

She smiled and said in a low voice, “How about I give you my water to drink, to call it even.”

“Who wants to drink your water?” Lin Shu refused, glaring huffily.

Shen Man’s lips curved into a smile, and she deliberately licked them.

Lin Shu immediately became even angrier, puffing out her cheeks and turning her head away.

Suddenly, a wave of screams rose and fell from all around, and many girls stood up.

Excited voices came from the crowd, “Ahhh, Tan Kai is so handsome!”

Shen Man looked over.

She saw Tan Kai standing outside the three-point line, and not far away, the basketball fell beautifully through the hoop.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Tan Kai excitedly took off his jersey, revealing a physique with eight-pack abs.

The screams of the girls instantly grew louder, as if they would pierce the heavens.

Shen Man raised a hand to cover her ears.

“He just took off a shirt, is it necessary to scream so loudly?” Lin Shu pouted.

“His physique is really good, he’s so handsome, and he’s great at basketball…” Ding Xian next to her explained in a small voice, her face flushed.

Lin Shu looked over, her eyes full of confusion, and said, “Why are you fawning over him like them?”

“I’m not…” Ding Xian hurriedly shook her head, her eyes fluttering, and she lowered her head, her face turning even redder.

Tan Kai walked towards Lin Shu and the others.

He extended the jersey in his hand to Lin Shu and said with a happy smile, “Help me hold my jersey.”

Lin Shu immediately leaned back, her little face full of disgust. “Your jersey is all sweaty, I don’t want to hold it for you.”

“I don’t care. If you don’t take it, I’ll have the Class Monitor help,” Tan Kai said, his excited face showing no trace of embarrassment from the rejection.

“Sorry, I have to hold my schoolbag and water, so I probably can’t help,” Shen Man said.

Tan Kai froze, his handsome face flushing red.

“How about… I help you hold it…” Ding Xian said in a small voice, quickly lowering her head after speaking.

Tan Kai looked at Shen Man, hesitating, not moving.

“Hurry up and give it to Ding Xian, and get back to playing.” Lin Shu snatched the jersey and threw it into Ding Xian’s arms.

Ding Xian hurriedly caught it, her careful movements tinged with joy.

Tan Kai was taken aback, then smiled and turned to walk back to the court.

Lin Shu watched the boy’s somewhat lonely figure, stared seriously at Shen Man, and said in a lowered voice, “I won’t allow you to bully that idiot Tan Kai!”

Shen Man smiled, the corners of her upturned lips carrying a hint of playful nonchalance. “Don’t worry, I much prefer bullying cute girls like Shushu.”

“You…” Lin Shu felt like she was being flirted with, and her face flushed with anger.

Due to the many people around, she couldn’t lose her temper, so she could only glare fiercely at Shen Man with her eyes.

Shen Man responded with a standard smile.

Lin Shu pouted, turned her head, and deliberately shifted her body a little to the left.

Shen Man chuckled lightly, propping her cheek on her hand, the corner of her eye paying attention to the young woman beside her.

That bright and moving little face seemed to be forever filled with an inexhaustible youthful vitality. Every time she looked at someone, she carried the pride and confidence of a Young Miss.

When she smiled, she was as brilliant as the morning sun; when she was angry, she was as beautiful as the evening clouds.

Anger and indignation can greatly diminish a person’s looks, yet on this young woman, it was another kind of moving beauty, as scorching and beautiful as a flame that would not be extinguished.

Shen Man turned her head to look to her right, at a completely different scene.

Yin Ruxu’s appearance was gentle and beautiful, and her words and actions all carried a sense of fragility that was ‘wo jian you lian’², easily arousing others’ protective instincts.

These two people, one was as passionate as fire, the other as gentle as water.

Each was beautiful in her own unique way.

If it were in the past, she would have thought that obedient and gentle girls were more likable.

But between Lin Shu and Yin Ruxu, it was really hard to judge who was superior.

“Shen Man, what are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so strangely?” Lin Shu frowned, her eyes filled with vigilance.

“Some interesting things,” Shen Man chuckled lightly, glanced at Lin Shu, and said, “I suddenly thought of a word.”

“What word?” Lin Shu asked defensively.

“Resplendent as a rose,” Shen Man’s lips curved as she answered with a smile.

Lin Shu was taken aback, then pouted disdainfully. “We’re watching a basketball game right now, stop thinking about studying, will you? You’re such a book idiot³.”

Shen Man, “…”

Lin Shu turned her head, saw Tan Kai score a basket, and clapped happily.

A trace of helplessness appeared in Shen Man’s eyes, and she clapped along.

The first half of the game ended, with Tan Kai’s team in the lead.

Tan Kai picked up a bottle of water and, amidst the screams of numerous girls, coolly finished it in one go, then threw it in a beautiful parabolic arc directly into the trash can.

The surrounding screams became even more excited.

Tan Kai walked up to Lin Shu, raising his eyebrows proudly. “How was my performance today?”

As he spoke, the corner of his eye secretly glanced at Shen Man.

Shen Man’s expression didn’t change as she lowered her head to drink water.

“It was okay. Don’t get arrogant, there’s still the second half,” Lin Shu reminded him.

“I know, we’ll definitely win the second half too,” Tan Kai said confidently, smiling at Shen Man. “Class Monitor, I brought honor to our class this time, right?”

Shen Man nodded with a polite smile and praised, “Everyone was great.”

As soon as her voice fell, a deafening scream erupted from the crowd.

“Ahhh, it’s Shao Qi! Shao Qi is here!”

Lin Shu instantly stood up in excitement, joining the screaming crowd. “It really is Shao Qi!”

Shen Man turned her head to look, her eyes narrowing slightly.

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