I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 19

Needle Point Against Wheat Awn¹

Unconsciously grabbing her hand

The already lively basketball court erupted into a frenzy because of the male lead’s appearance.

More than half of the girls stood up, screaming and cheering in Shao Qi’s direction.

Shao Qi was holding a basketball in his hand.

Ignoring the girls who were crazy for him, he walked to the front of a basketball court with a cold and indifferent expression and started dribbling the ball to warm up.

Everyone knew that Tan Kai had a game today, so the people who usually liked to play basketball had tactfully left the court empty.

Now, only Shao Qi did not give him this face².

Tan Kai’s expression instantly turned ugly, filled with anger towards Shao Qi. He looked at Lin Shu and said, “What are you so excited about? Am I not more handsome than him?”

Lin Shu pouted, suppressed the excited expression on her face, sat down, and tsked before saying proudly, “Shao Qi is the school grass³, the most handsome boy in the entire school.”

Tan Kai’s expression was displeased, and he strode towards Shao Qi.

Lin Shu looked at Tan Kai’s furious back and asked loudly, “What are you going to do?”

Tan Kai turned his head, his fists cracking as he clenched them, and a smile appeared on his face. “Naturally, to have a little contest with him.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu immediately stood up, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed by a soft hand.

Lin Shu tilted her head, lowered her gaze, and glared at the person stopping her. “Shen Man, what are you doing?”

“It’s better for us girls not to get involved in matters between boys,” Shen Man said with a light smile, applying a little more force to her wrist.

Lin Shu’s body tilted and she was pulled back down into her seat. Pouting, she forcefully shook off Shen Man’s hand.

Shen Man naturally withdrew her hand, an indifferent smile on her pretty face.

Yin Ruxu’s gaze swept over the two of them. She moved closer to Shen Man and said softly, “Shao Qi from your class is really popular. I suppose many of your classmates must like him, right?”

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled as she looked at Shen Man.

Shen Man smiled lightly, glanced in the male lead’s direction, and said, “It’s not just our class. Many girls from other classes like him too.”

“It must be so nice to be in your class, being able to see Shao Qi every day,” Yin Ruxu said softly, a hint of envy in her eyes.

Their conversation was overheard by Lin Shu.

Lin Shu shot Yin Ruxu a disdainful glance, snorted, and said haughtily, “Shao Qi is the only son of the Shao Corporation. In the future, even if he gets married, he will have to find someone whose gates are matched and doors are aligned⁴.”

She paused, then looked at Shen Man, “Not just anyone is qualified to marry into the Shao family.”

Shen Man smiled back, her gaze profound.

Yin Ruxu’s face paled. She bit her lip and lowered her head.

Lin Shu gave a triumphant smile, crossing her fair, slender, long legs, her small, slim foot swaying leisurely.

Shen Man lowered her gaze, staring at the swaying little foot. She lightly twirled her fingers, let out a laugh, and said, “Shushu, you seem very confident…”

The rest of her words disappeared into a meaningful laugh.

Lin Shu naturally understood the meaning behind her words and raised an eyebrow arrogantly.

The meaning was self-evident.

Shen Man smiled, lowered her head, and stared at her own fair, lustrous fingers.

The sunlight sprinkled down, landing on her side profile and casting a half-shadow. Her long eyelashes concealed her downcast eyes, making her emotions unreadable.

Yin Ruxu pursed her lips and said in a low voice, “Shen Man, you’re so outstanding. I think you’re worthy of any good man in the world.”

Shen Man looked up, her eyes jet-black, and smiled without speaking.

Yin Ruxu’s heart tightened, a flash of panic crossing her face. Biting her lip, her eyes misted over. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”

“I truly feel that you can marry very well in the future, that you won’t lose out to those wealthy young ladies from superior family backgrounds.” Her eyes became even more sincere.

Shen Man let out a soft sneer and retorted in a flat tone, “When did I ever say I had a dream of marrying into a wealthy gate⁵?”

Yin Ruxu seemed to have been frightened, her body shrinking back slightly. She hurriedly shook her head and explained in a panic, “I didn’t mean that… I just can’t stand seeing you being looked down upon.”

She said the last part of her sentence in an extremely low voice, but Shen Man still heard it.

Shen Man didn’t say anything and looked toward the basketball court.

On the originally lively court, only the male lead and the second male lead remained.

Tan Kai said loudly, “Let’s have a match. As long as you can score a basket, I’ll count it as your win.”

Shao Qi held the basketball, his expression cold.

Tan Kai deliberately laughed, provoking him with his words, “If you’re a man, compete with me.”

Shao Qi’s eyes narrowed, and a trace of anger appeared on his indifferent face.

The atmosphere on the court was one of drawn swords and bent bows⁶.

Lin Shu watched anxiously, her eyes filled with worry. “What is that idiot Tan Kai doing? Why is he provoking Shao Qi?”

“It’s very normal for boys to have a little friendly competition,” Shen Man replied with a smile.

Lin Shu immediately shot Shen Man a glare. “I wasn’t asking you.”

After she spoke, she paused for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but ask again, “Who do you think will win?”

“Who do you hope will win?” Shen Man retorted with a smile.

“I…” Lin Shu froze, her fair little face becoming conflicted.

She naturally hoped Shao Qi would win, but she didn’t want Tan Kai to lose either.

Shen Man saw through her inner thoughts at a glance and said, “Regardless of who wins or loses, either way, a classmate from our class will have won.”

Lin Shu was stunned for a moment. When she realized the meaning behind the words, she had nothing to rebut, and her nervous mood eased a little.

Yin Ruxu looked at the two of them and smiled softly. “Shen Man is right. They’re giving us a wonderful game, which in itself doesn’t need to be measured by winning or losing.”

Lin Shu shot her a sideways glance, not wanting to pay her any mind.

Shen Man let out a laugh but didn’t say anything.

Yin Ruxu was a bit awkward. She quietly glanced at Shen Man, biting her lip, her eyes looking pitiful. “Should I not have spoken… to avoid being disliked.”

“The game has started. Let’s watch,” Shen Man said.

Yin Ruxu immediately revealed a vulnerable smile and nodded obediently.

Lin Shu watched them whispering head-to-head, tilted her head to shoot Shen Man a sideways glance, and let out a small huff from her delicate nose.

Shen Man looked over, asking with her eyes, What’s wrong?

“Weren’t you going to the office? How did you end up coming with her?” Lin Shu asked, her expression unfriendly.

Shen Man let out a light laugh and said faintly, “We ran into each other on the way, so we came together.”

“Then that’s really quite a coincidence, isn’t it? To meet so coincidentally,” Lin Shu sneered softly.

Shen Man’s lips curved, and she nodded with a smile on her face. “It is indeed quite a coincidence.”

For a moment, Lin Shu couldn’t tell whether Shen Man had understood the meaning behind her words. She frowned and said, “I remember that our department’s office building and the art department’s office building are a long way apart.”

Yin Ruxu heard this and hurriedly explained in a low voice, “The teacher for one of our elective courses is in your department’s building. I was helping a classmate turn in homework and happened to run into Shen Man.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu looked at Shen Man.

Shen Man’s expression didn’t change as she continued to nod.

Lin Shu snorted and turned her head away. “I can’t be bothered to care about you two.”

Shen Man gave an understanding smile and looked at the game on the court.

The male lead and the second male lead were both skilled at basketball; any random move either of them made on the court could trigger a wave of screams.

Tan Kai was giving it his all, not letting Shao Qi score a basket, his handsome face covered in sweat from running.

Shao Qi’s expression remained faint. His usually cold face had become slightly flushed from playing, dissolving the cold aura around him.

The girls in the stands let out waves of excited shouts, each louder than the last.

Lin Shu was also among them.

“Shao Qi looks so handsome when he’s blushing! How can he be so good-looking?” Lin Shu marveled, unconsciously grabbing someone’s hand in her excitement.

Shen Man gazed at the hand with its exquisitely manicured nails, contemplated for two seconds, then tightened her fingers and grasped it back.

Lin Shu, completely unaware, gripped Shen Man’s hand even more tightly, her expression excited. “Shao Qi looks like he’s about to score!”

Shen Man heard this, raised her head, and looked at the two running on the court.

Shao Qi was dribbling the ball, looking for an opportunity to attack.

Tan Kai blocked him from the front, staring intently at his every move.

Suddenly, Shao Qi leaped up and shot the ball toward the hoop.

Tan Kai immediately jumped up to block him.

Their movements were fast and fierce. Before the people in the stands could even see clearly what had happened, they saw the basketball flying in the opposite direction of the hoop.

It was headed right for the center of the stands.

Lin Shu’s eyes widened, her pupils reflecting a rapidly approaching basketball.

Her mind went blank, and her body seemed to freeze, unable to react.

Shen Man realized the danger, her brow furrowed, and she quickly shoved Lin Shu to the side. “Be careful!”

THUD! The basketball slammed into Shen Man’s shoulder, grazed the chair behind her, and flew past.

Shen Man’s shoulder felt as if it had fractured from the impact. She bit her teeth and let out a muffled grunt.

The court immediately descended into chaos.

Waves of panicked shouts erupted.

Lin Shu opened her eyes and gazed at the pretty face, glistening with sweat from the pain.

Her eyes were filled with utter shock!

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