I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 26

Getting into Trouble

You are not allowed to leave me by myself

After two days of rain, the sky cleared up for the weekend.

Shen Man ate breakfast and sat in the living room reading a book.

Lin Shu was wearing a white shirt and a small short skirt, with a small pink sweater over it, and carrying the newest model of handbag.

She passed through the living room, looked at Shen Man, and sneered, “Bookworm, you only know how to read books, you don’t even go out for a walk.”

“Yin Ruxu asked me to go to the library later,” Shen Man raised her eyes, chuckling lightly.

Lin Shu’s action of changing shoes paused. She curled her lip in disdain and forcefully kicked off the slippers on her feet.

She finished changing her shoes and went out the door, the two slippers lying crookedly on the floor.

Just as Lin Shu left, Auntie He returned carrying groceries.

“Manman, why is Miss Lin unhappy so early in the morning? Who provoked her?” Auntie He asked, puzzled.

Hearing this, Shen Man smiled and shook her head.

“The weather has turned cold these few days, and Miss Lin is still dressed so thinly. It’s very easy to catch a cold,” Auntie He said naggingly, her words filled with concern. “Miss Lin won’t listen to what I say. Manman, when you have time, you should persuade Miss Lin to wear a little more.”

“A girl can’t just disregard her body for the sake of looking good. When you’re young you’re not afraid, but when you get old, you’ll have many aches and pains.”

“Auntie He, I’m going out. I probably won’t be back for lunch,” Shen Man said, closing her book and standing up.

“Okay, okay,” Auntie He smiled sheepishly and put away her chatterbox.

Shen Man returned to her room and put the books, notebook, pen, and water bottle she needed to bring into her school bag.

She walked to the door of the room, hesitated for a moment, then turned back to grab a jacket.

Shen Man went out and took a taxi to the school.

As soon as she arrived, she saw Yin Ruxu getting out of a man’s luxury car.

Shen Man pretended not to see and walked forward with a natural expression.

Yin Ruxu caught up to Shen Man, a gentle smile on her face. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Shen Man responded with a light laugh.

“Have you had breakfast?” Yin Ruxu asked.

Shen Man nodded.

“I haven’t eaten yet,” Yin Ruxu said, smiling embarrassedly. “I want to go eat breakfast first. Could I trouble you to save me a seat?”

“Okay,” Shen Man agreed.

There were already quite a few people reading and studying in the library.

Shen Man found a spot against the wall, placed her school bag on the table, and went to the reading room to borrow books.

After browsing for more than ten minutes, Shen Man found two books she was quite satisfied with.

She came out, but Yin Ruxu had not yet arrived.

Shen Man put the books down, her gaze falling on her school bag, and her eyes instantly turned cold.

The outer layer of her school bag had been slashed with a long gash, almost penetrating the inner layer.

Shen Man looked up, her cold and sharp gaze sweeping over the people in the reading area.

Some were studying seriously, some were playing on their phones, and the expression on everyone’s face was very natural.

Someone looked up and met Shen Man’s gaze, then quickly looked away, without any hint of guilt.

There were no security cameras in this area, and people were constantly coming and going. It would not be a simple matter to find the perpetrator¹.

With a cold face, Shen Man sat down and carefully inspected the school bag.

Fortunately, only the bag was damaged; the items she had inside were not destroyed.

Shen Man opened a book, and a piece of paper fell out.

On it, written forcefully with a red pen, were the words, “You shameless woman, you deserve it!”

Shen Man gave a cold laugh.

She kept the paper and took a photo of the damaged part of the school bag with her phone.

This girl, who was playing petty tricks while hiding in the dark, had already exceeded her definition of a simple and kind young girl.

Writing threatening letters, using a knife—these were no longer in the realm of pranks.

For this girl to be able to accurately find her seat among so many people in the library, she was either here from the beginning, or she had been targeted the moment she entered the library.

As for her coming to the library today, only Lin Shu and Yin Ruxu at school knew about it.

In Shen Man’s mind, for a moment, she suspected Yin Ruxu was an ‘accomplice’.

Her phone vibrated with a new message. It was from Yin Ruxu: “Shen Man, where are you?”

Shen Man’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, she reported a location.

After sending the message, she took her things and walked to the location she had given Yin Ruxu.

Yin Ruxu appeared carrying two cups of bubble tea, looked around, and waved at Shen Man with a smile.

Shen Man responded with a light laugh and placed the damaged side of her school bag on the table.

Yin Ruxu sat down, handed over a cup of bubble tea, and said in a low voice, “I don’t know if you like this flavor.”

“Thank you,” Shen Man said her thanks softly, her elbow inadvertently bumping the school bag.

Yin Ruxu’s gaze immediately shifted over, a surprised expression on her face. “Shen Man, how did your school bag get torn?”

“Where?” Shen Man asked in confusion. Her gaze fell on the tear, and after looking for a moment, she said, “Maybe I accidentally scraped it somewhere.”

Yin Ruxu’s expression changed. She hesitated for a moment and then reminded in a low voice, “This mark looks like it was made by a knife.”

“A knife?” Shen Man was extremely surprised and frowned. “Who would play such a prank?”

Yin Ruxu wanted to say more, but she paused, then comforted with a light laugh, “Maybe it really is just someone playing a prank. You should be more careful in the future. Actually… there are also a lot of bad things that happen at school.”

As she spoke, her eyes dimmed, thinking of the past times she had been bullied.

Shen Man observed her carefully.

The first place Yin Ruxu had looked when she came in was not her original seat, the surprise on her face did not seem feigned, and her later hesitation to speak was likely because she was afraid of saying too much and affecting the pure and weak image she had created.

Shen Man was relieved.

She could be certain that this matter had nothing to do with Yin Ruxu.

The two of them studied quietly.

A burst of loud footsteps sounded from outside.

Immediately after, a girl’s careful, persuasive voice was heard, “Lin Shu-jie, this is a library. You have to be quiet and can’t make too much noise.”

“I know,” Lin Shu said impatiently, her steps becoming lighter.

Shen Man picked up her water bottle and stood up.

Yin Ruxu looked up, questioning with her eyes.

“I’m going to get some water,” Shen Man said with a light laugh.

Yin Ruxu turned her head and saw Lin Shu’s figure appear. A trace of doubt surfaced in her eyes, but she quickly lowered her head and continued to study.

Shen Man walked towards the water dispenser, turned her head, and saw Lin Shu.

She was slightly surprised and said with a smile, “Shushu, you came to study too.”

“Ding Xi insisted on dragging me here,” Lin Shu replied haughtily.

Shen Man looked at Ding Xi.

Ding Xi flinched and nodded hastily.

Shen Man laughed and went to get water.

Lin Shu looked around, her gaze falling on Yin Ruxu, and walked over with her head held high.

“Lin Shu, what a coincidence,” Yin Ruxu looked up, revealing a gentle smile, and greeted her first.

Lin Shu ignored her and said to Ding Xi, “Let’s sit here.”

Ding Xi glanced at Yin Ruxu.

“There’s an empty seat here, you can sit,” Yin Ruxu said with a light laugh.

Ding Xi nodded with a polite smile and sat next to her.

Lin Shu sat in Shen Man’s seat and casually flipped through Shen Man’s book.

Shen Man returned after getting water and happened to see this scene.

She didn’t like others touching her personal belongings, but looking at the young woman’s pouting red lips and bored expression, she somehow didn’t feel angry.

Shen Man approached and asked with a smile, “Shushu, do you want to read this book?”

“Who wants to read your book?” Lin Shu curled her lip, put down the book in her hand, stood up, and sat down next to it.

Shen Man sat down, her gaze meeting Ding Xi’s.

Ding Xi hurriedly lowered her head.

Given how afraid Ding Xi was of her, even if she came to the library to study, she definitely wouldn’t dare to sit here.

All of this could only be Lin Shu’s idea.

The corners of Shen Man’s lips hooked up, forming a pleasant smile.

Lin Shu saw it and frowned, “Your school bag is torn, and you can still smile?”

“I’ll just buy a new one,” Shen Man replied with a calm expression.

“How about we go help Shen Man buy a school bag together this afternoon,” Yin Ruxu suggested with a smile.

Lin Shu ignored her.

Ding Xi didn’t dare to speak.

Shen Man smiled and said, “Okay, Shushu, are you going?”

Lin Shu snorted and said nothing.

Yin Ruxu glanced at Shen Man and said carefully, “If Lin Shu isn’t going, then let’s us go.”

“Who said I’m not going?” Lin Shu immediately retorted, her face cold, glaring at Yin Ruxu with displeasure.

Shen Man looked at the two of them with a smile.

Lin Shu turned her head, glared at her, curled her lip, and propped her head up with one hand, starting to play on her phone.

It became quiet among the four of them.

Three people were studying seriously; only Lin Shu was playing.

Lin Shu looked around, searching for the right light and angle for a selfie.

She took several shots in a row, then stopped and began to select photos to edit.

Lin Shu looked at one of the photos, showed it to Shen Man, and asked, “How does this photo I took look?”

“Beautiful,” Shen Man answered with a smile. Her gaze fell on a corner of the photo, and she quickly enlarged it.

It revealed a girl with a fierce expression.

Shen Man glanced at it, her eyes narrowed, and she immediately looked back.

A girl quickly lowered her head.

Shen Man gave a cold laugh and stood up.

That girl also immediately stood up, covered her face with a book, and left quickly.

“Shen Man, why are you being so jumpy?” Lin Shu asked, dissatisfied.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Man sat down and took out her phone to browse her Moments².

In He Tao’s Moments, she saw that a girl in a group photo looked very similar to the person Lin Shu had just captured in her photo.

Although her features were a bit blurry, coincidentally, she was wearing the exact same clothes.

Shen Man was more or less certain in her heart who the person causing trouble behind the scenes was.

She thought for a moment and sent a message to He Tao, “I saw your girlfriend at the library.”

“You must have seen wrong. Qiu Bing³ doesn’t like to go to the library,” He Tao replied in seconds.

Seeing this sentence, Shen Man became even more certain of her thoughts and quickly typed, “It seems your girlfriend left something here. Tell her to come back and get it.”

“Really?”

“Did she really go to the library?”

“I’ll ask,” He Tao replied.

Shen Man put down her phone, her gaze fixed on the direction the girl had left.

Her expression was serious, her cool eyes filled with coldness.

Lin Shu sat beside her, clearly sensing her anger, and asked in confusion, “Shen Man, what’s wrong? Who made you angry?”

“It’s nothing,” Shen Man smiled and picked up her phone.

A message came from He Tao, “She really did go to the library, how strange. She never went before. But she said she didn’t lose anything.”

“Okay,” Shen Man replied with a single word, picked up her pen, and continued to study.

The message she had He Tao convey was intended to be a warning to that girl.

Right now, she was only suspicious and had no concrete evidence, so it wasn’t appropriate to confront the girl face-to-face.

Yin Ruxu glanced at her, then at the slashed school bag, and lowered her head to read.

Lin Shu didn’t understand what was going on and didn’t want to ask more, so she happily edited her photos.

After Lin Shu finished editing the photo, she happily showed it to Shen Man, “Look, isn’t it beautiful?”

“Mhm,” Shen Man glanced at it and nodded.

Lin Shu was dissatisfied with this perfunctory attitude, and her enthusiasm for editing photos vanished.

She curled her lip, looked around, and found that most people were studying.

Lin Shu sighed out of boredom, put down her phone, and lay down on the table to sleep.

Shen Man looked up, rubbed her somewhat sore eyes, and turned her head to see Lin Shu sleeping with her arm as a pillow.

She smiled lightly, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

Only Lin Shu would be so idle as to specially come to the library to sleep.

Yin Ruxu saw this scene and felt even more strange in her heart.

But she knew she shouldn’t ask too much and said in a low voice, “Shen Man, it’s already noon. Do you want to go eat together?”

“No need, you guys go ahead. I’m not hungry yet,” Shen Man replied.

Yin Ruxu nodded and said to Ding Xi with a smile, “Do you want to eat lunch?”

Ding Xi nodded.

The two of them packed their things and left together.

Shen Man lowered her eyes, staring at the young woman’s quiet and beautiful sleeping face.

After thinking for a moment, she took out her phone and took a photo.

She didn’t edit the photo, but created a new album and put the photo of Lin Shu’s sleeping face in it by itself.

After studying for a while longer, only Ding Xi came back.

Ding Xi sat down and said in a small, timid voice, “Yin Ruxu said she has something to do and can’t accompany you to buy a school bag this afternoon.”

Shen Man nodded, opened her phone, and saw the message from Yin Ruxu.

She replied with an ‘Okay’ and sent it.

The afternoon sun was a bit hot.

Lin Shu was woken up by the heat.

She had slept until her little face was flushed, and the pattern of her sweater was imprinted on one side of her cheek.

Shen Man glanced at her and started to laugh lightly.

Lin Shu had just woken up, her pair of almond eyes were hazy, like a dazed koala, looking adorably dopey.

“Lin Shu-jie, you have a mark on your face,” Ding Xi reminded in a low voice.

Lin Shu was stunned for a moment, then took out a mirror from her bag. Seeing the mark on her face, she instantly woke up.

She immediately understood the meaning of Shen Man’s smile just now, puffed up her cheeks, and glared at Shen Man huffily.

Shen Man met her gaze with a natural expression, the smile in her eyes deepening.

Lin Shu shot her a sideways glance and gently massaged her cheek with her hand.

After massaging for a good while, the mark on her face finally disappeared.

Lin Shu’s stomach rumbled, and she said, “Let’s go eat.”

“I’ve already eaten, I’m not hungry yet,” Ding Xi replied.

Lin Shu immediately looked at Shen Man and asked in an unfriendly tone, “Have you eaten too?”

“Not yet,” Shen Man replied with a smile.

Lin Shu was slightly satisfied.

“Shushu, let’s go buy a school bag after eating,” Shen Man said.

Hearing this, Lin Shu finally remembered that someone was missing and asked, “Where’s Yin Ruxu?”

“She had something to do and left first,” Ding Xi said.

Lin Shu immediately smiled happily and glanced at Shen Man, “I don’t have time.”

“Shushu, you were the one who said you’d accompany me just now. Isn’t it a bit like breaking your word to go back on it now?” Shen Man asked with a smile.

Lin Shu was choked up. She paused, then looked at Ding Xi, “Are you going?”

“Ah?” Ding Xi pursed her lips nervously, met Shen Man’s gaze, shrank back, and shook her head. “I have to go watch basketball later.”

“Going to watch Tan Kai play again?” Lin Shu frowned.

Ding Xi nodded, her face red.

“A bunch of boys running around, all sweaty and smelly, what’s so good to watch?” Lin Shu muttered in a low voice.

Ding Xi didn’t speak, her small face turning even redder.

Shen Man packed her things and said with a smile, “Shushu, let’s go eat first.”

Lin Shu said “Mhm” and followed behind.

---

The two arrived at the cafeteria.

Lin Shu listed a few dishes she wanted to eat and sat playing on her phone while waiting.

Shen Man went to the counter to order the food.

“Shushu, does Ding Xi have feelings for Tan Kai?” Shen Man asked with a smile after she finished eating and wiped the corner of her mouth.

Lin Shu frowned, seeming to find this question incredible, and retorted, “Why would she like Tan Kai?”

“Tan Kai is handsome, has a cheerful personality, and a good family background. He’s very popular at school,” Shen Man said, paused, and then asked again, “You and Tan Kai are childhood sweethearts⁴, how come you don’t like him at all?”

Hearing this, Lin Shu immediately showed a disgusted expression. “He was so fat when he was little, and a crybaby. I would just give him a little push and he would cry. He also often snatched my toys.”

Unexpectedly learning of the second male lead’s dark history⁵, Shen Man couldn’t help but want to laugh.

Who would have thought that the handsome and dashing big boy was a crybaby when he was little.

“Not like Shao Qi, handsome and elegant. Even when he doesn’t speak, he’s still very charming,” Lin Shu said with a face full of starry eyes⁶.

Shen Man’s face instantly darkened. She tapped her finger on the table, “Alright, let’s go buy a school bag.”

“Why are you unhappy again?” Lin Shu came back to her senses, her eyes full of confusion. “Who provoked you again?”

“It’s nothing,” Shen Man replied in a cold tone and stood up to walk out.

Lin Shu curled her lip and followed behind.

There was a stationery store near the school.

The store wasn’t large, but it looked clean and tidy, with all kinds of stationery and some accessories on display.

Shen Man looked around but didn’t see any suspicious figures.

Lin Shu was puzzled and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Shen Man said and entered the stationery store.

“You’re really strange today,” Lin Shu muttered in a low voice.

After browsing for a while, Shen Man took a liking to two models of school bags.

She thought seriously about which one to choose.

Lin Shu watched from the side, fiddling with her nails out of boredom, and said, “Why hesitate? If you like them, just buy them both.”

“……” The corner of Shen Man’s mouth twitched. She said with a calm expression, “My budget is limited.”

“This Young Miss is in a good mood today, I’ll pay for you. Don’t pick those cheap, ugly ones,” Lin Shu said haughtily, with the magnanimous air of someone who wasn’t short of money.

“No need, thank you,” Shen Man refused faintly.

Lin Shu made a ‘qi’ sound and lowered her head to play on her phone.

A group of girls came into the store to buy accessories.

The owner went to attend to them, enthusiastically introducing various accessories.

Shen Man glanced over but didn’t see that strange girl.

She relaxed and reached out to take the red bag.

With a ‘kuang dang’ sound, the shelf behind them suddenly fell over.

Shen Man was on guard and agilely dodged to the side.

Just as she was about to dodge, she saw that Lin Shu was still playing on her phone, completely unaware.

Shen Man’s heart tightened. She hurriedly lunged towards Lin Shu, pulling Lin Shu to the side with her.

With a ‘boom’, the things on the shelf scattered all over the floor, some of them crashing onto the cabinet next to it.

Shen Man held Lin Shu tightly, her gaze icy.

Lin Shu stared blankly at the scene of goods flying everywhere and subconsciously hid in Shen Man’s embrace.

The owner heard the noise and hurried over, shouting, “What’s going on? How did a perfectly fine shelf fall over?”

No one answered her question.

Lin Shu came back to her senses, looked up, and saw a delicate chin.

That beautiful and gentle face was calm and composed, as if she would never panic.

The embrace holding her was soft and warm, exuding a pleasant scent, giving a strong sense of security.

Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly lowered her head.

Shen Man looked towards the entrance, where a figure flashed past.

She let go of Lin Shu and immediately chased after her.

“Shen Man?” Lin Shu called out loudly from behind.

She was about to follow, but the owner blocked her path.

---

Shen Man chased after the girl’s figure.

This was the commercial street belonging to the school, with a large flow of people. After chasing for a stretch, Shen Man lost sight of the girl.

She stopped, searched everywhere, and her gaze finally landed on a bubble tea shop.

Shen Man entered the bubble tea shop, looked around, and found the girl in a corner.

She walked over, a gentle smile on her face, “Classmate Qiu Bing, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“Who are you? I don’t know you,” the girl retorted impatiently, but did not deny her name.

Shen Man sneered lightly, her voice deepening, “Do you want me to talk to you here, or should we go outside to talk?”

Qiu Bing heard the threat in her words, looked up at the curious gazes from the people around, stood up with a defiant attitude, and walked out.

Shen Man followed behind, her eyes filled with a cold chill.

They arrived at a quiet little alley.

Compared to the liveliness outside, this place was like it had been forgotten.

Shen Man took a slip of paper from her pocket, threw it over, and said coldly, “You wrote this, didn’t you?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Qiu Bing immediately denied, crossing her arms, her face full of disdain.

Shen Man snorted coldly and said in an unhurried tone, “Whether you wrote it or not, I’ll show it to your boyfriend. He should be able to recognize it at a glance.”

Hearing this, Qiu Bing instantly panicked, but quickly regained a self-righteous expression. “So what if I wrote it?”

“You shameless woman, all you know is how to seduce others… Ah…” Before she could finish her sentence, she was slapped across the face.

Shen Man retracted her hand, and just as the girl was about to curse furiously, she backhanded her again.

With a ‘pa’ sound, it was even louder than before.

Qiu Bing covered her face, stunned for a few seconds.

Suddenly, as if she had gone crazy, she rushed towards Shen Man, crying.

Shen Man was prepared. She dodged to the side and kicked the girl’s calf from behind.

Qiu Bing fell to the ground, her makeup smeared all over her face, looking utterly wretched.

Shen Man stood not far away, her expression cold. “These two slaps are your punishment for the two times you played tricks on me from behind today.”

“If there is a next time, it won’t be as simple as just getting slapped.”

Qiu Bing lay on the ground with a tear-streaked face, staring at Shen Man with a venomous glare. There was a red mark on her exposed wrist.

Shen Man glanced at it coldly, frowned slightly, and turned to leave.

She was sure that this girl would not give up and would definitely find another opportunity to retaliate against her.

Just because He Tao had said a few more words to her, Qiu Bing suspiciously believed she was seducing He Tao, and like a stalker, she seized opportunities to harm her from behind.

The red mark on Qiu Bing’s wrist looked very much like a mark from slitting her wrist.

To be able to go as far as self-harm, this girl was already trapped in her own world, leaning towards being a lunatic.

---

Shen Man walked out of the small alley and saw Lin Shu’s figure looking around everywhere.

She waved her hand and walked towards Lin Shu.

“Why did you suddenly run off? Leaving me there all by myself,” Lin Shu said huffily, forcefully throwing the new school bag in her hand at Shen Man.

Shen Man caught the bag, chuckled lightly, her expression gentle, “Sorry, something came up just now. I’ll transfer you the money for this school bag.”

“Forget it,” Lin Shu snorted irritably. “The money I paid in compensation was for more than just this one school bag.”

“What do you mean?” Shen Man’s brows furrowed.

Lin Shu immediately became angry, glaring at Shen Man furiously. “It’s because you ran off that the owner insisted it was you who knocked over the shelf and wanted me to compensate for her losses.”

“And you just paid like that?” Shen Man was astonished.

“What else?” Lin Shu retorted as if it were a matter of course. “It’s not like I’m short of this little bit of money anyway. I couldn’t be bothered to waste time with her.”

Shen Man, “……”

Lin Shu had truly achieved it: anything that can be solved with money is not a problem!

“You still haven’t said what the matter was,” Lin Shu suddenly realized and continued to question.

Shen Man smiled and shook her head, fabricating a reason without batting an eye, “I just saw a familiar back. I chased after it, but it turned out not to be someone I knew.”

“Who was it?” Lin Shu asked curiously.

“My cousin,” Shen Man said casually.

She had an aunt, and that aunt had only one daughter, her cousin, who was in her third year of high school.

Hearing this answer, Lin Shu finally let it go, though her small face still carried a hint of anger. She warned, “In the future, you’re not allowed to run off and leave me like that again.”

“Okay, it won’t happen next time,” Shen Man replied with a light laugh, looking at Lin Shu with a meaningful gaze.

“What are you smiling about?” Lin Shu’s heart inexplicably panicked. She reached up and tucked the hair behind her ear.

Shen Man smiled without speaking.

Lin Shu snorted and turned her head away haughtily.

A cold wind blew past. She shivered and sneezed.

Shen Man opened her school bag, took out the jacket inside, and handed it over. “Put it on. The weather these days is cold in the morning and evening, and hot at noon. You need to pay attention to staying warm, or it’s very easy to catch a cold.”

“Who asked you to be so nosy? I didn’t say I was cold,” Lin Shu said, sticking her neck out, refusing to take the jacket.

After she spoke, she sneezed again.

Shen Man felt a little helpless. She hung the jacket on her arm and said with a smile, “Shushu, do you want to go to the bubble tea shop for a bit?”

“You didn’t need to tell me that,” Lin Shu said, then hugged her arms and walked towards the bubble tea shop.

There were bubble tea shops on both sides of the street.

Lin Shu chose a different one. She entered the door and immediately ordered a hot drink.

Shen Man ordered a cup of hot tea.

The two sat down.

The conversation of the girls around them drifted over.

“That girl just now was so pitiful. She was beaten until her face was all red, and her arms and legs were all black and blue. She looked so pathetic.”

“Who’s so vicious to actually hit a girl? No matter what the girl did wrong, you can’t use your hands. Anyone who uses their hands is a scumbag.”

“You can’t say that. Not everyone likes to resort to violence. Maybe she was pushed to her limit.”

“I think I know that girl. She’s the one who had a breakup in the dorm last time and threatened to slit her wrists.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember. It seems she didn’t actually slit her wrists, right? She was just scaring her boyfriend.”

“Who knows? It’s really unlucky to end up with such a neurotic girlfriend.”

The girls chattered on, and the topic shifted from ‘the beating incident’ to a heated discussion about ‘whether that girl actually slit her wrists’.

Several people argued endlessly. After a few sentences, they started talking about the newest model of handbag.

Shen Man listened quietly, sipping her tea with a calm expression.

Lin Shu wasn’t interested in these things. She played on her phone while drinking her tea.

Only when she heard ‘slit her wrists’ did a look of contempt appear on her face.

---

After sitting for half an hour, Lin Shu called Tan Kai and gave him the address.

In less than ten minutes, Tan Kai arrived, with Ding Xi sitting in the back seat.

Lin Shu was slightly surprised. She sat down and asked, “How come you two are together?”

Ding Xi’s face turned red. She lowered her head and said nothing.

Tan Kai laughed and said, “I only found out today that her home is on the way.”

“It was always on the way,” Lin Shu said with a look-at-this-idiot expression, then glanced at Ding Xi again.

Thinking of Shen Man’s words, her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

“What’s with that expression?” Tan Kai asked.

“Nothing,” Lin Shu shook her head.

Tan Kai dropped the two of them off downstairs and asked with a smile, “Lin Shu, are you free tomorrow?”

“What for?” Lin Shu stood outside, shivering from the wind, her voice trembling.

Seeing this, Shen Man draped the jacket over Lin Shu.

Lin Shu’s body warmed up. Her small face puffed up, and after a moment’s hesitation, she did not refuse.

“Tomorrow afternoon, we have a ball game. Do you two want to come and watch?” Tan Kai said, his gaze turning to Shen Man.

“You play ball every day, what’s so good to watch,” Lin Shu curled her lip and shook her head in refusal.

A flash of disappointment appeared in Tan Kai’s eyes as he smiled and waved at the two of them.

Shen Man and Lin Shu walked towards the building entrance.

As soon as they entered the door, Lin Shu took off the jacket, changed her shoes, and said, “We’re even now.”

Shen Man smiled and said nothing.

Lin Shu walked towards her room.

Shen Man stood where she was, looked at that pair of straight, long legs, and said, “Shushu, short skirts also look good with stockings. They’re both warm and pretty.”

“I know, you don’t need to tell me,” Lin Shu replied irritably, her small face slightly red.

---

Over the weekend, Shen Man had no plans and sat in the living room reading a book.

Lin Shu couldn’t sit still. She dressed up prettily⁷, wore a pair of stockings more than usual, and went out early in the morning.

Auntie He made a portion of breakfast and brought it over, saying with a smile, “Manman’s words are still the most effective.”

Shen Man chuckled lightly, her eyes pleased.

After she finished breakfast, she sat and continued to read.

A message from an unknown number popped up on her phone, “Afternoon at five, come to the third small pavilion at the Back Lake.”

Shen Man roughly guessed who sent it, sneered lightly, and didn’t plan to respond.

After a while, another message came, “If you don’t come, I’ll come find you. I heard you’re living at Lin Shu’s house.”

The other party provided Lin Shu’s home address, even stating the specific apartment number.

Shen Man’s eyes turned cold.

She picked up her phone and quickly typed, “Okay.”

At four o’clock in the afternoon, Shen Man went out.

When she arrived at the designated location, it was exactly five o’clock.

From a distance, Shen Man saw three girls sitting in a pavilion smoking.

It was the weekend, so very few people came here. The third small pavilion was also against a wall, in a relatively remote area, so very few people would come here.

One of the girls saw Shen Man, blew out a puff of smoke, and said loudly, “Bing-jie, she’s here.”

Qiu Bing immediately stood up, stared at Shen Man with a fierce expression, and beckoned arrogantly, “Come here!”

Shen Man curled her lips in disdain and walked over unhurriedly.

Seeing her arrogant appearance, the three of them immediately showed angry expressions on their faces.

Two of them surrounded Shen Man. One took out a cigarette and lit it, threatening, “Eat this cigarette, and Bing-jie will forgive you. Otherwise, don’t blame us for not being polite.”

“How do you plan on not being polite?” Shen Man was not afraid at all. She took the cigarette, flicked it skillfully with her fingertips, and said indifferently, “I don’t smoke.”

“Today, it’s not up to you. If you dare to provoke our Bing-jie, you’ll have to pay the price,” one of them said viciously.

Qiu Bing laughed wantonly at the side, staring at Shen Man maliciously, “Strip her clothes off, throw her into the water. If she doesn’t admit her mistake, don’t let her come up.”

Hearing this, the two immediately made a move, approaching Shen Man from the left and right, reaching out to grab Shen Man’s clothes.

Shen Man’s expression was indifferent. She broke the cigarette in her hand in half, looked at the two with a light laugh, and said slowly, “I’ve practiced Taekwondo for a few years. Dealing with the two of you is no problem at all.”

“You say you’ve practiced, so you’ve practiced?” one of them laughed mockingly and continued to try to grab Shen Man’s arm.

Before the girl could get close, Shen Man easily turned, dodged, and in a reverse motion, grabbed the girl’s wrist and pressed her to the ground.

The other one saw this and panicked a little.

She cursed and rushed towards Shen Man.

Shen Man dodged with agile reflexes.

Very quickly, she had subdued both girls on the ground.

When Qiu Bing saw that the situation was not right, she spat out the cigarette in her mouth, took out a knife from her bag, and swung it fiercely at Shen Man.

Her expression was twisted, as if she really wanted to kill Shen Man.

Shen Man frowned and dodged carefully.

She had still underestimated the extent of this girl’s madness.

Originally, she thought that at most, Qiu Bing would find two helpers and bring clubs. She hadn’t expected her to actually bring a knife.

This was not an ordinary fruit knife, but a small household kitchen knife, very sharp.

Qiu Bing swung it forcefully as if her life depended on it, not at all afraid of hurting herself.

Shen Man didn’t dare to be reckless, afraid of accidentally injuring the other party.

She didn’t want to risk her life against a lunatic.

Shen Man dodged and ran outside.

The three behind her pursued relentlessly.

Seeing that she couldn’t catch up, Qiu Bing directly threw the knife in her hand with force.

The aim was a little off, and it landed at Shen Man’s feet.

Shen Man immediately picked it up and threw it into the lake.

She clasped her hands together, making a ‘kacha’ sound, a cold smile on her lips as she walked towards the three of them.

Qiu Bing felt a pang of fear, followed by even greater anger, and said, “Today, we absolutely must throw her into the lake.”

The other two loudly agreed.

This time, Shen Man was not polite. Her movements were swift, and she directly knocked the three of them to the ground.

She knew her limits, did not use lethal force, nor did she hit them in conspicuous places, but specifically chose spots where marks would not be easily seen.

“Do you know who my dad is?” Qiu Bing lay on the ground, her expression twisted in pain.

Shen Man didn’t answer and directly kicked her.

“You dare to hit me, my dad won’t let you go!” Qiu Bing continued to make threats.

Shen Man smiled contemptuously, bent down, her eyes fierce, “If you can’t win a fight, you bring out your dad. You are truly filial⁸.”

Qiu Bing felt a pang of fear and cowered on the ground, trying to retreat.

Shen Man stepped on her fingers, the force not too light and not too heavy. As long as she didn’t struggle, it wouldn’t hurt.

“Weren’t you very arrogant when you were holding the knife just now? How come you’re not so tough now, calling for your dad with every other word?” Shen Man curled her lips in mockery.

Tears streamed down Qiu Bing’s face as she tried hard to break free.

“They’re fighting over there!” a girl said loudly.

Shen Man looked over. It was a couple on a date by the lake who had happened to walk here.

She immediately turned around and left in the opposite direction.

Qiu Bing stood up from the ground and glared fiercely at the girl.

The girl was scared and hurriedly hid behind the boy.

The two of them didn’t want to cause trouble and quickly left.

“I will definitely get her expelled from school!” Qiu Bing gritted her teeth in hatred.

The other two agreed.

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Shen Man returned to the house.

Auntie He saw that her clothes were a bit messy and asked with concern, “Manman, what happened?”

Shen Man shook her head with a light laugh.

She returned to her room and changed her clothes.

She thought for a moment and sent a message to Tan Kai, “Do you know a girl named Qiu Bing?”

“Not very well, but I know her older brother,” Tan Kai replied. “Her brother was a senior a few grades above, he’s already graduated.”

“Back when he was at school, he smoked, fought, played with girls, he did everything.” Tan Kai quickly retracted this sentence.

Shen Man still saw it. Her delicate brows knitted together, and she asked again, “Does their family have some kind of connection with the school?”

“Her dad and the principal are cousins. He invested in and built the largest building at the school,” Tan Kai replied.

Shen Man immediately understood.

She had indeed provoked someone with a background.

“Why are you suddenly asking about this?” Tan Kai asked with concern.

“Just asking casually,” Shen Man said.

Tan Kai thought for a moment and urged, “Don’t provoke that Qiu Bing, she’s sick. In the past, when she used to hang out with her brother, she drove a girl to her death. I heard that just because her boyfriend at the time praised that girl for being very pretty, she held a grudge, harassed her every day, even went to the girl’s house and smashed everything, and in the end, the girl couldn’t take it anymore, jumped off a building and committed suicide, and couldn’t be saved.”

“Thanks, I understand now,” Shen Man’s heart jumped in shock. She rubbed the space between her eyebrows, feeling a bit of a headache.

This time, she had really provoked a lunatic.

She had no power and no influence; she definitely couldn’t fight against the power behind that girl.

Being expelled from school was a small matter. If the other party went crazy and wanted her life, she really didn’t know if she could escape.

Shen Man sat on the sofa, thinking of a solution.

Lin Shu came back, didn’t even change her shoes, walked over, and stared at Shen Man, “Why are you asking about Qiu Bing?”

When she said the name ‘Qiu Bing’, Lin Shu’s eyes were full of disgust.

Hearing this, Shen Man immediately understood that Tan Kai had told Lin Shu about it.

“It’s nothing,” Shen Man shook her head with a light laugh.

“I’m warning you, don’t provoke her. She’s a lunatic,” Lin Shu said with a serious little face.

“You all seem to be very afraid of her?” Shen Man asked.

“Who’s afraid of her?” Lin Shu rolled her eyes and said haughtily, “We just can’t be bothered to argue with that lunatic.”

“Shushu, is your Lin family’s background stronger, or is their Qiu family more powerful?” Shen Man asked with great interest.

“Nonsense! Of course our family is more powerful. When her dad sees my dad, he has to bow and scrape,” Lin Shu raised an eyebrow, her face full of pride.

Shen Man was instantly relieved. She stood up, moved closer to Lin Shu, and said softly, “Shushu, there’s something I’d like to ask you for help with.”

Lin Shu took a wary step back and asked, “You didn’t really provoke that lunatic, did you?”

Shen Man gave a faint smile, which was as good as an admission.

“Why should I help you?” Lin Shu raised her eyes haughtily.

Shen Man bent down, leaned closer, reached out, and wrapped her arm around the young woman’s slender waist. She let out a breath and whispered ambiguously, “If you don’t help me, I’ll tell everyone what happened that night.”

“You!” Lin Shu’s face turned red, it was hard to tell if it was from anger or shame.

She snorted angrily, walked towards her room menacingly, and when she was closing the door, she turned back to glare at Shen Man, “If you dare to say it, I will definitely not let you go.”

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