A Beauty’s Tears
She happened to fall right into Shen Man’s arms
Lin Shu thought all night and finally came up with an excellent plan.
She was so excited she didn’t sleep a wink, and when she got up the next morning, she had dark circles around her eyes.
Shen Man was in the kitchen making breakfast. She simply cooked a portion of lean meat congee1 and fried two eggs.
She placed the breakfast on the table and called towards Lin Shu’s room, “Come out for breakfast.”
Lin Shu was in her room putting on makeup, dabbing concealer unhurriedly in front of the mirror.
Hearing Shen Man’s voice, her finger trembled, and the concealer stick nearly poked her in the eye.
She closed one eye and let out an ‘ah’, then said loudly in a bad mood, “I know, stop rushing me, I’ll be right there.”
Shen Man didn’t know how she had angered this Young Miss.
She didn’t wait for Lin Shu any longer, sitting down to ladle a bowl of congee for herself and eating it with slow, deliberate bites.
Half an hour later, Lin Shu’s bedroom door opened.
Shen Man looked over at the sound, a flash of astonishment in her eyes.
Lin Shu was wearing a pale green slip dress, her delicate and alluring collarbones on full display. The folded design at the waist outlined her unbelievably thin waist.
Her soft hair was let down, and the black strands falling on her shoulders created a strong visual contrast with her fair, translucent skin.
The green dress made her skin appear even fairer and more tender, possessing a fresh and pure beauty that was a feast for the eyes.
Shen Man glanced once, then lowered her head and continued to drink her congee.
Lin Shu let out a laugh, walked over with her chin held high, and sat down elegantly to start drinking her congee.
Lin Shu took a taste of the congee and immediately frowned, revealing a look of disgust. “What is this you’ve cooked? It’s so disgusting.”
Hearing this, Shen Man instantly understood that Lin Shu was trying to pick a fight with her.
“I cooked lean meat congee, is it not to your taste?” Shen Man played along, speaking in a good-tempered manner.
“Is this edible? It’s bland and tasteless, and the meat is spoiled.” Lin Shu covered her small mouth, an expression on her face as if she couldn’t eat it.
“I think it’s fine,” Shen Man said with a smile, continuing to eat her congee leisurely by herself.
Lin Shu was left hanging.
Thinking about her plan to drive Shen Man away, she forced herself to endure the aroma of the food, maintaining the disgusted expression on her face.
Suddenly, her stomach let out a ‘gu’ sound.
Shen Man, who had her head down, heard the sound and her lips curled up slightly.
A trace of heat rose on Lin Shu’s small face, and she explained, trying to deceive herself as much as anyone else, “That was my phone making a sound.”
“Mhm, mhm.” Shen Man smiled, not exposing her lie.
Lin Shu felt her cheeks grow even hotter and turned her head to the side with a huff.
After Shen Man finished her breakfast, she wiped her mouth with a napkin, glanced at Lin Shu, and said, “If you’re not going to eat, I’m going to clear the dishes.”
“Hurry up and clear them,” Lin Shu said with a raised eyebrow, her attitude overbearing.
Shen Man smiled and got up to clear the dining table.
Watching Shen Man carry the unfinished congee to the kitchen, Lin Shu swallowed hard and rubbed her hungry stomach.
The moment Shen Man came out, she resumed her arrogant and cold expression.
From the corners of her eyes to the tips of her brows, every part of her revealed her dissatisfaction with Shen Man.
“Since you’ve finished breakfast, hurry up and go wash the clothes,” Lin Shu said in a harsh tone.
Hearing this, Shen Man walked towards the bathroom.
The clothes they had both changed out of yesterday were in the laundry basket.
Shen Man picked them up and looked, then walked out of the bathroom and stood at the door to ask, “Do you want me to wash your underwear and panties?”
“I’ll wash them myself.” Lin Shu’s small face turned red, and she immediately stood up.
Lin Shu took out her own personal garments, looked at the clothes in the laundry basket, and said, “Wash your clothes and my clothes separately. You’d better not ruin my clothes, or else…”
Towards the end of her sentence, she huffed twice, the threat obvious.
Shen Man picked up the clothes and accurately stated the brand, material, and washing instructions for each item.
Lin Shu was startled to hear this and blurted out, “How do you know so much about these brands?”
She was deliberately bullying Shen Man for not being able to afford designer brands, which was why she wanted Shen Man to wash her clothes.
Once Shen Man ruined her clothes, she would have a reason to kick her out.
Shen Man let out a light laugh, her eyes holding a sharpness that saw through everything. She lowered her voice, her gaze ambiguous, “There are many things the Young Miss doesn’t know. There will be plenty of time to slowly understand in the future.”
The last four words were deliberately emphasized.
Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat, and she widened her eyes, unwilling to admit defeat. “Who wants to understand you?”
Shen Man smiled without speaking and turned to wash the clothes.
These clothes of Lin Shu’s were expensive and all required hand washing.
Shen Man was busy in the bathroom for half an hour before she finished.
She went out to hang the clothes to dry, and as she passed through the living room, she saw Lin Shu eating an apple.
“Young Miss, are you hungry? There are still noodles and eggs in the fridge, do you want me to make you some noodles?” Shen Man asked with a smile.
Lin Shu’s neck stiffened. “No need, I’m not hungry at all.”
“Hurry up and finish hanging the clothes and come out with me. I want to get a manicure.”
“Alright,” Shen Man agreed with a smile.
Shen Man went back to her room to change her clothes.
Her entire outfit cost less than a thousand yuan combined. Standing next to Lin Shu, the gap between rich and poor was immediately apparent.
Lin Shu gave a haughty sneer, fiddling with the hair by her ear. “Walking with me, you really look like my family’s maid.”
“It is my honor to be able to serve such a beautiful and cute Young Miss,” Shen Man said, her lips curling, her eyes full of charm.
Lin Shu was stunned.
Having failed to gain any advantage in the verbal spar, she pouted with a huff.
The two of them went out one after the other.
Lin Shu stopped in front of an expensive car and looked at Shen Man with her chin held high. “Can you drive?”
Shen Man nodded.
Lin Shu threw a set of keys over and got into the car first.
Shen Man took the keys, sat in the driver’s seat, looked it over, and skillfully started the car.
This car was not cheap, and it looked ninety percent new; it had probably been driven very few times.
“If you can’t drive, why did you buy this car?” Shen Man asked, her right hand on the steering wheel and her left arm resting on the windowsill, enjoying the wind from the speed of the car.
“I buy what I want to buy. It’s not expensive anyway,” Lin Shu said.
Shen Man, “…”
Calling a car worth tens of millions not expensive, truly a Young Miss.
“When did you get your driver’s license?” Lin Shu asked in return, leaning back comfortably in her seat, expressing satisfaction with Shen Man’s driving skills.
Hearing this, Shen Man’s expression changed slightly. She quickly pulled her arm back and gripped the steering wheel with both hands.
Seeing the traffic police ahead, she decisively turned the steering wheel to make a turn.
Lin Shu, not understanding why, asked with dissatisfaction, “Why did you suddenly turn? Going straight was the right way.”
“I don’t have a driver’s license,” Shen Man said.
Lin Shu was stunned and quickly changed her tune, “Hurry up and go, it’ll be trouble if we get caught.”
“It’s not that much trouble. Just a fine plus a temporary impoundment of the car,” Shen Man said with a light laugh, turning her head to glance at Lin Shu. “This car isn’t expensive anyway.”
A breath caught in Lin Shu’s throat, her attempt at mockery backfiring on her.
She turned her head away in anger, not wanting to speak to Shen Man.
Shen Man’s lips curled into a pleased smile.
These schemes and tricks of Lin Shu’s could only fool those young boys and girls who hadn’t experienced the harsh realities of society.
For someone like her, who had experienced the warmth and cold of human relationships and the cruelty of society, they were useless.
She could even effortlessly turn the tables and tease Lin Shu.
To avoid the traffic police on the road, Shen Man took an extra half hour to reach the destination.
Lin Shu got out of the car and slammed the door shut, not feeling the slightest bit of pity for this expensive new car.
Shen Man locked the car, handed the keys to Lin Shu, and said with a smile, “Thank you, Young Miss, for giving me the opportunity to drive such a nice car.”
Lin Shu huffed, took the keys, turned her head away, and walked forward.
Shen Man followed behind.
Lin Shu entered with practiced ease.
The owner of the nail salon immediately greeted her warmly, “Miss Lin, you’re here. Our shop has some new designs recently, you can take a look.”
“Mhm.” Lin Shu sat down.
The owner personally served Lin Shu, pouring tea and water, and bringing the latest design catalog to her.
Shen Man stood to the side, completely ignored.
She didn’t mind and found a place to sit on her own.
Lin Shu glanced at Shen Man and said deliberately, “You should get a manicure too.”
Before Shen Man could answer, she added arrogantly, “The prices here aren’t cheap. I bet you can’t even afford to do one nail.”
Shen Man didn’t speak, merely staring at Lin Shu with those dark, bottomless eyes.
Under her gaze, Lin Shu’s mocking tone grew quieter and quieter, until she finally shut her mouth.
Shen Man let out a laugh and sat quietly to the side.
She only found Lin Shu’s provocations and humiliations to be childish and amusing, not angering.
She knew very well in her heart that all of Lin Shu’s actions today were meant to provoke her and drive her away.
Lin Shu began to seriously select a nail design.
The shop owner recommended several, but she was not satisfied with any of them. After half an hour of choosing, there was still no good result.
Shen Man stood up, pointed to one of the designs, and said, “This shape, with the color changed to a light pink, would suit you very well.”
“How would you know?” Lin Shu frowned.
Seeing that she seemed to be yielding, the owner quickly chimed in, “Miss Lin, your fingers are beautiful, scallion-white, fine, and tender2. Any design would look good on you, especially this pink. It’s the most suitable for you, pure and lovely. It will definitely be beautiful when it’s done.”
Lin Shu was still hesitant.
Shen Man sat beside her, picked up her hand, and analyzed it carefully as she looked.
Her voice was pleasant, and she was so serious that it made people instinctively believe her.
Lin Shu was gradually persuaded and said to the owner, “Just do this one, in light pink.”
“Okay, Miss Lin,” the owner replied happily.
It took two hours to finish the manicure.
Lin Shu looked at her fingers and a happy smile appeared on her face. She couldn’t help but say to Shen Man, “You have really good taste. The result is even better than I imagined.”
“The Young Miss’s fingers are beautiful, any design would look good,” Shen Man said with a light laugh, her eyes filled with a gentle smile.
Lin Shu was stunned, her small face rapidly turning red.
She had heard such words from the nail salon owner many times, but only when they came from Shen Man’s red lips did they feel exceptionally pleasant.
Lin Shu gave an arrogant huff, suppressing the joy bubbling up in her heart.
The owner came over and said with a smile, “Miss Lin, that will be five thousand yuan in total.”
“Mhm.” Lin Shu nodded.
Shen Man was a bit surprised to hear this amount.
It wasn’t that she thought it was expensive, but that it was clearly not worth it.
The Young Miss Lin seemed clever, but in terms of daily life, she was a rich fool3, not feeling the slightest pain at spending five thousand.
Lin Shu took out her bank card to pay, but it showed that she was unable to pay.
After glancing at a text message on her phone, she realized that her account had been frozen.
Lin Shu stormed out, took out her phone, and quickly dialed a number.
Shen Man followed behind and saw that the contact name on the phone was ‘Old Man Lin4’.
To give one’s father such a contact name, the relationship was either extremely good or extremely bad.
Seeing the way Lin Shu’s eyes were bulging with anger, it was likely the latter.
The call connected, and Lin Shu questioned loudly and angrily, “Why did you freeze my card?”
“Shushu, I’m in a meeting right now, I’ll talk to you later,” Father Lin said.
The call ended in less than ten seconds.
Lin Shu stared at her phone, her eyes red with anger.
Just when Shen Man thought she was about to explode, Lin Shu suppressed all her anger, put on a cold face, and returned to the shop to say, “I don’t have that much cash on me today, I’ll give you two thousand yuan first.”
“Okay, Miss Lin, please come again,” the owner said, still smiling politely.
Lin Shu went out and sat in the back seat without a word.
Shen Man sat in the driver’s seat and glanced back.
The young girl had her head down, her soft black hair hiding her small face, making it impossible to see her expression.
Those slender, fair, and beautiful fingers were gripping her phone tightly, the veins on the back of her hand bulging, as if she was using all her strength.
After a moment, a soft sob came from that shadowy figure, but it was quickly suppressed.
Lin Shu looked up, her red eyes glistening with tears, and looked at Shen Man, saying in an overbearing tone, “What are you waiting for, drive.”
That little bit of sympathy in Shen Man’s heart vanished completely.
They drove back to the residential complex.
Shen Man parked the car steadily, looked at the young girl’s reddened eyes in the rearview mirror, and said, “Your dad is busy with work, it’s understandable that he neglects you a little.”
Lin Shu let out a cold laugh, turned her head, and stubbornly stared at the sky outside the window.
The midday sun was too glaring. After staring for a while, her tears fell uncontrollably.
Crystal tears slid down her fair, smooth little face, landing on her delicate collarbones, spreading faint traces on her pale skin.
The sunlight from outside streamed in, landing right on a crystal teardrop, refracting a dazzling light.
Shen Man’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Watching the beautiful picture of a beauty weeping in grievance, she let out a light laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Lin Shu asked in an unfriendly tone.
“Nothing.” The smile in Shen Man’s eyes deepened. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and said, “Feeling better?”
“None of your business!” Lin Shu said huffily, forcefully opening the car door and getting out.
Shen Man locked the car and caught up with Lin Shu.
The two entered the elevator.
Lin Shu looked at her own reddened eyes in the mirror and stared fiercely at Shen Man. “You are not to tell anyone about what happened today.”
“Yes, my Young Miss,” Shen Man agreed with a smile.
The elevator doors opened. Lin Shu went out first and stood by the door, waiting for someone to open it.
Shen Man walked closer and said with a smile, “I don’t have a key.”
Lin Shu’s expression changed. She felt her pockets, and her fair little face became helpless. “I didn’t bring my key either, what do we do now?”
“We can only wait for Auntie He to come back,” Shen Man said calmly. After a pause, she glanced at Lin Shu and added, “Or perhaps, you could go get the key from your dad.”
“My dad doesn’t have a key to this place,” Lin Shu said, her tone still laced with anger.
Hearing this, Shen Man shrugged, not commenting on the relationship between this father and daughter.
Lin Shu took out her phone to call Auntie He.
“Miss Lin, is there anything I can help you with?” Auntie He asked in a polite tone.
“I didn’t bring my key and I’m locked out. When will you be back?” Lin Shu asked.
“The earliest would be four in the afternoon,” Auntie He said with difficulty.
“Four o’clock!” Lin Shu was surprised. “Then what am I supposed to do?”
The next second, the phone in her hand was taken away by a slender finger.
Lin Shu glared angrily at Shen Man, subconsciously trying to take her phone back.
She lunged forward, her high heels wobbled, and she happened to fall right into Shen Man’s arms.
Shen Man let out a muffled grunt, her brow furrowing slightly, one hand firmly holding Lin Shu in her embrace.
Lin Shu couldn’t move and struggled, still trying to grab the phone.
Shen Man lowered her head, a coldness in her eyes.
Lin Shu froze, stunned, and stopped struggling, obediently leaning against Shen Man’s chest.
“Auntie He, no need to rush, you can come back after you’re done with your work,” Shen Man said with a smile, her eyes lowering to look at Lin Shu. “What do you say, Shushu?”
Lin Shu felt a dangerous aura surrounding her and said unwillingly, “Whatever.”
“Thank you, Miss Lin, I will be back as soon as possible,” Auntie He said gratefully.
Shen Man hung up the phone, returned it to Lin Shu, her face resuming its relaxed smile. She wrapped an arm around that slender waist, leaned in close, and asked, “Auntie He seems to be very afraid of you?”
Lin Shu was breathless under the scorching breath so close to her, and a blush appeared on her fair little face.
She turned her head away and said fiercely, “Let go.”
Shen Man smiled and released her.
Lin Shu immediately took a step back, straightened her dress and hair, and stared at Shen Man defensively.
Shen Man looked at the time; it was two in the afternoon.
“There are some cookies in the car. Do you want to eat some cookies and then take a nap?” Shen Man asked.
Lin Shu pouted with a reluctant expression, as if unwillingly nodding.
The two returned to the car.
Shen Man took out a bag of cookies and handed it to Lin Shu.
Lin Shu had only eaten an apple since the morning, and her stomach was already extremely hungry. She took the cookies and began to eat.
“Eat slowly,” Shen Man said, handing her a bottle of water.
Lin Shu happened to choke, coughed twice, took the water, and slowed down her pace of eating the cookies.
“I’m going to sleep now. Call me when Auntie He gets back,” Lin Shu said with an arrogant look, lying down in the back to rest.
Shen Man said ‘mhm’ and looked down to play with her phone.
A small, cat-like whimper came from the person in the back seat.
Shen Man looked up and immediately saw Lin Shu’s body curled up.
She immediately turned up the air conditioner’s temperature and covered Lin Shu with the small spare blanket from the car.
“Mmm…” Lin Shu’s eyes opened slightly, then closed tightly again the next second.
Shen Man stared at that sleeping face, her gaze deep and profound.
✨ Unlock Early Access to Chapters! ✨
Choose your perfect membership at bamboopandatl.net:
📚 Full Access ($4.99)
• Advanced chapters of ALL ongoing novels
• Access to complete finished novels
• Ad-free reading experience
📖 Single Novel Access ($1.49)
• Advanced chapters of ONE specific novel
• Ad-free reading for chosen novel
PayPal is the only current payment option!