I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 65

In Her Room

Shushu, was the movie good?

Shen Man and Lin Shu had just finished dinner.

The doorbell rang.

Auntie He immediately said, “I’ll get the door.”

“No need, you can rest,” Shen Man said as she stood up. “It should be my friend.”

Shen Man walked to the entryway and looked out through the peephole.

Xia Ke was standing outside, an excited smile on her lips, carrying a large bag of fruit.

Shen Man opened the door.

“Manman!” Xia Ke instantly shouted in excitement. The moment she finished speaking, she realized her voice was too loud and quickly lowered it. “Manman, I’m here.”

“Change your shoes,” Shen Man said faintly, turning to walk toward the living room.

Xia Ke changed her shoes and followed her.

Her gaze inadvertently met Lin Shu’s, and her back instantly straightened. She revealed a stiff smile. “Lin Shu, good evening.”

“Mm,” Lin Shu responded. She put down her chopsticks, stared at the fruit in Xia Ke’s arms, and asked, “Why did you suddenly think to come over?”

“To study,” Shen Man answered first.

Xia Ke nodded hastily. “Right, Manman is right, to study.”

Lin Shu looked between the two of them suspiciously and asked with a frown, “Why are you two acting so weird?”

“It’s Xia Ke’s first time here, so she’s a little nervous,” Shen Man explained unhurriedly.

Standing behind her, Xia Ke nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice¹.

Lin Shu looked at the strange pair, pursed her lips, and got up to go back to her room.

Xia Ke immediately breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to the other room. “Manman, this is your room, right?”

Shen Man nodded. “You go in and sit down first. I’ll be there in a moment.”

“What else do you have to do?” Xia Ke blinked, her tone unconsciously pleading.

“Wash up,” Shen Man said.

“Then hurry back, I’ll wait for you.” Xia Ke instantly grew excited, the ends of the last few words rising so high her voice nearly cracked.

Shen Man’s brow furrowed. “It’s just watching a movie. What are you so nervous about?”

Xia Ke’s face flushed red. “I was just worried… about not performing well.”

As she spoke, she lowered her head and entered Shen Man’s room.

A trace of incomprehension appeared in Shen Man’s eyes.

It was her first time watching this type of movie, yet she felt no awkwardness or shyness, feeling much the same as when she watched other suggestive films.

After washing up, Shen Man went to the kitchen to find Auntie He.

“Manman, is there anything you need?” Auntie He asked with a smile.

“I’m going to be studying with my friend in a bit. You can just go about your own business and don’t worry about us,” Shen Man said.

Auntie He understood the meaning behind her words and nodded repeatedly. “Okay. If you need anything, just call me.”

“Alright.” After speaking, Shen Man turned and went back to her room.

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It wasn’t dark yet, but the room was pitch black.

The curtains were drawn tightly, blocking out all light.

Only the faint glow from a phone screen came from the bedside.

“Xia Ke, why didn’t you turn on the light?” Shen Man frowned, reached out, and with a ‘click,’ pressed the switch.

The room was suddenly illuminated.

Xia Ke was startled.

Hearing her words, she got up from the floor with a bashful expression. “It doesn’t seem right to turn on the light.”

“What’s not right about it? Just treat it like a normal movie,” Shen Man comforted her, closing the door behind her.

Xia Ke lowered her eyes shyly, stammered for a moment, and then explained in a small voice, “I know it’s not a big deal, but I just can’t help but be nervous…”

Shen Man felt a bit helpless.

She attributed this unusually strange behavior to her love brain² acting up.

She walked over, took out her own laptop, and operated it with a calm and steady hand on the mouse.

Xia Ke walked over curiously.

Seeing the rows of explicit cover images, her face turned red.

“What genre do you like?” Shen Man asked in a flat tone, propping her head up with one hand.

Xia Ke, blushing, leaned in closer and seriously examined each cover. After a long moment, she said in a small voice, “Something suitable for a beginner is fine.”

“I like the delicate and sweet type…” she added, pursing her lips. Even though her face was bright red, her eyes never left the screen.

Shen Man quickly found a relevant film and clicked play.

She placed the laptop on the coffee table. “You sit here and watch by yourself.”

“You’re not watching with me?” Xia Ke asked in surprise, a dazed look on her face.

“I still have things to take care of,” Shen Man said, sitting down at her desk, opening a book, and beginning to read slowly.

“Alright then.” Xia Ke sat down obediently, her light blue eyes glued to the screen.

She could understand the language in the video, so she could watch without any issue even without subtitles.

The room fell quiet for a time.

Suddenly, Xia Ke let out a loud cry. “Ah!”

Shen Man turned her head and asked faintly, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing… It’s just a little intense.” Xia Ke’s face was almost completely red, and her legs were pressed tightly together.

Shen Man’s eyes narrowed slightly as she noticed the movement, and she gave a solemn reminder. “Don’t do anything related to the movie in my room.”

“I know…” Xia Ke defended herself in a small voice.

She took a deep breath, trying to relax her body as much as possible.

Shen Man continued to read her book, occasionally pausing to take notes.

The blush-inducing sounds filled the air around her, but she seemed not to hear them, her eyes focused only on the book before her.

A knock came from the door.

The ‘thump-thump-thump’ sound continued for several seconds.

Shen Man could tell it was Lin Shu.

She looked at Xia Ke.

Xia Ke was staring at the computer without blinking, showing no reaction.

Shen Man lowered her gaze, thought for two seconds, and a smile touched her lips.

She got up and walked over to open the door.

“What are you two doing in here, shouting and making a big surprise out of a little strange³?” Lin Shu asked with a cold face, standing at the door in her pajamas.

She was holding a plate of cut fruit, and as she spoke, her gaze couldn’t help but drift inside.

“Ah…” A strange sound came from within the room.

“What is Xia Ke doing in your room?” Lin Shu’s fine eyebrows knitted together as a wave of anger suddenly rose in her round eyes.

She glared at Shen Man, anxiously waiting for an answer.

“Studying,” Shen Man said, her expression unchanged. She reached out and took the fruit platter from Lin Shu’s hands. “Shushu, you should rest early.”

With that, she prepared to close the door.

“Wait!” Lin Shu urgently blocked the door with her hand, her gaze fixed on Shen Man like a torch. “I want to come in.”

Shen Man’s brow furrowed slightly, her eyes showing her refusal.

“I’m coming in!” Lin Shu’s tone grew heavier, her face filled with unyielding determination. “I want to see what kind of tricks you two are up to.”

Shen Man was silent.

After a moment’s pause, she said calmly, “You can come in, but don’t regret it.”

As she finished, her voice carried a hint of a light laugh.

Lin Shu snorted haughtily and pushed the door open, storming in.

Shen Man closed the door, a smile in her eyes.

Lin Shu walked toward the bed.

The first thing she saw was Xia Ke kneeling on the floor, both hands gripping the edge of the coffee table, her upper body leaning forward as if she were concentrating on watching something.

That strange sound was coming from in front of Xia Ke.

“Xia Ke, what are you doing?” Standing by the bed, Lin Shu finally got a clear view of the laptop on the coffee table.

And the blush-inducing scene on the screen.

“Ah…” she couldn’t stop herself from screaming, her face turning red with a ‘whoosh.’ “How can you watch this kind of…”

She started to stutter, unable to find the right words to describe it.

“Ah! Lin Shu…” Xia Ke, a beat too slow, jumped up from the floor, waving her hands frantically. “Let me explain, I’m…”

“Studying,” Shen Man said from behind them with a light laugh.

Lin Shu felt a wave of heat on the back of her neck, and an irrepressible sense of panic rose in her heart.

She whipped her head around and glared at Shen Man, both embarrassed and angry. “You… you two…”

“I warned you. You were the one who insisted on coming in,” Shen Man said, sitting down with a leisurely smile on her lips.

Looking at Lin Shu’s crimson face, she raised an eyebrow. “Want to watch together?”

As she spoke, she gently exhaled, and her coolly beautiful face became inexplicably sexy.

Lin Shu’s heart suddenly began to pound wildly.

Those strange sounds were still coming from the side, but it seemed she could only hear Shen Man’s voice.

“Fine, I’ll watch!” she heard herself say these words as if throwing them to the ground to make a sound⁴.

The corner of Shen Man’s lips curled up, and she stood.

Her tall figure cast a shadow, enveloping Lin Shu within it.

Lin Shu subconsciously took a step back.

“Lin Shu, you like watching this too?” Xia Ke asked, her face red and her eyes sparkling.

“I do not…” Lin Shu retorted loudly, but as she met Shen Man’s eyes that were like a smile yet not a smile⁵, her voice gradually faded. “What’s it to you.”

“You two take your time watching,” Shen Man said with a smile. Her gaze fell upon Lin Shu, the amusement in her eyes deepening. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.”

Lin Shu instantly felt like prey being watched by a hunter, and a shiver ran up her spine.

Soon, that shiver turned into a wave of heat that spread through her entire body, burning her cheeks red.

It also burned away her ability to think.

Lin Shu sat down in a daze.

Xia Ke sat in her original spot, leaning her body back against the edge of the bed.

Shen Man sat at her desk and opened her book.

Her long, slender fingers held a pen, which she twirled rapidly.

The scenes on the laptop grew more and more intense.

Lin Shu’s face was red and her heart was pounding as she watched. She averted her eyes, staring at the patterns on the floor.

After a moment, she couldn’t resist looking up again.

Her gaze met Shen Man’s.

Shen Man smiled faintly.

Lin Shu instantly felt as if she had been caught holding the bag⁶. Her cheeks grew hot, and she lowered her head in a fluster. The violent ‘thump-thump’ in her chest completely drowned out the sounds around her.

“Wow, you can actually do it like that…” Xia Ke gasped in a low voice, covering her eyes with her fingers.

Her light blue eyes peeked at the screen through the gaps between her fingers.

Lin Shu looked up curiously.

Seeing the scene on the computer, she was instantly reminded of when Shen Man had done the same thing to her, and a tingling numbness spread through her body.

She quietly pressed her legs together, her fingertips gripping the hem of her nightdress, unconsciously rubbing it.

The two-hour movie came to an end.

Xia Ke let out a long sigh, patted her thoroughly red cheeks, and looked at Shen Man. “I’m heading out.”

“You two rest early. We have to go shopping together tomorrow.”

“Mm, okay,” Shen Man nodded.

She got up to see Xia Ke out.

Lin Shu sat where she was.

Her small head rested on her knees, her thick, curly eyelashes fluttering. It seemed as if she were thinking seriously, yet also as if she were thinking of nothing at all.

Shen Man came back into the room and gently closed the door.

She paused, then locked it.

The ‘click’ was extremely loud in the quiet room.

Lin Shu was startled and quickly turned her head.

Her gaze collided with Shen Man’s.

“Shushu.” Shen Man’s lips curved upwards as she casually rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her fair, jade-like arm.

She smiled, approaching Lin Shu with slow, elegant steps. “The movie just now, was it good?”

The last three words were deliberately drawn out, her low voice filled with ambiguity.

Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat.

She stared blankly as that tall, slender figure gradually drew closer.

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