I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 67

Holding Her Hand

It was as if she was being protected by her.

People came and went all around them.

The sounds of laughter and conversation drifted over from time to time, creating an extremely lively atmosphere.

Lin Shu kept her head down, turning a deaf ear to her surroundings as she focused on eating the ice cream in her hand.

“Shushu, how’s the new ice cream flavor?” Shen Man leaned in close, asking with a beaming smile, “Is it sweet?”

Her lowered voice carried a warm breath that washed over Lin Shu’s face.

Lin Shu felt a flush of heat on her little face and didn’t answer.

Her long eyelashes drooped downwards, casting a beautiful, fan-like shadow on her delicate skin.

She took a large bite of the ice cream and chewed it quickly, as if she were eating meat.

“Shushu, eat slower,” Shen Man reminded her softly.

“None of your business!” Lin Shu retorted in a small voice, glaring up at Shen Man before quickly looking down again.

Shen Man noticed a lovely blush spreading across that delicate little face.

It was like a peach, white with a hint of red, that would surely be sweeter than ice cream if one took a bite.

A slight smile touched her lips, and a look of delight appeared in her eyes.

“Manman, stop staring at Lin Shu’s ice cream. If you want some, I’ll buy you one,” Xia Ke said with a teasing laugh.

Shen Man immediately retracted her gaze and sat up straight, clearing her throat with a light cough. “No, thank you. After you’re all done, we’ll find a repair shop to fix Shushu’s phone.”

“Okay,” Xia Ke nodded, neatly biting off the last of her ice cream.

Seeing that Yin Ruxu still had more than half of her ice cream left, she said with a smile, “Ah Xu, take your time. There’s no rush.”

Yin Ruxu nodded obediently and said in a gentle voice, “We can head over now.”

Hearing this, Xia Ke looked at Shen Man.

Shen Man looked at Lin Shu.

“Then let’s go. What are you all standing around for?” Lin Shu said in a fierce tone, her small face slightly flushed.

She stood up, holding two ice creams, and started walking ahead by herself.

Shen Man followed.

Xia Ke and Yin Ruxu trailed behind them.

“Manman, Ah Xu said the phone repair shop is on the fourth floor. We can take the elevator over there,” Xia Ke said, pointing to the elevator on their right.

Shen Man turned her head, glanced over, and nodded.

She grabbed Lin Shu’s arm and said, “Shushu, we’re going this way.”

The four of them changed direction.

Xia Ke and Yin Ruxu walked in front.

Shen Man and Lin Shu followed behind.

In the time it took to reach the elevator, Yin Ruxu finished her ice cream.

Seeing this, Xia Ke handed her a wet wipe and took the leftover wrapper, saying, “There’s a trash can up ahead. I’ll go throw this away.”

“Okay,” Yin Ruxu smiled gently, taking the wipe and slowly cleaning her hands.

“Xia Ke is quite good to you,” Shen Man said with a smile.

Yin Ruxu turned her head and met a pair of sharp eyes. A flicker of panic crossed her heart, and she couldn’t help but lower her head to hide it. “She is very good.”

“What a waste for her to be with you,” Lin Shu sneered, her face full of contempt.

Yin Ruxu clenched her fingers, her eyes filled with suppressed anger and resentment.

She forced it down, looked up, and revealed a gentle, harmless smile. Looking at Lin Shu with a mix of envy and self-pity, she said, “Lin Shu, not everyone is like you, born into a privileged life where you can easily obtain things others might struggle a lifetime for.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lin Shu’s expression turned cold.

“Nothing.” Yin Ruxu saw Xia Ke approaching from a short distance away, tilted her head slightly, and her eyes took on a vulnerable look.

Xia Ke stopped, sensing the somewhat strange atmosphere, and was just about to question Lin Shu.

Shen Man spoke first. “Yin Ruxu, you seem quite familiar with this place. You must come here often.”

She deliberately emphasized the last part of her sentence.

Yin Ruxu’s heart skipped a beat, and she secretly glanced at Xia Ke.

Composing herself, she said, “I looked up some guides yesterday and happened to remember this one.”

“Manman, let’s not talk about this. Let’s get in the elevator,” Xia Ke interrupted with a smile.

With that, she took Yin Ruxu’s hand and shot her a concerned look.

Yin Ruxu’s eyes curved into a smile as she gently shook her head.

Seeing this gesture, Shen Man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Yin Ruxu’s words just now had already made it clear that her relationship with Xia Ke was more about valuing the other’s family background and money, wanting to use Xia Ke as a stepping stone to the life she had always dreamed of.

“Only a fool like Xia Ke, would fall for a woman with a complex mind for scheming¹ like Yin Ruxu.” Lin Shu snorted disdainfully, lowering her head to eat her ice cream.

Shen Man let out a soft laugh and nodded in agreement.

“You also like this type of lovely and pitiful² beauty, right?” Lin Shu said coldly.

Shen Man just smiled without saying anything.

The type she had always preferred was someone simple and gentle, someone who could maintain their original intentions in this complicated circle and be completely devoted to her.

It just so happened that the gentle and understanding damsel-in-distress type fit this description, so people mistakenly believed she liked the vulnerable type.

In reality, what she wanted was a steadfast heart that would never betray her.

“Of course. You’re all the same,” Lin Shu bit her lip in annoyance and turned her head away, not wanting to talk to her.

Shen Man gazed at the girl’s pouting side profile and leaned in.

Lin Shu felt a warm presence approach and subconsciously turned her head.

Their lips almost touched.

A low chuckle rumbled in Shen Man’s throat. Her lips brushed past the soft corner of the girl’s mouth as she licked away some ice cream.

After savoring it for a moment, she smiled in satisfaction. “Shushu, so sweet.”

The pause in the middle of her sentence made her smiling voice sound inexplicably ambiguous.

Lin Shu’s face flushed red, and she wanted to scold her loudly.

She opened her mouth, but then realized they were in a public place and forced herself to hold back. With a stern face, she said, “I’m not eating this ice cream anymore. It’s yours.”

“Alright.” Shen Man squinted her eyes contentedly, took a bite, and then said with a puzzled look, “It doesn’t seem as sweet as it was just now.”

Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat, and a wave of heat rushed up her back. She said angrily, “Can you not talk so much… you…”

Before she could finish, her fingers were grasped.

Their fingers were intertwined.

“Let go of me!” Lin Shu warned in a low voice, struggling in a fluster.

“Shushu, don’t be nervous.” Shen Man was perfectly calm, her gaze fixed straight ahead. “There are a lot of people here. If we don’t hold hands, we’ll get separated.”

Just as she finished speaking, a small child ran up from behind.

Lin Shu was suddenly pushed by a small hand, and her body tilted uncontrollably to the side.

Shen Man easily caught the girl’s slender waist and asked with concern, “Shushu, are you okay?”

“Whose kid is that? Why aren’t they watching them?” Lin Shu said angrily, her gaze sweeping around before landing on a woman behind them.

The woman was quickly walking up the stairs, apologizing to people as she went.

When she reached Lin Shu, she apologized, “I’m so sorry. My child is a bit mischievous. I’m sorry.”

“There are a lot of people here. Please watch your child and teach him the proper rules and etiquette for public places,” Shen Man’s eyes turned cold, her tone so severe it was almost a reprimand.

The woman nodded repeatedly.

Lin Shu was stunned.

Looking up, she saw a stern, tense face. The usual gentle smile was gone from those calm eyes, replaced by a frightening frost.

Strangely, she actually felt a sense of security, as if she was being protected.

Her heart suddenly thumped violently, making a ‘thump, thump’ sound.

Lin Shu’s long eyelashes trembled, hiding the thoughts in her eyes.

Shen Man looked down, a smile in her eyes. “Shushu, you need to be more careful.”

“I know,” Lin Shu said with her head lowered, her tone fierce. “Good thing my ice cream didn’t fall.”

Hearing this, Shen Man couldn’t help but laugh.

Lin Shu’s cheeks grew hot, and she quickly took a bite of the cold ice cream to cool her face.

“Manman, I see the phone repair shop,” Xia Ke waved at them, saying with a smile.

“Okay,” Shen Man nodded.

Holding Lin Shu’s hand with one hand, she threw the ice cream wrapper into a nearby trash can with the other.

“Manman, wipe your hands.” Xia Ke handed over a wet wipe, then looked at Lin Shu. “Lin Shu, do you want one?”

“No need, I have some in my bag,” Lin Shu said, pulling her hand free.

Shen Man’s palm felt empty, and her long fingers couldn’t help but twitch.

She reached out, took the wet wipe from Xia Ke, wiped her hands, balled it up, and casually tossed it into the trash can.

“Manman, that was a good shot,” Xia Ke praised with a laugh.

Shen Man gave a faint smile.

“You could have just thrown it in. Why did you have to toss it? If you missed, you’d have to pick it up,” Lin Shu said irritably.

She shot Shen Man a harsh glare and walked towards the repair shop.

Xia Ke blinked, looking at Shen Man in confusion. “You two were fine just a moment ago. How did Lin Shu get upset again in the short time it took to get up the elevator?”

Shen Man noted the word ‘again’ and curled her lips out of habit. “A child probably bumped into her just now, so Shushu is in a bit of a bad mood.”

“Even if Lin Shu is angry, she shouldn’t take it out on…” Xia Ke frowned.

“Ke, let’s go,” Yin Ruxu interrupted her, taking Xia Ke’s hand and leading her forward.

Shen Man watched their intimate posture and couldn’t help but glance at her own palm.

Although she didn’t quite approve of Xia Ke’s relationship, Yin Ruxu’s performance was that of a qualified girlfriend.

Obedient, understanding, and often with a happy smile in her eyes, which, combined with that deceptively innocent face, made her sweetness level almost a perfect score.

It was no wonder that a novice in love like Xia Ke, with zero experience, had fallen so completely.

The four of them arrived at the phone repair shop.

Lin Shu placed her phone on the glass counter.

Before she could speak, Shen Man said, “This phone screen is shattered. Could you take a look and see how long it would take to replace it?”

The repairman took the phone, inspected it, and said, “About two hours.”

“Okay, we’ll be back in two hours,” Shen Man nodded, then looked at Xia Ke. “Where are you two planning to go first?”

“Let’s go look at clothes first,” Xia Ke smiled happily, her light blue eyes sparkling. “I want to buy matching outfits³ with Ah Xu.”

Yin Ruxu pressed her lips together, a shy blush appearing on her fair face.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

In that glance, Shen Man saw the sweetness of love.

For a moment, a trace of envy grew in her heart.

Her eyes couldn’t help but drift towards Lin Shu.

Lin Shu was leaning against the counter, her small face serious.

Suddenly being looked at by Shen Man, she immediately glared back angrily. “What are you looking at? If my phone isn’t fixed today, I won’t let you off the hook.”

Shen Man gave a helpless smile, and the ripple in her heart returned to calm.

The four of them walked out.

Xia Ke and Yin Ruxu, hand in hand, led the way.

Shen Man and Lin Shu followed behind, half a body’s length apart.

Lin Shu’s hands tightly gripped the shoulder strap of her bag.

Her rosy lips were pressed into a hard line, and her delicate little face was filled with a cold indifference that warned strangers to stay away⁴.

Shen Man glanced to the side and met the girl’s angry eyes.

She smiled slightly and said in a low voice, “Shushu, it’s rare to have such a nice day. Shouldn’t you be smiling happily?”

Lin Shu shot her a sideways glance and quickened her pace.

Shen Man immediately caught up, moving closer to Lin Shu’s side.

The distance between them was now almost zero.

Lin Shu instantly felt the other person’s warmth seeping through the thin fabric, making her heart race and her cheeks feel a little hot.

She couldn’t help but turn her head to look away.

“Shushu, feel free to pick any clothes and bags you like today. I’m paying,” Shen Man chuckled softly.

Lin Shu was taken aback and looked at Shen Man. “Where did you get the money? This isn’t a place you can afford.”

“Shushu doesn’t need to worry about me. As long as you’re happy, you can buy as much as you want,” Shen Man said with a doting smile.

Lin Shu’s heart trembled, her face flushing slightly as she let out an arrogant huff. “It’s not like I don’t have money. I don’t need your fake kindness.”

“But I’m being sincere,” Shen Man leaned down slightly, her hot breath falling near the girl’s ear.

Soon, the tips of the girl’s ears turned red.

Lin Shu subconsciously reached up to tuck the hair behind her ear.

Her fingers continued downwards, and just as they were about to drop, they were caught by a slender hand.

Lin Shu was startled, her eyes widening in surprise.

Turning her head, she met a pair of leisurely smiling eyes.

“Let go!” she hissed, struggling slightly.

Shen Man held on tightly, the smile on her face calm and composed.

Unable to break free, Lin Shu turned her head to the side with a pout.

From time to in time, people would look over at them.

Lin Shu’s face burned with heat, and she didn’t dare to meet the gazes of the passersby.

A smile played on Shen Man’s lips as she looked ahead leisurely.

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