I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 71

She’s Sick

Do You Like Me?

The weather on Monday was nice, the sun shining brightly.

Lin Shu was wearing a newly bought purple dress and matching purple earrings. Her complementary makeup added a sense of refinement and ethereal beauty, making her a dazzling sight.

Shen Man stood by the door.

A casual glance was enough to leave her stunned. She smiled and praised, “Shushu looks so beautiful.”

Lin Shu raised her eyebrows smugly, a happy smile appearing on her small face.

She walked to the living room and sat down, carefully arranging the hem of her dress.

Auntie He brought over breakfast and said with a smile, “Miss Lin looks so beautiful today.”

Lin Shu pressed her lips together happily, her beautiful eyes bright and full of spirit.

Shen Man sat down and filled a bowl to the brim with congee, placing it in front of Lin Shu.

Lin Shu finished it all, then wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin and said, “Auntie He, the congee you made today is excellent.”

“Thank you for the compliment, Miss Lin.” Auntie He was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor¹, unable to stop smiling as she glanced at Shen Man.

Shen Man chuckled lightly, wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin, and said, “Shushu, are you done eating?”

“Mhm.” Lin Shu nodded, her mood cheerful.

The two of them left with their school bags on their backs.

After getting in the car, Shen Man turned her head to look to the side.

Lin Shu was holding a small mirror, seriously adjusting the collar of her dress and occasionally fiddling with her hair.

“Shushu, seatbelt,” Shen Man reminded her.

“Mhm,” Lin Shu answered distractedly, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.

Shen Man waited for five minutes.

The young woman was still fussing with her new dress, having not heard a word she said at all.

“Shushu, you need to wear your seatbelt,” Shen Man said again, raising her voice.

“I know.” Annoyed at being interrupted, Lin Shu puffed out her cheeks. After speaking, she took out her foundation to touch up the corner of her lips.

Shen Man was helpless.

She unbuckled her own seatbelt and leaned over.

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

An enlarged, coolly beautiful face appeared before her eyes, its lips pressed together slightly with a hint of seriousness.

A hand suddenly rested on her waist.

Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat, and her body instinctively shied away.

“Shushu, don’t move,” Shen Man said, her head lowered as she focused on fastening the seatbelt.

Hearing this, Lin Shu froze stiffly in her seat.

Her round eyes stared at the face that was just inches away, her long eyelashes fluttering rapidly.

“There.” Shen Man straightened up and returned to her own seat.

Lin Shu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke with displeasure, “Why did you lean over so suddenly? Couldn’t you have said something?”

After she spoke, she turned her head to the side to look at the scenery outside, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

Shen Man looked at the young woman’s awkward display of vexation and embarrassment, smiled, and started the car.

When Lin Shu received no answer, she turned back and glared at Shen Man. “I can buckle my own seatbelt. I don’t need you to be nosy.”

“Mhm,” Shen Man replied with a perfunctory “mhm,” the smile on her lips not fading.

Lin Shu instantly felt indignant. She opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say.

She huffed in annoyance and stared blankly at the scenery flying past the window.

Shen Man stopped the car.

While unbuckling her seatbelt, she said, “Shushu, I need to go to the head teacher’s office. You can go to the classroom first.”

“I know,” Lin Shu said irritably. After a moment, she asked, “Why is the head teacher looking for you?”

“Just the usual trivial matters for a meeting,” Shen Man said as she got out of the car with her bag.

Lin Shu pouted and muttered under her breath, “Just a class monitor, always acting busier than the head teacher.”

After saying this, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked slowly by herself.

“Lin Shu, your dress today is so pretty. Where did you buy it?” a girl asked with a smile.

“Mhm,” Lin Shu responded coolly, her small face filled with the cold indifference of ‘strangers do not enter’².

The girl tactfully walked away and joined some other girls, and they began laughing and joking loudly.

Lin Shu watched them, a trace of envy appearing in her eyes.

Suddenly, someone appeared beside her.

Lin Shu turned her head and looked at the newcomer with a cold expression. “Xia Ke, what are you doing here?”

“I just delivered breakfast to Ah Xu,” Xia Ke replied with a smile, looking vibrant. “Why are you alone? Where’s Manman?”

“She’s the class monitor. She has endless things to do,” Lin Shu said, looking displeased.

Hearing this, Xia Ke started to laugh. “Manman is pretty busy. She doesn’t even have time to walk you to the classroom.”

“Who needs her to walk me? It’s not like I can’t get to the classroom by myself,” Lin Shu retorted quickly, shooting Xia Ke a sideways glance before walking ahead on her own.

Xia Ke stood in place, stunned for two seconds, then ran to catch up with Lin Shu.

She smiled mysteriously and asked, “Lin Shu, you actually care a lot about Manman, don’t you?”

“Why would I care about her?” Lin Shu’s heart skipped a beat as she shot back aggressively.

“Because Manman is so good to you,” Xia Ke replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, her eyes shining. “It’s so nice to have a good friend like Manman. You can go to her with any problem.”

“If I lived with Manman every day, I think I’d fall for her too.”

“What nonsense are you talking about!” Lin Shu scolded with a cold face. She glanced around, then stared seriously at Xia Ke and lowered her voice to say coldly, “It’s one thing for you to like Yin Ruxu, but why would you like Shen Man?”

“Don’t be so worked up. I was just giving a hypothetical,” Xia Ke explained hastily. Seeing that Lin Shu’s small face was still cold, she added, “What I mean is, Manman is a great person, and a lot of people like her.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu grew even angrier.

“But the person Manman likes the most is still you. She treats you the best,” Xia Ke said, as if making a guarantee.

“Who wants her to like me?” Lin Shu huffed haughtily and strode forward.

Sensing that she was no longer angry, Xia Ke said with a grin, “Lin Shu, the dress you’re wearing today is really pretty.”

“Of course. I chose it carefully,” Lin Shu replied, the corners of her lips turning up happily.

The two entered the classroom.

Xia Ke found a seat and put down her school bag.

Lin Shu sat in front of her, placing her own bag on the empty seat beside her.

“Lin Shu, are you saving a seat for Manman?” Xia Ke asked with a smile.

Lin Shu paused, wanting to take her bag back.

Her fingers twitched, made a circle in the air, and then moved to tuck her hair behind her ear.

Seeing this gesture, Xia Ke’s smile became knowing.

“Don’t you dare laugh!” Lin Shu glared at her, her face slightly flushed.

Xia Ke quickly covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with mirth.

Shen Man walked into the classroom.

At first glance, she saw Lin Shu and Xia Ke fooling around.

She walked over, put down her bag, and asked with a smile, “What are you two talking about?”

“We were saying, ow…” Before Xia Ke could finish, she was jabbed in the arm.

She cried out “ow” in pain and tactfully shut her mouth, her pair of pale blue eyes looking cleverly at Shen Man.

Shen Man more or less understood what was going on.

She sat down and asked faintly, “Xiaoke, how did things go with you and Yin Ruxu yesterday?”

The smile on Xia Ke’s face vanished.

After a moment of silence, she sighed. “Nothing happened.”

As she spoke, she gave a helpless smile. “I’m not in a hurry. As long as Ah Xu is happy, that’s all that matters.”

“You bought her so many expensive clothes. Of course she’s happy,” Lin Shu said with a contemptuous look.

“Ah Xu isn’t that kind of person,” Xia Ke retorted seriously. “Besides, it’s only right that I buy her clothes.”

Lin Shu scoffed and didn’t argue with her, turning around to open her textbook.

Xia Ke immediately looked to Shen Man, seeking support.

Shen Man’s gaze was calm. She said nothing.

“Manman, don’t you believe in Ah Xu either?” Xia Ke asked, blinking her eyes pitifully.

Shen Man offered a standard smile. “Xiaoke, some things, you need to see clearly for yourself.”

“I spend every day with Ah Xu. I see her very clearly,” Xia Ke said hurriedly.

“Alright, it’s time for class,” Shen Man said with a calm smile.

The class bell rang.

Shen Man listened attentively to the lecture.

Lin Shu played with her pen out of boredom, glancing to her side from time to time.

Xia Ke was slumped over her desk, listless.

After two classes, the weather outside changed abruptly.

The bright and splendid sunshine disappeared, and dark clouds covered the entire sky.

Everything within sight became gloomy. A cold wind blew intermittently, causing the leaves on the trees to rustle loudly.

Shen Man felt a chill wash over her.

She turned her head to look at Lin Shu and asked in a low voice, “Shushu, are you cold?”

“Not cold,” Lin Shu said nonchalantly.

Shen Man glanced at the sky outside and gently advised, “The weather has suddenly gotten cold. You should put on another layer.”

“No,” Lin Shu refused flatly, turning her head to the side and not speaking to Shen Man.

Shen Man felt a bit helpless.

She lowered her head and continued to organize her notes.

By the afternoon, the sky had grown even more overcast.

The wind howled outside the window, accompanied by heavy rain. The temperature suddenly dropped by ten degrees.

“Achoo…” Lin Shu couldn’t help but sneeze.

“Shushu, put on some clothes, or you’ll catch a cold,” Shen Man said.

Lin Shu shook her head, her small face full of resistance. “I’m not cold. If you want to wear something, wear it yourself.”

Shen Man glanced at the other girls in class wearing skirts; indeed, none of them had added a jacket.

Even Xia Ke was still in a short-sleeved shirt.

Perhaps she was the only one who felt cold.

Shen Man didn’t press the issue further.

After the afternoon classes, she went to the head teacher’s office.

Lin Shu went home by herself.

Shen Man was busy, and before she knew it, it was eight o’clock.

Her phone, which she had left on the desk, rang.

Shen Man picked it up and saw it was a call from Auntie He.

Before she could speak, Auntie He said anxiously, “Manman, Miss Lin wasn’t looking well when she came home from school, and she didn’t eat dinner. I just knocked on her door, but there was no response. Manman, do you want to come back and check on her?”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Shen Man hung up the phone and placed the documents she had just organized into her desk.

She grabbed her phone and school bag and left.

Just as she stepped out of the academic building, a strong, cold gust of wind blew past.

Shen Man couldn’t help but shiver.

She only felt a little warmer after getting into the car.

Shen Man started the car.

She mounted her phone on the holder and called Lin Shu.

She tried several times in a row, but all the calls went unanswered.

The rain outside was getting heavier.

Shen Man’s heart grew anxious, and her fingers tapped unconsciously on the steering wheel.

What was normally a five-minute drive took her nearly half an hour due to traffic jams caused by the heavy rain.

Shen Man got out of the car and ran quickly towards the building’s entrance.

In just those few meters, her clothes were already soaked.

Once she was standing in the entryway, Shen Man remembered that there was an umbrella in the car.

She casually brushed the water droplets off her body and walked towards the elevator.

With a ‘ding’, the elevator doors opened.

Shen Man walked quickly towards the apartment door.

She took out her key, opened the door, and swiftly changed into her slippers.

Hearing the noise, Auntie He immediately came over, a hint of joy appearing on her worried face. “Manman, you’re finally back.”

“How did you get so wet? You should change your clothes first.”

“It’s fine. Could you please get me a clean towel?” Shen Man said as she walked towards Lin Shu’s room.

She stopped at the door and knocked.

There was no response from inside.

Auntie He brought a towel over. “Manman, dry your clothes.”

Shen Man took the towel and casually wiped her shoulders and hair.

She knocked again and called out loudly, “Shushu, are you in there?”

Still no response.

Shen Man’s fine brows furrowed tightly. She placed her hand on the doorknob and said, “Shushu, I’m coming in.”

With that, she turned the doorknob.

The door slowly creaked open.

Through the gap, Shen Man saw a person lying under the covers.

She let out a small sigh of relief and said to Auntie He, “Could you please heat up dinner? I’ll go wake Shushu up to eat.”

“The food has been kept warm. I’ll bring it out now,” Auntie He said and turned to go to the kitchen.

Shen Man entered the room.

Her slippers made ‘tap tap’ sounds on the floor.

The person on the bed didn’t move at all.

Shen Man hurried to the bedside.

The young woman’s face was half-buried in the quilt. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were shut tight, and her lovely brows were slightly furrowed, her expression tinged with a hint of pain.

Shen Man reached out, brushed the hair from the girl’s forehead, and gently placed her slender palm on her forehead.

The temperature under her hand was a bit hot.

She then touched the flushed cheek; it was just as burning.

Shen Man immediately stood up, walked out of the room, and knelt in front of the TV in the living room, rummaging through the cabinet below.

Auntie He came out with the food, saw this, and asked, “Manman, what are you looking for?”

“A thermometer,” Shen Man replied without looking up, her voice tinged with impatience.

“It’s in the cabinet next to it,” Auntie He said quickly.

Shen Man reached out, pried open the adjacent cabinet with her fingers, saw the thermometer, and snatched it up.

“Manman, what’s wrong with Miss Lin?” Auntie He asked with concern.

“It’s nothing, just a bit of a fever,” Shen Man said, walking quickly back to the room with the thermometer.

Auntie He watched her somewhat frantic steps and sighed helplessly.

Shen Man sat on the edge of the bed.

She helped Lin Shu up and said softly, “Shushu, let me take your temperature.”

With that, she placed the thermometer under Lin Shu’s arm.

The sudden coldness made Lin Shu flinch.

She opened her eyes, and a blurry figure appeared in her half-lidded gaze.

After a moment of trying to make it out, Lin Shu’s red lips parted slightly. “Shen Man… I feel so sick…”

Before she could finish her sentence, tears started to fall, dripping onto the back of Shen Man’s hand.

The heat of the tears sent Shen Man’s heart into a turmoil.

She pressed her lips together tightly, her expression serious, but she still softened her voice to coax, “Shushu, it’s okay.”

“Sob, sob…” Lin Shu began to cry softly.

Her usually arrogant and flamboyant little face had become fragile and weak, like a rose ravaged by a storm, possessing a delicate beauty that evoked pity.

Shen Man’s heart couldn’t help but soften.

She held the young woman’s soft body and gently patted her back.

Lin Shu cried even more aggrievedly, her eyes closed, her small nose sniffling.

Shen Man reached out and wiped away the tears from the girl’s face.

Seeing that enough time had passed, she took out the thermometer.

She looked at it carefully: thirty-nine degrees.

“Shushu, you have a high fever. I’m taking you to the hospital,” Shen Man said.

Though anxious, her voice remained gentle.

“I don’t want to go to the hospital…” Lin Shu cried in protest, struggling with all her might.

Crying and fussing, she broke free from Shen Man’s embrace and hid under the covers.

Shen Man didn’t dare to use force.

She gently patted the quilt and said softly, “Shushu, if you go to the hospital to see a doctor, you’ll get better.”

“I don’t want to…” Lin Shu cried and shook her head, her fingers gripping the quilt tightly as she hid herself inside.

She curled up into a ball, like a small, insecure animal.

Shen Man was silent for a moment, then relented.

Looking up, she saw Auntie He standing outside the door and said in a low voice, “Auntie He, please bring some medicine for colds and fevers. Shushu caught a cold from not wearing enough clothes.”

“Okay.” Auntie He nodded and hurried to the living room to find the medicine.

Shen Man took the medicine.

She carefully read the instructions and checked the expiration date. After confirming there were no issues, she took out two pills.

She lifted a corner of the quilt, revealing the young woman’s fever-flushed face, and coaxed softly, “Shushu, take your medicine. You’ll feel better after you take it.”

Lin Shu blinked her eyes, her lips pouting slightly, looking obedient and wronged.

Shen Man couldn’t help but chuckle as she helped Lin Shu sit up.

Lin Shu obediently took the medicine and lay back down under the covers.

Only half of her face was visible, her round, watery eyes fixed on Shen Man.

Her face was still very red, and her long eyelashes fluttered as if she might fall asleep at any moment, yet she was forcing herself to stay awake.

Shen Man put down the water glass.

She let out a soft laugh and said, “Shushu, you should sleep for a while. Get some good rest.”

After she spoke, she stood up, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Shen Man turned back.

She met the young woman’s weak yet determined gaze.

“Can you stay and keep me company for a while…” Lin Shu bit her lip, and as she spoke, her eyes began to blink, and crystalline tears welled up in them.

It was as if they would fall the moment Shen Man said no.

Their eyes met for a moment.

Shen Man sat back down, took Lin Shu’s hand in hers, and said with a light laugh, “Go to sleep. I’ll be right here.”

Lin Shu’s red nose sniffled twice. She stared at Shen Man for a while before her eyelids slowly closed.

Shen Man looked down at her own fingers.

The young woman’s slender hand was gripping her fingers tightly, as if afraid she would run away.

People who are sick are more fragile than usual and easily feel insecure.

She had thought that someone as proud and noble as Lin Shu would be a little lion baring its claws even when sick, but she never expected her to be a pitiful little kitten.

Shen Man’s lips curved into a silent smile.

She quietly watched the young woman’s peaceful sleeping face, and her mood gradually calmed down.

Hearing Lin Shu’s breathing become steady, Shen Man carefully withdrew her hand.

Just as she stood up, she heard a soft sobbing from behind her.

Shen Man turned back.

She was met with the young woman’s small face that was on the verge of tears.

“You lied to me…” Lin Shu whimpered, and a crystal tear fell in response. “Sit down. You’re not allowed to leave!”

Shen Man sighed internally and obediently sat down.

“Give me your hand,” Lin Shu commanded through her tears, her face flushed red.

Shen Man extended her hand.

The next second, her fingers were tightly grasped and hidden under the quilt.

Shen Man was forced to sit hunched over in a strange position.

Only then was the young woman on the bed satisfied.

She sniffled a couple of times, and a happy smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

“Shen Man, will you always be with me?” she asked, her watery eyes full of expectation.

“Go to sleep now. I’ll be with you,” Shen Man coaxed with a light laugh, reaching out her other hand to touch the girl’s forehead and cheeks.

She then touched her own forehead and said in a low voice, “Still very hot. You need to rest well.”

Lin Shu pouted, refusing to sleep.

She stared fixedly at Shen Man and asked softly, “Always?”

Shen Man was taken aback.

Looking at the young woman’s innocent and hopeful face, she was at a loss for words for a moment.

She smiled, lowered her head, and straightened the edge of the quilt.

Lin Shu didn’t get the answer she wanted.

She puffed out her cheeks angrily, grabbed Shen Man’s fingers, and bit down.

Shen Man’s body stiffened.

A tingling numbness spread from her fingertip throughout her body, finally converging at her heart.

Her heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.

“Shen Man, will you always be with me?” Lin Shu asked again, refusing to give up, her eyes stubbornly demanding an answer.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds before Shen Man habitually curved her lips into her standard smile.

She neither nodded nor shook her head.

Lin Shu pressed her lips together happily, her eyes curving into beautiful arcs.

She gently rubbed her cheek against Shen Man’s palm and said in a soft tone, “Shen Man, do you like me the most?”

Shen Man’s heart skipped a beat, and her fingers trembled unconsciously.

She laughed out loud and coaxed, “Shushu, it’s time to sleep.”

“You do like me the most, that’s why you’re the best to me,” Lin Shu hummed triumphantly and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

Shen Man didn’t speak, her lowered eyes hiding her emotions.

After a long silence, she lifted her head and looked at the young woman on the bed, her coolly beautiful face expressionless.

Time passed, second by second.

Shen Man was like a statue, completely still.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded outside the window.

Shen Man was startled awake.

She picked up her phone from the side, glanced at it, and saw that it was already two in the morning.

The young woman on the bed was fast asleep.

Shen Man reached out to check the temperature of the girl’s forehead. It had gone down and was no longer as scorching as before.

She breathed a sigh of relief and very carefully withdrew her hand.

“Mmm…” Lin Shu mumbled unconsciously.

Shen Man instantly froze, holding her position without moving.

After waiting for a long while, there was no sign of the young woman waking up.

Only then did Shen Man dare to get up and tiptoe out of the room.

Standing outside the door, the fresh, cool air filled her lungs.

Shen Man’s mind instantly became crystal clear.

Her goal had been clear from the very beginning.

That was to change the plot and not let herself become a tool person³ for the story.

The one-night stand with Lin Shu was a beautiful and splendid dream.

And all dreams must come to an end.

And deep down, she was also betting on a possibility.

A possibility that even she herself was not sure of.

Shen Man let out a soft breath, expelling the inexplicable frustration from her heart.

She went to the living room, opened the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of red wine.

She sat alone on the sofa, drinking slowly.

Before she knew it, the bottle of red wine was empty.

All the strength seemed to have been drained from Shen Man’s body. She didn’t want to move, letting her body lean against the sofa.

The wine bottle by her hand rolled to the floor, making ‘clang clang’ sounds.

Shen Man glanced at it, then closed her eyes.

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The sky gradually brightened.

A sliver of bright light shone through the gap in the curtains and into the living room.

Shen Man opened her eyes, a look of confusion in them.

For a moment, she couldn’t remember how she had fallen asleep in the living room.

A moment later, her memories returned, and her eyes became rational and calm.

Shen Man rubbed the space between her eyebrows, stood up, and picked up the wine bottle from the floor.

She cleaned everything up, then went to her room to get clothes for a shower.

When she came out, she saw Auntie He heading out the door.

“Manman, I’m going downstairs to buy groceries. Did I wake you?” Auntie He asked.

Shen Man shook her head and said with a light laugh, “I woke up early today.”

Only after she spoke did she realize her voice was hoarse.

“Manman, you didn’t catch a cold from taking care of Miss Lin, did you?” Auntie He asked with concern.

“I’m fine. I probably just didn’t sleep well,” Shen Man said with a smile as she walked towards the bathroom.

Auntie He didn’t know what else to say.

She shook her head and sighed softly, “The young people these days are getting harder and harder to understand.”

When Shen Man came out of the shower, the fatigue and weariness between her brows were completely gone.

She looked at Lin Shu’s door, paused for a moment, and the hand she had raised to knock stopped mid-air. She turned and went back to her own room.

Shen Man sat and rested for a while, then packed her school bag.

Hearing the sound of a door opening outside, she slung her bag over her shoulder and walked out of her room.

Auntie He was carrying groceries in both hands and changing her shoes in the entryway.

Shen Man walked over and said, “I’m heading to school first. Let Shushu rest for another day. If anything comes up, just give me a call.”

“Manman, aren’t you going to eat breakfast?” Auntie He asked.

“No,” Shen Man said, then closed the main door with a ‘bang’.

Auntie He was startled by the sound and carried the groceries to the kitchen.

Lin Shu slept until noon.

She opened her eyes groggily and stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time, vague fragments flashing through her mind.

It seemed… she had begged Shen Man to stay…

Lin Shu’s heart jolted, and she instantly sat up in bed.

She stood for a moment, rubbing her temples and muttering, “How could I have such a ridiculous dream…”

After briefly washing up, Lin Shu walked out of her room.

Smelling the aroma coming from the kitchen, her stomach couldn’t help but growl.

She walked to the kitchen and looked at Auntie He. “Where’s Shen Man? I don’t see her.”

Hearing her voice, Auntie He smiled and said, “Manman has already gone to school. She already asked for a day off for you and said you should rest at home for another day.”

Lin Shu’s brow furrowed slightly.

Looking at the sunlight outside, she finally realized it was noon, not morning.

“Miss Lin, are you feeling better?” Auntie He asked with concern. Seeing Lin Shu frowning, she added, “Manman took care of you for most of last night. She didn’t look too well this morning.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu was shocked and asked in surprise, “Yesterday wasn’t a dream?”

“What dream?” Auntie He was confused.

“Nothing…” Lin Shu shook her head and quickly walked out of the kitchen.

Yesterday’s memories flooded her mind, and many blurry fragments became clear.

She remembered. She had held Shen Man’s hand, saying things she would never normally say out loud.

Lin Shu’s small face instantly turned beet red, and her heart pounded in her chest.

Waves of heat rose to her face, as if trying to cook her.

Lin Shu quickly drank a glass of water to cool down.

She picked up her phone, looked at her chat window with Shen Man, and hesitated for a moment before typing, “Yesterday I had a cold. The things I said in my daze were all fake. Don’t believe them.”

After typing the words, her fingers hesitated, unsure if she should send it.

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