I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 73

Head-Patting Allowed

Don’t Need Your Comfort

Shen Man entered the room.

The young woman slumped by the bed was still fast asleep.

A soft strand of hair slid down her delicate little face, landing messily on the bed.

Shen Man walked over quietly.

She leaned down, reached out, and gently brushed away the mischievous strand of hair.

“Mm…” Lin Shu was startled awake. She opened her eyes in a daze and said softly, “Shouldn’t you be sleeping in bed? What are you doing here.”

“Hurry up and go to sleep.” As she spoke, she groggily stood up and pushed Shen Man toward the bed.

“Shushu, I feel much better,” Shen Man said gently, taking Lin Shu’s arm to steady her. “You should go back to your room and sleep.”

Lin Shu pouted slightly and blinked her drowsy eyes, seemingly not understanding what she had said.

Her dazed and slow expression was incredibly cute.

Shen Man’s heart softened. She smiled and said, “If you want to sleep in my room, that’s fine too.”

“Who wants to sleep in your room!” Lin Shu retorted instinctively. After speaking, her head cleared considerably. She looked at Shen Man, paused for a few seconds, and then hesitated before asking in a small voice, “Are you really okay?”

Shen Man smiled and nodded.

She reached out and patted the young woman’s head, her expression gentle. “Shushu, you’re tired too. Get some proper rest.”

“Oh.” Lin Shu nodded obediently, then suddenly slapped Shen Man’s hand away and said with a stern face, “No head-patting allowed.”

Shen Man smiled and withdrew her hand.

Lin Shu yawned and slowly walked out of the room.

Shen Man closed the door and walked to the bed.

As she braced her fingers on the mattress, she felt an unexpected warmth.

She tilted her head, and the image of the young woman sitting by the bed, slumped over in sleep, appeared before her eyes.

The words of Auntie He echoed in her ears.

Shen Man’s heart suddenly grew heavy.

She leaned against the headboard, her eyes staring blankly ahead as her thoughts fell into disarray.

The image of Lin Shu and memories from the real world intertwined, and for a moment, she couldn’t distinguish which was real.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Man sighed in frustration.

She turned off the light, lay down under the covers, and stared into the pitch-black room.

She reached up, her slender fingers brushing over her own brows and eyes, their tips tracing a line across her face.

This wasn’t her face, nor was it her body.

The only thing they shared was a name.

Shen Man closed her eyes.

The heart that had been swayed by the young woman became resolute once more.

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With both of their bodies recovered, they began attending classes as usual.

Lin Shu, wearing a new dress and beautiful makeup, spun around in front of the mirror and smiled with satisfaction.

She walked out of her room into the living room and saw that Shen Man was already seated. She asked cheerfully, “How’s my dress today?”

“It’s beautiful.” Shen Man glanced over, her eyes showing a look of appreciation.

Lin Shu was overjoyed and sat down gracefully.

Auntie He came out carrying breakfast. Seeing the two getting along so harmoniously, she said with a smile, “Time for breakfast.”

“You two need to take better care of yourselves and not get sick again.”

“Thank you for your concern.” Shen Man smiled lightly and nodded.

“I know,” Lin Shu said haughtily.

Just after they finished breakfast, Lin Shu’s phone rang.

The call was from Tan Kai.

Lin Shu found it a bit strange. She answered the phone, leaned back relaxedly in her chair, and asked with a smile, “What’s up? You have time to call me?”

“Lin Shu, I have something important to tell you,” Tan Kai said excitedly, his voice so loud it pierced through the receiver, audible even to Shen Man who was sitting nearby.

“What is it?” Lin Shu frowned and moved the phone away from her ear.

“I’m getting married!” Tan Kai shouted excitedly, his hearty laughter coming through the phone.

Lin Shu froze.

It took several seconds for her to process it. “Why are you suddenly getting married?” she asked in disbelief.

Hearing this, Tan Kai suddenly became a little embarrassed and said in a low voice, “Xixi is pregnant. My mom said we should hold the wedding quickly, and then once we’re old enough, we’ll go register the marriage¹.”

“Don’t tell anyone else about this. My mom said it would be bad for Xixi’s reputation if it got out.”

Hearing this, Lin Shu felt a little uncomfortable. She frowned and asked, “Was getting married your mom’s decision? Do you really want to get married?”

“I do,” Tan Kai answered without hesitation, his face flushing slightly. “I think getting married is great. We can live together after we’re married.”

After he spoke, he started laughing nonstop, sounding a bit silly.

Lin Shu’s expression finally softened a little.

She warned in a cold voice, “You have to treat Ding Xi well. If you dare to wrong her, I’ll be the first one who won’t let you off the hook.”

“Don’t you worry. She’s my wife, so of course I’ll treat her well,” Tan Kai guaranteed with certainty. When he said the word ‘wife’, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Lin Shu, in a couple of days Xixi is going to buy a wedding dress. You’re great with design, how about helping her pick one out?”

“Okay,” Lin Shu agreed at once.

After chatting with Tan Kai for a while, Lin Shu finally digested the news of their marriage.

She hung up the phone, looked at Shen Man, and said with an emotional smile, “I can’t believe that idiot Tan Kai is getting married, and to Ding Xi of all people. He’s so reckless in everything he does. How is he going to take care of someone else?”

Shen Man could hear a trace of loneliness mixed in with the blessing in her words.

She smiled and said, “Tan Kai is a responsible and dependable guy. I’m sure he’ll be a good husband and a good father.”

“I hope so,” Lin Shu sighed softly.

Her parents’ unhappy marriage made it impossible for her to fully trust in the marriages of others.

Especially since Tan Kai’s family background was so much better than Ding Xi’s, and Tan Kai had originally liked Shen Man, she couldn’t help but suspect that this marriage was something Ding Xi had humbly secured by using her child.

“Shushu, it’s about time. We should get to school,” Shen Man reminded her.

Lin Shu snapped back to reality and picked up her schoolbag from the side.

---

The two left for school.

Shen Man sat in the first row.

Lin Shu put down her schoolbag and propped her face in her hands, looking preoccupied.

“Shushu, you don’t seem very happy about them getting married?” Shen Man leaned over and asked in a low voice.

“What are you talking about?” Lin Shu pursed her lips, paused for a moment, and then added, “It’s just that the news was so sudden, it’s hard for me to accept it right away.”

“I actually think it’s great,” Shen Man said with a smile, her eyes filled with delight.

Lin Shu’s delicate brows furrowed. “What does their marriage have to do with you? What are you so happy about?”

“I’m happy for them.” Shen Man’s lips curved, her eyes brimming with confidence.

Lin Shu found this strange and shot Shen Man a glare. “You have a really weird smile.”

“I do?” Shen Man asked with an innocent expression.

With that, she let the smile fade, her expression turning calm as she opened a book to review seriously.

Lin Shu puffed out her cheeks, blowing at the wispy bangs on her forehead.

The school bell rang.

Shen Man studied diligently.

Lin Shu was distracted, staring blankly at her textbook.

After two classes were over.

Shen Man got up to go to the restroom.

Lin Shu picked up Shen Man’s notebook and flipped through it out of boredom.

“Lin Shu, someone’s here for you,” a girl said as she walked into the classroom.

Lin Shu looked up and saw Ding Xi standing at the door with a gentle smile on her face.

She got up and walked outside the classroom.

The two stood in a corner of the hallway.

“Lin Shu-jie, there’s something I want to tell you,” Ding Xi said in a soft voice, her fingers unconsciously resting on her abdomen.

Lin Shu noticed the gesture and said quietly, “Tan Kai already told me.”

“Ah? He already told you?” Ding Xi was surprised for a moment, then a shy smile appeared on her face. “I was hoping to tell you myself, but it turns out he already did.”

She spoke in a low voice with her head down, every word revealing blissful joy.

Lin Shu glanced at Ding Xi’s flat stomach and asked seriously, “Do you want this child?”

Hearing this, Ding Xi nodded affirmatively and said with a gentle smile, “Although it was an accident, I’m very happy. I was a bit lost when I first found out, but when Tan Kai learned about it, he was very excited and wanted to have the baby.”

“To be able to come into this world with your parents’ anticipation is a fortunate thing,” Lin Shu said in a low voice, her eyes filled with envy and a trace of sadness.

“Lin Shu-jie, you will become more and more fortunate in the future,” Ding Xi comforted her.

The corner of Lin Shu’s mouth hooked into a sneer.

Her birth had been the result of a union of interests, a premeditated scheme.

Her mother had only used her as a bargaining chip to hold onto a man, while her father resented her arrival and paid her no attention.

“Lin Shu-jie, I have to go to the hospital in a bit, so I’ll be leaving now.” Ding Xi smiled and waved, her face full of the joy of a mother-to-be.

Lin Shu nodded.

Watching Ding Xi’s departing figure, she returned to the classroom and sat down, looking at Shen Man’s notes.

Shen Man walked into the classroom.

Seeing Lin Shu looking through her notes, she asked with a teasing smile, “Shushu, since when did you become so passionate about studying?”

Lin Shu shot her a sideways glance and said proudly, “I’m seeing if I can find a spark of inspiration in your notes, Class Monitor.”

“Unfortunately, I didn’t.” As she spoke, she slammed the notebook shut and pushed it aside with a look of disdain.

Shen Man chuckled lightly.

She sat down, straightened the notebook, and leaned closer to ask seriously, “What did Ding Xi say to you? Why are you in such low spirits?”

Lin Shu was taken aback.

She propped her cheek on her hand and said in a nonchalant tone, “What do you mean I’m in a bad mood? You’re seeing things.”

“Am I?” Shen Man raised an eyebrow, not believing her.

She reached out and patted Lin Shu’s head, saying gently, “If you’re feeling down, you can talk to me about it.”

A warmth spread through Lin Shu’s heart. She turned her head away awkwardly and muttered, “Who needs your comfort.”

As she said this, she didn’t swat Shen Man’s hand away.

Shen Man didn’t poke at the young woman’s proud ego.

She asked gently, “Shushu, you should be happy that Tan Kai and the others are getting married. Why do you seem a little sad?”

Hearing this, Lin Shu’s eyes darkened.

Perhaps it was because the voice in her ear was so gentle, but she suddenly felt the urge to pour out the grievances she had held in her heart for years.

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