I Am More Paranoid Than the Villain – Chapter 98

Water and Fire are Incompatible

Everyone says President Shen is in love

Photos from the charity gala quickly circulated within the circle.

Among them, a photo of Shen Man stepping on Lin Shu’s dress and getting a fierce glare from Lin Shu sparked widespread discussion.

After being spread by many people, the matter had already evolved into a situation where the two were like water and fire, incompatible.¹

The disputes over the reasons were traced back to their university days; some said Lin Shu was jealous of Shen Man’s beauty and abilities and deliberately made things difficult for Shen Man.

Shen Man got this news from her business partners, smiled, and offered no explanation.

She handled her day’s work as usual.

The office door was pushed open.

Shen Man looked up and was slightly surprised to see it was Tian Yi.

Standing up, she said with a smile, “Chairman Tian, what brings you here today?”

Tian Yi’s expression was grave. He sat down, looked at Shen Man, and seemed to want to say something but hesitated.

Shen Man poured a cup of tea and placed it on the table. “Chairman Tian, if you have something on your mind, please speak freely.”

“President Shen, I’ve heard recently that you’ve offended the young lady of the Lin Corporation?” Tian Yi took a sip of tea and asked probingly.

Hearing this, Shen Man understood. She gave a faint smile. “Chairman Tian, you needn’t worry. It’s all just outside rumors.”

Tian Yi was still a little worried. He frowned and said, “But at the last charity banquet, many people said that Miss Lin was targeting you at every turn.”

“Is there really a grudge between you and Miss Lin?”

Hearing this, Shen Man was silent for a moment, then nodded and said with a smile, “There’s a bit of a personal grudge, but it won’t affect the company.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Tian Yi hurriedly explained, “Without you, my company wouldn’t have achieved what it has today. I’m just worried about you, that you’ll be secretly ostracized.”

“That won’t happen. I know how to handle things,” Shen Man said with a calm smile.

Seeing her confident expression, Tian Yi felt slightly more at ease.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he got up and left.

Shen Man continued to handle her official business.

Wen Lan walked in, placed a contract on the desk, and said, “President Shen, there’s a partnership meeting tonight that cannot be postponed.”

Shen Man picked up the contract and glanced at it quickly.

After a moment of thought, she said, “I understand. We’ll stick to this time.”

“Alright, President Shen.” Wen Lan nodded and inquired, “Does anything else need to be changed?”

Hearing this, Shen Man’s elegant brows furrowed slightly.

Her slender fingertips tapped on the desktop. After a long silence, she said, “Stick to the original plan. No need to specifically change the time.”

“Alright, President Shen,” Wen Lan said, then couldn’t help but ask, “Does President Shen not need to get off work on time anymore?”

Shen Man raised an eyebrow, understanding that there was a hidden meaning in these words.

Seeing that Shen Man wasn’t angry, Wen Lan continued, “For this period of time, President Shen has been getting off work on time every day. Everyone’s been rumoring about whether you’re dating someone.”

Towards the end, her voice grew quieter and quieter.

Shen Man laughed out loud, a trace of coldness in her eyes. “I hope that during work hours, you all do what you’re supposed to do, and don’t waste time on gossip.”

“Yes, President Shen.” Wen Lan’s heart skipped a beat. Not daring to say more, she hurried out the door.

Shen Man reached out, brushed aside the hair on her forehead, and murmured with a slight frown, “Dating?”

After she said it, she herself laughed out loud.

The relationship between her and Lin Shu, while not the “water and fire are incompatible” of the rumors, was definitely not a state of being in love either.

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After finishing her afternoon work, it was nearing the end of the workday.

Shen Man picked up her phone and sent a message to Lin Shu, “Shushu, I have an important contract to sign at the company tonight. I’ll be over later.”

“Whatever!” Lin Shu replied unhappily.

During this time, Shen Man had always gotten off work on time to cook for her, making her forget that the other person was a president.

“Remember to eat dinner,” Shen Man said.

Lin Shu looked at the message and didn’t reply. She said to her assistant, “I’m working overtime tonight.”

The assistant answered weakly.

“You all can get off work once you’ve finished what you need to do,” Lin Shu said in a cold voice.

The assistant was delighted and said in a small voice, “Director Lin, I’ve finished all my work. May I get off work now?”

Lin Shu gave an impatient “en.”

The assistant packed her things and left quickly.

The office was very quiet, with only the incessant sound of Lin Shu typing on her keyboard.

She glanced at her phone from time to time, but no new messages had arrived.

Lin Shu was a little annoyed, yet she didn’t want to call and ask.

After staying at the company until nine o’clock, she turned off her computer, slung her bag over her shoulder, and left at an unhurried pace.

Arriving at the underground garage, Lin Shu got into her car, held her phone hesitating for a long time, then put it aside.

She started the car, only to find that it wouldn’t move at all.

Annoyed, Lin Shu forcefully slapped the steering wheel.

She picked up her phone and, suppressing her anger, called Shen Man.

Shen Man had just finished signing the contract with her partner when the phone in her bag rang.

She took it out, saw it was a call from Lin Shu, and said to her partner with a smile, “Apologies, I need to take this call.”

“Please, President Shen,” the man said.

Shen Man immediately walked out and found a quiet place. “Shushu, what’s wrong?”

“My car broke down,” Lin Shu said huffily, her tone unconsciously carrying a sense of grievance. “If you had gotten off work on time, my car wouldn’t have broken down.”

Listening to this far-fetched reason for blame, Shen Man gently soothed, “You should take a taxi back first.”

Lin Shu didn’t speak, clearly disagreeing with that suggestion.

Shen Man immediately realized and asked, “Did you just get off work? Did you not eat dinner?”

Lin Shu gave an arrogant hmph, her voice sounding even more aggrieved.

Shen Man felt a bit helpless and said softly, “I just finished my meeting. I’ll come over to pick you up now.”

“Hurry up, I’ll be waiting for you here,” Lin Shu said loudly, her tone fierce, a complete change from her pitiful demeanor just moments ago.

Shen Man couldn’t help but laugh.

Returning to the private room, she said apologetically to her partners, “I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I must take my leave first. Secretary Wen, please entertain our distinguished guests well.”

“President Shen is in such a hurry. Are you hiding a beauty in a golden house?”² the man said with a teasing smile.

Shen Man smiled faintly and said nothing.

A look of understanding appeared in the man’s eyes.

Shen Man understood that soon, the matter of her “hiding a beauty in a golden house” would start to spread.

At this moment, she could have explained it clearly.

But Shen Man didn’t say much and quickly left.

She drove to the building of Lin Shu’s company.

Shen Man picked up her phone and dialed Lin Shu’s number.

The other end picked up instantly, and Lin Shu’s aggrieved and dissatisfied voice came through, “Why did you only just get here? Are you trying to starve me to death on purpose?”

“Shushu, I’m downstairs at your company. Where are you?” Shen Man asked in a pleasant and patient tone.

“I’m in my car,” Lin Shu said, and her stomach made a ‘gugu’ sound.

Shen Man heard it and couldn’t help but laugh.

“DON’T YOU LAUGH!” Lin Shu commanded loudly, her face red, one hand covering her stomach. “Drive your car over here now.”

“Okay, I’ll be right over,” Shen Man said, suppressing her laughter.

Lin Shu hung up the phone.

She picked up the water bottle beside her and drank nearly half of it in one go.

Shen Man drove into the garage and parked opposite Lin Shu’s car.

She took a bag of snacks from her car, got out, walked to the front of Lin Shu’s car, and knocked on the window.

Lin Shu rolled down the window, her small face filled with coldness, showing none of the pitiful grievance she had displayed on the phone.

“Shushu, eat something to tide you over first,” Shen Man said, handing the snacks over.

Lin Shu gave a cold hmph and took them with a proud air.

She tore open the packaging and made a “tsk” sound of disgust.

“This is all I have in the car. If you don’t like it, I’ll make you something to eat when we get back,” Shen Man coaxed patiently.

Lin Shu pouted, took a piece and put it in her mouth. After eating it, she said, “You did this on purpose!”

Faced with this accusation, Shen Man just smiled.

She looked around and asked, “How did your car break down?”

“How should I know? I don’t know how to fix cars,” Lin Shu said irritably.

“This is a car you just bought, and its quality is guaranteed. It shouldn’t be having problems so soon,” Shen Man said.

Hearing this, Lin Shu’s eyes turned cold. “Have them inspect it, and we’ll know what the problem is.”

Shen Man understood the meaning behind her words and said with a smile, “Then I’ll have to trouble Director Lin to take my car back tonight.”

Lin Shu got out of the car with a reluctant look on her face.

Shen Man walked over first and opened the passenger side door.

Lin Shu got in, leaned against the seatback, and leisurely ate her snacks.

Shen Man got in the car, fastened her seatbelt, and turned her head to say, “Shushu, fasten your seatbelt.”

“I know,” Lin Shu said impatiently.

She picked up a tissue, wiped her hands, fastened her seatbelt, and continued eating her snacks.

Shen Man put on some soothing music and started the car.

Listening to this incredibly familiar tune, Lin Shu said mockingly, “Why are you still listening to this song?”

“It’s quite nice,” Shen Man said with a smile. “If you don’t like it, I’ll change it.”

Lin Shu didn’t say anything, turning her head to look at the scenery outside the window.

This song was from the music in her old car, and it was the one Shen Man had listened to the most.

After she got a new car, she never listened to this song again, yet Shen Man was still listening to it.

For a moment, Lin Shu couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.

She propped her head up with her elbow, watching the scenery flash by outside, and said with a half-smile, “President Shen is truly a person who cherishes the old.”

“Director Lin is joking,” Shen Man responded courteously.

Lin Shu couldn’t discern the meaning in her words. She turned her head and stared coldly at Shen Man. “Could it be that President Shen is a person who likes the new and loathes the old?”

“I wouldn’t say I like the new and loathe the old, nor would I say I cherish the old,” Shen Man said, her words half-joking and half-serious.

“Then what do you mean?” Lin Shu asked, feeling a little nervous in her heart.

Shen Man didn’t answer, changing the subject. “What do you want to eat?”

Lin Shu wanted to keep asking, but she didn’t want to seem like she cared too much, so she turned her head away and ignored her.

Shen Man didn’t mind at all.

She said with a smile, “There’s meat in the fridge, and some vegetables. I’ll just make you a simple stir-fried meat and a vegetable dish.”

“Whatever,” Lin Shu said coldly.

“Should I add a soup?” Shen Man asked with a smile.

“Whatever,” Lin Shu said with an air of indifference.

“Two dishes and a soup it is, then. It’ll be quick,” Shen Man said, not at all bothered by Lin Shu’s coldness.

Back at Lin Shu’s house, Shen Man immediately went to the kitchen to cook.

Lin Shu sat in the living room, her heart still brooding over what Shen Man had said in the car.

She angrily squeezed a throw pillow, her eyes fixed on the person busy in the kitchen.

Shen Man came out after finishing the food and saw Lin Shu’s cold expression. She said with a smile, “Shushu, time to eat.”

Lin Shu glanced over and criticized discontentedly, “The stir-fried meat looks spicy. How am I supposed to eat that?”

“Don’t you know my tastes from before?”

Shen Man understood that Lin Shu was just trying to find fault with her.

She had made all three dishes according to Lin Shu’s tastes.

“There’s still meat in the fridge. I’ll stir-fry it again,” Shen Man said, walking towards the refrigerator.

“No need.” Lin Shu quickly stopped her, sat down with a reluctant expression, and began to eat quietly.

Shen Man watched Lin Shu eat the meat, one mouthful after another, and smiled to herself, not saying anything to expose her.

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