All I Want Is to Hold the Heroine in My Arms [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 18
All three people in the room turned their eyes toward the door at the same time.
Originally, Wan Sheng had no interest in Shi Yi’s companion. In fact, he held a few negative assumptions.
But the moment he heard a vaguely familiar voice, he turned his head quickly.
The woman at the door had bright eyes, red lips, and a strikingly beautiful face.
She wore a backless dress that showed off her graceful shoulder blades, with a cut that hugged her hips and ended high on her thighs. Her figure was the very image of a seductive wildcat.
Because of the angle, when the door opened, Wen Yao didn’t immediately see Wan Sheng. She only noticed Shi Yi and Wan Shuang.
As soon as she learned the dinner was taking place at the Huangtian Hotel, Wen Yao realized Wan Shuang’s true identity—she was the little princess of the Yucheng Group.
Although Wen Yao had never met the CEO of Yucheng in person, she had often heard about him at social gatherings.
Everyone spoke of Wan Sheng as if he were a living legend.
So she had made a special effort to dress up tonight.
But the moment her eyes met the gaze of that legendary man, her legs gave an involuntary tremble.
She quickly turned away and said to Shi Yi and Wan Shuang, “Sorry, wrong room!”
Then, in high heels, she hurried off—practically fleeing.
Shi Yi and Wan Shuang exchanged a confused look. “What?”
Wan Sheng’s eyes darkened slightly as he stared at the doorway. A strange gleam flickered in his gaze. He stood up and said to Wan Shuang, “I need to step out for a moment.”
Then, with his long legs taking swift strides, he exited the room in just a few steps.
Suddenly, only Shi Yi and Wan Shuang were left in the large private room.
The atmosphere immediately turned a little awkward.
Wan Shuang shifted her chair slightly to the left, closing the distance between herself and Shi Yi.
Shi Yi had one arm resting casually on the table. Seeing this, Wan Shuang leaned her head gently against it, the gesture intimate and soft.
Looking up at the elegant curve where Shi Yi’s chin met her neck, Wan Shuang asked quietly, “Shi Yi-jie, what were you about to say to my brother earlier?”
Truthfully, the moment she heard Shi Yi call her “Miss Wan,” Wan Shuang had felt a pang in her heart. She’d tried to convince herself that she was just overthinking things.
Shi Yi felt the weight of Wan Shuang’s head on her arm and looked down.
The diamond necklace around Shi Yi’s neck tilted slightly toward the floor, and from her angle, she could just faintly glimpse the shadowy curves revealed by the neckline.
Shifting her gaze, Shi Yi gently lifted Wan Shuang’s head off her arm. Her voice was calm and cool as she said, “I’m not your brother’s future sister-in-law. We’re just friends.”
Those were the words Wan Shuang had been expecting. She forced herself to stay composed, swallowing the sudden bitterness that rose in her throat.
“Can’t we at least pretend?” she asked softly.
Shi Yi didn’t respond. Her breathing was steady and quiet.
“I understand,” Wan Shuang said as she sat upright, her voice low and flat.
“I’ll explain everything to my brother.”
“As for the collaboration with the Shi family, I know that’s not for me to decide.”
“And if you end up working with Jing Yijie instead… then I wish you good luck.”
Her tone was one Shi Yi had never heard from her before—detached, even a little distant.
There was no expression on Wan Shuang’s face, but Shi Yi could tell her heart was hurting—sharp and silent, like being pricked with needles.
One month of effort… and it all ended with “just friends.”
Wan Shuang admitted that in the beginning, she had been drawn to Shi Yi purely because of her looks.
But over time, through every moment they shared, she had come to love her for who she was inside.
At this point, it wasn’t about appearance anymore. It was about Shi Yi herself.
Shi Yi opened her mouth to say something more, but when she saw Wan Shuang with her head lowered, no longer cheerful or lively, she stopped.
Because of her father, Shi Yi had developed a deep discomfort around men.
But that didn’t mean she liked women either.
The only reason she had agreed to tonight’s dinner was to thank Wan Sheng for pursuing a partnership with her father. That partnership meant she would no longer have to deal with the entanglement that was Jing Yijie.
But yesterday, after reading Wan Shuang’s message, she had decided she had to tell Wan Sheng the truth.
She didn’t want to keep stringing Wan Shuang along. And she didn’t want Wan Sheng to make decisions based on the mistaken belief that she returned his sister’s feelings.
She had barely started to explain when Wen Yao barged in. Still, based on Wan Sheng’s reaction before that, it seemed like he had already figured it out.
Shi Yi looked at Wan Shuang again, who was still staring down at the table, lost in thought. Her heart suddenly felt unsettled.
Was this really the right thing to do?
For someone usually so calm and rational, Shi Yi was beginning to doubt herself.
The dishes were starting to arrive one by one, but Wan Sheng still hadn’t returned.
Wan Shuang figured there was a high chance he wouldn’t be coming back at all. The way he had rushed out made it clear he already knew Wen Yao. Not only that, but something about their interaction had clearly shaken Wen Yao. Otherwise, why would she have run away the moment she saw him?
Just as she was finishing that thought, both her and Shi Yi’s phones buzzed at the same time.
Shi Yi’s message read:
“Yiyi baby, something came up. I won’t be joining you!”
Wan Shuang’s message read:
“Got something to handle. I’m leaving first. Be good and enjoy your meal. I’ll have Mo Qing pick you up.”
Wan Shuang quietly put away her phone.
As the last dish was placed on the table, Wan Shuang reached out and grabbed the waiter’s arm in an unbothered, casual manner.
“Hey, handsome, bring me a few bottles of alcohol.”
The waiter smiled politely. “What type would you prefer?”
“Type?” Wan Shuang was stunned by the question. She had never been to such a grand, luxurious hotel before and had no idea how to order properly. After a moment of hesitation, she simply said, “Anything. The more expensive, the better.”
“Low alcohol content is fine,” Shi Yi’s voice came calmly from the other side of the table.
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
Once the waiter left, Shi Yi stood up. Her tone remained gentle, just like usual, as she said, “I have something else to take care of, so I’ll be leaving first.”
“Alright,” Wan Shuang replied immediately, without a second thought.
Shi Yi paused for a brief moment but quickly recovered. She gave Wan Shuang a polite smile, then turned and walked out of the room.
Suddenly, the warm, cozy dining room was left with only a table full of untouched food and one lonely girl sitting in silence.
“Hah. Fine. Leave then. If I say one more word to you, I’m not a Wan anymore,” Wan Shuang muttered bitterly to herself, feeling more defeated than ever. It was the first time she had seriously tried to pursue someone, and it had ended in rejection. She couldn’t help feeling unbalanced inside.
The drinks she had ordered were soon delivered.
Only 7% alcohol.
“Seriously? You might as well bring me a glass of water.” Wan Shuang felt personally offended, like her impressive alcohol tolerance had been underestimated.
“If you like, I can bring that right away,” the waiter responded respectfully.
Wan Shuang paused, then asked quietly, “Do you have any baijiu? Moutai?”
“Yes, we do.”
Well, this novel’s setting really covered everything, even Moutai.
“Bring me a few bottles then.”
“A few? How many exactly?”
“At least this many.” Wan Shuang held up her hand and made an OK sign with her fingers.
After the waiter left again, she glanced at the low-alcohol bottle in front of her. It was transparent, filled with a pale pink liquid.
The soft color tempted her, and she opened the bottle to take a sip.
Back in the real world, before being pulled into this novel, Wan Shuang was the type of partygoer who earned everyone’s admiration. No matter how strong the drink, she could never be drunk.
But when the waiter returned carrying three bottles of Moutai, what he saw was completely different.
Wan Shuang was crouched on her chair, hugging her phone and crying miserably.
“Why don’t you want me? I don’t want to be just friends… I want to be your wife… Do you even understand that?”
“Don’t go find that jerk named Jing… Come back to me instead, okay?”
“Yiyi… please come back…”
She hiccuped as she cried, completely overwhelmed.
The waiter quickly set the bottles on the hallway cabinet. Just as he was about to enter the room to check on her, someone rushed past him.
It was faster than him.
He looked up. It was the same guest who had earlier requested low-alcohol drinks.
It was Shi Yi.
She had just reached the basement garage when she received a call from Wan Shuang.
At first, Shi Yi didn’t plan on answering. They had already made things clear. There was no reason to keep holding on.
Her finger hovered over the decline button. But just before she tapped it, she remembered how Wan Shuang had looked earlier, resting her head on her arm like a sleepy child.
She answered the call.
There was silence on the other end.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Yi asked.
Still no response.
Just as she was about to hang up, she heard a soft sob from the other side.
“No… I just wanted to hear your voice…”
Then came the sound of someone swallowing a mouthful of water.
“What did you say?” Shi Yi asked, startled. Just a few minutes ago, Wan Shuang hadn’t shown a single trace of sadness. How had she suddenly turned into someone who sounded like a heartbroken child?
“I… I said I just wanted to hear your voice…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, until the soft weeping turned into loud, uncontrollable sobs.
“Y-you don’t want me anymore… You don’t want me anymore…”
Hearing those words, Shi Yi could guess that the girl must have been drinking—she was drunk.
She ended the call and immediately turned around, stepping into the elevator and heading back to the room she had just left.
The moment she walked in, she saw Wan Shuang crouched on the chair, curled up into a little ball.
She was still holding her phone, crying and shouting.
She really looked like a child who had been abandoned.
“You don’t want me anymore…”
Shi Yi walked over and gently pulled the phone from Wan Shuang’s hands. The screen showed that the call had already ended.
So, she really was drunk, she couldn’t even tell that the call had been disconnected.
“Didn’t I ask for low-alcohol drinks?” Shi Yi frowned, clearly unhappy, and looked toward the waiter still standing at the door.
The waiter stepped over to the table and pointed at the alcohol label on the bottle Wan Shuang was still holding.
“This, miss, is actually the lowest-alcohol drink we serve at our hotel.”
Shi Yi also picked up the bottle from Wan Shuang’s hand and glanced at the label. After confirming the alcohol content, her furrowed brows finally relaxed a little.
“Has the bill been settled?”
“You don’t have to worry about that, miss. It’s all being charged to Mr. Wan’s account.”
“Got it.”
Shi Yi crouched down and gently patted Wan Shuang on the cheek. Her voice softened as she said, “Xiao Shuang, how about I take you home?”
After Shi Yi had taken her phone, Wan Shuang stopped crying and shouting. She just stared up at Shi Yi with wide, teary eyes, blinking as if afraid she might disappear again.
When she heard Shi Yi’s gentle voice, her slender fingers clutched the corner of Shi Yi’s blazer tightly.
She nodded over and over, her voice soft and aggrieved.
“Okay.”
That response was filled with the kind of sorrow only a child feels when they don’t get their candy.