All I Want Is to Hold the Heroine in My Arms [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 19

Shi Yi knelt down and gently held Wan Shuang’s ankle as she helped her slip on her shoes.

“Can you walk?” she asked softly.

Wan Shuang nodded eagerly.

“Not only can I walk, I can fly…” she declared proudly. Then, spreading her arms wide, she stood up on the chair and leapt to the floor.

The waiter stood silently, unsure how to respond.

Shi Yi quickly stepped forward as Wan Shuang landed ungracefully, collapsing onto the ground. She wrapped Wan Shuang’s arm around her own neck and lifted her back up.

They were so close now that Shi Yi could smell the light, peach-scented liquor lingering on Wan Shuang’s lips.

It was sweet and fragrant, soft but unmistakably intoxicating.

“In the future, please make sure fruit wines are even lower in alcohol,” Shi Yi said, turning toward the waiter with a small frown.

“Yes, of course.”

The waiter had no idea who Shi Yi was, but he definitely recognized Wan Cheng. Anyone dining with Wan Cheng had to be someone powerful or important.

Though it wasn’t something he could actually control, the seriousness in Shi Yi’s voice made him instinctively nod in agreement.

With the waiter’s help, Shi Yi brought Wan Shuang down to the parking garage.

After getting into the car, Shi Yi hesitated. She wasn’t sure if she should call Wan Cheng. Based on Wen Yao’s message and the way Wan Cheng had rushed out after her, it seemed there was something between them that she didn’t know about.

She had no idea how they had met, but to avoid interfering with her best friend’s “good news,” she asked Wan Shuang gently, “Do you have your housekeeper’s phone number?”

By now, Wan Shuang was too tipsy to understand what she was being asked. She just mumbled under her breath.

“You don’t want me anymore…”

Hearing the same sentence again, Shi Yi exhaled patiently and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone, like comforting a child.

“I didn’t leave you. We can still be friends, right?”

This time, Wan Shuang heard her clearly.

“I don’t want to be friends…”

Shi Yi hesitated for a moment, then made herself say it.

“But I don’t like women.”

“I know…” Wan Shuang’s eyes cleared slightly, and she looked straight at Shi Yi, eyes full of emotion. “It’s okay… as long as you like me.”

As long as you like me.

Her cheeks were rosy, and her lips were glossy and soft.

After saying that, her gaze began to blur again. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Shi Yi had a strong feeling that if she said one more harsh thing, Wan Shuang might cry on the spot.

Just as Shi Yi reached for the keys to start the car, Wan Shuang suddenly leaned over and threw her arms around Shi Yi’s neck.

“You smell so nice…” she murmured, nuzzling her nose into the curve of Shi Yi’s neck.

Before Shi Yi could react, Wan Shuang moved her lips toward her cheek and pressed a sudden, wet kiss onto her face.

Shi Yi quickly pushed her into the passenger seat.

“Hehe… Xiao Yiyi… your face is so soft…” Wan Shuang giggled, then leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.

If Shi Yi hadn’t just witnessed her drunk behavior with her own eyes, she might have thought Wan Shuang was pretending.

Wan Shuang didn’t wake up again until the next morning.

Her head felt heavy, and she rubbed her temples with her thumbs.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

The walls were painted a soft matcha green, decorated with dried flowers that made her feel like she was somewhere in nature—fresh and peaceful.

The room contained only a single glass coffee table. No other furniture.

If it weren’t for the faint, familiar scent on the blanket, Wan Shuang might have believed she had been kidnapped and taken to a forest-themed hotel.

But the scent on the blanket was unmistakable—it was Shi Yi’s.

She guessed correctly. She was at Shi Yi’s home.

Sure enough, when she got out of bed and opened the door, she saw a sticky note taped to it.

It read:

“There’s porridge in the rice cooker. Make sure to eat when you wake up.
—Shi Yi”

She glanced at the clock on the wall and guessed that Shi Yi must have gone to the flower shop already.

Instead of heading to the kitchen, Wan Shuang looked down at the clothes she was wearing.

It was a high-end gray silk pajama set. The fabric was soft and smooth against her skin, incredibly comfortable.

Wait a second… these pajamas…

She turned back to the coffee table and saw her jewelry neatly removed and placed next to her folded cocktail dress from last night.

Her eyes widened in shock.

What happened last night?

Did she… end up sleeping with Shi Yi while drunk?

Completely blanking on the night before, Wan Shuang smacked her forehead and groaned.

“Damn it… fake alcohol is dangerous!”

She had no idea that her current body couldn’t handle even a small amount of alcohol. Instead, she blamed her fuzzy memory on the hotel’s supposedly low-alcohol drinks.

“Meow…”

Suddenly, a small white puffball appeared at her feet.

It had a round little head, a pair of pointed ears, and pale golden eyes that stared up at her without blinking.

Its fluffy fur was so irresistibly soft that Wan Shuang couldn’t help crouching down to gently pet it.

“Mulberry? Are you Mulberry?” Xiaoshuang gently stroked the fluffy little creature’s fur as she spoke.

“Meow…” The cat gave a soft reply, then walked away.

The cat ignored her completely.

Driven by curiosity, Xiaoshuang wandered around Shi Yi’s house for a bit.

The place was spacious and serene, decorated entirely in soft shades of matcha green. The layout was minimal and tasteful.

As her mind gradually cleared, she began to remember everything that had happened before she got drunk the night before.

She had been rejected by Shi Yi again.

That realization dimmed the excitement she’d felt about waking up at Shi Yi’s place.

Her interest in exploring faded with her mood, and she wandered aimlessly from room to room.

Eventually, she found herself in the kitchen.

Thinking of the sticky note on the door, she opened the rice cooker.

Inside was pumpkin porridge.

It was the perfect meal after a night of drinking—nutritious and gentle on the stomach.

Xiaoshuang stared at it and let out a bitter smile. She quietly closed the lid and left the kitchen.

Back in the guest room, she crouched down to search under her dress and found her phone. The screen lit up with more than a dozen missed calls, all from just a minute ago.

Every one of them was from Wan Cheng.

Just as she unlocked the screen, his call came through again.

She picked up.

“Brother.”

“Xiaoshuang?! Where are you?” Wan Cheng’s voice on the other end was filled with panic and worry.

“I’m at Shi Yi-jie’s house.”

“Stay there. I’m coming to get you.”

Before she could say anything else, he hung up.

After changing out of the pajamas, she spent ten minutes hand-washing her dress and hanging it out on the balcony to dry.

Once everything was in place, she headed downstairs.

As soon as she walked out of the complex, she saw Wan Cheng’s car pull up.

He rushed over and pulled her into a tight hug with one arm.

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I shouldn’t have left you alone last night.”

“It’s okay, really. Sister-in-law is more important.”

“Sister-in-law?” He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked at her seriously. “What sister-in-law?”

“Yao Yao-jie!”

“Her?” His expression turned cold, and he frowned. “Let’s not talk about her.”

Did they have a fight last night? Xiaoshuang noticed his reaction and quietly guessed what might have happened.

Changing the subject, Wan Cheng asked, “Why did you drink yesterday? Didn’t we agree that you’re not allowed to touch a single drop of alcohol if I’m not there?”

That morning, he had gotten a call from Aunt Wang saying that Xiaoshuang never came home. His heart nearly stopped.

He immediately told Mo Qing to check the hotel’s surveillance and called Xiaoshuang over and over again.

After learning from Mo Qing that she had gotten drunk, Wan Cheng became even more anxious.

By the time she finally picked up the phone, he was already on his way to Shi Yi’s place.

Of course, the address had been sent to him by Mo Qing.

“Um… I just got curious and couldn’t help it.”

Seeing that she was okay, Wan Cheng’s tone turned serious again.

“Come on. I’m taking you to school.”

School?

Oh, right. Today was the start of the new semester for the original host of this body.

“Wait…” Xiaoshuang quickly grabbed his arm.

“You’re seriously sending me like this?” She pointed at her short formal dress and the diamond necklace in her hand.

But Wan Cheng completely missed the point.

“You can change at school. Don’t even think about using this as an excuse to skip.”

“…Do I really look like I hate school?”

Xiaoshuang herself didn’t dislike school, but the original girl she had replaced certainly did.

That girl had come up with every excuse in the book to avoid attending.

Yet Wan Cheng, who usually spoiled her endlessly, was unexpectedly strict when it came to education.

“But… I haven’t even eaten yet…” she protested weakly. Her stomach immediately let out a loud growl, backing her up.

“I’ll have Mo Qing bring you food.”

There was no room for discussion.

With no choice, Xiaoshuang followed him and got in the car, heading to school.

On the way there, she opened her phone.

She tapped on Shi Yi’s profile photo, then backed out of it.

Tapped again. And again.

Shi Yi’s profile picture was a sleepy photo of her kitten, curled up in a fluffy ball. It looked absolutely adorable.

Wan Cheng noticed from the corner of his eye. Xiaoshuang looked lost, like her whole spirit had dimmed.

Between adults, just one glance is enough to understand what someone is feeling. He could tell Shi Yi didn’t have romantic feelings for his sister.

The way she had deliberately called her “Miss Wan” the night before had made that very clear.

One of the reasons he’d left the room was to stop Shi Yi from finishing what she had clearly been about to say.

He didn’t want to see Xiaoshuang get hurt.

But judging by her current mood, Shi Yi must have said it anyway after he left.

With a heavy heart, Wan Cheng finally spoke.

“Shi Yi, she—”

“Brother, I’m sorry I lied to you.” Xiaoshuang paused her tapping and looked out the window.

It was like she was speaking both to him and to herself.

“Like they say, liking someone doesn’t mean you have to end up with them.”

Then, as if changing the subject, she added more brightly, “Besides, Shi Yi-jie and I can still be friends.”

Her phone buzzed.

She looked down.

Shi Yi had sent her a message.

“Are you awake?”

Xiaoshuang thought for a moment, then typed a reply quickly.

“Already on the way to school. Thank you so much for taking care of me last night.”

“Study hard. Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

The last two messages felt like something exchanged between strangers who had only just met.