All I Want Is to Hold the Heroine in My Arms [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 25

Wan Shuang’s long lashes fluttered slightly as she opened her eyes. Her vision was still a little blurry. After rubbing them gently, she reached for her phone.

No messages.

“Forget it. I’ll just talk to Xiao Yiyi in person after class and explain everything.”

After washing up, she headed toward school.

“Xiaoshuang, Wang Chao didn’t mean to cause you trouble…”

As soon as she stepped into the classroom, Ning Ran came over, putting on a concerned and innocent expression.

Her eyes were slightly red, with a faint glimmer of tears in them. She looked pitiful, as if Wan Shuang had wronged her.

“You really know everything, don’t you, Miss Ning? What happened last night, and you already heard by this morning?” Wan Shuang glanced at her from the side and said with a mocking smile, “Anyone who doesn’t know better might think you were the one who told Wang Chao to cause trouble for me.”

Ning Ran’s hand paused as she wiped her eyes, and a flash of surprise passed through her gaze. She hadn’t expected Wan Shuang to guess it so accurately.

Of course, she was the one who set it up.

After Wan Shuang had left with Jiang Ye last night, Ning Ran spent the entire evening crying in front of Wang Chao.

She sobbed as she talked about how hurt she was and dropped hints about how badly Wan Shuang had treated her, hoping he would go confront her on her behalf.

Inside, Ning Ran sneered.

Wang Chao was not smart. All it took was a hug and a refusal to eat dinner with him, and he was convinced that her sadness was caused by Wan Shuang.

He never stopped to think about who Wan Shuang really was.

Idiot.

Although she was full of contempt and disdain on the inside, her face remained soft and innocent. Her voice was sweet and full of fake sincerity.

“Xiaoshuang, you’re overthinking. How could I possibly do something like that?”

“Alright, Miss Ning. I know exactly what you did.” Wan Shuang was running out of patience. “I’m not going to expose you. I just hope you stop bothering me from now on.”

“I really, truly dislike you.”

Once again, Wan Shuang didn’t hold back.

The classroom fell completely silent.

Both Wan Shuang and Ning Ran were considered school beauties. Having them in the same class naturally drew attention.

On the surface, they seemed close. But who really knew what happened in private?

Everyone looked on quietly, surprised by Wan Shuang’s blunt words.

This felt like a beauty versus beauty showdown. Everyone waited to see how Ning Ran would respond.

For a moment, Ning Ran was frozen.

Who just bluntly says they dislike someone like that, right in front of so many classmates?

Growing up in a world full of fake kindness and hidden schemes, Wan Shuang had grown tired of putting on a mask.

If she liked someone, she said it. If she didn’t, she said that too.

That was one reason she had confessed to Shi Yi after only a week of knowing her.

“Well then,” Ning Ran quickly regained her composed appearance and smiled gently. “If Xiaoshuang doesn’t like me, I won’t bother her anymore.”

She managed to twist the situation to make Wan Shuang seem like the unreasonable one.

But Wan Shuang didn’t care. She replied casually, “Goodbye. I won’t walk you out.”

After lunch with Jiang Ye, Wan Shuang took a car to go find Shi Yi.

There were heavy clouds in the sky that covered the sun, bringing a rare cool breeze to the summer heat. The wind brushed gently against her cheeks and reminded her of the smooth skin on Shi Yi’s ankle from the night before.

And of course, the awkward scene that had followed.

Wan Shuang felt shy thinking about how she had been seen completely exposed by someone she liked. It made her hesitant to face Shi Yi again.

Would it be embarrassment? Awkward silence? Should she pretend nothing happened?

But she knew that if she didn’t make the first move, Shi Yi would never come looking for her.

Maybe, just maybe, Shi Yi was even more nervous about seeing her than she was.

Remembering how Shi Yi acted before leaving last night, Wan Shuang’s lips curled up into a small smile.

The moment the towel fell to the floor, both of them stared at it in shock. Then their eyes met.

After scrambling to pick it up and wrap it around herself again, Wan Shuang had awkwardly broken the silence.

“Um… should I have the bodyguards take you home?”

Shi Yi looked toward the door and didn’t dare meet her eyes. After a long pause, she finally answered softly, “Okay.”

It wasn’t until she was walking out the door that Wan Shuang noticed the red blush spreading across her face.

When Wan Shuang arrived at the flower shop, it was packed with customers. She waited a while outside before squeezing her way in.

She moved confidently through the crowd, heading toward the back of the shop.

At the counter, Xiao Huang was handling checkout.

“Xiao Huang? Why are you here?”

“Sister Shuang? Why are you here again?”

They both stared at each other for a moment.

“Wait a second,” Wan Shuang said, pointing to the person in the middle of the crowd whose face she couldn’t see. She asked with rising frustration, “Don’t tell me Shi Yi is the one handing out flowers in there.”

Just thinking of her beloved Xiao Yiyi being surrounded by a bunch of people made jealousy boil up inside her. She tugged at Xiao Huang’s sleeve and looked like she wanted to throw her right into the crowd.

“It’s not her. That’s my boyfriend.” Xiao Huang rolled her eyes and pointed behind her. “Shi Yi is in the back.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Yes. He saw how tired I’ve been lately, so he came to help me out today.” She gave a bashful smile, then raised her eyebrows playfully. “What’s wrong? Are you jealous?”

“No,” Wan Shuang said, shaking her head. “But aren’t you even a little worried that your boyfriend is surrounded by a bunch of men?”

“He only loves me.”

“Well, when I came in, I saw someone grab his butt.”

“What?!”

Xiao Huang shouted and pushed her way through the crowd, calling out her boyfriend’s name nonstop.

Wan Shuang crossed her arms and grinned.

That story was, of course, completely made up.

She had no idea who was in the crowd. How could she possibly recognize someone’s backside?

The reason Wan Shuang teased Xiao Huang was simple. Not only did she show off her relationship right in front of her, but she even dared to laugh at her for not having a boyfriend.

There was no way someone as petty as Wan Shuang would let that slide.

She stood at the counter and waited until Xiao Huang came back. Then she grinned and said cheerfully, “I was just joking earlier.”

After that, she turned around and walked toward the back of the shop, while Xiao Huang stared at her in disbelief, like she had just been tricked and swallowed something bitter.

Wan Shuang lifted the curtain and saw Shi Yi sitting quietly on a chair.

She was wearing bright red wireless earbuds and seemed to be listening to music. Both her hands were holding a book that looked like something she had randomly found, and she was reading it seriously.

The noise from outside didn’t seem to bother her at all.

Wan Shuang tiptoed to her side and crouched down.

“Sister Shi Yi, why are you hiding back here?”

The sudden voice startled Shi Yi, but when she heard the familiar tone, her heart settled down.

She had thought a customer had accidentally wandered in.

“It was too crowded out there. It made me feel restless,” Shi Yi said, taking out one earbud and handing it to Wan Shuang.

Wan Shuang took it and placed it in her ear, then teased, “Everyone out there is here just to see you. You’re the prettiest flower in the whole shop.”

Shi Yi shook her head and closed her book. She pointed at the chair next to her, inviting Wan Shuang to sit.

But Wan Shuang didn’t move to the chair. Instead, she leaned gently against Shi Yi’s leg and started drawing circles on her jeans with her fingertip.

“Sister Shi Yi,” she whispered just as Shi Yi was about to stand up because the ticklish sensation was starting to bother her.

Her voice was low and slightly hoarse, filled with a strange emotion that hinted at something deeper. It sounded like she was holding back a temptation.

Shi Yi looked down and first saw the top of Wan Shuang’s head. Her hair was soft and smooth. The strands near her temple had been clipped behind her ear, showing off a delicate and beautiful ear.

Today, she was wearing a loose blue T-shirt that made it hard to tell what her figure looked like.

But Shi Yi could imagine it clearly. After all, she had seen her without a single piece of clothing the night before.

Her thoughts drifted back to that moment.

Her body was graceful and light. Any man who saw her like that would probably lose his mind.

Even Shi Yi had felt something stir inside her heart.

“Sister Shi Yi,” Wan Shuang called again after a few seconds of silence.

Shi Yi pulled herself out of the memory and softly answered, “Yes?”

“Did you sleep well last night?”

Shi Yi had arrived home pretty late. It was already close to morning.

“It was alright.”

“Just alright? I slept like a baby.” Wan Shuang chuckled as she covered her mouth, looking like a mischievous little girl.

Then she lowered her hand and added, “It’s because I kept thinking about how worried you looked last night. I won’t forget it.”

Shi Yi quickly replied, “That’s what friends are supposed to do.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What a shame. I thought you might be falling for me.”

Then Wan Shuang changed the subject and said, “Also, I’m not an exhibitionist or anything. What happened last night was an accident.”

“I know. I was the one who knocked your towel loose.” Shi Yi realized afterward that if she hadn’t moved so much, the towel probably wouldn’t have fallen.

“Sister Shi Yi, now that you’ve seen me like that…” Wan Shuang slowly stood up and leaned one hand against the wall behind Shi Yi.

“Only my family has ever seen me that way.”

She leaned in closer. Her warm breath touched Shi Yi’s ear.

“Don’t you think… you owe me something now?”

The space between them was very small. They could hear each other breathing clearly.

Their eyes met. In Shi Yi’s gaze, there was a flicker of panic.

At that moment, the curtain was pulled open.

“Shi Yi…” Xiao Huang called out, but she stopped halfway through the name. Her eyes widened, and her feet froze.

She quickly turned around and rushed out of the room without another word.

“What’s wrong? Is the owner not there?” her boyfriend asked, seeing how strange she was acting.

Xiao Huang pulled him aside and whispered, “I didn’t see anything. I don’t know anything.”