All I Want Is to Hold the Heroine in My Arms [Transmigration into a Book] - Chapter 9
An hour later, outside the M City amusement park.
Shi Yi stood in the bustling crowd, clearly uncomfortable. She had never been to a place like this before.
She glanced at Wan Shuang, who was beaming with excitement, and thought to herself, She really is still just a kid.
“Shi Yi-jie! Let’s go in!” Wan Shuang said as she naturally reached for Shi Yi’s wrist and pulled her toward the entrance.
The sudden physical contact caught Shi Yi off guard.
She looked down at the wrist Wan Shuang was holding. It felt different from the way she had grabbed her yesterday to stop her from leaving. This time, although Wan Shuang was still pulling her forward, her grip was gentler. There was even a slight gap between their skin.
A faint smile quietly appeared on Shi Yi’s face.
Coincidentally, the two of them had dressed similarly that day—light blue jeans and plain white T-shirts. Walking side by side, they looked just like best friends wearing matching outfits.
Their tall, graceful figures weaved through the crowds, their striking looks drawing admiring glances and whispers from passersby.
Still holding Shi Yi’s hand, Wan Shuang headed straight toward a specific spot in the amusement park, ignoring all the other attractions along the way as if they didn’t exist.
About ten minutes later, they stopped in front of a massive building. Smiling, Wan Shuang pointed to the sign overhead and said, “Let’s go in here!”
Shi Yi looked up. The sign featured a creepy skull surrounded by bl00d-red drops. Around the skull hung tattered cloth strips, and in large, ominous letters, it read, Haunted House of Resentful Spirits.
So her hunch was right.
When Wan Shuang had said she wanted to take her “somewhere,” Shi Yi should have known it would be unexpected.
Lowering her gaze slowly, Shi Yi looked at the girl’s bright and eager face. She instinctively took a step back and cleared her throat. “Are you sure about this?”
Wan Shuang noticed her subtle movement and leaned in a little closer, still smiling. “Of course! It’s super exciting!”
“If we’re talking about excitement, how about the roller coaster over there?” Shi Yi pointed to the left where people were screaming. Then she turned to the right. “Or maybe that ‘Nüwa Patching the Sky’ ride?”
“Shi Yi-jie, don’t tell me you’re scared?” Wan Shuang leaned in closer, whispering into her ear.
Because they were so close, Shi Yi’s soft scent filled Wan Shuang’s nose. The gentle fragrance, combined with the sight of Shi Yi’s pale, slender neck, made her heart pound uncontrollably.
Wan Shuang closed her eyes for a second to suppress the sudden wave of feelings and shifted slightly to the side to put a bit more space between them.
Shi Yi, hearing her tease, lowered the hand she had raised, looked once more at the eerie sign overhead, and saw the skull’s bl00d-red eyes staring back at her. She quickly looked away and replied, “Yes.”
That single, quiet word made Wan Shuang’s smile grow even wider.
“Alright, alright, I was just kidding,” Wan Shuang said as she took Shi Yi’s hand again and pulled her away from the haunted house. “I’m scared of ghosts too. There’s no way I’d actually go in there.”
As they moved further away from the haunted house, Shi Yi felt herself relax and followed Wan Shuang’s lead more easily.
The two of them spent the day enjoying the amusement park together.
…
At that moment, Jing Yijie stood in front of the flower shop, staring at the closed white shutter. He sneered quietly and muttered, “Very good. You won’t be able to escape.”
Yesterday, when he came by, the shop was closed. And today, it was still the same.
Shi Yi’s repeated attempts to avoid him had completely awakened a side of Jing Yijie that hadn’t surfaced in years—his desire to hunt.
At first, he just wanted to play with Shi Yi, to experience what she was like. But now, her cold attitude had completely captured his attention.
He took out his phone and dialed a number.
“Mr. Jing,” the voice on the other end greeted him respectfully.
“Put all the documents related to the Shi family partnership on my desk,” Jing Yijie said, his tone emotionless.
After ending the call, he turned and walked toward a gray car parked nearby. As he drove off, his sharp eyes glanced one last time at the flower shop’s sign.
…
Warm yellow lights cast a soft glow across the wooden table. The pink peach juice in a clear glass sparkled gently in the light.
Shi Yi lifted the glass, took a small sip, and glanced sideways at Wan Shuang, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on the table.
It was already 7 p.m. They had spent the entire day at the amusement park.
Well, mostly it was Wan Shuang who had played around, while Shi Yi watched from the sidelines.
Since Wan Shuang had gotten up early and played so hard all day, she was completely exhausted.
She had only just sat down in the restaurant, and within five minutes, she had fallen asleep.
“Miss, here are your dishes,” the waiter said politely as he carefully set the plates on the table.
“Thank you,” Shi Yi replied.
Even after all the dishes had been served, Wan Shuang was still sound asleep.
“Wan Shuang, Wan Shuang,” Shi Yi gently patted her shoulder, calling her softly.
The girl stirred at the sound of her name and the gentle tapping. Her eyes moved slightly beneath her lids before slowly fluttering open. She groggily mumbled, “Hmm?”
“Dinner’s ready.”
“Oh, right.” Wan Shuang rubbed her eyes and looked at Shi Yi sleepily. “Sorry, Shi Yi-jie. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
Her voice was hoarse, and her sleepy eyes were still only half open. Though it lacked her usual bright charm, there was something unexpectedly endearing about her drowsy state.
Shi Yi couldn’t help but gently rub the top of Wan Shuang’s head and spoke with a soft voice, “It’s alright. Come on, eat your food.”
Even though Wan Shuang had been woken up, her drowsiness only grew stronger. As she ate, her head kept nodding like a sleepy little bird pecking at grains.
Watching her, Shi Yi couldn’t hold back a small laugh.
She waved over a server and swiftly paid the bill. Then, she linked her arm with Wan Shuang’s and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”
Wan Shuang squinted her eyes sleepily and put down her chopsticks. As she stood up, she leaned against Shi Yi and murmured with concern, “Did you get enough to eat?”
Shi Yi glanced at the nearly untouched dishes on the table, then nodded with a calm expression. “I’m full.”
Satisfied with the answer, Wan Shuang leaned on Shi Yi’s shoulder, half-asleep, as they left the restaurant.
An hour later, outside the gate of Wan Shuang’s residential community.
Shi Yi glanced at the girl still fast asleep in the passenger seat, then pulled out her phone and dialed a number she had just gotten from someone.
The call connected quickly. A deep male voice came through the speaker. “Who is this?”
“Hello, Mr. Wan. This is Shi Yi.”
At that moment, Wan Cheng was sitting expressionlessly on the couch.
He had originally hoped to have dinner with his sister that evening. He had wrapped up work early and gone home. But now, over an hour had passed, and he hadn’t even seen her once.
A few minutes before Shi Yi’s call, Wan Cheng had already guessed that Wan Shuang’s absence had something to do with her.
So the moment he heard Shi Yi say her name, jealousy surged up inside him, and he immediately hung up the phone.
The “beep-beep” tone echoed in Shi Yi’s ear. She pulled her phone away and looked at the screen, confused by the sudden disconnection.
But not even a second later, her phone started ringing again.
She glanced at the number and hesitantly answered, “Mr. Wan?”
It was indeed Wan Cheng. The moment he hung up, he regretted it, realizing that Shi Yi must have called for a reason—most likely something to do with his sister. So he quickly redialed, trying to stay composed.
“Sorry, I accidentally hit the wrong button,” Wan Cheng said flatly, then got straight to the point. “Is Shuang with you?”
“Yes,” Shi Yi explained the situation calmly over the phone—that Wan Shuang had fallen asleep in her car and she needed someone to come down and carry her back home.
After Wan Cheng confirmed, Shi Yi ended the call.
She unbuckled her seatbelt, leaned over toward Wan Shuang, and carefully reached for the buckle on her safety belt.
After some fumbling, she managed to unfasten it. Without the belt holding her upright, Wan Shuang’s body slowly leaned to the side.
Shi Yi panicked for a moment and reached out just in time to support her, afraid she might bump into something.
But in the next second, Wan Shuang’s head fell gently onto Shi Yi’s shoulder. Her lips, completely by accident, brushed against Shi Yi’s cheek.
It lasted only a moment. Her head slipped off her shoulder shortly after.
Shi Yi’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly adjusted Wan Shuang’s position, settling her back into the seat and stared at her, wide-eyed.
The girl didn’t stir at all, sleeping peacefully like a fairytale princess.
Letting out a long breath, Shi Yi finally relaxed.
In the distance, a tall figure emerged from the gate of the residential complex. When Shi Yi spotted him, she immediately got out of the car, her actions quick and flustered, as if she were afraid Wan Cheng might discover what had just happened inside the car.
“Mr. Wan,” she greeted politely with a small nod as he approached.
Wan Cheng, however, was much less cordial. He gave a stiff reply. “Mm.”
Shi Yi didn’t take his coldness to heart. Instead, she walked around to the passenger side and opened the door. “She barely ate anything. She might get hungry later when she wakes up. You should probably have some food ready for her.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Wan Cheng replied, but his tone had softened. He could tell Shi Yi meant well and let go of some of his resentment over “Shi Yi stealing his sister.”
“She usually sleeps deeply and won’t wake up.”
Hearing that, Shi Yi suddenly recalled the soft touch on her cheek just moments ago. That probably wasn’t a kiss, she told herself. Just an accidental touch from someone fast asleep.
Wan Cheng leaned into the car and carefully lifted Wan Shuang from the seat, carrying her in his arms like a princess.
After walking a few steps, he stopped, turned his head, and said politely, “Thank you for bringing her home, Miss Shi.”
“You’re welcome.”
Shi Yi looked at the girl resting peacefully in his arms. A smile quietly rose on her lips as she turned back and walked to the driver’s seat.
She didn’t see that, nestled in Wan Cheng’s arms, Wan Shuang had also curved her lips into a beautiful, contented smile.