My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 10

Opening Xia Ruoxin’s messages, they started with her mentioning she’d gone home due to the rain. After the rain stopped, she asked if everything was okay at the shop, then sent another message saying her parents had unexpectedly signed up for a tour group without telling her and were taking her along. Xia Ruoxin wanted to discuss it with Qi Ying but couldn’t get through.

Finally, the little rich girl sent: The flight tickets are already booked, so I’ll just go play for a couple days. Please take care of the shop while I’m away, and I’ll bring you back some local specialties!

Qi Ying breathed a sigh of relief and replied: Enjoy your trip and don’t worry about the shop.

She had originally planned to take this opportunity to go back, but just as she was thinking of an excuse to leave, she heard Xing Xiaochu calling her from outside the door, saying dinner was ready.

Leaning weakly against the wall, Qi Ying made her way out. Xing Xiaochu immediately rushed over to support her, saying worriedly, “If you’re not feeling well, I can bring the food to your room. Don’t push yourself.”

“I’m fine, I feel much better,” Qi Ying said, though her steps were still unsteady. She was quite happy to be supported by Xing Xiaochu—the kid was soft, sweet-smelling, and utterly adorable.

Breakfast was dumplings. After one bite, Qi Ying could tell they were handmade. Curious, she asked Xing Xiaochu, who sat across from her, “Did you go downstairs?”

“Yeah,” Xing Xiaochu nodded. “After you fainted yesterday, I went to the pharmacy to buy medicine and picked these up on the way.”

Afraid Qi Ying might think they were leftovers, Xing Xiaochu quickly added, “I asked them not to cook them—I brought back raw dumplings and just boiled them now. They’re not yesterday’s leftovers.”

Seeing how nervous the kid was, Qi Ying couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if they were leftovers, it wouldn’t matter. It’s not like they’d be inedible.”

Besides, Qi Ying was genuinely hungry. Normally, when she cooked for herself, she made enough for two meals, so eating leftovers was nothing unusual.

Watching Qi Ying quickly finish the dumplings, Xing Xiaochu hurried to bring her a bowl of dumpling broth, which Qi Ying drank up, feeling much more energized afterward.

“You have to wait half an hour after eating before taking the medicine,” Xing Xiaochu said as she cleared the dishes. “I’ll remind you later.”

“Okay,” Qi Ying replied, smiling as she watched the kid bustle about. It felt really nice to be taken care of.

After breakfast, Qi Ying went to the floor-to-ceiling window to soak up some sun. While the pheromone suppression had worked, the side effects were worse than she’d expected. Clearly, it was best not to mess with unfamiliar things in the future.

After a while, Xing Xiaochu came over with warm water and medicine.

Qi Ying took the medicine and lay back down, thinking about what excuse she could use to go home later—at least to close up the shop.

“Jiejie.”

Hearing Xing Xiaochu’s voice, Qi Ying realized the kid was still by her side, seemingly wanting to say something.

“What is it?” Qi Ying asked. “Is something wrong?”

Xing Xiaochu bit her lip, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt, hesitating to speak.

Ah!

Qi Ying understood. She quickly picked up her phone and said, “Sorry, you’re out of money, right? How much was all that? I’ll transfer it to you and give you some extra spending money too.”

Xing Xiaochu immediately stopped her, her face turning red. “I don’t want your money! You’re letting me stay here—I should be paying you, not the other way around. I… I wanted to ask you about this…”

Xing Xiaochu ran to the doorway, grabbed a document from the shoe cabinet, and walked back. Qi Ying took a closer look—wasn’t that the document she had given to Xiaochu’s father?

It was the guardianship authorization letter Xiaochu’s mother had entrusted to her.

Qi Ying had obtained this document directly from the system. Whether it had any legal validity, she had no idea. At the time, she figured anything from the system couldn’t possibly be problematic. Besides, she knew Xiaochu’s father would never agree anyway. Qi Ying had always planned to try diplomacy first before resorting to force.

But now, with Xiaochu bringing the document to her, Qi Ying felt a pang of guilt.

“This…” Qi Ying explained, “This is the authorization letter your mom gave me before, asking me to take care of you.”

Xiaochu’s eyes widened slightly as she stared at the document in her hands, her eyes instantly reddening.

Startled, Qi Ying quickly stood up to comfort her.

“Why are you crying all of a sudden?” Qi Ying gently rubbed the child’s flushed cheeks, watching as tears fell one after another. Her heart ached as she whispered softly, “Don’t cry anymore. No one will ever bully you again. I’ll always stay by your side.”

Xiaochu looked up at her. She didn’t know how long “always” meant in Qi Ying’s words. She had once believed her mother would always be with her, but her mother had passed away, and no one had stayed with her since.

Now, Qi Ying was promising to stay with her forever, but Xiaochu was afraid she might leave too.

Just like her mother.

“Big sister…”

Xiaochu threw herself into Qi Ying’s arms, hugging her waist tightly as she sobbed, “You have to keep your promise, okay? Stay with me forever…”

Qi Ying smiled, patting the child’s head gently. “Mm, I’ll always be with you.”

Qi Ying made up some excuse to retreat to her bedroom, telling Xiaochu to absolutely not come in because she needed to rest. Though Xiaochu didn’t fully understand, she still obeyed Qi Ying’s words, timidly asking if she still wanted lunch. Qi Ying declined.

After logging out of the game, Qi Ying felt the soreness in her body vanish instantly. She hurriedly checked on her shop.

Fortunately, people these days were quite honest. Even though the shop had been left open all day, nothing had been stolen. Qi Ying reviewed the surveillance footage from the previous day and saw that after the heavy rain, a few customers had wandered around the first floor but left when they found no one there.

Overall, there hadn’t been many customers, and nothing was missing.

Qi Ying let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed she’d have to be more careful when entering the game in the future—at the very least, she needed to lock all the doors and windows before logging in. Losing money would be one thing, but if her wedding dresses were stolen, that would be a disaster.

After hastily tidying up the shop, Qi Ying realized she still wasn’t hungry. She touched her stomach, puzzled. She hadn’t eaten anything in the real world for an entire day, so why didn’t she feel hungry?

In fact, her stomach felt full, as if she’d just had breakfast.

Could it be… that eating in the game also provided satiety in reality?

Qi Ying wasn’t sure, but for the sake of her health, she went out and bought a fast-food meal. She ate half of it before feeling unbearably full, forcing her to store the leftovers in the fridge.

After finishing her tasks, Qi Ying didn’t want to stay in the shop any longer. She still needed to handle Xiaochu’s school transfer procedures, and since there was no time like the present, she decided to go that very afternoon.

This time, Qi Ying didn’t forget to close the windows, lock the door, and hang up the “Closed” sign before entering the game.

She reappeared in her bedroom. Glancing at the time—just past two in the afternoon—she figured it was about time she “woke up.”

“Xiaochu,” Qi Ying called out as she pushed open the door, spotting a small, fluffy head suddenly pop up from the sofa. The girl turned to look at her and called out, “Sister.”

“Come out with me this afternoon?” Qi Ying said with a smile. “We’ll go handle your transfer paperwork.”

Xiaochu’s eyes lit up instantly. She immediately ran over, excited. “Okay, Sister! I’ll go change!”

Watching the child dash into her room, Qi Ying went to gather the necessary documents.

She knew the transfer process wouldn’t be completed in one go, but she wasn’t in a hurry. There was still plenty of time left in the summer break—as long as everything was settled before school started, it would be fine.

Xiaochu changed into the white dress Qi Ying had bought for her at the mall, paired with new white sneakers. For a moment, Qi Ying felt as if she were looking at the game app’s icon.

Xiaochu’s long black hair cascaded naturally over her chest, her slender neck and fair skin making her look especially lovely. The square neckline of the dress was adorned with a small blue bow, adding just the right touch to keep the outfit from looking too plain. The waistline was beautifully designed, and the hem stopped just above her knees, revealing her slender, straight legs.

White shoes, white dress—if only she had a bouquet of lilies to complete the picture.

Thinking her outfit might not be right, Xiaochu asked softly, “Should I change?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Qi Ying smiled and held out her hand. “No need. Come on, let’s go.”

Xiaochu hesitated for a second before carefully placing her hand in Qi Ying’s.

This was their first time going out together.

As they walked through the neighborhood, Qi Ying took in the scenery. Their upscale residential area was lush with greenery, making it feel like strolling through a forest. Even the scorching summer heat felt milder here, with a faint, refreshing coolness in the air.

Xiaochu stayed close to Qi Ying, her palm slightly sweaty from nervousness. Every now and then, she would glance up timidly before quickly looking away again.

Exiting the neighborhood, they came to a commercial street lined with various shops. Spotting a green-signboard dumpling restaurant, Qi Ying tilted her head and tugged Xiaochu’s hand. “That’s where you bought the dumplings, right?”

Xiaochu looked over and nodded.

“They were delicious,” Qi Ying said with a smile.

Xiaochu smiled back at her.

After crossing the commercial street and turning a corner, they arrived at the middle school’s entrance. Since it was summer break, the campus was empty. After a brief word with the security guard, Qi Ying led Xiaochu inside.

No. 3 Middle School’s campus showed its age—tree roots pushed up through the concrete, giving the place a distinctly vintage feel.

A gentle breeze rustled the plane trees on campus.

At that moment, Xiaochu felt something called “happiness” slowly taking shape. Standing in the sunlight, with someone who cared for her by her side, she felt it deeply.

She slowly raised her head as dappled tree shadows fell upon both their heads and shoulders. Qi Ying’s profile was strikingly beautiful, and the breeze gently lifted the hair at her temples, leaving Xing Xiaochu momentarily spellbound.

At that moment, Qi Ying lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Glancing sideways at Xing Xiaochu, she turned her head and gave her a soft smile.

“What are you spacing out for?” Qi Ying tapped the girl’s nose lightly and said gently, “We should get going.”

Xing Xiaochu only snapped out of her daze when Qi Ying tugged her hand, following blankly for a few steps before quickening her pace to catch up.

She held Qi Ying’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go for even a second.

Xing Xiaochu thought—perhaps today was the closest she had ever been to happiness…