My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 12

When Qi Ying returned home, Xing Xiaochu was cooking with an apron tied around her waist.

The sound of the range hood and the sizzling stir-fry masked Qi Ying’s arrival. Standing there, Qi Ying watched Xing Xiaochu’s slender, graceful back as she worked. The thin apron strings were tied neatly around her narrow waist, the loose ends swaying gently over her hips with each movement.

It reminded Qi Ying of how, not long ago, Xing Xiaochu had turned her back to her, twisting her hair into a little bunny tail that bounced playfully in front of her, making Qi Ying’s heart melt.

Qi Ying walked over, and only then did Xing Xiaochu notice the movement behind her. Turning around, she saw Qi Ying approaching and flashed her a sweet smile. “You’re back.”

“Mm.” Qi Ying stepped closer, peering into the wok where chicken pieces were being stir-fried. “Chicken for dinner tonight?”

“Yeah.” Xing Xiaochu tilted her head slightly. “Don’t you like it?”

Qi Ying gazed at the adorable girl, a soft smile playing on her lips. “I love anything you make.”

Xing Xiaochu beamed at that.

“Then go change first,” she said, the tips of her ears turning pink. “This dish will be ready soon, and we can eat.”

Qi Ying’s eyes curved into crescents as she patted Xing Xiaochu’s head before leaving the kitchen.

After dinner, Qi Ying insisted on doing the dishes. Xing Xiaochu hovered around her like a little tail, as if afraid she wouldn’t manage. Amused, Qi Ying looked down and saw Xing Xiaochu staring up at her with wide, watery eyes, full of concern.

It was hard to tell whether she was worried about Qi Ying or the plates in her hands.

In the end, Qi Ying gently pushed her out, telling her not to disturb her while washing up.

Xing Xiaochu lingered at the kitchen doorway, hesitating. Though there was no door, she acted as if some invisible barrier kept her from entering. She paced back and forth until she saw Qi Ying handling the dishes with ease, then reluctantly retreated to the living room.

Not doing chores made Xing Xiaochu uneasy.

She still didn’t understand why Qi Ying had taken her in—providing her with food, shelter, even transferring her to a new school. Was it just because Qi Ying was her mother’s friend?

Xing Xiaochu wasn’t a child anymore. She knew kindness in this world never came without reason, so Qi Ying’s generosity puzzled her.

Before, she hadn’t dared to ask. Now, she felt that if she could just do more housework, maybe her unease would lessen.

But now, Qi Ying wouldn’t even let her do that, which only made Xing Xiaochu more anxious.

She had to do something.

Clutching the hem of her shirt, Xing Xiaochu suddenly remembered the clothes Qi Ying had just taken off. She could wash them!

With that thought, she hurried to the bathroom and found Qi Ying’s outfit in the laundry basket—a smoky gray casual shirt and black trousers. Delighted, Xing Xiaochu picked them up, only to catch a faint, sweet scent of peaches.

She froze in disbelief, then cautiously brought the shirt closer and sniffed.

It was unmistakably the fragrance of ripe, honeyed peaches.

Xing Xiaochu stared blankly at Qi Ying’s shirt. Although the peach scent had faded considerably, her keen senses still detected it—this was unmistakably the pheromone of an Omega. For the scent to linger on the shirt, that Omega must have been extremely close to Qi Ying.

Perhaps they’d embraced.

Or maybe… something even more intimate.

The revelation that Qi Ying had an Omega surprised Xing Xiaochu, yet not entirely. Qi Ying was tall, beautiful, and a gentle Alpha—it wasn’t strange for her to have an Omega.

But did that peach-scented Omega know Qi Ying had taken her in?

Would that peach-scented Omega dislike her?

After all, she was someone with no clear background.

These thoughts made Xing Xiaochu increasingly anxious. Hesitantly eyeing Qi Ying’s shirt, she stood frozen in the bathroom, lost in contemplation.

When Qi Ying finished washing the dishes and stepped out of the kitchen, the loud rumble of the washing machine from the bathroom caught her off guard. She paused, glancing down at her clothes.

Her shirt was being washed, and she was currently wearing her in-game outfit. If she didn’t get her clothes back… did that mean she’d have to return naked?

If she didn’t want to go back bare, did that mean she’d have to wait for the clothes to dry?

Qi Ying: “…”

No matter how she looked at it, it seemed she wouldn’t be leaving this world anytime soon.

Fortunately, Qi Ying wasn’t feeling hungry. She could only hope her washing machine had a drying function so she could change and go home right after.

With time to kill, Qi Ying cut some fruit and decided to take on a parental duty—checking the child’s homework.

At the desk, Qi Ying picked up Xing Xiaochu’s test papers while the girl sat beside her, nervous and fidgety, stealing anxious glances. Seeing Qi Ying’s expression darken, Xing Xiaochu wondered if she’d gotten many answers wrong.

Her tension mounted.

“Given that P is a moving point on the circle passing through O(0,0), M(-1,3), and M(-3,-1), find the maximum value of |PO|.”

Qi Ying: “…” Her brows furrowed deeply.

What nonsense is this? Can’t understand. Next question.

“During the 20xx Spring Festival, a certain unit needs to arrange shifts for five people—A, B, C, etc.—with one person on duty each day. For the first and second days of the new year, duty personnel are assigned only once. From the third to the eighth day, personnel are assigned twice. If A is scheduled for two days, those two days cannot be consecutive. Other personnel can be arranged freely. How many different arrangements are there?”

“A. 792 types B. 1440 types C. 1728 types D. 1800 types”

Qi Ying: “…” Her eyes gradually glazed over.

Impossible to solve. Absolutely impossible. She didn’t even know why the answer was B!

No wonder parents signed their kids up for cram schools. It seemed she’d have to enroll Xing Xiaochu in one too. She’d need to check how much money was left in her gaming account—hopefully high school senior tutoring wouldn’t be too expensive.

Seeing Qi Ying gripping her test papers with an increasingly grim expression, Xing Xiaochu assumed she’d done terribly. Worried, she asked, “Sister… are you angry?”

Qi Ying turned her head: “Huh? Why would I be angry?”

Xing Xiaochu whispered, “Because I got too many answers wrong on the test…?”

Qi Ying replied, “…Not exactly.”

After all, she hadn’t understood a single question from the very beginning.

Qi Ying was the carefree type—if she didn’t understand something, she simply wouldn’t dwell on it. So, she casually placed the test paper back on the table and chuckled at Xing Xiaochu’s nervous expression, instinctively reaching out to ruffle the girl’s hair.

“Don’t worry,” Qi Ying said, assuming Xing Xiaochu was afraid of failing the transfer exam. Her voice softened reassuringly, “It’s okay if you don’t pass. Worst case scenario, I’ll just work harder to earn more money in the future.”