My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 31

Since deciding to seriously cultivate Xing Xiaochu as a star, Qi Ying had begun meticulously studying the game’s training interface.

As an extremely high-freedom game, it naturally allowed players to train Xing Xiaochu into a major celebrity—an important development path. In the star cultivation interface, Qi Ying could see all sorts of stats for Xing Xiaochu as an amateur, along with various training directions.

Celebrities came in many types: actors, singers, idols, and variety show stars.

Qi Ying found actors and idols somewhat complicated. After much deliberation, she decided to train Xing Xiaochu as a singer. That way, when Xing Xiaochu eventually held nationwide concert tours, Qi Ying could design countless stunning outfits for her to shine brightly on stage.

That night, Qi Ying stayed up all night immersed in the game, researching how to turn Xing Xiaochu into a chart-topping singer.

The next morning, Xing Xiaochu was surprised to find Qi Ying hadn’t left for work. Hesitantly watching Qi Ying search for something on her computer, she wavered before finally asking, “Sister, what would you like to eat?”

Qi Ying looked up at Xing Xiaochu and beckoned with a smile. “Come here, Xiaochu. Take a look at which record label you prefer. I’m planning to reach out and see if we can release a single as a trial.”

Xing Xiaochu was startled. She’d thought Qi Ying’s suggestion last night about becoming a star was just a passing whim. But hearing it again the next morning made her nervous.

“Sister, I can’t do it,” Xing Xiaochu waved her hands frantically. “I’m too timid, and I can’t even sing properly. There’s no way I could be a star.”

“Nonsense,” Qi Ying scolded sternly. “You have exceptional qualities. Your singing doesn’t even need auto-tune—how could you be tone-deaf?”

After a whole night of research, Qi Ying knew that as the game’s protagonist, Xing Xiaochu had outstanding attributes. Whether in intelligence or talent, her foundational stats were more than sufficient—after all, players could mold her into various career paths. There was no way her singing could be bad.

But Xing Xiaochu’s lack of confidence was problematic. She needed to learn from Shi Yu, who stood on stage radiating brilliance.

Though Xing Xiaochu was adorable as she was now, Qi Ying still hoped the girl would gain more self-assurance.

“You’re beautiful, your voice is lovely—your potential is clearly exceptional,” Qi Ying pulled Xing Xiaochu closer and pointed at the screen. “Look, these record labels can all produce singles. One song isn’t expensive—from composition to recording to release, it only costs twenty or thirty thousand.”

With the game’s 10:1 exchange rate to reality, that meant spending just a few thousand could get Xing Xiaochu her own single.

Qi Ying thought it was totally worth it.

Xing Xiaochu stared at the information on the screen, eyes sparkling with wonder yet disbelief.

She’d never imagined she might release music someday.

“But… it’s impossible, Sister,” Xing Xiaochu turned to Qi Ying. “I’m in my final year of high school now. My priority is studying hard for university exams. I can’t indulge in unrealistic dreams like this.”

Qi Ying wrapped her arm around Xing Xiaochu’s waist, leaning in with a soft laugh as she said, “Composing a song only takes a few days—it won’t interfere with your studies.”

Xing Xiaochu still looked troubled. “But my semester starts in just a week.”

Qi Ying was surprised. “So soon?”

“It’s not that soon,” Xing Xiaochu replied. “Originally, it was supposed to start in September, but it got postponed. The new date was confirmed recently—Teacher Jiang even sent a notice in the group chat a couple of days ago.”

Qi Ying rubbed the tip of her nose, realizing she had completely forgotten about it.

But the start of the semester also meant Xing Xiaochu’s birthday was approaching. Qi Ying began planning a special surprise for her.

Since Shi Yu’s birthday party, the girl had completely vanished from Qi Ying’s radar—no messages, no social media updates. Her last post was a selfie from her birthday, and after that, silence.

Qi Ying found it odd but didn’t dwell on it. If Shi Yu had finally stopped bothering her, that was for the best. Maybe they could even stay friends.

Today, under clear skies, Qi Ying sat sketching designs, envisioning the outfit she’d finish for Xing Xiaochu’s birthday. She also planned to contact a record label to produce her first single.

The song wouldn’t be ready immediately, but they could sign the contract in advance. Qi Ying smiled to herself—the outfit and the contract would both be birthday gifts. Xing Xiaochu would love them.

Lost in her thoughts, Qi Ying hummed cheerfully.

Xia Ruoxi, however, looked miserable as she slumped over the table. “Ying, what’s got you so happy?”

Qi Ying glanced at her. “I was about to ask you the same thing. You’ve been sighing nonstop lately—what’s wrong?”

Xia Ruoxi hesitated, unable to speak.

How could she admit she’d taken advantage of someone while drunk? No, she couldn’t say it—what would she do then?

With a deep sigh, she gave Qi Ying a long look. “Ah…”

Qi Ying: “?”

Why was she sighing at her? Was something going on?

Before Qi Ying could ask, the shop’s doorbell chimed. Her heart sank the moment she looked up—Shi Yu stood at the entrance, her expression stormy. Qi Ying almost wished she’d change her surname to “Cao,” given how she always showed up at the worst possible times.

“Great,” Qi Ying muttered to Xia Ruoxi. “Shi Yu’s here.”

Xia Ruoxi’s face paled. She immediately jumped up from her chair, locking eyes with Shi Yu before her legs nearly gave out.

Flustered, Xia Ruoxi glanced between Shi Yu and Qi Ying. “I—I need to hide.”

Qi Ying: “Huh?”

Though confused by the word “hide,” Qi Ying figured it was fine—Shi Yu was here for her, after all.

But the moment Shi Yu saw Xia Ruoxi trying to leave, she snapped, “Xia Ruoxi, stop right there!”

Qi Ying: “?”

Shi Yu stormed over with an imposing air, grabbing Xia Ruoxin’s wrist before looking up at Qi Ying to say, “Sorry, Ying. I need to talk to her alone.”

Qi Ying: “???”

Before Qi Ying could react, Shi Yu had already dragged Xia Ruoxin out of the shop—though they didn’t go far, stopping right outside the door. Curious, Qi Ying quietly hid behind the entrance to eavesdrop.

Shi Yu demanded, “Why have you been avoiding me these past few days?”

Xia Ruoxin: “I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve just been busy with the shop.”

Shi Yu: “What’s there to be busy with in this dump? You just don’t want to deal with me, do you?”

Xia Ruoxin: “That’s not true. You’re misunderstanding.”

Shi Yu: “Misunderstanding? That morning, you grabbed my clothes and ran off. Those pants of yours are still at my place—come get them when you have time.”

Xia Ruoxin muttered, “J-Just throw them away. They’re not worth much anyway.”

Shi Yu exploded: “Xia Ruoxin, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!”

Behind the door, Qi Ying’s eyes widened in shock. She clung to the doorframe, refusing to budge, and even pulled out her phone to record the conversation, deciding she’d play it back for Xia Ruoxin every holiday.

Soon, their discussion seemed to collapse into an argument. Shi Yu and Xia Ruoxin quarreled until the furious young mistress stormed to her car, retrieved a bag of clothes, and flung it at Xia Ruoxin’s face with a loud smack before driving off in a huff.

Xia Ruoxin clutched the bag, staring at the freshly washed dark pants inside, her embarrassment unbearable.

Turning around, she found Qi Ying peeking at her from behind the glass door—having undoubtedly witnessed the entire fight.

Xia Ruoxin wished she could vanish into the sewers and never resurface.

Qi Ying, however, was in much better spirits. She stepped out of the shop and stood beside Xia Ruoxin, eyeing the pants in her arms. “She even washed them for you. How thoughtful—Shi Yu really is a good person.”

Xia Ruoxin shot her a glare.

Qi Ying smirked. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I was the one who wore the wrong clothes.”

Xia Ruoxin’s head began to throb. She tugged at Qi Ying and rambled an explanation: “That night, I saw her drinking alone while cursing you out and felt bad, so I had a couple more drinks with her. I don’t remember anything after that. When I woke up, we were lying together, and I panicked—just grabbed some clothes and ran. Who knew I’d put on the wrong ones…?”

Qi Ying frowned. “Is this really just about the clothes?”

Xia Ruoxin opened her mouth, then shut it.

Qi Ying patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Didn’t you say before that Shi Yu’s a good person? What’s done is done. Don’t you dare skip out on responsibility—that’d be disgusting.”

Xia Ruoxin’s headache worsened.

In the following days, Shi Yu began dropping by the shop every now and then. Previously, Qi Ying would have dodged her, but now she sat openly in the store, watching as Shi Yu stared at Xia Ruoxin while eating the sushi she made and drinking the buy-one-get-one-free couple’s milk tea. Each time, Qi Ying would sit at a distance, occasionally cracking melon seeds as she enjoyed the show.

Though she didn’t get any heart-shaped sushi or couple’s drinks, she finally understood the joy of being a spectator.

Ding—

A familiar notification chimed from her phone. Still munching on melon seeds, Qi Ying pulled out her phone.

“Dear Designer,
Your Xiaochu will be attending her new school’s opening ceremony next Monday. On her first day, if you could prepare a nutritious breakfast and send her to school, I’m sure your Xiaochu will trust you even more!”

“Additional notice for the Designer: As Xiaochu’s 18th birthday approaches, a special gift will soon be delivered. We look forward to your feedback.”

Qi Ying was filled with curiosity about that ‘special gift,’ wondering what the system could possibly send her—and why it anticipated her feedback.

When Qi Ying opened the game to check on Xing Xiaochu, she was shocked to see her own name suddenly appear in the character panel. Clicking on it, she discovered it was a completely new character profile—her own data.

Qi Ying, 26 years old, co-owner of a fashion design studio.

Gender: Alpha.

Status: Rutting period.