My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 35

Qi Ying had been coming to the school gate frequently to pick up Xing Xiaochu after class. Tall and commanding in presence, while Xing Xiaochu was the pretty Omega known throughout their grade, even Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya had taken notice of Qi Ying.

The moment Xing Xiaochu spotted Qi Ying, her previously indifferent eyes lit up as she hurried over. Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya exchanged glances before following suit.

Seeing Xing Xiaochu run toward her, Qi Ying smiled and reached out to pull her into an embrace. “Why the rush? Aren’t you afraid of tripping?”

Xing Xiaochu happily tugged at Qi Ying’s sleeve, looking up at her. “Sister, why did you come to pick me up again? I can go home by myself.”

Qi Ying patted her head. “I had some free time, so I came.”

Xia Ruoxin had advised Qi Ying to take some time alone to clear her mind. Glancing at the clock and realizing it was Xing Xiaochu’s dismissal time, Qi Ying decided to leave early and come pick her up instead.

Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya stood nearby, their curious eyes darting between the two before they shared a knowing look.

Definitely not her real sister.

Noticing the two students in the same uniform as Xing Xiaochu, Qi Ying asked, “Are these your classmates?”

Only then did Xing Xiaochu remember the other two. She quickly stepped out of Qi Ying’s arms and introduced them. “Yes, they’re my classmates. This is Chen Dongdong, and this is Xin Ya.” Then, turning to them, she added, “This is my sister.”

“Hello, sister!” Chen Dongdong greeted cheerfully. “We’ve seen you at the school gate a lot. You’re here to pick Xiaochu up, right?”

Qi Ying nodded. “Yes. Do you two live around here too?”

“Yeah,” Xin Ya replied. “We live in the neighborhood across the street.”

“So we’re neighbors, then.” Qi Ying smiled warmly. “Since you live so close, why not come over for a visit?”

“No, no, we still have homework to do.” Xin Ya tugged at Chen Dongdong and waved. “We’ll head home now, sister. See you tomorrow at school, Xiaochu!”

Xing Xiaochu waved back from beside Qi Ying, watching as the two crossed the street before looking up—only to find Qi Ying’s gaze fixed on her.

“What’s wrong, sister?” Xing Xiaochu asked, puzzled. “Is there something on my face?”

Qi Ying shook her head and took her hand. “No. Let’s go home.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded happily, gripping Qi Ying’s hand tightly as they entered the neighborhood. Along the way, she chattered nonstop about her day at school like an excited little sparrow, while Qi Ying listened attentively, occasionally smiling at her.

Once home, Xing Xiaochu let go of Qi Ying’s hand to change out of her uniform. Qi Ying stood by the door, staring at her palm, the faint sweetness of osmanthus lingering in the air. She raised her hand, inhaling the fading scent of pheromones still clinging to her skin, feeling the day’s restlessness gradually ease.

Yet, as the restlessness faded, an inexplicable emptiness took its place. Even as the traces of pheromones vanished from her palm, the hollowness remained.

Xing Xiaochu emerged from her room, now dressed, scooping up the kitten that had grown several times larger since its arrival—now resembling a small tiger—and planted a kiss on it. She then noticed Qi Ying bustling about in the kitchen and hurried over.

“Sis,” Xiaochu called out, her long hair cascading down her back and her bangs neatly framing her face. Peeking from behind the kitchen’s sliding door, she asked, “Chen Dongdong and the others invited me out this weekend. Can I go?”

Qi Ying glanced back at the girl. The blue loungewear Xiaochu wore was handmade by her, and the cat, Guazi, nestled in her arms blinked its large, sparkling eyes at her. Qi Ying felt her heart race, though her expression remained calm. “You can go out, but stay away from dangerous places.”

“Of course,” Xiaochu replied, stepping into the kitchen with a smile. “We’re just planning to visit the bookstore at the mall near home, maybe do some window shopping. We won’t go anywhere else.”

Qi Ying nodded, setting down what she was holding and walking over to Xiaochu. She gazed down at her. “It’s rare for you to get invited out. Do you have enough spending money?” She reached up, gently lifting a strand of Xiaochu’s hair that rested on her shoulder, twirling it between her fingers as she savored its softness. “If not, I can transfer you some more.”

Xiaochu stood still, not daring to move as her hair was toyed with, her bright, doe-like eyes fixed on Qi Ying. “I have enough. You’ve already given me plenty. We’re just going to browse books—it won’t cost anything.”

Qi Ying insisted, “Buy whatever you like. Don’t hold back.” With that, she pulled out her phone and transferred 1,000 yuan to Xiaochu’s WeChat.

Xiaochu’s eyes widened in disbelief at the amount. “Sis, this is too much! I won’t spend nearly this much just hanging out with friends.”

“It’s nothing,” Qi Ying replied, releasing the strand of hair to pinch Xiaochu’s cheek lightly. “Ask for more if you need it. I may not have fortunes, but I won’t let you go without.”

Xiaochu squinted one eye as her cheek was squeezed but nodded softly.

Today, Qi Ying seemed… different. Not in a way she could pinpoint—just gentler, more affectionate, touching her more often than before.

Fortunately, Qi Ying soon withdrew her hand and returned to cooking. Xiaochu lingered for a moment, Guazi in her arms, before realizing she was in the way and retreated to the living room. Soon, the sound of the TV filled the space.

Qi Ying glanced back to find Xiaochu sitting cross-legged on the sofa, playing tug-of-war with Guazi. The half-grown kitten swiped playfully at a small cloth fish in Xiaochu’s hand, which she dangled just out of reach, her movements revealing glimpses of her slender, pale waist.

Unsun-kissed, her skin was as white as freshly steamed osmanthus cake, her small navel peeking in and out of view. Her snug pants accentuated the curve of her hips, and her ankles were delicate, her toes tinged pink.

Qi Ying couldn’t tear her eyes away. Watching Xiaochu play with the kitten, the air seemed thick with the sweet scent of osmanthus, as if it clung to her very breath.

Her pulse quickened, her throat dry as she stared at Xiaochu.

Qi Ying struggled to turn her head and looked at the chopping board in front of her. She had nearly shredded the vegetable leaves in her hands, yet it did nothing to ease the restlessness in her heart.

Qi Ying felt a headache coming on. Why couldn’t she find relief, whether in the real world or the game world?

What was wrong with her?

Could it be that she was… really sick?

Over the weekend, Xing Xiaochu had arranged to meet Chen Dongdong and the others at the bus stop between their two neighborhoods, then take a short bus ride together to the nearby mall.

By the time Xing Xiaochu arrived, the other two were already there, dressed in jeans and hoodies. Their eyes lit up when they saw Xiaochu running toward them in her creamy yellow dress.

“Wow, Xiaochu, that dress is so pretty!” Xin Ya exclaimed. “Where did you get it? The cut is amazing—it suits your figure perfectly!”

Xiaochu was naturally delighted to receive such praise for her outfit. Clutching her small crossbody bag, she said, “My sister made it for me. She’s a fashion designer.”

Chen Dongdong grew even more curious upon hearing this. After circling Xiaochu once, her gaze landed on the oddly out-of-place little cloth fish at her waist. “What’s this?” she asked, puzzled. “An accessory for the dress?”

Xiaochu nodded. “It’s a fish.”

Chen Dongdong was taken aback. “Why would you have a fish pinned to your waist?”

Xiaochu blinked, unsure how to explain. She couldn’t very well say that she kept losing her cat’s toys, so Qi Ying had sewn this one just for her, could she?

How childish…

Xin Ya noticed Xiaochu’s discomfort and nudged Chen Dongdong with her elbow. “It’s just an accessory. Haven’t you seen fish used as decorations before?” Turning back to Xiaochu, she added, “Xiaochu, have you been to that mall before? There’s so much fun stuff there, including lots of merch shops. Let’s go shopping first, then hit the bookstore later!”

“Sure,” Xiaochu replied. Though she didn’t know what “merch” meant, she loved shopping, especially with friends.

When the bus arrived, the three of them boarded, rode one stop, and got off. At the mall, they each bought a bubble tea on the first floor and wandered around, sipping as they browsed. After exploring the ground level, they headed upstairs, meandering through the stores. By the end, Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya had bought plenty of things, while Xiaochu remained empty-handed except for her drink.

“Xiaochu, didn’t you find anything you liked?” Xin Ya asked between sips of her last bit of tea.

Xiaochu shook her head. “It’s not that. I just don’t know where I’d put things if I bought them.”

Xin Ya was puzzled. “How come? Don’t you live with your sister? Are you sharing the place with others?”

“No, we live in my sister’s own place now,” Xiaochu said.

“Then why wouldn’t there be space?” Chen Dongdong chimed in. “My mom even built me a special cabinet for my favorite things—my plushies and figures all go in there. And if it gets full, I can always put them on my bed.”

Xiaochu bit her straw hesitantly. “It’s better not to. Moving would be too much trouble later.”

The two girls tilted their heads, confused.

Why would she need to move?

Wasn’t that Xiaochu’s own home?

Before the two could figure things out, Chen Dongdong suddenly brightened up and pointed at the shop across the street, exclaiming, “Look at that huge capybara plushie! Aya, Xiaochu, let’s check out that store—I love it so much!”

With that, Chen Dongdong grabbed both their hands and pulled them into the shop, temporarily setting aside the matter of Xing Xiaochu.

Chen Dongdong adored fluffy plush toys—the bigger, the better. Hugging a roughly one-meter-tall plushie, she chattered away about how she had an even bigger one at home, a birthday gift from her father.

Xin Ya laughed along, mentioning she had a plushie too, though not as large as Chen Dongdong’s.

Standing by the counter, the two began debating whose plushie collection was more impressive and whose toys were cuter. But when they saw the price tag on the giant plushie—four digits—they suddenly pretended to lose interest and wandered off to browse smaller toys.

Meanwhile, Xing Xiaochu stared at the serene little brown plushie in her hands, her eyes widening slightly.

It felt so calm.

Just like Qi Ying.