My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 36

When Xin Xiaochu entered the house carrying a paper bag, she secretly glanced around—Qi Ying wasn’t home. She immediately relaxed, sitting on the entryway stool to change her shoes. The half-grown kitten became extremely excited at the sight of the paper bag, pouncing on it and making constant rustling noises.

“Stop that, what if you ruin it?” Xin Xiaochu picked up the little troublemaker. Ignoring Guazi’s indignant meows, she tossed the cat onto the sofa before quickly grabbing her things and retreating to the bedroom.

The kitten cautiously assessed the sofa’s height, wiggled its bottom, then began inching down with its milky-white paws. The final stretch ended with an unceremonious plop onto its rear, but it immediately scrambled up and pattered over to scratch at Xin Xiaochu’s door, determined to claim that paper bag.

After hiding the bag in her closet, Xin Xiaochu opened the door and taunted the little creature: “Gone! Come search if you don’t believe me—you’ll never find it.”

Defiant, Guazi squeezed past Xin Xiaochu’s feet and began prowling around her room. With an indifferent glance at the feline intruder, Xin Xiaochu grabbed her phone and settled on the sofa.

She texted Qi Ying: “When are you coming home?”

Qi Ying received the message while rushing through work. Seeing the kid’s text, she replied: Still working overtime. Eat without me.

Xia Ruoxin, swamped with her own tasks, noticed her friend stealing a moment to text and asked curiously, “Who is it? Another client? We can’t take any more orders—we’re completely booked! Just the two of us couldn’t finish everything even if we worked through the end of the month!”

“Not a client,” Qi Ying said offhandedly. “Personal matter.”

“Personal?” Xia Ruoxin’s curiosity flared. Setting down her work, she approached and whispered, “Hey Ying, be honest with me—are you seeing someone?”

Qi Ying stared at her in shock. “What makes you think that? When did I ever say I was dating anyone?”

Xia Ruoxin crossed her arms smugly. “Still pretending? I’ve noticed something’s off about you lately. When Shi Yu pursues you, you brush her off. You keep disappearing for days at a time, and when asked where you’ve been, you get all evasive. You’ve even started actively seeking out business.”

Leaning in, she continued, “Before, you’d sit if you could avoid standing, lie down if you could avoid sitting. Customers could come and go as they pleased. Now? You’ve booked us solid from the beginning to the end of the month. If our studio had more staff, you’d probably have taken orders for next month too.”

Qi Ying felt a twinge of guilt under the scrutiny. Avoiding Xia Ruoxin’s gaze, she deflected, “That’s nonsense. Autumn collections are just popular, that’s all. Don’t tell me you’re unhappy about having more business? Would you rather the shop was empty, barely making enough to cover rent and utilities?”

“Of course I’m happy about more business,” Xia Ruoxin said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “But Ying, level with me—do you have a girlfriend or not? What are you saving all this money for anyway?”

Just as Qi Ying was scratching her cheek, unsure how to explain she’d been spending her earnings on in-game purchases, she spotted Shi Yu stepping out of a car, carrying something.

“Hey,” Qi Ying said to Xia Ruoxin. “Your girlfriend’s here.”

Xia Ruoxin turned around to see Shi Yu entering the room and greeting them both. She quickly released Qi Ying’s shoulder and hurried over, beaming as she said to Shi Yu, “What brings you here? You didn’t even send me a message.”

Shi Yu glanced at her, rolled her eyes, and handed over what she was carrying. “I know you two are busy, so I brought you some dumplings. Haven’t eaten yet, have you? Otherwise, these dumplings I bought would go to waste.”

Xia Ruoxin quickly replied, “No, no, we haven’t eaten yet. What fillings did you get? They smell amazing.”

“Chive and egg, pork and cabbage, and one more I can’t remember,” Shi Yu said before turning to Qi Ying, who was still buried in her work, and raising her voice, “Hey, Qi Ying, stop working and come eat some dumplings!”

Qi Ying responded and slowly made her way over, watching as Xia Ruoxin and Shi Yu sat together.

The three of them sitting on the sofa eating was a bit awkward.

Mainly, it was just Qi Ying who felt awkward. Xia Ruoxin and Shi Yu chatted casually while eating as usual, leaving Qi Ying to quietly focus on her food.

There were three boxes of dumplings in total. Qi Ying picked one up and took a bite—it was chive and egg.

“Hmm?” Qi Ying paused mid-bite and looked up at Shi Yu. “Where did you buy these dumplings?”

“What’s wrong?” Shi Yu blinked. “From downstairs at my best friend’s place—the one who ordered her wedding dress from you last time. I went to her place this morning to drop something off and picked these up on the way. Are they not good? My friend said this place is really popular—I had to wait in line!”

Xia Ruoxin took a bite and raised an eyebrow. “They’re delicious! The pork and cabbage ones are really good!”

Qi Ying reached over and took one from Xia Ruoxin’s box. The taste was oddly familiar, just like the dumplings Xing Xiaochu often ate in the game.

“They are good,” Qi Ying said, forcing a smile. “Just dumplings, though? Didn’t the shop give any vinegar?”

Shi Yu quickly replied, “Oh, yes! They gave a small container of vinegar and some side dishes. Here, try them. If you like them, I’ll bring more next time.”

Qi Ying ate quietly. Not just the dumplings, but even the vinegar and side dishes had a familiar taste. She glanced at the takeout bag Shi Yu had brought but didn’t see a name on it. When she asked, Shi Yu said she couldn’t remember.

Maybe all good dumplings just taste the same, Qi Ying mused.

Despite her busy schedule and overtime work, Qi Ying hadn’t forgotten her promise to Xing Xiaochu. Two days before her birthday, she finally reached an agreement with a record company, paid the deposit, and got the contract ready—all that was left was for Xing Xiaochu to sign it on her birthday.

As for the clothes, Qi Ying had finished them long ago.

Autumn was approaching, so making another dress wouldn’t be practical. Instead, Qi Ying bought leather and made Xing Xiaochu a stylish leather trench coat.

The brown glossy trench coat was designed in a casual style, with specially shaped shoulders and decorative leather cuffs. Paired with a matching belt, it already looked stunning on the mannequin. Qi Ying was sure it would suit Xing Xiaochu perfectly.

With the clothes ready and the contract secured, Qi Ying checked the red countdown on her phone and felt at ease.

Qi Ying stared at the increasingly conspicuous red countdown timer, muttering to herself, “Even if it’s a countdown, they could have made it look better. It’s so ugly it looks dangerous…”

Despite her complaints, having a timer actually gave Qi Ying some peace of mind. She placed it on the storage room table along with the contract, then quietly locked the door behind her when she left.

Truthfully, Qi Ying didn’t need to lock the door at all. After living together for so long, the two had developed clear boundaries.

Xing Xiaochu would never enter Qi Ying’s bedroom without permission, just as Qi Ying wouldn’t enter Xiaochu’s. If they needed to enter each other’s space, they would always knock first and wait for permission.

To Xiaochu, the storage room was Qi Ying’s territory—she wouldn’t go in there even if it wasn’t locked.

With the gift prepared, Qi Ying headed downstairs to order a cake.

There was a bakery right at the community entrance that used high-quality ingredients and made delicious cakes, but you had to order one or two days in advance. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to make it in time. Just as Qi Ying stepped out after placing her order, she noticed the dumpling shop next door.

The memory of those dumplings she’d eaten recently came back to her. Frowning slightly, she walked into the shop.

The owner was a kind middle-aged woman who ran the place with her husband. She handled the front—taking orders, cleaning, and packaging—while her husband made and cooked the dumplings in the back.

It wasn’t mealtime yet, so the shop was empty. The couple were sitting together wrapping dumplings when Qi Ying entered. “Welcome back!” the owner greeted. “Same as last time—raw dumplings to go?”

Qi Ying nodded. “Leek and egg, and pork with cabbage.”

The owner let out an apologetic sigh. “We haven’t started on the leek and egg ones yet. Would you mind waiting? Or maybe try a different filling? Leek tends to get watery if we wrap them too early, so we usually make those closer to mealtime.”

Not being much of a cook herself, Qi Ying glanced at the menu on the wall. The shop offered many varieties, but after some thought, she still wanted the leek and egg. “My kid really likes that filling,” she said. “If you don’t have it ready, I’ll just take the pork and cabbage ones.”

The owner hesitated, then turned to discuss something with her husband. The man nodded and headed to the kitchen. “Would you be able to wait?” the owner asked Qi Ying. “My husband can prepare the filling now. Or if you’d prefer, you could leave your number, and I’ll call you when they’re ready.”

“Is that really okay?” Qi Ying said. “Don’t go to the trouble—the pork and cabbage ones are fine.”

“Of course it’s okay!” The owner wiped her hands with a warm smile. “You’re a regular here, and it’s our fault for not being prepared. Consider these dumplings on the house today—just keep coming back to support our business.”

Qi Ying tried to refuse, but the owner was insistent. In the end, she accepted, resolving to buy from them more often in the future.

While waiting, Qi Ying casually asked, “Do you offer delivery?”

The owner replied gently, “We’re too old to figure out those apps. We tried it for a while but got overwhelmed, so we stopped. Now we just focus on in-store customers.”

Qi Ying nodded and fell silent.

The dumplings were quickly wrapped, and the shop owner simply grabbed a plain white plastic bag hanging near the cash register, stuffed them in, and handed it over. Qi Ying glanced at the unmarked bag, thanked him, then pushed the door open and left.

The bag had no logo—just an ordinary plastic one. Qi Ying figured the game designers must have been too lazy to draw any detailed designs, so they left it blank.

Carrying the uncooked dumplings, Qi Ying gradually let go of her doubts.

How could there possibly be the same dumpling shop in both the game world and the real world?

She must have been too immersed in the game lately, getting things mixed up. Qi Ying sighed, deciding that after Xiao Chu’s birthday, she’d cut back on her obsession—at the very least, she couldn’t keep taking time off work just to play.

From now on, she’d just check in on Xiao Chu after work or spend more time with her on weekends.

The thought of Xiao Chu made her steps feel lighter. She was growing more and more eager to see her sweet, well-behaved little girl again.