My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 41

Qi Ying spoke naturally, her dark eyes fixed intently on Xing Xiaochu as if she were completely lucid while saying those words.

But Xing Xiaochu could tell from her expression that she wasn’t fully awake yet.

Xing Xiaochu’s initially excited heart gradually calmed down. She was annoyed at herself for that fleeting thought—she had actually believed…

“Big sister,” Xing Xiaochu clutched the hem of her clothes and looked up at her, pouting as she said to Qi Ying, “Don’t joke like this next time. I know you’re not in your right mind, so I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear—mmph!”

Before she could finish, Qi Ying pinched her chin and kissed her.

As the kiss deepened, Qi Ying’s hands wandered to Xing Xiaochu’s waist. The girl in her arms squirmed slightly, only to be lifted effortlessly onto the table. Startled by the sudden height, Xing Xiaochu’s feet dangled in the air as she clutched Qi Ying’s shoulders, her eyes flustered and uneasy. But before she could speak, Qi Ying kissed her again.

The sweet scent of osmanthus pheromones entwined between them, leaving Xing Xiaochu dazed. Seated on the table, her hands instinctively rested on Qi Ying’s shoulders. Normally, she had to strain her neck to kiss her, but now, all she had to do was tilt her head slightly to meet the woman’s lips.

The pheromones in the air grew thicker. Xing Xiaochu knew this was wrong, yet she couldn’t help but press closer, sealing their lips together once more.

“Xiaochu.”

Qi Ying murmured in her ear like a siren, “Be my wife. We could have a child together.”

Xing Xiaochu shut her eyes, trying to push the woman away, but Qi Ying caught her wrist.

Trembling, Xing Xiaochu’s damp lashes fluttered as she avoided Qi Ying’s gaze. But the woman only leaned in closer, whispering against her ear, “Darling, you’re mine…”

No, no—she wasn’t!

Xing Xiaochu wanted to resist, but a sharp pain flared at her neck as Qi Ying bit down on the tender skin. A soft whimper escaped her.

The metallic tang of bl00d mixed with the cloying sweetness of pheromones. Qi Ying’s eyes darkened as she licked the wound, savoring the purer essence of the scent—far more intoxicating than mere inhalation.

She wanted to mark her.

To sink her teeth into Xing Xiaochu’s scent gland.

To make her sob and beg beneath her, to ruin her completely, to devour every last piece of her until nothing remained—

Gripping Xing Xiaochu’s waist, Qi Ying lifted her head and met the girl’s reddened eyes without a trace of mercy. An alpha in rut would instinctively claim the Omega they desired.

And it was clear Qi Ying wanted this timid, beautiful Omega.

Xing Xiaochu frowned slightly, clutching Qi Ying’s hand. “Big sister, you’re hurting me…”

Perhaps out of pity, Qi Ying loosened her grip—only to slide her fingers to the back of Xing Xiaochu’s neck.

The moment she was touched there, Xing Xiaochu froze like a kitten seized by the scruff, her entire body locking up. Wide-eyed, she stared at the woman mere inches away, her lips trembling faintly in fear.

“Don’t…” Xing Xiaochu pleaded, her eyes glistening.

But Qi Ying only drew closer, murmuring tenderly, “Darling, I want to mark you.”

Xing Xiaochu immediately burst into tears. She lifted her foot to kick Qi Ying, but the other woman was truly ferocious. Xiaochu had clearly given her medicine this morning, and they were already approaching the final days of her rut—why did she still want to mark her?!

“No, don’t do this!” Xiaochu covered Qi Ying’s mouth with her hands, her tear-reddened eyes filled with terror as she stared at her, terrified the other might use brute force to mark her. She didn’t want to become anyone’s Omega yet.

But Qi Ying was clearly losing control, already breaking free from Xiaochu’s grip to lick her neck. Xiaochu whimpered in fear.

“Big sister, please don’t do this!” she pleaded through her sobs. “Can’t you just not mark me? You can do anything else… please, I’m begging you…”

Xiaochu was genuinely terrified.

She took Qi Ying’s hand and pressed it against her own body beneath her clothes, crying as she said, “I know you’re suffering… you can touch me, but… but…”

Before she could finish, Qi Ying abruptly lifted her into her arms and carried her to the bedroom with a darkened expression.

Xiaochu clung to her shoulders, weeping softly, hoping her resistance would make Qi Ying gentler—that she wouldn’t bite her again…

The next day, Qi Ying woke to blinding sunlight.

Her head throbbed as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling above her—which looked nothing like her attic loft. Instead, it resembled the house from that game.

The game?

Fragmented images flooded Qi Ying’s mind, and she bolted upright in shock.

Visions of indulgence overwhelmed her. In her memories, Xing Xiaochu’s eyes were swollen from crying, stripped bare as Qi Ying licked and bit her, all while Xiaochu begged her not to mark her—even releasing sweet pheromones to soothe her.

These scenes filled Qi Ying’s thoughts, and when she turned to see the other party sleeping beside her, her face drained of color.

Xiaochu lay facing away, unclothed, her pale back breathtakingly beautiful—like flawless jade. The delicate contours of her shoulder blades were exquisite, but as Qi Ying’s gaze traveled downward, she saw the slender waist marred with fingerprints, bruises of blue and red as if she’d been gripped hard.

Her long black hair spilled across the pillow, partially obscuring the marks on the nape of her neck—even the curve of her shoulder bore the imprint of teeth.

Qi Ying knew Xiaochu couldn’t have bitten herself there. The only explanation was that she had done it.

Her face turned ashen.

What had she done?

Assaulted a minor?

No—Xiaochu had turned eighteen days ago, so… Wait, was that even the point?!

Qi Ying tugged at her hair in frustration. The real question was—why had she become like this?!

Wasn’t this just a game?

Why had it made her act against her own will?

Forcing her to take advantage of a girl who had barely come of age—a girl who, in the game’s setting, was the daughter of her friend.

Qi Ying couldn’t comprehend it. The absurdity left her questioning—was this truly just a simulation game?

As her mind reeled, Xing Xiaochu slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Qi Ying sitting beside her in horror, clutching her own hair. From her expression, it was clear—Qi Ying was finally lucid again.

Had her rut… ended?

Xing Xiaochu sat up wearily, wrapping the blanket around herself as she lowered her head. At this moment, she felt sore and aching all over, even in places too embarrassing to mention. Curled up, she had no idea how to face Qi Ying.

Surely she wasn’t the one who needed to apologize?

Xing Xiaochu kept her head down, avoiding Qi Ying’s gaze, while Qi Ying also seemed at a loss.

“Xiao… Xiaochu, I…” Qi Ying looked pale as she stared at the person beside her, struggling for words before finally murmuring with a frown, “I’m sorry.”

Xing Xiaochu’s lashes trembled slightly, her crimson-tinged eyes still glistening with unshed tears. Clutching the blanket tightly, she remained silent.

Qi Ying was the first to get out of bed, hastily pulling on the clothes she found scattered on the floor. When she turned around, she caught Xing Xiaochu looking at her, only for the latter to immediately avert her gaze again.

Qi Ying’s throat felt dry, her heart pounding erratically. “Where’s my phone?” she asked.

Xing Xiaochu blinked before replying, “I think it’s in the living room.”

Qi Ying nodded and walked out without another glance.

She found her phone on the coffee table in the living room, its battery dead. After plugging it in to charge, Qi Ying ignored the mess around her and immediately logged out of the game.

Xing Xiaochu waited on the bed for a long time, but Qi Ying never returned. Summoning her courage, she got up, dressed in her skirt, and opened the door.

The living room, kitchen, and balcony were all empty at a glance. Xing Xiaochu checked the other rooms before standing frozen in the vacant living room.

On the first day after her rut ended, Qi Ying had simply vanished from her world.

Returning to reality, Qi Ying stumbled back to her shop in disheveled clothes. Xia Ruoxin watched wide-eyed as the disheveled woman rushed past her upstairs, exchanging bewildered looks with Shi Yu, who had come to keep her company.

After showering, Qi Ying stepped out to find Xia Ruoxin waiting in her loft.

Arms crossed, Xia Ruoxin sat on the edge of her bed and raised an eyebrow. “Start talking. Where have you been this past week? I called you so many times but couldn’t get through. I even filed a police report, you know that?”

Qi Ying paused, towel-drying her hair. “You actually reported me missing?”

“Of course I did!” Xia Ruoxin stood up angrily. “I reported it the second day you disappeared! I was terrified you’d been kidnapped. Haven’t been able to eat or sleep properly this whole time, and I didn’t even dare tell your parents! Where the hell were you? Couldn’t you have left a message?”

Qi Ying frowned, unsure how to explain. If she said she’d lost consciousness in a game world and spent a wild week with a fictional character, Xia Ruoxin would definitely look at her like she was insane.

“Just ran into some trouble,” Qi Ying said. “Couldn’t contact you. But it’s resolved now, shouldn’t happen again. Go cancel that police report—no need to waste their time.”

Xia Ruoxin studied her with concern. “You sure you’re okay? You look terrible. Nothing bad happened, right?”

Qi Ying shook her head.

Xia Ruoxin suddenly sniffed the air and smelled Qi Ying’s scent, then asked curiously, “A-Ying, what kind of shower gel are you using? It smells like osmanthus—and it’s really nice.”

Qi Ying’s heart skipped a beat. She lifted her arm and sniffed, indeed catching a strong, sweet fragrance of osmanthus.

In the game, Qi Ying and Xing Xiaochu had been inseparable day and night, indulging in intimacy—so much so that the scent had practically seeped into her. Even washing couldn’t rid her of the lingering osmanthus aroma.

This realization unsettled Qi Ying deeply.

She thought a normal game shouldn’t work this way—at the very least, it shouldn’t make players vanish for seven days without explanation, then transfer the character’s pheromone-like scent into reality.

Frowning, Qi Ying calmly replied, “Oh, it’s just a new shower gel I bought.”

Before Xia Ruoxin could press further about the brand, Qi Ying cut in, “I’m a bit tired. Let me rest for another day.”