My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 42

Qi Ying stayed locked in her room all day without coming out. Xia Ruoxin went to the police station to withdraw the missing person report and brought back some food, leaving it at the attic door. Qi Ying had little appetite and could only manage a few bites.

Her phone remained charging nearby. Every time it chimed, Qi Ying dared not look, fearing notifications from the game. Yet strangely, the game remained silent throughout the day with no messages.

That night, Qi Ying kept dreaming—sometimes pinning Xing Xiaochu down on the sofa to kiss her, other times forcing intimacy upon her. Each time she’d wake in panic, relieved to find it was just a dream.

By morning, her complexion looked dreadful at work.

Xia Ruoxin had canceled many orders due to Qi Ying’s sudden disappearance, refunding deposits. With the shop currently idle, she seized the opportunity to ask what had happened.

“I won’t force you to talk,” Xia Ruoxin said worriedly, sitting across from her pale-faced friend, “but you can’t go on like this. Should you see a doctor? You look like you’ve pulled all-nighters for a week.”

Qi Ying glanced up but remained silent.

“Maybe more rest?” Xia Ruoxin suggested. “You love gaming—why not play today? I won’t nag you about work.”

At the mention of games, Qi Ying reacted viscerally. She stood abruptly. “Don’t talk about games. I’m quitting gaming.”

Xia Ruoxin looked up, bewildered. “What? You were obsessed recently—always grinning at your phone, saying you were gaming. What could be more important than that?”

With grave seriousness, Qi Ying declared: “I’d rather die than play that game again!”

She’d uninstall that cursed game!

Right now!

Pulling out her phone, she pressed the game icon until it shook, the little “x” appearing in the corner.

Curious, Xia Ruoxin peered at the screen, then at Qi Ying.

Qi Ying hovered over the “x.” The system prompted: [Uninstall this application?]

Yes! Do it now!

Yet… the thought of never seeing Xing Xiaochu again filled her with inexplicable turmoil.

Xing Xiaochu had done nothing wrong—she was just a fictional character.

But hadn’t she turned Qi Ying’s life upside down?

Then again, wasn’t Qi Ying herself responsible for letting a game affect her life?

Xing Xiaochu was merely a character in a simulation game—her entire existence programmed by developers. Shouldn’t they be blamed instead?

Qi Ying hesitated.

She couldn’t bring herself to do it.

The moment she considered uninstalling, Xing Xiaochu’s face flooded her mind—

Sheltering from rain under eaves… Bowing her head over homework… Running toward her with joyful cries of “Sister!”…

And… the image of the child crying with reddened eyes in bed was also messing with Qi Ying’s mind.

Xia Ruoxin blinked, propping her chin on one hand as she watched Qi Ying’s conflicted expression. Unable to hold back, she said, “If you don’t want to delete it, then don’t. Why are you getting so worked up over a game?”

With that, she tapped the screen to exit the deletion interface and said to Qi Ying, “Alright, stop thinking about these annoying things. Let me treat you to milk tea!”

Qi Ying glanced at her and gave a slight nod.

In the following days, Qi Ying moved the game app to the last page of her phone and avoided looking at her phone unless necessary, returning to her usual work routine. She thought that by distancing herself from the game, she could return to her normal life. But then, over a week later, her phone let out a ‘ding’—a sound that made Qi Ying freeze.

She knew it was the game’s notification tone.

Standing rooted to the spot, Qi Ying wrestled with herself for a long time before finally giving in and picking up her phone to look.

Dear Designer, your Xiaochu is being bullied right now and needs your help. Please go assist her!

Qi Ying’s pupils trembled slightly. Clutching her phone, she bit her lip and remained silent for a long time.

Meanwhile.

Xing Xiaochu stared at the middle-aged man blocking her path, her already pale face turning deathly white.

Xing Jianguo took a drag of his cigarette and called out loudly upon seeing Xing Xiaochu in her school uniform walking with friends, “Hey, kid, why aren’t you greeting your old man when you see him? Who are these two? Your classmates?”

Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya gave the man a puzzled look. Reeking of alcohol and dressed shabbily, he looked nothing like the pretty and well-behaved Xing Xiaochu. Yet he claimed to be her father, and the girl beside them didn’t refute it.

“Xiaochu, is this your uncle?” Xin Ya asked tentatively, noticing Xing Xiaochu’s discomfort.

Xing Xiaochu had mysteriously taken a week off from school, and when she returned, her spirits had been low. She had been listless all week, showing no interest in anything. Despite Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya accompanying her daily, there had been no improvement—Xing Xiaochu still seemed burdened by something.

Now, with this strange man appearing, the two girls weren’t sure what to do.

Knowing she couldn’t drag her friends into this, Xing Xiaochu whispered to them, “He’s my dad. You two go ahead. I need to talk to him.”

Xin Ya and Chen Dongdong exchanged glances before nodding reluctantly. “Alright, we’ll head home first. Call us if you need anything.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded and watched them leave.

Xing Jianguo remained silent, leaning against the wall and smoking. Only when his cigarette was down to the butt did he toss it to the ground and crush it underfoot. Then he said to Xing Xiaochu, “I can tell that alpha of yours isn’t treating you well, huh?”

Xing Xiaochu turned to look at him.

Xing Jianguo continued, “But she’s got guts, coming alone to take your documents and enrolling you in such a good school. You’re probably the only Omega in your class, right? Most Omegas your age have already dropped out to get married.”

Xing Xiaochu angrily tugged at the hem of her clothes and retorted, “Stop talking nonsense! There are plenty of Omegas at school, and none of them have parents selling them off like you. Besides, I got into this school through my own test scores—it wasn’t just my sister’s doing.”

“Your sister?” The man sneered at her. “Is she even looking after you now? I’ve been staking out your school for days, and she hasn’t once come to pick you up after class.”

Xing Xiaochu’s heart skipped a beat—she hadn’t realized he’d been lurking near her school for so long.

Xing Jianguo smirked as he watched the color drain from the girl’s face. “Now you see? Alphas are no good. Since you can live with that woman, why not just drop out and marry that rich guy? He’s way wealthier than your sister, and he won’t abandon you either.”

Xing Xiaochu’s eyes reddened as she argued, “Enough! I’m not going back with you, so stop following me!”

“You little b1tch, just like your mother!” The man jabbed a finger at her face and shouted, “You think going to school makes you special? Listen here—I’m your father! I own you! I can sell you to whoever I want, for whatever price I want!”

Hearing this, nearby students stopped in their tracks, turning to stare. Xing Xiaochu caught snippets of hushed whispers.

“Isn’t that the new Omega in senior year? What’s going on?”

“Sounds like he’s trying to sell his daughter. That’s her dad, right?”

“Omegas can marry as soon as they come of age now. Probably wants to marry her off.”

“She always seemed so sweet and pretty, and I heard she’s smart too. But in the end, she’s still gotta go home and get married. Wonder who she’ll end up with.”

“Doesn’t look like a good match. Might be some dying old geezer.”

“Ew, that’s disgusting!”

Xing Xiaochu stood frozen, overwhelmed by the crowd’s baseless gossip. Her already fragile composure shattered completely. Thriving on the attention, Xing Jianguo grew even more animated, hurling increasingly vulgar insults at her.

“You should come home with me and wait to get married. It’s an honor that the chairman took a liking to you—don’t be ungrateful.” He grinned. “Once you bear him a kid, no matter what it is, you’ll get a cut of that old man’s money. Isn’t that a sweet deal? I don’t get why you ran away.”

The crowd buzzed with fresh shock.

“Oh god, it really is some old man?”

“That’s revolting!”

Some watching alphas began jeering.

“If such a pretty Omega’s really for sale, I could buy her! I’ll talk to my parents—if the price is right, I’ll marry her!”

“You’ll have to get in line. Half the school wants her—no way it’s your turn!”

“Ha! Let’s auction her then. Highest bidder wins. Problem solved!”

Just then, a cold voice cut through the chatter: “Who the hell is yapping like a dog here?”

Su Yun pushed through the crowd, followed by a few punk-looking girls, and stood next to the alpha male who had been speaking earlier. Grabbing him by the collar, she demanded, “Was it you who wanted to auction her off?”

The guy didn’t dare speak, quickly waving his hands and pointing at Xing Xiaochu. “N-no, it was her—I mean, not her, but her dad who wanted to sell her off.”

Su Yun already knew the truth—she was just trying to scare the rude guy. She let go and shoved him aside, then turned her attention to the middle-aged man standing in front of Xing Xiaochu. She stepped between them, separating the girl from her father.

Xing Xiaochu had no idea what was happening. She only felt someone push her away from the group.

Xing Jianguo swallowed nervously, eyeing the group of punk girls with confusion. “What the hell are you doing? This is between me and my daughter—none of your business!”

Su Yun grabbed his collar again, flicking her green-streaked hair as she sneered, “Your daughter is my desk mate. We’re tight. You mess with her, you mess with me—so yeah, it is my business.”