My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 43

The moment these words were spoken, not only was Jian Guo Xing stunned, but even Xiaochu Xing froze in place.

She looked at the girl standing up for her, feeling a slight tremor in her heart. Her hands hanging by her sides involuntarily curled into fists. Xiaochu had never imagined anyone other than Qi Ying would stand up for her like this.

As Jian Guo was pinned to the ground, he shouted, “This is my family matter! You kids shouldn’t meddle, or I’ll call your parents!”

At the mention of parents, before Su Yun could respond, the group of rebellious girls nearby grew furious. They kicked the man a few times while yelling, “Go ahead and call them! We’re not even students at this school—what can your threats do? Let’s see if we can beat you faster than you can call anyone!”

With that, they actually began attacking the man.

Xiaochu watched nervously, torn between intervening and staying put, her feet rooted to the spot in panic—until someone pulled her into an embrace from behind.

A familiar scent flooded Xiaochu’s senses as the person behind her held her tightly, pressing Xiaochu’s head against their shoulder.

“…Sister?”

Xiaochu didn’t look up. Her heart pounded wildly, and her clenched hands trembled even more.

After mysteriously disappearing for a week, Qi Ying’s sudden reappearance made Xiaochu want to cry.

“I’m sorry.”

Qi Ying repeated the same words from a week ago, but this time, she didn’t walk away. Instead, she held the girl close and whispered, “I came to pick you up after school.”

Only then did Xiaochu dare to lift her head and look at the person behind her.

Noticing this from the corner of her eye, Su Yun frowned slightly. She signaled her friends to stop and turned her gaze toward the embracing pair. Her nose, sharper than most alphas, instantly recognized Qi Ying as the one who had caused Xiaochu’s week-long absence.

Ever since Su Yun found Xiaochu’s notebook that Friday, she had planned to return it on Monday and finally strike up a conversation with her timid, quiet desk mate. Su Yun had few friends at school, and Xiaochu seemed like the perfect candidate—soft-spoken, gentle, and easy to get along with.

But teenage girls carried inexplicable pride. Xiaochu was afraid of her, and despite sharing a desk for so long, they had never properly spoken—not even simple phrases like “Excuse me, I need to get out,” let alone deeper topics.

Su Yun thought Monday would be her chance. She could use the notebook as an excuse to talk to the shy Omega, even if it was just to say, “Here’s your notebook,” or “No need to thank me.” Maybe, if she was in a good mood, she could even ask Xiaochu a few more questions.

Like whether she had finished her weekend homework.

Or if she wanted to have lunch together.

But when Monday arrived, Su Yun—uncharacteristically punctual—sat dutifully at her desk, only to find Xiaochu absent even as class began.

When the homeroom teacher announced Xiaochu’s leave of absence, Su Yun nearly crushed the notebook in her hands.

After waiting another week, when Xing Xiaochu finally returned to school, Su Yun keenly detected the scent of another alpha on her.

With a cold expression, Su Yun pulled out the notes she’d been hiding for a week and tossed them onto Xing Xiaochu’s desk. Ignoring the other girl’s surprised gaze, she pulled her school uniform over her head and went back to sleeping face-down.

Under the uniform, Su Yun heard Xing Xiaochu’s muffled “Thank you,” and her mood improved slightly.

Though Xing Xiaochu had done her best to scrub away the lingering scent—enough that neither teachers nor classmates could detect it—Su Yun had faintly caught traces of that subtle fragrance in the first couple of days. It had disgusted her. Now, seeing the woman who left that scent standing right in front of her with an arm around Xing Xiaochu only worsened her irritation.

Su Yun frowned in their direction, locking eyes with Qi Ying, who had just looked up.

Qi Ying caught the unmistakable aroma of dark chocolate in the air.

She glanced at Su Yun before lowering her gaze to the man sprawled on the ground. Her brows furrowed—she hadn’t expected him to track her down here.

The moment the man noticed Qi Ying looking at him, he started cursing. “You damn expletive! You’re the one who kidnapped my daughter! Give her back to me!”

Qi Ying released Xing Xiaochu and stepped forward. She couldn’t fathom how this man was still alive. She’d assumed he’d either dropped off the radar or died somewhere by now. Yet here he was.

Her expression darkened as she studied the disheveled Xing Jianguo. “You know exactly what you did,” she said impatiently. “I’m not wasting words on you. Let’s just call the police.”

Xing Jianguo’s face instantly paled. Before he could speak, Su Yun cut in, “Why bother with all that trouble?”

Qi Ying turned to the girl with a streak of green in her hair, realizing she was quite tall—almost her own height. The girl’s narrow eyes studied her with an unreadable expression as she continued, “Evil has its own retribution. Involving the police just drags things out. Hand him over to me.”

Then, she glanced back at Xing Jianguo. “I’m here every day after school anyway. If this guy dares to show up again, I’ll beat him up every single time.”

The man shrank back, stealing a fearful glance at Qi Ying’s imposing presence before huddling into silence.

Later, Qi Ying took Xing Xiaochu home. Neither spoke the entire way. It wasn’t until they stepped into the elevator that Xing Xiaocho seemed to process what had just happened and finally looked up at the woman beside her.

Qi Ying noticed her gaze immediately. She turned slightly, lips pressed together.

The elevator dinged open.

Qi Ying stepped out first. After a brief hesitation, Xing Xiaochu followed.

Only after unlocking the door did Qi Ying finally turn to face the silent girl trailing behind her. Standing at the threshold, she said quietly, “Xiaochu… about that day—I didn’t mean to run off.”

At the mention of that day, Xing Xiaochu flinched, immediately lowering her head. But Qi Ying could still see the reddened corners of her eyes and knew the girl had suffered greatly in the meantime.

Not that this was entirely Qi Ying’s fault. The whole situation was absurd—who expects something like this to happen in a game?

For an entire week, she had been completely unaware, fully immersed with a character from a game—holding them in her arms every day, kissing and touching them, even…

Qi Ying’s mind immediately conjured up some indecent scenes, and the way she looked at Xiaochu became less clear-headed. Just the thought of Xiaochu wrapping her arms around her neck, opening her mouth willingly for a kiss, made her hands and feet grow warm.

But now wasn’t the time to get flustered!

Clearing her throat, Qi Ying blushed and said to Xiaochu, “I really was startled. I have no memory of those days, and I’ve never experienced anything like this before. So my first reaction upon waking up was to run. Besides… I had too much work piled up at the studio. I came to see you as soon as I finished.”

Xiaochu wasn’t stupid. She knew why Qi Ying had run away.

It was because she didn’t want her.

Because… she didn’t like her.

Xiaochu’s nose stung, and tears threatened to fall. She stared at her toes, trying to control her emotions. Though she had known since childhood that she wasn’t the type people liked, being treated this way by Qi Ying still hurt deeply.

“Jiejie,” Xiaochu whispered, “I want to move out.”

Qi Ying was immediately alarmed. She grabbed Xiaochu’s arm and frowned. “Why would you move out all of a sudden?”

Xiaochu kept her head lowered, her voice hoarse. “I’ll just be a bother if I stay here.”

Qi Ying silently watched her for a few seconds before cupping Xiaochu’s face in her hands. The girl was already covered in tears, her nose and the corners of her eyes red like a little rabbit. A pang of guilt shot through Qi Ying’s heart.

“You’re not a bother,” Qi Ying said softly. “I’m the one who couldn’t control myself.”

She furrowed her brows slightly. “I don’t know what happened either. I woke up to that situation, and I was the one who took advantage of you. If anyone should leave, it’s me.”

Xiaochu blinked, and two more clear tears rolled down.

Seeing the pitiful state of the girl, Qi Ying pursed her lips and led her inside. Sitting on the living room couch, she wiped Xiaochu’s tears and said, “I think I might not be in my right mind, which is why I couldn’t restrain myself. But I remember everything that happened those days, and I… will take responsibility for you.”

Xiaochu clutched the tissue in her hand, her damp lashes trembling lightly.

After drying the girl’s face, Qi Ying gazed at Xiaochu’s reddened eyes and gently held her hand.

Xiaochu instinctively tried to pull back, but Qi Ying tightened her grip. Her clear eyes locked onto Xiaochu’s, a bright smile in their depths that made Xiaochu’s heart race uncontrollably.

Truth be told, Xiaochu had some feelings for Qi Ying too. Who wouldn’t cherish the person who pulled them out of the mud?

But then again, Qi Ying’s words about responsibility sounded practiced. Had she said the same to other peach-scented Omegas?

Had she held them, kissed them, and then coaxed them with promises of responsibility?

Xiaochu didn’t know if Qi Ying was sincere. Uneasy, she averted her gaze.

Qi Ying blinked lightly, feeling a bit awkward at Xiaochu’s avoidance. But she was an adult, and the moment she saw Xiaochu again, she had already made up her mind.

It’s just a game, after all. It’s understandable that she would make mistakes with such an obedient child.

“Xiaochu,” Qi Ying looked at her with a cheerful expression and said softly, “Your last birthday was terrible. I want to give you a proper celebration again. You can invite your friends over for a lively gathering, or we can go out just the two of us. Either way, I want to make up for your last birthday. What do you think?”

Xing Xiaochu looked at her in surprise, blinking her eyes in confusion.

Can a birthday really be celebrated again after it’s passed?

Seeing Xing Xiaochu’s interest, Qi Ying couldn’t help but smile. Gently squeezing the child’s soft, pale palm, she said, “I want to make it up to you. Give me this chance, and don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?”

Xing Xiaochu’s cheeks flushed slightly as she hurriedly explained, “I’m not mad at you. I just… thought you hated me because you didn’t contact me for so long.”

Qi Ying’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at these words. “You mean, even after how I treated you, you’re not angry?”

Xing Xiaochu nodded gently and let out a soft “Mm,” earnestly saying, “I’m not angry, sister.”

Qi Ying suddenly felt an itch in her chest, as if someone had lightly brushed a feather across it.

This child—how could she be so easy to coax?

Does that mean no matter how much I tease her in bed, she won’t get angry?