My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 47

Xing Xiaochu covered one ear, her pupils slightly dilated. She could clearly feel that the woman before her had just touched the tip of her ear, but she couldn’t understand why Qi Ying would do such a thing.

What possible reason could there be to touch her ear out of the blue?

Avoiding eye contact, Xing Xiaochu instinctively tried to distance herself. Qi Ying saw through her intention and pulled her even closer with one swift motion. Xiaochu nearly stumbled into the other woman’s embrace, her entire face flushing crimson after just her ears had turned red.

“Huh?”

Chen Dongdong suddenly sniffed the air curiously. “Do you guys smell that? It’s so fragrant, like osmanthus flowers.”

Betas could sometimes detect pheromones without being affected by them. Only Xing Xiaochu and Qi Ying knew the truth behind the scent. Xiaochu wished she could disappear into the ground, keeping her head lowered in embarrassment until she heard Xin Ya chime in: “Yeah, it really is fragrant.”

Qi Ying glanced at the shrinking figure beside her and replied with a smile, “Must be the autumn air—the osmanthus flowers are probably blooming.”

At the crossroads, Qi Ying waved goodbye to the two younger girls before heading home with Xiaochu. Throughout the walk, her companion kept an awkward distance, nearly straying onto the road until Qi Ying reached out to pull her back.

“Too many cars,” Qi Ying explained.

Xiaochu looked up at Qi Ying, feeling the scorching heat where the woman’s fingers encircled her wrist.

Upon arriving home, Xiaochu hesitated at the doorway before finally gathering the courage to ask the shoe-changing Qi Ying: “Why did you touch my ear earlier…?”

The first two words came out clearly enough, but her voice dwindled to near inaudibility by the end. Qi Ying chuckled awkwardly, “What?”

Flushing deeper, Xiaochu fiddled with her sleeves before repeating: “Why did you touch my ear…?”

This time Qi Ying heard clearly.

“Ah…” After some thought, Qi Ying offered an excuse: “There was a tiny bug.”

Xiaochu blinked at her, unconvinced.

Truth be told, Qi Ying didn’t believe it either.

She’d simply found Xiaochu’s ears irresistibly pretty—perfectly round with delicate pink tips that occasionally twitched when Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya were chatting, unbearably adorable. The impulse to touch had been too strong to resist, though she hadn’t anticipated Xiaochu’s dramatic reaction.

The osmanthus scent had practically overflowed.

Now the cinnamon-sweet girl stood trembling before her, demanding answers, looking for all the world like a freshly steamed, soft and pillowy osmanthus cake.

Qi Ying felt an itch in her chest observing Xiaochu’s state, but after serious consideration said: “If you don’t like it, I won’t touch you next time.”

Xiaochu froze, lips parting soundlessly.

Qi Ying went to feed the cat—Guazi had been yowling since they entered, always ravenous despite regular feedings, her tiny frame somehow housing a bottomless appetite.

While feeding the cat, Qi Ying glanced back at Xing Xiaochu. The girl was slowly changing her shoes, then picked up her schoolbag and retreated to her room, closing the door behind her.

Truth be told, Qi Ying’s heart was in turmoil.

She could tell she was genuinely fond of Xing Xiaochu’s type—obedient, pretty, with eyes that sparkled like a deer’s when shy. At first, Xing Xiaochu didn’t even dare raise her voice around Qi Ying. Those timid glances made Qi Ying’s heart race uncontrollably.

Yet Qi Ying knew all too well that no matter how perfectly Xing Xiaochu ticked all her boxes, she was ultimately just a game character.

She couldn’t possibly spend her whole life lost in a game, could she?

If only Xing Xiaochu were real…

Qi Ying sighed, stroking Guazi’s little head. “I wish you were real too,” she murmured.

In the following days, Qi Ying continued her routine of escorting Xing Xiaochu to and from school, but now maintained proper boundaries, no longer touching her. Though Xing Xiaochu occasionally stole glances at Qi Ying, she never mustered the courage to initiate contact.

Qi Ying thought, maybe it’s better this way. When she eventually grew tired of the game, she’d properly say goodbye to the girl before deleting it.

Little did Qi Ying know, this was one game she’d never be able to uninstall.

That afternoon, just as Qi Ying was about to leave work, a regular customer arrived at her shop. This client had commissioned numerous outfits and specifically requested Qi Ying’s personal craftsmanship. Left with no choice, Qi Ying sent Xing Xiaochu a message to go home with Chen Dongdong and the others.

The moment the school bell rang, Xing Xiaochu hurriedly packed her things and rushed to the usual meeting spot under the streetlight. Finding no sign of Qi Ying, she quickly checked her silenced phone and saw the message.

Xing Xiaochu’s raised eyebrows immediately fell. Biting her lip, she replied with a simple “Okay.”

Chen Dongdong had been held back for redoing too many wrong test answers, with Xin Ya keeping her company. Originally thinking Qi Ying’s arrival made their presence unnecessary, Xing Xiaochu now hesitated—should she return to accompany them or go home alone?

It was only a fifteen-minute walk. Surely she could manage.

She was grown up now, not a child anymore.

Besides, Xing Jianguo hadn’t shown up in so long—he probably wouldn’t appear again, right?

With these thoughts, Xing Xiaochu decided to head home alone.

But when Xing Jianguo suddenly leaped out from behind the trees, Xing Xiaochu couldn’t help but wonder—why was her luck always this terrible?

“You—” Startled, Xing Xiaochu turned to flee, only for Xing Jianguo to yank her back.

Her face pale with terror, Xing Xiaochu struggled desperately despite being in public, but as a barely adult girl, she was no match for the man’s strength. Soon she was dragged into a side alley lined with trash bins.

Crash—

Xing Xiaochu was shoved down among plastic containers, the impact leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

“Finally caught up with you.” Xing Jianguo looked at Xing Xiaochu with delight and said, “Usually when you come home from school, you’re either followed by that tall alpha or that short one. Why are you coming back alone today, girl?”

The plastic bucket—who knew what it had contained—lay nearby as Xing Xiaochu fell into a patch of muddy sludge. Her hands sank into the black, foul-smelling mire, much like the father she could never shake off.

Too afraid to raise her mud-stained hands, Xing Xiaochu kept her head down. Xing Jianguo eyed her lazily and said, “No need to keep hiding from me. After all, I’m still your father, aren’t I? We’re supposed to be family.”

“Who’s family with you?” Xing Xiaochu finally lifted her head, glaring at the man. “You never treated me like family! I only have a mother—no father!”

Xing Jianguo’s expression darkened. With a sharp smack, he backhanded her, snapping her head to the side. The inside of her cheek split against her teeth, and a trickle of bl00d seeped out.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” he sneered. “You really think you can just walk away from me? Let me tell you something, Xing Xiaochu—you think that alpha treats you so well out of kindness? It’s only because you look like your mother! Who knows what kind of relationship they had? Even after your mom died, she still takes care of you. Guess who she’s really seeing when she looks at you every day?”

Xing Xiaochu’s pupils trembled slightly as she looked up at him. “That’s not true!”

The man smirked. “You know it is.” Then, softening his tone, he added, “Why do you have to be so stubborn, girl? Selling you to someone is selling you all the same. How about I have a little chat with that alpha of yours? Maybe she’ll buy you outright.”

Xing Xiaochu’s eyes widened in horror.

“That place you’re living in now—pretty big, huh?” he continued. “I checked. Property prices in that neighborhood aren’t cheap. And she dresses like she’s loaded. If I sell you to her for, say, 300,000—no, 600,000—you think she’d go for it?”

“Don’t you dare!” Xing Xiaochu cried. “Sister Qi doesn’t have that kind of money!”

“How would you know?” Xing Jianguo scoffed. “Seems to me she’s rolling in it. Worst case, she can sell that house. Even at a discount, it’d fetch four or five million—more than enough to cover you.”

Panicked, Xing Xiaochu shook her head and scrambled to her feet. “You can’t do this! Sister Qi has nothing to do with our family!”

Xing Jianguo gave her a once-over before suddenly asking, “Have you slept with that alpha yet?”

Xing Xiaochu’s face drained of color.

“D-don’t talk nonsense! There’s nothing between us!” she stammered, terrified that her filthy father might actually go after Qi Ying. She knew once he latched onto someone, they’d never shake him off—like black sludge clinging forever, revolting to even look at.

Reading her expression, Xing Jianguo smirked. “Good. If you’re still untouched, I can get a better price. The debt collectors are breathing down my neck anyway. Selling you would just about cover it. Omegas can marry at 18, after all. Then that woman would have to call me father-in-law—ow!”

Xing Xiaochu didn’t know where she found such strength, but she managed to shove her father aside and dash out of the alley. The man behind her snapped out of his daze and gave chase, but Xiaochu’s vision blurred with panic—though these were familiar streets, she had no idea where to run.

Suddenly, an arm yanked her aside, and she found herself face-to-face with a familiar figure.

Su Yun glared coldly at the approaching man and raised her voice, “You actually dared to show up?”

Xing Jianguo’s heart sank, and he turned to flee. The other young delinquents whooped with excitement as they chased after him. Su Yun watched her friends pursue him without interference, then turned her attention to Xiaochu, who was trembling violently behind her.

“Are you okay?” Su Yun asked. “Why are you going home alone? Where’s your sister? Where are Chen Dongdong and the others?”

Xiaochu’s face was deathly pale, her lowered eyelashes quivering slightly. Su Yun studied her carefully and noticed black mud stains all over her school uniform pants—probably from when she’d been knocked down. Without hesitation, Su Yun took off her own school jacket and tied it around Xiaochu’s waist.

“Where do you live?” Su Yun shook out her green-dyed hair and said, “I’ll take you home.”