My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 49

Qi Ying watched Xing Xiaochu attend class for over forty minutes. When the bell rang, the girl immediately put down her pen and began peering toward the classroom door.

The teacher stood at the entrance, scolding Su Yun, who had been about to enter. Su Yun hung her head low, the unruly green streak in her hair trembling slightly, before eventually being summoned to the office.

Seeing the worry in Xing Xiaochu’s eyes, Qi Ying grew increasingly displeased.

So what if her desk mate got scolded? Why was the kid so worked up about it?

Qi Ying thought bitterly to herself—Xing Xiaochu had never shown this kind of concern for her before.

Sitting on the small stool in the cubicle, Qi Ying mulled it over. Something about these two just didn’t sit right with her. She wasn’t entirely sure about Su Yun’s attitude, but Xing Xiaochu was clearly invested—whether out of gratitude or friendship, the care was undeniably there.

No way. After all the effort she’d put into raising this kid, how could Xiaochu develop feelings for someone else?

Most importantly, Xing Xiaochu still had to focus on her college entrance exams. No early dating allowed.

Exactly!

Qi Ying firmly decided—Xing Xiaochu had to get into university and become a star. There was no room for romance right now.

By the time school ended in the afternoon, Su Yun still hadn’t returned from the office. As Xing Xiaochu packed her bag, she glanced worriedly at the empty seat beside her, wondering if Su Yun was in trouble.

The teacher was usually strict, but today, she seemed particularly upset. Would Su Yun… get hit?

In the eyes of children, teachers were terrifying figures—just a glare could scare them out of their wits, leaving them too afraid to even breathe too loudly. So Xing Xiaochu was genuinely concerned.

“Xiaochu!”

Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya, already packed up, came over and gathered around her desk. “Let’s go get KFC later,” Chen Dongdong said. “They have a new ice cream flavor I wanna try.”

Xin Ya shot her a disdainful look. “All you ever think about is food. How can you still eat after scoring 40 on that pop quiz?”

Chen Dongdong laughed carefreely. “It’s just a quiz, not the college entrance exam. Why wouldn’t I eat?”

“You’re gonna balloon to 160 pounds one day.”

“Hahaha, even if I hit 200, you’re not allowed to ditch me!”

Watching her two friends banter, Xing Xiaochu looked up and said, “You two go ahead today. I… I’m waiting for my sister to pick me up.”

“Your sister’s coming?” Xin Ya said. “Great, we can walk together.”

“N-no, it’s not on the way.” Knowing Xin Ya and Chen Dongdong weren’t fond of Su Yun, Xing Xiaochu avoided their gazes and lied, “My sister said we’re eating out today, so we’re not heading home right away. You don’t have to wait for me.”

“Alright then.” Xin Ya didn’t press further. “Come on, Dongdong, let’s go get your ice cream.”

“Yay!” Chen Dongdong waved at Xing Xiaochu. “See you tomorrow, Xiaochu!”

Xing Xiaochu nodded quickly. “See you tomorrow.”

Her heart still raced from the little white lie. She rarely fibbed, so she kept her head down, rearranging her belongings over and over until the classroom emptied. Only then did Su Yun finally reappear.

At the school gate.

Qi Ying stood under the streetlamp where she often waited, watching as the stream of students at the school gate gradually thinned. She couldn’t help but wonder—had the teacher kept the class late? Was school not over yet?

Just then, she spotted Chen Dongdong and Xin Ya strolling back from the commercial street across the road, each licking an ice cream cone. When they looked up, their eyes met Qi Ying’s beneath the streetlamp.

“Eh? Xiaochu’s sister?”

The two children approached, eyeing Qi Ying curiously. “Are you waiting for Xiaochu?” they asked.

“Yes,” Qi Ying smiled. “Have you seen her?”

“Of course,” Chen Dongdong said between licks of her ice cream. “She mentioned you two were going out to eat today, so she wouldn’t be walking home with us. She’s probably still at school.”

Going out to eat?

Qi Ying’s expression darkened for an instant before her spring-like smile returned. “That’s right. We’re having hotpot later. Would you two like to join us?”

Though a foodie at heart, Chen Dongdong understood boundaries. “No thanks,” she chuckled. “We’ve got dinner waiting at home.”

Xin Ya nodded in agreement. Qi Ying didn’t press further, simply saying, “Be careful on your way home then.”

“Okay, bye sis!”

“Bye.”

As the children disappeared down the street, Qi Ying’s gaze turned pitch black. She pulled out her phone and dialed Xing Xiaochu directly.

The moment the call connected, Qi Ying’s voice turned icy. “Are you out of school yet? I’m waiting at the gate.”

Xing Xiaochu’s response came with natural ease. “Just wait a bit, sis. I’ll be right down.”

After hanging up, Xing Xiaochu turned to Su Yun. “So it’s settled then—my treat this weekend.”

Su Yun shook her green-tinted bangs with a dismissive snort. “Why make such a fuss over nothing?”

“I mean it. You saved me from that hassle.” As they left the classroom, Xing Xiaochu had to trot to keep up with Su Yun’s long strides. “I’ve saved up some allowance,” she panted while descending the stairs. “As long as you don’t order anything too expensive…”

The corner of Su Yun’s mouth quirked upward as she cast a smug glance at the petite omega trailing behind her. “Then I’ll have to think carefully about how to bankrupt you.”

Xing Xiaochu’s heart skipped a beat. Mentally calculating her meager savings, she whispered anxiously, “D-don’t pick anything too pricey. I really don’t have much.”

Su Yun gave a pleased hum and—noticing Xing Xiaochu’s struggle to keep pace—magnanimously slowed her steps, allowing the short-legged but pretty omega to catch up.

Their arrangement had begun minutes earlier when Su Yun returned to an empty classroom bathed in sunset glow, finding Xing Xiaochu waiting alone at her desk.

The soft light haloed around her, and when Xing Xiaochu smiled while calling her name, something inexplicable trembled in Su Yun’s chest.

She’d instinctively looked away, standing motionless for long moments before finally approaching the desk to hear the omega’s grateful proposal—a weekend meal to thank her for that day’s intervention.

As the words registered, Su Yun felt her eyelid twitch imperceptibly.

“No need.” Su Yun glanced at Xing Xiaochu and said, “But if you insist on asking me out, I suppose I can’t refuse.”

Xing Xiaochu: “?”

Though she didn’t quite understand what that meant, it sounded like an agreement, right?

Just as she stepped out of the teaching building, Xing Xiaochu spotted Qi Ying standing at the school gate. She happily waved at her before turning to Su Yun with a smile. “I don’t think I’ve added you on WeChat yet. Let’s exchange contacts.”

Su Yun blinked, pulling out her phone. “If you insist, then sure.”

And so, Qi Ying stood at the school entrance, watching as her little one took out her phone to add that delinquent-looking girl as a friend. The girl beamed brightly while saying something, while the other girl’s expression remained indifferent—though her dark eyes gleamed intensely when looking at Xing Xiaochu.

Qi Ying clenched her fists subtly, her expression darkening.

“Sis!”

Xing Xiaochu ran over and stood beside Qi Ying.

Without hesitation, Qi Ying pulled her close, pressing Xing Xiaochu tightly against her arm before lowering her head to say, “Didn’t I say I’d take you out for dinner? Why are you so late?”

Hearing this, Xing Xiaochu immediately realized her lie had been exposed. She averted her gaze and mumbled an apology, “Sorry, sis, I didn’t mean to…”

Yeah, right.

Noticing the delinquent girl approaching from the corner of her eye, Qi Ying reached out to pinch Xing Xiaochu’s cheeks affectionately, scolding her in a doting tone. “No more lying next time. I’ll let it slide just this once.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded, secretly relieved.

Her sister still doted on her and hadn’t blamed her for this.

Still, Xing Xiaochu stole a glance at Qi Ying, thinking that she really shouldn’t lie in the future—getting caught was way too easy…

Su Yun watched as Qi Ying wrapped an arm around Xing Xiaochu, her gaze darkening slightly. For some reason, she felt a pang of displeasure, though she didn’t show it. Instead, she slowed her pace and walked past them.

She didn’t even greet them as she brushed by.

Qi Ying watched the girl’s retreating figure, noticing that Xing Xiaochu was also staring after her with a hint of confusion, as if puzzled by Su Yun’s sudden coldness after their earlier interaction.

“What are you looking at?” Qi Ying said. “She’s already gone and didn’t even say hi. Are you two really desk mates?”

Xing Xiaochu looked up at Qi Ying, pondering for a moment before replying, “Maybe… she had something urgent?”

Qi Ying chuckled, choosing not to expose the child’s stubbornness. Instead, she took her hand and said, “Come on, what do you want to eat? We can head straight to the restaurant now and go home after.”

Xing Xiaochu, still being tugged along, blinked in surprise before asking, “Can we have hot pot again, sis?”

“You really love hot pot, don’t you?” Qi Ying laughed, squeezing her hand. “Alright, hot pot it is.”

The area around their neighborhood was well-developed, with a bustling commercial street nearby. Qi Ying took Xing Xiaochu to a Sichuan-style hot pot place, ordering a split pot with both spicy and mild broths, along with a few of Xing Xiaochu’s favorite dishes.

The restaurant was packed—within minutes of them sitting down, all the tables were taken, and a long line had formed outside.

When the dishes arrived, Qi Ying was placing vegetables into the hot pot. Suddenly, she heard a ‘click’ sound and looked up to see Xing Xiaochu taking photos with her phone—from an angle that seemed to have captured her as well.

Qi Ying didn’t mind and simply asked with a smile, “Did it turn out well? You can’t post it on social media if it’s unflattering.”

Xing Xiaochu’s face flushed red as she sheepishly put her phone away, insisting firmly, “Sister looks beautiful in every photo. It could never be unflattering.”

Qi Ying chuckled and pulled out her own phone to snap a picture, capturing Xing Xiaochu in her school uniform with a slightly dazed expression.

“Perfect,” Qi Ying said after saving the photo. “One for you, one for me—that’s only fair.”

Xing Xiaochu blinked, the tips of her ears turning red instantly. The situation felt so much like a couple’s date that it made her a little self-conscious.

But when she saw Qi Ying casually serving her food, Xing Xiaochu grew confused again.

They had kissed. They had spent her heat cycle together. So what exactly were they now?