My Virtual Wife Stepped Out of My Phone to Find Me - Chapter 9

The drunken man lay motionless on the sofa. Qi Ying stepped inside, surveying the two-room apartment. The inner room appeared to be a bedroom, but it was pitch-black and reeked so badly she couldn’t discern its actual state.

The outer area served as a combined living-dining space, littered with cigarette butts, liquor bottles, and rotting takeout containers that made the air thick with sour stench.

In one corner, Qi Ying spotted a small bed that might have once been neat, now buried under piles of clothes and junk, its white sheets grayed with grime—yet still noticeably cleaner than the rest of the filthy surroundings.

That must be Xing Xiaochu’s bed.

Staring at the squalor, Qi Ying struggled to imagine how anyone could live here.

It was disgusting.

Holding her nose, she kicked the sleeping man on the sofa, then hastily retreated from the alcoholic fumes wafting off him.

The man groaned awake, rolling over to resume sleeping until realizing someone had invaded his home.

Xing Jianguo squinted at her. “Who the hell are you? Why’re you in my house?”

Qi Ying forced patience. “Are you Xing Xiaochu’s father?”

“Xing Xiaochu?” Rubbing his greasy hair, the man half-opened bloodshot eyes to scrutinize her before cursing and sitting up. “What’s that little b1tch done now? Can’t she let me have one fucking peaceful day?”

Qi Ying’s frown deepened as she coldly pulled a document from her bag, slapping it onto the coffee table.

“This is Ms. Chen Feiqing’s guardianship transfer authorization,” she stated. “I’m here to collect Xiaochu’s household registration documents.”

“Transfer what?” Xing Jianguo snatched the paper, tore it in half, and hurled the pieces at the trash bin. “You think you can waltz in here and take my daughter? I’m still breathing, b1tch!”

Qi Ying impassively produced another copy. “Tear as many as you like. I brought extras. This isn’t a negotiation—it’s notification. From today onward, you have no relation to Xing Xiaochu.”

Staring dumbly at the replacement document, Xing Jianguo suddenly grinned with understanding. “Ohhh, you want my Xiaochu! Should’ve said so! The kid’s got her mom’s looks—real pretty, untouched too. Why bother with paperwork? Just pay me!”

Qi Ying’s fingers tightened around her bag strap.

“How much you offering?” Xing Jianguo leered, rubbing his fingers together.

Qi Ying’s voice turned arctic. “Not a single cent.”

Xing Jianguo immediately flew into a rage, standing up and shouting: “You cheap b1tch, you think you can marry my daughter without spending a single cent? Do you take me for a pushover? Let me tell you—one million, at least one million! If you want Xing Xiaochu, transfer me a million. Then you can be her legal guardian, make her bear as many children as you want, do whatever you please. I don’t care, just give me the money!”

His words were vile, and his voice was loud. The tenement building had thin walls, and soon a crowd gathered at the door to gawk at the commotion.

Qi Ying disliked being watched. She knew she wouldn’t be able to persuade the man with just a few words this time, so she sighed helplessly and took out her phone.

Ding—

Dear Designer, are you sure you want to increase pheromone release?

Confirm.

Maximum setting.

A thick, overpowering scent of pheromones surged from Qi Ying’s body. Everyone could smell the overwhelming odor—some weaker Alphas and Omegas among the onlookers immediately vomited, while even Betas felt dizzy and nauseated. As for Xing Jianguo, who stood closest to Qi Ying, the effect was even worse.

The man never expected Qi Ying to launch a pheromone attack without warning. His legs instantly gave out, and he collapsed to his knees, retching violently.

Qi Ying, however, remained unfazed. Though she was furious, she was eerily calm.

In the ABO world, pheromones served many purposes—not just for attracting mates, but also as a weapon. Qi Ying continued releasing her pheromones as she strode toward Xing Jianguo.

Ignoring the man, who was now vomiting uncontrollably, she went straight to the cabinet and retrieved the documents she needed—household registration papers, Xiaochu’s ID, and other originals—before stuffing them into her bag.

Before leaving, Qi Ying glanced back at Xing Jianguo, who had begun coughing up bl00d, and remarked coolly, almost mockingly, “That’s enough for today. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

Drenched in the scent of plum wine pheromones, Qi Ying walked downstairs with composure.

Once outside, she deactivated her pheromone release, but she still felt lightheaded. She managed to stagger to the alleyway entrance before leaning against a tree to steady herself.

Looks like pheromones shouldn’t be used recklessly. Effective, but hurting the enemy a thousand while damaging myself eight hundred isn’t exactly a good trade.

Still, she had gotten the documents she needed, and she might never have to return to this wretched place again. The thought lifted her spirits. After catching her breath, she hailed a cab and headed home.

By the time she arrived, Qi Ying’s dizziness had worsened.

Her phone buzzed incessantly, but her ears were ringing too loudly to tell if it was system notifications or messages from Xia Ruoxin. Either way, she had no energy to deal with them. The moment she opened her front door, her legs buckled, and she slid down against the wall in the entryway.

She heard the sound of slippers pattering toward her before someone crouched beside her, pressing cold, anxious hands against her face.

Qi Ying knew who it was. A faint smile curled her lips as she slowly opened her eyes to see Xing Xiaochu’s worried face staring back at her. The girl’s eyes were filled with concern as she repeatedly asked, “What’s wrong?” “Are you okay?”

Qi Ying pulled out the child’s household register from her bag and grinned. “Look—you can go to school now.”

Xing Xiaochu stared blankly at her own documents for a moment, then watched as Qi Ying’s body tilted and collapsed. She immediately caught the falling woman in her arms, while the documents in Qi Ying’s hand scattered across the floor, lying quietly on the carpet.

The person in her arms was burning hot, and between breaths, Xing could detect a strong scent of alcohol.

Excessive pheromone release causes severe physical strain. Qi Ying slept straight through the night, and when she woke the next day, her entire body ached. Opening her eyes to look at the ceiling made her feel like it was spinning around her—the more she looked, the more nauseous she became. Eventually, Qi Ying simply closed her eyes again.

Out of sight, out of mind.

After lying in bed for a while, Qi Ying felt slightly better and opened her eyes to sit up. She glanced around the room’s decor and was mildly startled.

She seemed to still be in the game world.

The morning sunlight streaming through the window indicated that Qi Ying had spent at least one full night here.

The shop door hadn’t been closed!!!

Qi Ying prayed her place hadn’t been robbed—otherwise, the little rich girl would chase her down scolding.

Speaking of which, where was her phone?

Having disappeared for a whole day, surely no one would be looking for her?

Qi Ying braced herself against the bedside table to stand, but the moment her feet touched the floor, her legs gave way with a loud thud as she collapsed to the ground, leaving herself dazed.

What was going on?

Why couldn’t she even stand properly?

Before Qi Ying could figure it out, rapid footsteps approached from outside the door. With a sudden swing, the door flew open, and Xing Xiaochu gasped at the sight of Qi Ying on the floor, rushing over to help her up.

Held in the child’s arms, Qi Ying laughed awkwardly. “It’s fine, really. I just had weak legs and fell. No injuries.”

Xing Xiaochu anxiously checked Qi Ying’s arms and legs, only relaxing after confirming there were no injuries. Sitting beside her on the bed, the girl hesitated before speaking softly, “You could have called me if you wanted to get up.”

Qi Ying smiled, rubbing her sore knee. “I just wanted to check the time.”

Xing placed her hand over Qi Ying’s knee, gently massaging it as she whispered, “It’s 9:30 in the morning. Are you hungry? Should I get you something to eat?”

That late already?

Qi Ying had a slight headache and asked, “Where’s my phone?”

She worried Xing might see the game on her screen—if the girl realized she was just a character in a game, things would get complicated.

Xing retrieved the phone from nearby and said, “It ran out of battery and shut down. I didn’t know where your charger was, so I couldn’t recharge it.”

Qi Ying sighed inwardly in relief, replying cheerfully, “No problem, I’ll handle it later.”

Xing nodded, then added, “I’ll go prepare breakfast. You rest here a bit longer before getting up.” Yet she didn’t leave immediately, instead fidgeting nervously with the hem of her clothes before stealing a timid glance at Qi Ying. “Overusing alpha pheromones is bad for your health… Please don’t do it like this again.”

Getting lectured by a kid, huh?

Qi Ying’s eyes curved into crescents as she replied tenderly, “Alright, I won’t make you worry next time.”

Xing Xiaochu’s face instantly flushed crimson. She tugged hard at her clothes, her ears burning red, lips parting as if to say “Who’s worried about you?”—but in the end, she said nothing and simply dashed away.

Qi Ying couldn’t help but smile as she watched the child run away, though laughing made her whole body ache, so she suppressed it into a few quiet chuckles.

Inside the room, she found a charging cable and plugged in her phone, only to discover it still had around 70-80% battery—far from dead. Staring at the startup screen, she pondered.

Perhaps the game system had forcibly shut it down to prevent Xing Xiaochu from touching it?

That wasn’t impossible. After all, if Xing Xiaochu realized she was just a game character, wouldn’t that be utterly devastating?

As she mulled it over, her phone finally booted up, immediately bombarded with a flurry of notifications—mostly from Xia Ruoxin: 13 missed calls and over 30 WeChat messages.

Qi Ying thought to herself—she’d better come up with an excuse, fast.