My Virtual Wife From my Phone Has Come to See Me - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: “Please practice rational gaming; do not become addicted.”

Qi Ying looked at Xing Xiaochu and the kitten in her arms, saying helplessly, “Why are you apologizing again? This clearly wasn’t your fault.”

The kitten continued to wail. When Qi Ying reached out to touch it, the little thing hissed while aggrievedly burrowing deeper into Xing Xiaochu’s embrace. Xing Xiaochu looked up at the person in front of her, blinked, and asked, “Is it hungry, Sister?”

Qi Ying scratched the kitten’s chin, scanned the surroundings, and said to Xing Xiaochu, “They said they stole it from a bar. Let’s go return it.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded and followed Qi Ying to find the bar.

With Qi Ying’s company, Xing Xiaochu wasn’t so afraid of walking at night anymore. She stroked the kitten’s back while stealing glances at Qi Ying. Noticing that Qi Ying was wearing pajamas and slippers, a trace of confusion flickered in her eyes.

“Sister,” Xing Xiaochu asked softly, “how did you find me?”

Qi Ying scratched her cheek. “I didn’t see you when I got home, so I guessed you’d gone downstairs. I didn’t look for long before I saw you surrounded by those people.”

Xing Xiaochu let out an “oh.” Holding the kitten, she looked up again and asked, “Is your work very busy? Did you just finish your shift?”

Qi Ying kept her hands in her pockets and nodded. “Yes.”

Xing Xiaochu didn’t dare ask more.

If she’s wearing pajamas and slippers, why say she just finished work?

Worried that asking would make her annoying, Xing Xiaochu kept her head down and followed Qi Ying. She caught the faint, sweet scent of peach pheromones in the air. Xing Xiaochu tightened her grip on the kitten, feeling a sudden wave of uncertainty.

She wanted to ask whose house Qi Ying had spent the night at—if it belonged to that peach-scented Omega.

She also wanted to ask why she came out in the middle of the night to find her… if it was because she was worried…

But Xing Xiaochu didn’t dare ask a single one of those questions.

As the two walked in silence, Qi Ying was the first to speak.

“It’s so late, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Qi Ying glanced at the girl. “It’s dangerous for an Omega to be out alone at night. Fortunately, those two didn’t hurt you. Otherwise, how would I explain it to your mother?”

The mention of her mother made Xing Xiaochu look up instantly. After a long pause, she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

Qi Ying laughed. She stopped walking and rubbed the girl’s head, saying gently, “Why the apology again? Encountering bad people isn’t your fault. But next time, please be careful. Don’t go into alleys, and don’t come out alone in the middle of the night.”

Xing Xiaochu squinted her eyes under the touch, looking much like the kitten in her arms.

Her amber eyes shimmered in the darkness, exceptionally beautiful. Qi Ying dazed for a moment before realizing her heart was beating much faster. She quickly pulled her hand back and looked toward the bar not far away, saying softly, “We’re almost there.”

The bar was a quiet lounge. It was already closed, with only the interior lights left on.

The two stood at the door, looking at the locked entrance, then at each other. Finally, their gaze fell on the kitten, which had fallen asleep in Xing Xiaochu’s arms.

Qi Ying tapped the kitten’s head with her forefinger and said amusingly, “It fell asleep already? What a carefree little thing.”

Xing Xiaochu also let out a low laugh.

They couldn’t just throw the kitten away. Qi Ying hesitated before asking the smiling girl, “Do you want to raise it?”

Xing Xiaochu didn’t look up immediately. She stroked the kitten’s tiny tail before meeting Qi Ying’s eyes, asking weakly, “Can I? Will it… be a trouble for you?”

“It’ll definitely be some trouble,” Qi Ying stepped closer, smiling lightly. “But it won’t take too much effort. Since it’s so small, if we keep it, you’ll have to be responsible for taking care of it. Can you do that?”

Xing Xiaochu had never raised a pet. She wasn’t sure if she could properly care for a newly weaned kitten.

But she really wanted to keep it.

Seeing her hesitation, Qi Ying knew she was thinking it over and didn’t rush her. She just said softly, “It’s too late now. Let’s go home first. If you still don’t want to keep it when you wake up tomorrow morning, we’ll bring it back. If you want to, we’ll keep it. How’s that?”

Xing Xiaochu nodded repeatedly. After nodding, she felt a bit shy and looked at the ground, the tips of her ears turning red.

Qi Ying took the initiative to take Xing Xiaochu’s hand. The girl looked up at her as Qi Ying led her back home.

Along the way, Xing Xiaochu quietly clutched Qi Ying’s palm. She looked at the kitten, then at Qi Ying, then at their joined hands. Her red-tipped ears twitched slightly in her shyness.

When they got home, the kitten was still asleep, purring softly. It didn’t wake up when Qi Ying took it from Xing Xiaochu, nor when she placed it in a washbasin lined with clothes. It slept soundly.

Qi Ying leaned over, watching Xing Xiaochu squat by the basin to cover the kitten with a clean handkerchief. Qi Ying said with interest, “This cat is definitely going to be fat in the future.”

Xing Xiaochu looked up, confused. “Why do you say that, Sister?”

Qi Ying replied, “Because a carefree mind leads to a plump body.”

Xing Xiaochu pursed her lips and laughed.

“Smiling now?” Qi Ying pinched the girl’s cheek and pulled her up. “Let it sleep in the study for the night. You can come see it tomorrow morning. Now, go wash your face, change, and go to bed.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded. She stole a glance at the pajamas visible under Qi Ying’s coat but pretended she hadn’t seen them as she left the room.

At the guest bedroom door, Xing Xiaochu gripped the handle and said, “Then I’m going to sleep. Goodnight, Sister.”

Qi Ying nodded. “Goodnight.”

Only after the girl closed the door did Qi Ying return to her own room and shut the door.

The events of tonight made Qi Ying realize something was very wrong.

What kind of game character calls a player in the middle of the night just because they didn’t log in?

Although Qi Ying hadn’t played many games before, she knew that typical mobile or PC games didn’t work like this. When a player goes offline, they stay offline; the characters should just wait quietly for the player to return.

But Xing Xiaochu was different. She worried that Qi Ying was in danger and went out to find her alone.

This was highly unusual.

Qi Ying opened the game, found the customer service section, and dialed the number provided. A sweet, feminine electronic voice answered almost immediately.

“Hello, dear Designer. I am the customer service for [Xing Xiaochu’s Good Morning Diary]. How can I help you today?”

Qi Ying stood there with her mouth open for a long time before finally saying, “Why did your game arrange for Xing Xiaochu to go out in the middle of the night to find me? What if something happened to her?”

The customer service voice replied sweetly, “Thank you for your concern for Xiaochu. As a game with an extremely high degree of freedom, Xing Xiaochu possesses her own personality and consciousness. However, players need not feel an excessive burden. After all, she is just a string of ordinary game data. Please practice rational gaming; do not become addicted.”