My Virtual Wife From my Phone Has Come to See Me - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: “A-Ying, can I stay over here tonight?”

When the doorbell rang, Xing Xiaochu immediately leaped off the sofa and ran toward the door barefoot.

The little kitten, who had been playing with Xing Xiaochu’s slippers, saw its owner running away and immediately abandoned the slippers to patter after her. However, unable to brake in time, it crashed right into Xing Xiaochu’s heel and tumbled head over heels.

Xing Xiaochu didn’t notice the little kitten “car crash” at her feet. Instead, she stared at Qi Ying, who was holding a cake with a beaming smile, and asked in surprise, “You… why are you back so early?”

“Didn’t I say so on the phone? I’m getting off work early today to celebrate with you.” Qi Ying entered the house, using her foot to block the inquisitive kitten trying to sneak out. She handed the cake to Xing Xiaochu and closed the door behind her. “How about we have hotpot at home tonight?”

Xing Xiaochu was currently dazed while staring at the cake in her arms. Hearing the mention of hotpot, she looked up at her. “Hotpot… how do you eat that at home?”

Qi Ying looked at her with a stifled laugh. “Don’t tell me… you’ve never had hotpot before?”

She hadn’t.

Xing Xiaochu’s mother had passed away early, and her father wouldn’t waste money treating her to hotpot. Xiaochu had seen her classmates go, and she’d caught glimpses of hotpot restaurants while passing by, but she never dared to step inside.

She was afraid it would be expensive.

She had no money.

Seeing Xing Xiaochu’s bewildered expression, Qi Ying comforted her, “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t had it; I’ll teach you slowly from now on.”

Holding the cake, Xing Xiaochu nodded at Qi Ying.

…

In the kitchen, Qi Ying was busy working, while Xing Xiaochu sat at the dining table cradling the kitten, staring at the cream cake inside the transparent box.

It was a very ordinary fruit cake, topped with blueberries, pineapple, mango, and green grapes. The main body was encased in white cream, and a card in the center read “Success in the Exams” in large letters.

The kitten struggled to squirm out of Xiaochu’s arms, its tiny white paws reaching out to swat at the ribbon on the cake box, only to be caught by Xiaochu.

“Shh—”

Xing Xiaochu put her index finger to her lips and said to the little fellow, “You can’t touch that. It’s very expensive.”

The kitten protested with a meow, insistent on playing with the ribbon.

Hearing the commotion at the table, Qi Ying poked her head out curiously and laughed. “Xiaochu, if Guazi (Sunflower Seed) wants to play with it, let her. Just don’t let her get on the table.”

Xing Xiaochu perked up her ears, sat up straight, and asked, “Is it really okay?”

Qi Ying nodded with a smile.

The kitten wiggled its butt and climbed onto the table, opening its toothless mouth to bite the ribbon. Left with no choice, Xiaochu untied the ribbon and took Guazi to play under the table.

The kitten loved the ribbon. When Xiaochu flicked it, the kitten would dash over; when she flicked it again, it would dash back. Sometimes it couldn’t stop in time and would slide a long way across the floor, only to rush back with its tail held high to gnaw on the ribbon.

Xing Xiaochu’s eyes curved into smiles. She lifted the ribbon, watching the kitten dangle from it, laughing happily.

After the girl and the cat had played for a while, Qi Ying’s preparations were mostly finished. She began placing plates on the table one by one. Seeing this, Xiaochu immediately tossed the ribbon to the cat to play with on its own and ran to the kitchen to help.

Qi Ying didn’t stand on ceremony, letting her carry the washed vegetables and meatballs to the table. Finally, she found an induction cooker, placed a large pot on top, and began adding the hotpot base. Before long, the red oil melted into a liquid, filling the room with a potent aroma of spices—a spicy, fragrant scent that was a bit pungent but smelled wonderful.

Finally, Qi Ying took two cans of drinks from the fridge and sat down at the table.

Xing Xiaochu’s eyes lit up at the sight of the steaming hotpot. She asked curiously, “So this is hotpot? It smells so good.”

Qi Ying opened a drink, handed it to Xiaochu, and said, “Eating at home definitely isn’t as good as in a restaurant. When the weather gets cooler, we’ll go out to eat.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded.

Even eating at home made her very happy.

Qi Ying blanched the meatballs, vegetables, and meat rolls, even mixing a simple dipping sauce for Xiaochu. Xiaochu was reserved at first, but after one bite, her eyes began to glow. She ate whatever Qi Ying served her, being neither picky nor a light eater. Qi Ying thoroughly enjoyed “feeding” her.

After a while, Xiaochu had eaten her fill. She rubbed her stomach, feeling quite stuffed. Qi Ying was sipping her drink and watching a lively variety show on TV. Noticing Xiaochu had put down her chopsticks, she turned and asked, “Full?”

Xing Xiaochu stole a quiet glance at the unopened cake on the table, and Qi Ying immediately understood.

The kid wanted cake.

“Come here.” Qi Ying stood up, gathered the small plates, forks, and plastic knife that came with the cake, and handed them to Xiaochu. “You cut the cake.”

Xing Xiaochu looked up at Qi Ying with her beautiful eyes. Seeing that Qi Ying was serious about letting her cut it, she didn’t decline. She stood up, took the tools, and prepared to cut.

As the box opened, Xiaochu gripped the plastic knife nervously, unsure where to start. Qi Ying encouraged her from the side, “Just cut it however you like.”

Xiaochu hesitated, finally making the cut between a mango and a green grape.

The sensation of cutting the cake was strange; the knife went through as if there was no resistance. It was soft and fluffy—the softest thing Xiaochu had ever cut. She handed the first piece to Qi Ying, her dark eyes sparkling as she looked at her without saying a word.

Qi Ying could naturally sense her mood. She took the cake, her fingertips briefly brushing against Xiaochu’s.

“Thank you,” Qi Ying said softly.

Xiaochu’s ears turned red as she looked down to cut a small piece for herself.

The variety show in the living room was boisterous, but the two of them sat in their chairs eating cake in silence.

Qi Ying felt the cake tasted a bit different. She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but she felt there was a faint scent of osmanthus on the cake—cool, elegant, yet very fragrant and sweet.

Qi Ying looked up slightly, watching Xiaochu eat her cake in tiny bites. She felt the scent of osmanthus growing stronger.

“Sister?” Xiaochu tilted her head in confusion as their eyes met.

Qi Ying snapped out of it immediately, turned her head away, and coughed. “This cake tastes pretty good. Next time it’s your birthday, let’s order from this shop again, okay?” Saying that, something occurred to her, and she turned back to Xiaochu. “When is your birthday?”

An 18th birthday was a significant milestone; Qi Ying felt she should celebrate it properly for the girl.

“September,” Xiaochu said.

Qi Ying smiled. “Good. When your birthday comes, we’ll celebrate properly. We’ll go out, and I’ll treat you to a big feast.”

Xing Xiaochu nodded, smiling happily.

…

After eating with the girl and tidying up the table, Qi Ying gave Xiaochu some pocket money. By then, it was past 9:00 PM. She made up an excuse about needing to rest, went back to her room, and then returned from the room to the alley behind her shop.

Qi Ying rubbed her stomach. she had the illusion that if she ate in the game, she wouldn’t feel very hungry in reality.

However, since she hadn’t actually had dinner, Qi Ying considered buying some late-night snacks as she walked out of the alley. But as she emerged, she noticed the lights in her shop were still on.

“Eh?” Qi Ying muttered in confusion. “Did Ruoxin forget to turn off the lights before going home?”

She walked to the door with doubt and found a figure moving inside the dim shop. Frowning, Qi Ying pushed the door open.

Shi Yu was trying on a shirt in front of the mirror. Hearing the “ding-ling” of the door bell, she turned and said, “The boss isn’t in. If you have business, come back another—oh, A-Ying? You’re back!”

Qi Ying looked at Shi Yu in her shop, then checked the time on her phone.

“It’s almost ten o’clock. Why are you still here, Miss Shi?” Qi Ying asked in surprise. “Is there a problem with the dress?”

“Of course there’s no problem with the dress A-Ying made.” Shi Yu put down the shirt and walked over, intimately taking Qi Ying’s arm. Just as she was about to speak, her nose caught a very cool, elegant scent of osmanthus.

Shi Yu wasn’t Xing Xiaochu; if she had a question, she asked it directly.

She looked at Qi Ying in surprise. “Why do you smell like perfume? Did you go out with someone tonight?”

Qi Ying lifted her arm to sniff it. “Do I? I don’t smell anything.”

As she spoke, Qi Ying unobtrusively pulled her arm away. She glanced around the room and, not seeing Xia Ruoxin, asked Shi Yu, “Where’s Ruoxin? Is she not in the shop?”

Shi Yu laughed, standing by the door with her hands behind her back. “Look at what time it is. She’s obviously gone home.”

Qi Ying frowned, looking at Shi Yu hesitantly.

Shi Yu explained frankly, “When I came to see you this afternoon, Boss Xia said you went out on business and weren’t in. I wasn’t willing to just leave, so I stayed here to wait for you.”

She gave Qi Ying a slightly reproachful look. “Where exactly did you go? I asked Boss Xia, but she wouldn’t tell me. Why are you back so late, and carrying a scent of perfume? Were you… out on a date with some woman?”

Qi Ying pursed her lips uncomfortably, her brow furrowing slightly. “No, I was… with a friend’s daughter. She just passed an entrance exam, and I went to celebrate with her.”

Shi Yu didn’t believe it. “Liar. The perfume on you can’t fool me. What school-aged girl wears perfume like that? You were definitely out on a date.”

Qi Ying felt a bit annoyed. Seeing Shi Yu still blocking the doorway, she didn’t want to continue the topic. Moreover, she was concerned about why Shi Yu was still in her shop at this hour. So, Qi Ying asked, “It’s so late. Won’t your family worry if you don’t go home?”

“I’m an adult; they can’t control when I go back.” Seeing Qi Ying change the subject, Shi Yu didn’t press the previous question. She turned, sat in a nearby chair, crossed her legs, and swung her foot. Leaning back against the chair, she smiled at Qi Ying.

“A-Ying, can I stay over here tonight?”