My Virtual Wife From my Phone Has Come to See Me - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Damn, Am I Playing an Adult Game?

Shi Yu followed Qi Ying out of the shop. Neither of them knew exactly where to go, so Qi Ying eventually stopped by a large tree and turned around to face her.

The expression on Shi Yu’s face was complex. She stared at Qi Ying with deep, sharp dark pupils, as if she had already anticipated what Qi Ying was going to say and had steeled herself for it.

“Why didn’t you reply to my messages?” Shi Yu was the first to speak. “Do you have a problem with me?”

Qi Ying lowered her gaze. “No.”

Shi Yu pressed on, “Then what do you mean by this? Is it fun for you to leave me hanging every day? You know I’m pursuing you, you know I like you—how can you treat me like this?”

“I’m sorry,” Qi Ying apologized, but she continued firmly, “I don’t think we’re a good match. It’s better if we just stay friends.”

“Who wants to be your friend!” Shi Yu’s eyes reddened with anger. She clenched her fists and questioned, “Do you think I’m pursuing you because I’m short on friends!?”

Qi Ying looked at her and let out a long, weary sigh.

She didn’t want to make Shi Yu cry. But she didn’t want to lead her on either; the truth was, Qi Ying simply felt no spark.

“I’m sorry,” Qi Ying said sincerely. “Feelings can’t be forced. You’ll find someone much better suited for you.”

“But how do you know we aren’t a match if you’ve never even dated me?” Red-eyed, Shi Yu stepped forward and grabbed Qi Ying’s hand, her voice cracking with a sob. “A-Ying, we haven’t known each other long enough. Give me a chance. Let’s just date for a while, and I’m sure you’ll grow to like me… okay?”

Qi Ying shook her head and gently pulled her hand away. “I don’t think that’s necessary,” she said calmly.

Shi Yu burst into tears instantly.

Qi Ying had no idea how to comfort a girl weeping so uncontrollably. She couldn’t understand how someone could be so devoted after only a few meetings. She pulled a pack of tissues from her pocket, pressed them into Shi Yu’s hand, and walked away.

She didn’t even stay to wipe a single tear.

Back at the shop, she saw Xia Ruoxin crouching by the display window, peeking out. Seeing Qi Ying enter, Xia immediately pounced, eager to stir the pot. “Whoa, did you just dump her like that? Didn’t even give her a buffer period?”

Qi Ying looked at her. “Would you rather go out there and comfort her?”

Xia Ruoxin shook her head violently. She had no intention of jumping into those murky waters.

Qi Ying went back to work, leaving Xia Ruoxin to watch through the window. Ten minutes later, Xia mentioned that Shi Yu had finally left. Qi Ying paused, realizing she still hadn’t officially declined the invitation to the birthday ball.

It shouldn’t matter though, right? she thought. After a rejection like that, surely Shi Yu wouldn’t still want her there.

Relieved, Qi Ying let out a quiet breath.

Over the next few days, Shi Yu didn’t show up again. Qi Ying occasionally saw her updates on social media and wondered why the girl hadn’t blocked her yet. She felt a twinge of guilt, but there was nothing to be done—you can’t force a feeling that isn’t there.

…

Ding—

[Dear Designer, the “New Student Bundle” you ordered has been delivered to your door. Don’t forget to check it!]

Qi Ying pulled her phone from under her pillow and read the message. Yawning, she rolled out of bed. After a quick wash, she didn’t even bother brushing her hair; she entered the game with half-closed eyes and walked out of her bedroom to retrieve the package.

Xing Xiaochu emerged from the kitchen carrying breakfast. Seeing Qi Ying hauling a box inside while yawning, she asked curiously, “Sister, what are these?”

“Your stationery and various exercise books.” Qi Ying set the box on the coffee table and sat down with a pair of scissors. Xiaochu sat on the rug opposite her to help.

Inside were basic supplies and a mountain of supplemental materials recommended by the teachers at No. 3 Middle School. Qi Ying had bought the whole lot in one go—the box was packed to the brim.

Xiaochu sat on her heels, looking at the heap of books and pens in a daze. Little Guazi scurried over to join the fun, tail straight up, meowing as he batted at the pens with his fluffy paws.

Qi Ying picked the kitten up by the scruff of its neck and said to Xiaochu, “I’m planning to enroll you in some after-school tutoring classes. What do you think?”

“Tutoring?” Xiaochu tilted her head, her beautiful eyes wide with confusion. She tapped the thick stack of books and hesitated. “Aren’t tutoring classes very expensive? Sister, you’ve already spent so much money on me. You don’t need to spend any more…”

She felt she could never repay it.

“I don’t want you to pay me back,” Qi Ying said softly. “As long as you study hard for your exams, the money doesn’t matter.”

Xiaochu looked up, still resistant. She knew how expensive these classes were, and she felt she wasn’t worth it.

“I’d rather not,” Xiaochu lowered her head, showing a rare moment of stubbornness. “I don’t need tutoring. Regular school classes are enough. The teachers at No. 3 Middle School are excellent; I’ll just follow their lead.”

Seeing her persistence, Qi Ying didn’t push it. “Well, you do have some weak subjects. If you don’t want the classes, can I at least buy you a few more sets of practice exams?”

Xiaochu looked up at her, then looked back down. Being so “lopsided” in her grades made her feel quite shy.

Qi Ying laughed and rubbed the girl’s head before telling her to move the supplies to the study.

The spacious study was now full. Guazi’s cat bed had been moved there from the balcony, and the floor was littered with the little cloth fish Qi Ying had made. The kitten loved them to death, carrying them everywhere and dropping them randomly.

The bookshelves, once filled only with Qi Ying’s magazines, were now half-occupied by Xiaochu’s textbooks and exercises. The desk was now Xiaochu’s domain, covered in stationery and scratch paper.

Qi Ying looked at the room—half fashion magazines, half high school textbooks—and found the harmony of it strangely pleasant.

Xiaochu was currently clutching a stack of books, trying to shove them into the top shelf. Because she wasn’t very tall, she had to stand on her tiptoes. As she reached up high, her shirt rode up, revealing a sliver of her pale lower back.

Her waist was incredibly slender and white. In the bright daylight, the faint dimples at the base of her spine were almost dazzling.

Today, Xiaochu was wearing ash-gray sweatpants and a short-sleeved tee. As she strained on her tiptoes, the thin fabric of her pants tensioned, clearly outlining the lace of her underwear. Qi Ying’s chest tightened. Averting her eyes, she stepped forward to help, reaching over Xiaochu to slide the books onto the top shelf.

“Why are you so silly? If you can’t reach, why didn’t you call me?” As Qi Ying helped, she leaned down and was immediately hit by that potent scent of osmanthus.

Trapped between the bookshelf and Qi Ying’s body, the tips of Xiaochu’s ears turned crimson. She didn’t dare move a muscle.

The person behind her was radiating heat. Xiaochu could smell Qi Ying’s faint body wash and the increasingly strong pheromone scent of green plum wine. She gripped the shelf nervously, her fingertips trembling. She felt Qi Ying slowly lower her head, lightly sniffing near the ends of her hair.

Xiaochu squeezed her eyes shut in fear.

If Qi Ying wants to… bully me, should I refuse?

Qi Ying was so good to her—she had taken her in and found her a school. But… didn’t Qi Ying already have a peach-scented Omega and a rose-scented Omega?

Did she really want to add an osmanthus-scented one to the collection?

Xiaochu knew Alphas were often heartless. Unlike Omegas, they could like whoever they wanted, mark whoever they wanted, and even walk away after sex without a second thought. Total scumbags.

But Xiaochu still didn’t want to believe Qi Ying was like that…

“You… why do you still have this smell on you?”

The voice behind her startled Xiaochu. She trembled and, after a long moment, turned around in confusion to look at Qi Ying.

Qi Ying’s face was inexplicably red, and her breathing was ragged. She frowned, clutching her chest, and took a step back. Leaning against the desk for support, she said to Xiaochu, “Every time I smell you lately… I feel unwell…”

Qi Ying didn’t understand what was happening. Whenever she smelled Xiaochu’s pheromones, her body revolted.

It was like placing a warm, fragrant osmanthus cake in front of a starving person. Soft, white, and irresistibly aromatic, it was tearing at the edges of her sanity.

She felt like she was dying.

Qi Ying gasped for air, head bowed against the desk. Panicked, Xiaochu hurried over to support her and helped her sit on the study’s sofa. Smelling her closeness made Qi Ying’s head spin. As Xiaochu turned to leave, Qi Ying grabbed her hand and demanded, “Where are you going?!”

Perhaps her voice was too loud; Xiaochu flinched. Her dark pupils trembled slightly before she explained, “I’m going to get you a suppressant.”

A suppressant?

Qi Ying didn’t know what that was, but she didn’t want Xiaochu to leave. Tugging on the girl’s hand, she pulled her into her lap. With one arm around Xiaochu’s waist, she buried her face against the girl’s abdomen.

She took a deep breath.

It was sweet.

Xiaochu looked down. Qi Ying’s entire face was flushed, and the skin around her wrist where Qi Ying held her was burning hot. She knew Qi Ying was reacting to her pheromones; she needed to get her an injection quickly.

“Sister…”

Xiaochu raised her other hand and gently stroked Qi Ying’s hair. Seeing the woman buried against her stomach, she said softly, “I’ll go get the medicine. You’ll feel better after a shot. Let go of me first, okay, Sister?”

Qi Ying felt a surge of resistance, but she eventually let go, allowing Xiaochu to leave the room.

Leaning back on the sofa, Qi Ying felt as if she were on fire, as if she had been drugged with some sort of aphrodisiac. She squinted at the ceiling, her mind wandering.

Damn, am I playing an adult game?