My Virtual Wife From my Phone Has Come to See Me - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: “Is this Xing Xiaochu’s home?”

The warm embrace caused Xing Xiaochu to daze for a moment; it had been a very long time since someone had held her like this.

Scenting the air around Qi Ying, Xing Xiaochu could tell that the other woman was very anxious.

Why is she so anxious? Is it because she’s worried about me?

Although Xing Xiaochu was timid—afraid of thunder, afraid of Alphas—she usually felt fine as long as she hid properly. Yet, this Alpha she had only known for a short time was worried about her, even rushing back specifically to find her.

Xing Xiaochu thought: Aside from my mother, she might be the only person who cares about me this much, right?

Meanwhile, Qi Ying saw the child in her arms looking “scared witless” and assumed she was truly terrified. Upon entering the house, Qi Ying had caught a faint scent of osmanthus. Though it was the same cool fragrance, Qi Ying could sense the fear within it.

So, she reached out and covered Xing Xiaochu’s ears with her hands before the next clap of thunder could strike.

The dark room suddenly flashed white with lightning. Xing Xiaochu looked up at her; the rumbling thunder was muffled into a distant, phantom noise. Instead, a different sound filtered into her ears.

Deep and rhythmic.

It was the sound of Qi Ying’s heartbeat and the pulse of blood flowing through her body.

“Sister…”

Xing Xiaochu looked up at her, blinking slightly.

Another explosive crack of thunder rang out. Qi Ying frowned and pulled the girl closer, hugging her tightly. “It’s okay. I’m back now, aren’t I? Don’t be afraid…”

The room was too dark. The storm clouds had blotted out the sun, making the house look like it was eight in the evening. Just as Qi Ying started to get up to turn on a light, she felt a tug on her clothes.

Xing Xiaochu leaned against her shoulder, gripping Qi Ying’s shirt tightly, and murmured, “Sister, don’t go…”

“I won’t go.” Qi Ying thought for a moment and gave up on the light. Holding the thin child, she said, “I’m staying right here with you.”

Xing Xiaochu smelled the scent of green plum wine on Qi Ying. It was a bit sharp, but knowing Qi Ying had returned out of concern made her feel incredibly safe.

Didn’t this person go to work? How is she back already? And how did she know I was afraid of thunder?

Being held, Xing Xiaochu wasn’t nearly as scared anymore, though she still flinched at the sudden cracks of thunder. Whenever that happened, Qi Ying would pat her back or rub her soft cheek against her, which was very comforting.

Summer storms come and go quickly. The rumbling thunder lasted for less than half an hour before it ceased. The rain receded, and the sky slowly cleared.

Qi Ying glanced at the sky outside the window; sunlight was beginning to peek through. She patted the child in her arms and whispered, “The rain has stopped.”

Xing Xiaochu poked her head out from the embrace, glanced at the window, but then tucked herself back into Qi Ying’s arms with a small “Mm.”

Qi Ying knew Xiaochu was still shaken. She didn’t rush her to get up, continuing to hold and soothe her. Eventually, it was Xing Xiaochu who began to feel a bit self-conscious.

She was an Omega, and she was supposed to keep her distance from Alphas. Being held by a stranger Alpha felt strange and made her feel a bit uneasy.

Especially since they were wearing thin summer clothes—Xing Xiaochu could feel the pressure of Qi Ying’s chest against her, which made her face turn beet red.

“Sister…” Xing Xiaochu shifted slightly, looking up at her. “Weren’t you at work?”

How did she get back so fast?

Qi Ying smiled and said, “I saw it was about to rain and was worried you’d be scared at home alone, so I rushed back.”

Xing Xiaochu felt a warmth in her heart. She asked shyly, “Won’t your workplace fine you for leaving?”

“Fine me?” Qi Ying looked at her. “Where did you hear that people get fined for going home?”

“My mother used to get fined whenever she came back from the company. Every time, my dad would hit her and say she was losing money just for my sake.” Xing Xiaochu lowered her eyes and said softly, “If it thunders next time, Sister, you don’t have to come back specially. I’m not scared on my own.”

Qi Ying glanced at the kid. Not scared? Then who was the one hiding in the cupboard with her ears covered? Who wouldn’t let me go turn on the light and is still shrinking into my arms?

Of course, Qi Ying knew Xiaochu meant well, so she wasn’t going to call her out.

“It’s fine. I don’t get fined for coming home.” Qi Ying pinched the girl’s soft cheek and laughed softly. “Because I’m the boss. No one can fine me except myself.”

Xing Xiaochu looked at her with wide, surprised eyes. She thought Qi Ying was incredible for being her own boss.

Qi Ying saw the wide-eyed wonder and smiled, choosing not to explain that she was the boss, employee, shop assistant, salesperson, and even the night security guard. Xing Xiaochu didn’t seem to understand the nuances anyway—she was easy to bluff.

“Alright.” Qi Ying rubbed the girl’s head. “Get up. The rain has stopped.”

Only then did Xing Xiaochu realize she had been sitting in the other’s lap the whole time. Her ear tips turned red instantly. She nodded with her head down and scrambled up.

Ding—

Qi Ying’s phone suddenly chimed. She pulled it out as she stood up and saw a notification from the game.

[Dear Designer, your Xiaochu’s favorability has increased! She really likes you!]

Qi Ying paused slightly and clicked on the favorability bar. The progress bar had jumped significantly, now displaying the status: [Unwavering Trust].

Ding—

[Dear Designer, Xiaochu is still young and cannot be kept at home all day. Perhaps it’s time to start formulating a development plan for her? You also need to finalize a school. Only by studying hard can one improve every day!]

Looking at the development plan, Qi Ying remembered that Xiaochu’s father had withdrawn her from school. If Qi Ying didn’t work to get her school registration back, Xiaochu might have no school to attend this summer.

Even if she didn’t become a superstar, she couldn’t be illiterate. She had to go to school.

Qi Ying quietly put away her phone, planning to use the next few quiet days to find Xiaochu’s scumbag father and get the child’s records back.

She would transfer her to the middle school near the house. She wondered how the girl’s grades were—hopefully, she wasn’t a little dummy.

Xing Xiaochu had no idea she was being thought of as a “little dummy.” She had broken out in a cold sweat from the thunder and then been held by Qi Ying, leaving her completely covered in Qi Ying’s pheromones. The scent of green plum wine wrapped around her so tightly that the inexperienced Xiaochu felt a flush of heat all over her body.

The gland at the back of her neck began to burn after smelling Qi Ying’s pheromones. It was now hot to the touch, and her heart was racing.

This is bad…

Xing Xiaochu thought aggrievedly; she would have to keep her distance from Qi Ying from now on, or it would be too dangerous.

After a quick shower and a change into clean clothes, Xing Xiaochu poked her head out of her room. The rain had completely stopped, replaced by the usual bright daylight. The sun was beating down on the earth, evaporating the rainwater on the windowsills.

Qi Ying was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking seriously at the view below.

Seeing Xiaochu come out, Qi Ying beckoned her over.

“Sister?”

Confused, Xing Xiaochu walked over and stood beside her, looking at the street view outside. She turned her head and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“I’m looking at schools.” Qi Ying pointed to a building in the distance. “I checked earlier. There’s a middle school near our house—about a fifteen-minute walk. Do you want to go to school there?”

Xing Xiaochu looked over and recognized it as the nearby Third Middle School, one of the top five high schools in the city. She blinked and bit her lip, staying silent.

Qi Ying knew what she was worried about. She said gently, “Don’t worry. Just tell me if you want to go to school or not. Leave the rest to me.”

Xing Xiaochu looked up at the woman beside her. She didn’t know where Qi Ying got the confidence to say such things, but the words truly made her feel at ease. She gazed deeply at Qi Ying for a long time, her beautiful black eyes shimmering. After a long silence, she finally nodded.

“I want to go to school,” Xing Xiaochu said. “I want to go to school, Sister.”

Qi Ying laughed and gently patted the child’s head.

If you want to go, then Sister will make it happen.

…

Qi Ying walked alone through a dim alley. She looked at the GPS on her phone; it indicated she was 100 meters from her destination.

She looked up, realizing for the first time that this game world also contained “urban villages.”

This slum-like area was nestled right in the city center. The environment was chaotic—towering skyscrapers in the distance, but stinking sewers and dark alleys below. Qi Ying found herself in a standoff with a delivery driver on an electric scooter at the mouth of an alley and eventually had to back out to let him pass.

It was such a hassle. How could people occupy both sides of the street to the point where the road was only wide enough for one-way traffic?

Qi Ying frowned, wondering: What kind of life did Xing Xiaochu lead before? Even if she’s designed to be a “poor little thing,” isn’t this a bit too miserable?

With these thoughts, Qi Ying crossed the alley and arrived at what looked like a residential tenement. Her phone chimed: [Your destination is nearby], and the navigation ended.

Qi Ying: “…”

There were over a dozen units on a single floor of this “tube building.” How was she supposed to find him?

Fortunately, she had a mouth to ask for directions. After asking a few passersby, she was directed to a unit on the fourth floor.

The corridors of the old building were narrow; many families even set up their kitchens in the hallway. The entire passage was filled with a sour, rancid smell that made Qi Ying frown.

As she stood before the door indicated to her, she caught a heavy scent of hard liquor. The door to the room was ajar. The interior was dark, with only the shadow of a man lying on a sofa. The floor was littered with empty alcohol bottles.

An alcoholic father, a deceased mother, a child who can’t go to school, and a lucky me.

Qi Ying crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and knocked on the door.

“Is this Xing Xiaochu’s home?”