The Fake Girlfriend is Online - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: South District

South District urban construction site.

“Xuan-Ge, over here!” Luo Qi spotted Mu Jinxuan from a distance and waved his arm frantically, terrified she might miss them.

Mu Jinxuan walked over leisurely with her hands in her pockets. She wore a yellow fleece-lined jacket over a white hoodie and slim-fit jeans—an outfit her mother had personally picked out for her at the beginning of the year.

Two groups of people were already standing in the center of the court, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. When Luo Qi’s group saw Mu Jinxuan arrive, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yo, so you’re Mu Jinxuan?” Across from them, a man with dyed yellow hair chewed gum, his gaze unceremoniously sizing her up. Li Jie and his crew stood beside him.

“Mhm.” Standing at 172cm, Mu Jinxuan didn’t look short among Luo Qi’s group. Her long legs added to her imposing aura as she lifted her chin arrogantly.

“Heh, Li Jie, didn’t you say she was just a hot-tempered tomboy? From the looks of it… she’s quite my type.” The man looked her up and down. A wild mare this stubborn would be satisfying to break.

Though Mu Jinxuan’s short haircut made her look like a delinquent tomboy, her high-tier visuals gave the short hair a unique, stylish flair.

“Heh.” Mu Jinxuan didn’t bother wasting words. She stepped forward, snatched the basketball from Luo Qi’s hands, sprinted, leapt, and instantly sank a three-pointer.

Luo Qi and Hu Hai reacted immediately. Since Mu Jinxuan usually played solo, they had developed a silent chemistry over time, knowing exactly when she was prepping for a shot and when she needed an assist. The two sides, which had intended to trade more insults, instantly dove into the fray.

Street ball didn’t care much for rules; whichever side put the ball in the hoop got the point, by any means necessary. This was Mu Jinxuan’s first time playing street ball, so she wasn’t aware of the “unspoken rules.” Her initial aggressive play was simply to shut their noisy mouths and vent her inner frustrations.

It wasn’t until the third time she was slammed into by an opponent that she realized: they were doing this on purpose.

Mu Jinxuan furrowed her brows. She hooked the ball passed by Hu Hai and turned, only to see three opponents closing in on her. She crouched slightly, dribbling the ball rapidly with her right hand. Spotting a gap, she feinted a drive between two of them, but just as she neared them, she pivoted and fired the ball back to Hu Hai.

As the sports representative, Hu Hai’s skills were top-tier; he’d been on the varsity team in middle school. Utilizing his 186cm height and superior technique, he caught the ball steadily. Since the opponents were busy swarming Mu Jinxuan, no one was near him. With a few powerful strides, he went straight for a slam dunk.

The rival group watched the ball go in with reddening eyes. The crowd erupted in cheers. Mu Jinxuan let out a whistle and gave Hu Hai a thumbs-up. Luo Qi walked over and smacked his back.

“Big Hai, not bad! You actually read Xuan-Ge’s mind. That was badass!”

“Haha, well of course. I am the Little Prince of Basketball,” Hu Hai bragged without a hint of shame.

As they celebrated, the yellow-haired thug walked over to Li Jie, patted his shoulder, and whispered something in his ear. Without taking a break, the next round began.

Mu Jinxuan panted slightly as she sidestepped a foot aimed at her shins. The word “trash” drifted into the thug’s ear with the wind. Slowly, she realized the tide was turning. The entire opposing team was now converging on her. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t get the ball; three or four people were constantly taking cheap shots at her.

Just as Mu Jinxuan dodged a few hidden blows and managed to trip one of them in return, she heard the heavy sound of a body hitting the ground followed by a cry of pain.

“Crap! Big Head, are you okay?” Luo Qi’s startled cry rang out, and everyone stopped.

Mu Jinxuan looked through the crowd to see Hu Hai clutching his foot on the ground. She shoved the man in front of her aside and ran over.

Luo Qi hovered over Hu Hai, wanting to help but afraid of worsening the injury. Hu Hai gripped his ankle, cold sweat pouring down his face, eyes squeezed shut as he groaned in agony. Seeing this, the students glared at the thugs, cursing and rolling up their sleeves for a fight.

“Damn it! You actually used a dirty trick? What kind of man are you? If anything happens to Hu Hai, I’m done with you!” Luo Qi exploded, lunging forward to grab the thug’s collar.

“Heh, kid, how old are you? Which eye saw me use a dirty trick? Even if I did, what are you gonna do about it?” The thug puffed out his chest and pried Luo Qi’s hand off, his tone incredibly punchable.

Mu Jinxuan knelt to comfort Hu Hai and examined the injury. “Call 120. His ankle is hurt. Hold him down, don’t let him move and make it worse,” she instructed the surrounding classmates.

Then, she stood up. She walked straight to the yellow-haired thug and delivered a swift, brutal kick to his chest. He tumbled to the ground, momentarily stunned. The students hadn’t expected Mu Jinxuan to start swinging without a word. Once the thugs snapped out of it, they surrounded her.

However, Li Jie, who had organized the match, hesitated. He grabbed the yellow-haired leader, “Brother Lan, forget it. They’re my schoolmates. Let’s just drop it.” He had only wanted a rematch; seeing Hu Hai’s ankle actually injured made him nervous. He was just a high schooler who knew these thugs by chance; he didn’t want this to blow up and get back to the school.

“Drop it?” Brother Lan shoved Li Jie aside and stalked toward Mu Jinxuan. “She just injured my brother. How can we drop it?”

On cue, the thug Mu Jinxuan had kicked began howling in pain as if his bones were shattered.

“If my brother ends up disabled, you’re taking full responsibility.” Brother Lan reached out his hand, intending to tilt her chin up. Up close, this woman was actually stunning.

Mu Jinxuan tilted her head to dodge, but then leaned in. Brother Lan, thinking she was making a move, stood still. Instead, she whispered in his ear: “Heh. Trash like you? Who do you think you are?”

Before he could react, she grabbed his shoulders and drove her knee ruthlessly into his stomach. Brother Lan, caught off guard, doubled over in a cold sweat. Mu Jinxuan didn’t stop there; she stepped toward the thug on the ground and delivered another kick for good measure.

The onlookers began to disperse, fearing they’d be caught in the crossfire. The South District was a messy part of the city—a “class slum”—where brawls were daily occurrences. However, out of the crowd, several more men began to emerge, closing in on Mu Jinxuan.

Luo Qi, seeing the reinforcements, was fuming. He roared at Li Jie: “You said this was just one game! This is a d*mn ambush!”

Li Jie was terrified. He had honestly just asked Brother Lan to help play a game because he was the best player he knew; he had no idea they’d bring so many people.

With no more words, the two sides clashed. The students fought with raw aggression, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the experienced thugs. Mu Jinxuan, however, was different. Her movements showed she was trained; every strike was fierce and calculated.

During the struggle, someone shouted, “The police are here!” The thugs dispersed like trained professionals, scattering in small groups in different directions—a classic South District tactic to evade the cops.

The police arrived quickly. Luo Qi and the others stayed with the injured Hu Hai. When Luo Qi turned to look for Mu Jinxuan, she was gone.

On the other side, Mu Jinxuan was chasing Li Jie and Brother Lan into a secluded alleyway.

The group stopped. Brother Lan looked back, ensuring no police were following, then sneered at Mu Jinxuan. “What? Still want to fight? I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a woman.”

“Heh. This isn’t over. You think you can hurt my people and just walk away? Let’s see if you have the guts.” Mu Jinxuan picked up a wooden pole leaning against a wall and walked toward them.

“Little girl, a duel depends on the location. Look whose turf you’re standing on.” Brother Lan jerked his chin toward the back of the alley.

Mu Jinxuan turned. Thugs who had scattered earlier had appeared behind her. There were about six or seven of them in total. She frowned; this was trouble. She wasn’t a god; she couldn’t fight off that many at once.

“Brother Lan, forget it. She’s just a girl,” Li Jie tried to intervene.

“Forget it?” Brother Lan shoved him. “You begged me to play this game, and it was a total buzzkill. You think we can just let it go? Do you not know the rules of the South District? The one with the hardest fist is the boss!”

He turned back to Mu Jinxuan. “I’ll tell you this: it was my mistake for not breaking that kid’s leg completely. If I see you guys playing ball again, I’ll make sure you crawl out of here.”

Mu Jinxuan’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. She charged with the pole. She was already carrying the fire from her morning argument. Though she had studied martial arts as a child, those were mostly for show. These South District thugs were battle-hardened and fought dirty.

She dodged a pole aimed at her, but couldn’t avoid a punch to her back, letting out a muffled groan. Just then, Li Jie suddenly lunged forward, tackling several thugs to create an opening.

“Mu Jinxuan, run!”

She didn’t need a second telling. She seized the chance and burst through the opening, dragging Li Jie out with her. The thugs, cursed at Li Jie’s betrayal and gave chase with their weapons.

Mu Jinxuan ran blindly, keeping her head enough to know she couldn’t win a head-on fight. She ducked into every fork in the path, trying to lose them. After turning yet another corner, she spotted a group of people fighting ahead. At a glance, the girl in the center, holding her own against several attackers, looked exactly like her Academic Star deskmate.

Seeing Qing Mo Ran surrounded, Mu Jinxuan frowned. Why is it that every time I see her, it’s in some unexplainable situation? Looking back at the thugs still on her tail, a plan formed in her mind.

Mu Jinxuan shouted toward the brawl ahead: “Qing Mo Ran! I brought reinforcements to help you!”