The Fake Girlfriend is Online - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Qingyu Clinic

The streets at six or seven in the evening were exceptionally lively. Between those just getting off work, people out buying groceries, and those taking a stroll, someone like Qing Moran—walking through the West District with a schoolbag—didn’t attract much attention.

Qing Moran stopped in front of the clinic and looked up at the name seriously for the first time.

Qingyu Clinic.

Qing Moran pondered for a moment; she couldn’t seem to discern Gu Qing’s intention in choosing those two characters, Qing and Yu, for the name. Looking at the “No one here, do not disturb” sign hanging on the door, she had to admit that it perfectly matched Gu Qing’s personality. It made people afraid to even knock, as if the sign didn’t say “No one here, do not disturb,” but rather “No one here, get lost.”

Qing Moran hesitated. Although she had been to Qingyu Clinic twice before, coming so abruptly this time to look for a Mu Jinxuan—who might not even be here—she wondered if Gu Qing would kick her out.

“Hey, girlie, looking for Doctor Gu?” An auntie from the convenience store next to the clinic came out holding a thermos. With a flick of her right hand, the tea dregs traced a perfect parabola through the air and landed beneath a tree. She hollered at Qing Moran, fearing she wouldn’t hear.

“Ah, yes. Well, actually no. I’m looking for a girl about my height with very short hair. She should come here often… I just don’t know if she’s here today,” Qing Moran replied, quickly adjusting her expression into a smile once she realized the woman was speaking to her.

The convenience store auntie sized Qing Moran up with a very strange look in her eyes before shouting again: “I don’t know about any girl ‘about your height,’ but I do know one who is taller than you with very short hair.”

Seeing the auntie’s gaze, Qing Moran felt quite embarrassed. Saying the girl was about her height was indeed a bit of a fib, but were the people of the West District always this direct? And without Mu Jinxuan standing next to her for comparison, did she really look that short?

Qing Moran kept the smile on her face while inwardly cursing herself from half an hour ago. Let me mind my own business! Now look at me, getting height-shamed.

Seeing Qing Moran’s polite smile, the auntie continued: “If you mean Little Mu who comes here often, she’s inside today. Just got here not long ago. If you go in now you should find her; any later and you’ll miss them.”

As the auntie spoke, she kept watching Qing Moran. The more she looked, the more she felt this girl was quite well-behaved. The footsteps she was taking to return to her shop veered off as she helped pull open the clinic door next door, gesturing for Qing Moran to go in quickly.

“If you want to find Little Mu, get in there. They might be leaving soon.”

Seeing the auntie persistently holding the door, Qing Moran’s words about “not looking for her anymore” and “heading home” got stuck in her throat. She had no choice but to enter the clinic, smiling her thanks as she passed the woman.

As Qing Moran walked into the clinic to knock on the inner door, the auntie opened her thermos and sighed: “Sigh, if Little Mu were still like before, she’d surely have the same aura as this girl. Who wouldn’t like such a well-mannered personality?”

She raised the cup to drink, only to realize she had already poured out all the tea. With a sigh, she walked back into her shop.

Qing Moran raised her hand and knocked. The inner room was very quiet—so quiet that she couldn’t hear a thing from the doorway, making her wonder if the auntie had been messing with her.

Receiving no response, she knocked again. This time, Gu Qing’s irritable voice finally drifted out: “Who the hell is it? Can’t you see the sign? No consultations today! If you’re sick, go to the hospital yourself!”

Qing Moran fell silent, nearly blurting out a “Holy crap” on the spot. Why was Gu Qing so cranky today? Even when he was being dragged to the school office for “tea” against his will, he wasn’t this explosive.

“Brother Qing, it’s Qing Moran. I just wanted to ask if Mu Jinxuan is here. Teacher Li can’t reach her and asked me to help…” reach out.

Before she could finish, Gu Qing yanked the door open from the inside. Qing Moran looked up to see a dark face that practically screamed, “I’m not to be trifled with today, make it quick.”

“Uh, I’m here for Mu Jinxuan.” Though she desperately wanted to turn and leave, she held her ground and spoke with a smile.

“Come in.” Gu Qing stepped aside, signaling her to enter.

Upon entering, she saw a pot of steaming tea on the coffee table. However, other than the three chairs, the bed, the table, and a small portion of the kitchen visible in the back, there was nothing else. Qing Moran looked left and right, unable to see Mu Jinxuan in such a small space. Had she misunderstood? He hadn’t explicitly said Mu Jinxuan was here today.

“She’s upstairs. Follow me.” Gu Qing walked over to pick up the hot water from the table and led her toward the small kitchen.

Qing Moran rubbed her nose, half-expecting that Gu Qing was using the clinic as a front for human trafficking.

“Move it.” Gu Qing looked back irritably at the stationary Qing Moran.

“Ah, coming.”

Walking into the kitchen, she realized that this place, which looked small from the outside, actually held a hidden secret. The kitchen wasn’t large, but it was fully equipped. Next to it was a narrow staircase that could only fit one person at a time. The staircase walls were adorned with several sconces, creating a style completely different from the simple look downstairs.

Qing Moran followed Gu Qing up. The stairs seemed to be made of sound-dampening material; her footsteps made no noise. The wall lamps illuminated the way, and she could even see murals scattered along the walls. The moment she reached the top, the space felt entirely different.

The hallway separated the upper and lower floors into two distinct worlds. While the bottom was a proper clinic, the upper floor felt like a home—warm and cozy. There was a small living room with a sofa and a TV, and only one bedroom. Currently, the bedroom door was slightly ajar, with warm light spilling out.

Qing Moran surveyed the small hall. The overhead lights were bright, and only then did she notice that the sky outside was pitch black.

“In the bedroom over there,” Gu Qing gestured with his chin.

Gu Qing went in first, followed by Qing Moran. Smelling the faint scent of disinfectant in the air, she felt that something had happened; perhaps she shouldn’t have made this trip.

The door was pushed open gently. Gu Qing set the water jug down and said to Mu Jinxuan, “Mu Jinxuan, your deskie is here.”

Qing Moran was shocked by the scene inside.

A man was half-lying on the bed, his face looking even more haggard against the snow-white sheets.

It was Mu Jinyu. Mu Jinxuan was sitting on a chair by the bed, holding his right hand with both of hers. When she looked up, her face was covered in tear tracks. With heavy dark circles and a listless spirit, she looked even more worn out than Mu Jinyu.

Mu Jinyu was pulling out tissues one by one, trying to wipe the tears from his sister’s face.

This was the first time Qing Moran had seen Mu Jinxuan cry, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. Long after this, Qing Moran would even think of “Bully Mu” as a bit of a crybaby.

“Alright, alright, be good. Wipe away the snot and tears. Your classmate is here to see you make a fool of yourself.” Seeing Qing Moran at the door, Mu Jinyu propped himself up slightly. He remembered her as the top student he had met once before.

Mu Jinxuan stared at Qing Moran for a few seconds before finally remembering to maintain her “School Bully” image. She quickly grabbed the tissues from her brother and wiped her eyes dry.

“What are you doing here?” Mu Jinxuan asked, her voice heavy with nasal congestion.

“Teacher Li couldn’t reach you. I thought I’d look for you here on the off chance I’d find you—so I could take credit with him.” Qing Moran spoke half-jokingly. To be honest, she didn’t know why she had come looking for her either.

After thanking Mu Jinxuan for the chair she brought over, Qing Moran finally observed Mu Jinyu properly. His leg, resting outside the blanket, was in a cast. His arms and face were covered in black and blue bruises. One look told her this was from a fight; even an idiot could see this wasn’t from a “fall.”

“Brother Yu, this is…” Qing Moran pointed at his leg.

“Huh? Oh! My brother accidentally fell. He almost broke his leg.”

Qing Moran fell silent. Fine, was she supposed to assume Bully Mu took her for an idiot?

“Xiao Qing, what’s this about Teacher Li not being able to reach Jinxuan?” Mu Jinyu asked from the bed.

“Mu Jinxuan didn’t come to school last week. After that, Li Fei tried calling her parents but couldn’t get through. He had no way of knowing what happened to her, so he asked if I knew where she was. I just came here to try my luck,” Qing Moran shrugged, indicating she was acting on behalf of someone else.

Mu Jinyu raised an eyebrow at Mu Jinxuan: “Hmm? You didn’t tell your teacher?”

“I forgot,” Mu Jinxuan muttered, scratching her hair. She had been so anxious since her brother got hurt that she completely forgot to ask for leave.

“Li Fei said he called the secondary contact, but it showed as powered off.”

Mu Jinyu recalled, “My phone is indeed broken; I didn’t receive any messages. Jinxuan, go to class tomorrow. Apologize to your teacher for making him worry so much.”

“Brother! Your leg is like that, how can I go to class?” Mu Jinxuan stood up abruptly in protest.

“Mu Jinxuan, your brother is twenty-five, not a child. You aren’t responsible for his broken leg,” Gu Qing, who had been silent since entering, suddenly snapped irritably. “Besides, how many days have you been guarding him? I’m worried your brother’s leg won’t even be healed before you end up in the hospital yourself. Look at those dark circles—people would think you’re being abused here.”

“Gu Qing! Your leg is the one that’s broken!” Because her brother was there, she didn’t blurt out a curse.

“If you don’t trust my medical skills, just say so, and we’ll go to the hospital right now and let them re-dress the wound.” Seeing Mu Jinxuan so worried that she hadn’t slept for days, Gu Qing felt helpless. “Dammit, you think I’m not worried about him? But look at how haggard you are. You’re getting the hell out of here today. I’m not dead yet; you don’t need to guard him every single day.”

Seeing the two about to bicker again, Mu Jinyu immediately intervened: “Alright, alright, I’m not dying. Look at you two. Who wants you to take care of them anyway? But Jinxuan really does need to rest today. Don’t worry, your Brother Qing has seen it all; it’s not like he’s never treated a leg injury. Rest easy.”

After comforting his sister, Mu Jinyu turned to lecture Gu Qing: “And you, stop saying ‘I, your father’ (Lao-zi) in front of Jinxuan all day long. Can’t you say something nice for once?”

Gu Qing opened his mouth to retort but ultimately said nothing. He nodded but still shot a glare at Mu Jinxuan.

Sitting in the chair, Qing Moran felt quite awkward. She wondered if she should excuse herself from this family squabble in case she heard something she shouldn’t.

Just as her rear left the chair to bid them farewell, she was stopped by Mu Jinyu: “Xiao Qing, since you’re here, could I trouble you to take Jinxuan out for a walk? She hasn’t been in a good state these past few days, and we’re all worried about her.”

Looking at the kind smile on Mu Jinyu’s face, Qing Moran just wanted to curse in her head. Mu Jinyu smiled like a perfect gentleman, but his words were impossible to argue with or refuse. It was her first time meeting someone like this; she felt like a fish stranded on a beach—completely uncomfortable.

Helplessly, Qing Moran had to agree.

After Gu Qing and Mu Jinyu combined their efforts to usher Mu Jinxuan out of the clinic, the two girls stood in front of the door, staring at each other. Now that they were out, they had no idea what to do.