The Fake Girlfriend is Online - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Secretly Taken Photo

“I… it’s warmer when we sit together.”

As if to validate her words, a wind laced with a winter chill blew in from the window, causing those sitting nearby to tighten their coats. Mu Jinxuan’s exposed ears, which had been gradually turning red, were cooled by the draft, allowing her to calm down temporarily.

“Are you very cold?”

“Cold, really cold.” To play along with Li Fei’s words, Mu Jinxuan shrunk her neck and pulled the collar of her down jacket up, covering half of her face.

“Then how about you go sit over there by the air conditioner?” Li Fei said with a beaming smile. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was genuinely concerned about his student catching a cold.

Having been the homeroom teacher of Class 1 for over three months, the students had discovered that the Li Fei during class and the Li Fei after class were two completely different people. After class, he would go head-to-head with Li Yulan for the sake of the students’ rights, but during class, he instantly transformed into a “black-bellied” Chinese teacher—authoritative and full of tactical maneuvers.

“Huh? I think that’s unnecessary. Even though we can’t feel the AC back here, it’s enough that the students in the front don’t catch a cold. If I go there, I’d be stealing half of their warm air, haha.” Mu Jinxuan laughed it off, refusing to fall into Li Fei’s trap even on pain of death.

“Then are the students in the front willing to let Mu Jinxuan sit up there for a day? Let her feel the warmth of the front rows, since Student Mu Jinxuan hasn’t sat there yet.” Li Fei turned to ask the students in the front.

Hearing Li Fei’s question, the front-row students wished they could bury their heads in their desks. It was a lose-lose situation whether they answered or not. However, the class’s recognized chatterbox and simpleton, Luo Qi, was different; he couldn’t resist voicing his opinion.

“Xuan-ge, go for it! Such a prime spot shouldn’t go to waste.” Luo Qi fanned the flames from the side, unaware that Mu Jinxuan was already cursing his entire family tree in her head.

“Then how about the three of you go sit there together? Anyway, it’s almost time for the break between periods, and we’re nearly done with the lesson. Move your desks now. Since Qing Moran’s leg is inconvenient, remember to help her move hers too.” Before the three could protest, Li Fei settled the matter with a final blow.

“Wait, me?” Hearing her name, Qing Moran looked up in disbelief, pointing at herself. What was going on?

Li Fei didn’t explain. He walked over and nudged her Chinese textbook aside, revealing the math homework hidden beneath.

Qing Moran fell silent. It turned out he knew she was doing other work all along and was just looking for an excuse to punish her as well.

Li Fei placed the textbook on the podium, instructed the rest of the class to recite the text, and stood with his hands behind his back, directing the three as they moved their seats.

Qing Moran grabbed Mu Jinxuan, who was carrying a chair: “Holy crap, Li Fei is actually like this?”

“Qingqing, you arrived late, so it’s normal you didn’t know about Li Fei’s wicked side. When he’s not teaching, he’s a kind Maitreya Buddha, but once class starts, he becomes the Buddha who tricked Sun Wukong into the Five-Finger Mountain.”

The moment Mu Jinxuan said this, the two desk mates in the front—whose mouths were moving to recite the text but whose attention was fixed on the pair—were the first to burst out laughing.

“Sigh, honestly, I’m going to miss you guys too.” Mu Jinxuan patted their shoulders as she passed by with her chair.

“Ignore her, she hasn’t taken her meds lately,” the seated Mu Jinxuan (Qing Moran) remarked.

The bell rang for the end of class before they finished moving. Students across the school rushed toward the playground for the long break, leaving the three in Class 1 staring at each other.

“What did I do wrong? Why do I have to move to the air conditioner with you guys?” Luo Qi was on the verge of tears. Sitting in front of the AC meant sitting in the first row, which meant being the focus of the teacher’s attention. Being called on to answer questions or being sprayed with spit while the teacher talked was common; plus, it was embarrassing when the teacher grabbed your haphazardly finished homework to use as an example.

“Who the hell told you to run your mouth? Now look at us—we’ve become the ‘AC Three Sisters’.” Mu Jinxuan lunged to punch Luo Qi, who scrambled to dodge the attack.

“Who wants to be the ‘AC Three Sisters’ with you?” Qing Moran, who had resumed her math homework the second class ended, rolled her eyes at Mu Jinxuan.

“Qingqing, you can’t blame me for this. You probably showed your math homework on purpose because you can’t bear to be away from me, right?” After finishing off Luo Qi, Mu Jinxuan turned and blew her a kiss.

“Mu Jinxuan, are you insane?!” Seeing the kiss flying toward her, Qing Moran lost her cool and shouted, her reaction feeling a bit like a guilty overcompensation.

“Just a joke, don’t get excited, Qingqing.” Feeling that Qing Moran might actually be angry, Mu Jinxuan immediately straightened her expression.

While Mu Jinxuan was coaxing Qing Moran, Luo Qi rubbed his chin in thought. He felt something was strange between them. He was supposedly Mu Jinxuan’s bro and had known her longer, yet he’d never seen her treat him this well.

Mu Jinxuan and Luo Qi struggled to move their desks, chairs, and stacks of books to the new spots. Finally, only Qing Moran’s desk remained. Mu Jinxuan conscientiously helped Qing Moran into her new seat and gestured to Luo Qi. Luo Qi, eager to show off his “manly strength,” carried Qing Moran’s desk and chair even more vigorously than he had his own.

After a long while, the three were finally settled in their new positions.

When the rest of Class 1 returned to the room, they saw this scene: The mobility-impaired Qing Moran sat by the aisle, Mu Jinxuan sat in the middle, and Luo Qi sat to Mu Jinxuan’s left by the window. Mu Jinxuan was constantly asking Qing Moran: “Is the AC too hot?”, “Do you want to adjust the vent?”, “Are you used to sitting here?” Meanwhile, Qing Moran was buried in her homework the whole time. Luo Qi tried to chime in several times but found he couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

Feeling stifled, Luo Qi pressed his head against the wall and cursed the two people ignoring him.

Finally, as most people returned to the classroom, Luo Qi began dragging his back-row neighbors into gossip. However, Mu Jinxuan frowned as she noticed more and more strangers appearing at the door.

Having grown accustomed to Mu Jinxuan’s nagging over the last ten minutes, the sudden silence made Qing Moran look up. Mu Jinxuan tilted her chin, pointing toward the classroom door, and Qing Moran turned to look.

But the moment Qing Moran turned, Mu Jinxuan’s sharp eyes caught a girl at the door moving a phone hidden in her sleeve. The phone was aimed directly at them. Realizing what was happening, Mu Jinxuan suddenly grabbed Qing Moran’s head, snapping it back and holding it with both hands to keep Moran facing her.

“Crap, what now?” Before she could see the situation at the door, her head had been forcefully turned. Qing Moran couldn’t help but snap back irritably.

“Wait a second, don’t turn around. I’m going out for a moment. Remember, don’t look at the door.” After giving her instructions, Mu Jinxuan bypassed her seat and headed for the door.

Seeing Mu Jinxuan coming, several people crowded at the door slipped away, but a few remained standing there persistently.

“Phone.” Mu Jinxuan stepped out of the classroom and held out her hand to a specific girl.

“Wha—what?” The girl hid her hands behind her back, pretending not to understand Mu Jinxuan’s meaning.

“You just took a photo, didn’t you? Either you delete it in front of me right now, or I’ll delete it for you,” Mu Jinxuan said commandingly.

“I didn’t take any photos, you’re crazy!” The girl raised her voice, speaking loudly, and tried to slip away.

The onlookers, who had originally come to see Qing Moran’s true face, suddenly realized something was wrong.

Mu Jinxuan grabbed the girl’s arm, preventing her from leaving. “I saw it clearly. If I find out you lied and that photo ends up online, it won’t just be a matter of secret photography—it’ll be an infringement of portrait rights.”

“Mu Jinxuan, don’t just talk nonsense and bully people because you have connections. This is still school, and the office is right down the hall. Aren’t you afraid the school leaders will find trouble with you?” The girl had regained her composure. Relying on the crowd around her, she figured Mu Jinxuan wouldn’t dare do anything to her.

“Heh, I…” Just as Mu Jinxuan was about to drop a mocking retort and simply snatch the phone, she was interrupted by a voice from behind. The crowd also looked behind Mu Jinxuan with curious expressions.

“I think we have the right to check if you took photos of us. Or perhaps you’d rather Li Yulan know that you brought a phone to school without permission and didn’t hand it in.” Behind her, Qing Moran limped forward, supported by Luo Qi.

The students gathered at the door finally saw the face of the “main character” they were looking for. They craned their necks, wishing they could inspect Qing Moran from head to toe.

Qing Moran had come out because she had just heard the aftermath of the morning’s forum post from Luo Qi; otherwise, she wouldn’t have known she had become so popular at school.

“You…” Caught at her weak point, the girl was instantly silenced. Compared to Mu Jinxuan, Li Yulan was far more terrifying.

“Phone.” Mu Jinxuan extended her right hand again, demanding it.

As the standoff continued, more and more Class 1 students returned. Seeing this scene, whether they were there for the drama or to back up the School Bully, they intimidated the crowd of onlookers.

Helplessly, faced with more and more Class 1 students at the door, the girl pulled out her phone and deleted the photos in front of Mu Jinxuan. Once the photos were gone, she slinked away in shame, and the crowd dispersed with her. The farce was over.

As the people around them returned to their seats, Mu Jinxuan turned and saw Luo Qi still supporting Qing Moran’s arm.

“Moran, that was cool!” Luo Qi, mid-flattery, suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine.

“Luo Qi, go buy a bottle of water for me.” Mu Jinxuan grabbed Luo Qi by the collar and pulled him away, then leaned in to support Qing Moran herself.

“Crap, look at the time, what kind of water am I supposed to buy? Buy it yourself if you want it…” Seeing the look Mu Jinxuan threw him, Luo Qi’s voice trailed off.

“Or perhaps I could trouble you to fetch me some water?” Mu Jinxuan smiled.

Facing that “deathly smile,” Luo Qi didn’t dare say no. He still wanted to be able to play happily on the basketball court.

Luo Qi turned away indignantly to get the water, grabbing Qing Moran’s thermos as well. Carrying three cups, he headed for the boiler room. The boiler room wasn’t far, as every floor had one, but with three classes and the office teachers all fetching water there, the foot traffic was quite high.

“Did he offend you?” Qing Moran looked at Mu Jinxuan curiously.

“I was worried about you!” Mu Jinxuan instantly switched to an expression of pained sincerity.

“Me? I’m fine. I only knew they were looking for me because Luo Qi told me.”

“This whole thing is my fault, but you were seriously cool just now,” Mu Jinxuan unhesitatingly took the blame while tossing in a variety of compliments for her deskie. Then, her tone became hesitant: “However…”

“Xuan-jie, if you have something to say, say it. Don’t be so wishy-washy.” As they spoke, the two reached their seats.

“Next time, don’t let Luo Qi support you. Men and women shouldn’t be so touchy-feely. If Li Yulan sees it, she’ll definitely misunderstand. There were so many people outside; if rumors start spreading, what will you do?” Seeing Qing Moran’s expression becoming strange, Mu Jinxuan decided to just go for it.

“Regardless, I will take responsibility for you!” Mu Jinxuan’s sudden shout startled the students chatting behind them and those passing by.

Hearing this, Qing Moran wished she could throw Mu Jinxuan out the window. She grabbed the hood of Mu Jinxuan’s down jacket, pulled it over her head, and covered her mouth to stop her from talking.