The Fake Girlfriend is Online - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Fever

The “Start of Winter” solar term had passed last weekend. Although it was still November, the weather is a fickle thing; no one can say for sure what the next moment will bring.

Qing Mo Ran tightened her jacket to keep the cold wind from whistling down her collar. Ever since her new deskmate, Mu Jinxuan, caught her walking normally last week, she had stopped using her crutches. She wasn’t thick-skinned enough to keep faking a limp in front of someone who knew her secret.

“Mo Ran, Mo Ran, wait for me!” An Xiao Xi called from behind, quickly catching up. “Mo Ran, is your leg really okay? I remember you were still on crutches when you reported for school last week.”

“It’s really fine now. I just need to rest it more and not overwork it. That folk remedy my mom found for me is surprisingly powerful.”

An Xiao Xi nodded, amazed that a local remedy could be so effective. She figured she might borrow the recipe if she ever needed it. “Mo Ran, your bully deskmate hasn’t done anything to you, has she?”

“My deskmate is actually quite nice,” Qing Mo Ran reassured her. Indeed, after sitting next to her for a few days, “Bully Mu” treated her like any ordinary deskmate, and neither of them had brought up the events of that night again.

“Yo, deskmate, morning! This is An Xiao Xi, right?” The subject of their discussion suddenly appeared behind them. An Xiao Xi shrunk her neck in fear. Did I say anything offensive just now?

“Good morning, Student Mu. You’re early today.” Usually, Mu Jinxuan stepped into the classroom just as the bell rang; this was the first time Qing Mo Ran had seen her arrive so early.

“You didn’t know? We have a flag-raising ceremony every Monday. Anyone who’s late or not wearing a school uniform has to write a 3,000-word self-reflection and read it aloud at the next ceremony. A whole 3,000 words!”

Qing Mo Ran understood. Her bully deskmate simply found writing a 3,000-word essay too much trouble.

The flag-raising was a major event at No. 1 Middle School. Under Li Yulan’s iron-fist policy, no one dared to miss it. After the ceremony, everyone began heading back to their classrooms or offices. However, Mu Jinxuan was intercepted on her way back.

Standing beside Mu Jinxuan, Qing Mo Ran watched as a group of people surrounded them in a pincer movement. She desperately wanted to slip away. Because the school had strict formations for the ceremony, Mu Jinxuan—being the tallest girl in class—was at the back. As the new student, Qing Mo Ran was also placed at the rear. Thus, they stood together during the ceremony and were now being blocked together on their way back.

“Mu Jinxuan, you’re pretty arrogant, aren’t you?” The leader, a boy with his school jacket half-unzipped to reveal a sweater and a necklace, stepped forward. The school forbade jewelry, but if you’re going to block Bully Mu, you have to look the part. “Just because you won a few points in the last game? Who do you think you are? Do you think you own the basketball court?”

It wasn’t until the boy mentioned basketball that Mu Jinxuan realized who they were. “Ah, so it’s the friends who lost the game. Is there something you need?”

“Damn! Boss, this woman is too dismissive. I really want to hit her,” one of the boys said, rolling up his sleeves.

“Friend, you should watch who you’re fighting. Besides, the Rakshasa is still standing on the playground,” Mu Jinxuan replied with a mix of mockery and threat.

“Xiao Xing, don’t be impulsive. Mu Jinxuan, let’s be direct: we’re here for a rematch. This Saturday, at the South District urban construction court. Bring your team. If you don’t show, you’re a coward.” Having dropped his ultimatum, the boy led his group away, though not before they all shot the two girls a final glare.

Mu Jinxuan watched them leave as if they were idiots. She turned to Qing Mo Ran: “Deskmate, did I even agree to that? What a bunch of psychos.”

Having been glared at for no reason, Qing Mo Ran was in a foul mood. She gave Mu Jinxuan a cold, thin smile and headed back to class.

No matter the age, morning is always the sleepiest time. Students in the first period were dazed, still suffering from “weekend syndrome,” their heads nodding as they fought off sleep. Bully Mu was no exception. However, by the third period, Qing Mo Ran noticed something was wrong.

While everyone had been sleepy, Mu Jinxuan had been face-down on her desk ever since the flag-raising, coughing occasionally. Now, her head was tilted slightly, peeking out from her elbow. Her face was flushed dark red, her breathing was irregular, and her right hand kept tugging at her sweater collar. From Qing Mo Ran’s angle, she could see that the pale skin of Mu’s neck had turned a deep crimson.

Qing Mo Ran grabbed Mu Jinxuan’s hand to stop her from pulling her collar—it was becoming a bit improper—but the moment she touched her skin, a searing heat radiated through. Startled, Qing Mo Ran reached out to feel her forehead.

“Crap!” Qing Mo Ran blurted out. This forehead was burning up. Was Bully Mu trying to cook her own brain?

At the touch, Mu Jinxuan let out an extremely uncomfortable low groan and furrowed her brow.

“Teacher, my deskmate has a fever. We need to get her to the hospital,” Qing Mo Ran interrupted Li Fei’s lecture.

Li Fei hurried over and felt her forehead. “Oh my, Student Mu is burning up! Quick, quick, to the hospital!” Li Fei nudged Mu Jinxuan awake and signaled for Qing Mo Ran to take her.

“Teacher Li…” Couldn’t you find a boy? Mu Jinxuan’s 172cm height made this a difficult task for Qing Mo Ran.

Li Fei clearly misunderstood her hesitation. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of crumpled bills—red, green, even a brown ten-cent note. He stuffed them into her hand without looking. “Right, right, take a taxi. Find a few more students to go with you.”

As Li Fei was about to call on more students, Mu Jinxuan seemed to sense something and opened her eyes. “Ugh… Teacher, it’s fine. Just my deskmate is enough. I can manage.”

“Eh? No, let’s find a few more just to be safe.”

But Mu Jinxuan acted as if she had heard something terrifying. She grabbed Qing Mo Ran and marched out of the classroom with a strength that didn’t seem to belong to someone with a fever.

The moment they left the school gate, Mu Jinxuan collapsed, leaning her entire weight on Qing Mo Ran. Qing Mo Ran stumbled under the sudden pressure.

“Deskmate? Student Mu? Bully Mu? You still with me?” Qing Mo Ran pulled Mu’s arm over her shoulder, internally complaining about why she was doing this—and how heavy the girl was.

“I might not be doing great, cough cough.”

Judging by her state, she really was going to burn her brain if she didn’t get help. Qing Mo Ran hailed a taxi and shoved Mu Jinxuan inside, sitting beside her. “Driver, nearest hospital, please.”

“Wait… no hospital. No hospital,” Mu Jinxuan suddenly snapped to life.

“Don’t be difficult. You’ll burn to death if you don’t go.”

“I’m saying it again: I’m not going to a hospital.” Mu Jinxuan summoned her bully authority.

“Fine, you’re the boss. If not the hospital, how are you going to break the fever?”

“Go to the clinic at No. 314 Guhua Road, West District.” Having said her piece, Mu Jinxuan tilted her head and rested it on Qing Mo Ran’s shoulder without the slightest bit of self-consciousness. “If you go to a hospital, I won’t go in,” she added, threatening the driver even with her eyes closed.

“Sir, please take us to the clinic at No. 314 Guhua Road. And please hurry, or she might actually turn into an idiot. Thank you,” Qing Mo Ran said, suppressing the urge to punch the girl and cursing her for being so high-maintenance.

All the way there, Mu Jinxuan coughed incessantly. Her closed eyes darted restlessly under her lids. With her trash-talk skill deactivated, she was exceptionally quiet. Qing Mo Ran leaned toward her, trying to make her shoulder a more comfortable headrest. She didn’t know why she was doing it—perhaps it was the natural vulnerability Mu Jinxuan showed while sick.

Looking at her, she saw the ear-length short hair pressed against her shoulder. A few rebellious strands poked into Qing Mo Ran’s collar, prickling slightly. The hair looked so soft and smooth, nothing like her own multiple-dyed mess. Following her heart, Qing Mo Ran raised a hand to stroke the girl’s head.

It did indeed feel very soft. She intended to just give it a quick pat, but what happened next froze her in place.

Mu Jinxuan tilted her head up slightly, nuzzling into Qing Mo Ran’s palm, letting out a low, comfortable hum.

When Mu Jinxuan realized what she had just done, she could only “play dead” and keep her eyes shut. Her mind was racing—why on earth did I just nuzzle her hand like a cat?! Qing Mo Ran let out a soft chuckle and slowly withdrew her hand, the curve of her lips showing her immense satisfaction with the bully’s reaction.

When they arrived, Mu Jinxuan propped herself up against the car door and wobbled toward the clinic. “Hey, there are steps!” Qing Mo Ran hurried to catch her.

“I see them.” Determined to reclaim her cool persona, Mu Jinxuan took a grand stride—and promptly tripped forward. Qing Mo Ran caught her, but lost her own balance, and they both tumbled toward the ground.

When Gu Qing pushed open the inner door, this was the scene he found: two short-haired girls sprawled on the floor. The one with the bob cut had tried to pull the feverish Mu Jinxuan down to act as a cushion, but seemed to change her mind at the last second.

After measuring her temperature, Gu Qing went to get a fever-reducing injection while scolding her: “Mu Jinxuan, are you tired of living? You’re nearly at 40 degrees Celsius. If you’d come any later, you’d be a vegetable. Did you let a cold go untreated this whole time?”

“Brother Qing, I know I messed up. Besides, I took the medicine my deskmate gave me last week. It felt like it worked at the time, so I didn’t see a doctor. Right, deskmate?” A weary Mu Jinxuan winked at Qing Mo Ran.

Qing Mo Ran remained silent. She couldn’t exactly admit that the box was just ordinary cold medicine she’d grabbed at random to break the awkward tension between them. This doctor looked fierce; if he found out, he’d surely scold her back to her original form.

“What medicine? Let me see it. Don’t go taking random stuff like Mu Jinyu; you’ll cause more problems,” Gu Qing snapped.

“Brother Qing, have mercy! I won’t do it again. Can you not be so mean in front of my deskmate?”

“Fine. Go lie on the bed,” Gu Qing said, gathering the syringe. “I’m calling Mu Jinyu.”

“Wait, wait! Brother Qing, you’re my real brother, don’t call him, okay?”

“What do you think?” Gu Qing didn’t wait for a reply, closing the inner door to keep the draft out.

Mu Jinxuan looked at Qing Mo Ran with a miserable face. “This doctor is a friend of mine, Gu Qing. Secretly, if you ever come here for medicine, tell him my name and it’s free.”

“Mhm.” Qing Mo Ran smiled gently. She could see they were very close. It was enviable; no wonder Mu Jinxuan insisted on coming all the way to the West District.