The Fake Girlfriend is Online - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Mo Ran the Ballerina

The heavy colors of the night sky receded as daylight slowly bloomed across the horizon.

The next day, Mu Jinxuan walked into the classroom with her usual swagger, but the strange looks from her classmates made her skin crawl.

“What’s up?”

Luo Qi, walking behind her, quickened his pace to catch up. “Xuan-Ge, you don’t know yet? The Rakshasa is looking for trouble with you again.”

“Mhm? I haven’t done anything lately, have I?” Mu Jinxuan looked at him in bewilderment. She hadn’t really committed any “crimes” recently.

“Xuan-Ge, think back carefully to the exams we took last week.”

“Oh.” Mu Jinxuan had a sudden realization.

“Just ‘oh’?”

“Would you prefer an ‘ah’?”

Seeing the School Bully turn her head to look at him, Luo Qi wisely shut his mouth.

Having learned that Mu Jinxuan was back in class today, Li Yulan came by personally early in the morning to summon her to the office for a talk. Qing Mo Ran watched her deskmate be called away before she could even sit down, noting that the expression on Mu’s face remained exceptionally calm.

As soon as she left, the class erupted into chatter.

“I knew Xuan-Ge wouldn’t take it seriously, look how calm she is,” the tomboy Li Jingjing said while collecting English homework.

“Li Jingjing, let me borrow your English workbook to copy. This time, though, they’ll probably call Xuan-Ge’s parents,” the sports rep Hu Hai said, grabbing the workbook and scribbling furiously.

“Speaking of which, I remember at the last parent-teacher meeting, Xuan-Ge’s parents were the only ones who didn’t show up.”

“Yeah, last time your sister came for you, right? She was really pretty.”

“That was my mom…”

“…”

The conversation drifted off-track. The classroom remained lively—some were copying homework, some were catching up on sleep, and others were stealthily playing on their phones.

Qing Mo Ran felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She checked a text, her fingers flying over the screen as she typed a long paragraph, only to delete the entire thing. In the end, she replied to nothing.

The first two periods on Tuesday morning were back-to-back English classes. The students had already cursed whoever designed the schedule back eighteen generations, but their groggy minds were jolted awake by the English teacher.

“Students, we’re having a pop quiz today.” Ignoring the wails from below, the teacher began distributing papers. “You have two periods. If you finish early, you can leave. It’s the same length as a monthly exam, so stop whining. Hurry up and look at the listening section; we’re starting in a moment.”

Sitting in the last row, Qing Mo Ran waited for the papers to be passed back. She heard Hu Hai, across the aisle, signaling her frantically.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Qing Mo Ran turned to see Hu Hai making desperate hints. “Mo Ran, the exam is in your hands.” He clasped his hands together in a prayer gesture.

Qing Mo Ran let out a snort of laughter and gave him an “OK” sign.

Taking the paper, she skimmed it entirely, checked the essay prompt, and began the reading comprehension. Hu Hai, meanwhile, was dumbfounded. The first part was listening; the teacher gave them five minutes to read the questions, but seeing Qing Mo Ran go straight to the reading section, Hu Hai wasn’t sure if she actually knew her English or not.

When the listening audio began, Qing Mo Ran continued with the reading comprehension. Only when the prompts were being read did she flip back to the listening section. Seeing this, Hu Hai felt a mysterious sense of relief.

The classroom was silent save for the scratching of pens on paper and the occasional whispered answer-checking between deskmates. The seat next to Qing Mo Ran remained empty; Mu Jinxuan had been in Li Yulan’s office for half an hour.

By the end of the first period, Qing Mo Ran had finished the reading section. Shortly into the second period, she put down her pen. Looking up, she was startled to see the English teacher staring at her paper. The teacher nodded and walked away.

Once the teacher was at a distance, Qing Mo Ran heard Hu Hai’s signal again. She turned and saw his eyes bulging with hints. She suddenly realized why Hu Hai had the largest eyes in class—staring like that all the time would probably widen them permanently.

Qing Mo Ran tore off a slip of paper, scribbled down the answers, and dropped it on Hu Hai’s desk as she walked up to hand in her test. Receiving the answers, Hu Hai looked at his savior with eyes full of gratitude, as if he had received a divine treasure.

The rest of the class, still working, watched her leave. As the first person to finish, she naturally received a “salute” of stares from the entire room.

After handing in her paper, Qing Mo Ran didn’t know what to do. There was still nearly half an hour until class ended. Walking aimlessly, she left the teaching building and entered the adjacent Arts Building. As the name suggested, it housed rooms for music, dance, and art; few people came here during class hours.

Meanwhile, Mu Jinxuan, having finally escaped the office, climbed to the rooftop of the Arts Building. She hopped over the railing to the top tier, thinking about what Li Yulan had said.

“Call my parents? Who would I even call?” she murmured, sitting on the roof. “People who won’t even show up for a regular parent-teacher meeting… how could they come for something so shameful?”

She played a few rounds of games on her phone until she felt her mood lift, then climbed down to head back to class. However, she got turned around in the building and couldn’t find the exit. Frustrated, she scratched her head. Passing a room, she noticed someone inside.

She was about to ask for directions but stopped when she recognized the familiar pair of shoes at the door.

In the dance studio, Qing Mo Ran stood barefoot in the center. She was on her tiptoes, her body perfectly upright, her arms gracefully extended like a swan. One leg traced an elegant arc in the air following her movements, while the surrounding mirrors reflected her serene expression.

Mu Jinxuan was momentarily entranced.

In recent years, she had never seen a dance that made her feel so comfortable. It felt as if a feather were gently tickling her heart; her lips curled up unconsciously. Mu Jinxuan was completely immersed in the dance and couldn’t bring herself to stop her.

The sudden school bell interrupted them both.

Qing Mo Ran stopped, breathing slightly hard. She gently rotated her ankle. Mu Jinxuan saw it clearly—it was the same foot Qing Mo Ran claimed had been injured when she first arrived at school.

Mu Jinxuan didn’t have time to hide before she was caught red-handed by Qing Mo Ran, who looked toward the door. Mu felt the embarrassment of a thief being caught in the act.

“You…”

“You…”

They spoke at the same time.

“When did you get here?” Qing Mo Ran finally broke the silence, but her face was fierce, as if she wanted to devour the person in front of her.

“Haha, I just arrived. I didn’t expect you to be so amazing at ballet, deskmate.”

Qing Mo Ran ignored her, walking straight to the door to put on her shoes. She exited and slammed the studio door shut. For some reason, Mu Jinxuan instinctively felt that she was angry.

“Hey, deskmate, I didn’t mean to spy. But you really do look beautiful dancing ballet,” Mu Jinxuan tried to smooth things over.

Qing Mo Ran, walking ahead, didn’t look back. Perhaps being seen dancing ballet wasn’t a big deal, but there was a hurdle in her heart she couldn’t get over.

Mu Jinxuan grabbed her arm and said seriously: “I’m sorry. I don’t know why you’re angry, but I really didn’t do it on purpose. I got lost in the building and saw someone dancing, so I wanted to ask for directions. I didn’t know it was you. And aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Having cooled down slightly, Qing Mo Ran realized her reaction was a bit abnormal, but she kept a stiff face. “English exam,” she said succinctly.

“Ah?” Sensing her deskmate had softened, Mu followed her.

Qing Mo Ran didn’t explain further. She seemed very familiar with the Arts Building and led Mu Jinxuan out in no time. Standing outside, she looked up at Mu Jinxuan, narrowed her eyes, and threatened: “Don’t you dare tell anyone what you saw. If a word gets out, you’re responsible for the consequences.”

Mu Jinxuan looked at the girl—who was several centimeters shorter than her—threatening her with such a serious face. She found it strangely funny but replied solemnly: “Understood. I won’t tell a soul.” She stood at attention.

Satisfied, Qing Mo Ran turned and headed back to the classroom without another look.

Ever since seeing the ballet, the image of Qing Mo Ran dancing kept flashing through Mu Jinxuan’s mind.

Luo Qi waved a hand in front of her. Seeing no response, he smacked her shoulder. “Xuan-Ge, are we playing ball or not? Are you okay?”

Mu Jinxuan looked at him blankly. What could be wrong?

Hu Hai walked over with a basketball. “You’ve been dazed since you got back from Li Yulan’s office this morning. Did something happen? Tell us; if it’s a problem, we can figure it out together. Don’t carry it alone.”

“Yeah, even if you’re a bully, we consider you a friend.”

“Get lost, you’re the one with a problem.” Mu Jinxuan snatched the ball, ran a few steps, jumped, and shot.

Do I really daydream that much? she wondered. It’s not like I’m thinking about anything… just the dance from this morning. Was it because she was tired of watching her mother dance that she was attracted to her deskmate’s performance?

During a break in the game, she glanced toward Qing Mo Ran. The girl was smiling now; the morning’s irritation had vanished. Luo Qi and Hu Hai followed her gaze.

“Oh right, Xuan-Ge, after you and Qing Mo Ran came back together this morning, I felt like she was in a bad mood. You didn’t give her trouble, did you?” Hu Hai looked at her with the expression one might give a “scumbag” girl.

“Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t bully her,” Mu Jinxuan said guiltily. Though, technically, it was because of her that the mood had soured. “Wait, why are you so concerned about her? Big Head, don’t tell me you have a crush?”

“Tch, I’m not that shallow.”

Luo Qi leaned on Hu Hai’s shoulder. “You’re not shallow, you just want to protect her because she gave you the English answers.”

At this, Mu Jinxuan burst out laughing, while Hu Hai made a move to punch Luo Qi.

Hu Hai’s grades weren’t terrible, but he was heavily lopsided, especially in English. In previous months, he’d only passed because he sat next to Mu Jinxuan. That was how he had become part of the bully’s circle. Who knew there’d be a pop quiz today when Mu Jinxuan was in the office? He’d had no choice but to beg Qing Mo Ran for help.

Meanwhile, Qing Mo Ran watched Mu Jinxuan play basketball with an unreadable expression.