I don't know if the Chinese text implies something different, but I think even in English it's pretty normal for people to claim they 'faked' their way through something without referring to fraud.

E.g. "I faked my way through the interview!" = "I did my best to respond to questions I did not feel fully prepared for, and managed to get through the interview"

Well cheated would definitely imply fraud. “Faking it” as in “fake it till you make it” is more like pretending you know about a topic until you learn enough on the job to participate competently.