A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 20

Su Mengrui looked at the calm, unruffled face inside the car window, and the small fire that had finally died down flared up again with a whoosh.

Tonight, her confinement had been lifted after the Old Matron finished dinner. At the time, the Old Matron was in a bad mood; she only spared her a distant glance before leaving, not even noticing anything unusual on her face.

But Su Mengrui saw clearly that Bai Yue, who was standing by the Old Matron’s side at the time, had the same expression then as she did now—calm and waveless.

It was infuriating just to look at.

“Bai Yue, what exactly do you want? I haven’t provoked or bothered you lately, have I? Why are you biting onto me and not letting go?” Su Mengrui rested her left arm on the car window frame, her expression as complex as her tone.

Bai Yue couldn’t understand what that “constipated” look on her face meant, but she did pick up on her narcissism. She lowered the paper bowl in her hand slightly. “Su Mengrui.”

Su Mengrui’s scanning eyes froze at the mention of her name. She stared straight at Bai Yue’s lips. “What?”

“Do you have a persecution complex? Does Auntie know? I know a few good doctors; shall I introduce you to them sometime?” After speaking, Bai Yue closed the window and continued eating her fried mushrooms.

Su Mengrui’s suddenly distorted face was reflected in the rising glass of the car window. Her limbs felt as if they were being pricked by needles; she suddenly began to twist, slap, and kick the car door frantically. “Holy shit! Bai Yue! You motherfucker, come down here if you have the guts! You dare say I’m mentally ill! You’re the one who’s sick! Your whole family is sick! Fuck—”

With a bang, the car door swung open abruptly and slammed into her face. The half-finished curse in Su Mengrui’s throat was forced back down.

Bai Yue, sitting sideways in the car, didn’t pull back the leg she had used to kick the door open. Instead, she stepped out and walked up to Su Mengrui, who was doubled over clutching her nose.

“Bai Yue, you brat, I… pffft!“

Bai Yue didn’t give her a chance to finish. She struck out with a palm, pressing it right against Su Mengrui’s chest.

“Accept the face I’m giving you.” Bai Yue pulled back her wind-cutting fist and opened her palm to scratch Su Mengrui’s chin like she was petting a cat. “Otherwise, I don’t mind a reenactment of our ‘sparring match’ from ten years ago.”

The Su family Matron placed great emphasis on the cultivation of Omegas, both mentally and physically. In her eyes, self-defense was absolutely necessary regardless of the perspective. Therefore, she mandated that the Su children learn it, especially the Omegas. Unfortunately, due to their nature, it was difficult for an Omega to achieve much. Many gave up halfway; even including Su Ying’s generation, those who persisted for more than two years didn’t even fill one hand.

Su Mengrui was highly competitive and quick-witted. Knowing the Old Matron liked children with resilience and perseverance, she forced herself to stick with it for eight years.

But to be honest, she really wasn’t cut out for it. After eight years of practice, she was still just a showpiece. Whatever jujutsu or sanda she learned only served as exercise; it was useless for self-defense. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been picked up and thrashed like a little chick by Bai Yue ten years ago.

Bai Yue was different. She not only had talent but had undergone genuine, rigorous training. Others might not know, but Su Mengrui, who had been on the receiving end of her beatings, knew better than anyone.

In their match ten years ago, a loose baby tooth had been knocked out of her. If it happened again today, ten years later, she would gain nothing but a more blatant and “justified” beating.

Their eyes met. Su Mengrui’s arrogant flame flickered as if hit by the wind and went out, leaving only a mouth tougher than a dead duck’s. “You wouldn’t dare. Bai Yue, I’m telling you, just you try hitting me.”

“Just you try insulting me again?” Bai Yue smiled, but her eyes held a hidden warning. She looked exactly like she was scolding a disobedient kitten she owned.

“Fuck… I can’t be bothered to lower myself to your level.” After saying this, Su Mengrui turned and walked away. After a few steps, she heard the car door close and turned back to drop a parting threat. “You just wait! Just wait!”

The driver, who had overheard everything and watched her “impotent rage” through the side mirror, shook his head helplessly. He couldn’t understand what this eldest miss was thinking. They were of the same Su bloodline, both granddaughters of the Matron. What exactly did Su Mengrui have that made her so habitually arrogant?

In terms of personal attributes, was there anything she could compare with? It was truly… forget it, forget it. He was just a driver; he was overthinking things.

After getting back in the car, Bai Yue didn’t look back. She stared at the fried mushrooms on the seat beside her for a moment and said, “Brother Tong, please go buy another portion. Have the owner adjust the spice level to a midpoint between mild and medium.”

“No problem.” The driver looked at the stall across the road, opened the door, and got out.

Fried mushrooms require careful timing. Bai Yue sat patiently in the car, waiting.

At 21:40, the lights-out bell at No. 1 High rang punctually.

She looked back, and as far as her eyes could see, the windows of the dormitory buildings went dark one after another.

Jiang Lu lay in bed. A patch of cold light from outside the window fell onto the wall beside her. Liang Shuang, lying head-to-head with her, was breathing steadily, sounding like she was seriously working on falling asleep. The two in the opposite bunks were whispering quietly.

The dorm was too quiet. Lin Tingting and Chen Xueyao’s voices weren’t loud, but listening closely, it wasn’t hard to tell they were discussing the gossip they hadn’t finished before the lights went out.

Song Wushuang getting beaten wasn’t exactly “expected,” but it wasn’t surprising either. What Jiang Lu cared about were the potential risks this event might bring.

Even before all this drama happened, she knew Song Wushuang wasn’t a very magnanimous person. Because they had different upbringings and family environments, she had just assumed it was a personality issue caused by nurture. Thinking about it now, her logic was likely correct, but the one with the problem was definitely Song Wushuang.

The novel mentioned that Song Wushuang had always maintained contact with certain off-campus individuals. After she had consumed everything belonging to Jiang Lu and transformed into a true “second-generation rich,” those people successfully became her followers.

Followers?

Jiang Lu repeated the word in her mind, pondering the relationship between Song Wushuang and them. Song Wushuang was narrow-minded and couldn’t possibly tolerate anyone who had bullied her. Under these conditions, they were likely in a cooperative relationship now.

Since it was a cooperation, and Song Wushuang didn’t dare seek revenge on Su Mengrui, then the only one left to vent her hatred on was likely herself.

Jiang Lu’s eyelashes flickered slightly; her intuition put her on guard. They say even a rabbit bites when cornered. If Song Wushuang could treat her as a “dish on a plate,” there was no reason she wouldn’t treat her as a “punching bag!”

Recalling that the one who argued with her last time was Liang Shuang, it was hard to say if she would be targeted for revenge as well.

Realizing the potential danger, Jiang Lu was somewhat glad that Liang Shuang had gotten the stall owner’s WeChat tonight. They absolutely must not run out tomorrow night. Not just at night—the two of them shouldn’t leave campus on Sunday afternoon either.

Song Wushuang surely wouldn’t go so far as to have those hoodlums climb into the school for a retaliatory strike.

Having cleared this up, Jiang Lu’s uneasy heart gradually steadied. The whispering by her ear had also ceased. Her body felt a sudden drop as she sank into dreamland.

The Alpha girls’ dormitory was completely silent from the third floor up. The seniors on the first and second floors were still racing against time to wash up.

Chu Ziyan had waited another whole day today and still hadn’t received a reply from Su Mengrui. She felt like she had lost her soul, stumbling through everything she did. Her roommates had already finished washing; only she was left standing dazed in front of the bathroom faucet.

In the blink of an eye, the green paste on the electric toothbrush head had turned into a dense white foam. Chu Ziyan was oblivious and raised her hand to stick it into her mouth. When it reached her lips and she smelled that something was wrong, she suddenly snapped awake. Startled, she hurried to turn on the tap to rinse it off.

Warm water flowed over her hands. She deliberately tilted them back to avoid the smartwatch on her wrist. When her gaze landed on it, she realized that Su Mengrui had sent her a message one minute ago.

Looking at the stacked text on the watch face, her stiff face finally showed the emotions a normal person should have.

Cute Ruirui: I was grounded by Grandmother. I only saw your messages tonight.

Cute Ruirui: What’s wrong? Did you miss me?

Cute Ruirui: I miss you so much too. Can I come find you tomorrow morning?

Cute Ruirui: Why aren’t you replying? Are you asleep?

Cute Ruirui: Alright then, goodnight. See you tomorrow!

Chu Ziyan’s drifting heart was enveloped by a warm current. She turned off the running warm water and squeezed fresh toothpaste to begin washing up.

Su Mengrui, currently sitting in a mobile phone shop diagonally across from No. 1 High, was fiddling with her new phone out of boredom. After waiting five minutes for a reply without luck, she opened the account info she had gotten from Song Wushuang and entered them into the search bar one by one.

The result was the same as before: User not found.

What the hell? Why can’t I find it? Did Jiang Lu disable this too?!

Su Mengrui curled her lip in displeasure. The familiar pain spread from the corner of her mouth, and she couldn’t help but curse. That “Crazy Alpha” even dared to hit her; there was nothing she wouldn’t do.

Realizing she had been completely blocked out, Su Mengrui immediately became even angrier. She had originally planned to “have” the girl by the start of school, but now, even seeing her was as difficult as reaching the heavens!

What a mess!

The phone rang. Su Ying’s anxious voice came through the new device: “Ruirui, it’s past ten. Where are you? Come back immediately.”

“I know, I’m coming back now.” Su Mengrui walked out of the brand store and got into the deep purple car waiting at the door. Her voice and gaze were ice-cold. “Auntie Xu, you are not allowed to tell my mother about tonight. Is that clear?”

“Of course.” The middle-aged woman frowned in response, the colored lights reflected in her eyes flickering in and out.

The next morning, Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang washed up and headed downstairs as usual. As they passed the fifth floor, they were blocked by someone standing across the stairwell.

The smile on Jiang Lu’s face vanished silently. Without any hesitation, she leaned to the side, grabbed Liang Shuang’s arm, and passed through the gap.

Song Wushuang, her face covered in injuries, glared resentfully at Jiang Lu’s hand on Liang Shuang’s arm. She chased them down the stairs and grabbed her. “Jiang Lu! Look at me! Look at me! I ended up like this because of you!”

Jiang Lu had expected that Song Wushuang wouldn’t let things go easily, but she hadn’t expected her to use the same old trick and wait here first thing in the morning. Feeling the unwanted warmth on her arm, she jerked away. “Don’t touch me!”

“Don’t touch you?” Song Wushuang’s voice changed pitch with agitation. “Why can’t I touch you? Am I poisonous, Jiang Lu! Look at me! Just over one meal! You broke off our friendship, and I was beaten like this! On what grounds?! On what grounds?!“