A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 25

Jiang Lu held a pink baseball bat in one hand. “Does ‘chatting privately’ mean I chat with the three of you alone?”

Two streams of white smoke snorted from the Lemon Spirit’s nose as he laughed until he coughed. “Spoken like a top student. Truly smart.”

Jiang Lu watched as he took the initiative to walk into the narrow alley, which stood in stark contrast to the open street. she rested one of the bats on her shoulder. “Hey, why do you think a smart, top student would be stupid enough to follow you into a dump like that?”

The Lemon Spirit stopped. With the cigarette still in his mouth, he looked back and saw Jiang Lu hadn’t moved an inch. He spat out the short remains of his cigarette. “Not planning to cooperate?”

Liang Shuang, who had realized halfway that Jiang Lu hadn’t followed, stepped back just in time to hear this warning-filled interrogation. As she turned, she took the bat from Jiang Lu’s left hand. Her phoenix-like eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the Lemon Spirit. “Cooperate with what?”

“Want to know? Come over here, and your granddaddy will tell you.” The Lemon Spirit stood with his hands in his pockets; his right pocket bulged as if stuffed with something.

Liang Shuang had seen plenty of thugs, but this was the first time she’d seen one so “negotiable.” “Not coming over. Say it or don’t, I don’t care.”

“I’ll fucking—is my word not good enough for you!” Seeing their posture shift as if they were about to turn and run, the Lemon Spirit swung his thin legs into a sprint toward them.

Liang Shuang and Jiang Lu had honestly intended to leave. Neither of them was the type to be easily provoked into a reckless frenzy. However, upon hearing the specific profanity they detested most, the feet that were about to walk away changed direction.

Unlike fighting on campus, in the world of street thugs, as long as you don’t kill someone, there is rarely a price to pay for how badly you beat someone up. They followed the code of the streets: street business stays on the street. There was no such thing as losing a fight and running to call parents or the police—that would be a total loss of face.

By the same token, if you get hit, you either find a way to hit back or admit defeat and never show your face in those circles again.

Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang had learned these “rules” back in middle school, so they had almost zero psychological burden. They were top students, yes, but they were “top” at more than just being students. Back in the day at the martial arts hall, they were the “star pupils” in the coaches’ eyes and “excellent disciples” to their masters.

In fact, Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang had known of each other since the second grade. The reason they hadn’t become friends sooner—aside from the lack of fate in being assigned to the same class—was that they were always the “prodigy disciples” their masters used as invisible rivals against one another.

Now, these two “five-star” students, developed in morals, intelligence, physique, and aesthetics, were sisters-in-arms. Never mind one Lemon Spirit, one Pineapple Spirit, one Green Radish, and four “Hedgehog-heads.” Even if two more showed up, it would be hard for them to suffer a loss.

They were capable of competing in city-level tournaments; a few local thugs were nothing they couldn’t handle.

The two Alpha girls swung their bats with such speed that within minutes, the group of posturing hoodlums was sprawled all over the ground.

Jiang Lu kicked away a switchblade that had fallen near her feet, glad that she and Liang Shuang had the foresight to buy the bats when they left school.

Liang Shuang leaned on her bat, guarding against a sneak attack while staring at the Lemon Spirit. “Who sent you?”

The Lemon Spirit just groaned on the ground.

“Not cooperating?” Jiang Lu mimicked his earlier tone. She reached into her pocket and fished out two hundred yuan. “Hey, confess who your employer is, and this money is for you to buy some medicated patches. What do you think?”

The Lemon Spirit groaned and caught a glimpse of the folded bills. He angrily propped himself up. “You motherfucker, do you take me for a beggar!?”

Jiang Lu patted Liang Shuang. “Do you have any more?”

Liang Shuang spread her hands. “No. Haven’t used cash in ages.”

“None here either.” Jiang Lu honestly turned out her pockets and stuffed the money back in. “How about this then? I’ll scan your code. Two thousand. A fight makes friends; consider it my treat to you brothers for a meal?”

The Lemon Spirit had already recognized that these two girls were wearing expensive shoes. Seeing her take the initiative, he tried to hike the price: “Two thousand? Not a cent less than—”

“Deal! Two thousand. Let’s call it making friends.” Jiang Lu nodded readily.

Beside her, Liang Shuang frowned at Jiang Lu, thinking: Are you crazy? We already beat them into the dirt, why give them a single cent of ‘mercy money’?

Just as she was about to speak up to stop Jiang Lu from scanning the yellow-haired guy’s QR code, a thud echoed as the baseball bat hit the ground. Jiang Lu’s hand suddenly gripped the man’s phone.

“Holy shit, you fucking played me!” The Lemon Spirit roared in shock.

Jiang Lu took two steps back with the phone. Liang Shuang immediately stepped up with her bat: “Who are you cursing at! Keep your mouth clean!”

Lemon Spirit: “Fuck…”

Jiang Lu opened the video recording app on the yellow-haired guy’s phone and scrolled through his chat list. Seeing Song Wushuang’s avatar right there in the recent contacts, she didn’t hesitate to start a video call. She squatted down, adjusting the camera to point directly at the yellow-haired guy, waiting for Song Wushuang’s face to appear on the screen.

Liang Shuang watched, dumbstruck. She didn’t snap out of it until long after they had left the alley.

Of course, the person most shocked was Shao Shuyi, who was gritting her teeth while carrying two massive bags of supplies.

“Oh my god, what just happened?!” Shao Shuyi looked at the two bat-wielding girls with pure worship. “You guys are so cool! You’re even better at fighting than I imagined.”

“No, you’re exaggerating. We’re just average,” Jiang Lu said modestly, reaching out to take the largest bag from her. The oversized plastic bag was stuffed with two other full large bags. She held the bag open for Liang Shuang to take one out.

As the three walked side-by-side down the street, Liang Shuang couldn’t help but ask Shao Shuyi: “Didn’t you say you hated making phone calls the most?”

Shao Shuyi let out a “Hah” and said, “You don’t know. That shop was just like our school supermarket—packed. The checkout line wasn’t moving. I was in a rush and didn’t have time to switch to WeChat, so I just called.”

“Oh right, I actually didn’t intend to ask you guys for help at first. But while I was in line, I saw a red-haired guy looking at me suspiciously. I was afraid he wanted to rob me…”

Liang Shuang and Jiang Lu exchanged a look, collectively scrutinizing the bag-toting Shao Shuyi—dressed in a school uniform, round face, with a habitual smile.

Mhm… she definitely looks like someone who is easy to bully.

“Hey, have you guys actually trained before? Can you teach me a few moves? Oh, wait, never mind. Just thinking about you guys fighting… ah—why am I not an Alpha? Even being a Beta would be better than this!”

Jiang Lu chuckled, and Liang Shuang rolled her eyes. The three silhouettes vanished down North Street amidst their laughter.

At another alley entrance nearby, a black-and-pink motorcycle slowly emerged. Su Mengrui, who had taken a day off from school, was leaning over the fuel tank with her helmet on, her gaze complex.

Jiang Lu is actually that good at fighting?

If compared to Ziyan, which of them is stronger?

Realizing what she was thinking, Su Mengrui “tsked” and closed her eyes. Ziyan already wasn’t speaking to her because of this ungrateful little Alpha. She must be crazy to be standing here letting her mind wander!

At the same time, Bai Yue, standing in a shop by the street, pulled out her phone in a good mood. She switched to a different account and sent another friend request to Jiang Lu’s WeChat. Now that her phone is with her, she can’t possibly miss it again.

The notification on Jiang Lu’s phone wasn’t loud. She didn’t see the request until she returned to the dorm. She was wondering if it was that “White Cat” again, but the new friend info clearly stated the four words: “I am Bai Yue.”

The vibrant ice cream avatar at the top formed a sharp contrast with the white cat from before. Jiang Lu’s eyes lit up; it was as if a lightbulb had gone off in her head.

Exactly. This is the real Bai Yue.

A person who had graduated from No. 1 High over two years ago yet still returned occasionally just to eat the food she liked. After accepting the request, Jiang Lu sent a proactive greeting and prepared to leave with her phone.

Liang Shuang asked: “Where are you going?”

“To find Old Yan,” Jiang Lu said, pulling open the door.

Liang Shuang, who had just climbed into bed, turned and jumped back down. ” I’m coming with you! I’m a witness too.”

Jiang Lu had no objection. As they passed Shao Shuyi’s dorm, they caught her just as she was about to head out.

“Going shopping? Let’s go together!”

Liang Shuang said succinctly: “Administration Building.”

“Admin Building?” Shao Shuyi froze. “What for?”

Jiang Lu said: “To find Old Yan.”

“Find Old Yan?” Shao Shuyi was in Class 2, where Old Yan was her subject teacher as well as the homeroom teacher for Class 1. Realizing the connection, she clapped her hands. “Is it about that? I’m coming with you. I’m an eyewitness.”

Liang Shuang smirked. “That’s true enough.”

Jiang Lu didn’t refuse and led the team into the administration building. During Sunday afternoon activity periods, most teachers except for homeroom teachers would leave for their dorms or go home. Jiang Lu didn’t have high expectations, but when she saw a middle-aged man on the second floor with hair half-gone and eyes so small it was hard to tell if they were open, she already had her answer.

He was the dark shadow she had glimpsed that night, and very likely the person she was looking for.

Noticing Jiang Lu’s gaze, Shao Shuyi whispered an introduction: “He’s the biology teacher for this year’s freshmen. I heard he’s some younger brother of the Grade 12 deputy director. He’s not a great teacher; he only teaches one class a year and is mainly responsible for arranging student physicals.”

“You know him?” Jiang Lu looked back.

Shao Shuyi pouted. “Not personally. Just heard people talk.”

Liang Shuang thought for a moment. “Is his surname Hu?”

“Yes, yes! You’ve heard of him too?” Shao Shuyi asked.

Liang Shuang: “A little.”

Jiang Lu hadn’t expected them both to know. She cleared her throat and proactively said “Hello, Teacher” as she passed the man. The man didn’t make a sound; acting as if he was in a rush, he gave a hurried nod and hurried away.

Jiang Lu didn’t look back. She walked straight to the office Old Yan had mentioned on the phone. Inside, she found the Grade Director was also there. She politely greeted them first, then explained her purpose in a few sentences.

Old Yan hadn’t expected that Jiang Lu—a “good kid” who usually only cared about studying—would encounter such a thing. After watching the video with Director Gao, he slammed the desk in fury.

“Outrageous!”

Director Gao, the grade head, looked even more agitated. He pulled out his phone to scroll through his contacts. “Song Wushuang. Song Wushuang again. Sent home for reflection and she still causes this much trouble for me. I’m calling her homeroom teacher right now.”

“What kind of child is this! This must be dealt with severely!”

“Does she think the discipline of No. 1 High is something she can just trash!”

The call went through. Director Gao, face grim, called out to “Teacher Yang.” His emotions hadn’t settled yet: “Come to my office immediately. I have something to discuss with you—something extremely serious!”