A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 27

“And then?” Jiang Lu asked.

“That’s it,” Liang Shuang replied.

Jiang Lu looked at Liang Shuang’s candid expression, as if she could see the scene as it had happened through her eyes. She lowered her eyelids and nodded. “That’s good.”

Jiang Wen had always respected her in every aspect. Since she hadn’t pried further, she likely didn’t suspect anything else.

Cheng Yu had once said she was a sensitive person—a bit “silly” because she couldn’t hide her emotions; if something was bothering her, it was written all over her face for everyone to see.

Jiang Lu recalled the entire process of seeing Jiang Wen off. Sensing nothing was amiss, she patted Liang Shuang’s arm, and they headed upstairs back to the dorm.

Lin Tingting was no longer so shy about speaking. Seeing Jiang Lu return, her eyes sparkled with envy. “Jiang Lu, your mom is so beautiful, elegant, and looks so young! If you hadn’t introduced her when she walked in, I would’ve thought she was your older sister.”

Chen Xueyao nodded beside her like a chick pecking grain. “Your family genes are amazing. Your eyes and mouth look just like hers.”

Liang Shuang wanted to say that Jiang Lu actually looked more like her Alpha mother—especially her nose and eyebrows, which were identical. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She gritted her teeth with a somber expression and echoed, “Right? Auntie is better looking than a movie star.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Jiang Lu smiled. “I’ll pass your compliments along to her exactly as they were said.”

Lin Tingting and Chen Xueyao froze, a blush creeping up their cheeks.

Jiang Lu was a woman of her word. She leaned against her desk and sent a WeChat message to Jiang Wen. Jiang Wen had a good impression of Jiang Lu’s new roommates; seeing the message, much of her coldness dissipated. She tapped the voice message button to reply: “Tell them ‘thank you’ for me. I think they are very cute, too.”

Jiang Lu listened to it once, then made a “shh” gesture and replayed it on speaker. Jiang Wen’s smiling, gentle voice drifted into the ears of everyone in the dorm.

Liang Shuang’s eyes curved as her gaze swept over Jiang Lu’s phone screen. It was an unintentional glance, but she happened to catch a new message notification. More coincidentally, she saw the contact name displayed: Bai Yue.

Wait, what??? Didn’t she say they hadn’t added each other on WeChat? When did they become friends?

Jiang Lu pulled her hand back and saw the message from Bai Yue. She tapped in to check. Just as she read the first line, she sensed Liang Shuang’s displeased gaze and turned her head in confusion.

Liang Shuang leaned against the bedframe, her phoenix eyes half-open, looking even fiercer than when she was swinging at the “Lemon Spirit.” “You lied to me? I thought you said you didn’t add her?”

The last time they met at the cafeteria entrance, they hadn’t even pulled out their phones. Liang Shuang found it hard not to suspect if that “transfer” back then was actually real.

Jiang Lu hadn’t expected Liang Shuang to care so much. She tilted her wrist, turning the screen toward her. “I just added her. Look at the time.”

Liang Shuang looked half-skeptical. After confirming the timestamp of the friend acceptance, she sat back sheepishly. “Oh, you did just add her.”

Jiang Lu didn’t say anything. She lowered her eyes to continue reading the message, wondering to herself: Where did Bai Yue get my account info? She was sure she hadn’t given it out.

While she was wondering, a new message popped up in the chat window.

Bai Yue: What a coincidence. I went to see Teacher Bai at noon. During our chat, I found out she taught you in tenth grade.

Bai Yue: Teacher Bai likes you very much. She praised you to me for a long time.

…

Jiang Lu watched the “typing…” indicator at the top. Her brow twitched slightly as she realized what happened. Teacher Bai’s health wasn’t great. When they first met, she had told the class they were the last group of students she would teach. They hadn’t seen her this semester; it seemed she really had retired.

While she was dazing out, Bai Yue sent two more messages. Jiang Lu scanned them quickly and pulled up the keyboard to type a reply. Before hitting send, she went back to her chat history with Shao Shuyi and saved a few cute emojis.

This Senior Bai Yue gave off such a warm feeling that Jiang Lu was a bit worried her usual blunt habits might make her uncomfortable. Little did she know that Bai Yue’s “warmth” was quite selective. For example, in the eyes of Su Mengrui and her mother, this “warmth” was practically scalding.

At the street junction diagonally across from No. 1 High, Su Mengrui, leaning on her motorcycle, glared at the blindingly bright Bai Yue. “You brat, you’re seriously more persistent than a vengeful ghost! What exactly do you want? Why are you everywhere! Am I never going to get rid of you in this lifetime?!”

Bai Yue looked innocent. “You’re the one who disturbed me. Don’t sound so victimized.”

“I disturbed you? Joke. Does this road belong to your family?”

“Does it belong to yours?” Bai Yue felt uncomfortable in the sun and took a step sideways into the shade.

“Fuck, you’re a total jinx!” Su Mengrui revved the handlebars violently, disappearing in a cloud of dust and the roar of the engine.

Bai Yue pulled out her vibrating phone and saw the cute dog head emoji Jiang Lu had replied with. The smile on her face deepened as she hurried toward her car parked across the street. The raw chocolate she bought for Su Cheng was in the car; she had to get back quickly.

Jiang Lu hadn’t used emojis much before. After sending it, she thought it looked pretty good, so she sent one to Jiang Wen as well.

When Jiang Wen received the emoji, she was looking through materials sent by her assistant, confirming specific project orders. Her internal fire was burning bright, but seeing the cartoon dog grinning made her heart tremor involuntarily.

This child… she was becoming more and more like Cheng Yu. No matter what happened, she liked to carry it herself; the more trouble there was, the more she tried to act as if nothing was wrong.

Thinking of the Alpha who had left her long ago, Jiang Wen pressed her aching eyes and inhaled slowly to calm herself.

The matter with Song Wushuang wouldn’t end that easily. She had said so.

Meng Wei likely thought the same. After spending half the day wasting time with school officials in the administrative building, she emerged alone. She couldn’t even be bothered to scold her suddenly mute daughter or her husband who had rushed over only to repeatedly say “how is that possible.” She headed straight for the girls’ dorm and found Room 601.

Inside 601, the four roommates plus Shao Shuyi were relaxing by watching a highly-rated suspense film. Just as it reached the climax, a sudden, loud knock on the door made three of the five jump.

Liang Shuang turned back in dissatisfaction, thinking it was the brainless Chu Zishan again. She stood up to go drive the person away. Jiang Lu saw her irritation and grabbed her. “I’ll go.”

Shao Shuyi adjusted her emotions the fastest. The moment she was startled, she realized the sunflower seeds she’d just opened tasted great. She excitedly handed them to Liang Shuang. “Here, try these! Milk tea flavor! First time having them.”

“Peel some for me, I want to try too,” Jiang Lu said. Liang Shuang, who had been standing, sat back down silently and began peeling seeds.

Jiang Lu went to open the door. Seeing Song Wushuang’s mother standing outside, she leaned against the doorframe and asked, “What is it?”

Meng Wei was fuming. Seeing Jiang Lu, who—relying on being an Alpha—was tall and looking down at her, the tiny bit of logic she had left from climbing the stairs vanished instantly.

Clutching her chest, she said, “Jiang Lu, don’t think we in the Song family are easy to bully! I’m telling you, if you really want to make things this ugly, don’t think your life will be easy either! Don’t think just because you have a bit of stinking money that we’re afraid of you!”

Jiang Lu didn’t understand what kind of madness Meng Wei was experiencing. She had no mood or time to debate her. She leaned to close the door, but Meng Wei slapped her hand directly onto the door panel.

“Wait!” Meng Wei shouted, and her foot in a high heel wedged directly into the door gap.

Jiang Lu’s expressionless face turned cold. Liang Shuang, sensing something was wrong, came over. Meng Wei stood outside, looking down to unzip her bag. Inside the room, Liang Shuang rested her hand on the door beside Jiang Lu and asked, “What’s up? Who’s outside?”

Hearing other voices and seeing students in the hallway out of the corner of her eye, Meng Wei sneered. She pulled a stack of cash from her bag and suddenly flung it at Jiang Lu.

Red banknotes scattered all over the floor.

Liang Shuang couldn’t see the outside clearly, but she saw the money sliding through the gap and swung the door wide open.

Meng Wei looked triumphant, her voice shrill and loud: “Didn’t you act like you couldn’t afford to play and wanted your ‘contributions’ back? Fine. It’s all back to you. Is it enough? If not, I have more here.”

Figures in the hallway froze. Meng Wei’s voice grew louder: “My daughter was blind to befriend you! A person with such low character, who is two-faced and has more ‘schemes’ than holes in a lotus root—I’ll see who dares to be friends with you in the future!”

Jiang Lu turned a deaf ear and bent down to pick up the money.

Liang Shuang was fuming and about to snap back when Shao Shuyi, who had come over at some point, let out a shocked “Ah!”: “Who are you?”

Chen Xueyao added from behind: “Omegas are forbidden from entering the Alpha dorms. Where did you come from?”

Shao Shuyi gasped again: “I remember now! You’re Song Wushuang’s mom!”

Lin Tingting immediately added with exaggerated mockery, covering her mouth: “You’re the mother of that Song Wushuang who loves taking advantage of people and got beaten up after climbing over the school wall?!”

“…” Liang Shuang forgot what she was going to say.

Jiang Lu organized the notes in her hand, counting them carefully. After Shao Shuyi finished with “As expected, like mother like daughter,” Jiang Lu calmly flicked the bills in her hand.

Meng Wei’s face turned the color of pig liver from the mockery of these kids who “hadn’t even grown their hair out.” She turned to leave, but Jiang Lu didn’t give her the chance. She took two strides and blocked the path. “Wait a moment, Song Wushuang’s mom. This money isn’t enough. You’re still short eight hundred.”

Meng Wei froze. “What did you say?”

“You didn’t know?” Liang Shuang finally found an opening. “Everyone in our class knows. Song Wushuang owed Jiang Lu four thousand six hundred. She paid half last time. What is this thousand-or-so supposed to do?!”

Now even Meng Wei’s neck was red. She pulled out her wallet and counted the rest—exactly eight hundred, not a cent more or less.

Jiang Lu took the “debt,” retreated with satisfaction, and slammed the door with a bang. She then gestured for her old and new roommates to continue watching the movie.

Inside 601, it was as quiet as if no one had ever visited. The paused frame continued playing, the time picking up exactly at the second Jiang Lu had stood up.

Outside 601, Meng Wei stood stiffly for a moment. Noticing several high schoolers nearby staring at her, she stomped down the stairs in her heels, fuming, to settle the score with Song Wushuang.

It was still early for dinner at No. 1 High, and there were many people on every path of the campus. Song Wushuang walked out of the administrative building with her Alpha father, only to lock eyes with the furious Meng Wei.

Before she could even say “Mom,” a loud slap exploded across her ear.

A buzz filled her head, as if water had been poured into her ears. She couldn’t hear anything except the ringing.