A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 31
The food in the school cafeteria isn’t mostly made to order. Since Jiang Lu arrived late, the soup on the rice noodles was no longer scalding, and it was perfect to eat with a few quick breaths to cool it.
She ate quickly, and by the time she set down her chopsticks, many people were still in the cafeteria.
Liang Shuang helped her carry some of the paper bags. As they passed Shao Shuyi, the latter had just set down her soup spoon. “Hmm? What are you guys carrying? Resupply goods? Is there food? If so, can I join in?”
Jiang Lu glanced sideways at her sparkling eyes. “I’m not entirely sure what’s inside yet. Want to come back and check with us?”
“Sure! Give me a bag, I’ll help out too.” Shao Shuyi reached out.
Jiang Lu didn’t refuse and handed over the relatively lighter portion. “What are your plans for the afternoon? Going out to restock again?”
“Definitely! You guys coming? If not, tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll get it for you.” Shao Shuyi patted her chest with one hand, looking as reliable as could be.
Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang exchanged a look, and both tactfully refrained from saying anything discouraging at that moment.
Last weekend’s accident hadn’t caused them any harm, but it was hard to say if there were any “unstable” types among those colorful-haired punks who might want to seek revenge with some dirty tricks. Shao Shuyi had shown her face back then, and the “Lemon Spirit” had looked at her several times before leaving; one couldn’t be too careful.
Sitting at the long table in Room 601, Jiang Lu pulled the items out of the paper bags and found that they were indeed famous specialties from A-City, with enough for six people of each kind. It was exactly enough for everyone present to have a share, with one portion left over.
Since they had just finished lunch, no one could eat much, but that didn’t affect their speed or mood in accepting the gifts. Shao Shuyi was the most excited, gathering a pile of snacks and leaning over the table to ask: “Who sent these? Did they come before lunch? Man or woman? Alpha or Omega? Relative or friend?”
Jiang Lu: “…”
Lin Tingting and Chen Xueyao suppressed their laughter. Liang Shuang leaned against the bedframe and rolled her eyes. “Impressive, Shuyi. Since the class reshuffle, your skill at prying into details has really improved.”
“Oh, you know me, I’m just naturally curious,” Shao Shuyi said, covering her face.
Liang Shuang snorted. “Yeah, keep it up. Put one-tenth of that energy into your studies, and you’ll definitely have a seat in Class 1 next semester.”
“That’s a given!” Shao Shuyi’s spirit of exploration came on strong but retreated quickly. Distracted by the talk of grades, she forgot to follow up on her questions.
Jiang Lu marveled internally. Seeing that Shuyi really couldn’t remember her interrogation, she patted her shoulder and reminded her: “Don’t go out alone this afternoon. Try to buy less, and stay safe.”
Shao Shuyi nodded obediently to the first few words, but when she heard “stay safe,” her head snapped up. Liang Shuang added from the side: “Jiang Lu is right. Better safe than sorry.”
“Why?” Shao Shuyi was stunned for three seconds. Recalling last weekend’s battle, she asked in confusion, “Didn’t you guys beat them into submission? They promised to steer clear of us next time. They wouldn’t go back on their word, would they?”
Liang Shuang replied: “Being submissive then doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way. There are countless people who don’t listen to reason or follow rules. Who knows if their promise counts for anything? In short, don’t wander off alone. It should be fine if there are more people.”
More people? But wasn’t the problem that there was nobody else? Shao Shuyi’s relationship with her own roommates was so average they didn’t even go to the bathroom together, let alone go off-campus for shopping.
Quick-witted as ever, Shao Shuyi immediately reached out and hugged the “thighs” of her two friends. “Say no more. If we’re sisters, you have to come with me~”
Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang did have plans to go out, but their destination was a bookstore three kilometers away. Not only was it out of the way, but the timing wasn’t quite right. Seeing that they didn’t nod, Shao Shuyi gripped tighter: “Good sisters, why aren’t you saying anything?”
At the other end of the long table, Chen Xueyao cleared her throat. “How about… we go with you?”
Shao Shuyi turned back blankly. “?”
Lin Tingting nodded. “Yeah, we’ve been wanting to check out that shop you mentioned last time. The food sounds pretty good.”
Shao Shuyi looked at her two “Alpha” classmates, who were so thin they barely looked the part, and blinked in despair. “I told you guys about what happened last time, right? Aren’t you scared?”
“A little bit, but it’s okay,” Chen Xueyao said. “Are you very scared?”
“…” Shao Shuyi looked down at her own arm, which was nearly as thick as the two of theirs combined. If they weren’t backing down, she couldn’t either. “Of course not!”
Lin Tingting clapped happily. “Then it’s settled.”
Jiang Lu had no objections. She peeled open a kidney bean roll and popped it into her mouth. Just as she was about to savor the taste, Liang Shuang’s elbow nudged her silently. “Hey, do you think they’ll be okay?”
Jiang Lu nearly choked. She craned her neck and whispered back: “I think they will.”
Last time they watched the suspense movie, she saw a glint in Lin Tingting and Chen Xueyao’s eyes during the scariest moments that was far from ordinary. Not only that, she had noticed they actually had quite a bit of muscle—the kind of lines on their arms, legs, and abs that don’t come from a lack of exercise.
“So? You think they’re some hidden masters of martial arts?” When the noon break ended and they got their phones back, Liang Shuang stepped out of the school gate and asked with a frown.
Jiang Lu was busy typing a response to Bai Yue about the gifts. Hearing the doubt, she confirmed absentmindedly, “Yeah, don’t you think so?”
“I don’t,” Liang Shuang shook her head. “Thin people show muscle lines easily. It doesn’t prove much.”
Jiang Lu carefully checked her reply for typos or grammar errors. After hitting send, she scrolled through the emoji search for a while and picked a representative “thank you” gif. “Want to make a bet?”
Liang Shuang: “On what?”
“Two weeks of breakfast?” Jiang Lu proposed.
Slap! Liang Shuang hit her palm against Jiang Lu’s. “Deal!”
There was no bus stop at the school gate, nor any shared electric scooters; those were all on the adjacent street. If they didn’t want to take a taxi, they had to walk to the next block. Fortunately, at this time, neither buses nor scooters were hard to find.
Jiang Lu stood in the sun, scanned the QR code to unlock a scooter, secured her phone in the holder, followed the navigation through the traffic lights, and rode toward the target bookstore with Liang Shuang close behind.
The practice problems they had bought before were all basic; doing too many became tedious. Their tutor only gave them two sets of exam papers a month. If they wanted to grind through more challenging problems, they had to buy them themselves.
Liang Shuang had gained plenty of experience during tenth grade. If you wanted challenging practice sets and tests, there was no second place in this district besides Jiangxin Bookstore on Wenhua Road.
They parked the scooters in the designated area and walked into the bookstore side by side in their uniforms. As they entered, Jiang Lu’s phone vibrated. She checked it, saw it was just a useless advertisement, and stuffed it back into her pocket.
Liang Shuang held back a laugh. “Is it my imagination? I feel like you’re waiting for someone’s message.”
“It’s your imagination,” Jiang Lu said without blinking. She led the way into the store, turned behind the second row of shelves with a practiced air, and headed up the quiet, padded stairs to the second floor.
The second floor specialized in textbooks and supplementary materials, divided by grade. High school materials were at the very back. Jiang Lu had a clear goal, pulling the desired practice books from the packed shelves and then grabbing stacks of test papers.
“Hey, the monthly exams are next week. These comprehensive papers look pretty good, should we grab a few?” Liang Shuang asked from behind her.
Jiang Lu looked where she was pointing, saw the familiar cover color, and agreed. Ten minutes later, both were carrying large stacks downstairs to the checkout.
The bookstore was very quiet. There was a queue at the checkout. Bored, Liang Shuang pulled out her phone to check unread messages in her family group. She turned to see Jiang Lu typing again, and for the first time in her life, she felt the urge to snoop.
She pursed her lips and leaned in. Just as her eyes were about to hit the screen, Jiang Lu—with top-tier reflexes—turned her wrist, turned off the screen, and pocketed the phone in one smooth motion.
Liang Shuang: “???” Did you have to be that quick?
“Is it really that secret? Can’t you let me see for one second? It’s just that ‘Senior,’ right? You think I can’t guess?”
Hearing the beep of the scanner, Liang Shuang snorted defiantly: “Fine, be that way. I dare you not to use your phone to pay.”
“I wasn’t going to.” Jiang Lu pulled out cash from her other pocket. Two heavily creased bills were the ones she had used to humiliate the Lemon Spirit last time; the others were from Meng Wei.
“…” This time, Liang Shuang was truly defeated.
After checking out, they found the two scooters they had parked were gone. Jiang Lu looked around and found three more under a ginkgo tree diagonally across. She gestured for Liang Shuang to follow.
There wasn’t much traffic on Wenhua Road; most people were on bicycles or scooters. Liang Shuang remarked: “Is there a traffic restriction here on Sundays too? I thought that was only for workdays.”
“I haven’t noticed.” Jiang Lu tested the basket on one of the scooters and shook her head. “This basket can’t hold the weight, and the footrest is too small.”
Out of the three scooters, two had cracked baskets, and the last one was the worst—it had no bottom at all.
Just as Liang Shuang was about to suggest a taxi, a bus heading toward North Street slowly pulled up at the stop a few meters ahead. With a hiss, the doors opened.
“Now that’s luck!” Liang Shuang grinned and ran over, clutching her bag of books. Jiang Lu followed quickly, using up the coins she had just received as change.
The bus wasn’t crowded. Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang sat near the back door. They hadn’t taken a bus in a long time, and watching the dappled shadows of the trees outside made them feel sentimental.
“It feels like taking the school bus back in elementary school,” Liang Shuang said, taking a photo of the window glass with her phone before showing it to Jiang Lu. “Look, doesn’t this look like the road we used to take every day?”
The contrast of light and shadow on the street in the photo was intense. Jiang Lu froze. For a moment, it felt like she had traveled back five years through the screen. Back then, nothing bad had happened yet; her life was simple and fulfilling. It was the time when she and her mother, Jiang Wen, were happiest.
Jiang Lu stared at the image, lost in thought.
Realizing she had said something sensitive, Liang Shuang’s heart skipped. She quickly pulled back the phone and changed the subject. “Hey Jiang Lu, I just thought of something.”
“What?”
Liang Shuang switched the camera: “We’ve never taken a selfie together. No time like the present, let’s take one now.”
Knowing Liang Shuang’s “deadly” selfie skills, Jiang Lu was about to refuse when a splash of bright yellow suddenly appeared in the phone screen.
The three-second countdown ended, and a blurry, unidentifiable, but very bright yellow photo was saved to Liang Shuang’s phone. Both girls immediately turned to glare at the person in the back row who was rubbing his sleepy eyes: the Lemon Spirit.
“What the… the Baseball Bat Sisters?” The Lemon Spirit snapped awake instantly, blinking frantically. Red marks from the seat texture were visible on his left cheek.
“What a coincidence. What did we say last time?” Liang Shuang glared. “Hmm? Still cursing at us?”
The Lemon Spirit was terrified. “No, no! I was just talking in my sleep! Don’t take it seriously, please!”
Jiang Lu’s gaze drifted to the phone vibrating on the seat beside him. It showed the caller as “No. 1 High Little Rich Girl.” With a faint smile, she leaned against the seatback. “Heading to North Street too? Whose trouble are you looking for this time?”
The Lemon Spirit guiltily hung up the call. “No! Nothing like that! I’m just going there to hang out.”
Jiang Lu didn’t believe him. She felt relieved that they hadn’t let Shao Shuyi go off on her own. She stood up and sat two seats away from him. “A fight makes friends. Meeting like this means we have fate. Let’s get to know each other properly.”
Last time, he knew their names, but they didn’t even know his. They thought they’d never see him again, but meeting on a bus… both Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang felt it was time to get acquainted.
The Lemon Spirit rubbed his face, his survival instinct kicking in. “My name is Huang Ge. Seriously! It means ‘Yellow Song,’ not ‘Imperial Brother’! Surname Huang, like the Yellow River, and Ge, like singing.”
“Huang Ge? Interesting name.” Liang Shuang smirked. “So what are you doing at North Street? Did you take an ‘order’?”
She had learned the term “taking an order” (hiring thugs) from the gossip group. She just wanted to bait him, but the man’s face turned deathly pale.
“Come on, Sisters! It’s not easy for me to make a living. You don’t have to cut off my path like this…”
Liang Shuang laughed. “It’s not easy for you? Is it easy for the people you beat up?”
“That really doesn’t happen!” Huang Ge grew anxious. “Last time with you was an exception. Most of the time, we just scare people.”
“Just scaring? And that’s easy for them?” Liang Shuang glared at him, half-kneeling on her seat.
Jiang Lu didn’t want to argue. She held out her hand. “Unlock your phone and hand it over.”
“What are you doing!?”
Jiang Lu was succinct: “Seeing who you’re supposed to be scaring.”
“Oh, Sister, give me a break! I’ve been eating cup noodles for days…”
“Tired of them?” Jiang Lu pulled out her own phone. “I haven’t deleted the video from last time. Should I invite you to ‘tea’ at the station for a change of pace?”
Huang Ge immediately gave up his act, unlocked the phone, and handed it over, showing the call logs. “Look! We just got in touch. Nothing’s been said yet, really!”
Fearing they wouldn’t believe him, he opened WeChat. “Look! Last time was such a mess, we don’t dare talk directly on the phone anymore. See this? She said we have to talk in person. She’s even worried about us recording her.”
“I was just going there to get the details. I haven’t even met her yet, so I really don’t know who I’m supposed to scare.”
The three-kilometer distance vanished during Huang Ge’s constant self-defense. The bus reached the stop. Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang got off, carrying their bags from the bookstore.
Huang Ge pressed against the back window, holding up his phone to show he had deleted the contact. “I’m not taking the order! I’m going back home right now! I’ll never show my face in front of you again! Goodbye forever, Sisters!”
The bus doors closed and it pulled away. Liang Shuang snorted. “He’s smart, he runs fast.”
“He ran, but his employer might still be around. Want to check it out?” Jiang Lu turned to scan the surroundings. There were many students from No. 1 High nearby, all looking busy. No one noticed them.
As someone who had been cornered many times, Liang Shuang loathed people who hired outside help for minor conflicts. She immediately responded: “Let’s! Go!”
“Where did he say they were meeting?” Jiang Lu asked.
“The first alley on North Street. Just ahead.” Liang Shuang led the way across the crosswalk as the light turned green.
There were many alleys on North Street. Liang Shuang reached the second one before realizing she might have missed the first, so she led Jiang Lu back. As they retreated, they ran right into Jiao Li, who was standing there lighting a cigarette.
Eyes met. Jiao Li spat out her cigarette and bolted. Liang Shuang immediately dumped her heavy bag of books into Jiang Lu’s arms and gave chase.
“Liang Shuang?!” Jiang Lu was weighed down, her question turning into an exclamation.
“That idiot ignored my warning! Wait for me here, I’ll be right back!” Liang Shuang shouted without looking back.
Jiang Lu watched her disappear, then walked to some steps to set the heavy bags down and sat on them. She had been too busy watching Huang Ge on the bus to check her phone. Unlocking it now, she found three messages from Bai Yue.
Bai Yue: Are you coming out this afternoon?
Bai Yue: I’m at that cake shop from last time. Want some? I can bring it to you.
Bai Yue: The baker says it’ll be another ten minutes… so slow.
Jiang Lu’s lips curled up. She typed quickly: You’re at the shop? Send me the location.
The phone vibrated again: Do you like this Lime Mille-feuille? It looks delicious.
Then another vibration: a photo of a green, fresh-looking cake.
Jiang Lu’s smile widened. She finished the text but then felt it was too inefficient. She cleared the text and initiated a voice call.
Bai Yue was leaning over the glass display at the cake shop taking photos when her phone rang. Her brow furrowed in annoyance until she saw it was Jiang Lu. The displeasure vanished instantly. “Hello? Not in the classroom?”
“No, I’m off-campus. Where is the cake shop? I can come over now.” Jiang Lu looked at the storefronts across the street but couldn’t quite make out the names.
“Wait a second, I’ll send it to you.” Bai Yue hung up, shared the location, and then went to the mirror to fix her hair and clothes.
The shop was less than a hundred meters away. Liang Shuang wasn’t back yet. Jiang Lu looked into the alley, then carried the two heavy bags into the nearest shop and handed some change to the owner who was playing games.
The owner of the fish feed shop was confused. “What can I get for you, kid?”
“I’m not buying anything. Could you please watch these test papers for me?” Jiang Lu gave a grateful smile and left.
The owner leaned over the counter, saw the bags from Jiangxin Bookstore, and then looked at the test papers inside. He was shocked and impressed. Everyone in Liancheng knew that No. 1 High students only got Sunday afternoons off… and this kid was using it to buy test papers! Truly a monster.
Liang Shuang emerged from the alley drenched in sweat. Not seeing Jiang Lu, she checked her phone and found a message. She turned back to find the shop Jiang Lu mentioned.
When she saw the name, she was speechless. “Hurricane Fish Feed Shop”? Just how much of a hurry was Jiang Lu in?
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and pushed open the door. “Boss, I’m here for the test papers.”
“Take ’em, take ’em.” The owner had just won his game and didn’t even look up as the next match started.
“Thanks.” Liang Shuang picked up the bags. As she reached the door, a loud shout from behind made her jump, nearly hitting the glass.
The owner leaped from behind the counter. “You can’t take those!”
Liang Shuang’s eyes widened. “Why not?”
“What do you mean ‘why’? They aren’t yours! I remember the voice and face of the kid who left them. You aren’t her. You can’t have them.”
“I… I’m not her, but I’m with her. We’re best friends.” Liang Shuang tried to prove she knew her, but then realized she didn’t have a single photo of Jiang Lu on her phone, nor the payment record from the bookstore. Even the blurry photos on the Confession Wall weren’t enough to convince him.
I can’t call her, she’s 99.9% with Bai Yue. “Fine, I’ll wait.”
In contrast to Liang Shuang’s frustration, Jiang Lu was in a great mood as she reached the cake shop. She stepped through the glass doors and immediately saw Bai Yue sitting at a round table by the wall, smiling at her.
“You got here so fast.” Bai Yue’s voice was sweet. Her pinkish-purple outfit had been replaced by a long dress of the same color. She looked beautiful in a dress.
Jiang Lu felt a dry itch in her throat. “I happened to be nearby.”
“Really? I thought you were still at school. Teacher Bai told me you were a very diligent and disciplined student.”
“I’m not as diligent as she says. She thinks too highly of me.” Jiang Lu sat across from her. Meeting those gentle eyes, she shyly looked away, noticing similar pastries in the display case. “The specialties you brought were delicious, and the cake last time too. Let me treat you to the cake today.”
Bai Yue’s eyes curved into crescents. “Next time. You’re too late this time; I already paid.”
“Okay.” Hearing “next time,” Jiang Lu’s heart tightened. She couldn’t help but ask, “Are you coming back next Sunday too?”
“Next week…” Bai Yue thought for a moment. “I’m free next Saturday, so I’ll probably come back Friday afternoon after class.”
“So early.” Jiang Lu was surprised.
“Mhm.” Bai Yue stood up to take the Lime Mille-feuille the clerk brought over. “This trip was a bit rushed; I have to head back before dark.”
Jiang Lu froze. Bai Yue sat back down. “Thanks to you at noon. If you hadn’t helped, this trip would have been a waste.”
A waste? Because of the cafeteria food?
Jiang Lu tasted the cake; it was as fresh and light as it looked. Bai Yue asked, “How is it?”
“Great!” Jiang Lu nodded and ate the whole slice. When she finished, the clerk announced that Bai Yue’s order was ready. Bai Yue gave one of the large bags to Jiang Lu. “Yours.”
“Thank you.” Looking at the bag full of cake, Jiang Lu felt like her heart had been coated in sweet cream.
“I have my car, let me drive you back.” Bai Yue tossed her keys.
Jiang Lu was about to say no, but remembered her two bags of test papers and her friend who was still out there. Her face flushed. “If it’s okay… could you help me pick up some things?”
Two minutes later, in front of the Hurricane Fish Feed Shop, Jiang Lu—carrying a large bag—and Liang Shuang—carrying another—got into Bai Yue’s silver sedan.
“Thank you, Senior.” Liang Shuang had been stared at by the shop owner for ages and was in a foul mood. She couldn’t even force a smile.
Bai Yue looked at Jiang Lu in confusion. “Is your friend angry?”
“No, no, Senior, you misunderstood,” Liang Shuang explained.
“Was it because I called her away so suddenly?” Bai Yue asked awkwardly.
“No, no, no! It had nothing to do with you,” both girls said in unison.
Jiang Lu added: “She just looks like that. She looks fierce when she’s not smiling, but she’s not angry.”
Liang Shuang forced a smile that looked worse than crying: “Right, exactly.”
Bai Yue blinked. “I see. It’s a very cool look, very stylish.”
“Yeah, everyone who meets me says that,” Liang Shuang said wearily.
After being dropped off at the school gate, Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang carried the cakes and test papers back to the dorm. Liang Shuang asked: “Want a hand? I can take the cakes.”
“No, I’ve got it.” Jiang Lu sprinted toward the dorm.
“Was that really necessary?” Liang Shuang muttered. She followed her back, threw the test papers on the floor, and went to wash her face. Jiang Lu set the cakes on the table, panting heavily.
“Was it worth it?” Liang Shuang asked when she returned.
“Let me catch my breath,” Jiang Lu panted.
The first flush of love is terrifying, Liang Shuang thought with a sigh.
Soon, the three others returned from their shopping. The quiet room became lively again. Jiang Lu distributed the cakes, then took a shower. As she was drying her hair, Chu Ziyan came looking for her.
Seeing the massive “panda eyes” on Ziyan’s face, Jiang Lu nearly hit the doorframe. Liang Shuang jumped. “Careful! You’ll flatten that nose of yours.”
Chu Ziyan apologized profusely. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s fine. Senior, what happened to your eyes? Is the pressure of senior year that bad?”
“…”
Liang Shuang chimed in: “Seriously. While you have a chance, you should go back to your dorm and get some sleep.”
Jiang Lu used a dry towel to finish drying her hair. Seeing Ziyan still hadn’t left, she sat down and gestured for her to come in. “We’re about to watch a movie. Want to join us for a bit, Senior?”
All eyes turned to Chu Ziyan. Ever since she saw Su Mengrui at the North Gate, she had been in a daze. She had come to find Jiang Lu on a whim and didn’t know what to say. Under the collective stare, she lost her courage.
“No… I was looking for Zishan. I have the wrong room. You guys enjoy.” She left quickly.
Outside the door, Chu Zishan’s angry whisper could be heard: “Sis, what is wrong with you lately? Mom and Dad are almost here, do you want them to see you like this? Are you in a relationship? Did they dump you? Tell me who it is, I’ll go find them…”
Jiang Lu turned back to the table. The movie hadn’t started yet. Liang Shuang was busy replying to group messages; Shao Shuyi was scrolling through updates on her phone. Lin Tingting was adjusting the screen brightness.
Suddenly, the familiar intro music of a movie played. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the screen.
In the middle of the silence, Shao Shuyi gasped and slammed her phone on the table. “Wait! Friends! Look at this!”
“What?” Lin Tingting paused the movie.
Shao Shuyi pulled up a post with a blank profile picture. “Look at this drawing. Isn’t this our playground?”
Liang Shuang peeked. “All school playgrounds look similar.”
“No, no! Look here, and here.” Shuyi pointed to two small details. “They’re identical.”
“So?” Chen Xueyao asked.
Shao Shuyi’s eyes glowed. “This artist is from our school!”
“A senior? Maybe,” Lin Tingting said. “One of the graduates was a great artist.”
“No, it’s not them. The style is different,” Shuyi insisted. “I follow their accounts. This is someone else. And look at the update frequency—it matches our school schedule perfectly.”
Jiang Lu took a closer look. Recalling her classmate Du Meng from PE, she silently noted the account name.
Meanwhile, in the New District, Song Wushuang was kneeling on a prayer mat in the living room, her face covered in tears. Her younger brother, Song Jie, was lounging on the leather sofa eating a peach.
“Seriously, Sis, you’re just too stupid,” Song Jie said. “If you’re going to hit someone, don’t get caught red-handed. Now look—you’re expelled, and Mom and Dad have lost all face. No school will take you now. I think you should just give up and go to that vocational school across from mine for two years, then get a diploma and work in Dad’s factory.”
Meng Wei and Song Shiliang were discussing what to do. Hearing her son, Meng Wei clapped her hands. “A-Jie has a point. If nothing else works, Wushuang can just study something simple for two years. She’ll be helping out at home anyway; a high degree isn’t that important.”
“Nonsense!” Song Shiliang glared at his son. “If I can’t count on her for a degree, who can I count on? Song Jie, who couldn’t even get into a decent middle school?”
Song Jie pouted. “Dad… I told you, I just didn’t perform well that day.”
“You wouldn’t have made it anyway!” Song Shiliang sighed. Between these two children and the factory losing several big orders lately, he was starting to lose hope.
Meng Wei sighed. “I have a sister-friend who is a director at No. 4 High. I’ll see if I can get Wushuang transferred there.”
“No. 4 High? You have a connection there?”
“It’s Du Zhen,” Meng Wei said with a dark expression. “She was transferred there two years ago. We didn’t exactly end on good terms when she got married. She’s always been small-minded, so she’s probably still angry. To get her help… I’ll have to go and offer an apology first.”
Song Wushuang continued to kneel. By the time she was allowed to stand, her legs were completely numb. She collapsed on the floor.
Song Jie kicked her. “Hey, you still alive?”
Song Wushuang’s lower body felt like it was being pierced by a thousand needles. She looked up, her eyes bloodshot.
“I’m so unlucky to have a useless sister like you who only brings trouble to the family!” Song Jie sneered.
Song Wushuang’s hands clenched into fists on the floor, veins bulging. She repeated silently: Song Jie, you wait! Just you wait! Everyone, just you wait!
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