A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 41

Bai Yue had known for a long time that the Old Matron’s favoritism toward her had limits, and those limits were calibrated with surgical precision.

—It was just enough to make Su Mengrui and her mother feel a sense of crisis, yet also just enough to make Bai Yue clearly realize that the extra bit of affection she received wasn’t enough to support her acting pampered or arrogant.

But seeing the Old Matron “balancing the water” like this, a coldness still spread through the depths of Bai Yue’s downcast eyes. The space Su Mengrui occupied in the Old Matron’s heart was likely larger than she had imagined. After all, the girl had been raised right at her side.

Bai Yue took a soft breath. Her peripheral vision caught Su Ying’s face full of resentment and the fuming, frantic Su Mengrui. She gave a slight nod to the Alpha bodyguard—who was maintaining a temporarily polite attitude—and took the initiative to follow.

“Wait, Eldest Miss.” An Alpha woman nearly 1.8 meters tall reached out to block Bai Yue’s path. “The Old Matron said that the phones and watches belonging to you and the Second Miss must be handed over to us for safekeeping.”

Bai Yue was stunned. “Now?”

“Yes, now.”

Bai Yue looked back. On the other side, Su Ying was already cooperatively helping Su Mengrui remove her watch and pull out her phone. The Alphas the Old Matron kept around were the type who looked kind but had ruthless hearts and heavy hands; the consequences of non-compliance were never pretty.

If Su Ying understood this, how could Bai Yue not?

Bai Yue frowned as she pulled out her phone. Belatedly, she remembered the WeChat message she hadn’t had time to reply to because of the car accident. She hurriedly went to unlock it, but the phone was snatched directly from her hand.

The bodyguard’s movements were rough. Once the phone was in hand, she forced a shutdown, though her tone and expression remained as mild as before: “Rest assured, we will not open your phone privately.”

“I should hope so,” Bai Yue replied with a relatively cold, blunt tone. She lowered her head, unbuckled her watch strap, and handed it over. “Keep them safe. Thank you.”

Behind her, Su Mengrui’s cheeks were flushed. She watched dully as Su Ying handed her phone and watch to the Old Matron’s people. Her expression suddenly became agitated. Held back by Su Ying’s arms and unable to move, she craned her neck stubbornly. “I’m warning you, if you dare peek at my phone, I’ll fucking end you! Do you hear me?!”

Back at the Su family ancestral home, the Old Matron went straight to her room to rest. The housekeeper directed the others to escort the two young misses into small studies on opposite sides of the third floor.

Su Ying felt a pang of bitterness. She followed the housekeeper, asking, “Did the Old Matron say how long they’ll be confined?”

The housekeeper shook his head. Seeing Su Ying refused to let go, he let out a soft sigh of comfort. “Both misses have to return to school for classes. Tomorrow is Sunday; I imagine it won’t be for very long.”

“Oh, right! Yes, Mother cares most about their studies.” Su Ying let out a sigh of relief. Remembering her daughter’s head injury, she grabbed the housekeeper’s arm again. “And Dr. Kang? Can he come over tonight?”

The housekeeper nodded. “He’ll be here shortly.”

Regardless of how angry the Matron was, a head injury couldn’t be neglected. This burst of temper from the Matron was intentional; it looked like punishment for the fight, but it was more of a lesson for sneaking back from school and hiding it from her. The fire would burn out soon; there was no way she would take her anger out on their physical well-being.

Having been reminded of this, Su Ying managed to grasp the logic and returned to her room to rest, looking back every few steps.

Sleep had been brewing for a long time. Outside the window, the crescent moon was like a hook. The courtyard lights stayed on until dawn. As the moon set and the sun rose, countless rays of gold spread from behind the eastern clouds.

Warm sunlight spilled into Jiang Lu’s bedroom. Beside the curtains that automatically opened on a timer, the light-sensing ambient lamp flickered off.

Close to 9:00 AM, the Alpha girl, who had slept for twelve full hours, rolled over in her duvet and opened her eyes away from the light. In her line of sight, the nightstand where her phone should have been was empty.

Jiang Lu froze. Her brain turned sluggishly for a bit before she remembered that she had stuffed her phone under her pillow before falling asleep last night. Her slender fingers reached in. The moment they touched the frame of the phone, the lingering confusion in her eyes vanished completely.

She remembered. Before sleeping, she had wanted to wait for Bai Yue’s reply.

…Did she reply?

Jiang Lu sat up in bed clutching the phone. The unlocked screen was a bit dim and hard to see. However, on the green icon in the middle-right, a red “2” reflected clearly in her eyes.

She replied!

Jiang Lu’s eyes crinkled. She brushed back her loose hair and her right thumb quickly tapped the icon. Then, as the brightness adjusted to full, the shape of the girl’s eyes mirrored the contact avatar at the top.

It wasn’t Bai Yue. It was a message from Jiang Wen.

Have something to do at noon. Will be back this afternoon.

Ordered an ice cream cake for you all. It should arrive around 3:00. Remember to tell them to come over early.

Jiang Lu leaned back against the pillow, holding the phone with both hands to type a reply to her mother, then moved to the three-person group chat to draft a message. She hesitated and pulled her hand back before sending it.

Although Bai Yue hadn’t replied yet, it didn’t mean their plan was canceled. Just in case there was a conflict in timing… she would wait a little longer.

Closing her phone, Jiang Lu got out of bed to wash up. She spent half the morning being productive, confirming she had packed everything she needed to take back to school, then sat on the edge of the bed to check her phone.

WeChat was as quiet as usual; not even a notification. The time at the top right showed 10:43. Jiang Lu couldn’t help but calculate the length of time Bai Yue had gone without replying. She felt a stir of doubt. It had been nearly eighteen hours—had she really not checked her phone this whole time?

…Could something have happened?

The girl’s expression shifted instantly. She stood up with her phone and paced around the foot of the bed. She opened the voice call invite, but hearing the soothing instrumental music play, the heart that had leapt into her throat settled halfway.

Isn’t it a bit rude to just call out of the blue? Lately, people didn’t like making calls or sending voice clips. Their relationship wasn’t that close. Having objectively evaluated her behavior, Jiang Lu decisively canceled the call.

Yet, there was still no reaction from the other side.

Forget it. Maybe she just mentioned it casually and I’m taking it too seriously.

Jiang Lu lowered her eyes. After exiting WeChat, she rubbed her stomach—which hadn’t quite finished digesting breakfast—and set the phone down to go to the study to finish a practice test.

At noon, she went downstairs punctually for lunch. Jiang Wen wasn’t there, but lunch wasn’t neglected; the household helper had made four dishes and a soup based on her appetite. Sated, Jiang Lu curled up lazily on the living room sofa and put on a classic, high-rated movie.

But for some reason, her heart wouldn’t settle. It skipped and fluttered chaotically. It wasn’t until the end credits appeared on the screen that she realized she had been dazing out the entire time.

Turning off the TV, Jiang Lu went to wash her face to clear her head. Returning, she saw Liang Shuang and Shao Shuyi chatting in their small group. She scrolled up and found they were discussing coming over. She smiled and typed a reply: Come over. My mom bought ice cream cake for you guys. You can have a challenge to see who gets here first.

A few cheering emojis immediately rolled across the screen, followed by silence. Miraculously, the heart that had been fluttering all day finally went quiet too.

She went back upstairs to solve the last two problems. Just as she finished, the doorbell rang downstairs. Liang Shuang, Shao Shuyi, and the cake delivery guy appeared at the gate simultaneously.

Seeing the extra cars outside from her window, Jiang Lu’s eyes lit up. She turned and ran downstairs to welcome them. Unlike yesterday, both Liang Shuang and Shao Shuyi brought gifts today. As they walked into the living room, Jiang Lu looked at the gifts they brought and marveled: “Wow, you guys spent too much.”

Liang Shuang picked up the line she used yesterday, her posture arrogant: “Your sister has plenty of money.”

Shao Shuyi was much more modest: “Just a small token, hehe. No disdaining allowed.”

“Thanks, thank you so much. Come on.” Jiang Lu unpacked the cake and invited them to eat.

The cake Jiang Wen ordered was just enough for three Alpha girls to share; they’d finish it without feeling sick or unsatisfied, and it wouldn’t spoil their dinner.

But it was still far too early for dinner. With no other entertainment besides grinding problems, the three sat and chatted for a while. Eventually, the conversation grew dry. Liang Shuang let out an “Ah” and asked Shao Shuyi: “Got any good suggestions? It’s rare to have a break at home. I feel like we’re wasting it.”

“Suggestions?” Shao Shuyi was distracted by her phone and didn’t react immediately. “Asking me? Oh, oh! I have some.”

She tapped her phone screen—which she had hurriedly turned off—and found the recommendation she had just scrolled past. She turned it toward Liang Shuang: “There are several new movies out that are pretty good. Suspense, comedy, romance, sci-fi… see if you’re interested in any of them. Should we go catch one?”

Liang Shuang took the phone to look. Beside her, Jiang Lu’s heart skipped. Remembering the matter she had intentionally ignored, her gaze drifted to the armrest of the sofa.

Bai Yue still hadn’t replied. Did that mean it was canceled?

Forget it, let it be canceled.

“This suspense movie looks good. Let me check the tickets,” Liang Shuang said, pulling out her own phone to find the booking app. It showed a screening at the nearest theater in twenty-five minutes. The movie was under two hours long; they’d be back just in time for dinner. Perfect.

Shao Shuyi agreed: “Right? I thought that one looked good too. And that comedy has high ratings; it should be okay.”

Jiang Lu snapped out of it at their voices. “Is it? Let me see.”

Practiced at using the booking app, she selected the theater and time and bought the tickets directly.

“How… hey? Who’s got faster hands than me?! I was just talking and the seats were snatched?!” Liang Shuang stared at her screen in shock.

Jiang Lu held up her phone: “I bought them. Let’s go, move out.”

Shao Shuyi was dumbstruck: “Is this the executive power of a Study God?”

Liang Shuang grabbed her arm to pull her up: “That’s exactly what it is.”

Jiang Lu: “…” I just opened a priority card and one-click payment last night. Snatching orders is just faster.

They arrived ten minutes early for ticket check. Following the signs, they found the corresponding VIP hall. Shao Shuyi, who hadn’t been to the cinema with anyone in a long time, was so excited after finding her seat that she held up her ticket and dragged her two friends into a group photo for her Moments.

Liang Shuang: “Is that necessary? Have you never seen a movie in a theater before?”

“Often, but usually I come alone.” Shao Shuyi snapped a series of photos.

Jiang Lu was surprised. “You come alone? You never mentioned that before.”

Shao Shuyi smiled. “It’s not something worth advertising.”

Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang exchanged a look, about to say they could join her on future break days, when the phone in Jiang Lu’s pocket suddenly vibrated.

She lifted her wrist. On the glowing watch face, the name Bai Yue scrolled across.

Jiang Lu’s expression changed quietly. She ignored the message that followed and put her arm down with a cold face, acting as if nothing had happened as she stared straight at the big screen.

She left me on read for over twenty hours; there’s no reason I should reply in seconds.

Bai Yue emerged from the station and headed straight for the roadside paid parking lot. To make her trips easier, she left her car nearby whenever she departed. Returning early today, she was in an exceptionally good mood. After scanning the QR code on her watch to pay the parking fee, she leaned back in her seat and rested for a few minutes while listening to music.

Through the sunroof, the electric shade slowly retracted, revealing the green leaves swaying in the wind. This was the most comfortable temperature in Liancheng—neither too hot nor too cold. The sky was high and the clouds were light. If one could quiet their mind, it was pleasant to see the sky from anywhere.

Her phone had run out of power and shut down automatically when she left the station. She didn’t know what Jiang Lu had replied; she had a vague memory of seeing her say “Yes”?

Thinking of the girl who was so well-behaved that she even replied to WeChat messages in a formal manner with proper punctuation, Bai Yue raised her seat back and found a charging cable in the center console. She recalled Zhang Yi mentioning that they could install wireless charging. She hadn’t had time for it then, but it seemed she really needed to make a trip to the shop—having too few power sources was indeed inconvenient.

Bai Yue shook her head with a hint of regret, shifted gears, and turned the car out of the parking lot. Before she had gotten off the train, Auntie Lu had sent a WeChat saying the medication they took previously was all gone; she needed to stop by the hospital before going home.

Using voice commands to set the navigation destination, Bai Yue’s expression changed the instant she looked at the center console screen. In the top right corner of the photo Jiang Lu had sent, a small piece of glass was visible, and framed within the glass was a curved flowerbed she knew very well. Her attention had previously been focused on the blooming jasmine, but now she realized the flowerbed looked exactly like the one at the private hospital she frequently visited!

Why did the little sister go to the hospital? Is she unwell? Or injured?

Beside her, the phone connected to the power source vibrated briefly as it automatically turned on. Bai Yue immediately grabbed it, unlocked it, logged into WeChat, and opened the photo again. The moment she zoomed in, the screen suddenly flickered into an incoming call alert. Bai Yue’s thumb hovered over the “Decline” button, but just as she was about to press it, she remembered something and decisively swiped right to answer.

The voice on the other end was respectful: “Boss, Su Mengrui just returned from B-University and headed straight for Rongsheng Medical. Do you want me to follow her inside?”

“Rongsheng? She went to Rongsheng too?” Bai Yue’s tone rose, filled with displeasure. “Follow her. I’m almost there.”

Hanging up, Bai Yue didn’t bother looking at her phone further. She floored the accelerator and followed the navigation toward her destination. She wasn’t sure why Jiang Lu was at the hospital, but she knew exactly why Su Mengrui was there. That crazy girl—she absolutely could not be allowed to cause trouble.

The silver car was like a flexible fish in the sunlight, moving forward and picking up speed.