A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 17

Inside the Su family villa, Su Mengrui—who had no idea that her “explanation” had already severely impacted Chu Ziyan—was lying bored on the study’s carpet.

She wasn’t sure if the Old Matron had found out about her sneaking out yesterday or if the woman was simply so angry she’d forgotten her existence, but the grounding had yet to be lifted. For Su Mengrui, however, being locked up wasn’t a bad thing right now. At least she didn’t have to go out and see anyone while looking like she’d been beaten.

Thinking back, it was pretty stupid. Last night, after returning to the villa, in order to dodge Su Ying’s interrogation and hide the bruises on her face, she had preemptively surrendered all her electronic devices and bolted into the study. Once inside, she had even proactively locked the door and windows, cutting off any possibility of her mother barging in to check on her.

Though she hated to admit it, a surge of anxiety had hit her the moment she stepped through the front gate—not for herself, but for Jiang Lu. She was worried that the rest of the Su family would find out about Jiang Lu’s existence. Even though she hadn’t managed to do anything yet, and her three proactive attempts to meet the girl had all resulted in her losing out.

She’d even been hit this time.

In the Su family, an Alpha hitting an Omega was a serious matter. If she spoke up, even if the Old Matron scolded her a bit, countless people would line up to settle the score on her behalf. But at the mere thought of that possibility, Su Mengrui felt incredibly irritable.

To vent these foul emotions, she had uncharacteristically swept everything off her desk last night. Good lord, when had she ever taken her anger out on her desk supplies before?!

Recalling her impulsiveness, Su Mengrui covered her eyes with her hand. Her mind shifted to what happened next. Back then, she was fuming from her own post-game analysis and, unable to find an outlet, had paced irritably by the window. Then, she saw a milky-white business van pull up—Bai Yue’s private vehicle.

But she remembered it wasn’t Bai Yue’s day to return to the villa… Why did she run back early?

The more Su Mengrui thought about her past streaks of bad luck, the more apprehensive she became. Had Bai Yue caught her sneaking out to climb the walls of No. 1 High again? Was she back to tattle?

The more Su Mengrui thought about it, the more convinced she became. The heat from her anger toward Jiang Lu dissipated, filtered by time into a single worry. Yet, for a full day and night, her grandmother hadn’t sent anyone to see her.

…Did that mean Bai Yue hadn’t tattled? Or was her grandmother’s trust in her so high that she didn’t feel the need to verify?

Su Mengrui didn’t dare to overrate Bai Yue’s character, nor underestimate her grandmother’s favoritism. She scrambled up from the carpet and went to the bathroom to inspect the corner of her mouth, which she hadn’t checked in fifteen minutes. She cursed under her breath while praying it would heal quickly—ideally vanishing before her grounding ended.

One floor away, Bai Yue was sitting on the living room sofa in a good mood, eating from a fruit platter while watching a movie with the Old Matron.

Beside them, Su Ying was sick with worry for her daughter, who hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in twenty-four hours. Looking quite bitter, she glared resentfully at the laughing grandmother-granddaughter duo, made a random excuse, and left.

The Old Matron couldn’t be bothered with her melodramatic daughter. She turned to her eldest granddaughter: “Yueyue, you eat like this all day long, yet you don’t gain a pound? Look how thin you are, oh dear—”

Bai Yue smiled: “Isn’t this good?”

“Good for what? A little more curves would be better.” The Old Matron pushed her own fruit platter over.

“Then I’ll eat a bit more.” Bai Yue caught the retreating figure on the stairs out of the corner of her eye and popped a perfectly cubed peach into her mouth.

Last night, when she returned, she had seen Su Mengrui pacing by the window like a headless fly. She had expected the girl to tattle to the Old Matron or Su Ying immediately, but there had been total silence.

It was understandable that Su Mengrui didn’t dare cause a scene at school; No. 1 High wasn’t her playground. But to remain this submissive after returning to her own territory?

It didn’t make sense. Bai Yue couldn’t figure it out; Su Mengrui’s quiet state was too abnormal. Was it because she lacked the opportunity? No, returning with an injury last night was the ultimate silent accusation. Was it because… she herself was unwilling to speak?

Is Su Mengrui that interested in that little Alpha? So much that she won’t give up even after being hit?

Bai Yue’s gaze darkened slightly. She picked up her phone to check for new messages. Unfortunately, among the numerous notifications, there was still no alert for a successful friend request.

Meanwhile, after evening self-study, Jiang Lu returned to the dorm with Liang Shuang and their two new roommates. Since they didn’t have to rush to the supermarket for noodles tonight, the room filled up quickly.

Lin Tingting and Chen Xueyao, feeling uneasy about eating Liang Shuang and Jiang Lu’s snacks for free, took the initiative to grab the kettles and head down to the boiler room together.

Liang Shuang sighed: “Do they have too many boundaries? If I bring them street food the day after tomorrow, do you think they’ll offer to wash the clothes I get dirty while climbing the wall?”

“I don’t know, maybe,” Jiang Lu chuckled. “Why don’t you ask them when they get back?”

“I was just kidding.” Liang Shuang turned around at her locker, only to lock eyes with Chu Zishan, who had just pushed the door open. Her arched eyebrows immediately returned to neutral. “Don’t you know how to knock?”

Chu Zishan shrugged nonchalantly: “The dorms are so noisy right now, you wouldn’t necessarily hear me even if I did.”

“If you knock and we don’t hear, that’s one thing. Not knocking at all is just rude.” Liang Shuang gathered her bags and leaned against the locker, looking at her. “What are you here for?”

“I’m here for Jiang Lu, not you.” Chu Zishan walked up to Jiang Lu. “I wanted to ask you something.”

Jiang Lu pulled her soft-cover notebook out from under the uninvited guest’s arm and looked up: “What is it?”

Chu Zishan said: “What kind of Omegas do you like? Oh, wait—do you even like Omegas? If you do, what kind?”

Alphas and Omegas are a natural pair with pheromones that attract one another; this attraction is often more undeniable than looks, ability, personality, or family background. However, there are exceptions. Some people simply don’t like pheromone-driven attraction and prefer spiritual resonance. Therefore, many Alphas and Omegas choose Betas. Chu Zishan wasn’t sure which category Jiang Lu fell into, so she added the follow-up question just in case.

Jiang Lu looked at her strangely, unable to understand the logic. “Why are you asking? Are you going to introduce me to an Omega?”

“If you’re willing, I could.” Chu Zishan spoke with forced confidence. Truthfully, she couldn’t understand why her sister was suddenly so curious about this out of the blue.

Jiang Lu rejected her flatly: “I’m not willing.”

Liang Shuang, who had been eavesdropping, stepped forward warily: “Chu Zishan, you don’t happen to like Alphas, do you?”

Chu Zishan denied it without a second thought: “Of course not!”

“I have my doubts.” The defensiveness in Liang Shuang’s eyes intensified.

Chu Zishan felt uncomfortable under the gaze. She wanted to say she didn’t like Alphas, she was just helping… Forget it, she’d promised her sister not to rat her out. After a struggle, she had to bite the bullet: “I’m asking for an Omega friend. If you really don’t want to answer, just pretend I never asked.”

Liang Shuang challenged: “Is that so?”

Jiang Lu, however, felt a spark of inspiration. She connected a few dots and called out to Chu Zishan, who was turning to leave: “I do like Omegas. But as for what ‘type’ specifically, it’s hard to say. It depends on the feeling.”

“What feeling?” Chu Zishan turned back. “What kind of feeling do you like?”

Jiang Lu thought for a moment: “Someone who makes me feel comfortable. Either smelling comfortable or being comfortable to be around.”

Middle school textbooks stated that an A/O pair with 80% compatibility could satisfy this. Theoretically, Jiang Lu’s answer was worthless. Chu Ziyan let out a bored “oh”: “Well, that makes it pretty hard to judge.”

Liang Shuang wore a wooden face as she saw her out and locked the door. “That girl is acting erratic.”

Jiang Lu didn’t respond. She walked into the bathroom in silence. When she came out, her two new roommates had returned with the hot water.

Once Chu Zishan returned to her own dorm, she immediately relayed Jiang Lu’s exact words to her sister.

The last period of evening self-study for seniors was connected to an overtime session. Though it was technically “break time,” it was really only enough time to refill a water cup or use the restroom. Chu Ziyan received the message while Gu Wenjing was hovering over her, watching her correct her mistakes. Noting her distraction, the worried deskmate gave a warning cough: “Don’t get distracted. Old Chen just walked past the window. Watch out for a surprise return.”

Chu Ziyan: “…”

Gu Wenjing: “Unless you want your parents to be called.”

Chu Ziyan: “…I got it.”

By the time the seniors finished and returned to the dorms, most of the freshmen and sophomores were already in dreamland. After reading the reply, Chu Ziyan stared at the ceiling until the early hours of the morning.

In total contrast, Jiang Lu slept exceptionally well. She had a dreamless night and woke up full of energy, even eating an extra beef bun for breakfast.

Liang Shuang, forced to eat an extra bun herself, complained expressionlessly: “It’s one thing for you to buy more because of your appetite, but why did you have to buy an extra one for me?”

Jiang Lu said matter-of-factly: “I was afraid you’d get jealous watching me eat so heartily.”

Liang Shuang: “…”

The extra bun made her feel a bit too full, but she had to admit it did its job. She didn’t finish digesting it until the welcoming ceremony was over.

Watching Jiang Lu return from the stage after her speech, Liang Shuang remarked: “I feel like I could eat another extra one tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll remember to buy it for you,” Jiang Lu promised solemnly. Her gaze swept over the senior class lines and collided with Chu Ziyan’s gaze. She nodded with a smile, but the other girl’s expression seemed unnatural.

Such a forced smile. Have they not made up yet?

Su Mengrui’s silver tongue is failing her.

Jiang Lu gave a soft huff, withdrew her gaze, and turned toward the outstanding senior student representative nearby. After the students spoke, the school leadership gave their speeches. Once the whole process was finished, there were less than ten minutes until class.

Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang followed their class back toward the Xiuyuan Building. Suddenly, Jiang Lu felt a pair of eyes stuck to her like chewing gum. Just as she was about to pretend she didn’t feel it and hurry upstairs, Liang Shuang “tsked” beside her: “Is she here to return the necklace?”

Jiang Lu’s footsteps halted. Sure enough, Song Wushuang’s voice rang out nearby: “Jiang Lu, I found your necklace. Here, I’m returning it.”

“Is it the real one this time?” Liang Shuang asked.

Song Wushuang held out the hand clutching the necklace: “I don’t know. Why don’t you check?”

Liang Shuang moved to go over, but Jiang Lu stopped her: “I’ll check it myself.”

Under the sun, the necklace in her palm sparkled. Jiang Lu checked the pendant and the hallmark behind the clasp. Confirming the serial number was correct, she stuffed it into her uniform pocket.

Seeing that Jiang Lu didn’t want to say another word to her, Song Wushuang chased after her: “Jiang Lu, wait! There’s still the money.”

“Just transfer it to me,” Jiang Lu said without looking back.

“But Sunday…” Song Wushuang stopped in her tracks, her voice fading along with Jiang Lu’s retreating back as she vanished up the stairs.