A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 3

Among the three teaching buildings at Liancheng No. 1 High, the Mingzhi Building—reserved for freshmen—was the closest to the dormitories, a mere five or six-minute walk.

Jiang Lu had originally intended to head straight to the classroom with her luggage. However, after crossing the long corridor, she noticed it was still early and most students were still active outdoors. She decided to change course at the Mingzhi intersection and head toward the dorms instead.

Just like student IDs, dorm assignments would be reshuffled once classes were finalized based on the placement exam results. Until then, students stayed in their original freshman rooms.

Liancheng No. 1 High boasted excellent facilities. The dorms were famously well-equipped, each featuring a private bathroom and a balcony for drying clothes. Although they used the standard “bed-over-desk” setup, the layout was spacious and bright; even four tall, long-legged Alphas didn’t feel cramped.

When Jiang Lu arrived at the dorm, her roommates Liang Shuang and Shao Shuyi were already tidying their beds.

Despite being gone for over a month, dust was inevitable no matter how well a room was kept, but the desks, chairs, and bedboards here were clearly already cleaned.

Liang Shuang finished laying out her bamboo sleeping mat and turned to see Jiang Lu reaching out to touch her desk. She jumped down from the ladder, her expression neutral. “Shuyi cleaned it. She got here before eight.”

Shao Shuyi, who had also finished tidying up, turned around to reveal a row of brilliant white teeth. “You guys have no idea! Summer break bored me to death. I finally made it to the start of the term and was so excited I couldn’t sleep! I’m not bragging, but I was the very first person through the school gates today!”

Having been roommates with her for a year, Jiang Lu knew Shuyi was a diligent soul. She didn’t stand on ceremony, reaching into her bag and tossing over a figurine she had snagged for her at the beginning of the month.

The plastic wrap was still intact. Recognizing what had been thrown at her, Shao Shuyi nearly lost her soul. She scrambled to catch it with both hands, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

Jiang Lu was amused by her exaggerated reaction. “I hope I can still be roommates with you in the future.”

“Me too! I’ll wipe your desk every single day!” Shao Shuyi laughed, scurrying to her desk to unbox her prize.

Jiang Lu then pulled out a custom-made notebook and handed it to Liang Shuang, who was leaning against the opposite desk. “I lost the bet to you last time.”

Liang Shuang didn’t look at it closely. she set it face-down on the desk, her bright eyes scanning Jiang Lu’s face before drifting toward the empty bed next to her.

In the next second, they both spoke at once.

Liang Shuang said: “She called me last night looking for you.”

Jiang Lu asked: “Did she try to invite you out last night?”

Shao Shuyi, currently immersed in the joy of her new figurine, hadn’t heard a word. Discovering that Jiang Lu had gifted her a hard-to-find limited edition, she shrieked with delight while peeking over her shoulder to interject: “Who is ‘she’? Oh~ well, doesn’t matter! Jiang Lu! I freaking love you!”

Liang Shuang ignored the manic Shao Shuyi, who clearly had no room in her eyes for anything but the toy. She walked to the dorm door and scanned the corridor.

Her expression was habitually cold, and her slight frown made her look a bit fierce. “Did you two have a fight?”

Jiang Lu and Liang Shuang had been in the same class since sixth grade. Before Song Wushuang entered the picture, they had been very close. Afterward, while their bond wasn’t as tight, they were still considered good friends.

In the book, after Jiang Lu went missing, the only person besides her mother who persisted in looking for her was Liang Shuang. After she died, Liang Shuang was the one who collected her body.

Looking at Liang Shuang’s cool, unsmiling face, Jiang Lu couldn’t help but grin. She stepped forward and hooked an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t say it—your eyes are sharp; you read people well.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere.” Liang Shuang brushed off Jiang Lu’s hand. Looking at the person who hadn’t been this affectionate in a long time, she gave her a playful shove. “Hurry up and pack. If you don’t make it to the classroom by ten, not even being rank one in the grade can save you.”

Jiang Lu raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Is that so? Is the temporary homeroom teacher that formidable?”

Shao Shuyi, having finished a 360-degree inspection of her figurine, sat at her desk and whistled. “Exactly! The Iron-Faced Yama. It’s written on the blackboard: don’t even think about entering the room if you’re a second late.”

Iron-Faced Yama? That was the infamous demon teacher who couldn’t tolerate a single grain of sand in his eyes! Jiang Lu froze, stood stiff for three seconds, and then decisively opened her suitcase to make her bed.

Liang Shuang leaned against the doorframe, stifling a laugh. She had already made a new assessment regarding the relationship between Jiang Lu and Song Wushuang. Just as she was debating whether to give Shao Shuyi a heads-up, she heard hurried footsteps coming from the right stairway. She instinctively glanced out and locked eyes with the newcomer.

Carrying a backpack and a suitcase, Song Wushuang looked no different than before the break. Under her heavy, straight bangs, her eyelashes were clumped like fly legs, and the calculating glint in her small eyes was as uncomfortable as ever.

What annoyed Liang Shuang even more was that she was wearing a mask in this sweltering heat.

Tsk. And here I thought she wasn’t coming today.

Liang Shuang rolled her eyes as she withdrew her gaze and went back inside to help Jiang Lu with her sheets.

Song Wushuang was breathless. To hide the injury on the corner of her mouth, she had been forced to wear a disposable mask, which made breathing in the heat even harder.

She had planned to pull it down for a breather while no one was around, but seeing Liang Shuang made her stiffen immediately. Her suspicions were confirmed: Jiang Lu wasn’t in the classroom, so she had to be here in the dorm.

Because Jiang Lu had stood her up last night, she had been tormented by that girl surnamed Su until late into the night. When she finally got home, her parents had slapped and scolded her until the early hours of the morning. If she hadn’t set three alarms, she wouldn’t have made it today.

It’s all Jiang Lu’s fault!

The more Song Wushuang thought about it, the angrier she got, and the more her resentment grew.

She just didn’t understand. It was a birthday! The more people, the merrier!

Besides, it wasn’t like they were strangers; they were all from the same school and had good grades. What was wrong with making a new friend? Would it kill her?

In the end, it was just a matter of having a few drinks with some upperclassmen. Even if they were high schoolers, they were Alphas—they had a natural advantage. What if they got drunk? Could an Omega really take advantage of them?

Hah! To put it bluntly, Jiang Lu simply didn’t treat her as a friend!

Song Wushuang stomped into the room. The first thing she saw were two pairs of hands smoothing the bedsheets, each wearing the latest model of the same smartwatch.

Shifting her gaze, she saw Liang Shuang standing right where she usually stood, helping Jiang Lu tuck in the sheets.

Swoosh. She felt the fire in her chest flare up instantly. You said I was your best friend, so why are you two wearing matching “sister” watches? Why don’t I have one?

In Jiang Lu’s heart, does Song Wushuang always rank lower than Liang Shuang?!

No wonder she always gives me cheap stuff!

Pah! Who cares!

A new wave of grievance rose in Song Wushuang’s heart. She shoved her suitcase violently toward her desk and slammed her backpack down with a loud thud.

Hearing the noise, Liang Shuang knew she was throwing a tantrum. She let out a cold laugh of warning. “Shuyi already wiped your desk and dusted your bed. You can lay your sheets out directly.”

“Oh.” Song Wushuang responded stiffly. She glanced at Jiang Lu, who hadn’t replied to her messages since last night and wasn’t speaking to her now, then gave a muffled huff and started organizing.

Liang Shuang had never liked her. Ever since middle school, when Song Wushuang wedged herself between her and Jiang Lu, Liang Shuang had never missed a chance to be sarcastic. Seeing her now looking like she was enjoying the drama, Song Wushuang regretted calling her last night, feeling both annoyed and hateful.

I endured for so long, and for what?

People who look down on me still look down on me.

Song Wushuang’s head throbbed with heat. In her peripheral vision, she saw that Jiang Lu hadn’t given her a single glance. Her lips curled downward. “What does it matter to you whether I say thank you or not? Someone would think you were the one who wiped it for me! Besides, even if you did, did I ask you to?!”

Shao Shuyi’s hand froze on the locker door. She turned around blankly to look at the masked Song Wushuang. In her memory, this roommate was quite pleasant. Why was she speaking like this?

“Wushuang?”

Song Wushuang met Shao Shuyi’s shocked eyes, let out an awkward “Ah,” and looked away. She lowered her voice. “Shuyi, I didn’t mean you. Thank you for the cleaning. I’ll buy you milk tea later.”

“No need.” Shao Shuyi’s expression was sour. She shook her head, thinking the remark had been far too blunt, and looked uneasily at Liang Shuang.

Liang Shuang wasn’t Jiang Lu. She had never tolerated Song Wushuang’s bad attitude.

Just as she was about to snap back, a hand landed on her shoulder.

Jiang Lu said: “I’m finished. Let’s head to the classroom. Shuyi?”

“Ah! Right.” Shao Shuyi didn’t hesitate. With a click, she locked her locker and followed them downstairs.

She didn’t know about the events of the previous night, but sensing the atmosphere was off, she stopped by the campus shop and bought three bottles of water to share, planning to fish for information.

Jiang Lu had been in a rush; she’d only had half a glass of water since waking up and was thirsty from the sun. She took a large gulp. As she was recapping the bottle, she saw Shao Shuyi staring at her expectantly. She was secretly glad she’d swallowed quickly, otherwise, that look would have made her choke.

“What? Is there something on my face?”

Shao Shuyi had been waiting for this. Seeing Jiang Lu take the initiative to speak, she immediately bypassed Liang Shuang and leaned in with a grin.

Jiang Lu: “?”

Shao Shuyi whispered: “There’s nothing on your face, but there’s something on your mind.”

Jiang Lu: “…”

Who said talking to smart people isn’t exhausting? She felt a bit tired now—not just tired, but ready to bolt.

However, the “smart person” had predicted her move and grabbed her arm. “What happened with you and Song Wushuang? Weren’t you two inseparable over the break? Did you fight? About what?”

Liang Shuang was also curious. After taking Song Wushuang’s call last night, her efficiency in solving practice problems before bed had plummeted. Seeing Shao Shuyi break the ice, she immediately moved to Jiang Lu’s other side.

Jiang Lu, now stuck in the “middle child” position, opened her mouth. She felt that the actual reason from last night was a bit hard to say out loud. Thinking fast, she raised her wrist and pointed at the Mingzhi Building.

“?” Shao Shuyi didn’t understand. “What’s that mean?”

“Let’s see who gets to the classroom first! If you win, I’ll tell you!” As soon as she finished, Jiang Lu shook off Shuyi’s hand and bolted.

Liang Shuang took off after her. By the time Shao Shuyi reacted, the two of them were already three meters ahead.

“Hey! Wait for me!”

Liang Shuang’s voice drifted back: “Shao Shuyi, are you stupid?!”

Shao Shuyi slapped her hands together. Right! Liang Shuang is on her side! “Jiang Lu, slow down! Wait for us!”

Liang Shuang: “…” She really wondered how Shao Shuyi managed to keep her grades stable with such fluctuating intelligence.

Class 3 was located in the west corner of the Mingzhi Building. Jiang Lu charged through the front door. As she crossed the podium, Liang Shuang grabbed the doorframe and swung inside, barely a step behind.

Shao Shuyi arrived last, panting. Just as she was about to accuse Jiang Lu of cheating by starting early, the smile on her face vanished.

By the window at the far end of the classroom, Jiang Lu stood frozen like a wooden post.

Sitting in her seat was a sweet-looking Omega with a wicked smile.