A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 4

Su Mengrui. Two months ago, she had just graduated from No. 1 High.

Her College Entrance Exam scores were good, but not high enough to earn her a spot on stage as a student representative. Thus, before Jiang Lu “awakened,” even though they were in the same school, they occupied different grades and buildings; there had been zero overlap between them.

Jiang Lu shouldn’t have recognized her, but the novel had provided so much description of Su Mengrui that it was hard not to know her. A few hundred words of physical description left a deeper impression than a photograph.

Standard Omega features: a face the size of a palm, peach-blossom eyes, a cherry-like mouth, and a pointed chin. When she smiled, a small dimple appeared on her left cheek—at first glance, a very sweet face.

However, a second look revealed a sense of discordance. It wasn’t because of her style or her sharp, short hair, but rather her aura and her gaze. It was a vibe extremely similar to an Alpha’s: arrogant, wild, dangerous, and even faintly violent.

No explanation was needed; just looking at her was enough to make one feel uncomfortable enough to want to flee. To be able to cultivate an Omega against their natural disposition to such an extent, the Su family was indeed a formidable place.

As Jiang Lu’s eyes met Su Mengrui’s, her violently heaving chest gradually steadied.

If she previously had a shred of wishful thinking—believing she had simply had a disgusting dream—then now, she truly harbored not a single doubt.

Meeting those eyes filled with mockery and surprise, Jiang Lu’s throat and stomach suddenly constricted. The back of her hand and her scent glands throbbed with pain. It was as if an invisible blade was hidden in Su Mengrui’s gaze, slicing away at her flesh and soul, piece by piece.

Beyond the pain, there was a flood of humiliation that threatened to crush and drown her.

Endless darkness, the piercing rattle of sliding chains, the icy touch of a blade sliding across skin… at this moment, those sensations rushed toward her with terrifying reality.

Su Mengrui was a lunatic. She had actually tracked her down to the school.

In a matter of seconds, Jiang Lu’s internal world collapsed and rebuilt itself. She looked away, covered her mouth, and sprinted toward the paper bin lined with a trash bag. With a bleh sound, she threw up all the water she had just drunk.

The classroom wasn’t crowded or loud. At the sound, everyone immediately looked over.

“Jiang Lu? Was that Jiang Lu?”

“It’s her. Hey, Jiang Lu, are you okay?”

“Huh? What happened? She threw up?”

“Jiang Lu? Did you eat something bad? Is it serious?”

Jiang Lu was well-liked in class. As the familiar voices rang out, the ringing in her ears subsided. She crouched by the podium, waving an arm to signal she was okay. She took a tissue from Liang Shuang to wipe her mouth, then unscrewed her water bottle to rinse. “I’m fine. I just ran too fast.”

Shao Shuyi’s tightened heart relaxed. “See? I told you to slow down, but you wouldn’t listen. You nearly scared the life out of me.”

Liang Shuang looked at Shao Shuyi wordlessly, then pulled out a wet wipe to give to Jiang Lu. Her eyes drifted toward the strange Omega, seemingly by accident but with clear intent. She had been chasing right behind Jiang Lu; although she hadn’t seen her face, her intuition told her this wasn’t about the water or the running.

Jiang Lu braced herself against the podium to stand up. Just as she was about to say she didn’t need anything else, a hand—so pale it lacked any color of blood—appeared before her eyes.

Fair and slender, soft as if without bone, looking like a perfect right hand meticulously carved by a master dollmaker.

The description was accurate. It was as white as someone who had been dead for three days.

Jiang Lu’s face darkened as she tossed the empty bottle away. She took Liang Shuang’s wipe, stood straight, and looked down at the Omega who had approached at some unknown point.

In the air, the heavy floral scent carried a sticky, cloying undertone of green tea.

There was also a hint of something metallic… like blood.

Bloody? Jiang Lu’s eyebrow arched, her disdain turning into sheer loathing.

Strangely, Su Mengrui didn’t show any anger at being offended. Quite the opposite—her watery eyes crinkled as she smiled with keen interest. “So you’re Jiang Lu.”

“I don’t know you.” Jiang Lu took a step back, dodging the hand Su Mengrui suddenly reached out.

Su Mengrui still wasn’t annoyed. “It’s fine. It’s enough that I know you.”

With her expression unchanged, she stepped back two paces and scrutinized the Alpha from head to toe. Then, she turned and strolled out through the aisle by the podium, waving a hand.

Only after reaching the back door of the classroom did she look back once. Her look of regret was exactly like someone who had failed to buy a beautiful dress they wanted. But the high curl of her lips seemed to say she was confident she would soon own something even more beautiful.

Today, Su Mengrui had actually passed by unintentionally. She happened to see Song Wushuang dragging her things in and decided to follow on a whim.

Walking into Class 1-3, she hadn’t expected much. After all, the photo Song Wushuang had provided was mediocre—poor lighting, bad resolution; at first glance, the girl didn’t even look as good as Song Wushuang’s “bun-like” face.

Now that she had seen her in person, she realized her junior, Jiang Lu, was incredibly unphotogenic. She was as green as a fruit waiting to be ripened, but one look told Su Mengrui that her superior features would only become more exquisite and beautiful with time.

Who would have thought they were a 100% match? Too bad it was one-way. Otherwise…

But this was fine too. Once Ziyan was ready, she could have a small surgery to cut everything clean.

Watching Su Mengrui leave in a good mood, Jiang Lu suddenly doubled over and retched again.

Liang Shuang was startled and bent down to pat her back. “Are you really okay? Do you need to see the school doctor?”

“And have them tell me to ‘drink more hot water’?” Jiang Lu wiped her mouth, tossed the wet wipe, and proactively tied up the trash bag. “I’ll go throw this out. You guys put a new liner in.”

The bell had rung while they were rushing in. When it rang again, “Iron-Faced Yama” would arrive. If he saw trash in the bin right at the start of reporting, he’d likely subject dozens of students to a half-period lecture on “ideological education.”

Shao Shuyi tore off a new bag and fitted it. “Jiang Lu is right. Our school doctor—unless your scent glands are failing—prescribes ‘drink more hot water’ for everything else.”

Liang Shuang: “…” Hard to argue with that.

But who was that Omega? Why did she come to make her presence known to Jiang Lu? She looked a bit familiar… have I seen her somewhere? Shouldn’t be. An Omega with that much personality… if I’d seen her, I should have a strong impression.

Jiang Lu threw away the trash bag and walked past the sink before backing up to wash her hands. The cool tap water ran over her feverish palms. She couldn’t help but lean down to splash her face as well.

The cooling sensation was refreshing. Her chaotic mind cleared a bit, but her chest remained heavy.

Before sleeping last night, she had wondered if avoiding the critical “encounters” would mean her peaceful life wouldn’t be broken. Now, it seemed she was being naive. This wasn’t the end; it was the beginning.

If she wanted to change the ending of the novel, hiding was impossible. She had to take the initiative before they made their move on her.

Jiang Lu wiped the droplets from her chin, flicked her hands over the basin, and walked back into the classroom against the scorching sun.

When she re-entered, the room was half-full. Students who had been unpacking in the dorms were trickling back, including Song Wushuang.

With less than two minutes until the 10:00 AM deadline, Liang Shuang, sitting in the row in front of Jiang Lu, turned back and asked, “Do you want to swap seats with me?”

Shao Shuyi looked surprised. Recalling Song Wushuang’s state in the dorm, she leaned in with an “Ah!” and added, “You can swap with me too.”

In Jiang Lu’s peripheral vision, a black mask appeared. She shook her head. “No need. It’s just a temporary seat.”

There would be a class-reassignment exam in the afternoon. Once the results were out, they wouldn’t be in the same class anymore. There were only a few hours left to be desk-mates; it wasn’t worth the trouble.

Besides, she and Song Wushuang had an account to settle.

Didn’t Song Wushuang say the gifts weren’t “gifts” but “charity” that she didn’t care for? Since she didn’t care for them, it was time to give them back.

Jiang Lu stared at the ticking seconds on her watch, acting as if she couldn’t hear the sound of the chair being dragged next to her, nor could she see the person sitting down.

Song Wushuang made quite a bit of noise on purpose. Seeing that Jiang Lu wouldn’t even give her a glance, the foul fire in her heart shot straight to her head. With a sour face, she let out a “hmpf” and turned toward the open front door of the classroom.

Fine, treat me like air then. See who holds out longer!

If you’re so capable, don’t talk to me for the rest of your life!

The class bell rang. The temporary homeroom teacher, Old Yan—known as Iron-Faced Yama—walked in.

True to his reputation, he stood at the podium and banged the chalkboard eraser three times. Then came the classic opening: “I assume you all know who I am, so I won’t waste time with introductions. Let’s get straight to the point—”

Looking at the middle-aged man’s face, a shallow smile curled Jiang Lu’s lips. She thought to herself that the legendary Iron-Faced Yama didn’t seem as scary as imagined. If she really became his student, it might actually be quite interesting.

“…Alright, that’s all I have to say. The rest of the time is yours to arrange. The exam starts after lunch break. Prepare your own scratch paper and pens. My phone number is on the board—everyone take it down.” Old Yan’s voice faded as he left.

The classroom, silent for a full period, instantly became noisy. A few restless students in the back rose and left immediately.

Hearing the chatter and the scraping of chairs, Jiang Lu looked up at the two girls standing in the front row.

There was still a period before the cafeteria opened. If they didn’t want to stay in the classroom, they could either go outside or head back to the dorms.

Shao Shuyi stretched and turned around. “Where are we going? Did you guys buy scratch paper and stuff?”

Liang Shuang glanced at Song Wushuang, who sat motionless in her seat. “Bought it. You don’t have any? I can give you some.”

“I have some, I was just worried you guys didn’t.” Shao Shuyi might fail at snagging figurines, but she was never short on school supplies.

Liang Shuang nodded. Seeing Song Wushuang still blocking the way without moving, she grew annoyed. “Oh, that’s right, I almost forgot. You love to hoard things. Unlike some people, who never remember to buy anything and are always short on this and that.”

Others might not know, but as roommates, they knew very well: all of Song Wushuang’s school and daily supplies for the entire tenth grade had been “borrowed” from Jiang Lu.

To Song Wushuang’s ears, these words weren’t just a subtle jab—they were a direct insult.

Ten minutes ago, Song Wushuang had already been scolded by that old man Yan for refusing to take off her mask. Now, she finally exploded. With a loud bang, she slammed the table and stood up.

“Liang Shuang, what exactly do you mean by that?!”