Chapter 49
Back at the parking lot, Bai Yue noticed Jiang Lu’s hesitation. Leaning against the open car door, she asked, “What is it?”
The parking lot was mostly shrouded in the shadow of the building, providing a cool relief from the sun. Jiang Lu’s head, haloed by the soft golden light, shook slightly.
“Nothing?” Bai Yue shut the door with a firm thud, rounded the front of the car, and stood before the Alpha. “Are you doubting my driving skills?”
“I really am not,” Jiang Lu’s expression shifted slightly as she yielded, pressing her back against the spotless body of the car.
But Bai Yue wasn’t so easily dismissed. She leaned a palm against the car window with a half-smile. “But I feel like you don’t quite trust me…”
Before Bai Yue could finish, Jiang Lu leaned slightly to the side. “I don’t have a single doubt about your driving, I promise. I was just… worried that if you’re feeling unwell, it might affect your performance.”
The Alpha’s voice dropped so low at the end it was barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz.
“Then you drive?” Bai Yue jiggled the keys in her hand, her eyebrow arching as the words left her lips. “Ah, I almost forgot. You’re a minor; you don’t have a license.”
Jiang Lu: “…”
“So, be a good girl and get in.” Bai Yue opened the passenger door and waited patiently for the Alpha—who was quite a bit taller than her—to slide in, then snapped the door shut and returned to the driver’s side.
There was a small mall and a park nearby, so the Sunday traffic was significant. Bai Yue drove slowly toward the grilled skewer shop from her memory.
Jiang Lu didn’t dare say another word. She sat quietly in her seat, staring straight ahead through the windshield. She didn’t know what was happening; ever since she saw Bai Yue this afternoon, her heart had been bouncing on the edge of losing control.
Thump-thump, thump-thump. Fast and frantic.
Especially when Bai Yue suddenly leaned in, her entire back went stiff. This was definitely not a good sign.
As she was self-reflecting, the phone pressed against her thigh vibrated with a buzz, making her skin go numb. Her attention diverted, Jiang Lu looked down at her phone. The expected contact and message didn’t appear; instead, an unknown local number displayed eight baffling words:
‘If you don’t want to regret it, come to North Street immediately.’
There wasn’t even a single punctuation mark. Jiang Lu looked at the unknown number and ignored it, clicking into her WeChat group chat instead to post a question mark.
Liang Shuang, who had nothing to do this afternoon, had been dragged out of school by Shao Shuyi to “stock up.” When she received the notification, she was standing on the steps of a shop waiting for skewers. She replied with two confused question marks.
Shao Shuyi was at the franchise store diagonally across the street buying ice cream and hadn’t replied yet. Seeing no response from Shuyi, Jiang Lu remembered that she loved shopping on North Street. She quickly typed to Liang Shuang: Is Shuyi at school?
Liang Shuang was puzzled but cooperative: No.
Jiang Lu stared at the reply, her finger pausing over the screen. She hesitated for about three seconds, about to exit and start a private chat, when two more messages popped up.
— [Image]
— She’s across the street queuing for ice cream. Says she won’t give up until she gets one today.
She zoomed in on the photo. In front of a new store she had heard of but never visited, Shao Shuyi was sandwiched between two Beta girls, her neck craned like a curious goose.
— I’m done for.
— When will you be finished? Should I bring one back for you?
Jiang Lu was about to type that it wasn’t necessary when Shao Shuyi’s message jumped out: I heard their mint ice cream is super popular. Come back early, I got one for you!
The letters in the input box were quickly deleted, and the words “Thank you” flew onto the screen.
Turning right onto the street, the car dived into a parking spot that had just opened up. Bai Yue turned off the ignition with satisfaction. “In one go. Not bad, right?”
Jiang Lu looked at the curb in the rearview mirror, perfectly parallel to the car body. Her hand stopped on the door handle. “Very impressive.”
“You have good eyes!” Bai Yue said as she opened her door. Just as a horn honked from behind, her phone rang.
Jiang Lu leaned against the car waiting, wondering if she should find a suitable time and reason to end this impromptu “date.” As she turned around, she locked eyes with Liang Shuang, who was crouching diagonally behind her holding a phone.
What? Is this the legendary work of fate?!
Liang Shuang looked at Jiang Lu, then at Bai Yue—who was less than a meter and a half away. She jumped up and stepped off the stairs. Just as she was about to rush over, her logic overrode her surprise and curiosity. She forced herself to turn around, retreat, and stare intensely at the sign of the skewer shop.
In her mind, there was only one thought: I can’t go over there! I can’t disturb them! There was nothing that couldn’t wait to be asked until they were back at school!
Jiang Lu, who had clearly seen Liang Shuang and confirmed that Liang Shuang had seen her too, watched blankly as that familiar figure grabbed her bag of skewers and left without looking back.
??? What does that mean? What’s wrong with her? Wait… she wouldn’t be angry, would she?
Thinking of that terrifying possibility, Jiang Lu’s heart, which was already racing, finally began to panic properly. She waited with what could be called anxiety for Bai Yue to finish her call. Then, with accidental synchronicity, they both spoke at the same time, saying they had to leave.
“I’ll drive you back to school?” Bai Yue suggested, looking around. There were no shared bikes or bus stops nearby.
Jiang Lu, worried about the fleeing Liang Shuang, declined with a smile. “No need. I have a classmate nearby; I need to go find her first.”
“Classmate?”
“Mhm. A roommate.”
Hearing it was an Alpha roommate, Bai Yue didn’t push further. She opened the car door and pulled out the strawberries she had left inside earlier, handing them over. “Give the extra box to your roommate. And don’t say thank you.”
Jiang Lu’s thanks choked in her throat. She watched Bai Yue drive away, then chased after Liang Shuang’s direction.
The queue in front of the new shop was still long, but Shao Shuyi was nowhere to be seen. She looked around at the intersection but couldn’t find her friends. Helplessly, she opened the group chat.
This time Liang Shuang didn’t reply. The first to pop up was Shao Shuyi: We’re walking toward North Street. Are you coming back soon?
North Street? They went to North Street?
The T-junction was crowded with pedestrians. Jiang Lu hurriedly typed for them not to go and to wait for her, then she started running while calling the unknown number. It rang for a long time with no answer. She tried again; it was busy.
Blocked me?!
Who was it? Su Mengrui or Song Wushuang? No matter who it was, she didn’t want Liang Shuang or Shao Shuyi to get hurt. Clutching the bag of strawberries, Jiang Lu closed the navigation on her screen and dove into a small alleyway that led directly to North Street.
A kilometer away, Liang Shuang—who felt like she had seen through everything—grumpily snatched Shao Shuyi’s phone. “You don’t understand. This is a critical moment for Jiang Lu; we can’t disturb her.”
“If you understand, then explain it to me!” Shao Shuyi was going crazy. “Jiang Lu sent the message herself; how is replying ‘disturbing’ her?”
Liang Shuang shook her head. “No, I can’t tell you yet. Just be patient. You’ll find out eventually.”
Shao Shuyi: “?” Do you even hear yourself?
Liang Shuang: “.” Anyway, I definitely can’t say it now.
A horn blared. Shao Shuyi scanned the car yielding to them with a sour face, bit off half of her ice cream cone with a crunch, and followed the cryptic Liang Shuang onto North Street.
On the second floor of an internet cafe even further north, Song Wushuang, wearing a black baseball cap, pocketed her shattered phone and turned to look at Song Jie sitting in a gaming chair.
The giant “DEFEAT” text on the screen hadn’t disappeared yet. Noticing her gaze, Song Jie looked as disgusted as could be. “Don’t look at me. I said I’m not going back, and I meant it. No one can make me!”
Song Wushuang didn’t speak. Song Jie turned away and rolled his eyes. “If you ask me, you just haven’t been beaten enough. Look at what they did to you, and you still have the nerve to crawl back to them. Hmph—you’re truly pathetic!”
“But then again, it’s not entirely their fault. You caused the disaster, so of course you take the fall. If it were me, I might have beaten you to death. Ten million… you’re not worth a damn cent, let alone—”
The boy’s rambling was cut short by an arm hooking violently around his neck. His face, turning red from lack of oxygen, was reflected in the lightless eyes beneath the cap’s brim.
Song Wushuang’s hatred hissed through her teeth: “Song Jie, without them, you are nothing. I advise you to be quiet, or I really will make you shut up forever!”
Song Jie’s hands clawed at Song Wushuang’s arm, but before his nails could dig into her flesh, a domineering, aggressive, and threatening wave of pheromones exploded out, making the boy go limp in the chair.
The grip on his neck loosened. Song Wushuang’s raspy voice sounded again: “Don’t push me. Get your ass back home before dinner.”
Terror-filled tears welled in Song Jie’s eyes. The door to the private room slammed shut, and he remained dazed, unable to react. But a wave of shock rolled through his heart. His sister was this strong?! But if that’s true, why does she never dare to fight back at home?
Walking quickly down the stairs, Song Wushuang pulled her mask up from her chin, shoved her hands in her pockets, and left through the back door of the internet cafe, disappearing into the inner alleys.
Jiang Lu wasn’t with them. Either she truly didn’t care, or she was on her way. Either way, it wasn’t a bad thing for her. But if it were the latter, Song Wushuang felt she needed to make this trip and wait for her in advance.
It had been a long time. She really did miss her a little.
Deep in the alley, the sound of approaching footsteps startled a cat napping on a wall. Jiang Lu looked up and met the cat’s bicolored eyes, the pupils suddenly narrowing into slits.
She withdrew her gaze guiltily and kept walking. However, as she crossed a winding intersection, her nose began to itch. As if stimulated by something, she suddenly leaned over and let out a giant sneeze.
Her slender fingers rubbed her nose. Out of the corner of her eye, a dark shadow flashed. Realizing someone was there, she spun around, defensively putting her back to a low concrete wall.
Behind an old, small telephone pole, half of a black figure was visible. It looked remarkably familiar. Jiang Lu narrowed her eyes, recognized the black cargo pants, and her hands clenched at her sides.
It really was her.
When no retreating footsteps came, the Alpha in black, leaning against some pink advertisement posters, stepped out from behind the pole as if accepting her fate. “Long time no see. Did you miss me?”
Receiving no response, Song Wushuang pulled down her mask and answered her own question. “Honestly, I missed you a lot, Jiang Lu.”
Jiang Lu’s brow furrowed in disgust. “You sent the text.”
“Mhm. Who else did you think it was? Su Mengrui? She’s a bit too busy for you right now.” Song Wushuang’s swollen lip curled up; she looked no different than she had a month ago.
Jiang Lu took two steps forward, her voice growing colder: “Is the purpose of your message just to tell me you missed me?”
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