A Stand-in Alpha Awakens - Chapter 5

“What exactly do you mean by ‘what do I mean’! I’m talking about certain people, so why are you getting so worked up?” Liang Shuang glared coldly at Song Wushuang.

Both were Alphas and roughly the same height, but in terms of aura, Song Wushuang was clearly no match for Liang Shuang.

Quite a few people hadn’t left the classroom yet. Hearing this mid-volume confrontation, they all looked over curiously.

The fact that Jiang Lu and Song Wushuang were best friends was known to the entire class. Seeing the atmosphere between them turn sour so suddenly, the room fell into a hush.

Song Wushuang’s face burned beneath her mask. She belatedly realized they were in the classroom, not the dorm, and regretted her impulsiveness.

But the words had already been shouted; there was no way to take them back and apologize immediately.

She glared back at Liang Shuang with hatred, her voice dropping: “Liang Shuang, are you ever going to give it a rest? Can you please stay out of things between Jiang Lu and me!”

Sitting in her chair, Jiang Lu heard her name. Before Liang Shuang could speak, she leaned her back against the wall and called out: “Song Wushuang.”

This was the first time she had spoken to Song Wushuang since that phone call last night.

Song Wushuang’s heart skipped a beat. She looked down into Jiang Lu’s indifferent eyes, and the courage that had just flickered out flared up again.

She was surprised and incensed.

Having known her for three years, she knew Jiang Lu’s personality better than anyone. Now, even though Jiang Lu was the one who broke her word and did something wrong, she actually had the nerve to look at her with such eyes?!

Seriously, did she take the wrong medicine? Can she be reasonable for once?

…How does someone who broke a promise have the right to get angry at the person they stood up!

Jiang Lu didn’t know what Song Wushuang was thinking, but watching the light dim and then brighten in those eyes, her heart grew cold.

How does a person like this look like a “pitiful, helpless, pure, and kind little white flower”?

She didn’t look like one at all, because she never was.

Jiang Lu stood up, her cold expression mixed with undisguised disappointment. “Liang Shuang is right. You really are that kind of person.”

Stung by Jiang Lu’s gaze and tone, Song Wushuang’s hands clenched at her sides. “Jiang Lu, what did you say?”

Jiang Lu repeated: “I said, you are that kind of person. Liang Shuang was right.”

“Then what about you? What kind of person are you?” Song Wushuang ripped the mask off her face, revealing a swollen left cheek and a bruise at the corner of her mouth.

“We clearly agreed last night, and then you just didn’t show up. You didn’t even give a reason! I waited for you until midnight. I got home late and got beaten for it, and now you’re telling me I’m ‘that kind of person’?”

Song Wushuang sniffled, her voice carrying a sob as she continued: “Jiang Lu! Make it clear to me—what kind of person is ‘that kind of person’!”

Her resentful voice reached every ear in the classroom. The wandering gazes immediately shifted from her to Jiang Lu’s face.

Jiang Lu remained unmoved, the disappointment on her face deepening. Her calm voice rang clearly through the room: “Song Wushuang, was yesterday really your birthday? You said you invited Liang Shuang and she wouldn’t come. Well, Liang Shuang is right here, and you—”

Before Jiang Lu could finish, Song Wushuang, feeling immensely wronged, interrupted: “We what? You want to say I lied? Fine, I lied! We’ve been in the same class for a year; everyone knows Liang Shuang can’t stand me. So what if I didn’t invite her? Is that really worth bringing up?!”

Liang Shuang looked at Jiang Lu in surprise, suddenly understanding the meaning behind the question Jiang Lu had asked in the dorm.

Jiang Lu’s voice remained as level as before: “You lied to me, and that’s ‘not worth bringing up’? But you getting beaten is worth mentioning? Did I hit you?”

Song Wushuang froze.

Jiang Lu looked her straight in the eye. “I told you clearly over the phone that I wasn’t coming. Choosing to wait was your business; you can’t blame me for that.”

“As for why I didn’t go, I think you should know why. But since you insist on asking what you already know, there’s no reason I can’t say it.”

“I don’t like being lied to,” Jiang Lu said, enunciating every word. “And I don’t stay friends with liars.”

Song Wushuang was dumbfounded. “Over such a small thing, you’re calling me a liar?”

Liang Shuang almost laughed from anger just listening. “Who’s calling names? Jiang Lu is just stating a fact.”

“Liang Shuang, shut up!” Song Wushuang swung around to face Liang Shuang, who was standing a table away. “I fucking said this has nothing to do with you!”

Jiang Lu immediately reached out and firmly gripped Liang Shuang’s arm, suppressing her own urge to strike as she glared at the person in front of her. “Song Wushuang, please speak respectfully. None of us owe you anything.”

“Then do I owe you?!” Song Wushuang stared in disbelief at Jiang Lu’s hand on Liang Shuang’s arm, her eyes so red they looked ready to bleed.

In just one night, those two were this close again!

Held back by Jiang Lu, Liang Shuang couldn’t make a move. She snorted and sneered: “Me? You don’t owe me anything. But as for Jiang Lu… ha, ha.”

Shao Shuyi’s expression changed. As a front-row neighbor and roommate, she had personally witnessed Song Wushuang asking to borrow money from Jiang Lu three times in the month before the break.

At the time, Song Wushuang always said: “Jiang Lu, I might need a bit longer to pay you back, but don’t worry, I’m keeping track. I’ll definitely pay you.”

So now… has she paid it back?

In the next second, Jiang Lu spoke coldly: “Do you have amnesia? Have you forgotten who bought your necklace, your backpack, your watch, and your e-reader? Who gave you those imported chocolates every month? ‘Don’t owe anything,’ right? Fine. Give the stuff back.”

Song Wushuang was stunned. “Jiang Lu, you…”

“It’s not realistic to ask you to vomit up the food, so I won’t make it hard for you. Before the classes are reassigned, give me back the things that can be returned,” Jiang Lu said. “Oh, right, I almost forgot. Besides those things, since the eighth grade, you’ve borrowed a total of 4,600 yuan from me up until the end of last semester. Remember to pay me back.”

Having finished, Jiang Lu stopped looking at her. With a smile, her beautiful eyes turned to the stunned classmates around them. “Did everyone hear that? Please help me bear witness. I’ll buy everyone milk tea during our break at the end of the month.”

Song Wushuang was paralyzed. She slumped into her chair, her head ringing.

She had originally just wanted to throw a tantrum at Jiang Lu. Why? Why had things turned out like this?

She didn’t want to break off her friendship with Jiang Lu…

The students at the back, seeing Song Wushuang blocking the exit, scrambled to pull their desks back to clear a path for Jiang Lu to get out.

Amidst the commotion, Liang Shuang and Shao Shuyi completely forgot about the uninvited guest who had appeared before Old Yan arrived.

Once out of the classroom, the three of them tacitly avoided further questions. They each silently analyzed the situation for a while, and then turned the page.

A parasite like Song Wushuang—if the bridge was burned, it was burned. There was no point in regret or wasting time on it.

Besides, after this placement exam, they most likely wouldn’t be in the same class or dorm anyway.

The three walked quietly under the sun. No one spoke, but it wasn’t hard to see that Liang Shuang and Shao Shuyi were both secretly observing Jiang Lu.

Jiang Lu had already done her grieving at home last night and had envisioned the scene of their reunion. Now that she had finally stated her stance, her heart was much more peaceful than expected.

She turned on the spot and sat down on the edge of a flowerbed to her left, looking past the shade toward the distant Zhaixing Building.

The last period of the morning had already begun. The corridors of the Zhaixing Building were empty; not a soul was in sight.

Shao Shuyi needed to use the bathroom. After waiting and waiting, she finally couldn’t hold it anymore. She rubbed her sun-warmed arms and leaned toward Jiang Lu: “Um, I really need to go. Should I head back to the dorm and wait for you guys there?”

Lost in thought, Jiang Lu was startled by the sudden voice. She turned back to see Shao Shuyi’s crumpled face. “Ah, then go, hurry.”

Liang Shuang stifled a laugh nearby. Jiang Lu said to her: “You should go back too.”

Liang Shuang found it bizarre. “I don’t need the bathroom.”

“The sun is strong here,” Jiang Lu said.

Liang Shuang: “So you do know.”

“I…” Jiang Lu choked. She lowered her head to avoid Liang Shuang’s eyes and said, “I have a calcium deficiency. I’m soaking up the sun for the Vitamin D.”

“Only a calcium deficiency?” Liang Shuang sat down next to her.

Jiang Lu smiled. “What are you trying to say?”

Liang Shuang said honestly: “For a long time, I actually thought you were missing a brain cell.”

Jiang Lu thought back to her few frictions with Liang Shuang in the eighth grade and smiled without refuting it.

Failing to see people for who they are… I was indeed missing a brain cell.

Liang Shuang shook her head and fell silent.

The scorching sun turned their skin red. Finally, Jiang Lu took the initiative to grab Liang Shuang’s wrist and stand up. “Let’s go. It’s too hot. Let’s go back to the dorm to laze around until it’s time to eat.”

The cafeteria at No. 1 High opened strictly at set times; go too early or too late, and there was nothing to eat.

Liang Shuang had no objections and let Jiang Lu drag her forward.

Back at the dorm, Shao Shuyi was sitting at her desk reading manga again.

Liang Shuang was speechless. “You are truly a unique individual.”

“Oh, you don’t understand. This is my essential method for relaxing before an exam,” Shao Shuyi said as she put away her reader.

Jiang Lu laughed. “Right. And Liang Shuang, you never read a book before an exam either.”

Liang Shuang pursed her lips, pulled her schoolbag from a shelf in her locker, and began preparing her things for the afternoon exam.

Jiang Lu also unzipped the backpack hanging by her desk. She pulled out the pens and paper she had packed at the start of summer. Noticing a box of new pens tucked in a side pocket, she hesitated for two seconds before pulling them out and tossing them onto Shao Shuyi’s desk.

“What’s this for?” Shao Shuyi turned around blankly.

Without looking up, Jiang Lu said: “You said they were good last time. Here’s a box for you.”

Shao Shuyi looked at Liang Shuang, her blank face breaking into a radiant smile: “Aww, Lu-jie, you’re the best! God must bless me so I can still be in the same class and dorm as you!”

Liang Shuang looked at her expressionlessly. “Get into the top fifty of the grade, and you’ll get your wish.”

Shao Shuyi had ranked fifty-first at the end of last semester. Given how tight the score gaps were in the top fifty, this was a real challenge for her.

Shao Shuyi’s face paled slightly, but then she gritted her teeth and pumped a fist with determination. “I can definitely do it!”

“You can.” Jiang Lu quickly packed her things and checked the time. There were less than ten minutes until the cafeteria opened.

Shao Shuyi loved the school cafeteria; it was one of the reasons she looked forward to the start of term.

The three of them headed downstairs early. As they left the dorm building, Song Wushuang happened to be returning.

Her eyes above the disposable mask were red and swollen. Jiang Lu’s gaze swept over her face as she walked past without looking back.

Song Wushuang froze on the spot. After a long while, she turned back in disbelief, seeing only Jiang Lu’s straight back and Liang Shuang’s raised middle finger.

At that moment, a bolt of invisible lightning seemed to strike from the clear sky right onto her head.

Jiang Lu is really ignoring me?

Our three years of friendship are just over like that?

…

The glass doors of the cafeteria were locked. Jiang Lu watched Shao Shuyi press her face against the glass to peer inside, while her own mind drifted to Su Mengrui’s sudden appearance.

She had appeared and left in such a short span of time; it looked like a whim, a walk-about just to confirm if a person like Jiang Lu actually existed in this world.

Strange. Was she not sure before?

But her reaction wasn’t that of someone surprised.

…It was more like she knew, but didn’t know much?

Jiang Lu stared at the non-slip tiles of the steps, carefully recalling the description in the novel regarding Su Mengrui’s appearance at the “Hongmen Banquet” (the trapped birthday dinner).

Su Mengrui watched the Alpha girl who had been cold-faced since entering the private booth—who had even tried to leave several times. The curl of Su Mengrui’s lips was as joyful as her current heartbeat.

She clearly felt a throb of excitement similar to when she saw Chu Ziyan. She understood that this was 100% attraction.

Unfortunately, such magic could only manifest physiologically.

Deep in her heart, she would only ever hold that sunlit, cheerful, clean, and pure Alpha who was untainted by a speck of dust…

Su Mengrui knew for a fact that she (Jiang Lu) was a one-way 100% pheromone match.

Wait. How did Su Mengrui know?

How did she get such private information?

Before entering high school, Alphas and Omegas had to undergo a gland check organized by the school every year, but pheromone testing and compatibility screening were items only added after entering high school.

Whether it was a private test or a collective test organized by the school, the relevant institutions and personnel were obligated to keep it confidential.

As a semi-private school, No. 1 High was even stricter in this regard.

She knew the Su family was powerful, but No. 1 High wasn’t Su Mengrui’s personal playground. In this school, the strength of a student’s family background didn’t necessarily mean everything.

So, it was impossible for the school to have leaked it.

Combining this with the information from the novel, Jiang Lu’s heart suddenly jolted. She turned back to look at the administrative building, most of which was obscured by the teaching buildings.

Unexpectedly, her hostile gaze collided right with the eyes of an Omega passing by.

Jiang Lu was stunned. The hatred and disgust in her eyes vanished instantly. She lowered her head, her face flushing with apology: “Sorry, I wasn’t glaring at you just now… did I scare you? I’m so sorry.”

The Omega, whose waist-length hair was draped over her shoulders, turned to look in the direction Jiang Lu had been staring. She gave a gentle, poised smile: “A little, but it’s okay.”

“Seeing as your eyes are very beautiful.”

Jiang Lu looked up in astonishment, but the Omega in the white dress had already walked away quickly.

Liang Shuang’s voice came from behind her: “Let’s go, the doors are open.”

“Open?” Jiang Lu turned back. “Is it time?”

Liang Shuang replied: “No. After Senior Bai Yue came out just now, they didn’t lock the door again. The auntie said we could come in.”

“Oh.” Jiang Lu followed her inside. Realizing that the Omega just now was the “Senior Bai Yue” Liang Shuang had mentioned, her pupils shrank.

There weren’t many people in Liancheng with the surname Bai. She only knew of one.

Coincidentally, that person was also named Bai Yue.

Except the Bai Yue she knew was the cousin that the story’s protagonist, Su Mengrui, hated the most.

She was also the dream goddess of Chu Zishan—the younger sister of the protagonist Chu Ziyan.