Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 102
by Little PandaStaying at the Temporary Campsite, Clearing the Small Cave
Liu Yinxi was puzzled by Nan Huaixu’s question.
Did Nan Huaixu think of her as a selfish person?
Looking back on their time together recently, she asked herself: hadn’t she always prioritized Nan Huaixu whenever they got good supplies, never hiding or hoarding anything?
Without a second thought, Liu Yinxi answered, “Of course, Teacher. As long as it’s something I can get my hands on, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
Nan Huaixu gazed at her with deep, unreadable eyes. Her lips twitched into a faint, subtle pout as she took a skewer of grilled fish from Liu Yinxi’s hand. “Never mind.”
Liu Yinxi looked at her empty hand, utterly baffled. Nan Huaixu’s tone made her sound a little unhappy. Had she said something wrong again? She just didn’t get it.
By the time they finished the grilled fish, the steamed rice was finally ready. They mixed the rice with the fish soup and bamboo shoot slices, then began preparing the supplies they would need for their stay at the waterfall campsite and for securing the upcoming airdrops over the next few days.
Liu Yinxi packed two woven vine baskets with supplies, even stuffing in the fish cage they had retrieved last time.
Noticing this, Nan Huaixu asked, “Are we taking that too? Are you planning to catch fish up on the mountain? Wouldn’t bringing enough dry rations be sufficient?”
“Not just this,” Liu Yinxi replied. “Tomorrow, I’m also going to take our ground net trap1 over to the waterfall.”
Nan Huaixu paused, considering this. “Are we going to stay at the waterfall long-term?”
“In a way,” Liu Yinxi said as she packed. “We need to gradually migrate up the mountain. The day after tomorrow is the second airdrop at the waterfall. Any airdrops after that will definitely be higher up. Climbing the mountain takes a lot of time and energy, so we should head up early to scout out a location for our new shelter. Moving some of our supplies to the campsite now will make the final move much easier.”
Nan Huaixu didn’t ask further. She walked over to the storage rack and began selecting the items she deemed important.
That was just her nature—she was always one to act rather than talk.
Seeing her pack the dried herbs and vine ropes so efficiently, Liu Yinxi felt a sense of reassurance settling in her chest. “Teacher, you’ve changed so much. Now you just believe whatever I say.”
“I believe in facts.” Nan Huaixu paused her work and turned to give her a reassuring smile. “Your judgment has never been wrong.”
—Nan Huaixu finally smiled.
Amid her joy, Liu Yinxi also felt a little apprehensive. “Well, just to give you a heads-up—even if the chances are slim, there’ll still be times when my judgment is off.”
Nan Huaixu’s lips curved. “Then we’ll just be wrong. As long as I’m with you, right or wrong doesn’t matter. It’s not like you’d let me starve anyway.”
“Definitely not.” Liu Yinxi at least had that much confidence.
“Exactly.” Nan Huaixu smiled, her hand gently brushing over Liu Yinxi’s shoulder. “Have a little confidence. We have a long trek tomorrow, so head to bed early once you’re done packing.”
“Okay.” Liu Yinxi’s eyes followed Nan Huaixu’s fingers as they glided from her collarbone, brushed past her shoulder, and slowly pulled away—like a butterfly fluttering by.
Seeing Nan Huaixu smile always put her in a better mood.
Being touched by Nan Huaixu like that brought a comforting sensation she had never experienced before.
It was a wondrous, new feeling.
Liu Yinxi stood there, reflecting on it for a moment, and couldn’t help but let her own lips curve upward.
She would listen to her Teacher and go to bed early.
The woods were filled with the constant chirping of birds.
Having gone neglected for some time, the temporary campsite near the waterfall looked rather dilapidated. The leaves covering the roof had withered, two of the wooden support poles holding up the shelter had collapsed, and the fire pit was choked with dead leaves.
Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu reached the campsite at one in the afternoon. With the sun beating down mercilessly, both of them were as exhausted as withered, dehydrated vegetables.
They did some quick repairs on the shelter and headed down to the stream to fetch water, only truly catching their breath after taking a brief rest.
According to the description in the original novel, after the two airdrops at the waterfall, the drop zone would shift toward the lake area halfway up the mountain. Furthermore, the interval between subsequent drops would stretch to ten days or more. With the intervals growing longer and the supplies scarcer, the survival difficulty for the contestants would increase dramatically due to both the harsh environment and dwindling provisions.
Therefore, Liu Yinxi planned to stay at this campsite for a few extra days after securing the next airdrop. This would allow her to explore the lake area further up and scout for a new shelter location for the later stages of the competition.
To guarantee their food supply during this time, Liu Yinxi needed to set the fish cage in the river downstream from the waterfall, then look for a suitable spot to lay the ground net trap.
Unlike the gentle terrain of the lower Toa River, the mountainous area featured complex networks of waterways around the waterfall. This made risks like landslides inevitable, and the mountain winds blew much harsher at night. Since they hadn’t visited the campsite in several days, the shelter had already sustained some damage.
Worrying that storing their supplies here during the move wouldn’t be secure, Liu Yinxi brought it up with Nan Huaixu. “Teacher, I want to clear out that small cave where we found the treasure chest. We can store our supplies inside to keep them safe from thieves, rain, and water.”
Nan Huaixu agreed without hesitation. “That’s viable. It’s close to here, too.”
Liu Yinxi checked the time on her bracelet. “It’s still early. I might as well head over now.”
“Why the rush?” Nan Huaixu asked. “We’re staying here for the next couple of days. It won’t be too late to move things over when we’re ready to leave.”
“I’m not moving the gear yet,” Liu Yinxi said. “I just want to do a quick cleanup of the cave. I need to go set the fish cage and traps anyway, so it’s right on the way.”
“What about me?”
“Teacher, you can gather some firewood so we can cook when I get back tonight. We also need to set up a new mattress in the shelter and hang the mosquito net.”
Nan Huaixu nodded and asked her, “What time will you be back?”
“Before seven.”
“Be careful on the way.”
“You too.”
Liu Yinxi said goodbye to Nan Huaixu. Carrying her backpack, bow, and arrows, and holding her machete, she set off. After all, the wilderness wasn’t like city traffic where you had to stick to marked lanes. In the wild, as long as a route was passable, any way went—whether it was straight, winding, or cut through the brush.
Liu Yinxi had discovered a shortcut from the campsite to the small cave. Cutting through the forest took only about twenty minutes. The downside was that there was too much overgrowth, and the path was quite rugged and difficult to traverse. But that wasn’t a big deal. Once she chopped away the obstructing branches and shrubs and laid down some stepping stones, walking it a few more times would make it easier to walk. Paths, after all, were made by walking them.
There was a hollow along the way that was perfect for laying a ground net trap. Liu Yinxi placed the trap there first, securing it with vines before tossing in some fish innards as bait.
Upon reaching the cave, Liu Yinxi trimmed away the vines climbing over the exterior, leaving only enough foliage to serve as natural camouflage. Using the severed vines and branches, she fashioned a rustic screen to hide the entrance. To avoid drawing unwanted attention, they had already pulled up the Spark flag after taking the treasure chest last time.
With the vines cleared from the mouth, more sunlight streamed into the cave, improving the visibility inside a bit.
Liu Yinxi bound some palm leaves together to make a makeshift broom and swept away the loose dirt and stones from both inside and outside the entrance. Next, she lashed some palm fibers onto a wooden stick to make a torch, lit it, and wedged it into a crevice in the cave wall for illumination.
With the combined light of the sun and the torch, she could finally see the inside of the cave clearly. The stone walls were relatively even. The section near the entrance was overgrown with moss and weeds, while the deeper recesses consisted of damp rock.
Liu Yinxi cleared out the useless moss and small pebbles, scrubbed the damp stone walls with palm bark, and then went over them with a flame to dry them. Because the cave’s interior was small and confined, she stepped outside to breathe fresh air every few minutes to avoid choking on the smoke or getting carbon monoxide poisoning. Once she had finished the general cleaning, she scattered some wood ash over the ground and walls to help clean and dry the space.
With the sweeping done, she chopped some branches and lashed them together with vine ropes to make a simple, low rack. She placed it against one side of the rock wall, leaving a gap of a few centimeters behind it for ventilation.
Considering its function as an emergency shelter, they might need to take refuge here in a crisis, which would require a campfire. However, small caves were poorly suited for fires inside, as they would rapidly consume the oxygen and make breathing hazardous. Therefore, she could only dig a small fire pit right at the mouth of the cave, which would allow for proper ventilation while keeping the smoke and flame intensity to a minimum.
After this thorough organizing, the deeper section of the cave would serve as storage for their supplies, the well-ventilated area near the front would offer a temporary resting spot, torches could be hung on the rock walls, and the fire pit at the entrance could be lit for warmth and cooking. The small cave was now fully utilized.
Giving the cave one final check, Liu Yinxi hummed in satisfaction and closed the wooden screen.
It was past five in the afternoon—already getting late. She needed to find a body of water to set the fish cage, and then she could head back to the campsite.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
A sudden rustling came from the brush behind the cave. Instantly on high alert, Liu Yinxi lowered her body and hid in the shrubs to observe. In the distance, beneath a tree covered in small white flowers, she caught the faint, trembling outline of a small grey creature.
It might have been a plump wild rat, or perhaps some other small animal. These creatures were incredibly swift and would bolt at the slightest slip. Without stopping to see exactly what it was, Liu Yinxi quietly unslung her bamboo bow and notched an arrow.
She aimed, drew back the string, and counted down in her head.
Three, two, one!
Whoosh!
The feathered bamboo arrow tore through the air. The grey-furred creature sensed the danger and tried to bolt, but it was already too late. The sharp arrowhead pierced clean through its fur and buried itself deep into its flesh.
Liu Yinxi sprinted over. The little creature was still thrashing among the leaves. She grabbed its long ears and lifted it up, grinning from ear to ear.
【Wuhu!!!】
【That was so satisfying! It’s been over a month, and Xixi finally got what she wanted!】
【My mouth is watering so hard right now.】
【Wipe it up. (passes tissue)】
【Yay! Manman gets to eat a great meal today too~】
【A wild animal appears right after she finishes making her bamboo arrows? And right where the production team put the chest? Did the crew release some livestock on purpose?】
【Hard to say. Watching up to this point, I seriously suspect the production team has a script specifically to pamper a big shot like Nan Huaixu.】
【Who cares if it’s scripted? As long as it’s entertaining.】
【If they wanted to pamper her, would they make her suffer in the wilderness? Pack up the conspiracy theories already. (speechless)】
【Hahaha, Liu Yinxi was so excited about catching food that she dropped the fish cage! (laugh-cry)】
【Huh? Won’t she get scolded by Teacher then? (scared)】
【She didn’t lose it, she just forgot it at the cave entrance. (shrug)】
【She even tripped while running back to the campsite, she was so happy…】
【That’s pure joy right there, hhh.】
Fresh firewood was piled into the stone hearth at the campsite. With a soft sizzle, an orange-red flame flared to life.
A loud shout echoed from the trees. “Nan Huaixu! Teacher! Teacher—”
Nan Huaixu stood up and turned around. As the shadow in the forest drew closer, a woman covered in mud suddenly burst out from the foliage.
Nan Huaixu took a subconscious step back. Taking a closer look, she burst out laughing. “Liu Yinxi, where on earth did you go to eat dirt?”
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