Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 107

Sheltering from the Rain in the Small Cave

The sole of Nan Huaixu’s foot had been sliced by a sharp stone.

Liu Yinxi let Nan Huaixu lean into her embrace. Piercing through the curtain of rain, her gaze estimated that the small cave was still about a thousand meters away.

            

Nan Huaixu leaned against her shoulder, her voice noticeably weaker. “It’s fine. I’ll put on my shoes and walk.”

Liu Yinxi gently gripped her upper arm, stopping her from moving. “Don’t put them on. Your shoes are full of mud; the wound will get infected.”

“Then I’ll just slip a plastic bag over it…”

            

“No.” Liu Yinxi took off both of the backpacks she was carrying and hung them high on a tree branch, planning to retrieve them later.

She turned around and bent down in front of Nan Huaixu. “Get on. I’ll carry you on my back.”

Nan Huaixu pressed against Liu Yinxi’s back, looking around in dismay. Rain shrouded the world like a gray membrane, blocking their path.

            

Nan Huaixu knit her brows. Bearing the sharp pain in the sole of her foot, she said, “Liu Yinxi, the rain is too heavy, and there are muddy puddles everywhere. It’s too dangerous for you to carry me up the slope.”

Liu Yinxi insisted on carrying her. “If I carry you, you won’t have to climb. Even if someone’s foot gets cut, it’ll just be mine.”

Nan Huaixu looked at her in surprise. The rain had washed away the mud on Liu Yinxi’s forehead, sending black, muddy water trickling down from between her eyebrows and trailing along the bridge of her nose.

            

“Stop talking nonsense,” Nan Huaixu scolded softly. She reached up to touch her cheek, wiping away the muddy water from the side of her nose. “Who curses themselves to get hurt like that, you silly girl?”

Liu Yinxi nudged closer to Nan Huaixu, bending her back even lower as she tapped her knees. “Anyway, just get on. I promise to carry you safely to the cave. It’s pouring; let’s not stand out here like fools getting soaked.”

Nan Huaixu’s lips parted, but she did not refuse again. Under the current circumstances, what Liu Yinxi suggested was indeed the best course of action.

            

“Alright, here I go then,” Nan Huaixu murmured. She leaned forward, pressing close against Liu Yinxi’s back, wrapping her arms over her shoulders and hooking them tightly around her neck.

Liu Yinxi reached back to support the back of Nan Huaixu’s knees, slowly rising to her feet. “Hold on tight. I’m going to start climbing. Tell me immediately if you feel uncomfortable, and be careful not to let your foot scrape against any trees.”

Nan Huaixu buried her face in the back of Liu Yinxi’s neck and gave a silent nod.

            

When they were this close, words were unnecessary; a simple movement was enough for them to understand each other.

With the wind howling and rain lashing down, the muddy slope made the short thousand-meter trek exceptionally grueling.

Liu Yinxi moved slowly, but every step was incredibly steady. The torrential downpour pelted her face, filling her nose and making it hard to breathe. She shook her head to fling away the blinding rainwater, her resolute eyes fixed solely on the cave that would offer them shelter.

            

Once they were inside the cave, she could treat Nan Huaixu’s wound.

The final hundred meters was close. The cave was located on high ground with good drainage, making the path much easier to navigate. Securing her hold on Nan Huaixu, Liu Yinxi quickened her pace.

A makeshift fence, battered and broken by the heavy rain, stood before the cave entrance. Lush, thick vines wrapped around it, saving it from being swept away and helping to block out most of the driving rain.

            

Using one hand to secure Nan Huaixu, Liu Yinxi pulled open the fence with the other. She ducked inside and lowered herself to set Nan Huaixu down. “Watch your foot.”

Nan Huaixu leaned against the rocky wall to steady herself as she landed, keeping her injured foot off the ground. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. A minor injury like this will heal in a few days.”

Liu Yinxi’s voice carried deep worry. “Any injury needs to be taken seriously, no matter how small. Let me take a look first.”

            

She dragged over a small storage box filled with miscellaneous items, placed a layer of grass padding over it, and helped Nan Huaixu sit down.

Nan Huaixu unbuttoned her raincoat. “Take this off first; it’s dripping wet.”

Liu Yinxi took the garment and hung it on the vines lining the inside of the cave entrance.

            

She pulled a ferro rod from her windbreaker pocket. Due to the high humidity, it took five or six strikes to catch, but she finally lit the torch wedged into the stone wall. Instantly, the cave brightened.

Liu Yinxi sat on the ground and gently lifted Nan Huaixu’s injured foot. The sock was caked in mud, and the bloodstain on the sole was spreading.

Normally, to prevent stuck fabric from tearing the wound further, one would cut the clothing around the injury. However, since they had no spare shoes or socks in this competition, she could not ruin them. Instead, using the light from her bracelet, Liu Yinxi carefully stretched open Nan Huaixu’s sock, peeling it down bit by bit.

            

She rolled down the socks from both feet, found a clean plastic bag to spread on the ground, and had Nan Huaixu rest her heels on it.

Liu Yinxi’s first-aid kit was inside her backpack, which was still hanging from the tree branch halfway down the hill. Fortunately, Nan Huaixu was in the habit of keeping her own first-aid kit on her person, and some rarely used medical supplies were also stored in the cave, which served perfectly for the emergency.

After prepping the medical supplies for external trauma, Liu Yinxi cradled Nan Huaixu’s ankle. She poured some hydrogen peroxide into the bottle cap and rinsed away the dirt on the surface of the wound.

            

Upon examining the injury, she was relieved to find it was not deep, though the gash was somewhat wide.

Liu Yinxi took out a cotton swab and some iodophor, soaking the swab. Before disinfecting, she murmured softly to Nan Huaixu, “Teacher Nan, this might sting a little. I promise to be very gentle.”

Nan Huaixu replied, “It’s fine. It’s not like I’ve never had a minor injury before. You don’t have to coddle me like a child.”

            

Liu Yinxi felt it was only natural. “It has nothing to do with being a child. When you’re hurt, it hurts. Being gentle makes it hurt less.”

Nan Huaixu softly agreed, “Mhm, that’s true.”

“Teacher Nan, did you get hurt often when filming?”

            

“I wouldn’t say often, but if there were a lot of action scenes, getting injured was practically guaranteed.”

“You’d take a break to rest after getting hurt, right?”

“Yes, but not for very long. An entertainer’s time is money. Aside from filming, there are always plenty of other jobs to do.”

            

“Then what do you do for fun during your vacations?”

“I’ll go stay somewhere with beautiful scenery for a few days, and then watch movies—hiss.”

Liu Yinxi quickly withdrew the cotton swab. Taking advantage of the distraction from their conversation, she had already finished disinfecting and applying the medicine.

            

“All done.” Liu Yinxi offered Nan Huaixu a warm smile before tearing open a package of gauze. She carefully wrapped the wound, winding the tape from the sole of her foot to the instep.

She had not just asked those questions to distract her; she genuinely wanted to learn more about Nan Huaixu’s daily life, interests, and hobbies. She continued, “What kind of scenery do you like? And what kind of movies?”

Nan Huaixu propped up her bandaged foot, shifting her leg to the side to avoid accidentally reopening the wound. “I like bright, sunny places with water and flowers. As for movies, I prefer those with exceptionally beautiful cinematography, gorgeous color palettes, or intriguing stories.”

            

Simply hearing her words conjured vibrant oil paintings in Liu Yinxi’s mind. “Teacher Nan, I think you have a natural talent for color. Even if you don’t like sitting in one place to paint, you could easily become an art collector or connoisseur.”

Nan Huaixu looked up, her eyes brimming with warmth. “Really? That’s the first time anyone has ever told me that. Maybe I’ll give it a try after I retire.”

Liu Yinxi cleaned up the cave, moving the storage shelves and boxes to clear more space. “You can try it whenever you want; any time is fine. Attending art exhibitions or collecting paintings doesn’t take up too much time—you can just do it on vacation whenever you’re in the mood. You’re an actress, but you can also be anything else. As long as you want to, you can be whoever you wish, and see any scenery you like.”

            

Nan Huaixu let out a soft murmur of agreement. She watched her work in silence, the faint light in her eyes settling into a deep, serene pool.

Liu Yinxi lit the hearth near the entrance of the cave—a spot protected from the rain that still allowed fresh air to circulate.

Seeing that she was about to assemble a drying rack out of wooden sticks, Nan Huaixu reached over to grab a bundle of vine ropes from the storage shelves to help. Together, they tied the rack secure, and Nan Huaixu draped her wet jacket over it to dry.

            

With the cave interior settled, Liu Yinxi walked to the entrance, retrieved her soaking wet raincoat, and slipped it on. “Teacher Nan, I’m going to bring back our backpacks and the box.”

Nan Huaixu was uneasy. “Wait until the rain dies down a bit.”

Liu Yinxi looked out. The heavy curtain of rain was endless, looking as if it wanted to submerge the entire rainforest. “I have to go now. There are clothes and phones in the backpacks, and our food and tools are in the box. If I wait any longer, they might get swept away.”

            

Nan Huaixu’s expression was laced with worry. “Then be careful. If you get into danger after retrieving the backpacks, call for backup immediately. If you’re in trouble before you can get them, call out to the robot dog; the production team will see it on the livestream and send help.”

Half an hour later, Liu Yinxi returned, carrying a backpack on her front and another on her back while lugging a box. Beside her feet, Dog 6 trotted to a dry spot near the cave entrance. A crying emoji flashed on its screen before it collapsed onto the ground, motionless. It was no longer a clean little robot dog, but a filthy, mud-splattered pup.

Liu Yinxi used the sleeve of her raincoat to wipe the water off the backpacks and the box. Hanging her raincoat near the entrance, she carried the box deeper into the cave.

            

“Teacher Nan, I’m back. The temperature has dropped quite a bit. Put on your jacket as soon as it’s dry, and I’ll boil some hot water to ward off the chill.”

As she stepped into the depths of the cave, a wave of damp chill bit into her skin. Only then did Liu Yinxi realize that the firelight inside was dimming. The torch had been small to begin with, and the wet weather had severely shortened its lifespan.

Liu Yinxi hurriedly lit a spare torch, and the cave brightened once more.

            

By the firelight, she could see the windbreaker and trousers hanging on the drying rack. Nan Huaixu was sitting with her legs curled up, wearing only a short-sleeved top and shivering as she wrapped her arms around her bare arms.

Liu Yinxi quickly fished out a clean T-shirt from her backpack. The pack’s waterproofing had worked wonderfully; none of the items inside were damp.

“Teacher Nan, use this to cover your legs.” She handed the shirt over, politely turning her gaze away.

            

“Thank you. My pants were soaked and caked in mud, and they felt freezing against my skin, so I took them off to dry…”

“Mhm.” Liu Yinxi waited until she had covered her legs before sitting down. In a low voice, she asked, “Um, Teacher Nan, do you need a pair of disposable underwear?”

Nan Huaixu went quiet for a moment, then shook her head. “It’s alright. My underwear is already dry.”

            

Liu Yinxi understood what she meant. They were just scraping by for now; any proper washing up would have to wait until the rain stopped.

After drying their clothes and drinking some hot water, their bodies warmed up, bringing a wave of comfort.

As night fell, the rain weakened slightly, but there was absolutely no sign of it stopping.

            

The temperature plummeted once the sun went down. This was especially true inside the dark, sunless cave, which grew exceptionally damp and cold. Fortunately, they had stockpiled plenty of supplies in advance—they had enough firewood to last several days and an abundance of food.

By nightfall, the interior and exterior of the cave were shrouded in pitch blackness. The flames crackling in the hearth were the sole source of light, their hot, orange-red glow offering a sense of security.

Liu Yinxi laid out some dry vines and grass on the ground and against the rocky wall, then leaned back to sleep. The two robot dogs were shut out on the other side of the storage shelves.

            

Nan Huaixu was injured and sensitive to the cold, making her sleep fitful. Her own windbreaker had been soiled when she slipped into the mud, so Liu Yinxi had given her her own dry jacket to wear.

Liu Yinxi closed her eyes to doze. In her sleep, Nan Huaixu unconsciously sought out warmth and kept sliding closer to her. At first, Liu Yinxi would gently nudge her back to her spot, but after it happened several times, she simply let it go, allowing Nan Huaixu to sleep however she pleased.

Around one or two in the morning, Nan Huaixu mumbled a couple of incoherent words in her sleep and woke up shivering. Feeling the movement in her arms, Liu Yinxi quickly opened her eyes.

            

“Yinxi,” Nan Huaixu whispered, her pale lips trembling as her damp eyes looked up at her. “I’m cold.”

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