Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 108

Keeping Warm

Liu Yinxi was only resting with her eyes closed, not asleep. Worried the flames might hurt Nan Huaixu, she sat between the fire pit and her.

When Nan Huaixu said she was cold, Liu Yinxi’s first instinct was to swap positions so she could be closer to the fire pit.

            

Nan Huaixu was still leaning half her body against her chest. Liu Yinxi slowly sat up. “Come over here and warm yourself.”

She stood up, half-bent, and looked back to see Nan Huaixu sitting in place, unmoving, hugging her arms and sneezing. Just then, a gust of cold wind swept into the cave, making the flames flicker and sway.

Being close to the cave entrance meant there was a draft; the flames could only warm certain spots. It’d be even more of a hassle if she caught a cold from the wind before her whole body could warm up.

            

Liu Yinxi sat back down. She placed the mess tin over the fire pit to boil a cup of water, wrapped it in a straw mat, and handed it to Nan Huaixu to hold in her hands for warmth. “Does this help, Teacher Nan?”

Nan Huaixu cradled the hot mess tin with both hands, lowering her head close to it. She curled up like a shrimp, her voice soft and low. “A little, but I feel so strange. It’s like there’s a barrier on my body blocking the heat. I can touch hot things, but I can’t absorb them. I’m so cold, so cold… And the soles of my feet hurt.”

Hearing her words, Liu Yinxi felt as if her heart were being roasted over a fire. In the wild, hypothermia was the most dangerous threat of all, and she would never allow anything to happen to Nan Huaixu while by her side.

            

Immersing the entire body in warm water of an appropriate temperature was an excellent way to transfer heat, but they had no way to take a hot bath right now.

There was another way, but Liu Yinxi felt it was inappropriate. Settling for the next best option, she said, “Teacher Nan, give me your jacket. I’ll heat it up for you to wear.”

Nan Huaixu did as she was told, but once she took off her jacket, the cold wind blew directly onto her skin. She shivered, huddling next to Liu Yinxi.

            

Liu Yinxi stared at the cave entrance and pondered. Closing the wooden grate would block the wind, but it would also reduce the cave’s ventilation. To close it or not?

Close it halfway, then.

Liu Yinxi propped herself up to pull the grate shut, but suddenly, a cool, soft sensation wrapped around her left hand, and she sat back down.

            

Liu Yinxi turned around. Nan Huaixu rubbed her nose and sniffled, her voice turning raspy. “I remember you said that the scariest thing in the wild isn’t going hungry—it’s hypothermia.”

Liu Yinxi turned slightly toward her, using her own back to block the intermittent cold drafts. “Yes.”

A trace of fear entered Nan Huaixu’s glistening eyes. “Am I hypothermic like this?”

            

“No, you’ve just caught a chill. Don’t worry.”

“But my hands feel so icy, and I’m still freezing even close to the flames.”

Liu Yinxi hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached toward her hand. “Teacher Nan… Let me warm them for you. Do you mind?”

            

Nan Huaixu fluttered her long eyelashes, watching her quietly for half a second before placing her hands in Liu Yinxi’s with a gentle smile.

Liu Yinxi closed her fingers one by one. The pad of her pinky tentatively brushed the back of Nan Huaixu’s hand. When Nan Huaixu didn’t pull away, Liu Yinxi fully enveloped her hands, blew a breath of warm air over them, and rubbed them together near the firelight.

Nan Huaixu leaned her head against Liu Yinxi’s shoulder. Catching her off guard, she turned her hands to clasp Liu Yinxi’s in return, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. “So warm. Why are you so warm?”

            

“Me?” Liu Yinxi kept her movements gentle, terrified her rough hands might hurt Nan Huaixu. “It might be the difference in pheromones. Alphas tend to run hot.”

“Is the difference really that big?”

“I didn’t really know before, either. It also depends on individual constitution.”

            

“Before? So you’re saying you know clearly now?” Nan Huaixu looked up, leaning close to Liu Yinxi’s earlobe. “Is it because of me?”

Her faint breath brushed against Liu Yinxi’s ear, tickling her. Her movements warming Nan Huaixu’s hands faltered. “Mm…”

Ever since they had teamed up for the competition, Nan Huaixu had mentioned several times that she felt cold at night, and her hands had indeed felt frigid just now.

            

Suddenly, her palms went empty.

Liu Yinxi looked down as Nan Huaixu slipped her hands away.

Her palms were empty. Her heart seemed to sink a little too.

            

Why did she take them away?

Nan Huaixu splayed her fingers toward the orange glow of the fire, her bright eyes brimming with smiles. “They’re warm now.”

Liu Yinxi let out a breath of relief. “As long as you’re warm.”

            

She reached over to touch the jacket on the drying rack; it had been toasted quite hot. Taking the garment down, she unfolded it and turned around to drape it over Nan Huaixu’s shoulders.

Before the jacket could settle, a faint, fragrant breeze brushed against the crook of Liu Yinxi’s neck. Immediately after, a soft, warm bundle threw itself into her arms. Nan Huaixu embraced her from the front, pressing tightly against her.

Liu Yinxi’s mind went blank for an instant. Surrounded by a floral scent, even the slightest rise in the concentration of omega pheromones in the cramped cave felt exceptionally prominent.

            

Holding the jacket in both hands, Liu Yinxi was momentarily at a loss. “Te-Teacher Nan?”

Nan Huaixu wrapped her arms around her waist and shushed her softly, pressing her index finger to Liu Yinxi’s lips before lightly brushing the corner of her eye. “The robot dog can’t film us, but it can record our voices.”

Not daring to make any sudden moves, Liu Yinxi nodded.

            

Nan Huaixu’s sparkling eyes darted around, her lips curling into a smile. She spoke in a whisper meant only for the two of them. “Warming my hands was very effective. Since your body is so hot, keep me warm for a bit too. I’ll heat up in no time.”

She held her even tighter, the curves of their two bodies fitting together seamlessly.

Liu Yinxi shuddered as if an electric current had surged through her spine, making it tingle slightly.

            

“Th-then let’s try…” Liu Yinxi draped the jacket over Nan Huaixu’s shoulders. “Teacher Nan, let me know when you feel warmer, okay?”

Nan Huaixu shifted in Liu Yinxi’s embrace, finding the most comfortable position to absorb her warmth. “You stopped calling me Nan-jiejie later on,” she asked. “Was it because you thought I was too old?”

With Nan Huaixu’s chest pressed against her own, Liu Yinxi’s heartbeat grew increasingly erratic. She was taken aback. “No, of course not. Everyone calls you Teacher Nan. I figured if I was the only one calling you jiejie, the viewers might dislike me and say I was acting coquettish¹.”

            

As Nan Huaixu spoke, Liu Yinxi could feel the vibration of her voice through their chests. “Do you prefer calling me ‘Teacher’ or ‘jiejie’?”

Liu Yinxi leaned back against the rocky wall, tilting her nose upward to keep her distance from the lethal floral pheromones in her arms, lest she lose her head.

“Either is fine with me.” Liu Yinxi lowered her gaze. “Do you not like it? Or do you want me to use a younger form of address?”

            

Nan Huaixu’s voice sounded quite pleased. “What kind of address sounds younger?”

Liu Yinxi gave it some serious thought, then shook her head with a chuckle. “I can’t think of any. Calling you Teacher Nan is still probably the most appropriate.”

“Then why did you deliberately call me jiejie in front of Luo Ling?” Nan Huaixu asked.

            

Liu Yinxi: “.”

One of her few little schemes had been caught red-handed by Nan Huaixu.

And here I thought she wouldn’t notice.

            

Liu Yinxi didn’t dare play tricks in front of Nan Huaixu, so she answered honestly, “Because Luo Ling was picking on me, and I wanted you to help me out. I called you that to sound sweeter so I could win your sympathy.”

“Just calling me jiejie counts as sweet?” Nan Huaixu countered.

Liu Yinxi looked tense. “I’m sorry…”

            

Nan Huaixu sat up slightly to look at her. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I thought you were angry with me for playing tricks.”

“I’m not. I was just going to say… If you want to call me something sweeter, next time you can call me…”

            

With that, Nan Huaixu gripped her shoulders and leaned in close to her ear, her lips parting slightly. “Manman-jiejie.”

Liu Yinxi’s breath hitched.

Even though she knew the person clinging to her was waiting for her answer, she didn’t dare cast her gaze down even a fraction.

            

Could an omega who wasn’t even in heat be this captivating?

Why had my mother and biology textbooks never taught me about something so important?

How am I supposed to answer this?

            

Liu Yinxi took two deep breaths. Just as she was about to agree, she felt the hem of her T-shirt being gently tugged upward.

“?” She looked down in a hurry, meeting Nan Huaixu’s shimmering gaze.

“Your hem was messy,” Nan Huaixu said, pulling the curled-up fabric down.

            

“Oh…”

“Liu Yinxi, why do I feel like warming me up this way isn’t very effective?”

“Really?” Liu Yinxi reflexively touched Nan Huaixu’s hand. It was much warmer than before.

            

Liu Yinxi asked Nan Huaixu, “Where exactly do you feel cold?”

Nan Huaixu frowned. “I can’t explain it. I just don’t feel warm anywhere.”

Liu Yinxi glanced at the fire pit. The firewood inside was nearly exhausted, and the flames had indeed shrunk considerably. “I’ll add some wood to build up the fire. The wind isn’t as strong as it was earlier, so why don’t you take my spot?”

            

Nan Huaixu was still holding onto the hem of her shirt. “I’m a little scared of being too close to the fire.”

Liu Yinxi added wood to the fire pit, then gathered the jacket draped over Nan Huaixu’s shoulders, her eyes and brows gentle. “Alright, we’ll stay right here.”

Nan Huaixu smiled, tilting her head as she continued to burrow into her embrace for warmth. “Warming up like this isn’t as effective as holding hands. Is it because there’s a barrier in between, and the heat transfer isn’t enough?”

            

Nan Huaixu spoke simply, but Liu Yinxi’s thoughts were running wild and tangled.

Not enough heat—does ‘heat’ mean body temperature? A barrier in between—does the barrier refer to clothes?

Her hem was tugged again. Liu Yinxi looked at the person in her arms. Nan Huaixu shivered slightly and whispered, “Can we warm up more directly? Just like when we were applying the medicine—we only need to roll our clothes up a little above the waist. I’m sorry, I know this is very sudden, but I’m too cold to sleep…”

            

Liu Yinxi’s eyes widened instantly. Her brain felt like a computer crashing, and she needed several seconds to snap out of it.

She had thought sitting by the fire would be enough to fend off the cold. After putting on the toasted jacket and drinking hot water, she should have recovered.

Liu Yinxi was bewildered. Where exactly was Nan Huaixu cold?

            

She wanted to ask clearly, and then help Nan Huaixu warm up.

But looking at the yearning in Nan Huaixu’s eyes, Liu Yinxi’s heart leaped violently. She had no idea what nerve in her brain had misfired. Her limbs acted before her thoughts did. Turning her back to Nan Huaixu, she rolled up the hem of her shirt. “Alright… well, the front isn’t great. You should do it from behind.”

The person behind her didn’t say a word, but Liu Yinxi heard the soft rustling of clothes. Then, a smooth, delicate bareness pressed tightly against her back.

            

Their heartbeats, separated only by two thin layers of fabric over their chests, were magnified infinitely.

Every vibration of Nan Huaixu’s chest was transmitted to Liu Yinxi’s spine with the rise and fall of her breathing. “You’re so warm. Thank you.”

“Mmh…” Liu Yinxi felt her head and chest burning up. Such an intense reaction made her feel entirely foreign to her own body.

            

“Don’t make a sound,” Nan Huaixu whispered behind her ear, her arms tightening around Liu Yinxi’s supple waist. “And tonight… you can’t tell anyone, either.”

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