Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 112
by Little PandaThis Time, I’m Serious
Celebrities, especially national-level superstars like Nan Huaixu, couldn’t afford to joke on a live-streamed variety show about bringing a wife home for the New Year.
For some reason, Liu Yinxi felt a bit down.
She was incredibly curious, wanting to know who could possibly have what it takes to catch Nan Huaixu’s eye. But since it involved private matters, she didn’t dare to pry.
Needless to say, the Nan Huaixu fans in the live-stream chat had surely exploded.
She was exploding inside, too.
Seeing her dazed and silent, Nan Huaixu let out a soft laugh. “What’s wrong? Can we start grilling the meat?”
Liu Yinxi snapped out of her daze. “Right, let’s grill it now.” She immediately set to work skewering the meat.
The lizard’s claws and tail were the most delicious parts. They roasted those skewers first, leaving the other cuts of meat for later.
As the chunks of meat were placed on the grill rack, tongues of fire licked the fresh, tender lizard meat, making it sizzle softly. Just listening to it was enough to make anyone’s mouth water.
Nan Huaixu held one end of a wooden skewer, watching the color of the roasting meat to flip it over. Liu Yinxi sat quietly to the side with her knees pulled to her chest, her expression blank as she spaced out.
“What are you thinking about?” Nan Huaixu asked casually. “Curious who I want to bring home?”
Meeting her gaze, Liu Yinxi nodded honestly. “Mm, curious.”
She had chatted about relationships with Nan Huaixu a few times. Judging by what Nan Huaixu had expressed, she likely didn’t have anyone she secretly liked. Who, then, did Nan Huaixu consider someone she could settle down and spend her life with? Surely it wasn’t some arranged-marriage partner…
But she got the feeling that Nan Huaixu wasn’t the type to submit to an arranged marriage.
“Didn’t I make a wish to the thousand-year-old banyan tree?”
“Did that wish have to do with romance?”
“Yes.”
“You said you’d tell me if we managed to survive for a hundred days.”
“Mmhmm.”
Liu Yinxi thought about it, astonished. “So in other words, once we reach a hundred days, I’ll get to know a secret about your love life?”
Nan Huaixu nodded with a smile.
“Then I’ll know a massive secret that could shake the entertainment industry,” Liu Yinxi said. “I feel like I’ll be carrying a piece of He Shi Bi1, at risk of being cornered by your fans at any moment.”
“How could it be that exaggerated? It’s nothing more than praying to find a good match or something.”
Liu Yinxi asked, puzzled, “Huh? You’re not going to tell me who your marriage partner is?”
Nan Huaixu raised her eyebrows slightly. “No, I’m single. I was just joking to liven up the atmosphere.”
It was a joke.
For some reason, Liu Yinxi felt inexplicably relieved.
This was a feeling Liu Yinxi had never experienced before—as if a precious treasure in her heart had almost been stolen, only to be snatched back at the last second.
How strange. Whether Nan Huaixu liked someone or got married, what did that have to do with her? Why should she care?
…It was definitely too sudden.
Honestly, Teacher Nan… how could she joke about such a serious matter?
Liu Yinxi flopped backward onto the grass. “You scared me to death! I really thought you were considering getting married next year.”
As she flipped the roasted meat, Nan Huaixu’s eyes shimmered with faint glints of light. “Why did it scare you?”
Liu Yinxi scratched the back of her head. “It was just too sudden. Besides, you’re a star. Anyone would be shocked if you suddenly said something like that.”
“Well, you also scared me when you asked if I was going to perform a lizard dissection for my family on Lunar New Year’s Eve.”
“Uh, sorry. We were dissecting a lizard at the time, so that’s where my mind went. Thinking about it now, Teacher Nan, did you want to show off your cooking skills to your family?”
Nan Huaixu didn’t know how to cook, so she probably wanted to learn some culinary skills to show off at home.
Just imagine: if a family member who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen suddenly whipped up a splendid meal, she would surely amaze everyone.
Watching the orange campfire burn, Nan Huaixu’s lips curled into a smile, though the warmth in her eyes slowly faded. “I did want to learn and show off, but unfortunately, no one in my family would care.”
Liu Yinxi knitted her brows. She didn’t understand. “What do you mean?”
Nan Huaixu looked up at the darkening sky. “Exactly what it sounds like. When I was little and played in the mud, my Mami thought it was disgraceful. Now that I’m grown and work in the kitchen, she thinks that’s disgraceful, too.”
Liu Yinxi became even more bewildered. “I can understand some parents looking down on certain professions, but how is cooking a little food for yourself at home disgraceful?”
Nan Huaixu shook her head. Liu Yinxi didn’t know if this gesture meant she was equally confused or if she simply didn’t want to talk about it.
In any case, they didn’t pursue the topic further.
“Everyone in my family is very busy, and it’s hard to gather for the New Year anyway, so I was really just talking,” Nan Huaixu said.
She turned to Liu Yinxi, a smile returning to her face. “What about you? Back when you and your Grandma were in the mountain village, the New Year must’ve had a lot more New Year spirit than in the city, right?”
Liu Yinxi’s eyes lit up. “Yes, absolutely!”
In Liu Yinxi’s view, any holiday or celebration had to fulfill its actual purpose to have meaning; otherwise, it lacked that essential “flavor.”
In the old days, ordinary folks looked forward to the New Year because they were usually too poor to eat meat or wear new clothes. Only during the New Year could they enjoy nice things. Moreover, family members would help one another and band closely together; gathering allowed them to network and exchange resources.
Modern times were different. The basic standard of living had risen, but the pressure of school and work was immense. When some families gathered, they had nothing to talk about and were instead subjected to pressure. The only time they could feel a bit of joy was the few minutes spent receiving red envelopes.
When Liu Yinxi was little, she loved the New Year. She got to keep her own yasuiqian2. Her Mama would buy her expensive things they normally couldn’t afford, and her Mami would drive her SUV—which occasionally failed to start—dozens of kilometers away to attend temple fairs.
Liu Yinxi was incredibly good at ring toss. She won many of the grand prizes at the temple fairs, and the other kids would gather around her in envy. When some parents tried to ask her for her prizes, her Mama politely refused.
Her Mama had said, “My daughter won these, so they belong to her. You must ask for her permission. If she doesn’t want to give them away, she doesn’t have to. If you really want them, toss the rings yourselves, or buy them.”
Later, Liu Yinxi heard some kids calling her and her Mama stingy. She snapped back, calling them gossips. When she went home and told her Mama, her Mama comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, and don’t be sad. Those people couldn’t get any benefits from us, so they can only wag their tongues behind our backs. We don’t associate with people like that. It’s actually a good thing they revealed themselves; now we can keep our distance.”
Liu Yinxi also loved following her Mama to visit relatives and friends to wish them a happy New Year. The red envelopes she received were entirely hers to keep. Her Mama would always praise her in front of the aunts and uncles: “Our Xixi is happy to learn and loves interacting with her teachers and classmates,” “Xixi knows so many plants and animals; she can name any random thing on the road,” “Xixi has an incredible imagination, and she often shares her ideas with me and her Mami…” The aunts and uncles would follow suit and praise her as well, making Liu Yinxi feel like she’d gained a lot of face.
Liu Yinxi would help make the New Year feast, tag along with her Mami to watch the bustling scene of a pig slaughter, light firecrackers, stroll through flower fields, and watch the forest awaken. Many small animals would have babies, and the young cubs were exceptionally adorable…
When it came to celebrating the New Year with her family, Liu Yinxi had too many beautiful memories, far too many to count.
She took some of these events and combined them with the original host’s background, adapting them into stories of her and her Grandma to tell Nan Huaixu. Nan Huaixu listened with rapt attention, her face filled with longing.
Once the meat was done, Liu Yinxi gave the most delicious lizard claw to Nan Huaixu.
Nan Huaixu blew on the steaming lizard claw and took a tentative bite. The heat made her gasp, and her voice became a bit muddled as she spoke, “It seems like celebrating the New Year with an interesting person makes the holiday itself interesting.”
Seeing her get burned, Liu Yinxi quickly handed over her water bottle. “Don’t rush, be careful. How does the saying go? \”No way life is the same no matter who you spend it with.\” It’s the same for holidays. Being with an interesting person is bound to be fun. Actually, they don’t even have to be interesting—just willing to share in your happiness.”
“Mm…” Nan Huaixu lowered her gaze, looking at the roasted meat and water bottle in her hands, lost in thought.
Liu Yinxi took down the roasted lizard tail, placed the remaining pieces of lizard meat onto the grill rack, and added some more firewood. With a loud crackle, the flames leaped high.
Nan Huaixu chewed the springy, tender lizard meat and swallowed. “I’ll probably spend it alone next year, too. How about you?”
Liu Yinxi held the wooden skewers as she roasted the meat. “Grandma is gone, and my mom and dad have their own families. Luo… cough… Well, I’m renting a rundown old place right now. I don’t even have proper housing, so of course I’ll be spending it by myself.”
Nan Huaixu said, “Then I’ll come visit you.”
Liu Yinxi replied in a sweet voice, “Mm~”
【Tsk.】
【What’s that smell?】
【Dunno.】
【Probably the scent of spring.】
【So Manman either wants to bring her wife home for New Year, or go to her wife’s place to celebrate (doge)】
【I really envy the talent of you netizens.】
【@Save Me First, She Has a Partner, delete this comment so I can post it.】
【I’m getting more and more of a weird vibe from Nan Huaixu.】
【Me too…】
【Help, Manman wouldn’t actually have those kinds of feelings for Liu Yinxi, would she?】
【No way! Absolutely impossible! Manman has just never encountered someone of Liu Yinxi’s type before. It’s like being tired of eating delicacies from land and sea, and suddenly finding a simple bowl of congee appetizing.】
【Manman said before that she has a good impression of the free-spirited type, like Liu Yinxi’s friend. Xixi is the same type, so by extension, it’s not impossible for Manman to have feelings for Xixi (this only represents my own opinion, don’t flame me if you disagree, if you want to argue then you’re right)】
【It’s not too late to join the Huai-Liu CP fandom now. The day we get to see them become canon is just around the corner (smug)】
Liu Yinxi suddenly realized something wasn’t quite right.
Nan Huaixu, a top-tier award-winning actress born into a wealthy family, wasn’t going to spend the New Year with her relatives or friends, but was running off to find a complete nobody like her?
Liu Yinxi whipped her head around to look at Nan Huaixu. “Huh???”
Nan Huaixu smiled. “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
Liu Yinxi felt her heart leap into her throat. It was hard to describe her current state of mind. There was shock, panic, and a guilty conscience… but most of all, a rising joy of anticipation.
“I’m fine with it, if you have the time,” Liu Yinxi said. She immediately realized she couldn’t return to the original host’s hometown, as it might expose her identity, so she added, “But I don’t really have a home in my old town anymore, and it wouldn’t be convenient to go back…”
Nan Huaixu said gently, “We don’t have to go anywhere in particular. Wherever you are, I’ll come see you.”
Liu Yinxi’s heart was thumping. She nodded several times in rapid succession. “Okay, okay, okay, that sounds great.”
“Teacher Nan,” Liu Yinxi added, “you aren’t joking again, are you?”
Nan Huaixu turned serious. “This time, I’m serious.”
Liu Yinxi sought confirmation once more. “Really? But I’m flat broke. Why would you want to come hang out with me for the New Year?”
Nan Huaixu smiled. “Because you’re the most interesting person I’ve ever met.”
Liu Yinxi was slightly stunned, and then a brilliant smile blossomed on her face.
What should she do?
Teacher Nan’s words made her so happy she wanted to run a few laps.
Why was she so happy?
0 Comments