Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 115

Blue-White Earthquake Lights in the Dark

A soft tremor stirred in Liu Yinxi’s heart.

Nan Huaixu… had taken her hand on her own initiative.

            

This scene, beneath the starry night and the blue-white light, felt like those photos on the internet of two people cuddling together while watching the aurora—so quiet, so serene.

Nan Huaixu leaned in a little closer until their shoulders pressed together, her head tilting toward her. “Liu Yinxi, what kind of light is that blue-white one? The poles have auroras, but does the equator have them too?”

Basking in the warmth of the other woman beside her, Liu Yinxi pointed toward the glowing boundary where the sky met the forest canopy. “Those are earthquake lights¹. Some are blue and white, while others are red and yellow.”

            

Nan Huaixu asked, intrigued, “Earthquake lights? Lights emitted by the earth?”

“Yes, they are also called seismic lights,” Liu Yinxi explained. “There is no consensus on how they form. Some say they are caused by geomagnetism interacting with atmospheric ions during tectonic activity, while others think fracturing rock strata release flammable underground gases. They usually accompany earthquakes, but they can also appear before or after.”

A look of unease entered Nan Huaixu’s eyes. “I thought it was beautiful just a moment ago, but I don’t think so anymore. This kind of light symbolizes disaster and suffering.”

            

She turned to Liu Yinxi. “Do you think these earthquake lights mean there’s another earthquake on the way?”

“Probably not,” Liu Yinxi said. “In any case, our current camp is safe, so don’t worry too much.”

Nan Huaixu looked up at the sky and softly replied, “Mm.”

            

The earthquake lights lasted only a brief moment, fading away in less than a minute. Soon, the brilliant starlight reclaimed its absolute dominion over the night sky.

Liu Yinxi stretched, pulling her windbreaker tightly around herself as she lay back on the grass. The vast river of stars overhead looked as if it were about to cascade down from the heavens.

Nan Huaixu sat a short distance away, wrapping her arms around her knees. “No wonder ancient people believed so deeply in ghosts and gods. Back then, without modern science, I really don’t know how else they could’ve explained such miraculous natural phenomena if not for spirits and deities.”

            

Liu Yinxi fluttered her eyelids. “Yeah. Maybe once technology becomes even more advanced in the future, many of today’s difficult questions will be resolved effortlessly.”

Nan Huaixu tilted her head. “Like what?”

Liu Yinxi said casually, “Immortality.”

            

“Reproduction is only necessary because our lifespans are limited. If we could live forever without aging or dying, would we still need to reproduce?”

“Uh…”

Nan Huaixu’s eyes grew deep, her thoughts drifting far away. “If we didn’t need to reproduce, would people still fall in love?”

            

Liu Yinxi sighed. “Teacher Nan, your question is just like the riddle of the chicken and the egg.”

“Why?”

“In primitive times, there wasn’t any concept of romance. Genes simply drove hormones to compel two individuals to pair up. Modern times are different. We can want affection without reproduction, or want children without affection. So, is love itself a byproduct of hormones and pheromones², or is it an independently existing emotion? How do you trace its origin? If it’s an independent emotion, then it has nothing to do with reproduction.”

            

Nan Huaixu rested her chin in her hand. “Then I think love is an independent emotion. People might choose to reproduce because of love, but its essence is absolutely not a means of reproduction.”

At that, Liu Yinxi gave her an affirmative answer: “So even if we don’t grow old or die in the future and have no need for reproduction, people will still fall in love. Because love isn’t born of hormones and pheromones—it’s one individual locking onto another.”

Nan Huaixu paused, her lips curving upward. “Locking onto someone… I really like that word.”

            

Liu Yinxi turned her face. “How so?”

“I like loyalty, even if the essence of that loyalty isn’t entirely benevolent,” Nan Huaixu said. “Because locking on means it doesn’t necessarily have to come from the heart; it can also be a submission to external forces.”

Examining her own heart, she knew she wasn’t a completely upright person.

            

She wanted to be favored. She wanted to be someone’s stubborn fixation. She wanted someone’s scales to always tilt in her direction.

As long as she could obtain that ’tilt,’ Nan Huaixu would stop at nothing.

Liu Yinxi listened, only half-understanding. “Submission to external forces? That sounds like imprisonment.”

            

Nan Huaixu looked at her, her expression perfectly innocent. “Is that so? Whether it’s ancient royalty or modern executives, if you want to maintain leadership authority, you always have to have a certain amount of gravitas, right?”

As for this external force that compelled submission… besides authority, there was also self-interest.

Like houses, jobs, pheromones, and such… cough.

            

Liu Yinxi blinked. “Oh, so that’s what you meant. I thought you were talking about forcing love to submit.”

Nan Huaixu averted her gaze uncomfortably. “Of course not. How could I force someone to love me? I wouldn’t do that. I was just talking about loyalty as a quality.”

Liu Yinxi nodded in understanding. “Teacher Nan, your train of thought jumps around so fast. You have to tell me when you’re switching topics.”

            

Nan Huaixu smiled. “Mm-hmm, sorry.”

They chatted for a while longer. In the deep of the night, the chirping of insects rose and fell across the rainforest.

After the torrential rain and the earthquake, this primeval forest had returned to its former atmosphere.

            

Instinct told Liu Yinxi that their run of bad luck had come to an end, and things would go smoothly for a while.

She let out a yawn and rolled over to sit up. “Teacher Nan, let’s go to sleep.”

Nan Huaixu was also feeling a bit tired. She glanced at her bracelet. It was 8:40 PM. “Okay.”

            

They washed their faces and rinsed their mouths, then lit dried insect-repellent herbs to hang around the shelter. Afterward, they crawled inside and lowered the mosquito net to sleep.

“Yawn…” Liu Yinxi let out another yawn, checking her alarm settings. “If only the airdrop calendar had a weather forecast.”

Nan Huaixu lay down beside her. “You used to say I was dreaming, and that the production team would never make things so convenient for us. I think you’re dreaming even bigger than I was.”

            

“Hehehe.”

“Liu Yinxi, have I been talking in my sleep lately?”

“Huh? No, you’ve slept really well lately. Teacher Nan, your sleep has really improved.”

            

“Mm.” Nan Huaixu closed her eyes contentedly. “It’s thanks to your scent. It’s very soothing. Thank you. Goodnight.”

Liu Yinxi touched her neck suspiciously.

Her scent was soothing…

            

Pheromones?

When exactly had Nan Huaixu been smelling her?

Or had her scent leaked?!

            

Liu Yinxi couldn’t help but knit her brows, feeling a surge of nervousness.

Oh no. And here I thought Nan Huaixu hadn’t noticed that my pheromones have been running a bit strong these past few days because of my emotions…

【Finally, they can get some safe rest (lies down)】

            

【Even though they’ve faced setback after setback recently, I feel like Manman’s energy has definitely gotten a lot better.】

【I remember when I was regulating my pheromones, the doctor told me that compatible pheromones can not only soothe anxiety during the bonding period, but also improve the other person’s physical constitution.】

【Wow? That’s so awesome! Now I want a girlfriend even more (wails)】

            

【What do Liu Yinxi’s pheromones smell like? (magnifying glass)】

【I don’t know what Liu Yinxi smells like, but I do know that Huang-jie smells like bitter coffee (lights cigarette)】

【Hahahahaha (laugh-crying)】

            

【Hardly anyone who watches Huang-jie’s livestream room doesn’t know (shrugs)】

【What’s the story? Can some good sister tell me? (ear)】

【It goes like this: In the beginning, Yu Yan wanted to sleep next to Huang-jie, but Huang-jie told her to keep her distance. Once they got familiar, Yu Yan slowly pried her mouth open and dug into her past little by little. Huang-jie finally admitted that when she was young, several omegas had hated her scent, saying she smelled terrible. Then Yu Yan got close to the back of her neck and told her she loved drinking bitter coffee, and that’s how everyone found out 0v0】

            

【Yuyu even said that laurel and coffee are a perfect match (doge face)】

【Oh man, she’s going to baby her back into a placenta at this rate.】

【Are the other contestants all settled in?】

            

【Xue Yunshao and Luo Ling are sleeping in the open. They searched for a long time before they found a relatively spacious spot, so they didn’t have time to build a shelter.】

【Fortunately, Yunshao has a space blanket. The temperature in the rainforest isn’t that low, so sleeping in the open with a space blanket isn’t much of an issue.】

【It’s just that there are too many mosquitoes and bugs.】

            

【I saw the mosquito bite on Luo Ling. It swelled up to the size of a Chinese chess piece, it’s terrifying (shivering)】

【Huang-jie didn’t build a shelter either. She carried Yuyu to a grassy meadow near the lake. They have envelope sleeping bags they got from a treasure chest.】

【Meh, won’t it be super stuffy sleeping in those?】

            

【It’s a bit colder near the mountain lake, so it’s fine.】

【Those two aren’t asleep yet, but they put out the campfire. The night lens is filled with grass, so you can only hear frogs and insects. You can’t hear what they’re saying.】

Croak, ribbit.

            

The chirping of insects and the ripples of the distant lake intertwined.

The moonlight cast a hazy glow over the grassy field, dissolving the quiet voices of the two women into faint, indistinct whispers.

“What is your ultimate goal in joining this variety show? Are you still unwilling to tell me?”

            

“…”

“I’ve already gone this far, and you still won’t say… Heshan, I want to help you.”

“…”

            

A low sigh drifted through the humid air. “Why do you insist on asking me?”

The other woman’s light laughter drifted over the dew-kissed grass. “Even if you don’t tell me, I already know.”

Huang Heshan’s sharp gaze was like that of a wild beast hunting in the dark, piercing through the pitch-black night, staring so intently it seemed as if she could look right through a person.

            

Yu Yan shifted into a more comfortable lying position, brushing away the damp hair pressed beneath her neck. “I’ve seen you before.”

“Where?”

“On the battlefield of Xiwo Crescent.” Yu Yan held a clove cigarette between the fingers of her left hand, a tiny ember of orange-red burning slowly at the tip. She raised her soft, seductive eyes. “You’re a deserter.”

            

“Pfft.” The corner of Huang Heshan’s mouth twitched into a scoff. “Me, a deserter? You’ve definitely got the wrong person.”

A slender hand caught her chin, the thumb slowly forcing her face downward.

“…”

            

“You. Are. A. Deserter.” Yu Yan lifted her chin to look directly at her, her thumb brushing past the lower edge of the alpha’s lip as she leaned in close. “Otherwise… why don’t you dare to look me in the eye?”

The tiny orange-red ember slipped from her fingers, falling into the damp grass where it was extinguished by the splattering night dew.

The wind rose, stirring waves on the lake, until it was impossible to tell if it was the sigh of the night wind or the respiration of the waves.

            

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Morning light spilled across the forest floor.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose from the grassy clearing where the contestants were preparing breakfast.

Liu Yinxi held the treasure hunt map, using a piece of charcoal to trace a route. Based on the descriptions from the original novel, she deduced that if she followed the fishing river northeast, she would reach Jiganbu Lake.

            

That was the location of the next airdrop.

There were still two days before the airdrop, so she needed to scout the route to the lake at least once.

Liu Yinxi fell into deep thought. Should we head over to the lakeside and camp there a night in advance? Traveling all the way there from here is quite a trek.

            

A small pink flower suddenly appeared before her eyes. Liu Yinxi looked up to see Nan Huaixu smiling warmly. “For you.”

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