Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 116

Night Watch, Leaf Carvings, Emerald Lake

Liu Yinxi quickly put down her treasure hunt map and took the little flower with both hands. “Wow, is this for me? Thank you, Teacher Nan!”

Nan Huaixu tucked her hands behind her back. “You’re welcome. A return gift for the flowers you gave me last time.”

            

Liu Yinxi thought back briefly. Quite a long time had passed since she last gifted Nan Huaixu a bouquet. Teacher Nan’s return gift sure took a while to arrive.

“Mm-hmm, it’s so cute.” It was an unidentified little pink wildflower. Not knowing where Nan Huaixu had picked it this morning, Liu Yinxi put it in a plastic bottle, filled it with water, and kept it watered.

Watching the little flower bloom in the water bottle under the sunlight, looking so full of life, she felt incredibly happy~

            

Liu Yinxi touched the delicate petals and picked up the map to continue studying the route. Suddenly, she caught a faint scent of locust blossoms. Turning her head, she saw Nan Huaixu sitting down right next to her, leaning in close. A few stray strands of hair brushed against her shoulder.

“Thinking about the route? Any ideas?” Nan Huaixu looked at the map with her and asked.

Slightly dazed, Liu Yinxi was pulled back to her senses by the elegant fragrance. She traced her index finger across the map. “I’ll bet the next airdrop will be at the lake. We’ll have to follow this river to the northeast…”

            

She sought Nan Huaixu’s advice. “Teacher Nan, should we bring our supplies and search for the lake, making camp by its shore ahead of time, or should we scout the path first today?”

Nan Huaixu fell into deep thought, just as Liu Yinxi had done earlier.

This was indeed a difficult decision.

            

They had left the treehouse to camp near the waterfall, relocated to the small cave after the heavy rain collapsed their shelter, finally repaired the shelter, and then encountered an earthquake that forced them to move to this flat clearing…

Lately, they had been constantly moving from place to place, with no fixed home. Anyone would want to settle down for a few days.

But—

            

“Let’s pack our bags and look for the lake,” Nan Huaixu decided.

Liu Yinxi didn’t want Nan Huaixu to get too exhausted. “Are you sure? Or you could rest here, and I’ll go alone for the next airdrop.”

Nan Huaixu shook her head. “I think being left alone is much more terrifying than being tired. Besides, it’s not even that exhausting with you by my side. You’ll take good care of me, won’t you?”

            

Liu Yinxi nodded repeatedly without hesitation.

Nan Huaixu said, “Then it’s settled. After breakfast, we’ll organize our backpacks and suitcases. We’ll take a portion of our food, and leave the rest of the supplies stored in the small cave. We can move them over once we’ve built a new shelter.”

“Okay.”

            

Liu Yinxi put away the map, feeling a bit of regret in her heart.

According to her original plan, she should have scouted the route to the lake and found a suitable spot to build their shelter before the next airdrop.

Unfortunately, her plans had been disrupted by the relentless torrential rains and the sudden earthquake.

            

Since plans could never keep up with changes, they would just have to take things as they came and adapt on the fly.

After the heavy rains and the earthquake, the river’s water level had risen, the soil and rocks were loose, and the path around the river was difficult to traverse.

Nan Huaixu had cut the sole of her foot during the heavy rain. Although it was mostly healed, she still had to be careful not to put too much weight on it, otherwise she might aggravate the healing wound.

            

In some shaded areas, the standing water hadn’t receded yet, leaving mud puddles behind. Liu Yinxi led Nan Huaixu, meticulously avoiding them to prevent history from repeating itself.

Passing by the spots where they had set traps, they checked them one by one. Retrieving their ground net traps, they found two blackish-gray forest rats. Liu Yinxi made them into roasted rat jerky and packed their entrails into a plastic bottle, taking them along as they set off.

Towards evening, they made camp on some high ground near a stream. Since they had to resume their journey early the next morning, they didn’t bother setting up a proper shelter, choosing to keep things simple.

            

That night, they rested against a large tree. Just like before, Liu Yinxi took the first half of the night watch, and Nan Huaixu took the second.

For dinner, they ate roasted rat jerky and wild banana cores with rice balls. Under the dark, heavy night, Liu Yinxi sat by the campfire, holding a knife as she carved a leaf.

Nan Huaixu boiled some water and left it to cool, then walked over to her side to watch her concentrate on her handiwork.

            

“A little rabbit?” Nan Huaixu watched her leaf carving¹ for a moment before offering a guess.

“A puppy…” Liu Yinxi smiled, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Nan Huaixu immediately corrected herself. “Ah, it does look like a puppy. A puppy with pointy, upright ears.”

            

Liu Yinxi cheered up again. “Mm-hmm!”

As soon as she finished carving one leaf, she placed it onto a wild banana leaf platter and began carving another.

Nan Huaixu rested her chin in her hands. “It’s not easy for us to travel right now. You’re carving so many; be careful not to damage them on the way.”

            

Pressing the leaf down with her left hand, Liu Yinxi guided the tip of the blade with her right to trace the lines on the leaf. “I know. It doesn’t matter if we take them with us or not. They’re just to keep you entertained tonight. Keeping watch alone is very boring.”

Nan Huaixu was slightly stunned. Then, her expression softened, and her gaze grew even more tender. “Beautiful leaves like these must be kept safe. Don’t worry, I’ll preserve them well.”

Liu Yinxi picked up a leaf and handed it to Nan Huaixu. “Teacher Nan, why don’t you carve one too?”

            

“Sure.” Nan Huaixu took out her knife. “How do I do this?”

“Like this—hold the knife upright and carve downward with the tip of the blade.”

“Understood. What should I carve?”

            

“Something simple.”

Nan Huaixu thought for a moment, then carved two curved lines onto the leaf.

Liu Yinxi looked at it, utterly puzzled. “Teacher Nan, what’s this?”

            

Nan Huaixu curled her lips into a smile and flicked her finger toward her.

Liu Yinxi was surprised. “Me?”

“Yes.”

            

“How is this me? Just two lines? Is this my two-dimensional avatar?”

Nan Huaixu laughed. “No, I carved a willow leaf.”

Liu Yinxi slapped her forehead. “Oh! I get it. It really does look like one. Teacher Nan, you did a great job.”

            

Nan Huaixu gathered the stack of leaf carvings. This way, she could look through them to pass the time during her midnight watch, and even carve a few more herself. Finally, she had something to stave off the boredom.

Nan Huaixu slept during the first half of the night. When her alarm rang midway, she and Liu Yinxi switched shifts.

After Liu Yinxi fell asleep, Nan Huaixu picked up the leaf platter, only to find another stack of leaves had been added inside.

            

Nan Huaixu picked them up one by one to examine them. The firelight filtered through the veins of the leaves, illuminating a vibrant emerald life in the darkness.

What was carved on these leaves were not drawings, but words. Reading them character by character revealed a short story:

The Vagrant Life of the Nan Family’s Puppy.

            

Teacher Nan once raised a little stray dog.

She had picked it up outside.

The little dog didn’t know what was good for it and actually ran away.

            

It didn’t know that Teacher Nan actually cared about it very much.

It only knew that the outside world was vast and full of fun.

So it wandered around, starving, freezing, and getting beaten.

            

It suffered a lot of hardships, reduced to whimpering tearfully next to trash cans.

The puppy deeply regretted not cherishing Teacher Nan, the best owner in the world.

One day, the puppy returned.

            

I wonder if Teacher Nan is still waiting for it…

She definitely is!

Keep going, little stray dog wandering back home.

            

(Leaf carving: A dog’s head)

(Woof woof!)

The last leaf:

            

Teacher Nan, if you get sleepy, wake me up!

(Leaf carving: A willow leaf with an expression)

(Swoosh swoosh~)

            

(That’s the sound leaves make when the wind blows, right? Haha!)

“Pfft.” Nan Huaixu covered her lips, letting out a soft laugh.

How abstract.

            

She placed the final leaf right in front of the lens of the Robot Dog.

Liu Yinxi’s “self-portrait” was clearly displayed in the livestream room.

Nan Huaixu’s voice was clear and gentle, like liquid jade. “At this hour, there probably aren’t many viewers around. For those of you who are still awake, let me show you what a willow leaf sounds like.”

            

She pressed her index finger against the leaf, pointing at the willow leaf with the cute expression Liu Yinxi had carved. Next to it was a speech bubble that read “Swoosh, swoosh.”

“It goes ‘swoosh, swoosh’.” As she said this, Nan Huaixu couldn’t help but chuckle again.

【We’re here, we’re here!】

            

【Manman, we’re here! I’m here with you every single night~】

【Kisses to Manman, mwah mwah mwah ^3^】

【…】

            

【Childishness really is contagious.】

【Silliness is contagious, too.】

【Hahahahaha, don’t you guys find this funny?】

            

【No, we don’t (facepalm)】

【Manman didn’t use to laugh this easily, did she?】

【True, Manman’s facial expression management has always been top-notch. You can tell she really couldn’t hold back her laughter this time.】

            

【She’s definitely spent too much time alone with Liu Yinxi. Even Manman’s eyes are starting to look a bit like “pure and simple-minded” (doge face)】

【Be that as it may, if my survival partner carved leaves one by one just to cheer me up, I’d be ecstatic too! (happy cat emoji)】

【Exactly, this distracts Manman so she won’t be afraid of the dark during her night watch ^o^】

            

【The main point is that someone is taking the time and effort just to make you happy, and you alone. It doesn’t matter if the way she does it is childish. Is there anyone willing to put in this much thought for you?】

【Alright, that’s enough, say no more (pinch your mouth)】

【The little willow leaf Xixi carved is so cute! I want to print it out as a photocard!】

            

【I want to make a badge² of it!】

【I want to make a T-shirt and a canvas bag!】

【Xixi carved so many other little cats and dogs, too. Let’s crowdfund to have the production team collect them and make merchandise for us (pleading)】

            

【Probably not gonna happen. Teacher Nan already said she’ll preserve all of Liu Yinxi’s leaf carvings well (doge face)】

【Waaaaah, so even though Manman says she doesn’t want that little puppy who ran away anymore, she actually still misses it deep down QAQ】

【If she truly didn’t want it, she wouldn’t have remembered it all this time and even brought it up with Xixi TAT】

            

【Curse it all, even Liu Yinxi can read Manman’s mind, but I couldn’t!】

【Is that puppy still around? Does anyone have its account? I want to gift it a bone (watery eyes)】

【I’d rather gift Liu Yinxi a sports car. She really gives off the feeling of being the person who cares about Manman the most out of everyone Manman has interacted with so far. I hope she can keep accompanying Manman in the future (hugging)】

            

Early the next morning, the two of them set out on their journey.

Sometime after ten in the morning, Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu caught sight of a shimmering lake in the distance. The body of water stretched across the forest like an emerald inlaid into the mountains by Mother Earth, leaving them spellbound.

Nan Huaixu ran toward the lake, carrying her backpack. As a refreshing breeze swept across the water, she spread her arms wide and ran into the wind. “Wow, it’s so beautiful!”

            

Liu Yinxi followed behind her. “Teacher Nan, slow down! Be careful with the injury on the sole of your foot.”

Nan Huaixu turned her head as she ran, her silver-bell laughter echoing through the wind. “It’s fine! I’m completely healed!”

“Slow down…” Liu Yinxi also broke into a smile, sprinting with her through the wind toward the beautiful lake.

            

“I really want to go out on the lake!”

“Teacher Nan, wild lakes are very dangerous, and we don’t have a boat.”

“Can’t we just drift around in the shallows? We could tie a raft together with vines. Don’t tell me you don’t know how to build one.”

            

“Uh. Well, yes, I do. But—”

“Alright, alright, I won’t go out on the lake. I won’t joke about safety. Look at our surroundings—where should we set up camp?”

“Let me see…”

            

“Liu Yinxi.”

“Hmm?” Liu Yinxi turned her head.

With cheeks as rosy as peach blossoms, Nan Huaixu suddenly stood on her tiptoes and whispered in her ear, “Every view is beautiful when I’m looking at it with you.”

            

By the time Liu Yinxi looked back, Nan Huaixu had already fluttered away like a butterfly, heading off to play by the lakeshore.

Liu Yinxi stood in place for a brief moment, her lips curving upward. She felt a boundless surge of energy coursing through her, enough to build a two-bedroom apartment.

No scenery could ever be as beautiful as you.

            

— June 17, Tenth Airdrop

Time: 7:00 AM

Location: Jiganbu Lake Beach

            

(Welcome to the beautiful Zhida Mountain. Protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility; please treasure this sacred Emerald Lake)

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