Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 118
by Little PandaSplitting Up to Explore Around Jiganbu Lake
After opening the airdrop box, Nan Huaixu first picked up the supply list.
Tenth Airdrop Supply List (※ indicates supplies contained in this crate)
Cassette stove (with gas canister) *1, Camping titanium pot *1, Grilling net *2
※ Basic life raft (with air pump and oars) *1, Life jackets *2
Nan Huaixu put down the list and sighed at the crate packed full of compressed gear. “I feel like…”
She felt like none of these were particularly ideal.
If they didn’t go out onto the lake, the life raft and life jackets would be of little use to them.
As for the supplies in the other airdrop box, they already had campfires to use instead of a stove, and they had mess tins to replace a pot or grilling nets.
As soon as Liu Yinxi saw her expression, she knew her thoughts were similar to her own.
The later the competition went, the greater the difficulty became. The airdrop supplies would no longer be things that made life extremely convenient for the contestants.
Liu Yinxi took out the vacuum-packed life jackets to inspect them. She said to Nan Huaixu, “The intervals between airdrops are getting longer. We’ll probably be living around the lake from now on. Nestled against the mountains and living by the lake, we’ll inevitably have to make use of it. There will come a time when we need the life raft and life jackets.”
Nan Huaixu was swayed by her words. “Mm, that makes sense.”
Liu Yinxi smiled. “Besides, didn’t you want to tour the lake? With this gear, now you can. I bet the production team heard your wishes.”
Nan Huaixu put the list back into the crate. “That would be a bit terrifying. It feels like they’re monitoring us.”
Actually, with a twenty-four-hour livestream, there wasn’t much of a difference anyway.
Nan Huaixu popped up the handle on top of the crate lid, closed it, and patted the box. “We can leave this here. Shall we go look for a suitable place to build a shelter?”
Liu Yinxi looked around, bent down to dig a shallow pit in the bushes, pushed the crate inside, and then covered it with vegetation and dead leaves. “Just a simple cover-up.”
They couldn’t delay any longer; they had to build a shelter as soon as possible.
They had spread themselves too thin this time. They had leftover supplies scattered across the treehouse, the waterfall, and the small cave. Having camped out in the open recently, they hadn’t slept well at all, let alone washed their clothes or hair. Their personal hygiene was a complete mess.
All the contestants’ shelters were bound to be established around Jiganbu Lake, but the lake area was vast, so they didn’t have to worry about easily running into each other.
Even so, they couldn’t let their guard down. They had to avoid the other groups’ areas of activity.
Judging by this airdrop, with everyone centering themselves around the river shoal where the airdrop crates landed, Huang Heshan was lying in wait to the east—meaning the eastern side of the lake was likely her territory—while Xue Yunshao was lurking to the north, making the northern side her probable domain.
Liu Yinxi decided to look for a suitable shelter location in the southwestern direction of the lake.
Having learned from the previous torrential rains and earthquakes, Liu Yinxi planned to find a spot that was close to water but not too close, with open terrain yet concealed by some trees, and far from any slopes.
It was a tall order. She hoped Old Mother Heaven would show them some favor. Liu Yinxi held the wushi pai1 amulet on her chest and made a wish.
The two walked along the western shore of the lake.
They often saw various footprints on the muddy banks, and Nan Huaixu and Liu Yinxi would try to guess what kind of animals had left them.
Passing a stream that branched off from the lake, a wind-dried animal skeleton lay exposed on the rocky shoal, resting there alone as it weathered the mountain wind and rain.
Nan Huaixu started guessing again which animal the skeleton had belonged to, and why it had met its end here.
“Could it have been eaten by a predator?” Nan Huaixu asked.
“It’s possible,” Liu Yinxi replied.
“Was it a land animal, or a lake monster? Are there lake monsters in a lake like this?”
“There might be giant catfish or large water pythons in the lake. Or maybe an animal accidentally fell into the lake while drinking, and after it died, the lake water washed its bones ashore.”
“I hope so. I don’t want to encounter any more terrifying creatures.” Nan Huaixu shuddered.
Liu Yinxi gazed out at the emerald lake from a distance, where the sunlight made the water sparkle brilliantly.
She thought to herself that it would be great if she had a professional fishing rod; on a beautiful day like this, those deep-water spots would be perfect for angling.
Liu Yinxi walked over to the skeleton on the rocky shoal and pulled out a few sharp bone spurs, which could be fashioned into tools like bone spears.
They gathered resources as they walked. They had no idea when they would find a suitable place for a shelter, so they couldn’t afford to let their supplies run out.
The fruit trees along the lakeshore were abundant. They found mangoes, lemons, mangosteens, sugar apples2, horn plantains… all sorts of things. The mini fridge was still stored back in the cave, and fruit wouldn’t keep long in this hot weather, so they had no choice but to pick only what they could eat.
The lakeside mudflats were also great for catching crabs and shellfish, which could be roasted or boiled into soup as a little snack.
After wandering around all day without finding a suitable spot, they could only return to the spot where they had hidden the airdrop box to rest.
Although Liu Yinxi had planned to catch up on sleep after grabbing the airdrop, she hadn’t managed to do so during the morning. Now, having finished dinner, she leaned against a tree and yawned.
Nan Huaixu advised her, “You should sleep now. I’ll watch the first half of the night. Tomorrow, we might as well split up to search. Don’t set your standards too high; let’s find a decent spot to settle down first, and we can always move if we find a better one later. Wandering around like this endlessly isn’t a long-term solution.”
Liu Yinxi nodded tiredly. “I understand. I’m sorry, Teacher Nan. I’ve made you suffer through all this hardship lately.”
Nan Huaixu reached out to gently cover her eyes. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Alright, get some rest. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
【My heart aches for Xixi (tiger headpat)】
【My heart aches for Manman (bear hug)】
【Oh dear, when will these hard times ever end? (worry)】
【Hahaha, how the tables have turned! Even Liu Yinxi can’t act tough anymore. She was just lucky before, but she really thought she was hot stuff (rolling eyes)】
【Our Yunshao’s newly built shelter is so beautiful. She found the lakeside even before the heavy rain. Impressive, right?】
【If you ask me, certain big-shot celebrities shouldn’t act so arrogant. Just because you have a prestigious background, you think you can talk big? Don’t forget there is still a First Heir in the family; it’s not your turn to cause trouble. Look at how you cried and made a scene about starting an independent studio. Did your family give you any resources? When you didn’t have enough money, didn’t you still have to show your face on a reality show and sell your looks to scrape up cash?】
【Ha, are Xue Yunshao’s fans always this hilarious?】
【Oh please, your own jiejie is about to starve, yet you still run over to someone else’s stream to run wild?】
【Xue fans are so petty. Just because their idol didn’t manage to trade for food, they come online to spew filth? What terrible manners.】
【What? What’s that? Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Xue Yunshao’s fans actually dare to come to Manman’s stream to be passive-aggressive? With Xue Yunshao’s meager family background, how do they dare gossip about the Nan family?】
【I’m seriously laughing from anger. They actually dare to bring up the Nan family’s First Heir, Nan Lingxuan, to talk smack? Nan Lingxuan has a lawfully wedded wife and a daughter with her. Have you ever seen her bring Luo Ling to a news interview? Surely nobody actually thinks Luo Ling has any say in the Nan family? Surely nobody actually thinks Nan Huaixu’s achievements since her debut rely solely on her family’s influence?】
【Fans are talking nonsense, won’t their idol’s PR team do something about it?】
【Do what? It’s free hype; their PR team is probably overjoyed (eating melon)】
【What is the chat even talking about? I don’t get it.】
【I don’t understand that stuff either. Let’s just watch the competition. The lake area is rich in resources, so it feels like it’ll be hard for anyone to pull ahead.】
【But everyone’s energy is pretty much spent. The contestants all have some minor ailments or pain by now.】
【There are so many bugs and snakes near the lake.】
【And there’ll be plenty of rain from here on out.】
【Ah, that is indeed really annoying.】
【Wishing Manman and Xixi all the best (praying)】
【Just sleep and get some good rest first. We’ll worry about tomorrow when it comes.】
Liu Yinxi quickly fell asleep, her heavy breathing echoing in the dim surroundings.
She must have been exhausted.
Nan Huaixu had already figured out the pattern of Liu Yinxi’s breathing; it would become very heavy whenever she was extremely tired and sleep-deprived.
She saw that the hair near Liu Yinxi’s ears was wet and clinging to her skin. She gently wiped away the sweat for her and pulled the windbreaker draped over her down slightly.
Nan Huaixu was also a bit sleepy, but a taut string was pulled tight in her heart, keeping her awake for the time being.
She felt deeply self-reproachful and somewhat anxious.
Today, she had thrown a tantrum at Liu Yinxi again. Furthermore, right in front of Xue Yunshao and so many live viewers nationwide, she had spoken very harshly to Luo Ling.
Once the competition ended, her mommy, mom, and Nan Lingxuan would all probably want to have a talk with her.
She had actually told her niece to “starve to death” on a live broadcast.
And in the competition, she had even “left her to die” without lifting a finger.
Whatever. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been criticized plenty of times before. No matter how harsh the scolding was, it always went in one ear and out the other.
Nan Huaixu’s self-reproach was not because she had cold-shouldered Luo Ling, but because she regretted losing her temper at Liu Yinxi.
Liu Yinxi had no idea she hated it when she paid attention to Luo Ling, nor did she know she didn’t want her focusing on anyone else.
She only wanted Liu Yinxi to pour all of her tenderness and concern onto her alone.
You are so selfish, Nan Huaixu told herself.
To presumptuously indulge in such willful emotions when you are nothing to each other—you really are a selfish person.
But she didn’t seem able to change.
Nan Huaixu hugged her knees, quietly gazing at Liu Yinxi’s sleeping face under the bright moonlight.
The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, but her eyes held a trace of loneliness.
She felt like she was becoming a worse and worse person.
Liu Yinxi, could you ever like a bad woman?
Bracelet date: June 18.
Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu had an early meal and split up according to the plan they had agreed on yesterday.
Based on yesterday’s exploration, they had learned that the terrain to the west was relatively flat and easier to navigate, so Liu Yinxi had Nan Huaixu head west while she went south.
They agreed to return to their temporary campsite by five in the afternoon. If either encountered any danger, they were to blow their whistle where they stood and wait for their partner to rescue them.
The water systems on the southern side of the lake were fragmented, and the terrain was complex. Aside from branching off into streams of various sizes, there were also several small pools and ponds.
It did not take long for Liu Yinxi’s trouser cuffs and shoes to become completely soaked. She was forced to move away from the water to dry her socks and shoes before continuing, so as to prevent her damp feet from breeding bacteria and contracting fungal infections.
She took a detour, crossing several creeks and a pool. Sometime after one in the afternoon, she spotted a second pool and came to a halt.
This pool was much larger than the previous one; it wouldn’t even be an exaggeration to call it a small lake. In the middle of the pool lay a small pond-center island. Surrounded by trees and lush greenery, it looked like a miniature version of Jinzhou Island set in the ocean.
The island’s reflection shimmered in the water, forming a double mirrored image that was wonderfully charming.
Liu Yinxi admired the beautiful scenery for a moment, then raised her wrist to look at her bracelet. It was almost two o’clock; she had to start heading back.
She had felt uneasy all day today, worrying whether Nan Huaixu would face any danger hiking on her own and wishing to return earlier to see her.
With Nan Huaixu on her mind, Liu Yinxi quickened her pace.
She jogged around the pool, keeping an eye on the path ahead while checking her compass direction. As she turned her head to casually glance at the pond-center island, she suddenly spotted an upturned corner of a roof peeking out from behind the lush green trees on the island.
Liu Yinxi stepped a little closer to get a better look.
Sure enough, it was a man-made wooden cabin.
Footnotes
- A wushi pai (无事牌) is a traditional Chinese flat pendant, usually made of jade or wood and left uncarved, symbolizing a wish for peace, safety, and a life free of troubles or disasters.
- Annona squamosa, commonly known as sugar apple or sweetsop, is a tropical fruit with a bumpy green skin and sweet, custard-like white pulp.
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