Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 119

The Abandoned Cabin on Pond-Center Island

Dusk fell, and the searing heat of the day gradually receded.

Beneath the trees, the campfire crackled, and several fragrant, crispy fish were turned over on a wooden rack.

            

Wild tropical fruits, peeled and sliced, were piled on a pandan-leaf¹ plate. Nan Huaixu handed it to Liu Yinxi. “So you’re saying you found a wooden cabin with upswept eaves on that island in the middle of the pond?”

Liu Yinxi flipped a fish, turning her head to avoid a gust of smoke. “Those are eaves designed for drainage, actually.”

Nan Huaixu pictured it in her mind. “The contestants only arrived at Jiganbu Lake recently. Building a temporary shelter out of timber and vines is one thing, but constructing a cabin with proper eaves is on a different level.”

            

“Indeed,” Liu Yinxi agreed. Nan Huaixu had hit the nail on the head.

Liu Yinxi picked up a salak². The ripe fruit was sweet, crisp, and refreshing.

Nan Huaixu skewered a piece of mango with a bamboo skewer. “It’s probably a house built by an indigenous tribe in this rainforest. I remember the pre-match briefing mentioned that the indigenous tribes live along the edges of the competition area. They won’t disturb us, and we shouldn’t bother them. Maybe it’s an abandoned cabin of theirs?”

            

“That’s the most likely scenario.” Liu Yinxi chewed the fruit, letting out a crisp crunch.

“What do you think?” Nan Huaixu asked.

Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Liu Yinxi set a freshly grilled fish into a lunchbox. “I want to go take a look tomorrow.”

            

“The wooden cabin?”

“Yeah.”

“Didn’t you say the cabin is on an island? How big is this pond? We can’t just wade across, can we?”

            

“No. It’s easily several thousand square meters in size.”

“That’s quite large.”

“Yeah.”

            

As she spoke, Liu Yinxi’s gaze fell upon the large chest buried in the bushes.

Nan Huaixu noticed her glance. “You want to row over?”

Liu Yinxi pursed her lips. “It’d be a short trip if we row.”

            

“But there’s danger too. You said it yourself—natural bodies of water are risky, and ponds are no exception.”

“But a place where people once lived is highly likely to have leftover supplies. And even a dilapidated wooden cabin is better than the open air.”

Nan Huaixu frowned. “The cabin is on an island in the middle of a pond. If a rainstorm causes flooding, or if there’s an earthquake, how would we escape?”

            

“Teacher Nan, don’t worry,” Liu Yinxi said. “I just mean that I’ll go take a look at the situation first. The indigenous people would’ve definitely considered the same problems we’re worrying about. They know this rainforest far better than we do, so I think they had their reasons for building the cabin there.”

“But the fact that it was abandoned suggests it might no longer be fit for living.”

“Even so, we can still salvage some planks or nails. We haven’t found anything of greater value yet, so I want to go see it regardless.”

            

Liu Yinxi knew Nan Huaixu was just worried about her. Softening her tone, she said, “Teacher Nan, thank you for worrying about me, but there’s always risk in everything. We just have to take proper precautions. We can’t stop eating for fear of choking.”

Nan Huaixu rested her chin in her hand, thinking it over for a moment before nodding. “Alright, we’ll go together tomorrow. We’ll bring the satellite phone and look out for each other.”

“Great.” Liu Yinxi smiled.

            

She had known Nan Huaixu would support her.

When the competition first started, the two of them had clashed constantly.

Nan Huaixu was cautious, rule-abiding, and preferred an efficiency that settled things once and for all.

            

Liu Yinxi knew that Nan Huaixu used to dislike her spontaneous nature, her frequent last-minute changes, and her tendency to take risks.

But as she demonstrated her outstanding survival skills, Nan Huaixu had placed more and more trust in her—following her, assisting her, and growing increasingly courageous in the process.

In turn, Liu Yinxi had also come to understand Nan Huaixu better.

            

Take this instance—she was certain that Nan Huaixu would not back down over a little danger.

Deep down, Liu Yinxi harbored a selfish thought—that she and Nan Huaixu were, at their core, the same kind of person. Both possessed a curiosity that could conquer fear, allowing them to adapt to new environments.

They both wanted to tread upon uncharted ground with their own feet, and both wanted to carve out their own worlds with their own hands.

            

A faint smile tugging at her lips as she stared at the dancing flames, Liu Yinxi thought, How wonderful it would be if Nan Huaixu could accompany me on the road ahead.

Well, imagination was always beautiful.

Precisely because it was unrealistic.

            

How could a wealthy, high-society megastar like Nan Huaixu associate with an ordinary citizen like her for a lifetime?

She was already incredibly grateful that Nan Huaixu had offered to collaborate with her.

Liu Yinxi took a bite of the grilled fish.

            

The logic was sound, yet she felt a strange, heavy dullness in her chest. She was not happy.

Why?

---

In the morning, as the forest birds woke and began to sing, Liu Yinxi led Nan Huaixu toward the pond south of Jiganbu Lake.

            

The deflated, compressed life raft was not heavy to carry for a short while, but it added to their overall load, and backpacking it over a long trek was bound to be exhausting.

Though Liu Yinxi insisted she was fine, Nan Huaixu adamantly offered to take over for ten to fifteen minutes every half-hour. They alternated, taking two rests along the way, which kept their fatigue at bay.

When Nan Huaixu saw the mirrored reflection of the island in the center of the pond, she stared in awe. “It’s so beautiful!”

            

Liu Yinxi smiled. “Right? I was also amazed when I first saw it.”

Nan Huaixu spent a moment admiring the pond-center island, then set down the life raft and pulled out the air pump. The flat raft quickly swelled under the pump, taking the shape of a small inflatable boat.

Next, they pumped up their life jackets and put them on. After plotting their rowing route to the pond-center island, they worked together to push the raft into the water, securing it with a vine rope tied to a tree trunk.

            

Placing the two oars inside, Liu Yinxi climbed in first. She helped Nan Huaixu step down into the raft, untied the vine rope, and began rowing toward the pond-center island.

The pond was exceptionally still. In the absence of wind, the water was as smooth as a mirror.

The raft sliced through the water, leaving ripples in its wake. Sitting in the back, Nan Huaixu leaned over to peer into the depths. Dappled sunlight filtered through her wild banana-leaf hat, scattering specks of light across the skin around her collarbone.

            

The water was remarkably clear, revealing abundant aquatic weeds and sunken logs beneath.

Spotting the shadows of several fish darting past, Nan Huaixu turned her head. “Liu Yinxi, I see fish!”

She turned with a bit too much force, causing the raft to tilt toward her side. The inflatable vessel swayed, giving her a fright. She immediately froze, waiting quietly for the raft to regain its balance.

            

Liu Yinxi rowed with practiced ease, stabilizing the raft. “Be careful. Don’t get too excited. You can jump and hop all you want once we get ashore.”

Nan Huaixu cleared her throat, adopting a serious expression. “Ahem, I’ll be careful.”

Liu Yinxi chuckled and looked back ahead. As they neared the pond-center island, the corner of the roof peeking through the tree canopy became increasingly distinct.

            

Nan Huaixu also noticed the high, upswept eaves. “The house is quite large.”

Liu Yinxi looked over. “Yeah. Up close, it’s bigger than I imagined.”

The raft gently bumped against the shore. Liu Yinxi scrambled onto the land first, tethered the raft to a large tree by the bank, and went back to stretch out a hand to pull Nan Huaixu ashore.

            

Once they walked around to explore the other side, they realized the place was much larger than it had appeared from the opposite bank.

Strictly speaking, it was not an island but a small peninsula protruding into the pond. However, the point where it connected to the mainland was severed by a creek, which could easily be crossed by placing a few stone slabs in the middle. Due to the angle of perspective, it looked like an island in the middle of the pond when viewed from the opposite shore.

In essence, the pond and the creek isolated this piece of land from the rest, making it inaccessible without a boat.

            

The two walked a full circle around the “island” and spotted a rotting wooden laundry platform. Just past it stood a wooden cabin that had been completely reclaimed by trees and weeds.

Built from timber and thatch, the cabin featured a roof shaped like a boat with upswept ends. The floor was elevated on wooden stilts, reminiscent of a traditional stilt house³ but shorter. It had two levels: the upper level was small and cramped, accessible via a ladder, while the lower level was spacious and well-ventilated on all sides.

Some of the timbers inside had rotted and snapped, and yellowish-white mushrooms grew near the ground.

            

Liu Yinxi snapped off several palm leaves and bound them together into a makeshift broom, using it to sweep away the dirt, fallen leaves, and spiderwebs.

Curious, Nan Huaixu examined the interior. In one corner, she uncovered bamboo tableware, woven straw mats, straw hats, and some items made of thick bark—she wasn’t quite sure how to describe them. Rags, perhaps? Or maybe some sort of blanket.

Liu Yinxi climbed up to the second floor. When she emerged, covered in dust and grime, she was holding a plastic potato chip bag.

            

Liu Yinxi: “…”

Nan Huaixu burst out laughing. “Why did you pick up trash?”

Dejected, Liu Yinxi stuffed the bag into her backpack. Per the production team’s rules, such pollutants had to be recovered and recycled.

            

Nan Huaixu was puzzled. “Isn’t this an indigenous tribe? Do they eat potato chips too?”

Liu Yinxi ducked back into the second floor to search for any useful supplies. “No matter how primitive they are, they still have contact with the modern world. Some of the younger tribe members go to the city to study or buy modern goods to bring back and sell. Kids there absolutely love candy and cola.”

“You even know about things like that?”

            

“Heh, I’ve watched documentaries. There are bloggers online who specialize in visiting indigenous tribes. Some chiefs even collaborate with local tourism boards to offer ‘primitive experience’ tours.”

Liu Yinxi searched upstairs while Nan Huaixu searched downstairs. They spent over an hour thoroughly combing every nook and cranny. Eventually, they gathered their useful finds in one place—mostly everyday items like straw mats and cushions, along with basic tools like a hammer and some rope.

It was not a grand haul, but it was better than nothing.

            

【So disappointing.】

【Thought we’d get some good loot (shrug)】

【Looking at how long this broken cabin has been abandoned, what good stuff could possibly be left?】

            

【The most valuable thing here is the cabin itself.】

【Are they going to live here? It looks decent—at least it can shelter them from the wind and rain (hug)】

【Even if it’s an abandoned house, it was still built by an indigenous tribe. What if they return someday? It doesn’t seem right to trespass and take their things.】

            

【…If you built a melon shed in a melon patch, ignored it for years, and then visited on a whim only to find a cattail leaf fan missing, would you call the police to report a thief?】

【I see several rotting logs; it probably isn’t sturdy. They shouldn’t live there. What if heavy rain washes it away one day, and the rising water turns it into an island and they get trapped? (frown)】

【It’s not raining right now, so they can just use it for emergencies.】

            

【They didn’t find any good supplies, but they sure picked up some trash (laugh-cry)】

【Why go through someone else’s ruined house for no reason? Honestly, building their own shelter wouldn’t be this much of a hassle.】

【Aside from everything else, does utilizing an abandoned house count as a rules violation?】

            

【Go check the game rules. From what I see, it doesn’t count as a violation. The cabin is already part of the rainforest.】

【Ahhh, don’t be sad, Xixi, at least you have a dry place to sleep tonight (heartache)】

【Uwah, my poor Manman, treats even a piece of old tree bark like treasure QAQ】

            

【Why not search the surroundings? Maybe there’s something else?】

The most useful items they salvaged from the cabin were a fishing net, which would make large-scale fishing much easier, and some thatch, which would come in handy for building a shelter.

Liu Yinxi climbed down from the second floor. She threw back her head to gulp down a bottle of water, wiped her lips, and turned around, only to find the first floor completely empty. Nan Huaixu was nowhere to be seen.

            

Liu Yinxi quickly bolted out of the cabin. “Nan Huaixu!”

“Nan—”

A figure came running from across the creek. Nan Huaixu burst out of the woods, cradling something golden in her arms. “Liu Yinxi! Come over here quickly!”

            

---