Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 122
by Little Panda“I Was Truly Blind to Have Looked for You Back Then”
Nan Huaixu smiled, thinking to herself that this person was actually capable of making such a sweet, petulant sound.
She raised an eyebrow. “Tell you what?”
Liu Yinxi said, “What you were just talking about with Huang Heshan.”
“Oh.” Nan Huaixu walked by her side, taking a step forward. She paused, then added, “She was showing concern for Yu Yan. But you’ve never asked about me, either.”
Liu Yinxi was momentarily at a loss for words.
Indeed, why had she never shown concern for Nan Huaixu’s state during her period? She had never asked if she was uncomfortable, or how her appetite was.
“……”
Liu Yinxi ran a hand through her hair in shame. She remembered that during Nan Huaixu’s last heat period, she had left her all alone in the triangular shelter.
Her heart gave a violent thump.
Liu Yinxi, you are really terrible.
Beside her, Nan Huaixu continued, “Yu Yan is a medical worker, so she definitely knows how to find herbs to relieve her own discomfort. Yet Huang Heshan is still so worried. I think Xiao Yu’s condition this time might be quite serious.”
Liu Yinxi was pulled back to the topic. “That’s true. Yu Yan is in great physical shape, so she shouldn’t be suffering this much from her own endocrine system. Could it be a side effect of the suppressants?”
Nan Huaixu shook her head. “I’m not sure. It could be something else that happened to coincide with her cycle, leading Huang Heshan to misunderstand. I hope she gets well. But if Yu Yan withdraws and only Huang Heshan is left, our chances of winning the championship will increase.”
Liu Yinxi replied in a low voice, “Yes.”
Sorry, Xiao Yu-jie. Although these thoughts are a bit uncharitable, a competition is a competition, with winners and losers.
Nan Huaixu added, “You don’t need to take what I said to Huang Heshan too seriously. Like I said, everyone’s body is different. The symptoms of discomfort vary, and so do the ways to relieve them. My cycle doesn’t affect me much, and I don’t suffer from side effects when taking suppressants. So I don’t have any discomfort, and there’s no need for special treatment.”
After a moment of thought, Liu Yinxi said, “Feeling unwell is one thing, but taking care of yourself is another. Even if your body isn’t affected, taking extra care during your cycle can only do you good, right?”
“Mhm, that’s true.”
Nan Huaixu tilted her face up slightly, her lips curving into a gentle smile as she let the breeze brush against her cheeks. “But I have a far more effective secret recipe, so I don’t need any of those other methods.”
Liu Yinxi was curious. “What secret recipe? Is it something you can tell me?”
“Yes, it’s public knowledge. Everyone knows it.”
“Ah… is that so?”
Liu Yinxi turned it over in her mind. The universally acknowledged best way to soothe the reactions during a bonding period was the mutual exchange of Alpha and Omega pheromones.
Nan Huaixu had said it was an effective secret recipe, and one that was public knowledge. Could she possibly be referring to my pheromones?
Liu Yinxi shook her head vigorously. No, no. Teacher Nan is so elegant and reserved; she wouldn’t think in that direction.
Nan Huaixu’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft—just enough for Liu Yinxi to hear, but likely too quiet for the Robot Dog to record. “Your scent is very soothing. Just a faint trace of it is incredibly comforting.”
Liu Yinxi whipped her head around, completely speechless.
So that day when Nan Huaixu praised her for smelling good, she really had been talking about my pheromones.
Teacher Nan was not nearly as proper as she appeared on the surface…
Noticing the sheer embarrassment written all over Liu Yinxi’s face, Nan Huaixu quickly defended her own honor. “I didn’t do anything improper. We eat and sleep together every day; it’s practically impossible not to catch a scent of each other.”
She looked at Liu Yinxi, gazing directly into her eyes. “Have you never smelled mine?”
Liu Yinxi averted her gaze. “Occasionally…”
Nan Huaixu seemed to let out a breath of relief. “Well, I’ve never heard you mention it.”
Liu Yinxi did not dare utter a sound. How on earth was she supposed to bring it up? An Alpha telling an Omega their scent smelled good? Unless it was part of an ambiguous pursuit, it fell under the category of harassment.
Wait…
Something sparked in Liu Yinxi’s mind, like a tiny, gleaming point of light. But just as she was about to dig deeper and figure out what it was, Nan Huaixu’s voice pulled her back.
“Liu Yinxi, there’s someone ahead.”
“Huh?” Liu Yinxi looked up. Sure enough, two silhouettes had appeared on the path ahead of them.
Before they could draw closer, the two figures began walking toward them.
Xue Yunshao’s eyes landed first on the camellia chicken Liu Yinxi was carrying, then shifted to Nan Huaixu, and finally to Liu Yinxi. She offered a smile. “During the last airdrop, I overheard you making an agreement with Huang-jie to build a stone pile and trade for a camellia chicken the following morning. I apologize for arriving uninvited, but this is a competition. We must do everything we can to secure resources, so please forgive us.”
Liu Yinxi let out a click of her tongue. She put the camellia chicken, its feet bound, into the cage she had prepared, not even sparing a glance for Xue Yunshao or Luo Ling. “Teacher Xue, your reaction time is incredibly slow. The competition has been going on for two months, and you’re only just realizing it’s a competition? Still, it’s good that you finally remembered. Now you won’t be saying any more foolish things about how other people have plenty of resources and that your opponents should be considerate of you.”
Luo Ling took a step forward. “Liu Yinxi, you were the one who approached us about a trade first. A Yun is trying to talk to you properly, so can’t you just keep a cool head and speak calmly too?”
She stole a timid glance at the nearby Nan Huaixu. Seeing the coldness in Nan Huaixu’s eyes, she shrank back behind Xue Yunshao and fell silent.
Ever since Nan Huaixu had told her to “starve” last time, Luo Ling’s lingering illusions of familial affection for her little aunt had completely shattered.
Luo Ling was forced to painfully accept reality. Her mother was right: the Nan family, including Mommy, were all heartless people. Mommy had wronged her mother, yet claimed to the outside world that her mother was the one at fault. The Nan family appeared peaceful and friendly on the surface, but in truth, they were extremely cold-blooded.
Her aunt was the clearest example of this.
Nan Huaixu said, “Fine. Let’s talk calmly.”
She stepped toward Xue Yunshao. “State your request.”
Drawing on her past experiences dealing with them, Xue Yunshao knew that Nan Huaixu looked down on her niece Luo Ling, and Liu Yinxi had a personal grudge against her as well. Neither of them would ever offer her a warm reception. She decided to keep things brief and get straight to the point. “I have a space blanket, a ten-gram packet of whole milk powder, and a bit of shea butter cream left. You can choose from these, and we’ll trade them for a piece of chicken breast and the carcass.”
With her past lessons in mind, Liu Yinxi’s immediate instinct was to refuse. She instinctively looked to Nan Huaixu for her opinion, only to see that Nan Huaixu’s expression was rather displeased.
【What on earth? Trading with leftovers?】
【Manman would never use Luo Ling’s leftover shea butter cream. (rolls eyes)】
【There’s no need anyway! They just traded for a lot of herbs with Yu Yan, and Yu Yan’s homemade aloe vera gel is super effective. It’s a full small jar of it!】
【Our Yuyu is still the best! ^.^】
【Yuyu has been dizzy since last night. I wonder if she caught a chill? (worried)】
【Ah, she probably caught a chill during the heavy rain and earthquake a few days ago. If Huang-jie goes to gather herbs, she’ll recover in no time!】
【If Xue and Luo want to eat chicken, why don’t they go trade with Huang-jie themselves?】
【As if Huang-jie would pay them any attention.】
【Huang-jie looks down on their trinkets.】
【The only reason Huang traded with Liu was because Yu Yan needed cephalosporin.】
【So what? If Liu can trade with Huang, why can’t she trade with Yunshao? It’s a fair transaction, completely voluntary. Our Yunshao is offering good stuff here. Take it or leave it.】
【Exactly!】
【What’s wrong with leftovers? They were all saved up by Lingling. Some of Nan’s brain-dead fans need to wake up. This is a survival competition! It’s already a luxury to have skincare products, yet you’re turning your noses up at everything. Keep dreaming! (vomits)】
【If it weren’t for Nan Huaixu having so many fans, the malice toward Yunshao on this show would be much less.】
【Preach! Ninety-nine percent of the haters are from Nan Huaixu’s stream. I don’t even want to say what their motives are.】
【She’s even offering milk powder for the trade! Yunshao is being incredibly sincere!】
【Milk powder? Look at the nutritional facts. How much protein is even in ten grams? My assessment: it’s not as good as energy bars or chicken breast.】
【Don’t trade. Be a good girl, Xixi, don’t trade with her.】
【It infuriates me just seeing those two blocking the way. (angry)】
【Xixi has finally learned to read Manman’s expression! ^o^】
Nan Huaixu spoke expressionlessly, “We won’t trade. I want this camellia chicken, and we won’t trade it for anything you offer. Please excuse us.”
With that, Nan Huaixu bypassed them.
Xue Yunshao quickly caught up to her. “Teacher Nan, how about we forget the breast meat? Could you give us the carcass instead? The organs would work, too.”
Nan Huaixu waved her off. “I said we’re not trading. Please go.”
“Teacher Nan, please reconsider. If it rains heavily again, the temperature will drop. The space blanket is excellent for keeping warm…”
Xue Yunshao’s public image had always been like the moon in the water, a flower in the snow—lofty, elegant, and refined. When had she ever begged someone so humbly?
Liu Yinxi watched from the side, sighing inwardly. She accidentally locked eyes with Luo Ling opposite her, who was glaring at her with wide, resentful eyes.
Liu Yinxi let out a baffled chuckle. “From what I hear, Teacher Nan already said we’re not trading. You’d better go persuade your Sweet Potato.”
Luo Ling’s brow furrowed deeply, and she corrected her, emphasizing each syllable, “Her name is Xue Yunshao! ‘Shao’ as in the splendor of youth! Do you even understand the beautiful meaning behind that character?”
Liu Yinxi smiled. “Nope, I don’t.”
Luo Ling said resentfully, “I was truly blind to have looked for you back then…”
Liu Yinxi shrugged indifferently.
She had no idea what the original host had seen in Luo Ling, either. Perhaps it really was just to have a place to stay, some extra pocket money, and a convenient way to chase celebrities.
Luo Ling turned and walked over to Xue Yunshao, clinging to her arm. “A Yun, A Yun, listen to me. We’re not trading anymore. I don’t want to eat it.”
Xue Yunshao held her shoulders. “But Lingling, you’ve grown so thin. How can I bear to watch you go without?”
“It’s fine. I’ll listen to you. I won’t be stubborn anymore, and I’ll eat whatever you make for me.” As she spoke, Luo Ling hurriedly pulled a cluster of greenish-yellow round fruits from her backpack. They looked a bit like longans. “We can go back and eat this.”
Liu Yinxi caught sight of the fruit in her hand. “Do you even know what kind of fruit that is? You’re just going to eat it without checking if it’s edible?”
Luo Ling tucked the fruit away. “Of course I know what it is. I’ve eaten it at a farm before. Don’t go thinking you’re the only one who recognizes wild fruit; I do too. This is wild mountain longan1, local dialect calls it mountain longan. It’s sweet, juicy, and delicious. I did plenty of homework for this survival competition. Admit it, Liu Yinxi, there are wild fruits you don’t recognize either.”
Liu Yinxi smiled. “Sure, sure.”
Luo Ling ignored her, taking Xue Yunshao’s arm. “Yunshao, let’s go. The blanket and milk powder are more valuable than chicken anyway. We’ll keep them for ourselves.”
After Luo Ling and Xue Yunshao left, Nan Huaixu asked Liu Yinxi with some concern, “Is there really nothing wrong with the fruit Luo Ling had?”
Understanding Nan Huaixu’s protective instincts as an elder, Liu Yinxi reassured her, “It’s edible, don’t worry. However, a small number of people can have severe allergic reactions to wild mountain longan, which is why outdoor guides always advise first-timers to try only a tiny amount.”
She had originally thought about warning them, but since Luo Ling claimed to be such an expert, there was no point in speaking up.
Nan Huaixu nodded. “As long as it’s not poisonous.”
Liu Yinxi carried the chicken cage as she walked. “Eh? Didn’t I just tell Luo Ling that I didn’t recognize that fruit? Why did you still ask me, Teacher Nan?”
Nan Huaixu glanced at her, then turned to look straight ahead. “You were lying to her. Were you planning to lie to me too?”
Liu Yinxi rubbed her nose sheepishly. “How could I ever lie to you? I did recognize it, I just didn’t want to engage with her.”
Nan Huaixu smiled. She reached up and gently scraped the bridge of her nose. “Even if you lie to me, it’s okay. I’ll still believe you.”
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