Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 124
by Little Panda“Luo Ling, Shut Up!”
The elimination notice came far too suddenly.
During the previous two eliminations, Liu Yinxi had watched Lu Yiqi and Yuan Fang’s physical conditions deteriorate firsthand. But this time, she had no idea what kind of painful struggle the next person had gone through.
If there had been any prior signs of trouble, they had only pointed to one person.
Liu Yinxi frowned, feeling a mix of worry and a faint, secret sense of relief. Could it be Yu Yan? Has her condition worsened?
She opened the details of the elimination notice.
——Date: June 23
Time: 6:12 am
Eliminations: 1
Eliminated Contestant: Number 3, Xue Yunshao
（The remaining standard pack supplies of the eliminated contestant will be inherited by their teammate.）
（Friendly reminder: Please do not consume large quantities of wild plants you have not eaten before, to prevent food poisoning and severe allergic reactions.）
（To the survivors who are still holding out, good luck!）
Xue Yunshao?
Wait, how could the original novel’s protagonist Alpha be eliminated?!
This was someone Liu Yinxi had never expected.
They had just met yesterday, and wasn’t Xue Yunshao perfectly hale and hearty?
She had even been full of energy, trying to trade for their chicken breasts and chicken carcasses.
Pressing her thumb against the electronic screen of her bracelet, Nan Huaixu pointed with her fingertip to the warning at the end of the notice. “The production team is reminding us to watch out for food allergies. This must have something to do with Xue Yunshao’s elimination.”
She turned to Liu Yinxi, her gaze loaded with meaning. “Don’t tell me your words from yesterday turned out to be prophetic1?”
“Huh?” Liu Yinxi blanked. Which of her words from yesterday?
Seeing her dazed look, Nan Huaixu assumed she didn’t understand the idiom due to her educational background. She gently explained, “A chen was a prophecy made by wizards in ancient times, usually referring to bad luck. The idiom means a casual remark unexpectedly came true.”
Liu Yinxi understood. “Which line did I say?”
Nan Huaixu said, “Some people are severely allergic to wild mountain longan. They should only try a little the first time, just in case.”
Liu Yinxi quickly read through the elimination notice twice more and sighed. “It’s highly likely that Xue Yunshao was forced to withdraw due to an allergy to wild mountain longan.”
Nan Huaixu sat down by the fire pit to boil water, preparing to cook some eggs. “I’m surprised only one person was eliminated.”
The first floor of the shelter had a dual fire pit setup, and Liu Yinxi was boiling shrimp on the other side. “Are you talking about Luo Ling? She said yesterday that she’d eaten wild mountain longan before and wasn’t allergic to it, so she’s fine.”
Nan Huaixu knit her brows slightly, looking at Liu Yinxi as if she were a little dummy. “I didn’t mean that Luo Ling was eliminated due to allergies as well. Rather, she relied entirely on Xue Yunshao during the competition. Now that Xue Yunshao has been eliminated, how does she have the courage to carry on alone? To think she didn’t even withdraw along with Xue Yunshao.”
Liu Yinxi finally realized. “Oh, right.”
Why hadn’t Luo Ling withdrawn with her?
In terms of survival skills, Luo Ling had always relied on Xue Yunshao. With Xue Yunshao gone, even securing food would be a struggle for her.
In terms of her motivation, Luo Ling had only joined the show because Xue Yunshao wanted to compete. Now that Xue Yunshao was out, there was no reason for her to stay.
Yet Luo Ling hadn’t chosen to withdraw. What was she after? The prize money? Exposure? How long could she survive on her own?
Whatever.
Either way, now that Xue Yunshao was gone, Luo Ling’s elimination was only a matter of time.
While boiling her shrimp and roasting cassava, Liu Yinxi hurriedly opened her book-transmigration reading system to check. Now that both of the original novel’s protagonists had been eliminated, could the plot of this world still proceed as normal? Surely the world wouldn’t collapse, right?
She flipped through the original book’s table of contents and quickly scanned the chapters. Everything looked exactly the same as before, and the system didn’t show any warning prompts. Liu Yinxi breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness there was no impact.
Nan Huaixu noticed her flustered expression. “What’s wrong?”
Liu Yinxi shook her hand that was stirring the hot water. “I just accidentally scalded myself a bit.”
Nan Huaixu stood up to find some aloe vera gel to apply to her hand. “Don’t rush. Be careful.”
Guiltily, Liu Yinxi watched Nan Huaixu gently apply the gel, her voice turning soft and airy. “Yeah… Thanks.”
Staring at Nan Huaixu’s gentle movements, Liu Yinxi couldn’t help but fall into deep thought. Once the competition ended, would she still be able to remain in this world? Or would she never be able to go back? Had she already been declared dead in her real world? If she was to live in this world forever, would her secret of not being the original host be discovered? How would she even explain it?
Compared to when she had first arrived, Liu Yinxi’s state of mind had changed drastically. Although she still missed her family and friends, still…
Liu Yinxi lowered her gaze. Nan Huaixu looked up, a delicate, beautiful smile blooming like a soft flower on her face. “All done. What’s the plan for today?”
Liu Yinxi gazed at her face, reluctant to look away.
She told herself: You can’t even bear to look away from Nan Huaixu for a single second. How could you ever bear to leave her and return to a world where she doesn’t exist?
Nan Huaixu blinked her long eyelashes in confusion. “Liu Yinxi? Are you zoning out?”
Liu Yinxi quickly snapped out of it, scratching her head sheepishly. “Sorry, I was just thinking about where to hunt today. Also… I think we need to prepare for heavy rain. We should reinforce the shelter’s roof and dig a few more drainage ditches.”
Since the camellia chicken they had originally planned to eat for extra nutrition was now being kept to lay eggs, they had to catch other prey to supplement their meat supply.
Nan Huaixu nodded. “Let’s divide the work today. You go hunting, and I’ll reinforce the roof at the shelter, dig the drainage ditches, get more familiar with the surroundings, and forage for some supplies.”
“Alright. Thank you for the hard work, Teacher Nan.”
“You too. Be careful out there.”
After finishing breakfast, Liu Yinxi packed her gear, slung her backpack over her shoulders, and set off to hunt with her bow and arrows.
A few days ago, Liu Yinxi had spotted traces of small and medium-sized animals active to the west of the lake. Now that the mini fridge had been moved over from the cave, any slightly larger prey could be preserved for a couple of days, so she didn’t have to worry about waste.
Liu Yinxi tracked the animal trails all the way, heading northwest. Along the way, she spotted a wild rabbit, a few lizards, and a snake.
She gave chase to the wild rabbit for a bit, but it managed to slip away. Just as she was feeling annoyed, she suddenly heard a rustling sound in the bushes ahead. Hurriedly lowering her stance, she notched an arrow and crept forward.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The blades of grass shook violently, and a dark shadow suddenly burst out from behind the bushes. Liu Yinxi quickly dodged backward, while a panicked shriek rang out from the other side. “Ah!”
It was a person.
What is she doing, squatting there so sneakily?
Liu Yinxi lowered her bow and arrow and crossed her arms with a blank expression. In front of her, Luo Ling clutched her chest, taking several deep breaths to compose herself. Her elegant brows knit tightly as she glared at Liu Yinxi in anger. “Watch where you’re pointing that thing! If you had hurt someone, you wouldn’t be able to pay for it even if you spent the rest of your life in prison!”
Liu Yinxi scoffed. “If I hadn’t looked closely, you’d already be lying there cold.”
Luo Ling gasped, hugging herself and stepping back. “What are you trying to do?!”
Liu Yinxi remained where she was, unmoving. “I didn’t do anything. Just passing through. Bye.”
Just as Liu Yinxi turned to leave, Luo Ling took a step forward. “Hey, wait! You’re an Alpha, after all, aren’t you?”
“…” So if I don’t answer, I’m not an Alpha anymore? Liu Yinxi looked back. “So? What is it now, my dear lady?”
Luo Ling cleared her throat, smoothed down her hair and collar, and walked over to her side. “An Omega like me isn’t safe alone in the forest. As an Alpha, shouldn’t you show some chivalry and protect me along the way?”
Liu Yinxi was annoyed. “If it’s not safe, then withdraw from the competition.”
“Why are you being so fierce? We were together for three years; you know I don’t like loud noises.” Luo Ling shrank her neck back, dodging to the side like a startled deer, yet not daring to wander too far from her. “I won’t disturb you anyway. You go your way, and I’ll just follow behind you to gather some fruit or something.”
Liu Yinxi took off running. “Stop talking nonsense. I don’t know you at all. Don’t follow me.”
Liu Yinxi ran through the woods for a while. Whether Luo Ling had built up her stamina over the past two months or what, she actually managed to keep up from a distance. She was even talking loudly—forget catching rabbits, all the birds in the area had been scared off.
“Liu Yinxi, did you bring any food? Are you hungry? I have some dried fish, I can share it with you.”
“Liu Yinxi, before this, you were crying and complaining to me about wanting to go home. Where did you go after that? You didn’t have any money on you, and you didn’t bring many belongings. You must’ve had a really hard time, it breaks my heart just thinking about it. Don’t walk so fast. Tell me what happened to you. Yes, we broke up, but I’m not heartless. If you ever run into trouble in the future, I’ll still help you.”
“I’m talking to you, Liu Yinxi! How are things between you and my aunt? Remember that time I took you to get her autograph? She refused and kicked you out, and it was only because I persuaded her that she agreed to take a photo with you. You don’t know my aunt—she’s cold, very strict in private, and sometimes her words can be quite harsh. But don’t take it to heart; she doesn’t mean to say such nasty things on purpose.”
“Luo Ling, shut up! What right do you have to talk about Teacher Nan like that?” Liu Yinxi whirled around, pointing a finger directly at her nose. “If you keep spouting nonsense, believe it or not, I’ll tie you to a tree and feed you to the wild boars!”
Luo Ling shut her mouth instantly, looking at her with an extremely aggrieved expression. “Yinxi, you’ve misunderstood me. When I went on that business trip, I really was meeting a client. I only bumped into Yunshao by chance and had dinner with her…”
Liu Yinxi cut her off. “Listen up. I’m not the Liu Yinxi you know. I have nothing to do with you.”
Luo Ling was taken aback, but she quickly smiled. “Yinxi, you’re speaking in anger again. Alright, stop throwing a tantrum. I forgive you, okay? Let’s just be friends like we used to be, alright?”
“…”
Liu Yinxi felt deeply uncomfortable.
She deliberately took the most rugged paths, speeding up until she quickly left Luo Ling far behind.
Unable to keep up, Luo Ling stood at the bottom of a small slope and called out to her, “Liu Yinxi! Slow down! Don’t trip!”
【How bizarre.】
【So confusing （puzzled）】
【What is Luo Ling trying to do?】
【Who does she actually like?】
【Is Xue Yunshao watching the stream? How does she feel seeing Luo Ling like this?】
【Xue Yunshao got eliminated, so Luo Ling wants to stay in the game, but she doesn’t have the skills. She’s just trying to leach off Xixi.】
【Even a fence-sitter doesn’t flip as fast as her （sweat）】
【Sisters, can someone explain this to me? Is Luo Ling just acting flirty with Xue Yunshao on the surface while still carrying a torch for Liu Yinxi deep down? I’m so lost.】
【Who cares what she is, just tell her to stay away.】
【Yeah, don’t touch our Xixi.】
【Just my personal opinion, but I feel like using personal feelings to score some supplies to win the competition is kind of understandable. Didn’t Yuan Fang try to get close to Liu Yinxi before, too?】
【If stealing is fine, why can’t she play the emotional card?】
【I think so too. Besides, the rumor that Luo Ling and Xue Yunshao are together was just made up by netizens; they never officially announced a relationship. But Liu Yinxi and Luo Ling are actual, genuine exes.】
【???】
【What kind of trash has crawled into our livestream?】
【Luo Ling’s fans, stop acting. Go back to your own stream and wait for her elimination （roll eyes）】
【We’ll throw Xixi’s words right back at you muddle-headed fools: It has nothing to do with you!】
An entire day had passed, and she hadn’t caught a thing.
Sitting on a rock and gazing out over the lake, Liu Yinxi wondered if she should just grab a lizard on her way back. She couldn’t return empty-handed; Teacher Nan would be disappointed.
Suddenly, a shout drifted over from the other side of the water. “Liu Yinxi!”
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