Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 134
by Little PandaRainy Night
Liu Yinxi was woken in the middle of the night by the stifling heat.
“Stifling” was a strange way to describe it, but she was indeed experiencing this peculiar sensation—because the sleeping space was too cramped, the air stagnant, and the relentless heavy rain had cranked the humidity so high that Liu Yinxi felt as though a waterlogged film was plastered over her face, suffocating her.
She was drenched in sweat.
Outside the shelter, wind and rain made it freezing cold, but inside the small loft, it was hot and stuffy. Yet the evaporation of sweat left Liu Yinxi’s skin feeling faintly cool—a deeply uncomfortable contrast.
Liu Yinxi rolled over, yawned, and breathed fresh air through her nose. As her consciousness slowly cleared, she quickly discovered a bigger problem—the entire room was saturated with omega pheromones, so sweet and fragrant that the concentration was clearly abnormal.
Liu Yinxi’s neck glands and brain were struck simultaneously. Her heart suddenly contracted. She hunched over, clutching her chest, and only after a few moments managed to suppress that overwhelming force.
She steadied herself and turned to look at the person beside her. Nan Huaixu was lying on her side, back to her, her whole body radiating heat. It seemed Nan Huaixu had entered her heat period while asleep.
Liu Yinxi rubbed her nose, conflicted. In this state, she could hardly fall asleep, but waking Nan Huaixu and disturbing her rest didn’t seem right either.
After a moment’s thought, Liu Yinxi decided to close her eyes and try to sleep. If she managed to fall asleep, great. If not, she’d figure something else out.
She had just shut her eyes when she felt a slight tremor from Nan Huaixu’s side. She also heard a faint, low whimper. Liu Yinxi realized Nan Huaixu must be awake—and in discomfort.
Liu Yinxi thought for a moment, then rolled over deliberately, making some noise, and spoke in a low voice: “Teacher Nan, I’ll get you water and medication, and open the curtain to let in some air?”
After a pause, Nan Huaixu replied, her voice thick and sluggish: “Sorry, I woke you up.”
Liu Yinxi sat up and pulled open the mosquito net. “Don’t say that. Just rest well.”
She rolled up the small curtain on the side of the loft, and outside air rushed in at once, carrying crisp, cold freshness.
Liu Yinxi walked to the other side of the bed and opened Nan Huaixu’s bag, finding the medication box.
She opened the box and discovered that one blister was already broken open, with a pill still lying inside.
Liu Yinxi’s eyes showed confusion. What was going on with this pill? Had it been opened but not taken?
She slipped the pill back in and handed the whole box to Nan Huaixu.
But Nan Huaixu accepted the water bottle Liu Yinxi offered, yet didn’t take the medication.
Liu Yinxi sat on the outer edge of the bed. Mosquito-repellent grass hung on the wooden wall, its scent helping to disperse some of the omega pheromones and giving Liu Yinxi’s senses a measure of relief.
She reminded Nan Huaixu softly: “Teacher Nan, your medication.”
Nan Huaixu kept her head down, her loose long hair draped over her shoulders, neck, and chest. One hand braced against the bed, the other gripping the water bottle tightly.
“Liu Yinxi…” Nan Huaixu’s voice came out low and husky.
Liu Yinxi vaguely sensed something was wrong. Her heart suddenly lurched. “What is it?”
Nan Huaixu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her face flushed and weary. “I wanted to ask—did you read the precautions on the medication box?”
“I did.” Liu Yinxi turned the small box over in her hand as she spoke. “Just the usual warnings about not mixing multiple medications, possible dizziness and nausea… Hmm?”
Halfway through, Liu Yinxi stopped. She used the bracelet light to illuminate the box and examined it closely. “It’s different from alpha medication.”
Nan Huaixu let out a breath and lay back down. “No wonder. But it’s not your fault—I didn’t think it through myself.”
Liu Yinxi thought of that opened pill and asked awkwardly, “Teacher Nan, you already tried to take the medication? You didn’t swallow it because of the alcohol water?”
Nan Huaixu hugged her shoulders and gave a small nod. “Mm.”
Liu Yinxi muttered, thinking it through: “That alcohol concentration is negligible. It should be metabolized by now. Should be fine.”
Nan Huaixu was exhausted just from speaking. “Did you see the severe adverse reactions?”
“Oh.” Liu Yinxi read the box. “Severe gland pain… Then it’s safest to wait twenty-four hours.”
“Mm…”
Idiot. Why did I have to go and boil alcohol water? Liu Yinxi berated herself as she packed the medication box back into the backpack. She sat against the wall by the window, where it was coolest and the pheromone fragrance was faintest. “Then… then should I go sleep downstairs?”
Everyone reacted differently to their biological cycle—some strong, some weak, and the same person could react differently each time.
Nan Huaixu seemed to be having a strong reaction this time, and she couldn’t take her medication for now. Liu Yinxi felt it was inappropriate for her to stay here.
Nan Huaixu huddled inside her jacket, shivering. She turned toward Liu Yinxi, a thin film of moisture welling in her eyes. “What am I supposed to do if you leave?”
Liu Yinxi’s brain crashed for a second.
What did she mean, “what am I supposed to do if you leave”?
If she left, things would be easier for her.
What omega would want a non-partner alpha hovering nearby during the misery of a heat period?
Liu Yinxi asked, not quite understanding: “Isn’t it inappropriate for me to be here? Teacher Nan, is there anything I can do to help? Should I slice some lemon?”
Nan Huaixu shook her head. She struggled to push herself upright, her jacket slipping from her chest. She beckoned to Liu Yinxi with a curl of her fingers. “I have something to say to you.”
“Go ahead.”
“There’s a Robot Dog downstairs. Come here.”
“Okay.”
Liu Yinxi breathed as lightly as possible, afraid of being stimulated by the rich pheromones.
She slipped back inside the mosquito net, holding her breath as she leaned toward Nan Huaixu. “What—”
Swish—
The faint light from Liu Yinxi’s bracelet was blocked by a silhouette. Nan Huaixu sat upright, gazing down at her from above, her cascading long hair falling across Liu Yinxi’s cheeks.
“This is a dream.”
Nan Huaixu emphasized it like a hypnotic suggestion.
Liu Yinxi could still tell the difference between dreams and reality. This was not a dream.
Nan Huaixu spoke again, this time with a commanding edge: “This must be a dream.”
Liu Yinxi played along, entering the hypnotic state. “Right. You’d only be this close to me in a dream.”
Nan Huaixu smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. She reached out and grasped Liu Yinxi’s wrist—her grip soft and feeble, yet she pulled Liu Yinxi down onto the bed with effortless ease.
Liu Yinxi felt the world spin, and then she was pulled down by Nan Huaixu, lying flat on the bed.
Her hand was still in Nan Huaixu’s.
Nan Huaixu lay on her side, facing her. She cupped Liu Yinxi’s hand between both of her own and pressed Liu Yinxi’s inner wrist against the tip of her nose. “Let me borrow this part of your hand for the night.”
Liu Yinxi didn’t move. Her wrist felt Nan Huaixu’s hot, damp breath, her heart pounding in her chest—thump-thump, thump-thump.
She had never personally cared for an omega girl during her heat period. She didn’t fully understand any of it.
Middle school health class had taught that x-glands1 were mainly distributed at the ears, neck, wrists, and private areas.
So she understood that Nan Huaixu cradling her wrist and breathing it in was a form of soothing.
The wrist, compared to other areas, produced the faintest scent and was relatively less intimate—an acceptable level of contact for emergencies.
In any case, as long as it eased Nan Huaixu’s discomfort, that was what mattered.
She said it herself—it was a dream.
“Liu Yinxi.” Nan Huaixu’s soft, warm voice filled the small loft.
“Hmm?” Liu Yinxi then realized that with the rain so heavy outside, as long as they didn’t shout, the Robot Dog wouldn’t pick up normal speaking volume.
“It smells so good. Just a little whiff and I feel so relaxed.” Nan Huaixu took a deep breath, quietly tracing the lines on Liu Yinxi’s fingers. Good thing I called her over first—when people are close, the probability of rejection decreases.
“I’m glad I can help.” Liu Yinxi sensed that Nan Huaixu wasn’t actually worried about the Robot Dog recording their conversation. She just wanted Liu Yinxi close, so she could grab her hand.
“You’ll keep this secret for me, won’t you? You won’t tell anyone? Like in the cave.” Actually, it doesn’t matter if you tell—but please include a responsible statement.
“Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.” Teacher Nan still can’t fully trust me. I need to show her I’m more reliable, put her more at ease.
“Liu Yinxi, thank you. You’re so understanding now—some wonderful girl is sure to fall for you.” Look at the one right in front of you.
“Thanks for the encouragement, Teacher Nan. I’ll keep working hard.” But after meeting you, there’s no girl better than you, is there?
“Am I pressing down on your wrist?”
“No.”
“You’re on my hair.”
“Sorry, let me shift to the right…”
The night rain fell quietly.
Amid the drifting fragrance, one dream melted into another.
The next morning, Nan Huaixu’s condition hadn’t improved. If anything, it was worse.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough—”
At dawn, Liu Yinxi was woken by a burst of harsh coughing. Her eyes weren’t even fully open before her first instinct was to support Nan Huaixu, gently patting her back to help her breathe.
“What’s wrong? Open your mouth, let me see your tonsils.” Liu Yinxi gently tilted Nan Huaixu’s chin up.
Nan Huaixu’s cheeks were unnaturally red, her face pale. She tilted her head back at Liu Yinxi’s guidance and opened her mouth. “Ah—”
Liu Yinxi craned her neck to look into her throat. The area around the tonsils and the base of her tongue were swollen and red—likely an infection caused by the combined effect of catching cold and the weakness from her heat period.
Nan Huaixu lay back down listlessly, covering her mouth as she coughed. Her throat felt like it had been slashed with a knife, her voice hoarse. “Go downstairs. Sleep downstairs tonight too. Don’t let me infect you.”
She curled up, coughing a few more times. “If I get eliminated, it’ll be easier for you on your own. You could definitely win the championship, survive a hundred days and take the prize money. Even if it doesn’t work out, don’t worry, cough, cough… I’ll, I’ll…”
Liu Yinxi reached up and touched her brow, smoothing away the worry lines. “If I win the championship, it has to be a championship for both of us. I can’t win without you, so you have to get better soon.”
Nan Huaixu looked at her weakly and gave a tiny nod. Liu Yinxi soothingly touched her forehead. “Nothing will happen to you while I’m here. It’s just a little cold. You’ll recover soon.”
“All right, lie down and rest. I’ll go brew the medicine.” Liu Yinxi turned, but Nan Huaixu caught her hand.
She looked back. Nan Huaixu was gazing at her, unblinking, deeply.
Liu Yinxi’s heart stirred. Something felt different now…
After a moment, Liu Yinxi stroked the top of Nan Huaixu’s hair. “I’ll be right back. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay with you the whole time.”
Nan Huaixu’s tight grip on Liu Yinxi’s hand slowly released.
In the morning, Nan Huaixu managed a little fish paste and one dose of medicine.
At noon, Nan Huaixu threw up. She ate a little rice porridge and took her second dose of medicine.
In the afternoon, Nan Huaixu threw up again. By evening, she couldn’t keep anything down and only drank a little water.
After taking her evening medicine, Nan Huaixu developed a fever.
Liu Yinxi wrapped ice from the mini fridge in a T-shirt and placed it on Nan Huaixu’s forehead as a cold compress, elevating the back of her head and covering her with a jacket.
Liu Yinxi sat beside Nan Huaixu, holding her hand, gently massaging the Hegu acupoint2 on her hand. She sang to her, told her little stories.
“Once upon a time, a little bear and a little rabbit lived in the forest. The little bear said she had two strawberries and gave one to the little rabbit. The little rabbit finished it in no time, so the little bear gave her own away too. The little rabbit asked, ‘Why don’t you eat yours?’ The little bear said, ‘If I eat the strawberry, I’m happy once. But watching you eat my strawberry—I’m happy twice.'”
Because, my love for you, is this, this, this big.
—June 28, 11th Airdrop
Time: 7:00 AM
Location: Jiganbu Lake Beach
（This airdrop is the final food supply of this competition. Please use it wisely!）
Footnotes
- The 'x' replaces the Chinese character for 'sex' to bypass internet censorship filters—a convention used by Chinese web novel authors on platforms with content restrictions.
- Hegu acupoint: a pressure point on the hand between the thumb and index finger, used in traditional Chinese medicine to relieve pain and headaches.
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