Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 158
by Little PandaThe Little Fish Escaped, Let’s Eat Egg Fried Rice First
The morning meadow was vibrant with life, pale yellow and light pink flowers dotting the emerald grass.
Little birds hopped and chirped on the branches.
Under the trees, three people stood facing one another.
Liu Yinxi opened the comprehensive medical kit. It had two layers—upper and lower. The first layer displayed medical tools, and the second was divided into left and right compartments, one for internal medicines and one for external treatments.
Huang Heshan said a heartfelt thank you and crouched down to examine every item carefully.
She reached for a medicine box to read the label. Liu Yinxi reminded her, “We can only trade for one item, and the more useful the medicine, the more expensive the exchange. Even for what you pick, we can only give you a portion—we can’t give you everything.”
Huang Heshan looked up at her. “Alright.” She continued memorizing the efficacy of each medicine.
Liu Yinxi waited a moment, then asked, “Huang-jie, have you decided?”
Huang Heshan placed the medicine box back in its spot. The previously jumbled contents had been arranged in neat order. Both Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu were surprised—Huang Heshan seemed rough on the surface, yet she organized things so meticulously?
Huang Heshan said, “I’ll memorize what medicines are available first, then go back and ask Yu Yan. Can you come to the lake shore tomorrow? I’ll bring game to the south bank and wait for you. If it’s not enough, I’ll deliver more the next day.”
Liu Yinxi tilted her head toward Nan Huaixu. “Teacher Nan, what do you think?”
They had already agreed to the trade, so this small request was no issue. Nan Huaixu replied, “Fine. Tomorrow morning at eight, at Shuangxikou on the southeast corner of the lake. Do you know where that is?”
That spot was closer to their shelter, so they would not have to walk far. The area also had an intricate waterway system and complex terrain, making it difficult to be followed.
Huang Heshan nodded. “I know it. I’ll wait for you tomorrow morning.”
With the trade settled, Liu Yinxi packed away the comprehensive medical kit, and both sides prepared to leave.
Huang Heshan thanked Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu again. “Thank you for agreeing to the duel I proposed, and for being willing to trade with me even after I lost. I won’t fight for the next airdrop—I mean what I say. I owe you a favor. In the future, whether in the competition or outside it, if you need me to do anything, just say the word. For instance, if you have any enemies—”
Liu Yinxi’s scalp tightened. Sister, you really should not talk about being a mercenary assassin on a domestic livestream.
She quickly cut Huang Heshan off. “Got it, got it, Huang-jie. We’ll note that for now, and we can talk about the rest later. Everyone’s busy—let’s head back.”
Huang Heshan finally stopped and bid them farewell.
The meadow was much closer to the eastern shore of the lake than to the south.
A little past eleven at noon, Huang Heshan hurried back to the shelter.
A campfire burned, wafting the scent of cooking rice.
Light filtering through the leaves illuminated the brightness in Huang Heshan’s eyes. She rushed over. “Yu Yan.”
The person sitting by the campfire turned around. Her smile was beautiful but could not conceal her pallor. “You’re back. Sit down.”
“You’re awake, that’s wonderful.” Huang Heshan sat down beside her, but the joy on her face was fleeting, quickly replaced by a heavy expression.
Yu Yan could see she was downcast and had not excitedly shown her the airdrop crate as usual, so she guessed the attempt had failed.
Though Yu Yan was puzzled, she did not press further. Instead, she curved her lips into a faint smile and leaned gently against Huang Heshan’s side, tilting her head to rest on her shoulder.
The rice porridge in the mess tin bubbled away, white steam rising gently.
In such a peaceful scene, the gentler Yu Yan was, the more Huang Heshan’s heart ached.
Huang Heshan had always feared others being too kind to her.
Because she came from the mud, with nothing to her name, and had no way to repay all the light and beauty she received.
She was the one who had done wrong, the one who had failed to bring back the spoils. She deserved to be punished.
—This was the survival rule of the Crescent War Zone for a hundred years.
Enemies and warlords could not care less whether you were sad or hurt. Failure to complete a mission meant disposal.
To lose meant death.
“Yu Yan.” Huang Heshan lowered her head and rubbed her nose, her voice hoarse. “Liu Yinxi stopped me, and Nan Huaixu snatched the airdrop.”
Hearing this, Yu Yan’s eyelashes fluttered in bewilderment. “She… went to snatch the airdrop?”
“Mm. Yesterday you said you only saw Nan Huaixu hunting, so you guessed Liu Yinxi was unwell. But I think she’s physically strong—it’s normal for her to recover in a day.”
“Yes…” Yu Yan frowned deeply. She clutched the collar at her chest, knowing things were not that simple.
The poison of castor beans could not be cleared in a single day. Liu Yinxi must not have drunk the shengjin soup—either she had been on guard against Yu Yan, or she had discovered the broth was poisoned.
Yu Yan did not tell Huang Heshan about this. Though Huang Heshan was competitive, she preferred straightforward combat. If she knew victory had been won through poisoning, she would certainly be furious.
Since Liu Yinxi had not been poisoned, this matter ended here.
Whatever karmic retribution came afterward, she would bear it herself—she absolutely could not let it implicate Heshan…
Huang Heshan continued, “The supplies in this airdrop were a comprehensive medical kit. I challenged Liu Yinxi but did not succeed. However, her hand is injured, so hunting will be difficult for her these next few days. I have negotiated with her and Nan Huaixu—I’ll trade game for one medicine from the kit.”
“Yu Yan, I memorized all the types of medicines and tools in the kit. Let me tell you everything, and you tell me which one you need.”
Yu Yan blinked once and folded her arms in front of her waist with a quiet sigh.
In truth, by this point, even getting the entire comprehensive medical kit would not help much… But she could not say that. No matter what, she had to give Huang Heshan some hope to move forward.
Huang Heshan recounted the contents of the comprehensive medical kit from memory, item by item. Yu Yan listened quietly, then chose one.
Huang Heshan frowned and asked in confusion, “Just this one? But given your condition, would not painkillers or anti-inflammatory medicine be better?”
Yu Yan shook her head, her tone unyielding. “Just this one. Nothing else.”
“Alright, I’ll go trade for it tomorrow.”
“What I want is not valuable to them. You do not need to offer too much in exchange. Heshan, you need to learn to conserve your strength and use strategy against your enemies as much as possible. That is how you increase your odds of winning.”
Huang Heshan said urgently, “Do not worry about how much game I trade. Yu Yan, are you refusing the other medicines because of me?”
“No.”
“Liu Yinxi wants rabbits. I’ll hunt a few more for her, and I can trade for painkillers for you.”
“I still have painkillers. I do not need to trade with her for those. Heshan, can you just listen to what I need?”
Seeing Yu Yan’s complexion worsening, her lips even starting to pale, Huang Heshan quickly agreed. “Fine. Whatever you want, that is what we will trade for.”
Yu Yan covered her stomach with one hand and looked at the bubbling mess tin. “Just wait a little longer and it will be ready. Eat your fill, rest a bit, then go hunting.”
Huang Heshan fell silent for a moment, then murmured in a low voice, “Yu Yan, are you hiding something from me?”
Yu Yan blinked slightly and shifted her gaze to her face. “Why do you ask?”
Huang Heshan raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her face. “It’s nothing. Your health has not been improving lately, and it always makes me uneasy.”
Yu Yan wiped the sweat from the back of her neck and said softly, “Do not overthink it. It will get better.”
“Mm.”
Huang Heshan rested her hands on her knees and stared down at the ants crawling through the grass.
She remembered several people telling her: It will get better.
Her mother said, “Do not be afraid, it will get better.” Huang Heshan never saw her again.
Her teacher said, “Do not worry, it will get better.” Soon after, she was riddled with bullets.
Her shijie1 said, “Train hard, it will get better.” In the end, she was captured and drained of blood.
Life was incredibly fragile.
Huang Heshan gripped her knees. She had clearly made it out of the battlefield.
Yet she still had not protected anything.
By the time Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu returned to the shelter, it was nearly evening.
Upon reaching the shelter, Nan Huaixu’s first order of business was to check the small water pool where they kept fish. Before they left, there had still been two little fish inside.
“Gone. They escaped.” Nan Huaixu bent down gloomily. She used a branch to push aside the waterweed-tangled fence and found a hole squeezed open at the bottom.
Liu Yinxi came over to look. “If they ran, they ran. Tomorrow we will cast a net and catch more.”
Nan Huaixu pointed at her hand. “Focus on healing first.”
“I know. We will both go—I will watch you cast the net.”
“Fine.”
They had eaten rabbit and lizard over the past two days. Having no meat today was acceptable. Nan Huaixu took a few extra eggs from the mini fridge, and Liu Yinxi fried them in the mess tin, then stir-fried them with mixed grains to make egg fried rice, served with wild berries and banana core.
When you are hungry, anything tastes good, let alone such fragrant egg fried rice. Liu Yinxi ate with particular satisfaction.
She poured a little Shaodaozi2 into a bamboo cup and clinked it with Nan Huaixu’s. “Thanks to Teacher Nan’s tremendous help today, and congratulations to us on seizing the airdrop.”
Nan Huaixu smiled and tapped her bamboo cup against hers, then tilted her head back and drank.
Liu Yinxi shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of rice, her gaze on the bright fire pit. It was as if she were asking Nan Huaixu, or perhaps asking herself, “Was I too soft-hearted?”
Nan Huaixu glanced up at her for a second, then continued eating at her own unhurried pace. “Regretting it?”
Liu Yinxi puffed her cheeks and refused. “Not exactly. Yu Yan is sick—if she could recover on her own, there would be no need to fight for medicine. I think she is pushing through. That leaves Huang Heshan on her own. She would be fine by herself, but if she is worried about Yu Yan, once Yu Yan gets eliminated, she will not hold up well.”
Nan Huaixu smiled. “You are so confident.”
“No. I am confident in you and me—us. Just me alone would not work either. Otherwise, how could I have gotten the airdrop today? I had you to thank.”
Nan Huaixu gave a firm nod. “Mm~”
Liu Yinxi spoke eloquently, but in the end, she lowered her lashes and asked softly, “Teacher Nan, do you think I did the right thing?”
Nan Huaixu knew she was wrestling with whether dueling Huang Heshan had been the right call. If Yu Yan took the medicine and improved, it would make winning the championship harder for them.
But—
Nan Huaixu’s brows drew together as she asked seriously, “Liu Yinxi, let me ask you: if Yu Yan were not sick and Huang Heshan were not affected by her, could you and I defeat them together?”
Liu Yinxi straightened, her voice ringing clear. “Yes.”
“Then we win. Eat.”
“Yes.”
The topic ended there. What followed was casual chatter.
Liu Yinxi’s inner conflict ended there, too.
Right or wrong, what was done was done. If they wanted to win, they would win together.
This was Nan Huaixu’s answer to Liu Yinxi.
Regardless of right or wrong, victory or defeat.
I am with you.
The author has something to say:
Happy Dragon Boat Festival! What kind of zongzi3 did everyone eat?~
Footnotes
- 'shijie' is a Chinese term for a senior female fellow disciple or senior training sister, combining 'shi' (teacher/master) with the kinship suffix '-jie' (older sister).
- Shaodaozi is a Chinese term for a strong, high-proof distilled liquor, literally 'burning knife.' It is known for its fiery potency and is traditionally consumed in northern China.
- Zongzi are traditional Chinese sticky rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, typically eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival (Duanwu Festival) to commemorate the poet Qu Yuan.
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