Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 181
by Little PandaHongdu Lovers
Good Morning
Zeng Mulin was taken away for investigation.
Though it was technically an investigation, backed by the Nan Family’s vast and tangled web of influence, combined with her years of accumulated experience and cunning, she wouldn’t face too dire an outcome.
Even so, this was Nan Huaixu’s direct counterattack against the woman who had manipulated and controlled her fate.
Nan Huaixu needed to show Zeng Mulin this way that she was no longer her appendage, that she would never again bow to the pressure of elders, that she was an independent person with her own will — with the courage and ability to say no, to refuse what made her uncomfortable.
Once she settled into the comfort of her surroundings, Nan Huaixu reflected on her exhausting day, clutching a fluffy plush doll and staring blankly.
She squeezed the doll’s little hands flat, released her fingers, and watched them slowly spring back.
The sky grew darker, and the villa district’s street lamps lit up one by one.
Liu Yinxi brought the finished dinner to the coffee table and softly called Nan Huaixu to eat.
Nan Huaixu sat on the lounge chair on the living room balcony. She turned her head, the garden lights behind her casting halos of light: “Do you think I did the right thing? I was just so angry that I reported Mami. I’ve poured ten years of blood and sweat into my new company, planning since I was barely twenty. No matter how much Mami controlled me before, I could endure it. But now that I’ve finally struck out on my own and earned jiejie’s approval and support, I was just one step away from success — and Mami kept throwing obstacles in my way again and again. I didn’t want to break relations openly1 with her, to be an unfilial daughter. I just wanted a mother’s support like any ordinary child. At the very least, she shouldn’t come destroy my dreams…”
Liu Yinxi pulled a stool over beside the lounge chair, reached out to wrap her arm around Nan Huaixu’s shoulders, and rubbed the top of her head: “Your choices don’t need to be judged by right and wrong. Manman, did Aunt Zeng care about whether she was right or wrong when she deliberately obstructed your company’s review?”
Nan Huaixu’s brow furrowed again as she thought it over, her eyes brimming with grievance and defiance: “She’d never consider such a thing.”
Liu Yinxi asked her: “The evidence you reported — it’s all real, right? She actually committed those crimes, right?”
Nan Huaixu nestled against the crook of Liu Yinxi’s neck: “Yes.”
“If Aunt Zeng weren’t your mother, just a stranger, would reporting her crimes be wrong?”
“No.”
“Then because she’s your mother, you feel reporting her is wrong — why? Because she’s your mother, you should cover up for a criminal? Otherwise you’re unfilial and the world will despise you?”
Nan Huaixu fell silent. She didn’t know how to describe the cowardice and fear in her heart, or that guilt carved into her very bones.
It was a guilt Nan Huaixu loathed with every fiber of her being: even though Mami had hurt her, it was still her mother, and any act of retaliation — no matter how small — would fill her with guilt.
Nan Huaixu no longer knew if she was right or wrong.
She didn’t know what to do.
She also didn’t have the emotional bandwidth to face her family right now, nor had she figured out how to tell Mama about reporting Mami.
She was always like this — decisive and ruthless when handling work and outsiders, but the moment it involved family, she’d hesitate repeatedly, shrinking back.
Nan Huaixu despised this cowardly version of herself.
Liu Yinxi understood Nan Huaixu’s silence. Her heart ached as she held her tighter, softening her voice to talk with her slowly.
“Manman, different types of people require different responses. If someone comes at you with a knife, are you supposed to just bare your belly and let them attack, without defending yourself? Enduring it once or twice is filial piety and kindness. Ten or twenty times is suffering and self-torture.”
“If your heart is this tormented, then ask yourself whether it’s worth it. When Aunt Zeng hurt you each time, did her conscience ever ache even slightly? If someone points fingers at you, ask them: how is it that when Mami obstructs her daughter, nobody cares, but when the daughter lawfully reports Mami’s crimes, that’s wrong?”
“Also, Manman — all this time, I’ve only ever heard you talk about your Mami. You rarely mention your Mama. Maybe her personality is indeed a bit cold and distant, but it seems like you’ve focused all your attention on Mami. Have you ever tried to get to know Aunt Nan better, to listen to her thoughts? Aunt Nan carried you for ten months and gave birth to you. Aunt Nan provided your privileged upbringing. When it comes to your birth, your growth, your education — all of it was Aunt Nan’s sacrifice. Aunt Zeng merely attached herself to the Nan Family. You don’t owe her.”
Nan Huaixu closed her eyes and fell silent for several minutes. Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes: “You think I don’t care about Mama? I barely see her a few times a year. Liu Yinxi, if Mama loved me, would she be blind to what Mami has done to me? Her silence is her attitude toward me.”
Liu Yinxi kissed away her tears: “When Aunt Zeng tore up your drawings, did Aunt Nan know?”
Nan Huaixu froze. She thought for a moment, then shook her head: “Mama had left by then.”
“Have you ever wondered why Aunt Zeng only dared to tear up your drawings after Aunt Nan had left?”
Liu Yinxi asked again: “Those things that happened with your classmates when you were in school — did Aunt Nan know?”
Nan Huaixu thought for another moment, then shook her head: “She doesn’t care about my affairs at all.”
Liu Yinxi sighed: “When I chatted with Doudou before, I realized how big a problem it is when parents and children don’t communicate. Nan Lingxuan is busy with work and often isn’t home. saozi wants her to be more involved with the family, but also doesn’t want her worrying too much about household matters, so she tries to report only the good news and hide the worries. Doudou thinks her mami is off spending time with a mistress and an illegitimate child, and says her mami doesn’t love her. Meanwhile, Nan Lingxuan thinks she’s created the best conditions for her child and that the family is harmonious, and that Doudou is just being unruly and immature.”
Nan Huaixu wrapped her arms around Liu Yinxi’s waist and nestled into her embrace: “Either way, it’s all in the past.”
Liu Yinxi kissed her forehead and held her tight: “Manman, I heard that Aunt Nan… apparently had postpartum depression?”
Nan Huaixu paused a beat before nodding slowly: “I heard jiejie mention it, but back then Mami forbade anyone from talking about it at home, so I don’t really know the details.”
Liu Yinxi pondered for two seconds, then stroked Nan Huaixu’s hair: “Mm, let’s stop with the unhappy things for now, okay? Let’s eat dinner first — see what I made?”
Nan Huaixu sniffed, caught a sweet fragrance, and peeked at the coffee table. Her red-rimmed eyes suddenly lit up: “Chestnut black tea cake!”
She had mentioned wanting to eat this once during the survival competition.
She hadn’t expected Liu Yinxi to remember after so long.
Nan Huaixu cradled the cake, examining it carefully: “Chestnuts are hard to find this season.”
Liu Yinxi handed her a small spoon: “The chestnut fragrance isn’t as rich as in autumn or winter, but they’re fresh. The texture is better than canned.”
“Let me try a bite first, then I’ll have dessert after dinner.” Nan Huaixu scooped a spoonful and tasted it. “So fragrant — it’s really good!”
She scooped another spoonful and held it to Liu Yinxi’s lips: “This spoonful is to thank you for standing up for me today.”
Liu Yinxi smiled and ate the cake wrapped around chestnut paste, then gathered Nan Huaixu onto her lap: “You’re thanking me with the cake I made?”
Nan Huaixu pressed closer against her, bright eyes brimming with laughter: “Then how about I make you a signature dish later?”
“You have a signature dish?”
“Don’t underestimate me. After all, I learned a lot of cooking skills from you in the rainforest. I can boil wild greens, make fish soup — I can cook anything.”
“A wilderness picnic?”
“Mm, can we?”
Liu Yinxi had never thought Nan Huaixu’s competition cooking was bad — outdoor conditions left no room for pickiness — but now that they were back in Hongdu, with so many delicious ingredients available, she’d rather they eat well.
She wrapped her arm around Nan Huaixu’s lower back, ducked her head, and kissed the cream from Nan Huaixu’s lips: “I’d rather be thanked like this.”
Nan Huaixu’s eyes curved into crescents. She tilted her head up, looped her arms around Liu Yinxi’s neck, and deepened the kiss, lost in the moment.
The pheromones of the person you love are the sweetest scent in the world. Nan Huaixu cast aside all sorrow and worry in kiss after deep kiss.
If Nan Huaixu’s heart was a field of thorns and weeds, then Liu Yinxi’s love and support were the sunflower seeds now planted there.
Flowers would crowd out the weeds and bloom toward the sun.
Nan Huaixu clutched Liu Yinxi’s neck tighter, tangling with her in abandon, wanting to make her completely and utterly her own.
Xixi.
With you, I’m not afraid of anything.
「Good morning, User liuyinxi.」
「Thank you for resolving character Nan Huaixu’s long-standing emotional trauma, helping her improve herself, and giving her the courage to face her cold family.」
「Nan Huaixu’s favorability toward you +10%!」
「Nan Huaixu’s current favorability toward you: 85%」
「Congratulations on entering the mìlǐtiáoyóu2 stage with character Nan Huaixu. From this point forward, you have a 60% success rate for completing marking on Nan Huaixu.」
「Your next relationship stage with Nan Huaixu, favorability 91%–95%, haishishanmeng3: your marking success probability is 100%.」
「Congratulations on completing Special Quest · Favorability Advancement.」
「Calculating quest rewards…」
「Current rewards (2 points, main quest completion +3%) have been deposited into the system public inbox. You may review them at any time. Character-related information updates in real time.」
「Your current main quest completion: 95%」
「True affection exists in this world, yet people are bound by countless constraints beyond their control. Life grants humans eyes to perceive beauty and ugliness, grants humans hearts to discern good and evil, and language and writing are the bridges by which humans build emotion and trust. Please build connections of kinship for the lost lonely island, and with a true heart irrigate the withered flowers; you will, when withered trees bear flowers4, behold mild spring and bright scenery5.」
「Please continue your exploration, reshape the original novel’s main storyline to forge a new world. May you succeed in rebooting your extraordinary life.」
At dawn, Liu Yinxi woke. Nan Huaixu was still asleep. Lying in bed, she had just enough time to check the system’s messages.
Since returning to the city after the competition, the main quest’s progress had increased remarkably fast.
Probably because the system’s quests corresponded to the original novel’s main plot — the survival competition arc had concluded, leaving only a small denouement.
95% — just 5% more to complete the main quest and claim the system’s ultimate reward.
Liu Yinxi reread the system messages several times, her gaze lingering on the second-to-last line: build connections of kinship.
That line felt like a system hint, suggesting the final quest direction was to help Nan Huaixu mend her family bonds.
Nan Huaixu had only just had a complete falling out with Zeng Mulin yesterday. Repairing that relationship was impossible now, and Liu Yinxi couldn’t forgive her either.
Which left only…
Liu Yinxi deliberated for a long time. After wrestling with herself, she sent a text to Nan Lingxuan.
She wasn’t good at this kind of complex social maneuvering.
But for Manman, she would press forward through any risk, no matter how great.
—President Ling, if you’re free, please meet with me. Any time works. I’d like to visit Aunt Nan. I know this is presumptuous, but I have to let Manman know that she has more than jiejie in this world who loves her.
Before long, Nan Lingxuan replied with an address: Next Friday, 7:00 AM.
Liu Yinxi memorized the address and set down her phone. The person sleeping in her arms stirred and slowly opened bleary eyes.
Liu Yinxi looked down and smiled, pressing a kiss to Nan Huaixu’s brow. “Good morning. I love you.”
Footnotes
- 撕破脸 | sīpòliǎn | Literally 'tearing the face' — a colloquial Chinese expression for openly severing relations, dropping all polite pretenses to enter an open feud.
- 蜜里调油 | mìlǐtiáoyóu | Literally 'mixing oil into honey' — a traditional Chinese idiom describing two people so sweetly and inseparably intimate that they blend like honey and oil; here designating the 81%–90% favorability stage in the Reading System.
- 海誓山盟 | hǎishìshānméng | Literally 'oaths to the sea and pledges to the mountains' — a classical Chinese idiom denoting solemn eternal vows between lovers, evoking nature's permanence; here designating the 91%–95% favorability stage with a guaranteed 100% marking success rate.
- 枯树生花 | kūshùshēnghuā | Literally 'a withered tree bearing flowers' — a classical Buddhist metaphor describing new vitality and unexpected renewal emerging from barrenness; the system promises that healing family bonds will bring forth new life.
- 春和景明 | chūnhéjǐngmíng | A classical phrase from Fan Zhongyan's eleventh-century essay 'Yueyang Lou Ji' describing mild spring weather and bright scenery; the system invokes it to promise a serene, flourishing resolution.
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