Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 21
by Little PandaDead Mouth, Hurry Up and Ask!
The embers in the stone stove flickered as the evening wind blew past.
Nan Huaixu picked up a nearby wooden stick and pushed it into the stove, gathering the fuel together before adding more palm fiber. “That was from my childhood. It’s nothing. Thank you for your comfort.”
“Anyway, you’re just great,” Liu Yinxi said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. She grabbed a banana pith from the airdrop crate. “I’ll put this here for you to use later.”
“Mm,” Nan Huaixu replied. Her gaze went distant. After a few seconds of silence, she said, “You get a lot of chengyu wrong, but sometimes you use quite a rich vocabulary.”
Liu Yinxi rubbed her stomach, doing her stomach-strengthening exercises with a smile. “We had to memorize ‘good words and good sentences’1 for our elementary school essays, too. But I couldn’t handle the harder words.”
“Memorizing texts? Being willing to do that shows you were a pretty serious student back in the day.”
Liu Yinxi pressed her palms together. “Thank you for comforting me, too.”
A slight smile touched Nan Huaixu’s lips, her eyes falling to the hand Liu Yinxi was using to massage her stomach. “Is it upset?”
Liu Yinxi lifted her hand. “No, I’m just used to massaging my stomach when I have nothing to do. It helps with digestion.”
“Oh.”
Liu Yinxi asked, “Want to try? They’re called stomach-strengthening exercises. I learned them from an old-style doctor2 in my hometown. I can’t guarantee you’ll get an iron stomach, but I do them every day and my digestive system has always been great.”
Nan Huaixu used to always hear Ying Luoling complain about how much of a drama queen Liu Yinxi was, how she scammed her for money, how weak her constitution was, and how she had wasted all her good intentions and painstaking efforts… But as it turned out, Ying Luoling hadn’t even told the truth about who broke up with whom.
Now, Nan Huaixu was seeing with her own eyes that Liu Yinxi’s physical fitness was actually quite good—excellent, even. Facts were more persuasive than words.
“Alright, I’ll try,” Nan Huaixu said. “Tell me what to do.”
Liu Yinxi cleared her throat twice, smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes over her abdomen, and placed a fist below her chest. “It’s three steps. First, find the area in a circle just below the right side of your chest. Open your hand, place your palm against your abdomen, and rub clockwise for one minute, then counter-clockwise for one minute.”
“And then?”
“Second step, place both palms on the sides of your stomach and smooth them downwards. The final step is to rub horizontally left and right, following the direction of your intestines.”
Nan Huaixu followed her instructions. “Like this?”
“Yes. One set of stomach-strengthening exercises takes about three or four minutes.”
Nan Huaixu said no more, seriously completing all three steps. After a moment of sensing the effects, she said, “I don’t know if it’s just a psychological effect, but my stomach does seem to feel a bit more comfortable.”
Liu Yinxi laughed. “As long as it feels a little better, that’s what matters. Psychological effects can also regulate the body. The gut is the biggest emotional organ, after all.”
“Is it?”
“Mhm! When you’re nervous before an exam, don’t you feel like you have to go to the bathroom?”
Nan Huaixu thought for a moment. “Occasionally. Usually, my palms just get sweaty from writing too fast. The questions on regular exams are all pretty standard, so I don’t get that nervous.”
Liu Yinxi said, “Oh, right, I forgot. You’re a top student.3 You don’t have a slacker’s exam stress reaction.”
“But I do lose my appetite when I’m in a bad mood,” Nan Huaixu said. “I only want to eat sweets.”
Liu Yinxi took the conversational olive branch she was offered. “Mhm, sugar makes people happy.”
“Nan-jiejie, what kind of sweets do you like?”
Nan Huaixu glanced at her, picking a blade of grass to braid. “You’re asking me?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re not a fake fan, are you?” Nan Huaixu joked.
Her basic information and hobbies had all been compiled into an official guidebook by her fan club, with every fan having a copy.
Liu Yinxi felt a pang of guilt, but she put on a docile smile. “I’m a real fan, a die-hard fan. That’s why I want to hear it from you personally. Besides, people’s tastes change. I don’t even know your latest favorites.”
People’s tastes change…
Nan Huaixu lowered her lashes, thinking of the Lunar New Year at the Nan family’s old residence two years ago. When the auntie was pouring tea, she had asked for a pot of honey pomelo.
This March, her mommy had called her home. On the coffee table were several bottles of grapefruit juice.
Zeng Mulin had said, “Manman, look, it’s all your favorite.”
Nan Huaixu had acknowledged her but didn’t touch them.
The next day, Zeng Mulin saw the untouched juice on the table and asked, “Mommy specially prepared this juice for you. Why didn’t you drink it? Fresh pomelos aren’t in season. Do you know how many places Mommy had to look for you?”
Nan Huaixu had to tell her helplessly, “Mommy, I don’t like the taste of grapefruit.”
Zeng Mulin replied, “You don’t like it? Don’t you like honey pomelo? That has honey added, it’s unhealthy. This is freshly extracted grapefruit juice, it’s very good for you.”
“Mommy, pomelos and grapefruits are not the same fruit. What I liked two years ago was pomelo tea, not grapefruit. Besides, it’s been two years. My tastes have changed. I don’t even like pomelo tea anymore.”
Zeng Mulin let out a heavy sigh. “Changed? You never come home, you never tell me anything. How would I know you’ve changed again? Manman, you can’t be so fickle. Your mother doesn’t come home, and you don’t come home either… You were doing so well with your movies. Endorsing the family business, doing promotions, wasn’t that great? Your mother was satisfied, and Grandma was satisfied, too. They all praised you for being more outstanding than Nan Lingxuan. As long as you’re obedient, you’ll surpass Nan Lingxuan one day, and your mom’s ex-wife won’t have a leg to stand on. Then your mother will hand over management of the group to you, and you’ll inherit all of the Nan family’s assets. But why did you have to leave Huayu Pictures? Why did you have to go and show your face in public4 on that savage variety show—”
Nan Lingxuan was the daughter of Nan Huaixu’s mother and her ex-wife, sixteen years Nan Huaixu’s senior. Ying Luoling was Nan Lingxuan’s illegitimate daughter.
Nan Huaixu had never told her family that she had signed up for 《Survivor 5》. Unless Zeng Mulin had planted spies to monitor her every move, it was impossible for her to know.
That day, Nan Huaixu hadn’t even packed her bags. She had pushed open the main door empty-handed and said, “Sorry, Mommy, my agent needs me for something.”
…
The chirping of insects echoed through the rainforest at night.
Liu Yinxi yawned and checked the time on her wristband. There was still half an hour until ten o’clock.
Just when she thought Nan Huaixu wasn’t going to answer her, Nan Huaixu spoke in a low voice. “This year, I’ve suddenly taken a liking to black tea chestnut rolls.”
Liu Yinxi instantly perked up. “Chestnut rolls are delicious! Chestnut paste and black tea powder are a match made in heaven.”
A light gleamed in Nan Huaixu’s eyes. “You like them, too?”
“I love them! Did you know, most of the chestnut desserts on the market use canned chestnut paste from factories? It’s not bad, but it’s a far cry from freshly made, hand-cooked chestnut paste. If you’re lucky enough to find a handmade bakery with solid skills and get to eat chestnut paste made fresh that day, paired with Wuling black tea powder and a cup of oolong… ah, I’d be so happy I’d be bubbling over.”
Nan Huaixu’s eyelashes fluttered. “I’ve never paid attention to whether I was eating industrial or fresh chestnut paste.”
She lifted her head to gaze at the starry sky beyond the green leaves. “During the Lunar New Year, I bought a small skewer of fruit tanghulu. Green grapes with blueberries. The sugar coating was very thin and crisp. It was delicious.”
Liu Yinxi swallowed. “You’re making me hungry.”
Nan Huaixu continued, “And the ‘O’ from Oreos, crumbled into powder and mixed with yogurt.”
Liu Yinxi said, “Okay, let’s stop this topic. If we keep talking, I’ll be too hungry to sleep.”
Nan Huaixu covered her mouth with her hands, a smile showing in her eyes.
At that moment, the livestream chat was filled with many of Nan Huaixu’s fans.
【@OnlyLoveAprilHuai (Fan Club President), did you write that down?】
【Quick, quick! Fresh recommendations from Manman!】
【Black tea chestnut roll, green grape and blueberry tanghulu, the ‘O’ from Oreos mixed with yogurt! Is there more? Liu Yinxi, hurry up and ask!】
【Dead mouth,5 hurry up and ask!】
【Don’t just ask about desserts, ask about other things! What flowers does Manman like recently, what stuffed animals, and clothes, bags, shoes, hurry up and ask!】
【Sisters, we’re saved for this year’s fan support gifts! Quick, tell everyone in the group chat to come catch up!】
【Last year Manman recommended coffee walnut crisps, and I was planning to send her those again this year. Thank goodness I saw the stream.】
【Liu Yinxi is right about this, tastes change. Our fan club’s electronic guidebook should be updated every year.】
【It’s not just taste, many preferences change. I hate it when I go back to my hometown for the New Year and a bunch of relatives surround me and bring up my childhood preferences, insisting that I love blowing up cesspits and dog bowls. I’m over thirty, I stopped doing that long ago. And they still say in front of my girlfriend that I like to wear a white stocking on my head and pretend to be Lady White Snake.6 They bring up that same old crap every single year, I’m speechless.】
The clear water in the plastic bottle reflected Liu Yinxi’s sleepy face.
She decided not to wait for the wristband notification. She’d sleep first and double-check the airdrop location tomorrow morning. She had just checked the Book Transmigration Reading System; the location of the third airdrop hadn’t been changed from the original book. She had already scouted the path a few days ago and would follow the planned route.
The format of the third airdrop was different. There was no need to rush and grab it; arriving a little late would be fine.
Liu Yinxi lay down in the shelter, finding a comfortable position to sleep.
“Liu Yinxi, the airdrop notification is about to refresh.”
“Oh, I’ll just lie down for a bit.”
“You’ll lie down? I’ll count to three and you’ll definitely be asleep.”
“Impossible.”
One minute later…
“Liu Yinxi? Liu Yinxi.”
Nan Huaixu bent down and patted Liu Yinxi’s arm. No response.
“Liu Sleep God.”
Nan Huaixu opened the airdrop notification on her wristband’s display, then took the banana pith to brush her teeth.
Third Airdrop, April 18th
Time: 7:00 AM
Location: Southeast corner of the coconut grove
The shipwreck on the beach was on the west-central side of the coconut grove, very close to Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu’s shelter.
However, walking from their shelter to the southeast corner of the coconut grove would take over an hour.
At 5:30 in the morning, the alarm went off. Nan Huaixu woke Liu Yinxi up, told her the airdrop location, and they set off with only water and two banyan fruits, without even having time for breakfast.
They walked along the border between the coconut grove and the rainforest, the sound of the ocean waves constantly reaching them. Nan Huaixu had never been to the south side of the coconut grove and was very worried they wouldn’t find the right place and would be too late to get any supplies.
Around 6:50, a buzzing and whirring sound came from the sky. A current of air swept over the top of the forest. Nan Huaixu tugged on Liu Yinxi’s sleeve. “Crap, we’re late.”
But Liu Yinxi’s expression was calm. She steadied Nan Huaixu’s arm and helped her down a slope. “Don’t worry, jiejie. Think about it, every time we’ve gone for an airdrop, has anyone been faster than us besides Number 7? Those other two teams will most likely have to rely on the colored smoke to find the new location.”
Haste makes waste. Nan Huaixu could only comfort herself with that thought and quicken her pace.
A short while later, orange-red smoke rose from the edge of the coconut grove. Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu hid behind a coconut tree to survey the situation. On the beach lay a colored smoke canister, and next to it was an airdrop crate the size of a beer case, with air holes on its four sides.
The helicopter turned its propellers and flew away.
Nan Huaixu was completely stunned. “How is there only one box? I know the difficulty increases after the novice protection period, but it’s been less than a month. It’s impossible for them to only drop one set of supplies.”
Liu Yinxi pulled her back. “Shh.”
The bushes in front of them suddenly rustled. A pair of black tactical military boots appeared before them. Nan Huaixu’s head snapped up to see a woman with tan skin pointing directly at her forehead.
“Come out,” Huang Heshan said, her voice low.
Nan Huaixu held her breath, frozen to the spot. Liu Yinxi slapped Huang Heshan’s hand away and snapped, “What do you think you’re doing? If you want to take your anger out on someone, do it to me.”
Footnotes
- A common phrase in Chinese education referring to model vocabulary and sentence structures that students are encouraged to memorize to improve their writing.
- Original term: 郎中 (lángzhōng). A traditional Chinese physician, distinct from a modern doctor trained in Western medicine.
- Original terms: 学霸 (xuébà) for ‘top student’ and 学渣 (xuézhā) for ‘slacker’. These are popular internet slang terms for high-achieving and underachieving students, respectively.
- Original term: 抛头露面 (pāotóulùmiàn). A chengyu that traditionally carried a negative connotation, implying improper behavior for a woman to be seen in public, especially in a performance or entertainment context.
- Original term: 死嘴 (sǐ zuǐ). An insult for someone who isn’t speaking when they are expected to, as if their mouth is dead.
- Lady White Snake (白娘子, Bái Niángzǐ) is the protagonist of the famous Chinese folktale ‘Legend of the White Snake’.
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