Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 22
by Little PandaThe Third Airdrop
Liu Yinxi slapped away the hand Huang Heshan was pointing at Nan Huaixu’s forehead. Huang Heshan’s pitch-black eyes scanned both their faces before she took a step to the side, toward the beach, and called out behind her, “Come here.”
Nan Huaixu’s expression was puzzled. Isn’t that the direction of the airdrop crate? There’s only one crate this time, and Huang Heshan got to it first. Why didn’t she just take the crate and run like the last two times? Why did she come into the coconut grove to hunt us down? And she actually spoke! How rare.
Liu Yinxi, on the other hand, knew why Huang Heshan had come looking for them. Her concern was Huang Heshan herself—this big shot’s temper might be far more violent than she had anticipated.
The original book’s description of Huang Heshan was very rough. There were no inner monologues, and her long career as a mercenary had fostered a taciturn personality. The passages about her were mostly descriptions of fierce fights and hunts. So, when Huang Heshan had just instinctively aimed at Nan Huaixu as if raising a gun, Liu Yinxi had been genuinely worried she would do something violent.
Liu Yinxi made sure to stay in front of Nan Huaixu. If Huang Heshan showed any more violent tendencies, she could stop her in time.
The colored smoke canister, which had fallen in the sand, was still releasing orange-red smoke. Huang Heshan kicked it aside and stood ramrod straight next to the airdrop crate, gesturing with her eyes for Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu to look at the electronic panel on top of the crate.
Nan Huaixu crouched down and said in surprise, “It’s actually a smart lockbox. And it has ventilation holes on all four sides…”
She pressed her finger to one of the holes, pushed inward, then quickly pulled it back. She turned to look at Liu Yinxi. “It’s alive.”
Liu Yinxi immediately put on a surprised expression. “Ah?! Let me see!”
They huddled around the crate, peering through the small holes to observe the interior. The clucking sounds of poultry, gugu gege, came from within. Liu Yinxi said, “Sounds like a big rooster.”
Huang Heshan seemed very impatient. She walked over, bent down, and rapped her fingers heavily on the electronic panel on top of the crate twice.
Nan Huaixu followed the sound and looked at the panel. In the center of the screen were two rows of circles, four in each row for a total of eight. Each one corresponded to a guest’s number.
The circle for Number 7 had already turned green with a checkmark inside, while the remaining seven were all empty gray circles.
A prompt at the top of the screen read: Please enter your fingerprint. The box will unlock once all eight guests have successfully registered.
Nan Huaixu understood. This was a program effect deliberately arranged by the production team.
Every time they scrambled for an airdrop, it was always a grab-and-go affair. The show had been live for two weeks, and some of the guests still hadn’t even met. Some viewers were surely dissatisfied, finding the airdrop format too monotonous and boring.
In fact, a large number of netizens had raised this issue during previous seasons of 《Survivor》. Last month, the show’s official account had responded that the planning team was discussing it. Unexpectedly, they had implemented a reform this season without any notice. The guests hadn’t even started any conflicts yet, and the production team was already creating some for them.
Nan Huaixu gave a silent, derisive smile. Since this time the supplies required all eight guests to be present to open—and it was extremely precious live poultry at that—then the distribution of said supplies was going to be a whole other matter.
“Liu Yinxi.”
“Eh.”
“Fingerprint.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
“Oh, okay-dokey.” Liu Yinxi obediently pressed her thumb into the circle for Number 6. The empty circle spun twice, a checkmark lit up in the middle, and the entire circle turned green.
Huang Heshan waited for Nan Huaixu to register her fingerprint, but Nan Huaixu stood up and, without registering, walked over to a nearby coconut tree to cool off in the shade. Liu Yinxi wasn’t surprised and followed her to sit under the tree.
Huang Heshan looked at them, perplexed, and pointed at the box. Nan Huaixu just smiled and waved at her. “You go get your teammate. We’ll watch from here.”
Huang Heshan said, “You haven’t registered.”
“I know. Your teammate hasn’t registered yet either. We’ll wait for the others to arrive. Once you bring your teammate over, all of us should be here.”
Huang Heshan’s eyes darkened. She was silent for a moment, then turned and walked into the rainforest.
Liu Yinxi watched Huang Heshan’s back disappear into the jungle, then she feigned ignorance and asked Nan Huaixu, “Nan-jiejie, why didn’t you register your fingerprint?”
Nan Huaixu glanced at her. “You’re a bit slow on the uptake.”
“Hmph.” Liu Yinxi put her hands on her hips.
“But the fact that you knew to wait until Number 7 was gone before asking me counts as progress.”
Nan Huaixu took a sip of water from her bag and explained to Liu Yinxi, “There are two people in each group. Registering one fingerprint shows cooperation in unlocking the box. Leaving one person out is to retain a bargaining chip for negotiations. As long as one person hasn’t registered, the box can’t be opened.”
Liu Yinxi immediately began to ‘stroke the beard and pat the horse’s flank’1 in agreement. “Mhm, mhm! My captain is the smartest!”
Nan Huaixu looked around and said to her, “I’ll watch this side, you watch that side. If you see anyone, tell them to register their fingerprints.”
“Order received!”
The bright sun climbed from the east to the dome of the sky, its hot rays baking the beach and the coconut grove.
A group of people surrounded the airdrop crate. On the smart lock’s panel, four of the eight circles were lit up with checkmarks.
The four teams each had their own ideas. After one team finished explaining how to divide the supplies, the other teams all had objections.
Liu Yinxi watched the several people at a stalemate and laughed inwardly. When it came to matters of self-interest, naturally no one was willing to give an inch.
Who would be the one to break this deadlock?
Xue Yunshao, who had been the last to find the airdrop crate, smiled amicably. “Everyone, please calm down. Let’s not hurt the harmony. As the saying goes, friendship first, competition second.2 The production team designed this fingerprint lock with the goal of having us all get to know each other better and cooperate. So, let’s just split the supplies so that every team gets a share—”
“Yo, you two are always the last to find the airdrop crate. Since you usually don’t get anything good anyway, you figure an even split is a bargain.”
Everyone turned to look at the speaker. Yuan Fang stood with her arms crossed and a smirk on her lips. Seeing that everyone was looking at her, she smiled and said to Huang Heshan, “If this lock didn’t require eight fingerprints, Huang-jie would’ve taken it long ago. Where would our share be? If you don’t believe me, ask Huang-jie if she agrees to an even split.”
Ying Luoling’s delicate eyebrows knitted together. She retorted impolitely at Yuan Fang, “As a guest participating in a live broadcast program, one has an obligation to establish a good public image. Yunshao is considering things from everyone’s perspective and proposing the fairest method. If you have an opinion, bring it up for discussion. But your words are targeting us, isn’t that a bit biased?”
Yuan Fang laughed. “Aiyo, little old sis, you’re talking to us about fairness in a survival competition? Are you kidding? Why don’t you go to the African savanna and talk about fairness with the hunting lions and the fleeing zebras? Look, this sis isn’t targeting anyone, but if you were super fast, a great fighter, and could grab the airdrop crate first every single time, and then you proposed an even split, I’d give you this.”
Saying that, Yuan Fang gave a thumbs-up.
“But if you can only pick up what others leave behind every time, and you propose an even split, then all I can say is, hehe.”
Yuan Fang put on a stiff, fake smile and said to Ying Luoling, “There’s no such thing as being targeted in this world. There’s only the difference between the strong and the weak.”
Ying Luoling sneered, “Forcing words and seizing reason,3 that’s just bullshit. You say our method is unfair, so is your method fair? To divide the supplies into ten equal parts, with Huang-jie taking four, Gu—Teacher Nan taking three, you taking two, and Yunshao and I taking one. What kind of division is that? Unlocking the box requires everyone’s cooperation, which means everyone gets a share. Why should some get more and some get less? Besides, the contents of the box are alive. How do you divide it into ten equal parts?”
Liu Yinxi interjected, “If you ask me, you should just give it all to me.”
“Impossible!”
“Old Sis Liu, that’s not very kind.”
“…”
Liu Yinxi caught Huang Heshan’s blade-like gaze and meekly folded her hands. “Huang-jie, please don’t lower yourself to my level.”
Xue Yunshao walked over to Huang Heshan and asked her politely, “Huang-jie, Teacher Nan and Boss Yuan both value your opinion. How do you think we can best coordinate this?”
Huang Heshan’s expression was cold. Standing at the outermost edge of the group, she repeated the division she had already stated, “I want half.”
Xue Yunshao looked troubled. “There are eight of us. If you take half, the remaining six of us have to split the other half. That’s really too difficult for us. You see…”
Huang Heshan didn’t listen to her, walking around her to the other side. Seeing her refuse to communicate, Xue Yunshao pressed her lips together helplessly.
The eight guests remained at a stalemate on the beach for over an hour. The sun grew hotter, and everyone had nearly finished the water they had brought. They hadn’t eaten much in the morning because of the rush for the airdrop, and now they were thirsty, hungry, and tired, glaring at each other with parched mouths.
Nan Huaixu could no longer tolerate this inefficient distribution method that was like injuring the enemy by a thousand only to lose eight hundred yourself.4 She raised her voice and said, “Everyone, let me say something. The contents of the box are alive. To eat it, we have to kill it. Who here knows how to handle live animals?”
The noisy environment instantly fell silent. Liu Yinxi stood with her hands folded, saying nothing. Huang Heshan was nonchalantly playing with her knife. The rest of them looked at each other, and finally, the arguing stopped.
Nan Huaixu, satisfied with the effect, continued, “We’ve all expended too much energy here. Why don’t we just eat the supplies right here? As for how to divide it, regardless of how we’ve done it in the past, each airdrop should be judged on its own circumstances. If there are multiple crates, it’s first come, first served according to the competition rules. If it’s a crate that requires everyone to be present to open, we’ll divide it based on the principle of more work, more reward. How about it?”
Several people began to whisper among themselves.
“None of us know how to kill an animal. We couldn’t eat it even if we took it back…” Xue Yunshao whispered a few words to Ying Luoling, and they both nodded.
Yuan Fang’s side didn’t reply, but Lu Yiqi raised her hand and said, “I agree.”
Nan Huaixu turned to look at Huang Heshan. She didn’t ask her, but instead asked the quiet, slender girl beside her, “Xiao Yu, do you agree?”
When Huang Heshan had gone to find her teammate, she had carried her out of the rainforest on her back, only putting her down when they reached the relatively flat ground of the coconut grove. The girl said she was a nurse, and her name was Yu Yan.
Yu Yan’s eyelashes were long and thick. When she looked up, two small dimples appeared on her cheeks. “Mhm, I think that’s a very good idea.”
Nan Huaixu smiled, relieved.
Yu Yan gently called out to the person beside her, “Heshan.”
“…” Huang Heshan put away her knife, walked to the airdrop crate, and pointed back at the four people who hadn’t registered their fingerprints. “Open it.”
Liu Yinxi lowered her head and clapped her hands together twice softly. From waiting for everyone to gather to finally opening the box, they had endured for two or three hours. At last, they could have a hot meal.
Nan Huaixu was the first to register her fingerprint, followed by Yuan Fang, Ying Luoling, and Yu Yan.
All eight circles turned green, lighting up with checkmarks.
【Unlock Successful!】
The smart lock opened with a click. Huang Heshan expertly flipped open the lid. The moment the lid opened, she nimbly reached inside and pinned down two desperately flapping roosters.
Xue Yunshao and Yuan Fang hurried over to help. The two of them grabbed a brown-bodied, black-tailed Camellia chicken,5 while Huang Heshan single-handedly lifted another one out. Both Camellia chickens were very robust, each looking to be about five or six catties.6
Liu Yinxi watched them catch the chickens and couldn’t help but smack her lips. “Coconut chicken is so delicious.”
Nan Huaixu couldn’t even bring herself to step on a snail, let alone kill a chicken. She looked at Liu Yinxi’s greedy expression and said to her, “More work, more reward. Get to work first.”
Liu Yinxi shouted to the three who were catching the chickens, “We’ll go collect coconuts and fuel!”
Nan Huaixu gathered the remaining guests to delegate tasks: who would gather fuel, who would gather coconuts, and who would build a stone stove and grill rack.
Liu Yinxi cheerfully picked the easiest job—finding coconuts in the grove. Nan Huaixu was left speechless on the beach, building a stone stove. Her reasoning was that each team had to have one person remain at the temporary camp.
Huang Heshan led Xue Yunshao and Yuan Fang to kill the chickens under a coconut tree.
The Camellia chickens squawked miserably as they flapped, interspersed with a few human gasps of alarm.
The noisy crowing made Nan Huaixu’s eardrums ache. She covered the ear closer to the slaughtering site and stacked stones with one hand.
“Don’t let go!”
“I know, but this beast’s strength is just too much! Its claws have already scratched me and drawn blood—”
“Don’t let go!”
“Ah! Hiss— No, I—”
Clang.
Nan Huaixu heard the sound and craned her neck to look. Huang Heshan had thrown her knife on the ground. She was holding a chicken by its wing with one hand, her expression ferocious as she snapped at Xue Yunshao, “You’re useless. Get that woman over here.”
Xue Yunshao was examining the red scratches the chicken had left on her arm. “Sorry, I didn’t expect a chicken to be this strong. You mean Xiao Lu? I’ll go get her.”
The first person Xue Yunshao thought of was the alpha from another team.
Huang Heshan let out an annoyed tsk and walked toward Nan Huaixu. “What’s that one of yours called?”
Nan Huaixu: “?”
What do you mean, ‘that one of yours’?
Nan Huaixu deduced from the context. “Are you asking about Liu Yinxi?”
Huang Heshan gestured with her hand. “Speed.”
Xue Yunshao smiled and said to Huang Heshan, “Huang-jie, you might not know Liu Yinxi very well. Even I can’t control this Camellia chicken. Xiao Liu definitely won’t be able to.” She turned to chat with Nan Huaixu. “Teacher Nan, you know what Xiao Liu is like. She doesn’t really work out—”
Nan Huaixu turned and shouted toward the coconut grove, “LIU YINXI!!! GET OVER HERE AND KILL THE CHICKEN!!!!!”
Xue Yunshao: “?!”
Nan Huaixu gave the wide-eyed Xue Yunshao a faint smile. “She’s on my team. I have at least this much confidence in her.”
Footnotes
- This chengyu, literally ‘to stroke the beard and pat the horse’s flank’, is an idiom for fawning over or shamelessly flattering someone.
- ‘Friendship first, competition second’ is a well-known slogan in China, often used to encourage sportsmanship and de-emphasize winning at all costs.
- This chengyu, ‘to force words and seize reason’, describes the act of twisting logic and arguing stubbornly for a flawed point, essentially engaging in sophistry.
- This is a classic military saying that means ‘to injure the enemy by a thousand, you will lose eight hundred yourself’. It describes a situation where victory comes at such a great cost that it’s almost not worth it.
- The Chahua Ji (茶花鸡) is the Chinese name for the Red Junglefowl, the wild ancestor of all domestic chickens.
- A catty (斤, jin) is a traditional Chinese unit of mass, standardized at 500 grams. So 5-6 catties is about 2.5-3 kg or 5.5-6.6 lbs.
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