Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 54

We’ll Both Make Do

Squished?

Nan Huaixu’s thick eyelashes fluttered. She looked down at her chest, which was pressed almost flush against Liu Yinxi’s, before her gaze dropped back to her own waist and abdomen.

            

She took a deep breath, sucked in her stomach, and pressed her back flat against the wooden wall, shifting backward. “Am I still crowding you? Liu Yinxi, I’m not bragging, but my figure is the slimmest among actresses my age.”

Liu Yinxi offered an apologetic smile, though her heart felt as heavy as a lead weight. “I know. I’m sorry, Teacher Nan. I was just afraid I was crowding you.”

Besides, it wasn’t exactly appropriate for an alpha and an omega to sleep squished together in such a narrow, enclosed space.

            

Even for an omega and an omega, or an alpha and an alpha, two good friends sleeping belly-to-belly would be incredibly awkward.

Fortunately, the robot dog couldn’t climb up to the second floor to film the scene inside the treehouse. The drone would land and enter standby mode at night, meaning the livestream viewers couldn’t watch them sleep. If they could, Liu Yinxi was certain she would have been cursed to death by Nan Huaixu’s fans long ago.

Liu Yinxi wanted to roll over and face away from Nan Huaixu. A warm breath brushed past her ear, and a reproachful voice rang out in the darkness: “Liu Yinxi, I know what you’re worried about, but think about whose fault this is.”

            

Xiao Liu was rendered speechless. Knowing she was in the wrong, she didn’t dare utter a peep.

Nan Huaixu raised her delicate eyebrows. “If you ask me, you shouldn’t bother making outdoor videos after this competition ends. You should just livestream ghost stories. You tell them so vividly, even the noon sun couldn’t suppress the yin energy¹ in your tales.”

Liu Yinxi defended herself matter-of-factly. “Teacher Nan, I have to state for the record—what I told you today weren’t fictional ghost stories. They were all real experiences I’ve personally seen and heard. But those are extremely rare phenomena. You’d never run into them living in a modern city, so don’t be scared.”

            

Nan Huaixu’s voice took on a tinge of exasperation. “Of course I wouldn’t be scared back home in Hongdu! The problem is, look at where we are right now!”

Hoo-hoo—

Right on cue, the low, mournful call of a wild bird echoed in the distance.

            

Uh…

Liu Yinxi once again expressed her most sincere apologies to Nan Huaixu. She lowered her head and softened her voice. “I’m sorry, Teacher Nan. It’s my fault. I promise I’ll never make such a rookie mistake again. Whatever you say, goes. I’ll listen to you.”

In the unseen gloom, the corners of Nan Huaixu’s mouth hooked up in satisfaction. “I say, we sleep.”

            

She leaned a little closer to Liu Yinxi, resting her forehead against the crook of the alpha’s neck. “I’m too scared to sleep, so I’m squishing in with you for the night. I know you’re uncomfortable, and I’m uncomfortable too, but let’s both make do. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Liu Yinxi’s bare neck brushed against a patch of warmth. She recoiled as if shocked by electricity, but remembering the promise she had just made, she forced herself to stay still and slowly relaxed.

The night was thick. The scent of vegetation mixed with damp earth filled the narrow compartment of the treehouse.

            

The person in front of her was pressed very close. Liu Yinxi closed her eyes. Every now and then, she could smell the faint, calming fragrance wafting from the omega.

Listening to Nan Huaixu’s light, rhythmic breathing, weariness and drowsiness quickly washed over her, and she fell into a deep sleep.

A short while later, Nan Huaixu, who was resting against Liu Yinxi’s chest, quietly opened her eyes. She tilted her face up, her long, curled eyelashes sweeping the air as she quietly studied Liu Yinxi’s sleeping face. Then, her lips curved into a smile. She rested her face back against Liu Yinxi’s shoulder and muttered softly, “That’s what you get for scaring me.”

            

Sniff. Nan Huaixu twitched her nose where it pressed against Liu Yinxi’s neck. The faint lingering fragrance in her nasal cavity smelled like tea.

So Liu Yinxi was a tea-scented alpha. No wonder her pheromones occasionally gave off such a soothing sensation.

What kind of tea was it? A soothing sleep-aid tea?

            

Nan Huaixu felt a faint heat rising in her cheeks. She raised a hand to cup her face, secretly scolding herself: How could she engage in such overstepping behavior just to satisfy her own curiosity?

Taking the liberty to sniff someone else’s neck gland was no different from taking indecent liberties². Doing it while the person was asleep was completely devoid of propriety.

In the deep night and silent forest, Nan Huaixu could hear her own heart beating in her chest.

            

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

If she did this, and Liu Yinxi found out one day, would the alpha hate her?

Nan Huaixu thought it over, furrowed her brows, and decided probably not.

            

Liu Yinxi didn’t even mind slinging an arm over Yuan Fang’s shoulder and joking about becoming her wife. Since she was only pressing close out of fear and curiosity, Liu Yinxi wouldn’t be so petty about it.

Liu Yinxi wouldn’t mind having her pheromones secretly sniffed; she would only mind whether the sleeping arrangement was too cramped.

Nan Huaixu let out a yawn, found a comfortable position, and closed her eyes.

            

Drowsiness came faster than usual. Perhaps it was the companionship by her side, or perhaps the tea-scented pheromones truly were that soothing, but Nan Huaixu slept exceptionally well that night.

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She didn’t know who had set the alarm for 5:50 AM, but before dawn broke, the bracelet buzzed inside her sleeve.

The ringtone had purposefully been set to silent. Nan Huaixu murmured something in her half-asleep state, took a deep breath, and went back to sleep.

            

Liu Yinxi tiptoed out of the small compartment, climbed down the wooden ladder to the first floor, and stretched lazily as she gazed at the brightening eastern dawn.

She first did a lap around the shelter to check if the fence and defenses were intact, then tended to her personal hygiene. After gathering some fresh bracken ferns and banana stem cores from the woods, she returned to the treehouse to make breakfast.

When building the storage rack during the rainy days, she had incidentally crafted two small wooden stools. Liu Yinxi dragged one over, sat down, and added firewood to the Dakota fire hole, which had been smoldering all night and was near going out.

            

With two puffs of breath, the flames immediately leaped high. Liu Yinxi straightened her back, fanned away the thin smoke, placed the wooden rack over the fire pit, and set up the mess tin to boil water.

The early morning was peaceful. Aside from the sound of the flowing river and the birdsong in the trees, only the crackling of the fire filled her ears.

Liu Yinxi stared blankly into space, chewing on a piece of banana root. Driven by some inexplicable impulse, she reached up and touched the crook of her neck where Nan Huaixu had rested last night. The inch of skin where her neck met her collarbone felt slightly swollen.

            

She bit down hard, mashing the banana stem core, as if doing so brought her some sense of pleasure.

Was it here?

Liu Yinxi lowered her head and sniffed her own body. The scent of her pheromones had indeed grown stronger.

            

That was close. Good thing it started today and not yesterday, otherwise sleeping squished up against Nan Huaixu would have been beyond awkward.

She took the roast chicken wrapped in banana leaves out of the box, skewered it onto the wooden rack to heat it up, and ate it with dried fish steeped in bracken fern soup.

There were only two small pieces of dried fish left, and they were already quite stale. She couldn’t possibly feed them to Nan Huaixu, but throwing them away felt like a waste, so Liu Yinxi decided to polish them off herself.

            

Finishing breakfast was the perfect time to take her medicine.

Pulling a small blister pack of pills from her jacket pocket, Liu Yinxi paused, her thumb hovering over the foil.

Wait. It would be better to take it a bit later.

            

Liu Yinxi slipped the medicine back into her pocket.

At 6:30 AM, Nan Huaixu woke up and came downstairs. Liu Yinxi greeted her: “Good morning, Teacher Nan. I heated up the roast meat and boiled a bowl of kudzu root honey water.”

Nan Huaixu rubbed her sleep-heavy eyes. “Thank you. Let me wash my face, then I’ll eat.”

            

“Teacher Nan.”

Nan Huaixu turned back in confusion. “Hmm?”

Liu Yinxi pulled out her inhibitor medication, held it up high, and popped out a pill with a sharp rip of foil. “I’m taking my medicine now.”

            

It was direct and easy to understand, allowing her teammate to quickly grasp her physical condition and civilly avoid the awkwardness of her physiological period.

Nan Huaixu’s eyes were languid. It took her a moment to wake up fully and process what Liu Yinxi was saying.

Liu Yinxi tilted her head back, swallowed the water with a loud gulp, and smiled at Nan Huaixu.

            

Nan Huaixu brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead. “I understand. Let’s pin up the banana leaves upstairs later.”

Liu Yinxi nodded obediently. “You got it.”

【What are the banana leaves upstairs for? (Confused)】

            

【The second floor of the treehouse is partitioned off. You can only see it during the day when the drones are working. There are three spaces up there: two sleeping compartments and a living area. There’s a divider between the compartments, decorated with banana leaves acting as a screen.】

【When did they take down the banana leaves?】

【A couple of days ago. I think Manman said it was too stuffy inside, so they removed them for ventilation (Shrugs)】

            

【Ohhh (Pokes cheek)】

【Are they checking the fish trap today? I hope there’s a big fish 0w0】

【They still have that lizard in the cage. Hasn’t Nan Huaixu gotten sick of eating fish? Even if they catch one, they probably won’t eat it right away.】

            

【Even though they missed out on the mixed grains and burned through a tub of instant noodles, Manman’s energy is looking much better. But once the cassava and kudzu root run out, what are they going to eat for starch?】

【Banana stem cores and palm cores contain starch. They taste a bit like water bamboo, just not as good (Frowns)】

【Don’t panic. Once they get through this adaptation period safely, Xixi will figure something out. It’s not like that’s the only place to dig up cassava; the forest is full of that stuff.】

            

【No need to worry, sisters. Huang Heshan is sitting on Xixi’s backup food supply right now (Doge)】

【I was just in Huang-jie’s stream watching her hack a snake to pieces. She’s so fierce (Excited)】

【Ahhh, Xixi and Manman need to stay safe too!】

            

The weather was nice today.

But it had rained recently, and the riverbank was still damp. The soil in the rainforest was muddy and difficult to traverse, so the two of them moved slowly with their trekking poles, exploring the surroundings.

They first headed toward the river bend where they had placed the fish trap. After descending a slope, they reached the riverbank.

            

Nan Huaixu walked to the water’s edge, sat down on a rock, and used some leaves to wipe the mud off her shoes.

Liu Yinxi took a plastic water bottle and dug up a few earthworms from the wet mud on the shore.

Nan Huaixu pulled up the fish trap to check. “Just one finger-length fish and two river shrimp.” She turned her head. “Liu Yinxi, this isn’t even enough to stuff the gaps between our teeth³. How about we leave them in there as bait to catch bigger fish?”

            

“Sure.” Liu Yinxi tossed a few more bugs into the trap, secured the double-layered cage, and gripped the tow rope alongside Nan Huaixu to slowly lower it back into the river.

Nan Huaixu massaged her calves and sat back down on the rock to rest.

Liu Yinxi pondered for a moment. Considering her susceptible period and the rugged terrain, she said, “Teacher Nan, the path to the traps is rough. I’ll go check on them alone. You rest here on the bank for a bit, and I’ll come find you when I’m done.”

            

Nan Huaixu replied, “Alright. I’ll stay here and look for wild fruits and vegetables. Blow your whistle if you need me.”

The traps were scattered throughout the rainforest, past several steep slopes. Usually, Nan Huaixu needed Liu Yinxi to carry or support her to get across. Now that Liu Yinxi was in her susceptible period, too much physical contact would be inconvenient. Splitting up was for the best.

“Mhm. Don’t wander off too far, Teacher Nan. Wait for me here.”

            

“Don’t worry. Be careful on the way.”

Nan Huaixu sat for a while before getting up to dig in the tall grass, catching a few more earthworms and dropping them into her bottle.

She wanted to use a wooden stick and some vines to make a fishing rod, then fashion a hook out of a wooden splinter to see if she could catch anything.

            

Even though they had the fish trap, they couldn’t pin all their hopes on one hunting tool. An extra method meant an extra sliver of hope for survival.

She didn’t want to place all the pressure solely on Liu Yinxi’s shoulders…

Bloop.

            

A faint sound came from the river.

What was that?

Nan Huaixu screwed the cap back onto the bottle tight and stood up. Following the sound, she looked out toward the surface where the water met the mainstream of the Toa River.

            

Out on the otherwise calm surface, ripples were spreading in a widening circle.

Was there a large fish under the water?

She took two steps closer to the edge, maintaining her vigilance by observing from the high ground of the bank.

            

Suddenly, a small hand reached out from the ripples. It bobbed up and down with the swelling waves, extending upward with desperate effort even as it dipped beneath the surface.

Nan Huaixu stared in shock and took another step forward. Was someone drowning?!

Judging by the size of the hand, it was a child. How could there be a child in a primordial rainforest?

            

Right! There was a primitive tribe living inside this forest reserve, located upstream on the Toa River. Could a child from the tribe have slipped and been swept down by the rising waters after the rain?

Nan Huaixu immediately threw off her backpack and pulled out the vine rope, intending to toss it into the river to save them. But as she neared the water’s edge, the damp earth soaking the soles of her shoes, she abruptly froze. Her pupils trembled. Panicking, she spun around and sprinted toward higher ground.

—Humans lure prey, and animals do too.

            

The words Liu Yinxi had spoken yesterday echoed in Nan Huaixu’s mind.

It had rained two days ago. The upper reaches of the Toa River were very far from here. If a child had been swept all the way down, their body would be swollen and drifting, completely lacking the strength to actively thrust a hand out of the water.

Furthermore, if it really was a person, thrashing around with a body of that size, how could only a single hand break the surface?

            

Nan Huaixu scrambled into the trees, hiding behind a thick trunk to peer out at the river. The primal terror carved into human DNA screamed a warning: Water will always be more dangerous than land.

In the middle of the great river, after the “little hand” in the water bobbed up and down a dozen more times, it slowly sank into the depths. Nan Huaixu wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. Beneath the surface, she saw a massive, dark shadow slowly swimming away…

“Haa… hoo…” Nan Huaixu sat beneath the tree, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

            

Cold sweat drenched her forehead, shoulders, and neck. She clenched her back teeth so hard she could taste a faint tang of blood.

Wave after wave of cold, eerie wind blew off the surface of the river.

The sweat cooled, sticking clammy and uncomfortable against her skin. Trembling, Nan Huaixu hugged herself tight. She finally understood why Liu Yinxi wore that piece of jade.

            

Right now, all she wanted was to hold a peace-granting Wushi pendant⁴ in her palms and pray to the heavens.

Safe and sound, free from sorrow year after year.

A shout tore through the woods on the other side. “Nan Huaixu!!!”

            

She raised her head from beneath the tree, her eyes shimmering with tears. Before she could clearly focus on the figure, a gust of warm wind enveloped her.

Liu Yinxi sprinted over and pulled her into a fierce embrace. Guided by instinct, Nan Huaixu clung tightly to the warmth that brought her the greatest sense of safety.

She wore no jade herself.

            

But she had her jade.

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