Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 55
by Little PandaCompensation Information
Liu Yinxi finished checking the last trap and hurried toward the riverbank.
Perhaps because Nan Huaixu had seemed so terrified yesterday, she had felt restless ever since they separated, deeply worried about Nan Huaixu moving around alone.
Approaching the riverbank, Liu Yinxi blew her whistle twice. Logically, Nan Huaixu should have heard it, but a long time passed with no response.
Panic seized Liu Yinxi.
For some reason, she recalled the very first time she had set traps in the grass by the riverbank—that feeling of a spying, watching gaze at her back…
Liu Yinxi broke into a run toward the riverbank, calling Nan Huaixu’s name as she went. She found Nan Huaixu, but she looked strange. Like an injured little animal, she was hiding under a tree, hugging her curled-up body and shivering violently.
Boom. It was as if Liu Yinxi’s mind exploded. All rational thought vanished. Furious and heartbroken, she only wanted to know what had bullied her companion into this state, and whether Nan Huaixu was hurt.
Liu Yinxi dropped to her knees and pulled Nan Huaixu into her arms, gently patting her back. Only when the person in her embrace stopped trembling and the hands tightly gripping her clothes slowly relaxed did Liu Yinxi lower her hand to pluck a leaf off Nan Huaixu’s jacket.
She asked Nan Huaixu softly, terrified that speaking even a little too loudly might startle her, “I blew the whistle and you didn’t answer. Why are you sitting here? Are you hurt?”
Nan Huaixu’s hair was plastered to her face with sweat. Her complexion and lips were pale, and her throat felt so raw and tight that for a moment, she couldn’t speak at all. She could only shake her head.
Liu Yinxi understood. When a person suffered a severe fright in a dangerous environment, their reactions would dull, their body would go numb, and they might even experience temporary aphasia.
She had to soothe Nan Huaixu’s emotions first; everything else could wait until she was in a better state.
Liu Yinxi sat in front of Nan Huaixu, steadily stroking her shoulders and offering gentle comfort. “As long as you aren’t hurt. It’s okay now, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Let’s drink some honey water, alright? I filled the bottle this morning. I also picked a few pieces of fruit; I tasted them, they’re very sweet.”
Nan Huaixu looked at her, her wet eyes reflecting nothing but Liu Yinxi’s face. Liu Yinxi placed the water bottle into her hands, then used her knife to peel a small mango.
“Here, eat a little bit, okay? We’ll rest for a while, then head back to the treehouse. We’ll stay at the shelter this afternoon; we won’t go out.”
Nan Huaixu lowered her gaze and slowly accepted the mango from Liu Yinxi. The flesh had been scored into a crisscross pattern, flipping outward into beautiful, neat little cubes.
She brought the mango to her lips and bit off a small piece of flesh. The sweet juice soaked her lips and tongue, the sugar lending strength to her body. It finally allowed her taut nerves to relax, her frantic heartbeat gradually slowing.
Liu Yinxi watched her eat the mango quietly. Inside, she was burning to know what exactly Nan Huaixu had encountered, but she reined in her emotions and didn’t ask. Once Nan Huaixu recovered, she would naturally tell her. Interrogating her now would only invisibly place her under greater pressure.
Nan Huaixu finished the mango and drank a few mouthfuls of the honey water. She steadied herself, her voice hoarse as she spoke to Liu Yinxi. “You saved my life.”
Liu Yinxi’s expression instantly turned solemn. “I’m here. Take your time and tell me.”
Nan Huaixu turned and pointed through the gaps in the trees toward the broad expanse of the river in the distance, specifically to the deep water where the tributary merged with the main trunk of the Toa River. “Not long ago, right in that spot, a little hand was bobbing up and down in the water. I thought a child was drowning and struggling.”
Liu Yinxi exhaled a heavy breath. Nan Huaixu looked back at her, surprised. For the first time since the competition began, she saw fear in Liu Yinxi’s eyes.
Liu Yinxi’s tone was low. “Mm. And then?”
Just recalling the situation filled Nan Huaixu with lingering dread. She clasped her hands together and gave a shudder. After a moment, she continued, “I remembered that there are primitive tribes upriver. It rained the day before yesterday, and the water levels rose. I thought the floodwaters had washed a child down from the tribe. I took the vine rope out of my bag, intending to save them.”
Liu Yinxi’s face grew darker and darker.
Nan Huaixu’s voice trembled. “I walked to the water’s edge, but suddenly, something felt wrong. I thought of those terrifying animal stories you told me yesterday. I realized it wasn’t a human, so I immediately ran up into the forest and hid here.”
She covered her face with her hands, as if an unshakable shadow had engulfed her. “Afterward, I saw the little hand sink into the water, and a massive dark shape swam away beneath the surface.”
“Liu Yinxi.” Nan Huaixu parted her hands, revealing her eyes and nose, and asked her with great difficulty, “That thing in the river wanted to hunt me, right?”
Seeing her terrified gaze, Liu Yinxi felt a tight ache in her heart. Wanting to soothe her, she said, “Not necessarily. Some animals just like to play games in the water.”
Nan Huaixu shook her head. “No. Liu Yinxi, you don’t have to lie to me just because you’re worried I’ll be scared. Humans are animals too; I can sense whether or not a predator has locked onto me.”
“But where did it get a little hand? What kind of animal was that?” Nan Huaixu refused to be played for a fool by a beast without knowing why. If she fell into a pit, she would at least gain some wisdom1—she had to understand the reasoning behind it.
An ordinary person genuinely wouldn’t know about something so bizarre. But Liu Yinxi had led expeditions all over the globe, exploring ecological niches across all climates and engaging deeply with local indigenous peoples. She was immensely knowledgeable, and she had seen this phenomenon exactly once before. It was a fluke among flukes, exceedingly rare.
Liu Yinxi could see Nan Huaixu’s stubbornness and resilience. To her, fear and hardship weren’t setbacks; they were nourishment. They would only make her stronger.
This was a trait of Nan Huaixu’s that she deeply admired.
Liu Yinxi said softly, “A Siamese crocodile.”
Nan Huaixu’s pupils contracted. She swallowed hard and silently pinched the hem of Liu Yinxi’s hardshell jacket.
Liu Yinxi quietly unfastened a hidden button, letting the hem loosen so Nan Huaixu could grip more of it. “April to May—which is right now—is their breeding season. Female crocodiles might hunt large prey that isn’t typically on their menu.”
She patiently asked in a quiet voice, “We’re so far from the deep water area here. Could you clearly see the fingernails and skin color of that ‘little hand’?”
Prompted by the question, Nan Huaixu realized she had only seen the outline of a hand. To be precise, it was an outline resembling a hand, completely devoid of detail.
“I couldn’t. From far away, it was just a black silhouette.”
“That was the crocodile’s claw.”
Goosebumps erupted all over Nan Huaixu’s body. She pressed closer to Liu Yinxi’s arm. “Reptiles have that kind of intelligence?”
Liu Yinxi wasn’t a zoologist; she didn’t know the definitive answer either. She could only reply based on her own understanding. “No matter an animal’s general intelligence, there are always exceptional individuals. Organisms and environments influence each other. Maybe it stumbled upon a benefit by accident, repeated the action, and kept benefiting from it until it became a proactive behavior.”
Nan Huaixu furrowed her beautiful brows, her voice carrying a trace of grievance. “Then can we still live in our shelter?”
Liu Yinxi answered her in the steadiest tone possible. “We can. We operate on land, and we live in a treehouse. We have fire and defensive structures; we don’t need to fear it. Besides, this stretch of water isn’t suitable for it to live and breed in, and there are no signs of other crocodiles nearby. That means it was just passing through.”
She grabbed the robot dog and dragged it over, speaking directly into the camera. “This is 《Survivor 5》, a survival competition sweeping the entire nation. I believe that the competition zone mapped out by the production team and the Competition Committee is safely secured. Even if real danger arises, they must have corresponding protective measures in place. It’s impossible for the production team to completely disregard the lives and safety of us guests!”
Toward the end, Liu Yinxi’s voice grew louder and louder. Her phrasing was measured, but every viewer in the live-stream could see the furious flames burning in her eyes.
“I believe that once the production team sees what Teacher Nan and I encountered today, they will undoubtedly resolve this life-threatening danger with the utmost speed.”
【The production team is too irresponsible! They forced2 the guests to sign liability waivers, so now they can just do nothing?!】
【So scary! Is it really a crocodile? Manman is so unlucky. If she really went into the water, she would have been doomed3!】
【This sounds like the ‘guide fish’! It also stays near the shore, floating to pretend it’s easy to catch, slowly luring people into deep water. By the time they realize it, it’s too late. (shivering)】
【It is dangerous, but Nan Huaixu was also being stupid. It’s impossible for a child to be in a primitive rainforest. The moment she noticed something odd, she should have stayed far away from the water.】
【Nan almost lost her life, and you just have to run your mouth and play hindsight Zhuge Liang4? Let me tell you, if you were out there, the leeches would bite you to death before a crocodile even got the chance. (eye roll)】
【Thank goodness Xixi told Manman those stories yesterday to sound the alarm early! Manman needs to be more vigilant from now on!】
【In a corner no one cares about, am I the only one focusing on the fact that Xixi and Manman hugged? QuQ】
【Where are the admins? This counts as a major broadcast incident! Stop playing dead! Come out and explain how you’re going to handle this!】
【Production team, get the hell out here! If anything happens5 to Manman, all your lives combined couldn’t pay for it!】
【Speak! Speak! Speak! The production team should at least warn all the guests that a giant crocodile is lurking in the current river!】
【…When the production team said the competition zone had no large beasts, they meant land predators like the Jinzhou tiger. Large rivers in rainforests all have crocodiles and giant pythons. Humans aren’t on their menu; as long as you avoid them and don’t provoke them, it’s fine. Wilderness survival naturally carries risks. What they’re competing on is the survivor’s comprehensive survival skills. How could there be absolutely zero danger? If Nan Huaixu really did go into the water, the production team’s emergency rescue squad would have gone to save her.】
【Save my ass! The crocodile would do a death roll! By the time your rescue squad arrived, she’d be ripped to pieces!】
【Please rest assured, viewers. The production team has swift emergency rescue protocols in place. There are no large crocodile habitats within the Toa River basin. An occasional crocodile passing through the river in a primitive rainforest is a natural phenomenon. The production team has now transmitted a warning to all guests via their survival bracelets and has dispatched a professional team to drive away any high-risk creatures in the river segments where guests are active.】
【Following a discussion by the Competition Committee, it has been determined that this special incident was purely an accident. The production team expresses its sympathies and deepest apologies to Nan Huaixu and Liu Yinxi, and issues the following compensation to the two guests: 1. Grant the team one additional opportunity to call for external aid. 2. Provide 1kg of rice and 200g of mixed beans.】
The compensation notice and the warning alert were transmitted to the survival bracelets simultaneously.
Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu returned to the shelter. Hearing the beep-beep coming from the bracelets, Liu Yinxi checked the two satellite messages first.
“An external aid opportunity. Food compensation. It will be delivered to us tomorrow morning.”
Hearing her, Nan Huaixu checked her bracelet. Her eyes lit up. “We have an extra rescue opportunity, plus grains. That’s very good.”
Liu Yinxi, who was usually ravenous for supplies, showed absolutely zero interest this time.
She sat on the wooden stool and leaned back against the tree trunk. “Compensation? What use is it? Compared to you, what do these things count for?”
Nan Huaixu stiffened slightly. She slowly raised her gaze, skimming over Liu Yinxi’s brooding face.
She looked very different from usual. There was a touch of irritability in her eyes. Just as she had warned, her temper worsened during her physiological period.
That was alright. Liu Yinxi wouldn’t lose her temper at her.
On the contrary, the scorching embrace she had given her was incredibly gentle.
Nan Huaixu moved her small stool over to Liu Yinxi’s side. She sat down, her shoulder brushing against hers. “Liu Yinxi, thank you.”
Liu Yinxi glanced down at their touching arms, her eyes darkening. “Don’t leave me.”
“Hm?”
“Nan Huaixu, I will not let you go out alone again.”
Footnotes
- A Chinese idiom (chī yī qiàn, zhǎng yī zhì), meaning to learn from one's mistakes or gain wisdom through a painful experience. Literally, 'fall into the moat, grow one bit of wisdom.'
- Internet slang (àntóu), literally 'press the head'. It means to physically or metaphorically force someone into doing something, akin to shoving their head down to make them bow or sign a document.
- A Chinese idiom (xiōng duō jí shǎo), meaning the outlook is bleak, fraught with grim possibilities, and holding very little chance of survival or success.
- A common Chinese idiom (shìhòu Zhūgě Liàng), meaning 'hindsight Zhuge Liang'. Zhuge Liang is history's most famous brilliant military strategist; the phrase mocks someone who acts like a genius by stating the obvious only after an event has already happened—a Monday-morning quarterback.
- A Chinese idiom (sān cháng liǎng duǎn), literally 'three longs and two shorts'. It refers to unexpected disaster or death—derived from the planks of wood used to make a traditional coffin.
0 Comments