Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 56

Picked Up a Fermentation Barrel by the Sea

Nan Huaixu had wondered what she was going to say.

Teaming up for survival meant they couldn’t possibly remain inseparable forever; there would always be times they had to operate independently.

            

But having just experienced such danger, Nan Huaixu’s nerves were highly strung, and so were Liu Yinxi’s. Teammates needed to be understanding of each other.

Nan Huaixu promised her, “With this lesson learned, I’ll be more vigilant. The production team has also sent a professional team to sweep for dangers. Don’t worry too much.”

By the riverbank, it had been Liu Yinxi comforting Nan Huaixu. Barely two hours later, the situation was reversed; now it was Nan Huaixu comforting Liu Yinxi.

            

How could Liu Yinxi possibly let her guard down? Her words were harsher than usual, and her expression was even worse. “You do need to be more vigilant. Teacher Nan, allow me to say something I perhaps shouldn’t. Even if you see other contestants in danger, if you cannot guarantee your own safety, do not try to save them. Make a call on the satellite phone and wait for help. That river is incredibly deep, full of silt and algae. Even close to the bank, if you get sucked into a whirlpool, you won’t come back up.”

“…I understand. I’m sorry.” Nan Huaixu lowered her head in self-reproach. After the incident, she too had realized her own impulsiveness and naïveté.

She had grown up in a major metropolis. The streets had traffic rules; schools taught propriety, justice, integrity, and honor; society was governed by laws and public security. If someone fell into a park pond—or even a stray cat or dog—her first instinct, provided she had a rope or bamboo pole, would naturally be to save them if she could.

            

But when faced with an emergency here, she had forgotten that she was in a rainforest. All the morality of human society meant nothing in the face of the law of the jungle.

Realizing her tone had been too heavy, Liu Yinxi quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, my phrasing was inappropriate. Regardless, Teacher Nan, your safety must always come first.”

Nan Huaixu nodded. “I understand. My initial intention to save someone was good, but if my abilities are lacking and I can’t save them, I’d only drag myself down with them and increase the difficulty of the rescue. That’s just adding to the chaos. Thank you for giving me the time and opportunity to grow. I promise, I won’t make this kind of mistake again.”

            

Liu Yinxi softened her tone. “This wasn’t a mistake. You encountered a danger, and you’re drawing from that experience to avoid harm in the future. Nan Huaixu, you don’t always have to chalk everything up to being a mistake, alright? You are super smart, super capable, and your reflexes are incredibly fast. You’re amazing. If my former vice… if my childhood friend who used to go camping in the mountains with me was even half as smart as you, I’d eat two extra bowls of rice in my dreams.”

She didn’t even want to talk about her vice-captain from before she transmigrated into the book.

When they first started partnering up, if her compass got lost, it was only reported when other team members found it. She taught newcomers how to cook outdoors but left the wild mushrooms undercooked. The miraculous part was that this person had somehow bumbled around in the wilderness for seven or eight years and was still alive and kicking. Truly, she was blessed by fate—born with outrageous luck and a spectacular sense of direction. She could always stumble upon food right when she was starving to death, and find a way out whenever she got lost. People gave her the nickname Auspicious Heaven¹.

            

One year, when a new tech product called an inhibitor bracelet hit the market, this vice-captain gifted Liu Yinxi a “White Moonlight limited remote-control edition.” Good lord, it turned out to be an omega-exclusive model.

Liu Yinxi had tossed the gift box right back at her on the spot. “You just wanted to use it yourself. If you didn’t want to give me a gift, then don’t.”

The vice-captain had just hugged the box, let out a few loud laughs, and then resigned the very next day.

            

When asked why she quit, she refused to say. Not long after, she joined a different expedition team.

This incident of an old teammate leaving without saying goodbye became one of the unsolved mysteries lingering in the depths of Liu Yinxi’s heart for years.

Therefore, when Liu Yinxi met the steady and reliable Nan Huaixu, she was absolutely blown away.

            

She was simply the partner Liu Yinxi had always dreamed of.

What Liu Yinxi felt in her heart showed on her face. Her eyes softened considerably, suffused with a warm, blooming smile.

Nan Huaixu instantly caught the change in her expression. Seeing her smile, Nan Huaixu’s mood immediately relaxed. “Alright then. Tomorrow, you’ll be able to eat two bowls of rice.”

            

Liu Yinxi tuned into her frequency. “Right. Tomorrow morning at seven, the drone is bringing the rice and beans.”

The topic naturally shifted to their supplies.

“Teacher Nan, white rice isn’t as rich in nutrients as the seven-color brown rice. It isn’t as filling, and it won’t keep hunger at bay for as long either. I was thinking, why don’t we…”

            

Saying this, Liu Yinxi leaned close to Nan Huaixu’s ear, her lips moving softly.

As Nan Huaixu listened, the corners of her lips curled up. She gave an approving nod. “Alright, just go ahead and do it next time.”

Liu Yinxi pulled back and sat down. “I can’t do it alone. I can’t pull off something this big by myself; I need Teacher Nan to help me.”

            

Nan Huaixu looked at her pleading expression. It carried a hint of that coquettishness Liu Yinxi had favored during the early days of the competition. Before, it had looked incredibly annoying, but now, she suddenly found it quite endearing.

Sure enough, when annoying people act cute, they are especially dramatic.

…When certain people are dramatic, they are especially cute.

            

“Alright.” Nan Huaixu nodded firmly, her eyes crinkling with a smile. “Then we’ll need a glass jar, or a decent quality plastic bottle. And then we’ll make two new bars of coconut oil soap?”

Liu Yinxi raised her hand. “Leave it to me! I’ll go check the beach this afternoon. You stay—”

Nan Huaixu stole her line. “I’ll stay at the shelter and rest. Don’t worry, my soul was scared out of my body this morning. I won’t go out.”

            

She had sweated a lot, and the sticky feeling on her skin was uncomfortable. Her clothes hadn’t been washed in a month either. She wanted to prepare more clean water so she could wash up properly tonight.

【Why don’t we what? (Investigating)】

【What are you whispering about?】

            

【Little Comrade Liu Yinxi, why are you keeping secrets even from us?】

【Talking about brown rice, then jars and coconut oil soap… they’re definitely plotting a trade.】

【This calamity is finally over. Manman, get some good rest, and may everything go smoothly from here on out (Praying)】

            

【Do you guys think Liu brings bad luck²? How come the other guests are perfectly fine, but Manman is always running into danger whenever she’s with Liu?】

【???】

【Are you out of your mind?】

            

【The other guests are perfectly fine? Huang-jie encountering a water snake wasn’t dangerous? Yunshao running into a rockslide wasn’t dangerous? Boss Yuan getting pelted with stones by monkeys wasn’t dangerous? You only see the good in others and can’t stand seeing Xixi do well, right?】

【LMAO. A crow comes to warn people that disaster is approaching, so people say the disaster was brought by the crow.】

【To certain anti-fans³, I’m begging you, please stop dragging down the IQ of us proper Huai fans (Cracked)】

            

【Is our Xixi going to collect trash again? (Pitiful)】

【They probably can’t go to the river bend for a while. Going to the beach might be a bit further, but beachcombing is at least safer.】

【I’m starting to doubt if that first broken fish trap was really destroyed by the current. Could it be that it caught a big fish, and an even bigger animal in the water bit through it?】

            

【Sigh, Xixi is still in her susceptible period. It must be so tough (Hugs)】

【Liu Yinxi looks like she’s barely affected by her physiological period. I’m so jealous of that kind of constitution.】

【Actually, she just hasn’t said anything. Today, she chewed through three times as much banana stem core as usual (Peeking)】

            

【Her expression has also been three times as foul as usual (except when facing Manman).】

Searching for the beach by following the riverbank for the first time took Liu Yinxi a bit longer, costing her nearly two hours.

This tidal mudflat had fewer coconut trees; it was mainly populated by the mangrove forest. She searched through the garbage piled up in the intertidal zone for a long time before finally finding an unbroken glass bottle. It still had a soggy, rotting advertisement for chili peppers plastered on it. The rim was slightly chipped, but fortunately, it didn’t affect its usability.

            

More than the glass bottle, she was thrilled to find a large, white, wide-mouthed fermentation barrel.

These were typically used for pickling or storing food, making them safe and non-toxic. The inside of the barrel had already been scoured clean by the seawater. Once she took it back, scrubbed it down, and rinsed it with boiling water, it would be perfectly usable. The opening of the fermentation barrel was huge—large enough to fit a person standing inside. It was perfect to use as a bathtub.

She had been planning to find a bathtub like this back when she was making the skincare products.

            

Originally, they had washed their faces and hair by the river. But now, with the crocodile incident, she didn’t dare let Nan Huaixu use the river water for a while. With this barrel, it would be convenient to store water and wash up on the first floor of the treehouse.

Liu Yinxi gathered a few other usable items, then sat on the beach to watch the waves, waiting for the tide to recede a bit more before catching fish and shrimp.

She glanced at Dog 6 sitting beside her, reminded of the livestream and their privacy.

            

Even when the drones rested at night, the robot dogs were still filming. The viewers would complain if they kept covering the camera with something. Besides, she and Nan Huaixu also needed to avoid arousing suspicion, so she would have to build a few more screens to enclose the bathtub.

She needed to chop more wood.

Which meant she needed to head back early.

            

Heave-ho.

Liu Yinxi pushed off the sand and stood up. Putting her thoughts into action, she got to work beachcombing.

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Lugging a massive barrel along with her catch of fish and shrimp over ditches and up slopes to return to the shelter was no easy feat.

            

Nan Huaixu was sitting by the fire hole boiling chicken carcass soup. She watched as Liu Yinxi returned, carrying the large barrel strapped to her back with vine ropes. Her hardshell jacket and pants were plastered with mud, and her cheeks were smudged with dirt.

“What big contraption did you drag back here?”

“A fermentation barrel.”

            

Liu Yinxi slipped the ropes off her back, and Nan Huaixu helped her untie them, setting the large barrel on the ground.

“We already have so many plastic jugs for water, yet you brought back something this huge…” Nan Huaixu looked closer. A clump of mud was stuck right on the tip of Liu Yinxi’s nose, making it look exactly like a little dog’s black nose. She couldn’t help but smile.

Realizing she was being stared at, Liu Yinxi’s face grew a little hot. “What’s wrong?”

            

Nan Huaixu pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Don’t move.”

Liu Yinxi tilted her head slightly. “?”

Nan Huaixu slid off her bracelet and used its mirrored screen to show Liu Yinxi her own reflection. “Who gave you a black nose?”

            

Liu Yinxi laughed out loud, using the back of her hand to wipe the mud off her nose. “When did that even get on there? I had no idea.”

Nan Huaixu patted the large white barrel. “You still haven’t said what this is for.”

Liu Yinxi dragged the barrel over to the storage rack and dug the stone axe out of the box. “For enjoyment. We’ll talk later; I need to chop more wood before it gets completely dark.”

            

Nan Huaixu grabbed her knife and some rope. “Enjoyment? What enjoyment can you get out of a barrel…? Hey, why are you chopping wood this late? Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

Liu Yinxi turned around. “My dear Teacher Nan.”

Nan Huaixu stopped in her tracks and looked up at her, her crystal-clear eyes dyed with the golden hues of the evening glow.

            

Liu Yinxi admired the sunset reflected in her eyes. “There’s something we haven’t done since we arrived on this island. It should be something you really like doing, but we’ve never had the conditions for it. What do you think it is?”

Nan Huaixu’s eyes lit up with pleasant surprise, and she blurted out the thing she wanted to do most right now: “Wash clothes?!”

Liu Yinxi blanked for a second.

            

Crap, I completely overlooked the laundry.

It wasn’t too late to wash them now. They had clean water, and scrubbing them with plant ash would do the trick.

Liu Yinxi said, “I guess that counts. But you washing clothes isn’t called enjoyment. Me washing them for you is.”

            

Nan Huaixu paused. As if realizing something, her voice dropped slightly lower. “I don’t want you to wash them for me… I’ll wash them myself. But you don’t need a barrel to wash clothes, do you?”

Liu Yinxi: “You don’t need a barrel to wash clothes, but it’s definitely needed to wash you.”

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

            

Nan Huaixu looked at her with an amused, teasing gaze.

Liu Yinxi: “.”

What the hell did I just say?

            

She wanted to slap herself across the face.

Stupid mouth.

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