Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 58
by Little PandaWaiting for Hair to Dry
Water-slicked arms brushed against the skin of Liu Yinxi’s neck gland. She frowned tightly, eyes closed, and felt her way to the edge of the large white barrel. Her fingers gripped the rim as she asked, “Teacher Nan, are you okay?”
Nan Huaixu’s upper body draped over hers. She kicked against the small bucket at the bottom of the water, then pulled herself up by Liu Yinxi’s shoulders to climb out of the barrel, one foot landing on the small stool. “I’m fine. I slipped. Don’t open your eyes yet β I still need two minutes.”
Liu Yinxi felt something soft press against her shoulder. She quickly drew a breath. “Oh, okay. Be careful. Don’t catch a cold.”
Nan Huaixu steadied herself against Liu Yinxi, then carefully lowered her bare feet onto the banana leaves spread across the sandy ground.
She reached for the hardshell jacket hanging on the screen, one hand still resting on Liu Yinxi’s shoulder.
Nan Huaixu gazed up at her for a few seconds, her lashes and lips beaded with crystalline droplets that slowly trailed downward.
Liu Yinxi stood frozen, at a loss. Her voice came out slightly hoarse. “Teacher Nan, are you almost done? My clothes are wet. Can you give me directions so I can go out first?”
Nan Huaixu’s gaze lingered on her straight nose, then traced the elegant line of her jaw. Those luminous eyes slowly drifted down to Liu Yinxi’s throat.
She lowered her head slightly, the tip of her nose hovering above the hollow of Liu Yinxi’s neck. The fragrant alpha pheromones were unusually intense. Nan Huaixu’s lips parted, and she murmured in a voice only they could hear: “What kind of tea is it?”
Warm breath fanned over Liu Yinxi’s collarbone. For a moment, her mind went blank. Then, through the stifling mist and heat, she found her thoughts again. “Willow leaf tea.”
Nan Huaixu must be asking about her pheromone scent.
Liu Yinxi kept her eyes closed. She couldn’t see Nan Huaixu’s bright smile, but she soon heard the words she’d been waiting for. Nan Huaixu said, “I’m done. Turn around, go right, walk forward, take one more step β okay. Open your eyes. Go dry your clothes by the fire.”
Nan Huaixu used the thermal underwear she’d just changed out of to dry herself, then pulled on her jacket.
She stayed behind the screen and peered out at Liu Yinxi’s back. Liu Yinxi moved like a marionette, following Nan Huaixu’s instructions, walking out quietly to sit by the fire hole. She took off her hardshell jacket, hung it on the wooden rack, and leaned against the tree trunk to look at the stars.
Nan Huaixu gathered her damp hair and wrapped it in her clothes. She sat down and slipped plastic bags over her bare feet. She’d wash her socks later when she did the laundry. Her underwear, bra, and socks were all antimicrobial and quick-drying β easy to clean and dry.
As she toweled her hair, she also looked up at the same star-filled sky.
The flush on her cheeks hadn’t yet faded. Her heart still beat wildly in her chest.
She didn’t know what Liu Yinxi had been thinking during that embrace, or when they’d talked about pheromones. Just as Liu Yinxi wouldn’t know what she was thinking.
If you want it, take it.
The law of nature that Liu Yinxi had taught her.
Nan Huaixu smiled quietly under the starlight and moon. After over a decade spent maneuvering through wealth, power, and the entertainment industry, she had patience. She had methods.
But Nan Huaixu, who had been cautious for most of her life, only realized after meeting Liu Yinxi that making a decision didn’t always require three to five months of planning. Sometimes, it took only 0.01 seconds.
But behind that decisive and brave 0.01 seconds lay how many contradictions and conflicts β only Nan Huaixu knew, and she kept them buried deep.
Nan Huaixu combed out her hair and let it drape over her shoulders and back. She placed her dirty clothes in the basin cut from a plastic barrel, gathered it in her arms, and stepped out from behind the screen.
Liu Yinxi was still gazing at the night sky. “All packed up?”
Nan Huaixu sat across from her and held her hands over the fire hole to feel the temperature. “Mm. I’ll wash my clothes after my hair dries. Do you want to bathe?”
Liu Yinxi looked down, her peripheral vision catching Nan Huaixu’s lovely face. “Not today. It’s too late, and there’s not enough water. I’ll wait until the day after tomorrow.”
Nan Huaixu nodded and asked, “Do you want to wash your clothes, then?”
Liu Yinxi glanced at the wooden basin beside Nan Huaixu. Every garment inside was folded into neat squares. She couldn’t help but marvel at Nan Huaixu’s meticulousness.
She shook her head and suggested Nan Huaixu wait until morning to do laundry. “It’s easier to wash at the riverbank in daylight. I’ll fetch water, you wash β we’ll do it together.”
Nan Huaixu had been about to say that washing clothes at night meant they’d be dry by morning, but when she heard the second half of Liu Yinxi’s sentence, she didn’t object. She’d make do with her jacket for one night. The underwear was quick-drying anyway β she could wash it in the morning and put it on then.
“Alright. I’ll wash it in the morning.”
Liu Yinxi touched the hardshell jacket on the rack. It was already dry. She took it down and started to put it on.
She’d pulled one sleeve on when she paused. “Teacher Nan, do you want to wear my jacket?”
Nan Huaixu glanced down at her collar. All her intimate layers were in the basin. She’d just bathed and didn’t want to put dirty clothes back on. Under the jacket, she wore nothing at all.
Liu Yinxi added, “Back at the old shelter, didn’t you say your jacket wasn’t warm enough? This one is good for warmth and windproof.”
Before, Nan Huaixu would have thought Liu Yinxi’s concern was thoughtless. But after getting to know her more deeply, she’d come to understand that Liu Yinxi was someone rough on the outside, fine on the inside.
She asked whether Nan Huaixu wanted to swap jackets because she knew Nan Huaixu wasn’t wearing a dirty base layer β she’d be colder than usual.
Imagine a warm jacket, filled with the scent of willow leaf tea, wrapped around you while you slept.
So Nan Huaixu smiled and replied, “In the treehouse, it’s not cold at night. Thank you, but I don’t need it.”
As a top-tier celebrity, she knew the importance of maintaining her image. Even if her feelings had changed, as long as the atmosphere hadn’t pushed to that predetermined point, she couldn’t change her persona β couldn’t show any abrupt difference in how she treated people.
She, who had always held herself apart, wouldn’t accept wearing an alpha’s clothes directly against her skin. As for needing help while bathing β that had been unavoidable. She didn’t think it counted as breaking her refined image.
γWhat happened behind the screen just now?γ
γI don’t know. They came out one after the other (scratching head)γ
γLiu Yinxi didn’t do something to Manman, did she?! (petrified)γ
γOf course not! If Xixi had crossed any line, Nan Huaixu would have said something by now. This is a live broadcast. The contestants are struggling to survive. Take it seriously.γ
γNan Huaixu said she forgot to bring a stool, so she asked Liu Yinxi to help her down. Isn’t that clear enough?γ
γSigh, washing up in the wilderness is such a hassle. They could’ve just soaked in the river directly, but then all that mess happened, and now Nan has trauma about it. So they have to use this complicated method.γ
γActually, washing with boiled water is cleaner. River water isn’t disinfected. It looks clean but has tons of bacteria and parasite eggs. Washing directly has infection risks β especially for external infections.γ
γThat’s true. I suggest Manman use cooled boiled water when she washes her underwear too.γ
γYou’re all spoiled by Liu Yinxi’s stream. Only she has good enough conditions to gather all these supplies. Look at how rough the other streams are.γ
γIt’s okay. Lu Yiqi has mysophobia. She keeps everything very clean β even filters her water with purification tablets.γ
γYing Luoling only uses cooled boiled water. She has Yunshao boil water for her every day =_=γ
γEh, Sister Huang is different. A strong alpha fears nothing (cat with glasses holds up index finger)γ
γSisters, you’re behind on the updates. The latest is that Sister Huang was washing her underwear in the river, and after Yu Yan saw her, Yu Yan lectured her about hygiene. Now she boils water too (benevolent smile)γ
γWho would’ve thought Huang Heshan’s underwear has a Corgi butt pattern on it (chin rest)γ
γA strong alpha has the heart of a child. Sister Huang said she doesn’t remember what her mom looked like. She only remembers that when she arrived at the war zone orphan camp, she was wearing pants like that. So later, she always bought pants like thatβ¦γ
Liu Yinxi sniffed the inside of her hardshell jacket. Her scent was strong during her susceptible period β letting Nan Huaixu wear the jacket really wouldn’t do.
She followed Nan Huaixu’s lead. “Okay. I put both raincoats upstairs. If you get cold at night, grab them.”
Nan Huaixu smiled faintly. “Thank you. I’ll remember.”
Firelight glowed on both their faces, warm and soft. Liu Yinxi had already washed up. She yawned lazily, raising her arms in a stretch.
Nan Huaixu said, “If you’re sleepy, go to sleep first.”
Liu Yinxi looked at her. “What about you?”
“Me?” Nan Huaixu used her fingers to comb through her half-dry hair, lifting it up and leaning closer to the fire hole to rub it. “I’ll sleep after my hair fully dries. Sleeping with a wet scalp gives me headaches.”
Liu Yinxi wiped the corner of her eye, where a physiological tear had formed from the yawn. “I’ll wait for your hair to dry. I don’t want to leave you down here alone at night.”
Nan Huaixu curved her lips and continued combing her hair. “We’re at the shelter. It’s fine. You’ve never been this tense before.”
Liu Yinxi pressed both hands to her face, using her thumb and index finger to prop her eyelids open. “I know. But I’m like a startled bird1 now. I can’t handle any more close calls. I need to watch you stay safe before I can relax. Otherwise I won’t be able to sleep.”
“Oh? But earlier when you were upstairs, I called you so many times before you answered. Were you not sleeping?”
“Umβ¦ that’s why I can’t sleep now.” Liu Yinxi lowered her head in embarrassment, staring at her shoes, not daring to look anywhere else.
Nan Huaixu gave a long, thoughtful “Mm” and nodded to herself.
Liu Yinxi being more nervous than before meant she cared more than before.
Whether as a teammate or as a friend β more caring was good.
Nan Huaixu hugged her knees. “If only we had a hairdryer. I always used to wash my hair at noon. It dries fast then. At night, with no sun, it’s so slow.”
Liu Yinxi straightened. “Teacher Nan, what if I fan you?”
“Fan?”
Liu Yinxi gathered several small leaves and arranged them in a fan shape. “Like this.”
“Let’s try it.”
“Okay, sit with your back to me. Let your hair face the fire.”
Nan Huaixu adjusted her position as instructed.
Liu Yinxi fanned gently. “Yes, like this. With the fire’s heat and the wind, it’ll dry faster.”
Nan Huaixu felt small warm breezes blowing from behind her. Strands of hair lifted softly, accompanied now and then by the faint, clean scent of tea. It was comfortable, soothing.
Through the gaps in the leaves, she gazed up at the stars overhead. Starlight fell into her eyes. “Actually, sometimes you’re very good at taking care of people.”
A lock of hair blew against her cheek. Liu Yinxi reached from behind to smooth it away, her fingertips lightly grazing Nan Huaixu’s profile. “Thank you for the compliment, Teacher Nan. Xiao Liu will keep learning and improving β be a good young person who makes progress every day.”
Nan Huaixu smiled. The night sky tonight was very bright.
“Liu Yinxi, in this lifetime, I could never watch so many stars with anyone else.”
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