Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 91
by Little PandaSunrise at Toa Waterfall is Beautiful, Too
Unlike the majestic grandeur of the Flowing Gold of the Setting Sun, the sunrise was vibrant, fresh, and full of playful life. Rather than the heavy, deep gold and red of dusk, it released a brilliant, lively golden yellow.
Liu Yinxi ate breakfast while watching the sunrise, waiting for the helicopter’s arrival.
“This feels wonderful. I love this feeling of having victory in our grasp, of quietly waiting for the supplies to come to us.” Nan Huaixu raised her water bottle and clinked it against the one in Liu Yinxi’s hand.
Liu Yinxi casually smiled and said, “Teacher Nan, you are so black-bellied1.”
Nan Huaixu turned her gaze to the shimmering golden waterfall. “What does ‘black-bellied’ mean?”
“It’s a vibe. Like a boss pulling the strings behind the scenes.”
“Maybe a little. I have established my own company, after all. In the future, I will be the boss behind the scenes for many actors.”
Rumbleβ
The sound of the helicopter’s rotor wash came from afar. The two followed the noise with their eyes, spotting a dark shadow flying through the mist.
Liu Yinxi rose and walked toward the direction of the helicopter. She was certain no one would beat them there this time; they would have their pick of all the airdrop crates. Even so, she had to choose with care. The eighth airdrop was a blind selection, with no labels on any of the boxes.
Nan Huaixu was unaware of this detail. When she saw the four small boxes enveloped in colored smoke, she could not help but freeze for a moment.
“They’re so small?!”
They were the smallest airdrop crates in the show’s history, at most the size of a standard lunchbox, and they even had to be weighted down slightly to control their descent.
Nan Huaixu waved away the colored smoke and picked up two of the small boxes to compare them. Each one looked identical on the outside, bearing the γSurvivorγ spark logo and a printed line of text: Limit one box per team. Unlike before, there were no labels indicating their contents.
Nan Huaixu asked Liu Yinxi, “They’re all the same. Why don’t you choose one?”
“They aren’t the same. There’s a difference here.” Liu Yinxi held a box in her hand and pointed out the illustration on top to her.
Nan Huaixu examined the spot carefully, only then noticing a pattern formed by blocks of color against the camouflage background. It was easy to miss if one did not look closely.
The illustrations on top of the four boxes were indeed completely different.
They were: a hat, a fish, a triangle, and a high heel.
According to the original book, these four patterns corresponded to clothing, food, shelter, and transportation.
The designs were highly abstract; of the eight contestants in the original novel, only Yu Yan had deciphered the mystery.
That was the extent of Liu Yinxi’s knowledge. Because not every team in the original book had successfully obtained a supply crate, the novel had never detailed exactly what kind of supplies were inside each box.
She chose ‘clothing’ based on the priority of importance.
For food, they could catch fish and forage for wild vegetables. With timber, they could construct a shelter. For travel, they had their hiking shoes and wooden sticks.
The hardest thing to obtain was clean clothes to change into, which was related to personal hygiene and health.
Liu Yinxi cradled the box with the hat design in both hands. “Teacher Nan, can we choose this one?”
Nan Huaixu’s gaze shifted between the designs on the four boxes, her brow furrowing as she pointed to each one in turn. “Liu Yinxi, look at this hat. Doesn’t it represent clothing? The fish is food, the triangle looks like a roof, representing shelter, and finally, the high heel stands for shoesβtransportation. It’s almost as if these patterns are hinting that the four supply options are clothing, food, shelter, and transportation.”
Liu Yinxi looked at her in surprise, her eyes sparkling with light.
Nan Huaixu had actually figured it out at a glance. She was simply too clever.
To be honest, she had absolutely no resistance to people who were both quick-witted and highly capable. Someone like this was incredibly attractive to her.
Nan Huaixu remained focused on studying the boxes. “But other than clothes and food, how could shelter and transport fit into such tiny boxes? There must be some other meaning behind thisβ¦ Well, regardless of what’s inside, we can only deduce based on the information we have. Clean clothes are essential for hygiene, which makes them the most useful to us. Let’s take the hat box.”
Carrying the box, they walked into the forest. Estimating that the other contestants would be arriving soon, they left the river shoal below the waterfall to avoid being followed.
Once they reached a secluded spot, Liu Yinxi deftly opened the small airdrop crate. Inside was only a small, flat object sealed in a frosted white waterproof bag.
Nan Huaixu took it out and unzipped the waterproof bag. “What is this?”
Liu Yinxi set the empty box down and watched her pull out a folded piece of waterproof paper from the bag.
Nan Huaixu carefully spread out the paper, her expression focused. “Liu Yinxi, it’s a map.”
“Let me see.”
“Here.” Nan Huaixu held the map between them, the two of them leaning close together to analyze it.
Liu Yinxi leaned in to study it closely. “There isn’t just a map here; there are routes and annotations, and the end of the route has a treasure chest drawn on it. Teacher Nan, this is a treasure map!”
Unfolded, the waterproof paper was about the size of an A4 sheet, with hand-drawn lines showing the main landmarks in the jungle.
Nan Huaixu traced a circle with her finger as she pointed it out to Liu Yinxi. “This five-pointed star is the starting point, representing the waterfall where the airdrop point is located. This thick blue line below it is the main channel of the Toa River. Up northeast, here is where our temporary campsite is. Further east, there’s a hill, and the treasure chest is hidden on its south side.”
Liu Yinxi smiled. “Wonderful, the treasure’s location isn’t far from us. Teacher Nan, let’s go treasure hunting right now.”
Nan Huaixu packed the small box into her backpack. “Yes, I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of supplies are in the treasure chest.”
Standing tall and proud, she pointed forward, facing the bright sunshine. “Let’s go.”
γOh, kiss kiss our baby Xixi, muah! (red lips)γ
γXixi is too cute! How is she so smart, guessing the airdrop point ahead of time and getting the treasure map so early~γ
γManman is the smart one, guessing the meaning of the patterns on the boxes.γ
γHurry up! I want to see what’s in the treasure chest!γ
γIt should be clothing or something similar, just like Nan Huaixu guessed. (thinking)γ
γHuang-jie and Yuyu also got their airdrop box.γ
γYuyu also guessed the meaning of the patterns! They chose the triangle.γ
γHuang-jie looks super annoyed that there were only three airdrop boxes left when she arrived at the waterfall. (glaring)γ
γHahaha, there was nothing she could do about it. She started from the middle reaches of the Toa Riverβno matter how fast she was, she couldn’t beat Liu Yinxi, who spent the night right by the waterfall.γ
γPlease, please let Yuan Fang get the fish-patterned airdrop box! (praying)γ
γLet the child eat some meat QAQγ
γCan she reach the waterfall safely? She looks like she’s struggling so hard on the hike (lying down)γ
γDefinitely, she hasn’t had anything nutritious to eat, so she has no strength.γ
γYuan Fang is going to be so despondent if she gets an airdrop box, because there are no supplies insideβonly a map. It won’t solve her immediate crisis.γ
γYunshao is grabbing the airdrop alone again. I’m speechless.γ
γSo what? Would you rather Luo Ling go to the waterfall with her? They’d probably only make it halfway before Yunshao has to carry her.γ
γBetter not.γ
γYou guys think Luo Ling is just staying in the shelter to slack off. Wrong, completely wrong! She’s actually the one with the real wisdomβshe knows her own limitations and doesn’t cause trouble.γ
γHow is that not a good teammate?γ
γWonderful~γ
γLiu and Nan have already gone to find the treasure, while some of the other guests haven’t even reached the waterfall yet.γ
γI feel like there’s no suspense left this season.γ
γThere still is, between Liu and Huang.γ
γHuang. Betting a pack of Mala Prince2.γ
γLiu. Betting a row of AD Calcium Milk3.γ
γLiu, Liu, Liu! I love spicy strips!γ
The treasure map from the airdrop served two purposes: first, to guide the contestants to their supplies, and second, to provide them with a map of the upstream Toa River. The mountainous terrain was highly complex, and having a map would help them familiarize themselves with the environment much faster.
Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu’s treasure-hunting route happened to pass right by their temporary campsite. They returned to drop off the empty airdrop box and other unnecessary items, grabbed some dry rations and their water bottles, and set off toward the east.
The treasure chest was hidden on the south side of a hill. They found the hill shown on the map; though it was drawn quite small, in reality, it was undoubtedly a hill blocking their path. Fortunately, the southern slope where the treasure was marked was close to their current position, requiring only a short hike to reach.
Using her trekking pole to push down a patch of weeds taller than a person, Liu Yinxi spotted an orange-red triangular flag hanging in the distance on a slope overrun with vines.
With a gasp of pleasant surprise, Liu Yinxi grabbed Nan Huaixu’s arm. “Teacher Nan! It’s the γSurvivorγ flag!”
Nan Huaixu saw it too, taking two steps forward in excitement. “We found it! The treasure chest is right there. Quick, let’s hurry.”
Liu Yinxi hurriedly used her trekking pole to probe the path. “The grass is too tall and thick here. Watch out for snakes and venomous insects. Let’s probe the path before we walk.”
“Mm, I understand.”
“I’ll walk in front.” Liu Yinxi stepped in front of her, speeding up at the same time to prevent Nan Huaixu from getting too impatient.
A swarm of flying insects buzzed around their heads. Annoyed by them, Liu Yinxi brushed them away, using her wooden stick to beat the grass as she neared the fluttering triangular flag.
Approaching the flag, she saw that the flagpole was driven deep into a tangle of thick vines. Liu Yinxi parted the dense vines and grass, revealing a cave hidden behind the overgrown greenery. She turned back in astonishment. “Teacher Nan, there’s a cave here!”
“Where is the treasure chest?” Nan Huaixu quickly ran over.
Liu Yinxi drew her knife, hacking away the weeds and vines blocking the entrance. She lit a wooden stick and held it inside the pitch-black cave to test the air. After the flame burned normally for a minute, she finally turned on her bracelet light and entered the cave.
“It’s so narrow in here, and there’s a strong damp smell, gag.” Liu Yinxi turned the small light on her wrist, sweeping it across the cave, which was covered in green moss. “How could the production team hide supplies in a place like this? It’s so unhygienic.”
Her voice echoed in the small cave, reaching Nan Huaixu’s ears clearly outside. “Have you found it?”
“I’m still looking.”
Nan Huaixu peered curiously into the mouth of the cave. It was pitch-black. The faint illumination from the bracelet and the wooden stick was swallowed up by the darkness, leaving only two small spots of light that barely outlined Liu Yinxi’s silhouette.
“Is the space inside large?” Nan Huaixu wanted to go in and look, but she was afraid of the dark and feared the damp, cold air, which made her feel a bit nauseated.
“Not really. It’s about four or five meters deep.”
“Are there any bats?”
Liu Yinxi laughed out loud at the question. “No.”
“Any slugs?”
“The light is too dim, so I can’t see everything, but maybe there are some in the grass.”
“Hurry up and find the treasure chest, then come out.”
“I’m looking, I’m looking.”
Liu Yinxi raised her voice. “Wow, big discovery! Teacher Nan, come in and look at this.”
Nan Huaixu stepped one foot onto the edge of the cave, the pitch-black cavern making her hesitate. “If you found it, just bring it out.”
“I ran into a small problem, and I need your help.”
“Is that so?” Nan Huaixu switched on her own bracelet light and braced herself to walk inside. “What kind of problem?”
“The treasure chest is stuck in a rock crevice. Help me shine the light while I pull it out⦔
Suddenly, the speck of light in the depths of the cave went out.
The darkness instantly enveloped the pitifully faint light on Nan Huaixu’s wrist. She turned around in panic as a shadow lunged from behind her. “Awoo!”
“Ahβ!” Nan Huaixu’s terrified shriek echoed through the cave.
Liu Yinxi quickly switched her light back on to apologize, but a firm hug slammed head-on into her.
Nan Huaixu buried herself in Liu Yinxi’s arms, her eyes shut tight as her arms wrapped around her, very, very tightly.
Footnotes
- The slang term 'black-bellied' (fΓΉhΔi, θ Ήι») refers to characters who look innocent and sweet on the outside but are secretly devious, cunning, and calculating.
- Mala Prince (MΓ‘lΓ WΓ‘ngzΗ, ιΊ»θΎ£ηε) is a highly popular brand of spicy gluten strips (lΗtiΓ‘o, θΎ£ζ‘), a classic and deeply nostalgic Chinese snack.
- AD Calcium Milk (AD gΓ i nΗi, ADιε₯Ά) is a sweet, nostalgic, yogurt-like milk beverage that has been highly popular in China since the 1990s.
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