After Transmigrating into a Book, I Ended Up with My Dream Omega - Chapter 11

Even though they knew the forest was a paradise for wildlife and that encountering something was normal, a flicker of panic still washed over them when it actually happened.

The three of them stared intently at the patch of grass that had just rustled, terrified that some large predator was about to pounce.

“Don’t be afraid. There are three of us; what’s there to fear?”

Xia Xiangzhen immediately stepped in front of Yin Xiaowei. Though she felt a bit uneasy herself, she comforted them with a smile. “We’re still on the outskirts. Generally, you don’t run into anything big here. There are just a lot of mosquitoes, and we’re not afraid of those, are we?”

“You…” Yin Xiaowei thought back to the insect repellent Xia Xiangzhen had sprayed on her earlier.

At the time, Xia Xiangzhen had claimed she was going to offer it to everyone else, but in the end, only the two of them had been sprayed. Now that they were in the woods, the two of them didn’t have to worry about the swarms.

Yin Xiaowei looked at Yu Yayue. Because of the heat, Yu Yayue had taken off her jacket earlier. Now, she was being tormented by the forest mosquitoes and was frantically pulling her jacket back on.

Yin Xiaowei ultimately chose not to comment on Xia Xiangzhen’s remark. After all, if she called out Xia Xiangzhen for her “double standards,” what did that make her—the one who benefited from them?

The movement in the grass lasted only a few moments. Once things went quiet, Xia Xiangzhen used her machete to gently part the greenery. No animal was in sight, but a small trail covered in tiny paw prints appeared before them.

“So many tracks? But looking at the size, they’re all from small creatures. Probably rabbits or something?” Xia Xiangzhen speculated. “Should we track them? If we catch something, dinner is served.”

“It looks like we really need your bow,” Yu Yayue said. “These things run lightning fast. We’ll never catch them with just knives and axes. You take the axe to clear the path and give the knife to me; I’ll start making the bow now. Also, help me cut some hardwood and find some vines—I need them for the arrows and the drawstring.”

Yu Yayue didn’t stand on ceremony. She immediately swapped tools with Xia Xiangzhen and began crafting, barking out instructions for what she needed.

“Got it,” Xia Xiangzhen replied.

Yin Xiaowei added, “The books I read said that mammals in the jungle need to drink. If we follow the densest area of tracks, we should find a water source.”

“We’re making great time then,” Xia Xiangzhen said optimistically. “We haven’t been out for even an hour, and we’ve already settled the food and water issues. All that’s left is wood for the shelter.”

“Don’t be too optimistic yet.” Although Yin Xiaowei also felt things were going unusually smooth, she was someone who preferred to think of the worst-case scenario. “Let’s follow the tracks and see. We’ll see how many objectives we can actually tick off.”

No one objected. The three followed the prints and soon discovered a large water hole. The discovery of a water source brought immense joy to the trio, who hadn’t had a drink in a while under the sweltering heat.

However, there were no animals near the water hole, which was a slight disappointment as they watched from behind the bushes.

“We still need to find food,” Xia Xiangzhen said, standing up and stepping toward the water. “But looking at this volume, we won’t have to worry about water for the next few days.”

“Make a mark so we can bring the pot back later,” Yin Xiaowei knelt down, dipped a finger in the water, and tasted it. “It’s fresh water.” She called out to Xia Xiangzhen, “Xiangzhen, use the axe to make a mark nearby.”

“Let’s just chop a tree down right here. Our main goal is wood for the shelter anyway. We can drag it back to the beach, and the trail it leaves will be our marker.”

Xia Xiangzhen picked out a reasonably thick tree. “Are you two thirsty? If so, the two of you can go back together, get the iron pot, and boil a batch to drink. If not, wait for me a bit. I want to fell this tree and take it back with us.”

“Even on the edge of the forest, there’s danger. I think it’s better if we stay together,” Yin Xiaowei said. The thirst was uncomfortable, but it was bearable. She looked at Yu Yayue. “Yayue, what about you? Do you want water now?”

As an athlete, Yu Yayue had higher endurance than most. “I’m fine. Let Xiangzhen chop the tree first; we’ll wait for her. If I finish the bow and she’s still chopping, the two of us can look around for something to eat.”

Xia Xiangzhen swung the axe and began chopping. “Looking for mushrooms and wild fruit? Do you know how to pick them? If not, we might all end up ‘lying on a plank’ (dying) together.”

“Don’t they say that if they aren’t brightly colored, they aren’t poisonous?” Yu Yayue asked uncertainly.

Yin Xiaowei hadn’t researched this either. “I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

Seeing that no one was an expert, Yu Yayue immediately pivoted. “Then let’s stick to hunting! My simple wooden bow will be born soon!”

“Good luck then.”

“As expected of an Alpha, you’ve got great stamina.” Listening to the rhythmic thwack-thwack of the axe, Yu Yayue found a flat spot to sit and continued whittling her wood. “Xiaowei, come sit for a bit. It looks like it’ll take us both a while.”

“One moment.”

Xia Xiangzhen was chopping, Yu Yayue was crafting—everyone had a job. Yin Xiaowei felt that if she just sat there, it would be too awkward. Thinking about what the team still lacked, she scouted the immediate area and gathered some vines to weave into ropes and net bags.

As Yu Yayue worked on her bow, she happened to glance over at Yin Xiaowei and saw a mat-like object slowly taking shape in her hands.

“You’re so skillful! How do you weave that?”

“It’s just a feeling…” Yin Xiaowei thought for a moment. “It’s a bit like knitting a sweater—just looping one strand over another.”

“Kni… knitting?” Yu Yayue was stumped. “Forget it, I can’t do that. I’ll just cheer for you from the sidelines.”

“We can’t make bows either,” Yin Xiaowei replied with a smile. “While you make the bow, we’ll cheer for you too.”

“You know, you’re not as cold and tough as you look,” Yu Yayue noted. Before Yin Xiaowei could react to being called “cold and tough,” Yu Yayue suddenly leaned in and whispered secretively:

“By the way… did either of you manage to sneak anything in?”

Both Xia Xiangzhen and Yin Xiaowei’s eyes snapped toward her instantly.

“Wait, you brought something?” Xia Xiangzhen’s axe paused mid-swing.

“Of course! My hiding skills are top-tier.” Yu Yayue pulled her jacket open and produced four energy bars from a hidden lining. She looked directly at the camera. “The Director said if we could get it past the check, we could keep it. You can’t take them now!”

The cameraman didn’t interfere, simply continuing to film.

“That’s impressive,” Yin Xiaowei remarked.

Before she could finish her compliment, she saw Xia Xiangzhen put down her axe and start shaking her sleeves. Several fruit candies and chocolate spheres tumbled out.

“You guys…” Yin Xiaowei looked back and forth, momentarily speechless. “You two doing this makes me feel quite out of place for not bringing anything.”

Xia Xiangzhen walked over, clutching the handful of candies. She took Yin Xiaowei’s hands, turned them palms up, and placed the pile of sweets into them.

“Keep these. Eat them when you need to so your blood sugar doesn’t drop,” Xia Xiangzhen said in her “overbearing CEO” voice. She immediately turned away and walked back to her tree with what she considered a very “cool” stride to resume chopping.

Yu Yayue, sitting nearby, suddenly felt like she shouldn’t be there.

[Good grief, I’m calling it now: based on how Xia Xiangzhen and Yu Yayue hide things, the next episode is definitely going to include a strip search.]

[666! I’m shouting ‘666’ for Xia Xiangzhen. This bit of ‘industrial saccharine’ (scripted romance) is actually pretty sweet.]

[As expected of a boss who invested 30 million to chase someone—she never misses a chance to add drama for herself. But that tone of voice… is she serious? Not everyone likes that vibe. Judging by her face, Yin Xiaowei definitely doesn’t.]

[Is this a survival show? I’m double-checking—this is a survival show, right? Not a dating show?]

Yin Xiaowei was a bit dazed. Xia Xiangzhen had actually dared to grab her hands, and she had given her a palmful of candy. By the time Yin Xiaowei snapped out of it, Xia Xiangzhen had already walked away quickly, as if terrified Yin Xiaowei would give the candy back.

And she did want to give it back. Yin Xiaowei looked down at the sweets, then turned to the “gossiping” Yu Yayue.

“Yayue, these candies—”

“I’ve got my energy bars,” Yu Yayue said quickly, stuffing her bars into her backpack. Seeing Yin Xiaowei’s hesitation, she urged, “She means well; she’s worried about your blood sugar. Besides, it’s just a few candies.”

Yu Yayue actually wanted to ask why she wouldn’t just accept an Alpha who was this considerate, but remembering she was a Beta and might not understand the specific concerns of an Omega, she kept her mouth shut.

Yin Xiaowei looked at the candy in her hands. True, it’s just a few candies. At worst, she would just give Xia Xiangzhen a gift after the show to settle the score. She wasn’t going to owe Xia Xiangzhen anything.

While chopping, Xia Xiangzhen was stealing glances. When she saw Yin Xiaowei looking like she might give the candy to Yu Yayue, she was so nervous she almost hit herself with the axe.

It wasn’t until she saw Yin Xiaowei put the candy in her pocket that she finally relaxed. This was a good start. Her dream Omega had accepted her gift for the first time. Even if it was just a small thing like candy, it was a breakthrough.

Knowing Yin Xiaowei’s personality, she would likely try to return the favor later. That’s even better, Xia Xiangzhen thought. If she returns something, I have an excuse to give her something else. This back-and-forth is exactly how our connection will grow.

The little abacus in Xia Xiangzhen’s heart was clicking away happily.