Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 16

The teasing remark was made by Chi Shu’s partner.

She had introduced herself on the first day as Ji Lang.

With tasks at every gathering, the guests hadn’t had much time to get to know one another. Among the four families, Du Heng, Ouyang Yu, and Ji Lang were not from the entertainment industry.

Du Heng was Xing Cai’s wife, a famous professor in Shenjiang City who had appeared in television interviews. Ouyang Yu was Director Xiao Qian’s wife, an influencer lawyer often seen on short-video livestreams. Both had a certain level of online fame.

Only this Ji Lang was a complete mystery to the other guests.

Could she really be a total non-celebrity?

If so, Ming Nuo felt Ji Lang was incredibly bold, possessing a natural talent for controlling the room. In all her years since debut, Ming Nuo had seen countless newcomers chasing dreams in the industry, but she had never seen a “civilian” who could handle such a relaxed, effortless vibe so perfectly.

In the show, everyone was polite, calling each other “Teacher,” but Ji Lang bluntly addressed everyone by their full names. Although her joke was a bit over the line, Ming Nuo was surprised to find that she didn’t dislike it.

In fact, she felt a trace of secret joy. What was that about?

Director Xiao Qian was known in the industry for enjoying a good jest. Perhaps to soften the atmosphere, she followed Ji Lang’s lead and teased: “That’s not called cheating; it’s called ‘study.’ Nuo, who doesn’t know you’re Xueqing’s hardcore fan? Finally getting the chance to work with your idol every day, of course you’d interact with her closely. Besides, you’re meticulous; a little detail like that wouldn’t slip past you.”

Ming Nuo lowered her head, pursing her lips. “Director Xiao understands me.”

Xiao Qian beamed and immediately passed the buck: “Oh, I don’t understand you at all—Xueqing is the one who understands you.”

Xing Cai, a master of livening things up, clapped her hands. “Congratulations to Senior on a successful fan mission!~”

Ji Lang added: “Congrats!”

Hearing this… Ming Nuo felt an inexplicable bashfulness, but her heart felt sweet as honey.

She led Mengmeng to the waiting area to sit down. Out of the corner of her eye, she stole a glance at Ning Xueqing beside her. With everyone else talking so much, why hadn’t Xueqing said a word?

What was she thinking?

“Tell me, in what way does Mengmeng look like me?”

Suddenly, a clear voice drifted into her ear.

Ming Nuo’s heart skipped a beat. Without her noticing, Ning Xueqing had sat down right next to her, their arms touching. Ning Xueqing brushed back her hair and tilted her head to adjust her earring; every tiny movement traveled through their touching arms directly to Ming Nuo.

Ming Nuo’s gaze was soft, and her voice was as gentle as a white feather falling in the sunlight. “Your nails… are the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.”

Ning Xueqing flicked the crystal tassel on her earring, lowered her hand, and looked at her lustrous nails in the clear daylight. “Most? They’re quite ordinary.”

Mengmeng squeezed over, placing her tiny hand on the back of her mother’s fair hand. “Not ordinary! Mommy is pretty, and mine are pretty too!”

Ning Xueqing leaned her head against her daughter’s. “Mengmeng is the prettiest.”

In a mother’s eyes, her daughter is always the most beautiful. Ning Xueqing knew Mengmeng’s nails were long and elegant, but she had never realized they were exactly like her own.

Actually, when Ning Xueqing first became famous, businesses had asked her to be a hand model, and she had once filmed an advertisement for a jewelry store.

Ning Xueqing took a toy from the table for Mengmeng to play with and asked Ming Nuo, “When did you notice Mengmeng’s nails looked like mine?”

Ming Nuo told the truth: “Just now during the game.”

Ning Xueqing’s lips curved. She turned to look her directly in the eye. “Then when did you notice what my nails looked like?”

Ming Nuo feigned a look of recollection, gazing into the distance. “A long time ago.”

She had known for a very long time.

She also knew Ning Xueqing liked ice-blue manicures with water-ripple textures. She knew Ning Xueqing habitually asked the stylist to sprinkle glitter on the ends of her hair before interviews. She knew Ning Xueqing preferred brown-toned mascara, and that if she were given a cup with a straw, she would blow a single bubble into it before starting to drink…

She hadn’t tried to memorize them. What she saw was simply what she cherished.

“Give it here.” Ning Xueqing reached out, curling her fingers slightly.

“Hmm?” Ming Nuo extended her hand and, following instructions, gently placed it atop Ning Xueqing’s palm.

“Yours are very pretty too. Like little chestnuts.”

Ming Nuo laughed. “Round and flat?”

Ning Xueqing looked up with a radiant smile. “And very sweet.”

Her smile was so close, so reachable. Ming Nuo felt a moment of trance.

Ning Xueqing continued: “Have you ever tried it? Chestnut mousse cake made with little chestnuts. Just the right amount of sweetness—I like it very much.”

“Mm.” Ming Nuo had seen it on Weibo. One year for Ning Xueqing’s birthday, the fan club visited the set to celebrate and bought her a five-tier chestnut cake. Ning Xueqing was so excited she posted three short videos in a row.

It was that year that Ming Nuo learned how to bake.

She made shortbread for the Flower Festival, chocolates for Qixi, and lemon and chestnut cakes for Ning Xueqing’s birthday. Then she would take a photo and post it on her Moments.

That Moments feed… visible to only one person.

That Moments feed… where no one ever liked or commented.

Her palm felt warm. Ming Nuo looked down; Ning Xueqing had given her palm a little squeeze with her thumb.

“Make some for me when you get the chance.”

“You knew I could bake cakes?”

Ning Xueqing’s smiling eyes were like deep springs. “Can you?”

Ming Nuo: “I can. Doesn’t Mengmeng still want to eat pineapple cakes? I’ll make them all together during the break after this filming session.”

Ning Xueqing: “We’ll make them together. You have to teach me.”

Ming Nuo felt like whipped cream being beaten; she was about to expand. “Leave it to me.”

Over at the confirmation zone, Du Heng had arrived with Nora. Meanwhile, the argument between the two women in the game area was getting louder.

“My god, you said you had evidence? This is it? You identified the wrong kid.”

“At least I gave evidence. Did you? I didn’t get it right, but neither did you. Why are you comparing yourself to me?”

Amidst the bickering of Chi Shu and Ouyang Yu, the remaining two children inside the cloaks began to fuss. Baby No. 1 ripped off her mask and burst into tears: “Mammy! Mammy!”

Little Pea tilted her head back and ran while crying, her face flushed red with distress. “Mammy, don’t go! I’m Pea! Don’t take someone else! Waaaaa!”

Baby No. 2 heard the wailing and also took off her mask, running toward Ouyang Yu. “Mommy, I’m Pineapple Cake! Why did you go and grab Sister Nora?!”

The two mothers waiting in the rest area couldn’t help but get angry. Xiao Qian walked straight to Ouyang Yu and pinched her waist. “Ouyang Yu! Look at you—how embarrassing! You can’t even recognize your own daughter! And you were so confidently fighting Xiao Chi for Nora!”

Ouyang Yu took Pineapple Cake’s hand and looked closely. “It really does look exactly like Nora’s.”

Xiao Qian was speechless. “How does it look alike? How come Professor Du recognized her daughter then?”

On the other side, the “Trainee Mammy” Ji Lang shook her head and sighed, crossing her arms as she asked Chi Shu, “Is the child actually yours? Pea has four Y-shaped palm lines on her thumb base—didn’t you know that?”

Both Chi Shu and Little Pea froze. Little Pea, her eyes shimmering with tears, lifted her small hand and used her left hand to count the lines on her right. “One, two, three, four.”

With tears still hanging on her lashes, Little Pea looked up at Chi Shu. “Mammy, there really are four.”

Chi Shu looked at Ji Lang in shock. “How did you know?”

Ji Lang found the question hilarious. “I washed her hands. When we were playing games, I even read her palm. Didn’t I read yours, too?”

“Oh right, your palm is missing a heart line. You’re missing a soul fragment. Unless you meet a benefactor, congratulations—you’ll be single for life.” Ji Lang arched an eyebrow and gave Chi Shu a sincere-looking smile.

Wearing her baseball cap backward, her long hair dyed with streaks of purple and pink, and sporting a midriff-baring top with loose trousers, she looked trendy and individualistic—clearly the type Chi Shu could never win an argument against.

“Thank you so much, Auntie,” Chi Shu said, eyes half-lidded. Looking at the child in her arms, she suddenly felt that the way Little Pea looked at her had changed.

Chi Shu: “?”

Little Pea slowly let go of Chi Shu’s hand and actually reached out to cautiously grab Ji Lang’s pant leg. “Auntie… you can recognize me?”

Ji Lang knelt down, smiling as she held the girl’s shoulders. “I can definitely recognize Dou-dou.”

Little Pea gripped her sleeve tight. “Next time, I want Auntie to do the competition with me!”

Chi Shu: “?” She clutched her head, dazed. “Pea, you can’t just give Mammy one chance!”

…Ming Nuo and Ning Xueqing, having watched the whole scene in silence, exchanged a look.

So, Baby No. 3, whom Chi Shu and Ouyang Yu were fighting over so heatedly, was Nora. And their actual daughters had been left aside, unchosen. Their own mothers couldn’t recognize them and were fighting to take home someone else’s child—no wonder Little Pea and Pineapple Cake had cried in frustration.

Ning Xueqing looked at the chaotic confirmation zone, leaned toward Ming Nuo, and whispered, “It looks like some people will be kneeling on washboards tonight.”

Ming Nuo cupped her hands and whispered back, “They deserve it.”

Thanks to Ming Nuo’s outstanding performance, Mengmeng happily took another first place, earning ten Miraculous Vouchers as a reward. Starting the Miraculous Tour Bus required fifty vouchers; Mengmeng’s team only needed fifteen more to set off.

In the days that followed, the families used the fruit crops from their temporary homes to make desserts and set up stalls at the market. Nearby villagers came to sample them and buy the ones they liked with Miraculous Vouchers.

The peach pies and peach Napoleons Ming Nuo made were miles ahead of the competition, selling far more than the other three families. Ming Nuo had grown up poor; she had done her own laundry and cooking since she was a child, so culinary tasks were a breeze. Having learned baking later on, she was far more capable than the other guests who “never dipped their fingers in spring water.” She frequently won games, making Mengmeng proud and the other children envious.

Most importantly, Ming Nuo got to see Ning Xueqing’s radiant smiles. When Ning Xueqing smiled, the whole world became a better place.

The first filming session soon came to an end, and the four families headed home.

Mengmeng was obsessed with going home with “Nuo Nuo Mammy” to make pineapple cakes and chestnut cakes, insisting on pulling Ming Nuo into Ning Xueqing’s car. The Ning family driver came to pick them up, lowering the partition behind the driver’s seat.

Ning Xueqing and Mengmeng sat on one side, with Ming Nuo opposite them. There was a small table in between. Mengmeng played checkers on the table for a while before getting tired and falling asleep on the seat.

Ming Nuo pulled the sunshades shut to keep the noon sun from bothering the sleeping child.

“Auntie Ning is at home, right? It’s not right to visit empty-handed. I’ll buy some gifts once we enter the city area.”

“No need. My mom receives many gifts every year; she finds them boring. She actually quite likes your songs; just give her a signed photo of us.”

Ming Nuo brushed back the stray hairs on her forehead. “How could I…”

Having received their electronic devices back after the first session, Ning Xueqing took the chance while the child was asleep to browse the Miraculous Journey super-topic online. There were cheers and insults, but overall, support for her and Mengmeng was the majority.

Her temporary pairing with Ming Nuo was unexpectedly popular. Ning Xueqing clicked a link in a trending post, leading to an online document.

“[Nuo-Xue Fanfic] The Tenth Year of Crushing on Her, We Fell in Love for Real”

Ning Xueqing: “What’s there to be embarrassed about? A top fan wrote their thoughts on our temporary home. Want to hear it?”

Ming Nuo smoothed her hair. “Sure.”

Ning Xueqing narrowed her peach-blossom eyes and curled her lips. “Ming Nuo turned around and saw the Ning Xueqing she had long yearned for. Breathing heavily, she pulled her into her arms, wishing she could kiss her ten thousand times.”