Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 20.1

Dust drifted in the shimmering light. Ning Xueqing looked up through the floating specks, meeting Ming Nuo’s eyes, which were filled with a clear, radiant glow.

Ming Nuo’s arm was wrapped around Ning Xueqing’s lower back, leaving a slight space between their bodies. She wasn’t a professional actress; she could keep up with Ning Xueqing’s lines quickly, but she couldn’t slip into character in a single second the way Ning Xueqing could.

It was as if the person asking the question was Teacher Xue from six years ago—fresh out of university and just entering the bamboo sea—while the person holding her was someone outside the play who had weathered several years of hardship.

Their pheromones underwent an ambiguous shift. As adults, they understood this was a common physiological response—unavoidable during filming—and a qualified actor would be able to manage their own state. Ming Nuo’s experience was to stay exactly as she was and avoid any casual movement; at a time like this, even the smallest gesture could disrupt the delicate atmosphere.

Ning Xueqing still had both hands hooked around Ming Nuo’s neck, her eyes bright like those of a curious fawn.

“I’m going back to the city; will you come with me?”

Ning Xueqing skipped many of the intervening plot points and went straight to the question Teacher Xue asked while lying beside Ye Zi after the two characters first became intimate in the movie.

Ming Nuo had just watched this segment on TV, so the lines were fresh in her memory. To be honest, she hated the character Ye Zi—fickle, selfish, and someone who betrayed Teacher Xue’s sincerity. Back when she was memorizing the script, she felt a great deal of resistance and could never truly immerse herself in the role; she only managed to film the shots where she watched Teacher Xue quietly from a distance.

The director had talked with Ming Nuo and had Ning Xueqing eat and live with her for a few days to help her get into character before they finally captured the intimate scenes. Those few days were enough for Ming Nuo to spend a lifetime reminiscing during lonely late nights.

Ming Nuo hated Ye Zi and hated Ye Zi’s lines, but acting required following the script; she could only speak those hurtful words to Ning Xueqing’s face.

“I—”

“You aren’t Ye Zi.” Before the line could be spoken, Ning Xueqing suddenly said to Ming Nuo, “Now, in the present, at this very moment—if you were the one facing this scene, how would you answer?”

It was a question for the ages.

Was the scene Ning Xueqing wanted Ming Nuo to face one where Ming Nuo-as-the-character faced Teacher Xue, or one where Ming Nuo-as-herself faced Ning Xueqing?

Ning Xueqing’s fragrant breath urged her from beside her neck: “Hurry and say it.”

There was no extra time for Ming Nuo to think. What Ning Xueqing wanted was her inner impulse, not a calculated, formulaic answer.

Ming Nuo’s chest rose and fell with her breathing. Her hand, which had been resting on Ning Xueqing’s soft waist, slid upward, her palm pressing firmly against her back, growing slightly warm.

“Do I have to use words?”

Compared to speech, Ming Nuo relied more on actual actions. She considered herself someone who wasn’t particularly good with words.

Ning Xueqing’s gaze turned misty. “What else could you use to answer…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Ming Nuo’s lips curl up slightly, her gentle eyes darkening. Then, Ming Nuo swept her up by the waist. Ning Xueqing let out a low cry and hurriedly pressed against Ming Nuo’s body, clinging to her tightly.

Ming Nuo carried her and turned, walking up the stairs step by step. The lifting motion of her knees slowly brushed against Ning Xueqing’s skirt. Ning Xueqing’s heart raced; her ear was pressed against the Alpha’s chest, her senses immersed in the wine-scented pheromones, making her feel dazed and lightheaded.

Ning Xueqing felt like a flower bud about to bloom, dampened by night dew.

The embrace was steady, but the slight jolts of walking still reached Ning Xueqing. She tightened her arms around Ming Nuo, her ears filled with nothing but the Alpha’s breathing and her own heartbeat.

Being carried into a bedroom was an unprecedented experience for Ning Xueqing.

Ming Nuo carefully placed her on the edge of the bed. Ning Xueqing’s back met the soft mattress, and she slowly sank into the fluffy bedding. She lay flat on the bed, the moonlight from outside the window faintly illuminating the Alpha above her. Ming Nuo leaned down slightly, one hand propped beside the pillow, her exquisite features looking down at her with tenderness.

Ning Xueqing’s heart trembled as a restless warm current spread from the darkness, sweeping through her entire body. She looked up at Ming Nuo and moved her lips, using a composed smile to hide the inner mess: “Like this? And then?”

Ming Nuo looked at her for a moment, then also smiled slightly, saying, “I thought that I should answer Teacher Xue with a hug. Because she is a sentimental girl, she needs practical action to protect her and give her a sense of security.”

Ning Xueqing snapped back to reality; she had fallen into Ming Nuo’s tenderness while Ming Nuo was discussing the acting with her.

“You carried Teacher Xue to bed?”

“Hugging Teacher Xue can happen in any environment; the specific circumstances depend on the director’s requirements. Carrying you to bed was to tell you…”

As she spoke, Ming Nuo lowered her head, burying her nose in Ning Xueqing’s soft hair. “The moon is out. Goodnight, Sister.”

Ning Xueqing’s red lips parted slightly, her shimmering eyes growing even more moist.

The pillow beside her face slowly bounced back as Ning Xueqing hurriedly hooked one of Ming Nuo’s fingers that was pulling away, wanting to discuss the play a bit longer. “When we were filming back then, there was something I didn’t understand.”

“Didn’t understand?”

“Tell me… did Ye Zi actually like Teacher Xue or not?”

The word “like” was a question that reached into Ming Nuo’s heart. How would she know if Ye Zi liked Teacher Xue? She couldn’t understand why Ye Zi was so cold-hearted toward her. Ye Zi was truly rotten to the core.

“I think she liked herself more.” Ming Nuo couldn’t answer what she didn’t know; she could only give the answer she was certain of.

Ning Xueqing expanded on the answer: “So she liked her a little, but compared to her own interests, that bit of liking was piteously weak?”

Ming Nuo: “Based on the script, that is my understanding of the character.”

Ning Xueqing moved her neck, her fair fingers disappearing into her messy long hair. She gazed at Ming Nuo with rippling eyes. “Then do you think Teacher Xue liked Ye Zi?”

Ming Nuo fell silent, looking quietly into the depths of Ning Xueqing’s eyes. There was a lamp in those beautiful peach-blossom eyes, burning with an indescribable yearning, a flickering flame of hope that rose and fell.

The more Ming Nuo stared into her eyes, the more mystical it felt, as if she were being sucked in. Ning Xueqing’s question automatically converted in her heart into another:

Then do you think Ning Xueqing likes Ming Nuo?

“She did.” Ming Nuo curled her body slightly, her nose sliding from the fragrant hair to the edge of Ning Xueqing’s collar, and she slowly closed her eyes.

I want your ‘like.’ I want you. I miss you.

A hand fell gently on top of Ming Nuo’s head, her fingers combing through her long hair one stroke at a time.

“I think the script was written unreasonably.” Ning Xueqing also closed her eyes, her expression lost in a distant memory. “If I were truly Teacher Xue and fell in love with my Ye Zi, even if she were unwilling to leave with me, I would stay in the bamboo sea for her. Perhaps life in the bamboo sea wouldn’t be as I wished, but I would want to wait until the flames of love burned out before leaving.”

“If love is a tragedy already written, I want to burn the shape of the scar more beautifully.”

Ning Xueqing opened her eyes a sliver and tilted her head toward Ming Nuo. “Am I being very silly?”

Ming Nuo shook her head beneath her palm. “I actually think the Teacher Xue in the latter half of the script was written very well, because Ye Zi isn’t worthy of the character Sister played being silly for her.”

Ming Nuo wouldn’t say it out loud, but she had criticized every character in film and television who had ever let Ning Xueqing down. Whether chatting with friends or discussing trending plots with her manager or assistant, it would come up. Others would wonder: “Nuo, why do you have such a deep-seated hatred for such-and-forth character?” Ming Nuo would then list the character’s various sins, logically and with evidence.

Ning Xueqing raised her other hand and caressed Ming Nuo’s cheek.

“Then who can I be silly for?”

Ming Nuo was slightly stunned and unnaturally turned her face away where Ning Xueqing couldn’t see, muttering, “No one.”

Ning Xueqing curled her lips. “No one?”

“No one.”

“What if that person was you?”

Ming Nuo: “.”

Wait.

Hold on.

Ming Nuo couldn’t quite wrap her head around it.

Ning Xueqing suddenly turned to look at the bedroom door. Ming Nuo hadn’t closed the door when she carried her in, nor had she turned on the light. A faint glow from the living room downstairs filtered up, illuminating the edge of the second-floor hallway.

A faint sound came from the end of the hallway. Ning Xueqing propped herself up from the bed; sensing her movement, Ming Nuo also sat up. The sound outside grew closer, and a small shadow peeked into the doorway. Mengmeng was rubbing her sleepy eyes, clutching a rag doll. “Mommy.”

The child’s innocent voice was like a bell waking Ming Nuo’s heavy brain. Ming Nuo gave a start and quickly stood up from the bedside.

Mengmeng’s eyes lit up when she saw Ming Nuo, and her voice sounded more awake. “Mommy, are you telling Nuo Nuo Mammy a story?”

Ming Nuo felt an inexplicable guilt and cast a pleading look toward Ning Xueqing. Ning Xueqing looked at her and smiled, then turned to pull Mengmeng onto the bed to sit. Holding her, she said, “Yes, Mommy was telling Nuo Nuo Mammy the story of Little Red Riding Hood.”

Mengmeng raised her small hand. “Whoa! Did the Big Bad Wolf eat you all up?”

Ning Xueqing wrapped the blanket around Mengmeng. “Caught the Big Bad Wolf.”

Mengmeng laughed uncontrollably in her mother’s arms.

Mengmeng usually slept very soundly. Ning Xueqing asked her with concern, “Why is my baby awake?”

Mengmeng said in a milky voice, “I wanted to go pee-pee, but the little frog isn’t bright anymore.”

She had eaten many desserts in the afternoon, drank a lot of water, and had soup in the evening; it was inevitable she would wake up in the night. In Mengmeng’s room, there was a little frog-shaped mosquito-repellent nightlight that could both repel mosquitoes and provide light for the child at night.

Ning Xueqing: “The little frog isn’t bright? Come, Mommy will go see what’s the matter.”

Mengmeng blinked. “Mommy, are you and Nuo Nuo Mammy done with Little Red Riding Hood?”

Ming Nuo stood against the wall, not daring to make a sound.

Ning Xueqing gave her a meaningful look and curled her lips. “Not yet. It’s too late today, we need to sleep. Let’s find a chance to finish it next time.” Then, she led Mengmeng toward the children’s room.

Ming Nuo let out a long sigh of relief in the empty bedroom. She touched her left cheek; the warmth from Ning Xueqing’s touch was still there.

—What if that person was you?

What if she was… what?

Ming Nuo couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned on the bed in the guest room. Ning Xueqing hadn’t said anything, yet she seemed to have said a lot. They had revisited a scene from six years ago, discussed characters from an intimate scene on a bed—every frown and smile tugged at Ming Nuo’s fluttering heart.

Listening to the Waves in the Bamboo Sea was filmed in Cuiwei Valley, Jiangnan. During those few days when Ning Xueqing was helping Ming Nuo get into character, they were together day and night, even sleeping in the same room. Several other actors in the crew were old acquaintances of Ning Xueqing—much closer than Ming Nuo and Ning Xueqing were—but Ning Xueqing quietly avoided them in many aspects of daily life. She didn’t say it explicitly, but Ming Nuo observed carefully and analyzed that it was likely because those actors were all Alphas.

Years ago, someone on Ning Xueqing’s fan forum suggested she had “Alpha-phobia,” listing social screenshots of her with different artists. They compared photos of her with Alphas, Betas, and Omegas in the same frame; Ning Xueqing was clearly more natural, relaxed, and smiled more when facing Betas and Omegas. Facing Alphas, she always maintained a distance, and her entire posture was more tense. This was a very old post, and many netizens commented that they were overthinking—it was normal for an Omega public figure to remain reserved and proper in front of Alphas. Fans laughed it off, and the post quickly sank.

But Ming Nuo, who had been quietly following Ning Xueqing, knew that the post wasn’t overthinking. Ning Xueqing was indeed intentionally excluding Alphas.

The most powerful evidence was Ming Nuo herself. From their first meeting ten years ago, Ning Xueqing had always been active in Ming Nuo’s world as a helpful big sister—interacting on Weibo, sharing experiences, and greeting her to take photos with the media whenever they met.

It wasn’t until after filming Listening to the Waves in the Bamboo Sea—when Ming Nuo’s physical exam confirmed she had differentiated into a Level 1 Alpha—that Ning Xueqing faded out of the film and television world and became more and more distant from her. Ming Nuo knew Ning Xueqing was repelled by the fact that she had become an Alpha.

Otherwise, why when the director suggested they live and eat together did Ning Xueqing take her hand and say, “Okay, Ming Nuo hasn’t differentiated, we can stay together”? Later, after she differentiated into an Alpha, Ning Xueqing had to keep her distance even when talking…

Physiology makes Alpha and Omega pheromones attract each other, but humans possess emotion and reason. In this world, not all Alphas and Omegas like each other; some Alphas resist Omegas, and some Omegas repel Alphas.

When Ning Xueqing stopped reposting or commenting on Ming Nuo’s social media accounts, Ming Nuo clutched the back of her ear and her neck, absolutely loathing the gland beneath that skin.

If only I hadn’t differentiated into an Alpha.

If only I had a lifelong differentiation disorder.

If only I had become a Beta or an Omega.

Then, would you be able to return to the way we first met, Ning Xueqing?

The night was thick. The blackout curtains were drawn tight.

Ming Nuo reached behind her ear and suddenly frowned, digging her nail in to leave a sharp mark. A needle-like pain radiated from within, numbing the skin along the meridians. Ming Nuo gripped the pillow, her body curling up like a cooked shrimp. Her chest felt stifled, and her heart was tight with discomfort.

She thought of Mengmeng, who had just asked Ning Xueqing to look at the little frog nightlight. Mengmeng was five years old; counting the time of pregnancy and working backward, the point at which Ning Xueqing became pregnant was right after filming Listening to the Waves in the Bamboo Sea.

Since Ning Xueqing repelled Alphas, why would she have a child with one? And the timing was… it was…

Ming Nuo buried her face in the pillow, her molars clenched tight, her whole body trembling slightly beneath the covers. During those days of living together while filming, she had helped Ning Xueqing when her heat went out of control. At that time, she was undifferentiated. To soothe Ning Xueqing’s discomfort as much as possible, with her tacit permission, she had used her teeth.