Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 21

“Your house looks brand new.”

That was Ning Xueqing’s first impression upon walking into the villa.

For an ordinary house that had been lived in for several years, such a comment from a visitor would be a compliment, implying the owner was tidy and had maintained the place well. However, in Ming Nuo’s home, this wasn’t exactly praise. The massive living room contained only a single sofa, a coffee table, a frame TV, and a row of wall cabinets provided by the developer. It was emptier than a minimalist model home.

The living room connected to the kitchen, where all the appliances were developer-gifted extras. A high-speed blender and a bread maker sat in the corner of the counter, still wrapped in plastic with “Open Here” labels attached.

Ming Nuo felt a bit embarrassed. She rarely stayed home, her cooking was simple, and she did all her baking at a professional studio. Since she didn’t have to clean up after herself there, her home kitchen looked like a desolate “no-man’s land”—a far cry from the domestic, homebody image she wanted to project in front of Ning Xueqing.

Noticing the traces of traditional Chinese medicine on the floor tiles that hadn’t been cleaned yet, Ning Xueqing asked, “Are you sick?”

Detecting the worry in her voice, Ming Nuo replied gently, “No. Chinese medicine emphasizes ‘treating the disease before it arises.’ It’s just for daily maintenance. My ‘Mammy’ got me a prescription for soothing the throat.”

Ning Xueqing’s expression relaxed slightly. “Auntie is so thoughtful. You really should take good care of that voice of yours.”

“How did it spill?” Ning Xueqing leaned down to pick up the herbs, found a basket in the cabinet, and gathered them. “Do these… er, need washing? I don’t know much about this.”

Ming Nuo took the bowl she had used earlier and poured the herbs from the basket into it. “It’s fine. Brewing medicine involves two boils. The first time you add water, it acts as a rinse, much like washing tea leaves.”

“Oh, I see~” Ning Xueqing spotted the notebook open on the counter, detailing Ming Yan’s brewing instructions. “Are you brewing it now?”

Ming Nuo felt a bit overwhelmed. Brewing medicine was time-consuming; you had to watch the heat and measure the doses carefully. In the past, she usually just dropped the herbs at a pharmacy to be processed into liquid pouches. She had planned to do the same this time. Even if freshly brewed was most effective, who doesn’t love convenience?

“I’m not in a hurry right now.”

“This is quite a hassle. My mom also likes to brew classical prescriptions for calming the mind and helping with sleep. She happened to buy some wild honeysuckle to boil today. If you don’t mind, I can take these back and brew them for you. One dose of this prescription lasts two days; I can put it in a thermos for you. You can come pick it up, or I can drop it off—either way works.”

Ning Xueqing spoke softly, her melodious voice flowing like a gentle stream. Ming Nuo watched her supple, delicate lips unblinkingly as the full petals parted and met with every word.

Watching her lips, Ming Nuo said, “Would that be too much trouble? I’d feel bad.”

“It’s no trouble. Bringing it to you gives me an excuse to take Mengmeng out for a walk.” Ning Xueqing took a step closer, her eyes shimmering. “She wants to see you.”

Ming Nuo ignored the subject of the sentence; her mind automatically amplified the last three words: “Wants to see you.”

“Okay.” Before her brain could catch up, her mouth had already agreed for her.

Ning Xueqing smiled, took a photo of the brewing instructions in the notebook with her phone, and packed the herb bags into a grocery bag. She told Ming Nuo, “Don’t worry. I’ll brew it tonight and give it to you tomorrow.”

Ming Nuo thanked her hurriedly. “Thank you. I’ll be troubling you and Auntie then.”

Ning Xueqing made an “OK” gesture with her hand—no big deal.

“Oh, and I brought the snow clam and fleeceflower root for Auntie Ming. Once the snow clam is soaked, steam it with bird’s nest; it’s great for nourishing and beauty. I haven’t used the fleeceflower root before, but my mom says boiling it with oriental arborvitae leaves is good for the hair.”

“You’ve already given so many gifts; Auntie Ning is too kind.”

Ming Nuo thought about what she had at home. She had already given the painting, and there was truly nothing else decent to offer. Should she really give signed albums and posters? Ming Nuo had a mountain of them at home, and giving them all to the Ning family wouldn’t be a problem, but it seemed too narcissistic.

Besides, she had heard that Ning Zhixuan came from a prestigious family and was proficient in the four arts (zither, go, calligraphy, and painting). Finding a gift that would catch her eye was no easy task. Though Ning Zhixuan seemed to love the painting she gave yesterday, Ming Nuo knew in her heart that the elder was giving her “positive feedback” to be a good host and accommodate her feelings. It was a form of social downward compatibility—Ning Zhixuan had seen through her intentions and was giving her face.

Returning a favor should come from the heart. Rather than giving a gift just for the sake of it, it was better to accept the other’s kindness gracefully and wait until she found something truly perfect to return the gesture.

Ming Nuo made up her mind to accept the gift boxes and have Xiao Zhu deliver them to Ming Yan after filming resumed next week. This would prevent Ming Yan from getting upset if she found out Ming Nuo had met Ning Xueqing again. Ming Yan was hot-tempered and easily angered; as she aged, drastic changes in weather or intense emotions would lead to chest tightness and shortness of breath. Ming Nuo worried about her health and did her best to appease her whenever possible.

Ning Xueqing followed Ming Nuo on a tour of the villa. When she saw the rooftop garden was still in its “raw” concrete state, she looked surprised.

“Was it like this when you bought it?”

“There used to be a layer of flooring, but it got moldy a few years ago. I had the property management remove it and haven’t touched it since. It’s quite primitive, isn’t it? My apologies.”

“Not at all. It’s just that you don’t have children at home. Mengmeng absolutely loves wide-open spaces like this; she can run around everywhere.”

Ming Nuo propped her elbow up, resting her chin on her fingers. “If Mengmeng is going to play here, I’d have to lay down soft mats. Otherwise, she might get hurt if she trips.”

Ning Xueqing turned, her gaze sweeping over the two empty rooms on the third floor—not even a bed in sight. “You bought such a big house and left it all empty?”

Ming Nuo: “To be honest, I bought this one because it’s in a corner. No one walks past my door. The size was secondary.”

Ning Xueqing tilted her head. “If you hide yourself this deep, how are people supposed to find you?”

Ming Nuo was slightly stunned. Who would come looking for her? And why?

Ning Xueqing arched an eyebrow. “What if a guest wanted to stay the night?”

Ming Nuo stammered, “The second floor has…”

Ning Xueqing walked past her, down the steps, and glanced back with a smile. “I’m afraid they’d have no choice but to squeeze into your bed.”

Ming Nuo: “.”

In that split second of brain-short-circuiting, Ming Nuo’s first reaction was: Wait, was my bedroom bed 2.0 meters by what again?

The next second, she told herself in her heart: You really have thick skin.

As Ning Xueqing went down to the second floor, Ming Nuo followed behind on the stairs, subconsciously pulling out her phone to check an online shopping app: 2.0m x 2.2m custom home bed.

She clicked on a random listing. There were few buyers, with only a scattering of reviews. The top-rated review read: “The bed is great, workmanship and comfort are top-notch, worth the price. However, I don’t recommend it because it’s too big—after an argument, my wife kicks me to the other side, and it feels like the Pacific Ocean is between us. I miss my old 1.5m bed where my wife and I were pressed tight together.”

Oh. Ming Nuo decisively closed the app.

The second floor contained the master bedroom, guest rooms, and a common area. Ning Xueqing didn’t enter the master bedroom, though she caught a glimpse of a wall decorated entirely with red roses—she couldn’t tell if they were artificial or not. She turned toward the semi-open study nearby.

It was like a small warehouse for storage, filled with samples provided by the studio: all of Ming Nuo’s albums, vinyls, posters, photobooks, various merchandise, limited edition gifts, endorsement products, and a massive cabinet dedicated solely to fan letters.

Ning Xueqing’s pupils dilated slightly. She stepped inside quickly and spent a while picking out a few limited edition items. There was a high-end lingerie brand Ming Nuo endorsed; on the packaging for the stockings was a close-up of her wearing a high-slit red dress, showcasing a garter belt.

Somehow, Ning Xueqing managed to find that specific bag of stockings from the pile of merch.

“…” Ming Nuo felt an inexplicable sense of shame.

Thankfully, her own collection of Ning Xueqing’s merch was locked away in the basement, otherwise, this would have been a direct “trial” by the subject herself…

Still, the current situation wasn’t much better. Keeping a collection of your own merchandise at home looked incredibly narcissistic. Actually, there was a reason for it: Ming Yan frequently brought friends and relatives to visit, and each time she would ask Xiao Zhu to bring merch from the company. Eventually, Ming Nuo just started keeping it at home so guests could take whatever they liked.

Ning Xueqing held a few items and asked Ming Nuo, “Can I have these?”

Ming Nuo grabbed a tote bag printed with her photo for her. “Take whatever you like.”

“Hahaha, it’s like buying fruit on the street.”

“Exactly. I helped my ‘Mammy’ sell braised food and fruit bowls at a night market when I was in high school. That’s exactly how we said it.”

Ning Xueqing smiled, touching the print of Ming Nuo on the bag. “Auntie Ming has had such a colorful life.” She looked at Ming Nuo. “You were unpacking medicine when I arrived. Did Auntie Ming just leave after dropping it off?”

“Mm.”

Ning Xueqing nodded. “It’s warm to have family care for you.”

“Auntie Ning is the warm one. My ‘Mammy’ is a firecracker. It’s fine to stay a distance away, but she explodes as soon as you get close.”

“You shouldn’t talk about your mother like that.” Ning Xueqing laughed, yet she had never mentioned her own “other mother.” Ming Nuo had seen all her interviews; whenever the subject was broached, she avoided it entirely.

They returned to the living room and sat down. Ming Nuo made her a glass of lemon water. “You don’t know her. My ‘Mammy’ is the type whose concern leads to chaos. She overdoes it, especially when it comes to managing the love lives of the younger generation—she’s obsessed with arranging blind dates for everyone. I assume Auntie Ning doesn’t spend all day thinking about rushing someone to start a family?”

Ning Xueqing lowered her gaze and took a sip of water.

Ming Nuo continued: “My ‘Mammy’ always nags me with the same phrase: ‘You’re so unromantic, no Omega will ever like you.'”

Ning Xueqing: “And in reality? Many beautiful and capable Omegas have secret crushes on you. I know of quite a few myself.”

Ming Nuo spoke seriously: “That’s just fan mentality. They see artists through a filter.”

Ning Xueqing rested her elbow on the sofa armrest, propping her temple with her fingers. Her gaze lingered on Ming Nuo’s face. “Your house is so empty. Year after year… do you feel lonely? You’ve won all the awards you should win, you don’t rely on ‘girlfriend fans’ for your livelihood… have you never tried reaching out to a girl you like?”

Ming Nuo looked at her, remained silent for a moment, then smiled and shook her head.

“Last time you said… you like people older than you.”

“Um…” Ming Nuo straightened her back, tension rising.

Ning Xueqing set down her glass and reached out to lightly rest her hand on the back of Ming Nuo’s. “Be more confident. I think ‘Sisters’ find you particularly charming.”

Ming Nuo fell silent as she heard Ning Xueqing whisper in her ear:

“You did very well with me in the variety show, after all.”