Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 22

Ming Nuo’s ears felt itchy.

Her mind went blank, a silly smile hung on her face, and she simply watched Ning Xueqing in silence. The woman before her returned the gaze with a gentle smile of her own.

In the midst of this tranquility, it felt as if the speed of sunlight passing through the air had slowed down. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, chirping birds flew by. Ning Xueqing checked the time and stood up. “Mengmeng’s class is almost over; I should head back. I’ll contact you tomorrow once the medicine is ready.”

Two hours had passed without them noticing. Ming Nuo was surprised by how fast the time had flown and reluctantly saw Ning Xueqing to the door.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Ning Xueqing rolled down the window. “Thank you for having me. I’m very happy.”

Ming Nuo waved. “Thank you for your and Auntie Ning’s gifts. Drive safely.”

“See you tomorrow.”

At 4:30 PM, the daylight was still bright. On the streets, traffic lights flickered, and the flow of cars was unending. The early summer heat rose from the green leaves of the roadside trees.

On her way home, Ning Xueqing took a detour to the pharmacy. As soon as she entered her house, she placed a large bag of items in the kitchen.

Ning Zhixuan, wearing her reading glasses, came over to look. “You went to deliver a gift, so why did you bring more things back?”

Ning Xueqing: “Mom, I bought two pounds of wild honeysuckle. Since it’s summer, boiling it into water will clear heat and reduce internal fire.”

Ning Zhixuan rummaged through the bag of herbs, wondering why her daughter—who never cared for traditional health preservation—was suddenly tinkering with this. It wasn’t until she started brewing the medicine that night and looked at the photo of the Ming family matriarch’s notes that she began to laugh. The medicine was organized by the mother, but the affection was being delivered by the daughter.

To taste the sweetness of love, one must first endure the bitterness of the medicine.

Ms. Ning Zhixuan was very meticulous. When she handed the thermos of herbal medicine to Ning Xueqing, she also had her take a flask of the honeysuckle tea to give to Ming Nuo as well. This way, Ming Nuo would know Ning Xueqing was telling the “truth”—that she really did have the habit of brewing herbal teas—rather than it being an excuse to see Ming Nuo more often.

The break week was more than half over. In two days, the Miraculous Journey tour bus would pick up all the guests and head to the first travel destination.

The destination was kept secret for now, but the production team had sent out notices regarding precautions and an equipment checklist to all parents in advance. As soon as the news came out, Xing Cai called Ming Nuo to invite her to an outdoor specialty store to shop for children’s supplies.

“Where’s Professor Du?”

Ming Nuo had just finished a bowl of throat medicine. It was so bitter her tongue felt astringent. She scooped a spoonful of autumn pear paste into her mouth to let her tongue recover.

Xing Cai’s voice carried a deep sense of sleepiness and exhaustion: “Her? She went back to school right after we finished the first session.”

Ming Nuo’s studio had given her a total leave of absence, so she didn’t need to juggle other work during the break weeks of the variety show. However, the other guests were different; everyone was busy with their own affairs.

Ming Nuo hesitated for a moment and said, “She still has students at school, after all. But since you two are bringing a child onto the show and the production notice is out, you should set a time to go together.”

Xing Cai: “I told her, but she said she can’t get away because of makeup classes. She told me to take Nora shopping and transferred several tens of thousands of yuan to me. It’s not about the money, is it? Besides, although my family background isn’t as good as hers, it’s not like I can’t earn my own.”

Ming Nuo exhaled a quiet breath. She used to listen to Xing Cai complain about her wife and thought Du Heng was some kind of work-obsessed robot who only got married and had a daughter to complete a mission, not caring about the child’s education at all. But after interacting with her on the show, Ming Nuo’s impression of Du Heng had changed. Being able to teach the “little terror” Nora to be polite and helpful in such a short time meant Du Heng couldn’t be too bad of a “Mammy.”

Ming Nuo tried to persuade Xing Cai to communicate: “Why don’t you ask about her class schedule? You set the time, place, and shopping list, and tell her it won’t take long—”

“It’s too much trouble; I’d rather just go myself,” Xing Cai said, dismissing the suggestion.

Ming Nuo swallowed her words. “Alright then.”

Xing Cai asked, “Senior, don’t you need to buy anything for Mengmeng?”

Mengmeng’s things would surely be prepared thoroughly by Ning Xueqing and Ning Zhixuan; there was no need for Ming Nuo to worry. However, whether Ming Nuo needed to worry was one thing, and whether she proactively cared was another.

Ming Nuo said, “I do. Which outdoor store? Send me the location.”

Xing Cai immediately perked up: “CYAN Outdoors, 89 Tiannanxing Road. I’ll wait for you at ten o’clock, Senior!”

Usually, Ming Nuo’s clothing was handled by assistants. Brands would invite her to new collection shows or come to her for custom fittings; she almost never went shopping and was more accustomed to buying things online.

Tiannanxing Road was a hub for luxury malls, where many wealthy people and celebrities loved to spend. Xing Cai was a regular there, frequently inviting Ming Nuo for afternoon tea. Ming Nuo, however, preferred the Tide-Watching Pavilion at the mouth of the Shenjiang River—fewer people, a view of the great river surging into the sea, and a refreshing sea breeze.

The mall’s parking lot was on the roof. Ming Nuo took the glass elevator down from the top floor. As the doors slid open, she saw Xing Cai pushing a packed shopping cart, with Nora poking at her heels with a trekking pole. Xing Cai was so annoyed she was hitting the girl’s head with a sun hat.

“If you cause any more trouble, I’m going to give your cat to another kid when we get home!”

“You’re not allowed! You’re not allowed to touch my Mimi! I’m telling Mommy!”

“Mommy, Mommy—it’s always your Mommy. Who takes care of your eating, drinking, and sleeping every day? Your Mommy stays away from home for a month, takes you to the Science and Technology Museum once, and you forget all about your mother? You little ungrateful thing!”

“Mommy never scolds me, and she takes me to eat whatever I want, unlike you, who forces me to drink vegetable juice every day.”

Xing Cai put her hands on her hips. “Vegetable juice is good for you; it provides vitamins! Your Mommy only knows how to give you junk food. When you’re sick, I’m the one who takes you to the doctor.”

Nora made a disgusted face. “Yue!”

Xing Cai caught her and swatted her bottom. “Still acting up?”

Ming Nuo waited nearby for the mother and daughter to resolve their internal conflict, not daring to disturb them. Nora saw her first and shouted happily, “Auntie Ming!”

“Nora, what did you and your mom pick out?”

“Lots of things!” Nora pushed the cart toward Ming Nuo, showing her the new eye masks, headlamps, and hiking boots she’d chosen. She asked, “Auntie Ming, are you here to buy hiking gear for Sister Mengmeng? Why didn’t she come?”

Ming Nuo paused. Children didn’t understand the complexities of the adult world. In the child’s eyes, Ming Nuo, Ning Xueqing, and Mengmeng traveling together as a temporary family meant they were a real family, and a family of three should go shopping together.

Xing Cai said to Nora, “Sister Mengmeng is in an interest class. You think everyone is like you—hating study and only knowing how to play?”

Nora huffed, her lip pouting high. “Your grades weren’t even good; you can’t talk about me.”

Ming Nuo stepped in to help Xing Cai: “Nora, your mother is very good at singing and dancing. She has a lot of fans.”

Nora said, “Well, I raise my kitten very well, and I can draw dinosaur skeletons and recognize many butterflies and beetles. Why does Mama get to say I only know how to play?”

Ming Nuo: “Um… you are also very great.”

Nora smiled, showing her missing teeth. “Exactly! That’s what my Mommy says too!”

Xing Cai: “…” She shot Ming Nuo a look that seemed to say: Senior, are you here to help me or not?

Xing Cai rubbed her daughter’s head. “Whatever. We’re filming the show in three days. You must finish the homework your teacher assigned by tomorrow, okay?”

Nora leaned back, slipping out from under her hand. “I know!”

Ming Nuo looked around the store. Ning Xueqing would have certainly bought the basic equipment; she really didn’t know what else she could add. Xing Cai had a membership card for the children’s playground; after sending Nora off to play, she ordered two sets of tea and snacks. They sat under a tree in the atrium, separated into a quiet space by vine screens.

Xing Cai saw her empty hands. “Didn’t find anything? I’ll have the sales assistant pick out a set for you based on what I got.”

Ming Nuo politely declined. “I’ll look around some more in a bit.”

Xing Cai sipped her berry tea through a straw. “Or you could look at the big items like tents. It doesn’t have to be specifically for the kid; you could upgrade the overall hardware for your trip.”

Xing Cai pointed toward the adult outdoor section opposite them. “There are double tents with partitions and even a small living room area. The quality is great and the style is pretty, though they’re complex to set up and heavy to carry. I saw Chi Shu buying the largest size the other day, along with a lot of medicine for bruises and strains.”

Ming Nuo: “?”

“Her? We’re going on a trip, not into a life-or-death wilderness zone.”

Xing Cai shrugged. “Maybe she developed a psychological shadow from being ‘accidentally’ injured by Ji Lang.”

Ming Nuo asked, “Did you buy one?”

Xing Cai: “My family doesn’t need one. Du Heng used to have a large tent; I’ll just bring that one.”

Ming Nuo thought about it and decided to buy a simple partitioned tent. She couldn’t sleep in the same bed as Ning Xueqing, but it wouldn’t look good for a “temporary family” to have two separate tents. One that was too large would be hard to set up, but a simple one was just right. She added some sleeping bags, portable utensils, and such.

She also picked out some items for Mengmeng—basic consumables that would be useful even if they had extras. Seeing her repeatedly check the material list of the children’s products and compare them against international green standards, Xing Cai let out a soft “tsk.”

Ming Nuo turned around. “What?”

Xing Cai hesitated.

Ming Nuo smiled. “If you have something you’re not sure if you should say, I’ll choose for you: don’t say it. I’m guessing it’s nothing good.”

Xing Cai took the children’s knee pads from her hand and set them aside. “Seeing how heart-and-soul invested you are right now, I really have to say it.”

Ming Nuo looked up, her expression turning serious. “Go ahead.”

Xing Cai looked around, led her to a hidden corner, and lowered her voice: “Don’t I have a relative at Gold Universe TV? After the first episode of Miraculous Journey aired, their executives had a dinner. One of them, who is close to my relative, let something slip.”

“Does it have to do with me?” Ming Nuo’s hands hung by her sides, her fingers lightly picking at her knuckles.

Xing Cai’s gaze was complex. She cupped her hands and whispered a few sentences into Ming Nuo’s ear, immediately pulling back and watching her reaction with a solemn face.

Ming Nuo’s eyelashes fluttered. At first, her expression was one of shock, followed by a hint of joy, then doubt and worry, before finally settling into calmness.

Xing Cai waited for her to be silent for a while before waving a hand in front of her eyes. “Senior, don’t go asking Ning Xueqing about this. Don’t tell her.”

Ming Nuo’s expression was serene. “I know.”

Ming Nuo walked to the display and put the knee pads she had just selected into her cart.

Xing Cai followed. “I think the reason Ning Xueqing did this was because she wanted to find a partner to help raise her child. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she have just discussed it with you beforehand and told you she had specified you as the special guest? Chi Shu didn’t specify anyone; the production team chose Ji Lang for her, and Chi Shu proactively contacted Ji Lang that same day to ask if she was willing, worried about anti-fans bothering her. Out of the two temporary families, only you were kept in the dark.”

“This proves Ning Xueqing didn’t want you to know she chose you. She was afraid you’d mind her recent poor reputation and refuse to participate, so she was testing whether you were willing to sacrifice for her. I’m not saying Ning Xueqing’s intentions are bad, but thinking from the perspective of a mother in a ‘widowed-style’ education setup, I think what Ning Xueqing wants is a ‘guarantee of family completeness’ for the child, which is different from the emotional connection you want. Before, I didn’t understand her and thought it was great since she’d helped you and you had a chance to collaborate, but I didn’t expect her to be so dishonest.”

“Senior, if you keep being this invested, I’m afraid you’ll end up very hurt in the end. And, what if the person she had a child with—”

Ming Nuo suddenly turned toward Xing Cai. “What if… it’s because she likes me?”

“Who?”

A melodic voice came from behind.

Ming Nuo and Xing Cai both turned around. Ning Xueqing was walking over gracefully, holding a payment receipt, her smile bright and charming.