Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 11

This is not a question Ming Nuo can answer first.

She looked toward Ning Xueqing with an honest, expectant gaze. What would she say? That they were just partners on a show, not a real couple, and therefore couldn’t sleep together? Surely a child could understand that.

Ming Nuo ran through several possible responses in her mind, pursing her lips.

Ning Xueqing met Ming Nuo’s eyes with a gaze as soft as water. Ming Nuo instinctively looked down, her lashes fluttering. Ning Xueqing’s lips curved as she turned toward Mengmeng, crouching down to speak to her.

“Mengmeng, if Mommy and Nuo Nuo Mammy sleep together, would you be okay with that?”

Mengmeng pouted her pink lips and tugged on her little braids with a small hand. “Hmm…” She looked very conflicted.

Children this age are in the stage of exploring and establishing their autonomy; they are often very possessive of the people and things around them. Suddenly being asked if she was willing to let her mother sleep with a “Trainee Mammy” she had just met made her worry that someone was going to steal her mother away.

Ning Xueqing had decided to turn the child’s question into a choice for the child.

After thinking for a long time, Mengmeng shook her head and said to Ming Nuo, “I’m sorry, Nuo Nuo Mammy. I like you very much, and I like traveling with you, but Mommy is mine. Mommy can only sleep with me.”

The girl’s innocent voice was pleasant to hear, but Ming Nuo felt a tiny, soft thorn prick her heart. She smiled and replied, “That’s okay, Mengmeng. I like you too. We’re going to have so much fun on this trip.”

“Yay!” Mengmeng skipped in a circle, placed her thank-you drawing for the fruit farmer on the counter, and went to get yogurt from the old fridge. “Nuo Nuo Mammy, I’m going to make you a peach yogurt bowl to say thank you for the gifts!”

Ming Nuo responded, “Great, I’ll get some clean bowls.”

As she pulled three bowls from the top cabinet to rinse them, she heard Ning Xueqing whisper beside her, “There’s only one bed in the bedroom. It’s quite large. It might be a bit uncomfortable for you, but the three of us might have to squeeze in tonight.”

Ming Nuo understood that Ning Xueqing was trying to comfort her and felt grateful, but she hadn’t entertained even a hint of an overstepping thought from the beginning.

“It’s no problem. The bed is for you and Mengmeng. I’ll sleep on the sofa outside.”

“But that sofa is so hard…”

“It’s really fine. I grew up sleeping on hard wooden beds; I’m used to it.” Ming Nuo looked up at the camera in the corner of the ceiling. “Is it recording now?”

Ning Xueqing pointed to a small green light. “It’s recording.”

Ming Nuo spoke toward the camera: “I’m requesting that this part be edited out later.”

Ning Xueqing laughed. “Why?”

Ming Nuo drained the washed bowls. “I’m a special guest, a Trainee Mammy. ‘Trainee’ means I’m here to learn, not that I’m a real mother. Regardless of whether Mengmeng wants to be close to me, it’s generally inconvenient for a differentiated Alpha and Omega to share a bed. So whether it’s the sofa, the floor, or a tent later on, I’m fine with it.”

Ming Nuo paused, wondering how the other temporary family would handle the sleeping arrangements. Every small home should be set up similarly; surely it wasn’t just their place that had only one bed.

She would find out soon enough.

At 10:30 AM, the loudspeaker installed outside the tile-roofed house broadcasted a notification: “Will all families please take the note attached to your front door and follow the prompts to find the Town Committee? We will gather at the Town Committee Square!”

When they heard the notice, Ming Nuo was teaching Mengmeng how to fold simple paper hearts.

“Mommy, Nuo Nuo Mammy, it’s time to gather!” Mengmeng sat on the bed with her bare feet, dangling her legs to find her small leather shoes on the floor.

Ning Xueqing brought over a pair of cotton socks and sneakers. “Mengmeng, change into these. They’re better for activities.”

“Okay!”

Ming Nuo sat nearby, wanting to help her with her socks, but Mengmeng said, “Nuo Nuo Mammy, I can do it myself.”

Ming Nuo smiled sheepishly. “Mengmeng is so capable.” She had read many books before the show, but she had never raised a child and didn’t yet know the details of what children of different ages could do. The road for a Trainee Mammy was long and arduous.

Mengmeng finished putting on her shoes and socks and jumped off the bed. Without being told, she put on her yellow duck hat and her water bottle.

“Yay! I’m going to play with Little Pea!” Mengmeng ran excitedly to open the door and grab the note. “Hurry up, you two!”

“Coming.” Ning Xueqing waited for Ming Nuo to fasten her chest bag before they followed. Ning Xueqing grabbed the shoulder strap of Mengmeng’s water bottle from behind. “Give the water bottle to Mommy?”

Mengmeng looked up. “I want to carry it myself. Little Pea carries hers herself.”

Ning Xueqing’s voice was gentle. “You like Little Pea that much?”

“Mm! I like Little Pea the best!”

“What about the other kids?”

“I still like Little Pea the best.”

Ming Nuo hadn’t participated in the first gathering at the village entrance with the other families. The other children had only been introduced by their formal names in the trailer, so she didn’t know their nicknames. She asked Ning Xueqing, “Who is Little Pea?”

Ning Xueqing chatted with Ming Nuo as they walked behind Mengmeng. “Little Pea is Chi Shu’s daughter. She’s also five, about half a year older than Mengmeng. Mengmeng says Little Pea’s princess dresses are very pretty, so she likes her a lot.”

“Mengmeng is so sweet.” Ming Nuo was happy to praise her own little treasure.

Chi Shu was a single Alpha, a “bad-drama vase” who had taken the notoriety route a few years ago. Even as an outsider, Ming Nuo could tell she had absolutely no acting skills. Yet, this “vase” somehow had massive traffic, and her die-hard fans were the fiercest in the entertainment industry—period. The most controversial point was that Chi Shu publicly admitted her resources were granted by a wealthy ex-girlfriend. She also admitted her acting was poor, seriously replied to netizens’ suggestions on how to improve, and posted practice videos on her official account. As for the insults, she let people say whatever made them happy.

Ming Nuo hadn’t met her but remembered seeing a variety show clip where she was quite funny. It seemed the production team had intentionally chosen two controversial single parents. Chi Shu was currently even “darker” than Ning Xueqing in terms of reputation. Ming Nuo wondered which Omega would be willing to partner with her as a Trainee Mammy.

When they reached a fork in the road, Mengmeng and Ning Xueqing stopped. Ming Nuo had the note in her hand; she had memorized the map so well she didn’t even need the clues. “I’ll lead the way,” Ming Nuo said.

Ning Xueqing held Mengmeng’s hand, following behind. “There are two other children. Xing Cai’s daughter is six, named Nora.”

“Yes, I know that one.”

“Xing Cai is your junior, after all. Director Xiao’s child is the youngest, four years old. Her nickname is Pineapple Cake.”

Mengmeng: “Mommy, I want to eat pineapple cakes.”

Ning Xueqing’s eyes curved with a smile. “After we finish filming this week, I’ll ask Grandma to make them for you when we get home, okay?”

“Okay!” Mengmeng looked at Ming Nuo, then back at her mother. “Can Nuo Nuo Mammy come home to eat them with us?”

Ning Xueqing: “Why don’t you ask Nuo Nuo Mammy yourself?”

Ming Nuo quickly replied, “If baby Mengmeng is inviting me, I’ll definitely go.”

Mengmeng took both Ning Xueqing’s and Ming Nuo’s hands and gave them a swing. “Then it’s settled. We’ll go home together next week to eat pineapple cakes.”

Thankfully, little Pineapple Cake wasn’t there yet. She hated it when people talked about eating pineapple cakes.

With Ming Nuo acting as a living map, Mengmeng’s family was the first to arrive at the square. Second was Xing Cai’s family, followed by Director Xiao Qian’s family. Arriving late and bickering were… Chi Shu and a woman dressed in breezy clothes, with a little girl in a princess dress trailing behind them, crying.

Ming Nuo didn’t recognize the woman; she must be Chi Shu’s special guest, someone not from the entertainment industry. The paths through the fields were hard to walk, and with many activities in the show, Little Pea was wearing leather shoes. Her feet were sore, and she was walking awkwardly. It seemed neither Chi Shu nor her partner knew how to take care of a child. Poor Little Pea.

Mengmeng saw Little Pea and immediately ran over to hug her. “Little Pea!” Seeing her wiping away tears, she asked, “Why are you crying?”

Little Pea sniffled. “I don’t want a Guest Mammy! She hit my Mammy!”

Everyone turned to look. “…”

Looking closely, there was indeed a bit of red slowly dripping from under Chi Shu’s nose. She was slightly bowing her head and pinching the bridge of her nose.

Chi Shu’s partner quickly explained, “It’s a misunderstanding. The electricity in our house is broken. It was pitch black, and she was crouching behind the door looking suspicious. I thought she was a thief and hit her with a Tiger-style punch. I’m such a fragile Omega, right? My movements were very light.”

Chi Shu raised her hand and spoke with a nasally voice, “Auntie, take the house. I’ll live in the melon shack. I’ve lived my life devoted to Buddha and kindness; I just want to survive with all my limbs intact.”

Ming Nuo sighed inwardly. It seemed not every single-parent family’s partner got along harmoniously. Her own family had the gentle Ning Xueqing and the adorable Mengmeng. It was wonderful. So lucky.

Once all four families were gathered, the host began introducing the rules of Miraculous Town.

“Welcome to Miraculous Town. I am your guide for this journey.”

“Miraculous Town is the starting point of our trip. You must work hard here to earn ‘Miraculous Vouchers.’ You need to collect enough to start the Miraculous Tour Bus.”

“Similarly, your daily supplies must be exchanged for Miraculous Vouchers. The staff has already removed the snacks and toys from your temporary homes. Children, you must work hard to win those vouchers!”

After the introduction, the director announced the first task: exchange the agricultural products from your temporary homes with the town’s residents for Miraculous Vouchers.

Ming Nuo and her group, of course, were using peaches. With Ming Nuo’s help, picking peaches was much easier. Ming Nuo set up a ladder to reach the high ones and handed them to Ning Xueqing, who passed them to Mengmeng to put in the bamboo basket.

When one tree was cleared, Ming Nuo climbed down the ladder. Ning Xueqing held the ladder steady from below, reminding her to go slow.

The noon sun was at its peak. When Ming Nuo reached the ground, damp strands of hair clung to her forehead and cheeks, and large beads of sweat rolled down. She gripped the bamboo ladder and looked toward the next peach tree, raising her arm to wipe the sweat out of her eyes with her shoulder.

A cooling dampness touched her cheek, gently wiping the sweat from her temple, then moving slowly down her jawline.

Ming Nuo froze. She looked to her side. Ning Xueqing was looking up at her without blinking, carefully wiping away the sweat with a wet wipe.

From her vantage point, Ming Nuo’s gaze swept over Ning Xueqing’s seductive features and the snowy, delicate skin below her collarbone. Ning Xueqing’s own collar was damp with sweat, and a drop of water was about to slide down into the hollow of her neck.

Ming Nuo closed her eyes tightly and turned her head away. Ning Xueqing raised her hand and leaned closer, her soft touch brushing against Ming Nuo’s arm, her fingers wielding the wet wipe as they grazed the sensitive area behind Ming Nuo’s ear.