Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 13

In the hazy darkness of the night, Ming Nuo called out Ning Xueqing’s name in a low voice. Her tone was slightly parched, adding a touch of magnetic sensuality to her husky voice.

Ning Xueqing, sitting on the edge of the sofa, lifted her crystalline peach-blossom eyes. As their gazes met, the uncomfortable dryness in Ming Nuo’s mouth prompted her to use the tip of her tongue to moisten her cracked lips.

Ning Xueqing stood up, walked to the dining table, and poured her a glass of pre-cooled boiled water.

“Thank you.” Ming Nuo tilted her head back and gulped it down. The water flowed past her parched throat, bringing a refreshing chill.

She pressed the cool enamel cup against her flushed face, feeling much more awake. She asked Ning Xueqing, “How come you’re awake? Where’s Mengmeng?”

Ning Xueqing didn’t sit back down on the wooden sofa; instead, she quietly moved a plastic stool over and sat beside Ming Nuo, continuing to fan her. “Sleeping. She’s sleeping quite soundly.”

The tile-roofed house only had one old-fashioned electric fan. A vertical wire mesh guarded three green iron blades, and the buttons were large squares that required a firm press to engage, spinning with a loud whoosh-whoosh-whoosh.

Naturally, the only fan had been given to Mengmeng.

The weather was sweltering without air conditioning. Ning Xueqing had applied talcum lotion to Mengmeng and set the fan to its lowest setting near the door for ventilation; only after lying beside her and fanning her manually did she manage to coax the child to sleep.

Ning Xueqing was a light sleeper; even the slightest rustle outside would wake her. She had been woken by some wild bird outside and, upon getting up to check, saw that Ming Nuo was sleeping fitfully, her brow furrowed and her face covered in sweat. So, she sat down to fan her.

Ning Xueqing said, “I’ll bring the fan over. It’ll be cooler in the latter half of the night, and Mengmeng usually doesn’t wake once she’s out.”

Ming Nuo hurriedly replied, “It’s fine, leave it in the bedroom for ventilation. It’s normal to sweat while sleeping in the summer. When I was a kid, our fan broke and I slept just like this. It’s no big deal.”

Ning Xueqing gazed at her with shimmering eyes for a moment before saying softly, “Then go back to sleep. I’ll fan you until you drift off.”

Ming Nuo paused, then sat up and shifted to the side. The spot where she had been lying was already toasted by her body heat.

As the fan swayed up and down, sending wisps of cool air across her face, Ming Nuo secretly took a few deep breaths. She could catch that trace of lime-mint fragrance in the breeze.

But only for a few seconds.

Ming Nuo’s throat felt much more lubricated; her voice was no longer as raspy as before, but a gentle whisper: “Sister Xueqing, thank you, but you really don’t have to do this. Go back and rest. You have a full day of tasks with the child tomorrow.”

Ning Xueqing’s hand slowed to a stop. She rested the fan on the wooden frame of the sofa and leaned in slightly, her exquisite jawline tilting toward Ming Nuo. “I don’t have to do… what?”

Ming Nuo’s breath hitched. Her fingers tightened behind her, clutching the towel-blanket as she leaned back imperceptibly. “Just… you don’t have to worry about me too much. We’re both adults; I don’t need special care.”

“You put so much heart into Mengmeng, so I naturally have to put my heart into you.” Ning Xueqing’s beautiful eyes were like sweet wine, sparkling in the light—a bit sweet, and a bit intoxicating.

As she spoke, her soft lips moved slightly, the corners of her mouth turning up in a faint smile. Points of moonlight seemed to dance on her long eyelashes.

Ming Nuo watched, mesmerized. Her fingertips felt an itch; she wanted to trace Ning Xueqing’s soft, white cheek and touch those lashes coated in moonlight and starlight.

Ning Xueqing tapped Ming Nuo’s hand lightly with the fan, smiling. “Even adults should take care of each other.”

Sensing that her long hair was making her chest feel hot, she brushed it away with her fingers. The strands fell back in silken layers, delicate and charming, releasing a faint pheromone scent.

Ming Nuo averted her eyes, focusing on the back of her hand. An agonizing itch rose in her heart—a restless heat that had nowhere to vent in the sweltering night. She could only use the ephemeral lime scent in the air to find a small measure of relief; it was both a comfort and a temptation…

“But I feel…” Ming Nuo hesitated. Even though she was hot, she was unwilling to tie her hair up because it would reveal her reddened earlobes.

Ning Xueqing raised her hand and slowly began fanning her again. The breeze lightly stirred Ming Nuo’s black hair. Ning Xueqing rested her chin on her other hand, studying her with a shallow, picturesque smile. “But you feel?”

Ming Nuo lowered her gaze, her voice very soft. “After Mengmeng talked to Little Pea, she started wanting her biological Mammy. She seems to be a bit… repelled by me.”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter. By the end, Ming Nuo forced a light smile to ease the tension. “Children naturally want both their parents with them, and I’m not her biological Mammy. So I feel I need to be more careful with boundaries when interacting with you and Mengmeng, otherwise she might get upset. She might think I’m the kind of ‘bad person’ Little Pea mentioned.”

Ming Nuo couldn’t bring herself to say the harsher words—to put it bluntly, a “homewrecker.”

She couldn’t tell if she was overthinking it, but Ming Nuo felt a slight dip in Ning Xueqing’s mood as she listened. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly.

Ning Xueqing’s expression went blank for an instant. Then, leaning on her hand, she shook her head with a smile. “That’s not it, Ming Nuo.”

“Hmm?”

Ning Xueqing’s brow was steady. Her composed smile gradually calmed Ming Nuo’s anxious heart.

Ning Xueqing said, “If you are close to me and Mengmeng, she won’t reject you just because you aren’t her biological Mammy. Similarly, if you distance yourself from us, she won’t like you more because of that gap; she’ll only wonder why you aren’t as warm as before. Children in single-parent families are sensitive; they need a stable environment filled with love. That’s why I need you, Mengmeng needs you, and our home needs you.”

Ming Nuo had an epiphany. That made sense.

Both being from single-parent families, Ning Xueqing had created a loving environment, raising Mengmeng into a bright, lively little angel. In contrast, despite her privileged background, Little Pea was often in a state of tension and fear due to a broken and complex family environment—which was very detrimental to a child’s growth.

Ming Nuo felt she had been overthinking. Just because of Mengmeng’s emotional gesture of not holding her hand, she had entertained the thought of retreating. It was wrong—cowardly, even.

Whether the child liked her and whether she was close to the child were two separate things. Even if Mengmeng truly rejected her, it wouldn’t change the fact that she loved Mengmeng and Ning Xueqing.

But why did Ning Xueqing use such a convoluted phrase like “because you feel you aren’t her biological Mammy”? The fact was, she wasn’t.

Convoluted as it was, Ming Nuo understood the sentiment. She nodded. “You’re right. Regardless of how Mengmeng sees me, we are a temporary family, and she is my little treasure.”

Ning Xueqing’s beautiful face blossomed into a radiant smile. “That’s right. We are a little family.”

She flattened her hand on the wooden sofa and hooked her pinky finger. “Come, let’s pinky swear.”

Ming Nuo obediently extended her pinky, gently and slowly resting it against the base of Ning Xueqing’s finger, like one cat hooking its tail around another’s.

Ming Nuo asked, “What are we promising?”

Ning Xueqing answered, “Promising that we are the best family.”

Ming Nuo’s eyes curved. “Okay.”

Ning Xueqing added seriously, “Before the show, I told Mengmeng that the Mystery Mammy would help us take first place and win lots of toys and treats.”

Ming Nuo nodded solemnly. “No problem.”

The atmosphere quieted. Ning Xueqing propped one elbow on the edge of the sofa and studied Ming Nuo for a while longer. Ming Nuo awkwardly touched her hair and cheek. Catching Ning Xueqing’s smiling eyes, she asked, “What is it?”

Ning Xueqing didn’t say anything, just shook her head.

Ming Nuo thought for a moment and said, “Go to sleep.” Fearing Ning Xueqing would insist on fanning her until she fell asleep, she tested: “The bedroom has the fan. Why don’t you give the cattail fan to me?”

Ning Xueqing continued to look at her, pondered for a second, and then handed the fan over.

Ming Nuo lay back down on the sofa, pulling the towel-blanket over her stomach. She held up the fan for Ning Xueqing to see. “This is perfect.”

“Mm.” Ning Xueqing sat on the small stool, turning her head to look out the window. she wasn’t in a hurry to go back to the bedroom, nor did she disturb Ming Nuo.

Ming Nuo asked, “Aren’t you going to rest?”

Ning Xueqing leaned her head against the wall. “Can’t sleep. I want to wait until I’m a bit sleepier.”

Ming Nuo wasn’t particularly sleepy anymore either. Since she was lying there anyway, she might as well talk to Ning Xueqing. “Want to chat for a bit?”

Ning Xueqing seemed prepared: “How have you been these past few years?”

Ming Nuo chuckled inwardly. Ning Xueqing had stolen her opening line; now what was she supposed to ask? She’d just answer whatever Sister Xueqing asked.

Ming Nuo turned onto her side, her back against the sofa cushions, finding the most comfortable position. “It’s been alright. I’m earning money, I’m fed, and I have more dignity than before. I’ve learned quite a few rules of the entertainment industry. It’s just much more exhausting than before, and it’s getting harder and harder to protect my privacy.”

Ning Xueqing looked back, a mischievous smile curving her lips. “I heard your mother has arranged many blind dates for you?”

Ming Nuo: “?”

Who leaked that?

See, she was just complaining about privacy, and it was immediately proven. How did even Ning Xueqing know about Ming Yan’s obsession with matchmaking? There hadn’t been any gossip reports about it…

“Xing Cai told me,” Ning Xueqing said quite frankly. Her eyebrows twitched, like a lark fluttering on a branch. “So, did you see any young girls you liked?”

Young girls.

Ming Nuo realized that since Ning Xueqing was five years older and had debuted much earlier, it was only natural for her to categorize Ming Nuo and her date prospects as “young girls”—juniors of that age group. Having her seniority “demoted” so passively made her feel as if her distance from Ning Xueqing had widened.

Ming Nuo’s tone dropped a bit. “No. I like people older than me.”

I like you.

Ning Xueqing let out a small “Ah,” smiling but saying nothing. She blinked a few times and yawned. “Ming Nuo, teach me a lullaby. I want to learn one to sing for Mengmeng.”

Ming Nuo agreed and sang the simplest lullaby she knew.

By the time the song ended, Ning Xueqing was leaning quietly against the wall, her long curly hair falling forward to hide her soft, sleeping face.

“Xueqing? Ning Xueqing?”

Ming Nuo called out a few times in a low voice. There was no response. She stood up, walked over to Ning Xueqing, and waved a hand. Ning Xueqing’s eyes remained closed; she was fast asleep.

Raising a child must be so exhausting, Ming Nuo thought, her heart aching for Ning Xueqing’s slender frame. An Omega raising a child alone all these years—she must have suffered so much.

She couldn’t let Ning Xueqing sleep sitting up in the living room.

Ming Nuo sniffled, slipped one arm behind Ning Xueqing’s back and the other under her knees, gently picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.

She was so light.

The bedroom smelled faintly of mosquito coils. The electric fan stirred the white mosquito net. Mengmeng was sprawled across the mat, sleeping sweetly.

Ming Nuo reached the bedside and carefully laid Ning Xueqing down. She helped lift the hair caught behind her back, her fingers running through the voluminous strands. The sweet lime-mint scent drifted into Ming Nuo’s nose.

Ning Xueqing’s pheromones smelled so good.

Ming Nuo leaned over, her gaze deep. Suddenly, a pair of arms reached up to her shoulders. Ning Xueqing hooked her hands around Ming Nuo’s neck and pulled her down. Her half-open peach-blossom eyes shimmered like rippling water. Softness collided with softness. In the sweltering summer night, their overlapping bodies grew increasingly hot.