Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 43

Ning Xueqing was still a bit dazed after catching a chill. The medicine she took had a sedative effect, so after moving to the warm inner side of the bed, she quickly fell into a deep sleep.

Ming Nuo tucked the quilt around Ning Xueqing and the child. The curtains weren’t fully drawn; she lay on her side, gazing at the grassland in the dark night outside the window. The stars in the sky were incredibly bright, like fluorite powder scattered into an inkstone of black ink.

After Ming Nuo’s mother passed away, her Mammy told her that Mama would live on the brightest star in the sky. Whichever star was brighter, Mama would move there, so that they could see her whenever they looked up at the night sky from Earth.

In the past, Mammy was busy with work, holding several jobs. Mama’s health wasn’t great, so she stayed home after work to tutor Ming Nuo in her schoolwork and teach her many life skills. Among those skills were how to care for the sick and how to make friends with children. Since Mama was a preschool teacher, she was quite experienced with four- and five-year-olds, though she hadn’t taught Ming Nuo how to handle infants.

Ming Nuo hadn’t been there to witness Mengmeng’s infancy, but she could put her whole heart into her growth from now on.

The summer grassland was vibrant, filled with the constant chirping of insects. Ming Nuo turned to glance at the sleeping Omega and child, let out a yawn, and fell asleep facing them with a heart full of peace.

The first night at Yao Chi Pasture passed well. Aside from the stone house not being great at retaining heat—making it a bit cold at night—everything else was fine.

Nora said the wooden cabin was old and damp, with some parts infested by woodworms and lots of mosquitoes. Luckily, she wasn’t afraid of bugs, but the bites were uncomfortable. At Pineapple Cake’s place, the concrete bungalow had no major issues, except that the bathroom was a separate structure outside the house, making it inconvenient for nighttime trips or showers. After crying twice, Little Pea finally reluctantly accepted the large nomadic tent. Her biggest grievance was the shepherd dog lying in front of the tent; it loved to rush over and paw at her whenever it saw her, scaring her so much she would dive into the adults’ arms.

According to the program’s requirements, each cottage was equipped with a notification speaker. Before bed last night, an announcement had been made for breakfast at the reception hall at 8:30 AM.

Ming Nuo’s biological clock woke her up early. As the sun rose, the temperature began to climb. The stone house absorbed heat quickly, and the room soon became stuffy. She opened the windows to the maximum for ventilation, washed up, and went out for a walk. She saw Ning Xueqing’s assistant and the on-set director walking toward her.

Ming Nuo checked her watch; it was only seven. Hadn’t they said breakfast was at 8:30?

The assistant greeted Ming Nuo from a distance: “Teacher Nuo! Is Sister Qing not with you?”

Ming Nuo smiled slightly. “She caught a bit of a chill and took some medicine last night. She’s still resting.”

“Oh, is she better?” the assistant asked worriedly. “I’ll call the medical team over.”

Ming Nuo had felt Ning Xueqing’s forehead last night and knew it wasn’t serious. Seeing her sleeping face this morning, her complexion looked good as well. She said, “She’s better. I’ll have the doctor check on her later.”

“As long as she’s better.” The assistant turned to speak to the person behind her. Only then did Ming Nuo notice a young man behind them wearing traditional plateau ethnic clothing.

“Hello, my name is Azat. I work for the Xialingshan Agricultural Assistance Office. Starting the year before last, Xixue has been vigorously supporting the integrated development of agriculture, forestry, fishing, animal husbandry, and the modern economy. Our Yao Chi Pasture has launched many pilot projects.”

Azat took a bottle of freshly produced pasteurized milk from his green satchel. “This is our main product, Xixue Plateau Milk. It has just entered the market and doesn’t have much brand awareness yet. We need influential people to help us promote it.”

Azat’s attitude was sincere. “Teacher Ming Nuo, many people here are fans of your songs and fans of Teacher Ning’s movies. After discussion by our leadership department, we would like to invite you, Teacher Ning, and her daughter to film a simple advertisement with the theme of ‘family nutritional life.’ We hope to get your permission.”

Ah, this. An artist’s commercial activities are usually handled by their manager. Although Cen Hong had given her some autonomy to make decisions, official cooperation of this nature still required a formal process.

Ning Xueqing’s assistant was highly experienced. One look at Ming Nuo’s expression and she knew what she was worried about. She quickly said, “Teacher Nuo, don’t worry. The Agricultural Assistance Office already sent the cooperation documents to Manager Cen yesterday. Because time is tight and Xialingshan only decided to add a promotional video before the livestream goes live because Miraculous Journey is here filming, we decided to film first and complete the paperwork later. As long as you and Teacher Ning agree, we only need two hours this morning.”

“It just so happens that everyone needs to eat breakfast. We’ll just eat here at the cottage. In addition to the Xixue Plateau Milk, we’ve prepared many Yao Chi Pasture specialties, like medicinal flower honey, nut leba (bread), smoked horse sausage, and rainbow trout steaks.”

The assistant’s description made Ming Nuo hungry. After confirming the compliance with Cen Hong, she agreed on her end. If Ning Xueqing agreed when she woke up, they would film. She had read the short script for the promotional video and actually liked it.

Promoting family nutrition and health—it was just like the ads often seen on TV: the mother makes breakfast, the child eats it with a satisfied smile, and the family of three hugs together, facing the camera to say it tastes good and is nutritious. It was simple and lacked novelty, but Ming Nuo really loved the feeling of simulating a warm family routine.

It was a case of wanting something she didn’t have—the more she lacked it, the more she wanted to experience it. Even pretending to be a family would allow her to be a “happy Mammy” for three months.

The group walked toward the stone cottage. Ming Nuo suddenly asked, “Is there a deadline for finishing the shoot?”

The on-set director paused, thought for a moment, and said, “Before lunch, probably. There are activities in the afternoon.”

Ming Nuo said, “Can we wake Ning Xueqing at 7:30? Let her sleep for another half hour.”

Usually, Ning Xueqing woke at seven. Since she had taken medicine the night before, every extra bit of sleep counted.

The assistant also wanted Ning Xueqing to rest more, but with so many people here…

Azat smiled and immediately said, “Of course, of course. You all rest first. We happen to need to prepare the props anyway. I’ll come back in half an hour; riding a horse is very fast.”

Ming Nuo felt like she had just heard about a very niche mode of transport. Riding a horse? Transport here wasn’t counted in vehicles, but in head of livestock?! She was actually getting a bit curious.

Ming Nuo returned to the cottage. Ning Xueqing was already awake, though still a bit groggy. Seeing Ming Nuo open the door and enter, she reached out from under the covers and beckoned her with a finger, as if her dream hadn’t quite ended.

Ming Nuo brushed off the morning dew, bringing the fragrance of green grass to the bedside. She leaned over slightly, her gaze soft as she whispered good morning.

“Biu!” Ning Xueqing suddenly poked her forehead with her index finger and pressed down slightly.

Ming Nuo: “?”

Having just woken up, Ning Xueqing’s voice was a bit raspy. “Are your eyebrows… drawn this thick on purpose?”

Others had “morning breath” or “morning grumpiness”; Ning Xueqing had “morning mischief.” Ming Nuo thought it was adorable. She couldn’t tell if Ning Xueqing liked it or disliked it, so she answered honestly: “No, they’re natural.”

Ning Xueqing: “Oh! I thought you did it on purpose. They’re so good-looking, I always want to look at them.”

Ming Nuo froze, instinctively raising a hand to touch her eyebrows. Her eyebrows combined the soft shape of her Mama’s with the thick, dark brows of her Mammy. They were striking and bright; many makeup artists had praised them, saying they didn’t even need shaping—just a quick brush of powder.

But she hadn’t expected Ning Xueqing to praise her like that. The way she said it… made one feel quite self-conscious.

Ming Nuo used the act of grabbing clothes for her to hide her blushing face and changed the subject: “Is your cold better?”

Ning Xueqing changed into her clothes under the covers. “It didn’t really start. You took care of me last night, after all. Luckily you were here, otherwise I was afraid I’d pass it to Mengmeng.”

“The medical team will come by later to check on you. When I came back just now, I ran into your assistant. She brought people from the Agricultural Assistance Office; they want us to film a product promotion for them.”

“Ah… my manager mentioned to me that the assistant would come by this morning to discuss something. She agreed, so this must be it.”

“You agree?”

“It’s a simple favor. But I need to see the script first and ask Mengmeng if she’s willing.”

The two of them tidied up the room and coaxed Mengmeng to wake up and wash. Azat and the others arrived shortly after. Mengmeng hadn’t even seen the script, but seeing the staff bring milk, honey, and nut bread, she immediately smacked her lips and said she was willing!

The requirement for the promotional video was to be “real” and “close to life” for broadcast on livestreaming platforms. It was a low-budget production, and the filming was simple and swift.

The filming location was inside the stone cottage. The photographer specifically chose an angle where the kitchen diagonal faced the snow-capped mountains and grasslands outside the window. Steeds galloped, cattle and sheep wandered leisurely, and steam rose from the stove inside. Ning Xueqing had her hair in a bun and was wearing an apron, preparing breakfast.

Mengmeng had her hair in cute multi-strand braids and sat at the dining table, spreading shimmering honey on slices of nut bread. Ming Nuo carried a bucket of freshly milked milk and a bouquet of flowers picked from the meadow. She entered the room and presented the flowers to Ning Xueqing.

Ning Xueqing turned her head and smiled. The camera pushed in, capturing the affectionate gaze she directed at Ming Nuo. Ming Nuo placed the flowers in a vase, poured the fresh milk into a milk pot, and embraced Ning Xueqing from behind. Her right hand covered the back of Ning Xueqing’s hand, guiding her as they stirred the milk in the pot in circles.

Ning Xueqing stood at the stove, her back pressed against Ming Nuo’s warm, soft chest. The milk pot emitted steam, and her hand—held tightly by Ming Nuo—also emitted heat…

Ning Xueqing was thin, slightly anemic, and hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. The heat surrounding her made her a bit dizzy. When trying to avoid the steam, she backed up a bit too abruptly, leaning her entire body into Ming Nuo’s embrace.

Her wrist tightened. In her daze, Ning Xueqing looked down. Ming Nuo’s right arm was around her, and her left hand was gently supporting her waist.

Amidst the mellow scent of milk, Ning Xueqing smelled a faint trace of cherry. Her gaze couldn’t help but fall on Ming Nuo’s rounded earlobe. Under the golden sunlight, it glowed with an amber-like luster, like a large cherry drenched in honey, hanging right there on Ming Nuo.

Ning Xueqing’s mind wandered; she could only see it. For a moment, she forgot the ongoing shoot and parted her lips, wanting to take that tempting sweetness into her mouth.

She was on the verge of acting.

Warm, moist breath drifted lightly into the crook of Ming Nuo’s neck. She held Ning Xueqing’s hand, stirring the milk—one circle, another circle. The sweet steam made her cheeks flush red.

Her hand was on Ning Xueqing’s waist, and she didn’t know if she should let go, because Ning Xueqing’s entire weight was still leaning into her chest. Ming Nuo conscientiously maintained the shoot; she knew there were many cameras pointed at them.

But Ning Xueqing wasn’t being conscientious.

It seemed… she was about to bite.