Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 45

“Borrow you for a few nights”—to do what?

Never mind that; since it was Ning Xueqing’s request, she should just agree first.

Ming Nuo carefully attended to Ning Xueqing’s injury, helping her sit in the pier’s lounge. Ning Xueqing’s hand was hurt, not her legs; she was perfectly capable of walking, but Ming Nuo was so worried she felt she had to stay with her to feel at ease.

The other families retrieved their rainbow trout and returned to their respective cottages to prepare the ingredients. According to the show’s requirements, dinner ingredients had to be exchanged for with local herdsmen. Since Ming Nuo had won thirty Miraculous Vouchers, she could exchange them directly with the guide before dinner. Thus, she planned to let Ning Xueqing rest by the lake for a while before returning to the stone cottage, avoiding any unnecessary movement.

Seeing Ming Nuo’s over-anxious state, Ning Xueqing curled her lips. “You didn’t even ask what we’re doing tonight before you agreed?”

Ming Nuo carefully observed the gauze for any bleeding. “Whatever you say. You won’t chop me into pieces and put me in a steamer, will you?”

Mengmeng covered her face in fear. “That’s so scary! Nuo Nuo Mammy, are you going to play Zhu Bajie (Pigsy)?”

Ming Nuo only knew about Zhu Bajie carrying his wife. “Zhu Bajie?”

Mengmeng gestured with her arms. “I saw on TV—there was an episode where Zhu Bajie was carried into a big steamer by demons!”

“Hahaha.” Ming Nuo leaned down and asked, “Then is Mommy a demon?”

“Mommy is an enchantress (Yaojing).”

Ning Xueqing: “?” She gently poked Mengmeng’s forehead. “I’ve never played an enchantress.”

Ming Nuo felt sorry for Ning Xueqing yet found Mengmeng adorable. “Why do you say that?”

Mengmeng imitated the Monkey King’s voice: “The Great Sage said: call the young ones ‘young lady,’ the old ones ‘grandma,’ the pretty ones ‘enchantress,’ and the ugly ones ‘demon’!”

“Is that how it goes?”

“I think so… anyway, Mommy is pretty.”

Ning Xueqing looked at her daughter with a mix of helplessness and amusement, using her finger to scratch the girl’s cheek. “It’s okay to say Mommy is pretty, but you can’t say ‘enchantress.’ And Nuo Nuo Mammy isn’t Zhu Bajie either.”

Mengmeng shyly tugged on her braids. “I know.”

Ming Nuo asked the doctor for painkillers and anti-inflammatories. There was no water in the lounge, so they waited until Ning Xueqing’s pain had subsided a bit before walking back to the stone cottage to take the medicine.

The rainbow trout in the net was still moving its gills. After Mengmeng took care of her mother by helping her take the medicine, she stared at the pulsing gills and called to Ming Nuo: “Nuo Nuo Mammy! It seems to still be breathing. Let’s raise it.”

Ming Nuo walked over. “It is, but we have to eat it tonight.”

“Mm…” Mengmeng puffed out her cheeks, imitating the fish’s breathing. After thinking for a bit, she said, “Then we’ll raise it until six o’clock tonight before we eat it.”

“Alright. I’ll get a basin for water; you sit here and play for a while.”

“Mm!”

Mengmeng sat at the small square table, weaving flower crowns from the plants they’d picked on the way; she wanted to make one for both her Mommy and her Nuo Nuo Mammy. She also wanted to weave one for Calf No. 239. The fresh milk they’d been drinking these past two days came from Calf No. 239’s mother.

Ming Nuo fetched a bucket of water from the stream outside, which was connected to Yao Chi Lake. She poured the water into a wooden basin and placed the dying rainbow trout inside.

The special prize awarded to them by the guide sat unopened on the prep counter. Ning Xueqing, sitting on the sofa, watched Ming Nuo bustle about. Her injury felt a bit better, and her mind wandered to other things—she was curious about what was inside the prize. She walked over quietly.

A hand rested on the gift box. Ming Nuo turned her head inadvertently and saw Ning Xueqing suddenly right beside her.

“Ah!”

Ning Xueqing smiled and used two fingers to pinch Ming Nuo’s lips, sealing her exclamation inside. The sound that came from Ming Nuo’s mouth was a muffled “du-du.” Both of them laughed. What an adorable sound.

Ning Xueqing slowly let go, popped the latch on the gift box, and opened it. Inside was a set of sheep-tail oil and milk bath products. How coincidental; they could use it tonight.

Ning Xueqing lowered her eyes, her body leaning slightly toward Ming Nuo. “Actually, you guessed right.”

Ming Nuo was puzzled. “Guessed what?”

Ning Xueqing smiled deeply. “The steamer.”

“Steamer? Are you really going to eat me—”

Outside the window, a horse neighed. A bay Ili horse galloped past. Ming Nuo and Ning Xueqing looked out and saw a vigorous figure on the horse’s back from afar.

“Ji Lang? Isn’t she feeling unwell?”

“Maybe she’s better.”

Ning Xueqing frowned. “Riding a horse as soon as she’s better? That’s not good for her body… I’ll go ask her how she’s doing later.”

The horse galloped along the stream until the reins were pulled tight. Ji Lang vaulted off the horse’s back, wiped the sweat from her brow with her hand, patted the horse’s neck, and tossed the whip to Chi Shu, who was carrying a vegetable basket.

“What did you exchange for?”

“Tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes.”

Ji Lang glanced at the basket, sat on the grass by the stream, and gazed at the azure sky.

Chi Shu didn’t know if she was satisfied or not. Ji Lang had been very irritable since the Butterfly Valley incident; Chi Shu was cautious, not daring to offend her.

“Um… does your stomach still hurt? When the medical team came at noon, I asked the doctor for painkillers. You…” Chi Shu spoke the words she’d been hesitating over for a long time, awkwardly handing her a box of medicine.

Ji Lang glanced at it and took it. “Thanks.”

“You… riding a horse with a stomach ache.”

“It didn’t hurt as much this afternoon; it comes in waves. I’ll ride when I feel like it, otherwise if it hurts later, I won’t be able to do anything.” After saying that, she gazed back at the sky, her eyes vacant.

Chi Shu watched her for a while and sighed. She knew why Ji Lang was irritable. It wasn’t just the stomach pain. But some things…

Chi Shu had thought about it for two weeks. They still had to be partners for two more months, so she felt she had to address the root of the problem. Otherwise, their poor interaction would be bad for the child.

Chi Shu walked to her side and sat cross-legged. “Ji Lang, the reason I rejected you was because I felt you shouldn’t mistreat yourself.”

Ji Lang whipped her head around, her eyes staring straight at her.

Chi Shu spoke slowly and gently. “The reason you want to be with me is because your ex-girlfriend is engaged to my ex-partner. You want to get back at her, which means you still care about her—you’re unreconciled. It’s nothing; anyone would feel bad being cheated on by someone they treated sincerely. But you don’t need to torture yourself for a heartless person, whether in body or soul.”

“Ji Lang, do you think Qiao Jing cares right now who you’re dating?”

“Only when you stop thinking about Qiao Jing will you truly have gotten your revenge.”

Ji Lang turned away. “I never care about anyone. I just want to disgust those two women.”

Chi Shu: “But that’s childish and useless.”

Ji Lang: “Your ex dumped you and the child as soon as she caught Qiao Jing. Don’t you have any resentment at all?”

Chi Shu thought for a moment and shook her head. “I’m different from you. My relationship with my ex wasn’t love; it was business. She gave me money and resources, and I served her. I even take care of the child for her money, so…”

Ji Lang couldn’t listen anymore and signaled her to stop talking. Chi Shu lowered her head, knowing she was cowardly and “disreputable.” She gave a self-deprecating laugh and asked Ji Lang, “Can I ask why Qiao Jing broke up with you? You come from such a good background and you’re so beautiful; there’s no reason for her to initiate a breakup.”

Ji Lang plucked a wild grass and twirled it in her hand. “I’m a non-marriage advocate, and I won’t have children.”

Chi Shu understood. So that was it. Youth is vital for an artist; Qiao Jing was already in her thirties. After dating Ji Lang for several years without any hope of entering the Ji family home—not even being able to make the relationship public—she had found a wealthy family to marry into before reaching forty, providing a safety net for the rest of her life.

Only the two people in a relationship truly know what happens within it; outsiders can’t interject. Chi Shu didn’t know what to say at a time like this, so she gathered the small flowers beside her into a bunch and silently placed them at Ji Lang’s feet.

When Ji Lang reached for more grass, her hand touched the small flowers. She paused, glanced at Chi Shu, who was sensing the breeze with closed eyes, and couldn’t understand why this Alpha was always like a piece of cotton. “Chi Shu, I’m so mean to you, why do you still care about me?”

Chi Shu slowly opened her eyes. Her hair glowed with a pale gold luster in the sunlight, and her gaze was gentle. “Because you’re a little hedgehog. If you truly hated me, you wouldn’t have taught me how to be independent from my benefactor and give Little Pea security.”

“Thank you, Ji Lang.”

Ji Lang relaxed her whole body and lay back on the grass. “Self-righteous.”

The sky above was very, very blue. What would it feel like to lie on the clouds? Ji Lang breathed in the fragrance of the green grass and closed her eyes. It might be just like this soft-hearted Alpha.

The sky grew dark bit by bit from the other side of the snow-capped mountains. Blue, gray-blue, ink-blue—growing deeper as the grassland was completely submerged in the night. Inside the stone cottage with its dim lights, the scent of floral mosquito repellent drifted through the air. Mengmeng was sleeping in the soft bed, clutching a cashmere doll, her face serene.

Nearby, a wisp of heat drifted from the closed door of the bathroom. The steam inside had turned into a white mist; it truly felt a bit like the “big steamer” Ning Xueqing had mentioned.

In the midst of the mist, Ning Xueqing sat on a transparent anti-slip stool, her right arm raised high in a waterproof sleeve. She used her left hand to hold a white towel against her front. Drops of water slid down her naked back. Milky-white essential oil soap was gently applied to her skin.

Ming Nuo brushed away Ning Xueqing’s long hair that occasionally slipped onto her back, blew on the foam on her skin, and massaged it gently. The air was damp; Ning Xueqing felt as if her entire body was soaked in tiny water droplets. She tilted her head back, her red lips parted as she exhaled. Her fair throat trembled, emitting faint, rhythmic sounds.

In the quiet environment, even the smallest sound was amplified. Ming Nuo hurriedly stopped her hands and watched Ning Xueqing’s reaction nervously.

Ning Xueqing turned her head. “What is it?” She had only covered her front with the towel; her back was completely exposed.

Ming Nuo instinctively looked away, murmuring, “You made a sound… I thought I was being too rough.”

Ning Xueqing gave a light laugh, water dripping from the wet hair by her ear. “Pain isn’t the only thing that makes a person make a sound.”

If not pain, then what? Ming Nuo blinked rapidly. Some answers weren’t meant to be pondered. The mist was growing thicker; she felt it was so hot in the bathroom.

The back was the last part. Ning Xueqing had wiped herself down first, only calling Ming Nuo in to help with the hard-to-reach places as she finished. After lathering and massaging, Ming Nuo adjusted the water temperature and used the spray to slowly rinse the bubbles from Ning Xueqing’s back, then used a soft dry towel to dab the water from her skin.

Her movements were very careful, but her fingers still inevitably brushed against Ning Xueqing’s skin. It was delicate and tender, like dense milk foam or smooth silk—the enchanting touch was just as it had been before.

It was all done. Ming Nuo reluctantly hung the towel and handed the bath towel to Ning Xueqing. “I’m heading out now.”

“Wait. You forgot there’s something important to do today.”

Ming Nuo stopped.

Drip-drip.

The mist was heavy. Ming Nuo looked up at the ceiling, hearing the dull thud of heavy fabric hitting the floor tiles. In the deep of the night, she was only wearing a white camisole, which was instantly soaked through by the moist, soft body that suddenly pressed against her.

Ming Nuo’s heart skipped a beat. This soft, real touch could only be—

Her throat felt like it had been scorched by fire, and her entire body backed away uncontrollably. Yet she couldn’t retreat.

“Ming Nuo, don’t open your eyes.”

A pair of arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Ning Xueqing was embracing her, chest to chest, completely naked. The thin white camisole, soaked transparent by the water, faintly revealed the shapes beneath, as she pressed closely against Ning Xueqing, feeling the friction and the heat.