Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 49

When?

Now.

Ming Nuo parted her lips, and Ning Xueqing followed up by asking: “What were you thinking about when you wrote this song?”

Ming Nuo’s heart felt like a roller coaster slamming on the brakes at a high altitude. “Why do you always act in tragedies?”

Ming Nuo naturally disliked tragedies, and logically, she didn’t care for sorrowful melodies either. The songs she sang were usually sunny and lighthearted; her only few tragic songs had all been dedicated to Ning Xueqing’s films.

Ning Xueqing closed her eyes sleepily. “It’s not like I want to. Tragic producers always seek me out. I only take the roles because I find the characters interesting after reading the scripts.”

“Tragedies on screen don’t matter. I’ll just live my own life as a ‘sweet drama.’”

Ming Nuo studied her exquisite features delicately. “Do you think your current life is sweet?”

“It used to be quite plain.”

“Mm.”

“But since participating in this show, I’ve suddenly discovered that life can actually be this beautiful.”

Ming Nuo fell silent. If anything in this show had made Ning Xueqing’s life beautiful, the only variable was Ming Nuo becoming her partner. Her… “trainee wife.”

“Ming Nuo.”

“Mm-hmm? What else do you want to hear?”

Ning Xueqing shook her head against the pillow, her silky long hair rubbing against the fabric with a faint rustle. She moved closer to Ming Nuo under the covers, leaning her head into the crook of Ming Nuo’s neck, her breathing shallow and even. “Sleepy.”

Feeling the warmth snuggled against her chest, Ming Nuo’s heart turned into a pool of spring water. She stroked Ning Xueqing’s hair one strand at a time. “Sweet dreams.”

Ming Nuo didn’t know how much of Ning Xueqing’s feelings were sincere, nor did she know if the “desensitization” would be successful. But this moment of sleeping side-by-side was enough to soothe the loneliness Ming Nuo had felt for years.

As Ning Xueqing leaned against Ming Nuo’s shoulder, she frowned restlessly in her sleep. In her dream, the Ning Xueqing in the mirror mocked her:

Tsk tsk, who’s the one without a mouth now?

Don’t you always look down on characters in scripts who toss and turn, words swirling at the tip of their tongue only to be swallowed back down?

How is it that even when you ask her to her face, “When did you fall in love with me,” you still have to pretend you’re discussing movies and songs?

Ning Xueqing was trapped in a nightmare.

—Ming Nuo, avoiding you is the worst acting I’ve ever done.

And you, of all people, can’t see through this clumsy performance.

Two instances of crossing the line were enough. Teasing without following through, or doing it without confessing, is no different from being a rogue.

They both understood the concept of stopping while ahead. If one didn’t advance and the other didn’t retreat, they could remain at peace with each other.

For the next two days, Ning Xueqing devoted herself entirely to the child. In the quiet of the night, she would chat with Ming Nuo. Even without intimate gestures like hugging, being together in silence felt natural, with no awkwardness at all. If a person is constantly by your side, you get used to them.

By the third day, Ning Xueqing’s cold was at its worst. That morning, she took the child to ride dwarf horses, and in the afternoon, there was a cow-milking competition. She coughed the whole way; eating felt like swallowing razor blades. Ming Nuo carried throat lozenges for her at all times and vowed she wouldn’t let her use such “reckless” methods for desensitization ever again.

Xing Cai saw that Ning Xueqing’s neck was red from coughing and asked sympathetically, “We’re all doing the same activities, and no one else caught a cold. Teacher Ning, how did yours get so severe?”

Someone finally learned what “shame” felt like. Ning Xueqing carried the milk bucket, turned away to cough a few times, her cheeks tinged with a sickly flush. “The temperature difference on the plateau is large. We live in a drafty spot, and I caught a chill at night.”

Xing Cai called Ming Nuo over: “Senior, this is where you’re in the wrong. That stone house of yours has poor insulation to begin with. How could you let Teacher Ning sleep in the draft?”

The sympathetic Omega guests gathered around. Ji Lang squeezed Ning Xueqing’s thin arm. “With such a frail body, sleeping in a draft would definitely cause a cold.”

Xiao Qian looked at Ming Nuo reproachfully: “Ming Nuo, I said before that you know how to take care of people. How did you make such a mistake here?”

Even the quiet Du Heng added: “Ming Nuo, close the windows tight when you go back tonight. Don’t let Teacher Ning sleep by the window anymore.”

Ming Nuo: “…”

On the first night in the stone cottage, she had closed the windows and made Ning Xueqing sleep on the inside. Who was the one who didn’t shower properly and insisted on stripping naked to eat her ear?

Ming Nuo swallowed the injustice and grievance, stealing a glance at Ning Xueqing. The culprit was also stealing a glance at her. Their eyes met, and like a strange chemical reaction, the grievance dissolved in that tender gaze, producing an involuntary curl of the lips.

Mengmeng, wearing overalls and gloves, was milking the cow. Ning Xueqing carried the bucket over, and Ming Nuo took it to place it under the cow’s belly. As she took the bucket, Ming Nuo whispered at a volume only the two of them could hear: “They’re all denouncing me.”

Ning Xueqing’s eyes turned mischievous; she suppressed a laugh and looked away. “I’m sorry. Help me out.”

Ming Nuo pulled her back to face her. “Do you dare to do it again next time?”

Ning Xueqing blinked her watery peach-blossom eyes. “Do what?”

Ming Nuo: “…”

Do what? How had she not realized before that Sister was such a “shameless” person?

Ming Nuo put her hands on her hips. “If there’s a next time, I’m not taking the fall. I’m going to tell everyone…”

Ning Xueqing leaned into her ear: “Tell everyone I ate your ear, but you left me aside until I caught a cold.”

Good Heavens. If those words got out, in the eyes of others, Ming Nuo would either be an incompetent and cold-blooded Alpha, or someone with a very specific “neglect” kink. Either one would be earth-shattering.

Ming Nuo immediately begged for mercy: “It’s my fault for not taking good care of you. When we go back tonight, I’ll make the room nice and warm.”

Ning Xueqing pursed her lips, her eyes curving. Taking advantage of the moment no one was watching, she made a small finger-heart at Ming Nuo.

Secret kept!

Mengmeng took turns with both hands to milk the cow. The herdsman taught her the technique—to grip firmly and pull down. Being a small child, she didn’t realize her strength was minimal; she just felt the movement was quite aggressive. She asked the guide, “Will the cow feel pain?”

Guide: “No. If they aren’t milked in time, they actually feel uncomfortable.”

Mengmeng was shocked. “The cow feels bad if she isn’t milked?! Why?”

The guide paused. Uh, this is a bit hard to explain to a child.

Mengmeng turned to ask Ning Xueqing: “Mommy, why do cows only feel comfortable when milked?”

Ning Xueqing thought about how to answer. Ming Nuo, standing beside her, was also troubled. How could they explain this appropriately?

Ning Xueqing wore a mask, maintaining a certain distance from Mengmeng to avoid infecting her. “Because milk is the nutrition a cow mama produces after having a baby. When the milk accumulates more and more, it puts pressure on the cow mama’s udder, so the herdsman milking her relieves that pressure.”

“Oh! I understand now!” Mengmeng nodded, milking with even more effort.

It was a simple question, but because it involved certain organs, adults found it difficult to explain to children. Ning Xueqing never avoided these topics; the enlightenment books she bought for Mengmeng included physiology picture books. When the child had questions, she taught her in a scientific and open way.

In this world, where there is light, there is shadow. Many malicious intentions toward children lurk in dark corners. Some parents might feel a child is too young to understand physiology, but those who prey on children don’t care about their age—the more ignorant the child, the easier they are to harm. Ning Xueqing wanted Mengmeng to know what her body had and what its functions were so she could better protect herself.

After milking, Mengmeng was worried the calves on the pasture wouldn’t have enough to eat. She ran specifically to ask the herdsman if the calves had milk to drink. The herdsman laughed loudly and said, “Of course they do! The future of the pasture depends on these little calves!”

Mothers give nutrition to their children, generation after generation, endlessly; great life is thus sustained. By understanding the life that produces food, the children learned the value of food and showed a bit more respect for their meals and for nature while eating.

That morning, when Mengmeng drank her milk, she said “thank you” to the cow and hugged Ning Xueqing to say “thank you, Mommy.”

Ning Xueqing asked her, “You thank the cow for the milk, but why come to thank me?”

Mengmeng hugged her mother’s neck and kissed her. “Because when I was little, Mommy fed me and raised me.”

Ning Xueqing smiled and embraced her daughter. “Mommy loves you, baby.”

The speaker in the cottage announced today’s task. The director’s voice came through: “Guests, please gather at the designated locations according to your groups from yesterday’s milking competition to prepare for tonight’s ‘Pasture Night’ banquet!”

“Fishing Group: Nora’s family and Pineapple Cake’s family.”

“Mushroom Picking Group: Mengmeng’s family and Little Pea’s family.”

“For this activity, two parents have been chosen by lottery to lead the children in gathering ingredients. Other guests, please go to the activity center to participate in making banquet props…”

Ming Nuo sat on a stool under the speaker to listen carefully. The guide announced the lottery results: “The fishing group will be led by Ouyang Yu, and the mushroom picking group will be led by Ming Nuo.”

Mushroom picking. Ming Nuo remembered they had to enter the forest area north of the pasture. It had rained heavily over the past two days, so many fresh mushrooms would be growing in the woods.

The meeting point was at the North Gate of the pasture. She and the children all wore GPS trackers and walkie-talkies. They just needed to pick two baskets of mushrooms at the edge of the forest and return.

Ning Xueqing and Chi Shu saw the children to the North Gate. Ning Xueqing instructed Ming Nuo: “Don’t go too far. There are forest rangers at the edge. Use the walkie-talkie if you get lost.”

The ranger heard this and laughed. “Don’t worry. Our kids often go up the mountain; the edge is very safe. The crew has even set up a protective perimeter. I’m watching. Today is a sunny day; if you don’t pick the mushrooms while it’s cool in the morning, they won’t be fresh once the midday sun hits.”

Ming Nuo and the two children said their goodbyes and walked into the forest carrying baskets.

It had rained in the mountains, so the ground was muddy. If you looked closely, you could even find small insects. Little Pea hated dirt the most and refused to walk after a while. Ming Nuo tried different ways to coax her, but Little Pea wouldn’t move, her eyes tearing up at the sight of a caterpillar. Ming Nuo had no choice but to carry her on her back, supporting her with one hand while holding Mengmeng’s hand with the other to look for mushrooms.

Not long after they started, heavy rain began to fall in the forest without warning. Dark clouds instantly shrouded the mountains, and the black mist and dense trees cut off the light.

Ming Nuo immediately stopped and looked back, but the path they came from was nowhere to be seen. The curtain of rain was heavy, painting the world pitch black.

Wasn’t it supposed to be a sunny day?

“…”

Ming Nuo hid under a large tree with the two children for a while, trying to contact the outside with the walkie-talkie every so often, but the signal was intermittent. Instinct told her something was wrong. A stream from the forest flowed into the Yao Chi River at the pasture; they had been walking along the stream since entering the woods. With the torrential rain in the mountains, there was a high risk of a flash flood.

Ming Nuo went on high alert. Based on the GPS and the terrain of the forest, she deduced the direction and quickly picked up the children to move toward higher ground.

After walking for a bit, Little Pea started crying for her Mammy and wanting to go home. Ming Nuo, battling the wind and rain while taking care of Mengmeng, couldn’t keep her on her back the whole time. She carried her for a stretch, then walked for a stretch, which slowed them down significantly.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the distance, and the small stones on the ground began to vibrate. Mengmeng gripped Ming Nuo’s clothes nervously. “Nuo Nuo Mammy, there’s a sound over there!”

Ming Nuo’s internal alarm bells went off. She gripped each child’s hand tightly and ran desperately toward high ground in a diagonal direction. “Run! Don’t look back!”

BOOM!!!

From the direction they came, a surge of murky water mixed with mud and gravel rushed toward them. It moved with lightning speed, submerging their ankles in just over ten seconds. In the emergency, Ming Nuo spotted a large tree on high ground. She bent down, letting Mengmeng and Little Pea use her as a step to climb up into the branches. The flood swept over her with destructive force. Ming Nuo dug her nails into the bark and held on tight, shouting to the children in the tree: “Don’t move, no matter what!”

“Nuo Nuo Mammy!” Mengmeng cried out in fear and anxiety as she watched the muddy water splash onto Ming Nuo’s face. She and Little Pea burst into tears together.

“I’m fine, don’t be afraid! The rain will stop soon. Take turns using the walkie-talkie; once the signal connects, tell the ranger our situation. We all have GPS trackers, they’ll find us soon—”

BANG!

Before she could finish, Ming Nuo felt a sharp, severe pain at the back of her head. Her vision blurred instantly, and she lost consciousness…

Beep…

Beep.

Beep.

“Bed 28, Bed 28?”

“Are you awake? How do you feel? Can you see my hand?”

Ming Nuo opened her eyes dizzily. Her surroundings were entirely white. She saw a hand wearing a medical glove and nodded. Soon, memories of the flash flood hitting her and the children flashed through her mind. Ming Nuo sat up abruptly, trying to get out of bed despite the IV drip.

“Bed 28! You can’t get up yet!” the nurse chased after her.

The hospital corridor was filled with the smell of disinfectant. Ming Nuo breathed heavily. Under the white lights, several familiar faces turned to look at her.

Ning Xueqing’s face was pale, with traces of tears at the corners of her eyes. Ming Nuo froze as she looked at her, her body feeling as if it had been flayed alive.

She had failed to protect the child!

The operating room door opened: “Are the parents here? The child needs a blood transfusion.”

Ming Nuo turned: “Take mine—”

Ning Xueqing looked up sharply and pulled her back.