Diva Alpha Meets Her Biological Daughter on a Parenting Variety Show - Chapter 52

Only after Ming Nuo’s negative trending searches were wiped completely clean did Ning Xueqing finally set her mind at ease.

By publicly stepping up to help Ming Nuo and offending Qiao Jing along with the forces of Leng Ling behind her, Ning Xueqing was fully prepared to be scolded by her mother when she got home. Ever since the unpleasantness with Ming Yan last time, Ning Zhixuan had switched to opposing her relationship with Ming Nuo.

Before boarding the plane at the Xixue airport, Ning Zhixuan had texted Ning Xueqing saying she would cook and wait for them to come home.

Yet, when they arrived home in the evening, let alone food on the table, even the refrigerator was completely empty save for two bags of frozen food. The housekeeper and the property management hourly worker were both gone.

Ning Zhixuan was sitting in a corner of the sofa with her hand supporting her forehead. In the vast living room, only a single floor lamp behind her cast a dim glow.

“Mom?”

The hand supporting Ning Zhixuan’s forehead dropped slightly as she shook herself awake. “You’re back. Sigh, I’m sorry, Qingqing. Let’s go out to eat.”

Ning Xueqing saw her mother’s abnormality at a glance. She led Mengmeng into the restroom, handed her a small bag of snacks, and told her to go change her clothes in her room. Then, she walked over to Ning Zhixuan and helped her sit down properly.

“Did something happen at home during the two weeks I was away?”

“What could happen? How is Mengmeng? Are her wounds all healed? I need to check on her.”

“Mengmeng is fine. The scratches have healed. Her respiratory tract had a slight infection, but it’s mostly cleared up now.”

“Oh, then tomorrow I’ll stew some snow pear with white fungus for her. What about you? Are you hungry?”

Ning Xueqing shook her head and comfortingly patted her hand. “Mom, you look in very poor spirits. Lie down and rest for a bit. I’ll order delivery. What do you feel like eating? How about Mingyue Xuan?”

Ning Zhixuan half-closed her eyes. “Anything is fine. Just order whatever you and Mengmeng want to eat.”

As Ning Xueqing selected the dishes, she asked, “Where are Auntie and the others?”

“I gave them a few days off.”

Ning Xueqing understood her mother’s temperament; giving the housekeeper time off meant Ning Zhixuan wanted to be alone for a while.

“Alright, we’ll rest for a few days, just our family.” Ning Xueqing placed the order and began massaging Ning Zhixuan’s temples. “Mom, tell me who made you unhappy. Did that woman come looking for trouble again?”

Ning Zhixuan let out a long sigh. After a moment of silence, she showed her phone.

Ning Xueqing took it. The screen showed a screenshot of an auction. The auctioneer held a small gavel high. The zoomed-in closeup focused on the auctioneer’s fingers—next to the wedding ring on her ring finger, she wore a jade pinky ring on her little finger.

Ning Xueqing looked closely at the photograph, then zoomed out. The background bore the logos of Mengka Auctions and the Ruihong Art Museum.

“Ji Suxin went to host it herself. It looks like this auction is their primary showcase for the year.”

“Mm.” Ning Zhixuan rested her chin on her hand; she didn’t care about any of that.

Ning Xueqing asked her, “You showed me this screenshot… is there something wrong with her ring?”

Ning Zhixuan tilted her chin up. “That jade pinky ring is the very first Valentine’s Day gift I ever bought for your Mammy.”

“Huh?”

Ning Xueqing felt her heart hitch—it wasn’t exactly pain, but a biological discomfort. It made her nauseous.

Ning Xueqing stared at the ring Ji Suxin was wearing in the photo for a few moments, then put down the phone with a cold sneer. “What a psycho.”

Wearing a Valentine’s Day gift from her current partner’s ex-wife… did Ji Suxin not know? Or did she know and just didn’t care?

Ji Suxin had breached their contract to steal Ning Zhixuan’s exhibition venue, and now she was hosting a livestreamed auction wearing Ning Zhixuan’s jade pinky ring. Was she certain Ning Zhixuan would watch the auction and did it just to spite her?

“She knows that this auction contains a landscape scroll that I love very much. Back when I wanted to buy it, it was her people who bid against me. Now she’s putting it up for a high-priced resale, purely on purpose. I don’t know what she’s still competing with me for at our age. Isn’t that Alpha entirely hers now? Even if it were a ‘buy two get one free’ deal, I wouldn’t take her back.”

“Mom, she isn’t competing with you. She’s mentally unhinged. Her own life is miserable, so she can only find a sense of presence by tormenting others.”

It was also possible that Ji Suxin had suffered a setback from the Ji family, so she was looking for another outlet to vent.

Ning Zhixuan covered her face. “It’s just a painting. I don’t want it anymore.”

Years ago, ever since Ji Suxin appeared, she had constantly targeted her, disrupting her business, maliciously cutting off her resources, and even bribing people to give Ning Xueqing low scores during her art school entrance exam. Fortunately, Ning Xueqing’s looks and strength were both undeniable; they requested a score audit for the exam and discovered the foul play, managing to restore Ning Xueqing’s grade.

Ji Suxin had bullied the mother and daughter for twenty years. Now that they were old, she still wanted to mess with Ning Zhixuan’s hobbies, pushing her down and disgusting her.

How could Ning Xueqing not loathe this villain who destroyed her family? But throwing an egg against a stone was not a wise move. At the end of the day, Ning Xueqing was just an actress with some fame and capital. In front of the Ji family’s massive corporate assets and heritage, it really wasn’t enough.

Ning Xueqing gently stroked Ning Zhixuan’s back with empathy. “Mom, ignore her. Mengmeng’s summer break is starting anyway, so I’ll take you out to clear your mind.”

The food was delivered. Ning Zhixuan preferred light and fresh dishes, and Mingyue Xuan was a place she frequently ate at, but now that it was on the table, she had no appetite and only ate a little. She focused her attention on her granddaughter, feeding Mengmeng the fresh porridge, and a smile gradually returned to her face.

Seeing her mother in a better mood, Ning Xueqing felt more at ease.

Her phone vibrated. Ning Xueqing looked down at the notification and set down her chopsticks. “Mom, there’s something regarding work. I’ll step out to take it.”

Ning Zhixuan was busy feeding her granddaughter porridge. “Go ahead.”

Ning Xueqing walked into the garden and sat on the swing. Listening to the insects chirping, she answered the call. “Finally finished with your busywork?”

Ming Nuo’s deep voice came from the other side of the line. “Mm.”

Ning Xueqing tilted her head back, leaning into the backrest of the swing. “I thought you’d forgotten.”

“How could I? I had some things to handle, so I called a bit late…” Ming Nuo paused, hesitating. “Xueqing, I won’t be able to accompany Mengmeng during our break this week.”

Ning Xueqing had also wanted to talk to Ming Nuo about this. Since she planned to take Ning Zhixuan out to clear her mind, she couldn’t keep her promise to take Mengmeng to the market to buy mushrooms with Ming Nuo.

Sensing Ming Nuo’s heavy tone, Ning Xueqing asked with concern, “The PR has been handled. Is there anything else making you unhappy?”

Ming Nuo was on her way to the police station. She didn’t want Ning Xueqing to worry about her family matters, especially since Ning Zhixuan currently had reservations about her and Ming Yan.

“Yeah, a bit of a private matter. I don’t have a lead on it yet; I need to sort it out first.”

“A private matter? Did Auntie Ming arrange another blind date for you? Do you need my help?”

“No, it has nothing to do with my personal life. Even if it did, I would tell you.”

In the driver’s seat, Xiao Zhu parked the car, turned around, and said quietly, “Teacher Nuo, we’ve arrived.”

Ming Nuo nodded to her and covered the phone with her hand. “Xueqing, I have to go discuss something here. I’ll hang up first and chat with you tomorrow.”

“Alright… Ming Nuo, if there’s anything I can help with, you must tell me.”

Ming Nuo gripped the phone tightly and said goodbye. Listening to the busy signal after the line went dead, she silently kissed the microphone, then opened the car door and walked toward the police station.

Filing a report, registering a missing person.

With the mindset of giving it one last try, Ming Nuo dialed Ming Yan’s number. After a long ringing tone, the call actually connected.

Ming Nuo’s eyes widened suddenly. “Mammy?!”

A burst of static came from the other side of the phone, followed by a dialogue through the air:

“Is it connected like this?”

“Yes.”

“Quick, quick, quick, give it to me.”

“Yanzi, slow down. Be careful with your leg.”

Leg? What happened to Mammy’s leg!

“Hello! Mammy! Where are you? How are you doing? Are you okay? Don’t be scared, I’ve already called the police—”

“Oh my goodness, Nuo Nuo!” Ming Yan’s trademark loud voice instantly blasted through the receiver. “No need to call the police! I’m traveling in Lanyu with your Auntie Wang!”

“Let me tell you, this place is such a scam! We originally signed up for a tour online. When we came out of the Diannan airport, we saw one that looked like a better deal, so we canceled the online one. As it turned out, the guide kept taking us to restaurants, amusement parks, and jade markets, and wouldn’t let us leave unless we bought things! In the middle of nowhere, where were we supposed to hail a taxi?”

Ming Nuo instantly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she could contact the person, the scammed money was a minor issue.

“Mammy, what about your leg? Why did Auntie Wang tell you to be careful with your leg?”

“I twisted it. It was just bandaged at the hospital. Listen to me finish. Is your Mammy the type of person to just stand there and be slaughtered? Of course I couldn’t just wait to be scammed, so I wanted to leave the tour. They refused, so I took your Auntie Wang and ran halfway through! It was in an ancient town, and neither of us knew the way. We kept searching using the navigation, and my phone got stolen. I just managed to switch the SIM card and buy a new phone, and I was just about to call you to tell you.”

“Your leg isn’t fractured, is it?”

“No, it’s just a sprain.”

“Mammy, at least tell me before you go anywhere! You scared me to death… Fine, find a proper star-rated hotel to stay at. Ask the hotel for concierge service to take you on tours. I transferred 100,000 yuan to your card, so don’t be too stingy. Didn’t you finally agree to hire a nanny last month? When you’re away from home, don’t skimp on expenses. I’m not short of those few thousand or tens of thousands.”

“You couldn’t be reached while recording the show. I figured going out to play for a few days wasn’t worth bothering you over. Who knew I’d be this unlucky… I hired a nanny because the house is indeed too big, and I couldn’t clean it all by myself… Sighed, I get it. I’ll take a taxi over right now.”

“Give the phone to Auntie Wang.”

Ming Nuo chatted with Auntie Wang for a few moments to understand Ming Yan’s situation, sent her a red packet, and asked her to take extra care of Ming Yan.

Now that the person was found, she explained the situation to the police station. Ming Nuo immediately bought the closest flight to Lanyu. This time, no matter what, she was going to bring this worrisome biological mother back home.

On the streets of the Lanyu Cultural Tourism District.

A middle-aged woman wearing sunglasses and a silk scarf beamed with joy. “Good Heavens, Xiao Nuo sent you this much money?”

Ming Yan smiled and waved her hand. “My daughter is sensible. She cares about me and subsidized me to buy a new phone.”

Auntie Wang remembered Ming Nuo’s instructions to make sure Ming Yan stayed at a proper grand hotel. “Then let’s head to the hotel first.”

Ming Yan: “No rush. Since we’re already here, let’s look around first, buy some food and drinks before heading back. Everything inside the hotel is ridiculously expensive.”

Auntie Wang deeply agreed. “It still has to be you who is smart! Otherwise, we’d be wasting money again.”

The cultural corridor had many bars, music shops, book cafes, and folk craft shops. Ming Yan, with a pain relief patch applied and leaning on a crutch, walked even faster than Auntie Wang, looking at the silversmiths by the roadside one moment and the tie-dye in the courtyards the next.

“Yanzi, slow down. Xiao Nuo told me to look after you. Don’t walk too fast and hurt your muscles and bones.”

“It’s fine. Come, there’s someone doing calligraphy here.” Ming Yan walked to the front. A covered bridge led directly to a small island in the center of Baiou Lake, where a half-moon-shaped building stood—grand and beautiful.

“Old Wang, look, what’s that? There are posters here, lots of beautiful porcelain, calligraphy, and paintings.”

Auntie Wang took off her sunglasses to look closely. “It really is. Yanzi, it says here: Auction Art Exhibition. Didn’t you hang a painting in your new home? That looks so nice. Go take a look and buy two more to hang up?”

Ming Yan had just switched to a new phone and received her daughter’s care. She was happy, so she clapped her hands. “Good, let’s go buy two of them!”

Information on ordinary auction items was hung along the corridor. Ming Yan found it novel, moving one step at a time with her crutch. As she neared the end, she didn’t notice the security line in front of her.

Thud.

Ming Yan felt a sharp pain in her arm as she was pushed violently. She turned her head with a dark face. Two security guards were pushing her away with riot pitchforks.

“Old woman, go stroll somewhere else. This isn’t a place you can come to.”

Old woman?

Ming Yan: “?” Was she, Ming Yan, the type of person to be pushed away with a fork and cursed at without talking back?!

“I—”

“What’s that smell? It stinks to death.” A wealthy woman dressed in a high-slit long dress covered her nose, lightly waving her slender hand as if chasing a fly. “The VIP’s car is about to enter. Security, drive that beggar away.”

The security guards were completely deferential. “Yes! Chairperson Ji!”

Ming Yan, with her pain relief patch applied: “?”

Ming Yan rushed over aggressively. Lifting her head, she clearly saw the name of this grand building: Diannan Ruihong Art Museum.

So familiar.

Eh, isn’t this the art museum where Ning Xueqing’s mother failed to hold her exhibition?

Ming Yan swung her crutch at the wealthy woman.

“You! You piece of work with a mouth that stinks worse than a fart, freeze right there!”