"Meng Ning, did you get a fake certificate from some scammer to trick me?" Meng's mother still refused to believe it, scrutinizing the marriage license for flaws.
Meng Ning pointed to the official seal. "Mom, it's from the Civil Affairs Bureau. Legally binding."
"Then where's my son-in-law? Why didn't you bring him home?" Her mother glanced at the doorway. "I only asked you to go on a blind date and get to know him first! How did you end up married without even learning his background?"
"You already checked him out, didn't you? Works at Shengyu Group, thirty years old, stable job, good-looking…" Meng Ning recalled her interactions with Fu Tingxiu. "He seems gentle. Both parents are gone, no siblings—simple family, no drama."
*No mother-in-law issues. Perfect.*
It took Meng's mother a long time to process this. Clutching the certificate, she wondered if forcing her daughter into marriage had been right.
She knew Meng Ning had rushed into this *for her*—to ease her worries.
Meng's mother had cancer, a secret she still kept. Since her last heartbreak, Meng Ning had shut herself off from relationships. Her mother feared that if she died, Meng Ning would be left alone, with no one to care for her.
So she'd pushed her to marry, hoping to secure her future. Now it was done. No turning back.
"Xiao Ning, bring your husband home to meet me," Meng's mother said, sitting down. "Even if you're married, I need to vet him."
"Okay, I'll ask him later. Let's have dinner tomorrow." Meng Ning grabbed her bag. "Mom, I need to set up the stall. It's hot out—stay home and rest."
After repeated reminders, Meng Ning left for Xingle Road Night Market, where she sold handmade jewelry from a secondhand van. She'd bought the van to haul her goods, working daily from 5 PM to 11 PM. On good months, she earned around 10,000 yuan—enough to survive in pricey Beijing.
A jewelry design graduate, she'd been blacklisted by companies years ago due to an incident. Now she worked for herself.
As the market buzzed to life, Meng Ning sent Fu Tingxiu a message: *Mom wants to meet you. Dinner tomorrow?*
No reply.
Business picked up, and she forgot about it. By 11 PM, she'd made 400 yuan. Packing up in her van, her phone finally chimed:
*Apologies. On a business trip to City A. Will arrange dinner when I return.*
Meng Ning replied: *Okay.*
Life went on as usual—except for the marriage certificate tucked in her drawer.
---
Days passed. Meng Ning worked tirelessly, barely remembering her new "husband." One rainy midnight, her van broke down near her apartment.
She stepped out, umbrella in hand, to inspect the engine. The old vehicle had endless minor issues. Repair costs stung—each fix ate into her savings.
Rain poured as she lugged a box of unsold jewelry and repair orders toward her building. The wind whipped her umbrella inside-out, drenching her. Hunched over the box, she trudged forward—a small figure battered by the storm.
Unseen by her, Fu Tingxiu watched from his Rolls-Royce, freshly returned from City A. Her soaked, stubborn resilience struck him.
He grabbed an umbrella and told his driver, "Head to the family estate." Then he stepped into the rain, striding toward her.