Chapter 5: The AA Lifestyle**
Back home, Meng's mother was already asleep. Meng Ning tiptoed through the apartment, careful not to wake her. That night, she lay awake until dawn.
By 7 AM, her internal clock roused her despite the sleepless hours. She prepared breakfast for her mother and slipped out to take the van to the repair shop. With errands to run and supplies to buy, she called her best friend, Qin Huan, for help.
Half an hour later, a red BMW pulled up beside her. Qin Huan waved from the driver's seat. "Hop in!"
Meng Ning buckled up as Qin Huan sped toward the wholesale market. "You need to junk that clunker," Qin Huan scolded. "Quit patching it up!"
"Easier said than done. Cars cost money," Meng Ning laughed. "It still works."
The two had been friends since high school. Qin Huan ran a thriving beauty salon, while Meng Ning scraped by at the night market—a contrast that never dimmed their bond.
"You're wasting your talent out there," Qin Huan pressed. "You were top of our class, the campus beauty! If not for… *that incident*—" She caught herself, glancing nervously at Meng Ning. "Never mind. But seriously, it's been years. Are you still hung up on Gu Changming? He's back from abroad, single and running a law firm. Want me to set you up?"
The name Gu Changming stirred a faint ripple in Meng Ning's chest, but the memories blurred like ink in water. "I've moved on," she said quietly.
"Then why refuse every guy your mom introduces? You're not becoming a nun, are y—"
"I'm married."
Qin Huan slammed the brakes, swerving to the roadside. "*Married?* To who? A streetlamp?!"
Meng Ning laughed at her friend's shock. "My mom set me up through a dating site. We registered last week."
"A *blind marriage*?!" Qin Huan dragged her to a café for interrogation. "Spill. Who is he?"
"Fu Tingxiu. Works at Shengyu Group, thirty, orphaned…"
"Fu Tingxiu…" Qin Huan frowned. The name felt familiar, but she brushed it off. "Fine. Bring him to meet me. Now—does he own a home? Salary? Wedding plans? Betrothal gifts? *Details*!"
Meng Ning shook her head. "No house, just a car. I didn't ask his income. I can support myself. We're keeping things separate—50/50."
Qin Huan gaped. "Are you *insane*? No house, no shared finances, *and* splitting bills? What about kids? How do you 'split' pregnancy?!"