Divorced at fifty, I embarked on my path to success.

The weather at the end of summer was very hot and dry. Mei Yusheng was sweating after going out for a short while, so she hurried a few steps and hailed a taxi.

She didn't learn to drive because she felt it was unsafe; actually, it was because she had become lazy and no longer wanted to accept new things.

She's really gotten old!

After a ten-minute drive, we arrived at Zuimo Garden.

This residential complex is right next to the university where Chen Juansheng works. Xie Mingqi bought it so that it would be convenient for her husband and daughter to go to work.

"Rain Sound! I was just about to call you and ask you to go shopping, and here you are! We're so in sync!"

Xie Mingqi was overjoyed to see a pair of brown-rimmed glasses perched on her nose. Mei Yusheng knew that she was not nearsighted; the glasses were just an accessory to add to her intellectual and beautiful aura.

Xie Mingqi smiled and let Mei Yusheng in, taking her bag and glancing at the food container inside. She exclaimed with delight, "You made pickled vegetables again? That's wonderful! You don't know, Old Chen loves your pickled vegetables the most. He eats them with his porridge every morning. This morning he even said the pickled vegetables you gave him last time were almost gone, hinting that I should ask him for some more. Humph, he's so spoiled!"

Mei Yusheng smiled gently as she watched Mei Yusheng deftly pour the pickled vegetables into her own food storage container, put it in the refrigerator, and then go to the kitchen to wash the container that Mei Yusheng had brought.

She sat down on the pale white leather sofa and used a cushion to support her lower back.

"Do you want tea or coffee?" Xie Mingqi asked loudly from the kitchen.

"Coffee, I'd like a strong black coffee," Mei Yusheng replied. She hadn't slept much all night and wanted some black coffee to perk her up.

Xie Mingqi quickly brought out two enamel coffee cups, each decorated with elegant patterns.

Mei Yusheng took the cup, took a small sip, and the bitter taste quickly filled her mouth.

"Yusheng, didn't you sleep well? Your dark circles are so big you look like a panda!" Xie Mingqi sat down opposite Mei Yusheng, scrutinizing her complexion. "Did you have insomnia from reading? I told you not to read at night, but you wouldn't listen. Menopause can easily cause sleep problems, and you still don't pay attention!"

Mei Yusheng gave a bitter smile: "Mingqi, Lao Yue is having an affair."

Her voice was unusually calm, but Xie Mingqi's eyes widened suddenly, and she forgot to drink the coffee she had just brought to her mouth: "What did you say? Cheating? Old Yue?!"

Her voice rose higher and higher, her anger escalating: "That old bastard, how dare he cheat on me? He's a shrew, what blind wretch has taken a fancy to him? Can't he eat something better?"

Mei Yusheng almost burst out laughing at Xie Mingqi's last two sentences. She knew that no matter what was bothering her, as long as she talked to Xie Mingqi, the pain would be halved in an instant.

“He was his childhood sweetheart and first love. They’ve been secretly together for twenty years!” Mei Yusheng said, a surge of shame and indignation rising in her heart.

It wasn't heartache that she felt, but rather a mixture of shame and indignation. She felt very stifled, humiliated, and angry.

"Twenty years!" Xie Mingqi slammed her coffee cup onto the mahogany coffee table, spilling a few drops of coffee onto the surface. "Damn it! Don't you have any shame? You like being a rat in the gutter, huh? Then keep being one. Why do you have to jump out and annoy people?"

"How did you find out? Did you catch them cheating?" Xie Mingqi slapped her thigh, looking annoyed. "Why didn't you call me when you caught them cheating? I scratched that bitch's face to pieces!"

"Alright, calm down!" Seeing her furious outburst, her face ashen, and her bright eyes blazing with anger, Mei Yusheng felt a sense of comfort, and her heart seemed less desolate than yesterday. "Yesterday, the mistress came to our house..."

"Damn it! Spring is long gone and she's still in heat!" Xie Mingqi couldn't sit still any longer. She stood up, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "Why didn't you call me? I'd go up there and slap her against the wall!"

"Let's go!" Xie Mingqi grabbed Mei Yusheng and said, "Let's find that bitch and slap her face until it's ripped off. Let's see if she dares to come out and cause trouble again!"

Mei Yusheng quickly pressed her back onto the sofa: "She left a long time ago, I don't know where she lives."

Xie Mingqi, eager to try, even stood up again: "Let's go arrest Lao Yue and interrogate him. I bet he'll tell us where that bitch is!"

The sound of the rain told her to calm down, and she recounted in detail how Han Caiyu had called her yesterday and then visited her home.

Xie Mingqi was so angry that she wanted to rush out and confront the scumbag and the bitch several times. She was especially furious when she heard that Yue Jiangting had not returned home all night. He was openly having an affair with his mistress.

"No way! Yusheng, you can't let those two scoundrels get away with this so easily!" She was so angry her nostrils were practically spitting fire. "What exactly does that old scumbag Yue want? To divorce you?"

Mei Yusheng shook her head: "Judging from his tone yesterday, it seemed like he didn't want a divorce, but only wanted to have his cake and eat it too, keeping the red flag flying at home while continuing to wave the colorful flags outside!"

"Pah! Shameless old man! He looks so respectable all the time, but he does such disgusting things behind people's backs!" Xie Mingqi said indignantly. "He can't control his lust, can he? Then let's make a scene at his company! Let's expose his hypocritical facade and see if he'll ever have the nerve to show his face again!"

Mei Yusheng also wanted to vent her anger, but she hesitated when she thought of her son.

"What? You still can't bear to?" Xie Mingqi glared at her with exasperation. "You're just too weak and give him too much face, which is why he's taking advantage of you!"

"Let's go! I'll go with you!" Xie Mingqi had never been treated like this before. Seeing Mei Yusheng's submissive appearance, her anger flared up. "If I don't cripple that bitch, I'm not Xie!"

Mei Yusheng pulled her aside: "Sit down and calm down first. Let's discuss how to deal with Han Caiyu. As for causing trouble at Lao Yue's company, I think we should forget about it. I'm afraid it will affect Xiao Zhi..."

Xie Mingqi looked at her with a deep gaze, then sighed deeply: "Sigh! Why are you so hesitant and indecisive? You deserve to be bullied!"

She sat down again, picked up the almost cold cup of coffee, tilted her head back and gulped it down, and her anger subsided a little: "Yusheng, there's something I have to say, even though it's not pleasant to hear."

Mei Yusheng looked at her with alarm, knowing that what she was about to say would surely hurt, but she still couldn't help but look forward to it.

“Xiao Zhi is already married with children. He’s a mature man. From what you just heard, Xiao Zhi already knew about that scumbag and his mistress, but he helped you keep it a secret.” Xie Mingqi’s eyes flashed with a cold glint. “The mistress even came to your home to bully you. Instead of kicking that bitch down right away, he stopped you from hitting them. Haven’t you seen it clearly yet?”

In the sweltering summer heat, Mei Yusheng felt a chill in her heart. Her lips were deathly pale as she stammered, "He... he's probably afraid I'll get hurt. After all, he's his father. He's... he's caught in a dilemma..."

“Even if your parents are equally important to him, his scumbag father did something immoral and despicable. Does he still want to help him?” Xie Mingqi’s lips, painted with lipstick, opened and closed, revealing the bloody truth to Mei Yusheng. “He knew all along, he had already made plans. This was a decision he made after weighing the pros and cons. It’s obvious that he’s bullying your weakness, certain that you’ll only cause a fuss and won’t be able to stir up any big waves.”

"Old Yue is different. If Xiao Zhi sides with you and goes against his scumbag father, the company hasn't been fully handed over to him yet. If Old Yue's reputation is ruined, the company will also suffer, and it might even go bankrupt! He's scared, so he can only help his dad suppress you!"

Mei Yusheng covered her face with her hands and began to sob.

She understood perfectly well, but she lacked the courage to face this cruel reality.

Xie Mingqi sighed, hugged Mei Yusheng, and gently patted her back: "You haven't told Auntie yet, have you?"

The crying stopped abruptly, and Mei Yusheng raised her misty eyes: "I can't tell my mother. She's prone to depression, and she's gotten a little better these past two years. I can't let her get any more upset."

Mei Yusheng's mother, He Qingmin, now lives in a nursing home. Since her father's death, the emotional blow combined with the pressure of life has caused her to develop depression. After four or five years, it became increasingly severe, and she once attempted suicide by jumping from the third floor, breaking her leg in the process.

This is also one of the reasons why Mei Yusheng and Yue Jiangting got married in a hurry.

Mei Yusheng's wedding improved He Qingmin's mental state a lot, but she couldn't handle any more stimulation, otherwise she would relapse.

Mei Yusheng was afraid that something might happen to her mother because she absolutely couldn't let her know about this.