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

Mei Yusheng was startled and peeked out: "What? It's fake?"

Xie Mingqi shook her head: "I'm not sure either. Maybe the property certificate for a villa is different from that for a regular house. I feel the paper is a bit flimsy, you see."

She pointed to the official seal and said, "This official seal is stamped so carelessly, it's almost illegible."

Mei Yusheng also sensed something was wrong, and took it to look at it again and again: "If he doesn't want to give it, then he shouldn't. Why give me a fake property certificate and let me get my hopes up for nothing, just to put on a show in front of everyone? Isn't he afraid that if I find out, it will be even more embarrassing?"

Her eyes burned with hatred, feeling utterly insulted: "Let's go in and confront him in front of everyone!"

"Don't rush!" Xie Mingqi grabbed her arm. "After all, we're not sure either. If we're wrong, we'll be laughed at."

"Then what should we do?" Mei Yusheng looked up at her. "How can we determine if it's true or false?"

Xie Mingqi frowned and pondered for a moment, then a brilliant idea flashed in her mind: "Here's what we'll do, give me your ID card tomorrow, and I'll check with the real estate bureau for you. If you really own this villa, it will show up. If not, we can settle accounts with him later."

"Alright." Mei Yusheng nodded, her expression turning grim.

If Yue Jiangting is playing her for a fool and giving her empty promises, she will immediately file for divorce. This is truly outrageous!

"Don't let it spoil your birthday mood. It might not be fake, or maybe I'm just being naive. If I had known, I wouldn't have told you now; I would have told you tomorrow."

“It’s alright, I don’t have any expectations of him anyway. Look, we’ve been husband and wife for thirty years, and he didn’t even know I’m allergic to mangoes.” Mei Yusheng’s eyes were dark. “Xiao Zhi is taking the blame for him. Actually, he didn’t order any cakes himself. He just made a phone call or ordered his subordinates to do it.”

"Hmm, if he doesn't tell his subordinates the precautions, they definitely won't think about it that much," Xie Mingqi said thoughtfully. "Could he be deliberately trying to annoy you?"

Mei Yusheng pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "No, he just wanted to put on a show of marital bliss in public today to establish a persona of deep affection, which would dispel the rumors about him having an affair."

"Oh, I see," Xie Mingqi said suddenly, "What a cunning old fox!"

"He also wants to use this to make me change my mind and stop mentioning divorce." Mei Yusheng's tone was heavy, her brows furrowed. She realized that divorcing Yue Jiangting would not be easy unless he brought it up himself.

"Don't worry, there's always a way." Xie Mingqi squeezed her hand. "As long as the property he's offering is real, we've won a step forward."

"Mom!" Shen Yingying caught up from behind. "Dad was worried about you, so he sent me to check on you."

She took Mei Yusheng's arm: "Mom, how are you feeling? Is your back very tired?"

Mei Yusheng smiled faintly: "It's all better now, don't worry."

She wondered if Yue Jiangting had sent Shen Yingying to find out what she and Xie Mingqi were talking about.

The two of them said nothing more, came out of the bathroom, and returned to the living room, where a new strawberry cake had been delivered.

Yue Guangzhi said that he had first taken someone else's custom-made item and paid three times the price before the other party was willing to give it up.

After lighting the candles, Mei Yusheng silently made a wish in her heart: to divorce Yue Jiangting as soon as possible.

After the candles were blown out, the banquet officially began.

The guests clinked glasses and made a lively noise, but the sound of the plum rain felt particularly desolate, as if everything before them had nothing to do with them.

Halfway through the banquet, she excused herself by saying that her back was uncomfortable and had Xie Mingqi and Shen Yingying help her leave the venue.

Back home, lying in bed, she felt utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"Looks like I'm really getting old and can't handle crowds anymore," Mei Yusheng said with a self-deprecating laugh.

“It’s not that I’m old. You’ve always been introverted since you were little and you don’t like crowded places,” Xie Mingqi said with a smile, a hint of reminiscence in her eyes. “Do you remember Ji Meiyun? Back then, the three of us would often run to the grove behind the school to play. But as soon as other classmates joined us, you would sneak away.”

A faint blush rose on Mei Yusheng's face: "Yes, those were good times. If only we could be reborn like in novels. I wonder how Ji Meiyun is doing now. Do you keep in touch with her?"

Xie Mingqi felt a pang of sadness: "No, it's been almost thirty years since we last contacted each other. I don't know how she's doing, or if she's still in her hometown."

"Don't think about useless things and make yourself unhappy for nothing. Where's your ID card? Give it to me first, I'll check it tomorrow morning." Xie Mingqi quickly changed the subject.

Mei Yusheng pointed to the first drawer on the left side of the desk.

Xie Mingqi opened the drawer and saw a gray-blue genuine leather cardholder. She opened it, took out her ID card, and put it into her small bag.

Shen Yingying brought over two cups of coffee, but Xie Mingqi didn't drink them, saying she had things to do at home, and then got up to leave.

Shen Yingying saw her to the door and then came back and said, "Mom, Dad wants you to put the property certificate in his study so that it won't be a problem if the kids break it or lose it."

"How could you lose it in your own home?" Mei Yusheng raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a half-smile.

Shen Yingying was taken aback, then glanced towards the door: "You know, there are outsiders in the house right now."

"Oh," Mei Yusheng seemed to understand what she meant, "I locked it in the drawer, it's fine. Didn't you say she moved out in the next couple of days?"

"Yes, that's right." Seeing that Mei Yusheng didn't want to hand over the property certificate, Shen Yingying didn't force her. She finished her coffee with her and took the cup out to wash it.

Mei Yu chuckled softly. She still wanted to keep the property certificate and have someone authenticate its authenticity; how could she possibly hand it over to Yue Jiangting again?

Since you've already given it to her, why take the property certificate back? Are you hiding something?

Mei Yusheng got up and locked the property certificate in the drawer of her desk. Since she wasn't going out these days, no one would dare to come in and steal it.

When did she have to be so wary of her own home?

Hearing Han Caiyu's voice outside, Mei Yusheng opened the door a crack, and the sound came in clearly.

"Yingying, why didn't Xuanxuan come back with you?" The slight clinking of cups and saucers suggested that Han Caiyu was drinking tea in the living room.

"His dad's holding him; kids love being around people," Shen Yingying replied casually. "They'll be back soon. By the way, Aunt Han, how's your house search going?"

After a pause, Han Caiyu's voice came through: "There are quite a few houses for rent, but it's hard to find one that I like."

"Which neighborhood is your newly renovated house in? Is it far from here?" Shen Yingying asked casually, trying to make conversation.

"It's not far, it's in Jinfeng Residential Area."

"Oh, that's a nice neighborhood. It's newly built and supposedly built to the standards of a high-end community."

"Sigh, what's the use of being so nice? I live alone, and there's no warmth or human touch at all. I've really liked you all these past few days, especially Xuanxuan. She's as cute as a little angel, and I miss her terribly when I don't see her."

No mother in the world dislikes hearing others praise her child, and Shen Yingying naturally appreciated it: "After you move, I'll bring Xuanxuan to visit you often, and you can come anytime..."

He stopped talking, and Mei Yusheng could almost see the guilty look in her eyes as she glanced this way, so he couldn't help but sneer.