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

Zhou Xia did receive a call from an unknown number. She didn't want to answer, but the call came twice.

After the call was connected, an unfamiliar female voice answered. Upon inquiry, it was discovered that it was Bai Ruoxi.

Zhou Xia was surprised, wondering how she got her number.

"Zhou Xia, can you come out for a bit? I'm waiting for you at the coffee shop outside the apartment complex. I have something to tell you." Bai Ruoxi's voice sounded gentle and warm, as if it were just an intimate conversation between close friends.

“I don’t have time,” Zhou Xia hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously, “What do you need? Let’s talk on the phone.”

"Alright then." Bai Ruoxi's tone was slightly disappointed. "I heard about your mother's case. She was sentenced to seven years, which is too long! Do you know what life is like in prison? The food is just enough to keep you from starving. You wear prison uniforms all year round, and it's very cold in winter. The hardship of life is secondary; what's even more unbearable is being bullied by other prisoners."

Zhou Xia's heart leaped into her throat, and her breathing became unconsciously heavy.

"Those prisoners are very uncivilized. Long-term confinement has caused psychological distortion, and they vent their emotions by bullying honest prisoners. You have to believe me because I just got out of there! Your mother is such an honest woman, and she's old. How could she endure seven years in there?"

"You saw me last time, right? I'm not even forty yet. Before I went to prison, I looked much younger than Mei Yusheng. But after serving six months in jail, do you think I'm older than Mei Yusheng? And what about your mother? Are you sure your mother will be healthy and safe when she comes out in seven years?"

Zhou Xia recalled the last time she saw her mother, Ji Meiyun, who was noticeably thinner. Although she seemed to be in good spirits, it was probably an act to avoid worrying her.

"What is your purpose in telling me all this?" Zhou Xia suppressed the bitterness in her heart and asked warily.

“I feel sorry for you and your daughter. You’ve been subjected to domestic violence for so long. You finally got rid of the scumbag, and now you’re going to be sentenced. Sigh, this world is so unfair!” Bai Ruoxi’s tone was full of pity. “Actually, even if a domestic violence case can’t be acquitted, it shouldn’t be sentenced to such a long time. Is it because the lawyer didn’t do his job?”

Zhou Xia suddenly regained her senses. Bai Ruoxi's words had disturbed her mind, and she had started to slander Qin Zhan again. What was her purpose?

"Ms. Bai, you should just state your purpose directly. Don't beat around the bush. I don't have time to chat with you."

Bai Ruoxi paused for a few seconds, her voice carrying a hint of coldness: "Fine, I can help you find a way to reduce your mother's sentence, but you must do me a favor in exchange."

"What can you do?" Zhou Xia wanted to laugh, but tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

"That's not your concern. I promise, and I will definitely keep my word," Bai Ruoxi said firmly. "Besides, who else would dare to make such a promise to you right now besides me?"

Zhou Xia began to struggle internally. She didn't believe Bai Ruoxi, but when she heard about the suffering her mother might be going through inside, her heart felt like it was being torn apart in a shredder.

Even though she knew that what Bai Ruoxi asked her to do was definitely not a good thing, she still couldn't help but ask, "What do you want me to do for you?"

"Hehehe," Bai Ruoxi chuckled a few times, "It's very simple. I want to see Youyou. Just bring Youyou out for me another day so we can meet."

Zhou Xia was taken aback. It was that simple?

Her intuition told her that the terms of the exchange were not equal at all. If the condition of getting her mother's sentence reduced might harm Youyou, then she took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it." Zhou Xia struggled to say the words of refusal, but the moment they left her mouth, she felt a sense of relief.

How could Bai Ruoxi easily do something that Qin Zhan and Qin Chu couldn't do? If she could, she wouldn't have ended up spending half a year in jail herself.

Zhou Xia suddenly felt a sense of clarity, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back. She had almost been bewitched by her just now.

Bai Ruoxi became a little agitated: "Zhou Xia, I'm only doing this out of pity for you and your mother. Don't be ungrateful! You'll regret it! Your mother will be tortured to death in prison, and then it will be too late for you to cry!"

Zhou Xiaqiang suppressed the trembling in his heart, hung up the phone, and blocked the number.

She wanted to tell Mei Yusheng about it, but she was afraid Mei Yusheng would worry. In any case, she would never be bribed by Bai Ruoxi, and she wouldn't let Youyou see her, so she didn't want Mei Yusheng to worry.

Zhou Xia made up her mind and chose to remain silent.

……

In Bai Ruoxi's house on Sakura Road, a shard of broken porcelain lay scattered on the wooden floor of the living room. She had accidentally broken it when she angrily threw her bag.

This vase is worth over 300,000 yuan. It was bought for her at an auction when she was young by a suitor who wanted to please her. She always kept it in a prominent position in her living room, and all the guests who came praised her for her good taste and discerning eye.

But now, in a fit of anger, she accidentally broke it, and she cried for half an hour because she was heartbroken.

She was angry, annoyed, and frustrated. Why was it so difficult to get revenge? No one would listen to her nonsense, not even that little girl Zhou Xia.

A deeper sense of frustration plunged her into self-doubt and self-denial. Was she really worthless and incapable of doing anything?

The feeling of being able to command the wind and rain in her youth seems like a distant illusion. At this moment, she no longer possesses either her appearance or her strength.

The original plan was for Yue Jiangting to provide the funds and introduce her to suitable people. She needed to weigh the amount of money before deciding what to do.

If Yue Jiangting can come up with a considerable amount of money, Bai Ruoxi cannot rule out the possibility of absconding with the funds.

Even if she really wanted to take revenge on Mei Yusheng and Qin Chu, she would frame Yue Jiangting for everything and clear herself of all blame. This way, she could kill two birds with one stone and at the same time get back at Yue Jiangting for the loss she suffered last time.

But that idiot with half his body stiff refused to part with a single hair.

He's not like a man at all; he has no guts whatsoever!

Bai Ruoxi cursed him in her heart for a long time, but she could only find another way.

Zhou Xia was a pawn she had planned to use beforehand. Poor young girls are bound to be vain, and she initially intended to lure her with benefits. However, after hearing about Ji Meiyun's situation, she had an even more tempting bargaining chip.

Zhou Xia's voice clearly sounded appealing at first, so why did she suddenly change her expression?

After her outburst of anger, Bai Ruoxi sat amidst the shards of porcelain, reflecting on what exactly she had said that offended Zhou Xia, or whether she had inadvertently given herself away.

She was completely baffled. It seemed that her plan to use Youyou as leverage to force Qin Chu to submit was temporarily impossible to implement.

"Hey, did you think I couldn't do it without you?" Bai Ruoxi's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "I've been prepared for this for a while. Just wait and see."

She was penniless and had no choice but to fight desperately.

The phone rang sharply. Bai Ruoxi glanced at it irritably, then paused, and quickly answered.

"Bai Ruoxi, where are you? I'd like to talk to you privately about the investment."