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

After the daughter-in-law left, the house fell silent.

Mei Yusheng stared wide-eyed at the ceiling in the darkness. It was as if her soul had suddenly left her body, detached from her, looking at herself lying on her back, feeling like she had lived her whole life like a walking corpse.

Thinking back to her youth, it felt like watching someone else live their life. Since getting married, she seems to have changed her core.

She excelled academically from a young age and was beautiful. Although she had a younger brother, her parents did not discriminate against her because of her gender. Her father, in particular, doted on her like a precious gem.

She loves listening to stories and reading novels; she'll immediately graze on anything with words on it.

She won first prize in a writing competition when she was in elementary school. At that time, people naturally had a sense of awe and admiration for cultured people. Her father proudly told everyone about his daughter, saying that she was a born writer.

She also planted this ideal deep in her heart.

Unfortunately, in her second year of high school, her father suddenly passed away, and the world collapsed in her family. Her mother was traumatized and often became mentally unstable, forcing Mei Yusheng to drop out of school and work.

After drifting aimlessly for a few years, my younger brother, Mei Zichen, was admitted to university. With tuition and living expenses combined, the family's finances became even tighter.

At this time, her neighbor introduced her to Yuejiangting. They were both satisfied with each other and got married soon. Mei Yusheng became a typical housewife from then on.

The busyness and hardship of life left her physically and mentally exhausted, and her ideals had long since become a mirage, something she could only dream of but never reach.

This woman, who was passionate about literature, was disliked by her husband after marriage for being too vulgar and not as gentle and refined as other women. He even compared her to Han Caiyu.

Yue Jiangting only has a vocational school diploma, yet he prefers intellectual and gentle women. In reality, he can't appreciate truly intellectual women at all; what he likes are merely women who are pretentious and affected.

Mei Yusheng was unconvinced and turned her gaze to the bookshelf on the east wall, which was crammed full of books.

She sighed again quickly. If it were daytime, she would definitely notice a thin layer of dust on the bookshelf. In fact, she wiped it every day, but she often didn't even look at a single page for a month, and the dust on the books couldn't be wiped clean with a rag.

Some of these books were bought when her father was alive. Back then, whenever she wanted to buy books, her father always gave her enough money. Thinking about it now, she felt so guilty that she couldn't lift her head.

When times were tough, every penny had to be stretched to its limit, and buying books became a luxury.

In the few spare minutes she occasionally had, she would either read her old books or borrow them from her best friend Xie Mingqi; those were the moments when her thirsty soul was most satisfied.

Finally, she had enough money in her pocket, so she started buying whatever she liked without hesitation.

But even after buying it and putting it on the bookshelf, I never have time to read it.

There are always endless chores to do, and I'm always disheveled. I don't even have time to take care of my appearance, let alone study.

Looking back now, all I can think of is the sound of the plum rains and a bitter laugh. I can't help but ask myself, was it really impossible to find the time?

She simply ignored many things and continued living her life as usual.

For example, Xie Mingqi's husband is a highly respected university professor. Logically, she should also be entangled in housework, but that's not the case.

When she didn't want to work, she would lie in bed and pretend to be sick. Her husband, Chen Juansheng, had no choice but to take care of the children and do housework himself, and also take care of her without complaint.

Mei Yusheng discovered that Xie Mingqi's life was not only not a mess because of her laziness, but was actually even more bright and clean, because she had trained a devoted husband.

Chen Juansheng did not neglect his teaching duties at all. Although his daughter's grades were not ideal and she only got into a third-rate university, she went on to work in the logistics department of the school where Chen Juansheng worked after graduation.

Xie Mingqi is a truly intelligent woman. Her only worry right now is her daughter Qianqian's marriage. This girl is too picky and picky, and she's already twenty-seven and still doesn't have a boyfriend.

Of course, Yue Jiangting was different from Chen Juansheng; she was just grateful that he didn't ridicule or despise her.

Mei Yusheng toiled for half her life, sacrificing her quality of life, only to be betrayed by her husband and alienated by her son.

Now I deeply regret it. Fifty-three years old is an age that is neither high nor low, an age that cannot withstand storms, and an age that is most easily hurt.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto her pillow. She suddenly felt afraid of dawn. The thought of Yue Jiangting and Han Caiyu being all lovey-dovey made it hard for her to breathe.

What should she do?

This question lingered in her mind once again. They say that taking a step back opens up a whole new world, but her age had blocked all her escape routes. She had no choice but to go all in and fight them to the bitter end.

She bit her lip until her gums ached, and in the boundless darkness, she could taste a hint of blood.

She drifted off to sleep at dawn, her vision blurring with strange and fantastical images. There was her father, who had long since passed away, still as young as ever, even younger than she was now.

She saw Yue Jiangting and Han Caiyu embracing, their arrogant smiles mocking her foolishness, helplessness, and powerlessness.

They reached out their claws and pushed her off the cliff. The sudden feeling of weightlessness made her heart pound and she awoke with a start.

Outside, it was bright daylight, and sunlight climbed onto the windowsill, being cut into regular shapes by the window frame.

She took a deep breath, moved her limbs, and felt some soreness in her lower back, but the pain was gone.

She breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, she hadn't broken anything. She's getting old, her body can't withstand much strain; if she had injured herself, who could she rely on?

He secretly warned himself that he must not let anger cloud his judgment again, lest he hurt himself and suffer losses that outweigh the gains, leaving him with no strength to fight them.

Yes, she was determined to fight them, even if it cost her the rest of her life. Otherwise, how could she find peace of mind, and how could she tell her loving father about her broken and cowardly life?

I got up and put away the bag of salt that had long since cooled down. I took a hot shower in the bathroom, and as soon as I walked into the living room with my wet hair, I heard the sound of the door lock opening.

Her muscles tensed instantly, goosebumps stood on end, and her gaze fixed on the doorway, instantly switching into battle mode.

Yue Jiangting did not return home all night. This was the first time in the thirty years of their marriage that he had not returned home at night, except when he was away on business.

She thought it was him returning, and like a small animal encountering its natural enemy and preparing to fight to the death, she stared intently at the porch.

Shen Yingying walked in carrying a lunchbox. The moment Mei Yusheng saw her, her nerves relaxed and her gaze softened.

"Mom, you're awake? Is your back alright?" Shen Yingying asked with concern as soon as she entered the room, looking at Mei Yusheng's lower back. "Does it still hurt?"

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore, don't worry." Mei Yusheng's voice sounded a little tired. She glanced at the food box she was carrying, and her stomach rumbled a few times.

She then remembered that she had barely eaten anything from noon to night yesterday, and the smell of food made her feel hungry.

The mother-in-law's bedroom door slammed open: "Yingying, you bought breakfast? Sigh, this house is becoming less and less like a home; no one even makes breakfast anymore."

"Grandma, please wash up first. I bought your favorite crystal shrimp dumplings!" Shen Yingying gave Mei Yusheng a look.

The mother-in-law staggered to the bathroom.

"Mom, I bought soy milk, fried dough sticks, and pan-fried buns. Let's eat and then go to the hospital for a check-up." Shen Yingying took out the food one by one and put it on a plate, then poured the soy milk into a bowl. "I took half a day off. Guangzhi took Xuanxuan there. Mom, you don't need to do anything today. Just rest well."

Mei Yusheng felt a warmth in her heart. Watching Shen Yingying bustling around, she handed her a spoon and thought to herself, "I haven't been without anything all these years. Although my son is a bit confused, at least I have a gentle and sensible daughter-in-law."

Having no daughter of his own, Mei Yusheng always treated Shen Yingying as his own daughter.

She suddenly understood her son. After all, they were his parents, so which one could he side with? Even though she knew that her scumbag father's actions were unethical, as his son, she couldn't very well criticize him.

Mei Yusheng felt she had figured things out, and her mother-in-law's gloomy face did not affect her happy mood.

After breakfast, Mei Yusheng urged her daughter-in-law to go to work, saying that her back was fine and she would be better after a day of rest.

Seeing that she was determined not to go to the hospital, Shen Yingying stopped pressuring her, finished cleaning up the dishes, and went out.

The house quieted down again. Mei Yusheng really didn't want to face her unreasonable mother-in-law, fearing that she might cause trouble again.

I hid in the bedroom, closed the door tightly, and glanced at my phone every now and then. It was quiet, without making a sound.

She was unwilling to admit that she was waiting for Yue Jiangting's call, and even thought that even if he called, she wouldn't answer!

I picked up my favorite book, *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, leaned against the bed, and flipped through a few pages. The overly similar names quickly became a jumbled mess, and I couldn't tell them apart at all.

She sighed; the air in the house was too stuffy, and she felt a little breathless.

I left the bedroom and went into the kitchen. I took some pickled vegetables that I had made a few days ago from the refrigerator and put them in my handbag.

Her mother-in-law stood at the door, staring at her menacingly: "Where are you going to go gallivanting again? Who are you giving all this to? Are you going to your best friend's house again? You're not allowed to go! Go buy some crucian carp today and make me crucian carp soup!"

She's so obsessed with crucian carp soup? Mei Yusheng ignored her with a sullen face and went out the door.

She hadn't seen her best friend Xie Mingqi for a long time, and she was eager to talk to her.