After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 149: Look up, where there is light, there is home!

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Look up, where there is light, there is home!

From afternoon to dusk, and from dusk until the crescent moon hung among the branches, Shen Fanyun still hadn’t made up his mind. He shook his head, stood up, and patted Su Xiyang. "Let’s go home."

"Oh, okay," Su Xiyang murmured, then added in a low voice, "You seem a little restless today. Is something on your mind? You’re acting so strange."

Shen Fanyun rubbed his cheeks and smiled. "Is it that obvious?"

At that moment, small stalls for the evening were already being set up on both sides of the road, filling the air with the true scent of worldly life. Shen Fanyun suddenly felt a pang of hunger, and Su Xiyang instinctively touched her own stomach.

She had never eaten from a street stall before. "Won’t it be unhygienic?"

"There’s only one way to find out," Shen Fanyun urged her. He first ordered her a serving of mung bean jelly and some stir-fried rice cakes. As an afterthought, he also bought her a stick of candied hawthorn.

Su Xiyang took a few bites, and her eyes lit up. "This is actually pretty good."

"Would you like a bite?" Su Xiyang held out her half-eaten rice cake to Shen Fanyun.

Shen Fanyun feigned disgust. "It’s covered in your saliva."

Su Xiyang was speechless.

"Then why didn’t you mind my saliva when you were busy chewing on my lips?" Su Xiyang erupted. "What kind of person are you, getting all prim and proper about hygiene at a time like this?" This was the first time she had ever cursed.

Shen Fanyun quickly relented. "Alright, I’ll eat it."

"Well, I’m not giving it to you now," Su Xiyang huffed, taking large, angry bites of the rice cake and chewing forcefully.

Shen Fanyun’s gaze drifted upward and landed on a fried skewer stall. "Excuse me, I’d like to order."

"Sure, what can I get for you?" the owner smiled.

A second later, Shen Fanyun froze, his body as if fixed in place.

The owner looked puzzled. "Sir? What would you like to order?"

Shen Fanyun suddenly looked up, his gaze fixed on the young man before him. The man wore a plaid shirt, and a work badge lay on a stool nearby. He had clearly come straight here to work his part-time job after his day shift. The young man had a gentle, scholarly appearance, wore black-rimmed glasses, and was about the same height as Shen Fanyun.

Noticing Shen Fanyun’s odd reaction, the young man stared back, equally confused. There was something about Shen Fanyun’s eyes and brows that felt strangely familiar.

After a long moment, the young man’s mouth fell open. His voice was filled with disbelief and shock as he stammered, "Bro?"

That one word sent a wave of complicated emotions through Shen Fanyun. He didn’t respond but simply nodded.

"Big Bro, it’s really you!" The young man, whose name was Shen Bufan, vaulted over his food stall and pulled Shen Fanyun into a tight hug.

Shen Fanyun’s expression was strange for a moment, but he quickly relaxed. He playfully punched Shen Bufan on the shoulder, a wave of sentiment washing over him. "Look at you! You’ve grown so much."

Shen Bufan was just a little kid when I left. Now, after more than ten years, that kid has graduated from college and joined the workforce. Time really does fly. Work must be incredibly taxing, Shen Fanyun thought, noticing the dark circles under Shen Bufan’s eyes.

"Bro, I can’t believe I’m seeing you here," Shen Bufan said, his voice brimming with joy.

Su Xiyang was stunned. You can run into people you know even in a place like this?

Shen Bufan’s gaze shifted to Su Xiyang. Noticing how close she was to Shen Fanyun, he asked, "And this is... Sister-in-law?"

Sister-in-law? Su Xiyang mulled over the term. It was the first time anyone had called her that. It felt... strange. And yet, she couldn’t deny she quite enjoyed the sound of it.

"Sister-in-law, please have a seat," Shen Bufan offered.

"Oh, thank you," Su Xiyang smiled, sitting down quietly next to Shen Fanyun. She asked him, "A friend of yours?"

"No, we’re brothers," Shen Fanyun emphasized. Although he was adopted, they had been raised by the same parents and had lived under one roof since they were children. It was no exaggeration to call themselves brothers.

"You’re brothers?" Su Xiyang said, amazed. She looked back and forth between Shen Bufan and Shen Fanyun. Now that she looked closer, the resemblance in their eyes and brows was undeniable.

But... Shen Fanyun wears designer clothes and jewelry, spends tens or even hundreds of thousands of yuan at a time, and gets chauffeured in luxury cars. So why is his own brother running a street stall? The Shen Fanyun I know isn’t that cold and cruel, is he? Would he really just care about his own pleasure and completely ignore his family?

"It’s a long story. I’ll explain later," Shen Fanyun smiled.

Shen Fanyun himself was a little surprised, not just by the chance encounter with Shen Bufan, but by how genuinely thrilled his brother was to see him. It seemed that regarding the past, Shen Bufan held no grudge against him. In fact, it sounded like he had been hoping year after year for his return.

If my own brother feels this way, then... what about Mom and Dad?

After a long silence, Shen Fanyun couldn’t stop himself from asking, "How are Mom and Dad’s health?"

Shen Bufan replied, "Mom’s old rheumatism flares up from time to time, but other than that, she’s fine. And Dad, he’s as robust as ever."

Shen Fanyun felt a weight lift from his shoulders upon hearing that they were both doing well. He then asked, "I see you have a work badge. Are you working part-time here?"

Shen Bufan scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I figured since I’m free after my day job, I might as well come out and earn a little extra cash. Haha."

"That sounds tough," Shen Fanyun said. "Take care of your health first. You don’t need to push yourself this hard."

Shen Bufan didn’t try to hide anything. "Bro, I’ll be straight with you. I’m getting married soon, so I was hoping to earn a bit more for the wedding. Haha."

Getting married? Shen Fanyun felt a surge of delight, but it was quickly followed by a realization. He was no longer an ordinary person, so he couldn’t possibly understand the pressures someone like Shen Bufan faced. Studying hard in your youth, working to death as an adult, and then getting married and starting a family. Without some great stroke of luck, a person could spend their whole life crushed by pressure.

"So when’s the wedding? You have to invite us!" Su Xiyang chimed in playfully.

Shen Bufan beamed. "Don’t you worry, Sister-in-law! I won’t forget you two. You’ll definitely be invited to the feast!"

"You’ve got a deal," Su Xiyang nodded.

Shen Fanyun added, "If you have any financial trouble, just let me know." He gave his phone number to Shen Bufan.

Seeing Shen Bufan’s circumstances, it was clear he wasn’t well-off. That was my oversight. For years, I’ve hesitated, worried that my sudden return would disrupt their lives. Yet it never occurred to me to proactively improve their financial situation.

Shen Bufan carefully saved the number. Seeing Shen Fanyun look like he was about to leave, he asked hesitantly, "Bro, aren’t you coming home to visit? Mom and Dad are home right now."

Home? The word was so familiar, yet so foreign.

Shen Fanyun froze on the spot. He still wasn’t ready. Not even when he could see the lights of his home just by lifting his head.

"Besides, they haven’t met Sister-in-law yet. I bet they’d be ecstatic to meet her," Shen Bufan said as he began to pack up his stall.

Shen Fanyun glanced at Su Xiyang.

She just shrugged. "It’s fine with me. I can go with you."