After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 150: With me here, who dares to continue to bully you!

Go home!

Shen Fanyun had longed for it, yearned for it, countless times.

Now, standing at his doorstep, he couldn’t bring himself to take that final step. He hadn’t seen them in over a decade. I wonder what Mom and Dad look like now? If I hadn’t involved them all those years ago, they would probably be retired by now, enjoying a blissful life.

"Bro, let’s go," Shen Bufan said, quickly packing up his stall and motioning to Shen Fanyun. I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give myself a day off. If my brother’s up for it, I’d love to get drunk with him.

For the past ten years, he had dreamed more than once of his older brother coming home. His parents also hoped that one day Shen Fanyun would appear before them, alive and well. But the days bled into one another, and their hair turned white with waiting. They never saw him again. More than once, Shen Bufan had found his parents sitting in Shen Fanyun’s bedroom, endlessly sorting through the things he had once worn and used.

"Bro..." Shen Bufan called out, his voice hoarse with unspoken emotion. He couldn’t hold it in any longer and tilted his head back. Men aren’t supposed to cry so easily. After all these years, I’ve finally seen my brother again. This is no time for tears. I can’t let him laugh at me.

Shen Fanyun reached out and patted Shen Bufan’s shoulder.

The apartment building was an old walk-up, weathered by time. Many of the walls were damp and peeling. Most of the people still living here were those who couldn’t afford to move.

When he opened the door, their parents were nestled on the sofa watching television. Every so often, however, their gazes would drift to the window, toward the spot where Shen Bufan set up his stall.

His mother’s hair was streaked with white, and his father’s face was etched with deep wrinkles. They both looked at least ten years older than their peers. They hadn’t had it easy. It was understandable. With their eldest son gone for so many years, his fate unknown, they probably hadn’t had a single night of peaceful sleep since the day he left.

"Xiaofan, you’re home early today," his mother said, her head lifting instinctively to look at Shen Bufan in the doorway. A plate of fruit sat on the table, prepared for him to eat when he got home in the evening. Shen Bufan was stubborn. Considering his parents’ age and frailty, he refused to let them help with the stall.

"Are you not feeling well?" she asked. "Oh, you. I’ve told you not to work so hard, but you never listen. If the marriage talks with Xiao Ai aren’t working out, then we’ll just drop it. I think Xiao Ai’s parents are just looking down on you, deliberately making things difficult. You’re so stubborn. If you keep pushing yourself this hard, your health will suffer eventually. You can’t force love. If you don’t let go now, life will only get harder for you. It’s a shame we’re not much help. If we could lend a hand, you wouldn’t have to struggle so much." His mother, Qin Lian, was stooped, and her words were filled with heartache and self-blame.

Shen Bufan grinned. "Mom, I’m young and strong. I’m fine. Besides, look who I brought home."

He stepped aside, and Shen Fanyun’s gaze met Qin Lian’s almost instantly.

An absolute silence fell. My old eyes must be playing tricks on me, Qin Lian thought, unable to believe what she was seeing. She rubbed them. Shen Fanyun was still there. She rubbed them again. He was still standing right there.

They say a mother’s heart is connected to her child’s. Even though Shen Fanyun wasn’t her biological son, she knew him in a single glance.

"Mom," Shen Fanyun called out gently.

Qin Lian showed no great sorrow or joy. She didn’t cry or become overly emotional. She simply reached out, patted Shen Fanyun’s chest, and remarked with a sigh, "You’ve grown much sturdier."

Then she turned around, and in that instant, tears streamed down her face. "Old man, our Fanyun is home." Qin Lian kept her back to Shen Fanyun, not wanting him to see her messy, tear-streaked face. The older she got, the more she cared about saving face.

Shen Zheng rose, trembling. He put on his reading glasses, then silently walked over to Shen Fanyun, looking him over again and again, as if he could never get enough.

Su Xiyang felt her eyes begin to sting. Shen Fanyun’s parents were ordinary, simple people of humble means, but their deep love for their children was apparent in every word and every glance.

"Dad," Shen Fanyun smiled. Seeing them now, I’m filled with such regret. I shouldn’t have hesitated or overthought everything. I’ve been back in Hangcheng City for so long, and only now have I finally worked up the courage to come home!

"Good child!" Shen Zheng gave Shen Fanyun a big hug.

Qin Lian’s attention finally fell on Su Xiyang. "And who is this young lady?"

"This is my sister-in-law," Shen Bufan blurted out. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Su Xiyang felt a wave of helplessness. This Shen Bufan has already decided I’m his brother’s girlfriend. In reality, that man definitely has more than just me.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie."

I’ll explain later, Su Xiyang thought. For now... I suppose I’ll reluctantly play the part.

"You’re so beautiful! My goodness, just like a doll. This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a pretty girl. So vibrant, you’re unreal."

Qin Lian took Su Xiyang’s hand warmly. "Have you eaten?"

"Auntie, I’ve already eaten," Su Xiyang replied. She was in a good mood. After all, what girl doesn’t like being told she’s beautiful?

"Just beautiful," Qin Lian kept gushing, holding Su Xiyang’s hand, unwilling to let go.

Shen Fanyun took in the sight of the old apartment. It seemed that almost nothing had changed from his memory. Even the marks he had deliberately carved into the cabinet as a child were still clearly visible.

He pushed open a door. It was his bedroom. For a moment, Shen Fanyun felt as if he had traveled back to his childhood. The desk, the lamp, the wall cabinet—even the books and workbooks he used as a boy were all there, waiting for him.

"Your mom cleans it every few days. It’s spotless," Shen Zheng said with a smile.

The cleaner the room was, the more Shen Fanyun’s heart ached. Ten years. Those should have been ten easy, happy years for them. Instead, they were consumed by the endless torment of waiting for me, a torment with no end in sight.

Shen Fanyun sat on the edge of the bed. Even the bedsheets, the quilt cover, and his pillow were clean, just older and rougher than he remembered.

"I’ve made you suffer these past ten years," Shen Fanyun said, his voice thick with self-reproach. Thankfully, my parents are still here, just a little older. Thankfully, I still have a chance to make up for the ten years I wasn’t by their side.

"It’s you who suffered," Qin Lian said, her eyes welling up again before she forcefully held back the tears, muttering that crying was bad luck.

Shen Fanyun dismissed it with a smile, then asked, "Is Xiaofan’s engagement not going smoothly?"

At his question, Qin Lian, Shen Zheng, and even Shen Bufan fell silent.

It was far more than just "not going smoothly."