After Being Betrayed I Married the Glamorous CEO-Chapter 173: You think you can just close the road because you’re so cool?!
"You... you’re not going to deny it, are you?" Mrs. Ai gathered her courage and confronted Shen Fanyun.
Shen Fanyun sneered, "Deny what?"
His gaze, sharp as a sword, fell upon Ai Jing. Her breath hitched, and her face turned ashen, unable to meet his eyes.
"If you want to stir up trouble, go find someone else. Who do you think you are, putting on an act in front of me?"
Since they were so determined to be shameless, why should he give them any face? Bringing up something completely fabricated with such a straight face... what was there even to negotiate?
"My Jingjing has only been with Bufan during this time," Mrs. Ai stammered. "She hasn’t been... intimate... with any other man."
"Are you sure?" Shen Fanyun said.
"With my connections, I can get the hotel records. I can find out exactly who your daughter met, where, and when, even going back a year."
"So, why don’t we find out who the real father is?"
Ai Jing was speechless.
"Mom... Mom, let’s go," she said, squirming. She couldn’t stand to be there for another second.
She had hoped to trap a rich fool, but now it was clear she had only lifted a stone to drop it on her own feet. Shen Bufan might have been easy to deal with, but Shen Fanyun was no pushover. Trying to play mind games with a man like him was like trying to pull teeth from a tiger’s mouth.
Terrified, Ai Jing grabbed her mother and fled without looking back.
After they left, the atmosphere finally relaxed.
Shen Bufan gave Shen Fanyun a thumbs-up. "Bro, you’re amazing."
"I was bluffing, too. I was afraid the kid might actually be yours," Shen Fanyun said, half-joking and half-serious.
Shen Bufan was at a loss for words.
"In the future, when you run into people like that, don’t beat around the bush. Facts speak louder than words," Shen Fanyun said, getting back to the point.
Shen Bufan nodded silently.
Thank goodness Shen Fanyun got back in time. Otherwise, if I’d actually gritted my teeth and married Ai Jing, wouldn’t I have been famously cuckolded?
"It’s finally quiet," Shen Bufan sighed in relief.
"Quiet?" Shen Fanyun smiled knowingly. "This is just the beginning."
Shen Bufan was completely baffled.
It wasn’t until evening that he finally understood the hidden meaning behind his brother’s words. The long-unseen Shen Su arrived with her son, Yuan Hua, carrying bags large and small and bringing a heap of so-called local specialties on a cheerful visit.
Shen Bufan found it bizarre. Ever since the Shen Family’s misfortune, Shen Su had righteously disowned them, refusing all contact. He’d even heard rumors that she’d badmouthed Shen Fanyun behind his back, complaining that the "little brat" had dragged them all down with him. Why was she suddenly so enthusiastic?
"Oh, my dear nephews, you’re both home? It seems my trip wasn’t in vain," Shen Su greeted warmly.
Shen Bufan’s reaction was cold. He knew better than anyone just how snobbish and opportunistic Shen Su was.
Her showing up now... does she sense that the Shen Family is on the rise again? Is she here to cozy up to us and get a piece of the action?
"You’re quite the busy person, Aunt. So busy we haven’t seen you in over a decade."
"Sometimes, I almost forget I even have an aunt."
Reluctantly, Shen Bufan went to wash some apples, slamming them down on the coffee table.
With extraordinary composure, Shen Su completely ignored Shen Bufan’s frosty reception. She turned to grasp Qin Lian’s hands, fawning over her with feigned warmth as if they were the dearest of sisters. Qin Lian, out of familial obligation, had to play along. However, Shen Fanyun could see how uncomfortable she was, and Shen Zheng didn’t look pleased, either.
"I just remembered I have something to do. Bufan, come with me."
Shen Fanyun had no time to entertain this so-called aunt, so he came up with an excuse and gestured for Shen Bufan to follow him.
Yuan Hua looked like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Shen Su’s eyes lit up. "You cousins must have a lot to talk about. Huahua, why don’t you go with your cousin?"
"Maybe next time," Shen Fanyun replied, leaving no room for argument.
Shen Bufan quickly followed him out.
"How shameless! How does she have the audacity to show her face here?"
"If you’re going to cut ties, then just stay away for good. What is this nonsense now?" Shen Bufan grumbled incessantly, his resentment palpable.
Shen Fanyun simply smiled without a word. He drove along a picturesque route, the first time in many years the two brothers had gone for a casual outing together. He still remembered when Shen Bufan was just a little squirt who would trail behind him every day, constantly calling out, "Big Bro, Big Bro!"
In the blink of an eye, his little brother was a grown man, and he himself was an old man in his early thirties. Time really does fly.
"Rapid development isn’t all good," Shen Bufan said, shaking his head. "The human touch is fading, and the pressure on people is immense. Car loans, mortgages... it’s just one debt after another."
Shen Bufan could clearly feel that people nowadays lacked the spirit they once had. When his big brother wasn’t around, he had been much the same—just one step above being a walking corpse.
"Such deep thoughts for someone so young?" Shen Fanyun teased.
As they drove along a main thoroughfare, they were surprised to find the road blocked.
Shen Bufan wondered aloud, "Is some bigwig on an inspection tour?"
His curiosity piqued, Shen Bufan got out of the car to ask around. When he returned, his expression had changed drastically.
"What’s wrong?" Shen Fanyun asked.
Shen Bufan hesitated, looking at his brother as if debating whether to tell him the truth.
"It’s... it’s Han Long’s convoy," he finally muttered. For the Shen Family, that name was like an invisible mountain pressing down on them, so much so that they could barely breathe all these years. Of course, it was also this very person who had forced Shen Fanyun to leave home and caused the family to fall apart.
"Bro, we should get out of here," Shen Bufan blurted out.
Han Long was no ordinary man. He was a local tycoon with immense power. If that unpredictable man found out Shen Fanyun was back, would he start targeting him again? In any case, he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. It was best to avoid him. As the saying goes, if you can’t afford to offend them, can’t you at least hide from them?
"Why should we?" Shen Fanyun opened the car door and got out on his own. He glanced around. Looks like there’s some kind of conference happening here. Is Han Long one of the main guests?
You had to admit, a tycoon of his stature had real pull. He enjoyed the privilege of having an entire street closed off, keeping the riffraff and ordinary pedestrians out.
"I just wonder if this temporary road closure was even approved by the proper authorities?" Shen Fanyun mused, his lips curling into a sarcastic smile.
A crowd of people trying to get home on this main road were clearly frustrated. Unfortunately, since this involved Han Long, they were furious but dared not voice it. They could only hope the blockade would end soon so traffic could resume.
"Bro, what are you doing?" Shen Bufan asked, worried his brother might do something rash.
Shen Fanyun just laughed. "It’s nothing."
He lit a cigarette, walked straight up to the barricade, and, without another word, kicked it aside. The action was simple, crude, and it startled everyone.
