After the Villain Stopped Fawning Over the Female Lead, She Became Desperate - Chapter 12:

Chapter 12: Father Shen — Che’er Has Grown Up

“Che’er, after saying so much, I just want to say that I don’t want to see you unhappy,” Mother Shen said gently. “I only hope you’ll think it through carefully. Don’t make a wrong decision just because of a moment’s impulse or anger.”

From a mother’s perspective, the Xu girl truly was the most suitable choice for her son at the moment. They knew each other well, came from equally matched families—those two points alone were already decisive factors.

“Mom, feelings can’t be forced. A melon twisted off the vine won’t taste sweet,” Shen Che said with a hint of urgency and helplessness in his voice, his eyes filled with a deep desire for her understanding. “Besides, there are so many flowers across the world—your son is outstanding. There’s no need for me to hang from a single tree.”

Just as Mother Shen opened her mouth, before she could speak, Father Shen interrupted her first.

“Wenqian, let’s allow Che’er to make his own decision. The child is already an adult. His future happiness should be left for him to decide.”

As Father Shen spoke, he looked at Shen Che with eyes full of comfort—a genuine joy born from witnessing his child’s growth and transformation.

“But this…” Mother Shen’s words were at her lips, but she swallowed them back. Her heart was still full of concerns, but she didn’t know where to start.

“Our son having his own thoughts about such an important matter is a good thing. I understand you. You feel that the Xu girl is excellent in all aspects and matches Che’er well.”

Father Shen gently patted the back of her hand, his tone growing even softer, “But we can’t take away his right to choose, right, Wenqian?”

Mother Shen listened quietly to her husband’s words. After a brief silence, she gently nodded. Though there was still a hint of reluctance in her expression, she accepted his reasoning.

“Thank you, Dad,” Shen Che said, grateful for his father’s understanding.

“Che’er, your dad is right. I take back what I said earlier,” Mother Shen said sincerely. “But I’ll say it again—I just hope to see you happy. As for your engagement, you decide. Mom supports you.”

Hearing her change of heart, Shen Che felt a surge of joy and said warmly, “Mom, it means a lot that you understand me.”

After the heartfelt conversation, Shen Che and his parents finally settled into a long-overdue chat. Seeing the change in their son, Father Shen kept a constant smile on his face, his gaze full of affection.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen took the initiative to talk with Shen Che, while he racked his brain, pulling memories from the original host to respond smoothly.

One sentence after another, the family chatted unknowingly until evening. After a long time, they sat together again at the kitchen table, sharing dinner.

At 7:30 PM, the peaceful moment was broken by a sudden phone ring. Father Shen stepped aside to answer—it was an urgent work matter.

“Mm, alright. You all wait for me in the meeting room. I’ll head over now. Have the plan ready ahead of time.”

After hanging up, Father Shen turned to Shen Che, pulled out a black-gold card from his pocket, placed it gently in his hand, and said, “Che’er, this is your allowance for this month. If it’s not enough, don’t hide it—just come to me. The password is your birthday.”

Shen Che took the card. He didn’t even need to check. Based on what he remembered from the original novel—where Father Shen handed out money every two weeks like clockwork—he already knew the balance inside would be…

A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand… easily 1 million. Father Shen.

And the first digit almost always started with a 7.

Shen Che took the bank card with both hands, tucked it into his coat pocket, and warmly bid farewell to his parents.

After a few more reminders, Mr. and Mrs. Shen hurried off to the company to handle urgent matters.

Standing at the doorway, Shen Che quietly watched their figures grow smaller until the car disappeared at the corner of the street.

Once they were some distance away, Mother Shen gently nudged Father Shen’s arm with a playful smile, teasing, “You know, ever since our son started expressing his own ideas and growing up, you haven’t stopped grinning. You’ve been smiling nonstop since earlier.”

Father Shen scratched his head a little sheepishly at her teasing, but the smile on his face only grew brighter, like a child who’d just received his favorite toy.

In the business world, Father Shen was a ruthless and decisive man—the current patriarch of the Shen family. He made bold decisions and overturned situations effortlessly, feared by competitors and known for his overwhelming power.

But only in front of his wife and son did he become like a lion who’d shed its claws—his sharpness and authority stripped away, leaving only tenderness and fatherly love.

Looking at his wife, Father Shen’s eyes were filled with warmth as he said softly, “Wenqian, it really is a good thing that our son has grown up. I used to hope he’d mature quickly and be able to stand on his own. Now that I see he has his own opinions and sense of responsibility, I feel proud—but also a little emotional. Time really flies.”

Mother Shen nodded, holding her husband’s arm as the two walked toward the car, side by side.

“Yes, Che’er growing up really is a good thing.”

Their figures were stretched long by the soft light of the streetlamp, a peaceful image full of warmth and quiet years.

…

Once the car was out of sight, Shen Che turned back into the house.

As he stepped into his room, he gently closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long breath.

The sudden visit from these “cheap parents” had truly caught him off guard.

He had thought that in this strange yet familiar world, familial bonds would be weak and distant. He never imagined that the care and understanding they gave him would be so real.

A slight smile formed at the corner of Shen Che’s lips, and a trace of warmth flashed in his eyes. In his past life, he had been an orphan—he had never once received any love or help from parents.

Just growing up to the age of 18 and securing a job had been a journey full of hardship.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, his thoughts drifted to countless novel scenes he had read.

It really was like the stories—many urban novel villains had parents who doted on them. Even if their child played an unlikeable role in the plot, that love never disappeared.

Now that he thought about it, even his “cheap parents” didn’t escape this “standard villain configuration.”

Shen Che couldn’t help but chuckle softly, marveling at fate’s strange arrangement—placing him in such a dramatic story.

In the turbulent business world of the Magic City, Mr. and Mrs. Shen were known as paragons of the industry—among the few honest and kind-hearted entrepreneurs.

The Shen Group, under their leadership, offered top-tier pay and benefits in the field.

Regardless of position or level, employees received enviable compensation.

In terms of work hours and leave policies, the Shen couple strictly followed labor laws: 8 hours a day, guaranteed weekends off.

If overtime was required, employees were paid double. Even entry-level interns enjoyed these excellent benefits.

Shen Che clearly remembered that the lowest-paid intern at the group earned 7,650 yuan per month, with full benefits and an 8-hour, five-day schedule.

The humanity of Mr. and Mrs. Shen wasn’t limited to how they treated employees—they also treated consumers with honesty and goodwill.

Every product or service under the Shen Group’s umbrella maintained a high cost-performance ratio.

They never sacrificed quality for profit. They always sought to provide consumers with the best and most affordable experience.

Sitting quietly in his room, Shen Che’s thoughts drifted back to the original novel.

As he recalled the tragic ending for Mr. and Mrs. Shen, he let out a long sigh, slowly shaking his head, eyes full of regret and sorrow.

In the later parts of the original story, in order to satisfy his selfish desires, Ye Feng falsely accused the Shen Group of countless fabricated crimes, secretly colluding with various forces to launch an all-out attack.

The Shen Group’s capital chain broke under the siege, operations came to a halt, partners pulled out, stock prices plummeted.

That once-glorious commercial giant collapsed completely under Ye Feng’s schemes.

Father Shen, a lifelong warrior in the business world, was crushed by the sudden disaster. Unable to bear the blow, he chose the most desperate way to end his life—on a quiet night, he took poison and died, leaving behind endless grief and regret.

Mother Shen didn’t escape either. She was falsely accused of being the mastermind behind a commercial crime and was imprisoned, spending the rest of her life behind cold prison bars.

Shen Che closed his eyes, recalling how in the original story, he was repeatedly humiliated and slapped in the face by Ye Feng.

Whether at luxurious business banquets or ordinary social occasions, Ye Feng would always pick fights with him under the guise of “righteousness,” humiliating him in front of others to win his fiancée.

Back then, he relied on his protagonist aura to expose Shen Che’s shortcomings, mock his abilities, and ruin his reputation and dignity.

But Shen Che had always known deep down how kind the Shen couple had been.

Although his father didn’t speak much, he had always trusted the original host, giving him over a dozen companies to manage early on so he could gain business experience.

Not to mention earlier—his father even stuffed a bank card into his hand, full of love and care.

And Ye Feng’s cruelty didn’t stop there.

After destroying the Shen Group, he left hundreds of thousands of families in ruin.

Countless employees lost their jobs, and their lives fell into crisis.

Those once-happy households gradually lost all hope.

No matter whether it was for himself, for his kind “cheap parents,” or for countless innocent lives—

He had to destroy Ye Feng.

That thought settled firmly in Shen Che’s mind.