Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 101

Wan Shilan wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but the temperature in the office seemed to drop abruptly after she spoke.

Pei Jingyan slowly raised his head, his eyes devoid of warmth. “What did you say?”

Gritting her teeth, Wan Shilan took out the photos and placed them in front of Pei Jingyan.

The lighting in the photos was dim, showing Shen Lai and Huo Chilin standing face-to-face, seemingly engaged in conversation. There was nothing particularly inappropriate about their interaction.

It could easily pass as a casual meeting between friends, but the problem was that Huo Chilin was Shen Lai’s ex-boyfriend. Moreover, they had met late at night in a photography studio. If this were to be leaked, the media could spin countless sensational stories from it.

Wan Shilan cautiously asked, “Mr. Pei, should we buy these photos?”

Pei Jingyan’s gaze shifted to her, his tone icy. “What do you think?”

The implication was clear, he wanted them bought and buried. But the coldness in Pei Jingyan’s eyes was unsettling, enough to make anyone shudder.

Then again, it was understandable. What husband wouldn’t react upon seeing his wife meeting another man?

Wan Shilan swallowed hard. “I’ll contact the paparazzi right away.”

After she left, Pei Jingyan lowered his gaze to the photos on the table, his eyes completely overtaken by frost.

By the time Shen Lai finished accompanying her parents, it was already dark.

Chang Suning had wanted her to stay for dinner, but Shen Lai declined.

Chang Suning asked curiously, “Do you have plans later?”

Shen Lai hesitated before mumbling, “No, it’s just… Pei Jingyan is waiting for me at home for dinner.”

Chang Suning immediately understood, the young couple wanted a romantic candlelit dinner and saw them as intruders.

She teased, “Now that you have a husband, you don’t even have time for your parents?”

Shen Lai stubbornly retorted, “I just don’t want to explain to him why I’m not coming home for dinner.”

Chang Suning saw right through her but didn’t call her out. Seeing the couple so close put her mind at ease.

She didn’t press further. “Alright, go ahead then. Don’t keep Jingyan waiting too long.”

Shen Lai awkwardly muttered an “Okay,” then added, “I’ll visit you and Dad again when I have time.”

Pretending not to notice her mother’s knowing look, Shen Lai fled as if escaping.

Once outside the villa, Shen Lai took out her phone to text Pei Jingyan, letting him know she was on her way back.

Just as she was about to hit send, she suddenly realized something was off.

Since when did she have to report to Pei Jingyan?

The moment the thought struck her, she quickly deleted the message, put her phone away, and slipped it back into her pocket.

She didn’t want Pei Jingyan thinking she was eager to return just to have dinner with him.

As Shen Lai was about to get into the car, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze on her.

She turned around, but the street was pitch-black and deserted, with not a soul in sight.

Puzzled but unconcerned, she opened the car door and got in.

By the time she returned to the villa, night had fully fallen.

She walked briskly into the dining room and saw Pei Jingyan seated at the table, a few photos spread out in front of him.

“Why haven’t you started eating yet?” Shen Lai glanced at the photos and asked curiously, “What are these?”

Pei Jingyan looked up at her but said nothing.

Confused, Shen Lai picked up the photos. When she saw Huo Chilin in them, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.

Wasn’t this from the night Huo Chilin came to see her?

“Where did you get these?”

Pei Jingyan replied coldly, “From the paparazzi.”

Shen Lai nearly choked.

“These paparazzi are really something, huh? They even managed to capture this.”

Pei Jingyan’s slender fingers tapped lightly on the table. “Miss Shen, care to explain what’s going on?”

Shen Lai swallowed hard. “He did come to see me a few days ago.”

Pei Jingyan narrowed his eyes. “And why didn’t you tell me?”

Shen Lai pursed her lips. “What’s there to say? We just met and talked for a bit.”

“Just talked?” Pei Jingyan scoffed. “The paparazzi certainly won’t see it that way.”

“Miss Shen, don’t you realize how famous you are now? Meeting up with your ex-boyfriend? Do you want people to say you’re rekindling old flames?”

Listening to his sarcastic tone, Shen Lai felt a pang of discomfort.

He had met with Yi Xingyu, and she hadn’t said a word about it.

Besides, Huo Chilin had approached her before, she didn’t understand why Pei Jingyan was making such a big deal out of it now.

Her voice carried a hint of resentment. “It’s because of you, otherwise why would he come looking for me?”

Pei Jingyan frowned at her words. “Because of me?”

Shen Lai forced a smile. “He saw those photos of you and Yi Xingyu online and thought you were cheating, so he came to see me.”

Pei Jingyan’s brow furrowed deeper, clearly not expecting that to be the reason. Seeing the reproachful look in Shen Lai’s eyes, his tense expression softened slightly. “Yi Xingyu has resigned. She’ll be leaving tomorrow.”

Shen Lai’s attention was instantly caught by this. “Resigned?” she asked, surprised.

As if recalling something, she tentatively added, “Is it because of what happened yesterday?”

Pei Jingyan didn’t deny it, simply nodding.

Shen Lai’s eyes darted around before she asked, feigning indifference, “And you’re just letting her go like that?”

Pei Jingyan replied calmly, “In her current state, she’s not fit to continue working at the company. Leaving is for the best.”

Shen Lai didn’t believe Yi Xingyu would give up so easily. She probably thought Pei Jingyan would try to stop her, using this as a tactic to gain the upper hand.

But Pei Jingyan wasn’t playing by the usual rules.

Seeing his composed expression, as if the matter meant nothing to him, Shen Lai cleared her throat and stiffened her neck. “Don’t think you can just brush off falsely accusing me earlier with this.”

Noticing her puffed cheeks and averted gaze like an angry hamster, Pei Jingyan smirked. “Then what should I do? How about a kiss as an apology?”

With that, he pushed himself up from the dining table, leaning toward her.

Shen Lai recoiled as if shocked, flustered. “F-forget it! Just don’t let it happen again. I’ll let it slide this time.”

She quickly sat back down and picked up her chopsticks, focusing on her meal.

Amused by how she seemed terrified of being taken advantage of, Pei Jingyan chuckled and returned to his seat to continue eating.

Dinner passed in relative harmony, both tacitly avoiding further mention of the earlier incident, as if the photos had never surfaced.

The night passed quietly.

Early the next morning, a lone figure stood at the airport.

Yi Xingyu sat on a bench, her gaze fixed on the entrance.

Time ticked by as crowds flowed through the terminal, but the person she was waiting for never appeared.

Yi Xingyu checked her phone, it was already 7:30.

At that moment, an announcement echoed overhead: “All remaining passengers, please board immediately…”

Yi Xingyu’s heart sank completely.

She already knew the answer, that person would never appear again.

As the overhead announcement urged once more, Yi Xingyu tightened her grip on the straps of her luggage bag. As if finally giving up, she stood and turned toward the security checkpoint.

Shen Lai remained oblivious to all of this.

After breakfast, she boarded a flight with her agent, Wan Shilan, to a neighboring city for a script reading session with the rest of the main cast.

Arriving at the set by private car, Shen Lai had just stepped out when she felt that familiar sensation of being watched.

She turned around swiftly, but the bustling street revealed nothing unusual.

Strange. Was she just overthinking it?

Just then, a crew member approached. Shen Lai followed them away, unaware of the figure lurking beneath the tree across the street, staring intently at her retreating figure with eyes burning with resentment.