Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 104

When Pei Jingyan arrived at the film set, chaos had already erupted.

Not only had a celebrity suddenly vanished, but the missing person was none other than Shen Lai.

Everyone knew Shen Lai was Pei Jingyan’s wife.

Upon seeing Pei Jingyan, Wan Shilan hurried over. “President Pei!”

An icy, bone-chilling aura radiated from Pei Jingyan as he spoke in a low, dangerous tone, “You’d better give me a reasonable explanation.”

Cold sweat dripped down Wan Shilan’s back. “President Pei, I truly had no idea about this. Just now, Shen Lai said she needed to use the restroom, so I waited outside for her. But after a long time, she still hadn’t come back. I thought something was wrong and went to check, only to find her gone. All that was left on the floor was this.”

Pei Jingyan glanced at the object in Wan Shilan’s palm and immediately recognized it as Shen Lai’s phone.

The screen was shattered, clearly having been smashed hard against the ground.

Then, as if remembering something, Wan Shilan added, “Oh, right! When I went back with the crew to investigate, we also found this handkerchief in the trash.”

Her words faltered slightly as she forced herself to continue, “We had it tested, it contains traces of ether…”

The moment she finished speaking, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. The suffocating pressure emanating from Pei Jingyan’s chilling, sword-like aura left everyone present too terrified to even breathe.

After what felt like an eternity, Pei Jingyan finally spoke again. “The surveillance footage?”

The set supervisor had been waiting for this question. He immediately stepped forward. “President Pei, we’ve already checked the surveillance outside the women’s restroom. Ms. Shen went in but never came out. Right now, the most suspicious person is that janitor.”

Pei Jingyan took the tablet handed to him. The surveillance footage appeared on the screen, and he pressed play.

The video showed Shen Lai appearing outside the restroom around 6 p.m., dressed in casual clothes with her makeup still on from filming.

Not long after Shen Lai entered, a person in janitor’s clothing pushed a cleaning cart inside, placing a “Maintenance in Progress, Do Not Use” sign at the entrance.

About ten minutes later, the janitor peeked out from the restroom, glanced around cautiously, and then pushed the cart back out.

Pei Jingyan narrowed his eyes slightly.

He noticed that the janitor had pushed the cart in effortlessly, but when exiting, it seemed much heavier, as if something extra had been added inside.

Just then, Wan Shilan suddenly spoke up. “Wait, isn’t that the janitor I bumped into on my way to look for Shen Lai?”

Everyone turned to look at her.

Pei Jingyan’s brows furrowed. “You saw this person?”

Wan Shilan nodded. “When I went to find Shen Lai, this janitor was just coming out with the cart. At the time, I thought nothing of it.”

She had found it odd how much effort the person seemed to be exerting to push the cart, but she had been too focused on finding Shen Lai to dwell on it.

Who would have thought this was the person who had kidnapped Shen Lai?

In the final moments of the footage, the janitor disappeared in the direction of the back exit, leaving no further trace.

Pei Jingyan looked up at the supervisor. “What about the surveillance at the back exit?”

The supervisor swallowed hard before answering nervously, “President Pei, the back exit leads to an alleyway… There are no cameras there.”

Pei Jingyan’s eyes turned icy in an instant.

This meant Shen Lai’s lead had completely dead-ended here.

The dim warehouse was filled with a stifling odor. As the iron door creaked open, countless dust particles swirled in the air.

A figure approached Shen Lai and, without hesitation, splashed a bucket of cold water onto her face.

Shen Lai jolted awake.

She struggled to open her eyes, her lashes beaded with water droplets, her hair clinging wetly to her cheeks, lending her a fragile beauty.

Her vision adjusted to the gloomy surroundings, what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, with piles of scrap metal crowding the corners.

Then she noticed the figure standing before her. Slowly lifting her head, she met Bai Hansui’s face, half-shrouded in shadow.

Memories from before she lost consciousness flooded back. Shen Lai remembered everything now.

It was Bai Hansui who had ambushed her in the restroom and brought her here.

Shen Lai suddenly recalled the familiar figure she had glimpsed on set earlier that day. It seemed she hadn’t been mistaken, that crew member had indeed been Bai Hansui.

“Shen Lai, long time no see,” Bai Hansui’s voice was low and cold.

Shen Lai instinctively tried to move, only to realize her hands had been bound at some point. Forcing herself to stay calm, she met Bai Hansui’s gaze. “What are you doing?”

Bai Hansui sneered. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Shen Lai took a slow breath. “You’re committing a crime. Do you have a death wish?”

Bai Hansui laughed as if she’d heard a joke. “Crime? At this point, what difference does it make?”

Shen Lai frowned, only for Bai Hansui to grab her chin and force her head up. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have ended up like this!”

Meeting Bai Hansui’s eyes steadily, Shen Lai replied, “You brought this on yourself. What does it have to do with me?”

If Bai Hansui hadn’t repeatedly tried to sabotage her on the show, her true nature wouldn’t have been exposed.

Bai Hansui gritted her teeth. “If you and Pei Jingyan hadn’t conspired against me, I wouldn’t be like this! My company terminated my contract, and Huo Chilin broke up with me!”

Now, not only was her reputation in ruins, but even her relatives and friends mocked her.

Her own parents were ashamed of her, telling her to stay home and avoid further humiliation.

And it was all Shen Lai’s fault.

If not for Shen Lai, she’d still be a glamorous star, not a pariah everyone despised!

Shen Lai couldn’t believe Bai Hansui had the audacity to shift the blame. She stared coldly at her. “Even if, as you claim, Pei Jingyan and I set you up, if you hadn’t had ulterior motives, would you have fallen for it?”

Bai Hansui’s face twisted in fury, as if struck where it hurt most. She slapped Shen Lai hard. “Shut up!”

Shen Lai’s head snapped to the side from the force. Slowly turning back, her expression remained unshaken. “Bai Hansui, you’ve already made mistakes. Don’t make another one.”

“Let me go now, and I swear I won’t tell anyone about today.”

Bai Hansui laughed, her eyes wild. “I’ve been stalking you for so long, finally managing to kidnap you. Did you really think I’d let you walk away that easily?”

At those words, Shen Lai’s heart sank.

She suddenly realized, those past few days when she’d felt like she was being watched? It hadn’t been her imagination. Bai Hansui had been tailing her all along.

Bai Hansui finally calmed down from her frenzied emotions. She glanced at her watch and said, “By now, Pei Jingyan should already know you’ve gone missing.”

“Tell me,” she continued, “if I let him know you’re in my hands, do you think he’d come to save you?”