Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 15

Shen Lai’s gaze shifted from the cookie stick in Pei Jingyan’s hand back to his face. Her throat moved slightly as she swallowed. “Um… I don’t have any particular requirements for the room. As long as it’s livable, it’s fine.”

Though she also wanted the bigger room, she had no intention of getting too close to Pei Jingyan.

“That won’t work for me,” Pei Jingyan said with a picky tone. “I’m not used to small rooms.”

Shen Lai choked back her words, only to hear him add, “Besides, the cameras are rolling right there. Do you really want everyone to know we’re faking it?”

Sure enough, when Shen Lai turned her head, she saw the camera lens pointed straight at them. There was no doubt how many viewers were watching them live at that very moment.

Seeing her hesitation, Pei Jingyan seemed to read her thoughts and let out a cold scoff. “Relax, I won’t take advantage of you.”

The other couples had already made their choices. If they didn’t bite this cookie stick today, their fake marriage would be exposed.

Being exposed on the first day of the show would ruin the reputation Shen Lai had just managed to salvage.

Shen Lai clenched the hem of her clothes, as if steeling herself, and blurted out, “Fine, let’s do it. But you’d better not try anything.”

The corners of Pei Jingyan’s lips curled up, the faint smirk carrying a hint of teasing. “As long as you don’t throw yourself at me like you did at the hotel last time.”

Shen Lai couldn’t help but recall that night when she had begged Pei Jingyan for help in her dazed state. Her face instantly burned red.

Restrained by the presence of the camera, she swallowed back the retort, “I wouldn’t want you even if you paid me.”

With Director Miao’s call of “Begin,” the game officially started.

“Ready, Miss Shen?” Pei Jingyan’s deep, magnetic voice sounded in front of her.

Shen Lai swallowed and feigned composure. “Yeah.”

She comforted herself internally, it was just a game. They’d already slept together, so what was the big deal about something this small?

With that thought, Shen Lai took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and bit onto one end of the cookie stick.

The rich chocolate flavor spread across her tongue, sweetening the space between her lips and teeth.

Just as Shen Lai was lost in thought about how good it tasted, a shadow suddenly fell over her.

Pei Jingyan had bitten the other end of the cookie stick. The production team even gave a close-up of his lips… full, naturally red, and tempting enough to make one want to kiss them.

[Those lips… I could kiss them all day!]

[In my next life, I want lips like that!]

[Shen Lai, you lucky girl, you must be kissing those lips every day in private, huh?]

[Kissing? If it were me, I’d suck on them till they’re raw.]

[For heaven’s sake, put some pants on!!!]

But Shen Lai had no time to admire Pei Jingyan’s lips. Because of their position, they were now face-to-face, their reflections clear in each other’s eyes.

The only other time they’d been this close was that night at the hotel, and Shen Lai had been out of her mind then.

Her heart inexplicably clenched, and her grip on the cookie stick unconsciously tightened.

The air around them seemed to grow stifling.

Pei Jingyan remained as composed and relaxed as ever, as if this proximity didn’t faze him in the slightest.

If he wasn’t nervous about a mere task, why should she be?

Shen Lai adjusted her breathing and forced herself to focus on the cookie stick.

However hard Shen Lai tried to ignore it, Pei Jingyan’s presence was too overpowering, especially as the distance between them gradually shrank, his body drawing nearer to hers.

Shen Lai inadvertently lifted her gaze and found herself staring straight into Pei Jingyan’s deep, pitch-black eyes.

Her lashes trembled, and the biscuit stick in her mouth quivered slightly.

“Miss Shen, be careful not to break it,” Pei Jingyan’s voice carried a faintly teasing lilt. “Or else we’ll have to sleep on the streets tonight.”

Shen Lai’s throat felt dry. “I know that without you telling me.”

She feigned composure, but her heart couldn’t suppress its nervous flutter. The distance between them was closing in, and Shen Lai could even feel Pei Jingyan’s scorching breath, sending faint, tingling shivers through her.

Her palms grew sweaty, and her back stiffened.

The familiar scent of cold pinewood lingered between them. Pei Jingyan lowered his gaze to watch Shen Lai, who was now eating the biscuit stick in a futile attempt to appear unaffected. Her lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her rosy tongue.

Pei Jingyan’s eyes darkened. Suddenly, he bit off a large chunk of the chocolate biscuit stick and, without warning, pressed close to her lips. A wave of intense masculine pheromones instantly enveloped Shen Lai.

Huo Chilin, in the middle of his task, suddenly caught sight of Shen Lai and Pei Jingyan sharing the biscuit stick from the corner of his eye.

The two were biting closer and closer, showing no signs of stopping.

It looked like they were about to kiss.

Huo Chilin clenched his teeth, momentarily forgetting he was still in the middle of his task.

Snap!

The strawberry biscuit stick in his mouth broke in half without warning.

Not only was Huo Chilin stunned, but even Bai Hansui, who had been immersed in the moment, froze.

[What the hell?! What just happened??? Why did my ship fail?!]

[Is there something wrong with the biscuit sticks the show provided? Are they afraid my ship will actually kiss or something?!]

[Did no one notice? Huo Chilin was just looking in Shen Lai’s direction.]

[Fans of the criminal’s daughter, stop deluding yourselves here. Hu Chilin was just checking the other guests’ progress, how can you even drag Shen Lai into this?]

The previously calm livestream chat erupted into chaos again. Shen Lai remained oblivious to it all. At this moment, the biscuit stick between her and Pei Jingyan was less than two centimeters long, their faces almost touching. Shen Lai could even see her own flushed reflection in his pupils.

Shen Lai felt like she could barely breathe, her words coming out muffled. “This should be enough, right?”

Pei Jingyan glanced sideways at the other guests. “They look like they’re doing much better than us.”

Shen Lai followed his gaze and saw the other pairs still diligently working on their biscuit sticks, especially the award-winning actor and actress, who were practically on the verge of kissing.

“So, Miss Shen, you’ll just have to endure a little longer,” Pei Jingyan arched a brow. “Unless you want people to say we look like a fake couple.”

Shen Lai choked back a retort and sighed. “Then hurry up.”

Pei Jingyan’s gaze grew increasingly shadowed. “Since you say so, I won’t hold back.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, his large hand suddenly cupped the back of Shen Lai’s neck, pulling her close in an instant. Pei Jingyan’s striking features loomed abruptly before her eyes, so close that for a moment, Shen Lai almost felt the illusion that they were kissing.

Her eyes widened in shock as she watched Pei Jingyan tilt his head slightly, brushing past her lips to seize the last tiny fragment of the biscuit stick.

Her entire body suddenly stiffened, her breath catching in her throat.

Fragments of that ambiguous night in the hotel room uncontrollably surfaced in her mind, overlapping with the scene before her.

[Ahhhhhhh this is so fucking intense!!]

[I’m new here, are they always this wild?]

[Real married couples really have no fear!]

[I’m genuinely shocked. Shen Lai and President Pei seemed like they barely knew each other, but they’re going all out for the challenge!]

[I feel like President Pei might be doing this on purpose. Shen Lai’s face is red, but he’s still casually eating like nothing’s wrong.]

[I seriously suspect that if the cameras weren’t rolling, President Pei might’ve already kissed her.]

[Seconded!]

Amid the screams in the live stream, a faint “snap” sounded in the air as the chocolate biscuit stick in their mouths was bitten in half.

The next second, Director Miao announced time was up!

Pei Jingyan acted as if nothing had happened, calmly pulling away, while Shen Lai remained frozen in place, her spine tingling, fingertips trembling slightly, her heart pounding wildly.

Had Pei Jingyan lost his mind?

Going this far just to get the best room.

Soon, the staff came forward to collect the biscuit sticks. For fairness, Director Miao even brought out a ruler to measure.

Team Dai Tong: two centimeters.

Team Yan Wu: four centimeters.

Team Huo Bai was disqualified after breaking their biscuit stick midway.

As for Team Pei Shen, they had only 0.8 millimeters left.

Director Miao announced through the megaphone: “Team Pei Shen wins this round and gets the top-floor luxury suite with a rooftop garden!”

[Damn! What an unexpected victory.]

[They must’ve had their lips practically touching to get that result!]

[From now on, I’m stanning my unhinged CP. Anyone who says they’re fake, I’ll fight them!]

[What kind of crazy ship name is that? I refuse!]

Under his sleeves, Huo Chilin’s hands clenched into tight fists.

What exactly was going on between Shen Lai and Pei Jingyan?

Even if it was just to put on a show for him, this was going too far!

Bai Hansui noticed Huo Chilin’s gaze fixed on Shen Lai. Her lips pressed into a tight line before she quickly forced a smile. “Chilin, it’s okay if we lost. I’m fine with any room.”

Her voice snapped Huo Chilin out of his thoughts, reminding him the show was still recording. He stiffly replied, “Yeah. Sorry, it’s my fault for zoning out and making us fail the challenge.”

Bai Hansui said understandingly, “It’s fine. You must be tired. Let’s rest early later.”

Huo Chilin forced a smile and muttered, “Okay,” but the image of that infuriating moment kept flashing in his mind, his chest aching as if something were lodged there.

Shen Lai didn’t notice the gaze fixed on her from the corner. She couldn’t help but touch her lips, which still seemed to carry the lingering warmth of Pei Jingyan’s breath.

“Regretting that I didn’t kiss you?” Pei Jingyan’s voice suddenly sounded beside her ear.

Pei Jingyan stood with his hands in his pockets, watching her with an amused glint in his eyes. Shen Lai flinched as if electrocuted, quickly dropping her hand and lifting her chin defensively. “Who’s regretting? I was just saying you got way too close back there!”

If they weren’t sworn rivals, she’d almost suspect Pei Jingyan had done it on purpose.

Pei Jingyan replied indifferently, “If I hadn’t gotten close, would we have won tonight?”

Shen Lai had no immediate retort.

However, to her surprise, the team of Huo Chilin and Bai Hansui had actually failed.

Shen Lai hadn’t paid attention to them earlier, so she had no idea what had happened and simply assumed it was an accident.

As the winners, Pei Jingyan and Shen Lai got to enjoy the luxurious top-floor suite. The Dai Tong team was assigned the second-best bedroom, while the Yan Wu team had to settle for the guest room. As for the failed Huo-Bai team, they were relegated to a small room on the first floor.

When they arrived on the top floor, Shen Lai suddenly felt it was all worth it.

The room’s environment wasn’t just good, it was absolutely incredible.

A massive floor-to-ceiling window with no obstructions offered a view of a lavish garden terrace outside. The swing swayed gently in the breeze, framing the panorama of the bustling city.

Pei Jingyan didn’t miss a single flicker of Shen Lai’s reaction. The corner of his lips curled up. “Suddenly feeling like it was worth it?”

Shen Lai stubbornly played it cool. “It’s alright, I guess.”

She wheeled her suitcase into the room; spacious, bright, and impeccably clean, with a faint hint of scented fragrance lingering in the air.

Just as she was about to set her luggage down, a crucial realization struck her, freezing her in place.

There was only one bed in the room.

Did that mean she’d have to sleep with Pei Jingyan tonight?!