Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 20

The moment the word “wife” was uttered, Huo Chilin’s expression darkened like storm clouds before a downpour, an invisible tension spreading through the room.

Pei Jingyan took the marriage certificate back from Huo Chilin’s hand and added leisurely, “But since Mr. Huo isn’t married yet, it’s only natural you wouldn’t understand this feeling.”

Watching the faintly mocking smile on Pei Jingyan’s face, Huo Chilin’s breathing grew slightly heavier.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Pei Jingyan was deliberately flaunting this in front of him.

[If I had a wife as stunning as Shen Lai, I wouldn’t be able to resist showing off either!]

[Mr. Pei, you’re barely hiding it at this point.]

[Anyone who still says Pei doesn’t love Shen Lai, I’ll knock some sense into you. This is absolutely head over heels in love!!]

[Why does Mr. Huo’s expression look a bit off? Could he actually be provoked?]

Just then, a startled cry came from behind. Huo Chilin turned to see Bai Hansui, a blister forming on her hand from hot oil.

Only then did Huo Chilin remember he was still in the middle of a task. He shot Pei Jingyan a cold glare before hurrying back to help.

“Are you okay?” Huo Chilin asked worriedly, gripping Bai Hansui’s arm to inspect the burn. “I told you to wait for me.”

Bai Hansui bit her lip and looked at him with a hint of grievance. “Chilin, have you really moved on from Shen Lai?”

Huo Chilin paused. Meeting her intense gaze, he took a shallow breath. “Of course I have.”

Bai Hansui seemed unconvinced, lowering her eyes slightly. “If that’s true, why do you care so much about Shen Lai and Mr. Pei?”

Huo Chilin’s jaw tightened. “I just can’t stand them deceiving the audience. I want to expose them, that’s all.”

Bai Hansui’s expression wavered. “Really?”

“Of course,” Huo Chilin softened his tone, clasping her hand tightly. “You’re the only one I care about. Besides, who knows how many investors Shen Lai has slept with. How could I possibly be interested in a woman like that?”

Hearing this, Bai Hansui finally smiled, only to wince belatedly as she clutched her hand. “Ah, it hurts!”

Filled with guilt and concern, Huo Chilin immediately took her to rinse the burn under cold water.

As he did, he couldn’t help glancing back. Shen Lai and Pei Jingyan had already returned to their station, continuing to cook as if the earlier exchange meant nothing to them.

Huo Chilin’s expression turned icy, his lips pressed into a thin line.

The water bubbled and boiled, froth rising to the surface.

Shen Lai looked at Pei Jingyan across from her and, taking advantage of the cameras focusing on other guests, couldn’t resist asking, “Why did you bring the marriage certificate?”

Pei Jingyan replied nonchalantly, “Just in case.”

Seeing her puzzled expression, he continued leisurely, “With so many people doubting our marriage, this certificate shuts them up, doesn’t it?”

Though his explanation made sense, Shen Lai still felt something was off.

But she didn’t dwell on it. Maybe Pei Jingyan wasn’t just doing this for the audience perhaps it was also for his family’s sake. After all, he took his position as heir very seriously.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly. As Director Miao called time, Shen Lai and Pei Jingyan’s egg-and-greens noodle soup was perfectly ready.

The Dai Tong couple had also successfully finished their breakfast, having made wontons whose aroma could be smelled from afar.

From the very beginning, Yan Rui and Wu Qi’s team had a disagreement over their choice of topic. Later, they each went their own way, ultimately leading to a mistake due to poor coordination.

This made many viewers certain that there was trouble in Yan Rui and Wu Qi’s relationship.

[Are they really broken up? The tension is way too obvious.]

[They’re not even pretending anymore, how much do they hate each other?]

[Even someone as oblivious as me can tell something’s off between them. They’ve definitely split.]

[If they’ve broken up, why even come on the show? Can’t let go of the money?]

After this incident, their CP fan community lost thousands of followers in just half an hour, with many former fans turning against them.

However, it wasn’t just Yan Rui and Wu Qi’s team that failed, Huo Chilin and Bai Hansui’s team also didn’t manage to prepare breakfast within the allotted time.

Because Bai Hansui had injured her hand and Huo Chilin was distracted, their breakfast attempt ended in failure halfway through.

[Okay, I get why Yan Rui and Wu Qi’s team failed, but how did Huo Chilin and Bai Hansui mess up again? This isn’t the first time, is it?]

[At first, fans were hyping them up as the most in-sync couple. How many tasks have they even done? Not a single success.]

[Are you blind? Didn’t you see it was because Suisui hurt her hand that they failed? What does that have to do with their relationship?]

[It wasn’t just Bai Hansui’s injury, though. Huo Chilin seemed totally out of it too.]

[That’s because Huo Chilin wasted time chatting with President Pei. I think President Pei did it on purpose, he knew they were in the middle of a task but still distracted Huo Chilin.]

[Don’t blame the toilet if you can’t take a dump. How old are you to not know priorities? Besides, wasn’t it Huo Chilin who started the conversation? If anyone did it on purpose, it was him.]

Shen Lai was unaware of the heated arguments raging in the livestream chat. Watching Pei Jingyan eat the noodles she had made, she felt inexplicably nervous. “How does it taste?”

Pei Jingyan didn’t respond.

Shen Lai’s heart sank. Could it really be that bad?

After a long pause, Pei Jingyan finally spoke. “Not bad.”

Shen Lai’s eyes lit up slightly. “Really?”

She picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. It was indeed better than she’d expected.

Her confidence returned, and she lifted her chin slightly, a hint of pride in her voice. “See? I told you my cooking skills aren’t bad.”

Pei Jingyan’s eyes flickered with amusement at her smug expression. “What’s there to be happy about? At best, it’s edible.”

Shen Lai huffed. “If it were you cooking, it probably wouldn’t even be fit for consumption.”

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow. “So I should be thanking Miss Shen for letting me have breakfast?”

“No need for thanks,” Shen Lai waved magnanimously. “You helped out a little, so it’s what you deserve.”

Pei Jingyan’s lips curved slightly, and for once, he didn’t mock her.

From the corner, Huo Chilin watched Shen Lai’s smile, finding it unbearably irritating.

In the past, Shen Lai had only ever smiled like that for him.

Just then, Shen Lai noticed Wu Qi across from them. Her lips were pale, and she was clutching her stomach, clearly uncomfortable.

“Miss Wu, do you have a stomachache?” Shen Lai asked curiously.

Wu Qi paused, surprised that Shen Lai had noticed such a small detail, and nodded faintly.

Yan Rui, who was beside her, suddenly spoke up. “You have a stomachache?”

Wu Qi glanced at him coldly, “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine in a while.”

Yan Rui frowned. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

With that, he suddenly stood up and ran out with a stern expression.

[??? What’s going on here? Weren’t they just arguing?]

[I feel like Yan Rui actually cares about Wu Qi.]

[I think they just noticed too many CP fans leaving, so they’re trying to make up for it.]

At that moment, Shen Lai pushed his portion of noodles toward Wu Qi. “Miss Wu, you can have mine. I haven’t touched it.”

Wu Qi hesitated and glanced at Director Miao.

“Director Miao, can we share our breakfast with the losing guests?” Shen Lai, sensing her concern, proactively asked the director.

Director Miao was caught off guard. “Uh, well…”

Shen Lai blinked. “The task rules didn’t say we can’t share breakfast with the losing guests, right?”

Director Miao looked conflicted. “Well, no, they didn’t.”

“Then that means it’s allowed.” Shen Lai smiled warmly and pushed the breakfast closer to Wu Qi. “Miss Wu, go ahead and eat. Skipping breakfast will only make your stomachache worse.”

Wu Qi hesitated for a moment. Her stomach was hurting badly, so she didn’t refuse further. “Thank you,” she said gratefully.

Shen Lai gave a small smile.

[Shen Lai is so attentive! He even noticed Wu Qi’s stomachache.]

[Gotta admit, Shen Lai’s pretty great, he actually shared half his breakfast with Wu Qi.]

[As a Wu Qi fan, I’m officially a Shen Lai stan starting today!!]

However, Bai Hansui’s fans weren’t happy.

[Why not give some to Bai Hansui and Young Master Huo too?]

[Yeah, isn’t it unfair to only give it to Wu Qi?]

[Sharing is kindness, not an obligation. Stop with the moral blackmail.]

[Agreed. Besides, Shen Lai gave it to Wu Qi because she was in pain. Your idol is fine, missing one breakfast won’t kill her.]

Seeing that their attempt to stir up drama had failed, the anti-fan quietly slunk away.

Just then, Pei Jingyan lazily spoke up. “If you gave your breakfast away, what are you going to eat?”

Shen Lai paused, then forced a casual tone. “I can go without.”

It was just one meal. She’d skipped breakfast often in the past, she was used to it.

“How noble of you, feeding others while starving yourself,” Pei Jingyan scoffed. He pushed his bowl toward Shen Lai. “Move closer. You’re eating with me.”