Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 21

Shen Lai’s eyes widened slightly.

What?

Sharing a bowl of noodles with Pei Jingyan?

Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly noticed the camera pointed at them. She quickly realized that Pei Jingyan was only being so “kind” because the cameras were rolling.

“No need,” Shen Lai said, feeling awkward at the thought of sharing a bowl with him. “I can go without.”

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with meaning. “Haven’t you taken enough advantage of me already?”

Both of them knew he was referring to that night at the hotel, but the live audience interpreted it differently.

[What secret code are you two talking about? Spill it!]
[So Shen Lai often takes advantage of President Pei in private?]
[Who would’ve thought? Shen Lai seems so reserved, but turns out she’s a bold one behind the scenes!]
[Don’t just take advantage in private, do it in front of us!]

Shen Lai nearly choked, her ears burning red.

Pei Jingyan’s words sounded way too suggestive!

“Hurry up,” Pei Jingyan urged again. “The noodles are getting cold.”

Though reluctant, Shen Lai didn’t want him saying anything else questionable, especially with the cameras on them. She inched over slowly, like a snail.

A faint smirk tugged at Pei Jingyan’s lips. “Eat.”

Shen Lai was genuinely hungry, so she picked up her chopsticks without further protest.

The atmosphere was quiet as they ate. Suddenly, Shen Lai felt her elbow bump against something firm.

She turned and realized her arm was pressed against Pei Jingyan’s chest.

Pei Jingyan glanced at her elbow, then at his chest, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Miss Shen, are you taking this chance to flirt with me?”

Shen Lai’s scalp prickled. “No! It was an accident!”

She quickly pulled her arm back and lowered her head, pretending to focus on her noodles to hide her flustered state.

But because of her earlier movement, there was almost no space left between them. Any slight shift meant brushing against Pei Jingyan.

Shen Lai tried desperately to ignore his overwhelming presence beside her.

Yet, even the smallest movement from Pei Jingyan seemed magnified in her awareness.

She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.

Forcing herself to concentrate on breakfast, she ate with exaggerated focus.

The only sounds at the table were the clinking of chopsticks against the bowl. Pei Jingyan tilted his head slightly and watched Shen Lai, her lashes lowered, her nose delicate, her cheeks moving slightly as she chewed like a little rabbit nibbling on grass. Her fair, rosy skin looked soft enough to pinch.

His gaze darkened.

[President Pei, don’t think I didn’t see you sneaking glances at your wife!]
[Even while eating, you can’t help stealing looks? President Pei, you’re down bad!]
[Pei Jingyan is the definition of a tsundere mouth: “How generous of you.” Actions: “Here, share half with my wife.”]
[He didn’t even blame Shen Lai for giving her breakfast to Wu Qi and just shared his own with her. So sweet!]
[If my future husband can’t be like President Pei, he shouldn’t even call himself a husband!]

Unbeknownst to Shen Lai, their interactions during the tasks had won over many viewers, even inspiring fans to create a ship name for them: the “Pei Shen CP!”

Of course, that was a story for later.

Not long after, Yan Rui returned, holding a medicine bag in his hand.

“I bought you some stomach medicine. Take it.”

With a stern face, Yan Rui handed the pills and a glass of warm water to Wu Qi.

Looking at the familiar packaging of the stomach medicine, a flicker of complexity flashed in Wu Qi’s eyes. Perhaps because the cameras were rolling, she didn’t refuse. After a moment’s hesitation, she accepted it.

Yan Rui’s expression softened slightly before he turned and walked away.

Shen Lai noticed that Wu Qi kept staring at Yan Rui’s retreating figure long after he left, her gaze tinged with sadness.

Shen Lai quietly leaned closer to Pei Jingyan and whispered, “Do you think they’ve really broken up?”

A faint fragrance drifted over as Pei Jingyan lowered his gaze slightly, looking at Shen Lai’s face so close that he could almost see the fine down on her skin.

Shen Lai, completely unaware of how close they were, was entirely focused on Yan Rui and Wu Qi.

Pei Jingyan leaned back in his chair, adjusting his suit, and said coolly, “Haven’t you been in a relationship before? Can’t you tell?”

“Just because I’ve been in a relationship doesn’t mean I can tell whether other people have broken up!” Shen Lai retorted indignantly. “And you’re a CEO, can you really tell which of your employees are talented and which are useless?”

She couldn’t be bothered to argue with Pei Jingyan anymore. It seemed the fact that they were natural adversaries would never change, disagreements always cut conversations short.

Just then, she heard Pei Jingyan suddenly speak again, “If it were you, would you give Huo Chilin stomach medicine?”

Shen Lai paused and looked at Pei Jingyan, her attention quickly diverted, forgetting her earlier annoyance at his sarcasm.

If it were Huo Chilin with a stomachache, she’d wish for him to suffer, how could she possibly be kind enough to buy him medicine?

Watching Shen Lai lost in thought, Pei Jingyan said leisurely, “Sometimes, relationships that look good on the surface aren’t necessarily good, and those that seem bad might not be.”

There was a hint of deeper meaning in his last words, though Shen Lai didn’t notice.

Maybe Pei Jingyan was right, what outsiders perceived as a good relationship might not be so. Just like Huo Chilin and Bai Hansui, who were publicly known as a loving couple, hadn’t they already had several mishaps since the show started?

After breakfast, Shen Lai went to the courtyard to walk off the meal when Yan Rui suddenly approached her. “Miss Shen, I heard you gave your breakfast to Wu Qi. Thank you.”

This was the first time the two had spoken on the show. Shen Lai smiled faintly. “No need to thank me. We’re all colleagues here, it’s only natural to care for one another.”

Yan Rui had also heard about Shen Lingzhen’s incident and initially didn’t have a favorable impression of Shen Lai. But after what happened earlier, he felt she wasn’t as terrible as the internet made her out to be.

After a brief exchange, Yan Rui left.

Shen Lai was about to head back when a shadow suddenly fell over her.

Looking up, she saw Huo Chilin standing there.

At the sight of him, Shen Lai frowned and tried to walk past him.

Huo Chilin took a step forward, blocking her path.

Shen Lai raised her eyes to meet his, her expression impatient. “Do you need something, Young Master Huo?”

Her cold tone unsettled Huo Chilin. He glared at her and said icily, “You joined this show just to deliberately appear in front of me, didn’t you?”

Shen Lai looked at him as if he were an idiot, almost laughing at the absurdity. “For you?”

“Isn’t it because I refused to acknowledge the child in your belly as mine that you turned to Pei Jingyan?” Huo Chilin’s face was tense. “Otherwise, what a coincidence that you showed up right after I decided to join this show.”

Shen Lai raised her hand to interrupt him. “Excuse me, let me clarify a few things.”

“First, Director Miao invited me to participate in this show.”

“Second, I never said the child in my belly was yours.”

“Third, this child is Pei Jingyan’s.”

Huo Chilin’s chest heaved violently. “I don’t believe it. There’s no way you’d be with him!”

He knew full well how much Shen Lai detested Pei Jingyan. Even if Pei Jingyan had coerced or tempted her, Shen Lai would never have agreed to be with him!

Shen Lai remained calm. “Haven’t you already seen the photos from that night, Young Master Huo? Or perhaps your eyesight is failing, should you visit an ophthalmologist?”

Seeing that Shen Lai wasn’t joking, Huo Chilin practically ground his teeth as he spoke. “Did you sleep with him just to spite me?”

“Fine. If this is your way of provoking me, let me tell you… you’ve succeeded.”

“Young Master Huo, don’t overestimate your importance.” Shen Lai didn’t know where Huo Chilin got his confidence from and scoffed coldly. “Do you think you’re some celestial beauty that I’d pine over after our breakup?”

“From the moment you proposed we break up, we ceased to have any connection.”

Not wasting any more time, she shook off Huo Chilin’s hand and walked away.

Not long after Shen Lai returned to the villa, Huo Chilin also came back, his expression dark as if someone owed him millions.

Bai Hansui, noticing his foul mood, asked curiously, “Chilin, what’s wrong?”

Huo Chilin replied coldly, “Nothing.”

Bai Hansui paused and instinctively glanced in Shen Lai’s direction. The two had returned almost one after the other.

As if sensing something, she bit her lower lip hard, leaving behind teeth marks from the pressure.

Just then, Director Miao announced the task for the afternoon: Recreating Their First Encounter!

“The four pairs of guests must work together to piece together, recall, and reenact the scene of their first meeting.”

“This is also a great opportunity to dispel any misunderstandings from the public and prove the authenticity of your relationships!”

After all, how could anyone in love forget the first time they met their partner? This was practically a freebie.

[If anyone fails this task, they’re definitely a fake couple, right?]

[Absolutely. I even remember the people I hate clearly, let alone someone I love.]

[I’m suddenly curious, who’s going to fail today?]

As per the usual rules, the order was determined by drawing lots.

This time, the first to perform was the Yan Wu pair, followed by the Huo Bai pair, then the Pei Shen pair, and finally the Dai Tong pair.

To prevent any cheating, Director Miao separated the men and women and forbade any communication between them during the task. Violations would result in disqualification.

While the crew was setting up, Shen Lai noticed Wu Qi beside her and asked, “Miss Wu, is your stomachache any better?”

After the morning’s incident, Wu Qi’s impression of Shen Lai had improved significantly. Gratefully, she replied, “Much better. Thank you for the noodles this morning.”

Shen Lai smiled faintly.

Soon, it was Wu Qi’s turn to perform. Just as Shen Lai was about to watch their act, Bai Hansui’s voice suddenly sounded behind her.

“Lai Lai, I heard you’ve known CEO Pei since childhood. It’s been so long, you must have forgotten the scene of your first meeting by now, right?”

Shen Lai turned her head to see Bai Hansui smiling at her, as if nothing had ever happened between them.

Shen Lai averted her gaze, her tone icy. “Is that any of your business?”

Bai Hansui feigned concern. “I’m just worried about you. You’re asking CEO Pei to act as your boyfriend on the show, but since you’re not really a couple, the truth will come out eventually.”

Shen Lai scoffed. “Miss Bai, you’re really shameless. After blocking me, you can still pretend nothing happened. I never realized how thick-skinned you were before.”

Bai Hansui bit her lower lip lightly. “Lailai, you’ve misunderstood. I never blocked you. It was you who deleted me.”

Shen Lai couldn’t be bothered to argue. Bai Hansui was the type to twist the truth even after a falling-out. Even with evidence right in front of her, she’d never admit it. There was no point wasting time.

Seeing that Shen Lai wouldn’t even glance her way, Bai Hansui caught sight of Pei Jingyan across the room and changed tactics. “But even if you remember, someone as busy as CEO Pei must have long forgotten about your first encounter, right?”

Shen Lai’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Pei Jingyan, who happened to meet her gaze at that moment.

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow slightly, then his lips moved.

Shen Lai deciphered his silent words: “Staring at me?”