Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 34

When Shen Lai stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Pei Jingyan sitting on the balcony, eating the dinner she had brought back.

A gentle breeze ruffled the hair on his forehead, revealing his chiseled profile. The smooth lines of his neck hinted at his collarbones beneath the loosely tied bathrobe. Despite the casual attire, his every movement exuded an air of elegance and languid charm.

Hearing footsteps stop beside him, Pei Jingyan paused and looked up to see Shen Lai standing before him.

Her expression was complicated, as if she had something to say but hesitated.

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow, setting down his chopsticks. “What’s wrong?”

Shen Lai pressed her lips together and placed the note she had found in the bathroom in front of him. “You were the one who switched the note, weren’t you?”

Following her gaze, Pei Jingyan glanced at the note, his brow twitching slightly.

Meeting Shen Lai’s unwavering stare, he leaned back in his chair and replied lazily, “It was me.”

Shen Lai bit her lip.

So it was Pei Jingyan who had secretly swapped the note, preventing her identity from being exposed.

No wonder he hadn’t been the least bit surprised when he found out she was the “Big Bad Wolf.” He had known all along.

“Why?” Shen Lai couldn’t help but ask. “If you had just handed that note to another guest, your team would have won.”

She couldn’t fathom why Pei Jingyan would help her.

Pei Jingyan remained unfazed. “Naturally, it was to maintain our fake marital relationship on the show.”

Shen Lai paused. “That’s it?”

“Or what?” Pei Jingyan lifted his eyes to meet hers, a faint smirk playing at his lips. “If a husband exposes his own wife, what would the live audience think?”

Shen Lai couldn’t quite place the fleeting, peculiar feeling in her chest, but this was the only explanation that made sense.

It couldn’t possibly be because Pei Jingyan liked her that he had gone out of his way to help her, right?

She didn’t press further. Instead, she glanced down at the dinner in front of Pei Jingyan, completely finished, not a single grain of rice left.

Shen Lai blinked in surprise and looked at him. “Were you that hungry?”

Pei Jingyan dabbed his lips elegantly with a napkin. “I just don’t like wasting food.”

Shen Lai had never noticed before that Pei Jingyan was so conscientious about food waste.

But at least it meant he must have enjoyed the meal she brought back, right?

After dinner, the two went to bed. Learning from the previous night’s lesson, Shen Lai deliberately placed two pillows between them as a barrier.

Surely she wouldn’t end up in Pei Jingyan’s arms again in the middle of the night?

With this precaution in place, Shen Lai wrapped herself in the blanket, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep, feeling at ease.

Pei Jingyan eyed the makeshift barrier between them, his tongue pressing against his canine as he let out a low chuckle, his thoughts unreadable.

Exhausted from the day’s activities, Shen Lai quickly fell asleep. She dreamed of being carried off by a large dog, pinned beneath its weight, unable to move, her entire body burning with heat. Perhaps because she subconsciously knew Pei Jingyan wouldn’t do anything to her, she didn’t take it seriously.

But when she woke up the next morning, she realized just how wrong she had been.

Because the moment she opened her eyes, she found herself nestled in Pei Jingyan’s arms again. The pillows that had once separated them had mysteriously vanished, and his hand was draped over her waist, their closeness unmistakably intimate.

Shen Lai jolted awake in an instant.

She immediately pushed Pei Jingyan away and bolted upright in bed.

Pei Jingyan slowly opened his eyes to find Shen Lai glaring at him with a mix of reproach and frustration.

Lazily lifting his eyelids, Pei Jingyan propped his face up with his right hand, his voice laced with drowsy indifference. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re asking me what’s wrong?” Shen Lai’s face flushed red. She instinctively glanced around first, confirming there were no cameras nearby before accusing, “How did I end up in your arms again?!”

Pei Jingyan sat up and leaned against the headboard. As he moved, the blanket slid down to his waist, revealing the disheveled bathrobe and the seductive lines of his sculpted abs. The strands of hair falling over his forehead softened his usual sharp and aloof demeanor, making him seem less unapproachable. He drawled, “Someone was restless in their sleep and sneaked into my arms in the middle of the night. Now you’re questioning me?”

Shen Lai’s cheeks burned. “That’s impossible. I even put pillows between us.”

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow and glanced pointedly at a spot nearby. “You mean those two poor things you kicked to the floor?”

Following his gaze, Shen Lai saw the two lonely pillows lying on the ground, clearly the victims of a nighttime kicking spree.

Her throat tightened. Though she had a habit of hugging things in her sleep, she was usually well-behaved. There was no way she’d actively seek out Pei Jingyan’s embrace two nights in a row, right?

Suspicion crept into her mind. She eyed Pei Jingyan skeptically. “Could it be that you were the one who pulled me in and are now blaming me?”

Pei Jingyan scoffed as if hearing a joke. “Why would I pull you in? Do you think I like you or something?”

As absurd as the idea was, Shen Lai couldn’t fathom herself willingly snuggling up to Pei Jingyan either, she disliked him too much for that.

Noticing Shen Lai lost in thought, Pei Jingyan suddenly shifted the topic. “Miss Shen, could it be that you actually like me and are just pretending to hate me as an excuse to take advantage of me?”

Shen Lai’s eyes widened, and she retorted without hesitation, “Who likes you?! I’d rather like anyone else than you!”

A shadow flickered in Pei Jingyan’s eyes. His lips curled into a cold, mocking smile. “Good. That’s for the best.”

Shen Lai couldn’t shake the feeling that Pei Jingyan was in a bad mood, but she brushed it off. He probably wanted nothing to do with her… why would he be upset?

By the time they made it downstairs, the other guests were already awake. Being the last couple to descend, they naturally drew everyone’s attention.

Huo Chilin watched as the two walked down side by side, his eyes darkening.

Especially at the sight of Pei Jingyan’s languid, satisfied demeanor… like a lion who’d just feasted.

The thought of what might have happened between them last night made Huo Chilin grit his teeth so hard he didn’t even hear Bai Hansui speaking to him beside him.

[What were you two doing last night to come down so late?]

[Why isn’t the production team doing a surprise check today? I want to see the lovebirds cuddling in bed!]

[Shen Lai was probably busy coaxing the domineering CEO last night. Choosing a female guest over her husband must’ve made him angry.]

[Did they go all out last night? (wicked grin)]

Shen Lai greeted Wu Qi warmly. After last night’s “candlelit dinner,” the two had grown closer.

Wu Qi returned the smile before leaning in and whispering, glancing at Pei Jingyan, “Coming down so late… Did you two go too hard last night?”