Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 41

Shen Lai froze for a moment.

The two middle school students happily approached, tactfully standing next to Shen Lai, which inevitably caused her to bump into Pei Jingyan. Their hands brushed against each other.

At that instant, it felt as if an electric current surged through her body. Shen Lai instinctively tried to pull away, only for Pei Jingyan to grip her waist firmly, his voice low and magnetic, “What are you squirming for? Want your fans to find out we’re a fake couple?”

Shen Lai swallowed hard and glanced at the two girls fiddling with their camera beside her. Reluctantly, she maintained her stiff posture.

With a “click,” the moment was captured, Pei Jingyan holding Shen Lai, offering a faint smile to the camera.

“Done!” The girl in the school uniform held up the freshly printed photo, beaming. “We’ll definitely keep supporting you both. Good luck!”

Shen Lai forced a smile. “Thank you.”

The two girls happily walked away, still chattering excitedly, “They look even better in person! Way more handsome than any other celebrities I’ve seen!”

“Yeah, yeah! And Shen Lai is so down-to-earth, nothing like what people say online.”

“President Pei is super handsome too. I’ve seen Huo Chilin before, he’s nowhere near as good-looking as President Pei.”

“I’m totally posting this on Weibo when I get back!”

Sitting back down, Shen Lai still felt a bit dazed. She turned to Pei Jingyan and said, “This is actually my first time having fans.”

From her debut, she had been universally hated online, with her Weibo comments flooded with insults. She had grown accustomed to it.

Suddenly having fans show up left her feeling oddly unsettled.

Pei Jingyan smirked. “This is just the beginning. Can’t handle it already?”

Shen Lai didn’t hold out much hope. “Someone like me will never really make it big.”

Fortunately, her expectations weren’t high, as long as she could keep getting work in the entertainment industry, she was content.

“What, you don’t believe in me?” Pei Jingyan suddenly asked.

Shen Lai looked up and unexpectedly met Pei Jingyan’s deep, unfathomable gaze. It felt like being scorched by the molten lava in his eyes.

She quickly averted her gaze, her voice dry. “Of course not. I believe you.”

With Pei Jingyan’s power and status, making a female celebrity famous would be effortless.

After dinner, the two returned to the villa.

Pei Jingyan went to take a shower, while Shen Lai opened her suitcase to retrieve her pajamas. Just then, a crucial thought struck her.

When they woke up tomorrow morning, would they end up tangled together again?

Although Pei Jingyan claimed she was the one who crawled into his arms at night, something about it didn’t sit right with her.

Was Pei Jingyan lying to her?

An idea suddenly popped into her head. Shen Lai glanced toward the bathroom, the light was on, and the sound of running water could be heard intermittently.

Seizing the moment before Pei Jingyan emerged, she turned and left the room, soon finding Director Miao downstairs.

Director Miao was still basking in the windfall from that afternoon. Seeing Shen Lai, he immediately lit up as if spotting a benefactor. “Shen Lai, what brings you here?”

Shen Lai got straight to the point. “Director Miao, do you have an extra camera you could lend me?”

Director Miao asked curiously, “What do you need a camera for?”

Shen Lai replied mysteriously, “Let’s just say it’s urgent. I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”

The production team’s equipment is usually not available for loan, but since Shen Lai is a guest and has brought so much popularity to the show, Director Miao made an exception and lent her a camera.

Suddenly, Shen Lai thought of something and said to Director Miao, “Director Miao, could you please not tell Pei Jingyan that I borrowed the camera from you?”

Although Director Miao didn’t know what Shen Lai was up to, he agreed.

After thanking Director Miao, Shen Lai took the camera back to her room. Pei Jingyan was still in the shower, so she took the opportunity to find a spot to set it up.

After looking around for a while, she finally decided to place it behind the vase on the TV stand.

Just as Shen Lai finished positioning the camera, she heard the bathroom door open.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly pretended nothing had happened, walking toward the bed. The next second, Pei Jingyan stepped out of the bathroom.

Tying the belt of his bathrobe as he walked, Pei Jingyan glanced up and saw Shen Lai. He casually tightened the belt and asked, “What are you doing?”

Shen Lai stopped in her tracks, forcing herself to stay calm. “Nothing, I was just getting my clothes.”

Pei Jingyan glanced toward the TV stand. No matter how he looked at it, Shen Lai didn’t seem like she was getting clothes.

But he didn’t dwell on it, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Going to shower?”

Still preoccupied with the camera, Shen Lai suddenly widened her eyes at his words. “Sh-shower?”

Seeing her guarded and defensive expression, Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow. “Were you planning to get into bed tonight without showering?”

Only then did Shen Lai realize she had misunderstood him. She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Of course I’m going to shower. I’ll go now.”

Pei Jingyan narrowed his eyes slightly, noticing the faint redness at the base of Shen Lai’s ears. A teasing smile tugged at his lips. “Miss Shen, what exactly were you thinking?”

Shen Lai, as if pricked on a sore spot, immediately raised her voice. “Who’s thinking anything? I just didn’t react fast enough!”

With that, she quickly grabbed her clothes and headed to the bathroom.

As she passed by the TV stand, Shen Lai paused slightly, glancing down at the vase beside her before swiftly averting her gaze and entering the bathroom.

Pei Jingyan caught the movement, following her line of sight to where she had looked. His deep, unfathomable eyes betrayed no hint of his thoughts.

By the time Shen Lai finished showering, half an hour had passed. Pei Jingyan was leaning against the headboard, playing on his phone. She pretended nothing was amiss as she walked to the bed and got under the covers.

Noticing Shen Lai placing the extra pillows between them again like the night before, Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow. “They’ll just disappear by morning. Is this really necessary?”

Shen Lai lifted her chin. “Of course it is. Maybe tonight I won’t roll over to your side.”

Pei Jingyan smirked. “Let’s hope so.”

Only after firmly barricading the space between them with pillows did Shen Lai feel at ease enough to lie down and sleep.

She was determined to see whether these pillows would end up on the floor again by morning, just like today.

As the overhead lights went out, the room plunged into darkness. Shen Lai lay with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling, sensing how quiet Pei Jingyan was beside her.

“Are you asleep?” Shen Lai broke the silence.

Pei Jingyan didn’t respond.

Shen Lai turned her head to look at him. In the dim light, she could see his eyes were closed.

He was already asleep? So early?

Shen Lai quietly got up and glanced toward the TV cabinet, faintly making out the shadow of the camera behind the vase. Her anxious heart settled, and she clutched the blanket as she lay back down, drifting off to sleep in peace.

Not long after Shen Lai fell asleep, Pei Jingyan, who had been lying with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them in the darkness.