Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 43

Pei Jingyan had woken up at some point, his dark eyes now fixed on her.

Shen Lai blinked twice.

When she finally processed the situation, her breathing instantly became rapid.

How had she ended up in Pei Jingyan’s arms again?

Just then, Shen Lai felt something hard pressing against her. Puzzled, she glanced down, only for her eyes to widen in shock the moment she realized what it was. She scrambled off him in a flash.

“You!” Her ears burned red as she spat out furiously, “Pervert!”

Pei Jingyan leisurely adjusted the hem of his clothes. “You were the one rubbing against me. Did you expect me not to react normally?”

Shen Lai’s scalp prickled. How was she supposed to know that just hugging him would lead to… that?

And wasn’t he supposed to have impossibly high standards for women?!

“Who? who was rubbing against you? Don’t talk nonsense!”

Pei Jingyan shifted his posture, propping his chin on his hand as he studied her with a sleep-laden voice. “Shen Lai, I’m seriously starting to suspect you have a crush on me. Why else would you take advantage of me while I was asleep?”

Shen Lai stiffened like a cat grabbed by the scruff of its neck, her voice rising. “I do not have a crush on you! If you’re delusional, go see a doctor!”

Pei Jingyan smirked. “If you don’t have a crush on me, why did you crawl over in the middle of the night to hug me?”

He then cast a meaningful glance at himself, deliberately drawing out his words. “And you clung to me so tightly, anyone would think you had ulterior motives.”

Shen Lai took a deep breath. In the past, she would have argued relentlessly with him, but this time, she remembered the camera she had set up earlier. There was no point in wasting her breath now.

Once she checked the footage, she’d know exactly who was lying!

With a cold snort, she said, “I can’t be bothered to argue with you. I’m going to brush my teeth and wash up.”

With that, she threw off the covers and got out of bed, heading toward the bathroom. As she passed the TV stand, she stole a glance back at Pei Jingyan. Seeing that he wasn’t looking her way, she quickly snatched the hidden camera from behind the vase and rushed into the bathroom.

The moment the door closed, Shen Lai eagerly opened the recording from last night.

The video started from when she had just finished showering back when neither of them had gone to bed yet. She fast-forwarded straight to the moment the lights went out.

The camera had night vision, so even in the dim lighting, every movement in the room was captured clearly.

After Shen Lai fell asleep, Pei Jingyan seemed to feel cold and got up to adjust the air conditioning before returning to bed.

For a long stretch afterward, nothing unusual happened.

The two of them slept peacefully, minding their own business.

Then, after an indeterminate amount of time, movement finally appeared on the bed. Shen Lai immediately focused intently on the screen, not daring to blink.

If she caught Pei Jingyan taking advantage of her while she was asleep, she’d storm out right then and demand an explanation.

But the next second, Shen Lai froze.

Because what she saw was herself rolling over, kicking the blanket off in the process, then squirming across the sheets like a snail searching for something.

Soon, the two inconvenient pillows were shoved aside as she inched her way toward Pei Jingyan and actively wrapped her arms around his waist.

As if that wasn’t enough, she even ran her hands over Pei Jingyan’s arms several times before finally wearing a satisfied smile.

Shen Lai’s mind exploded with a “boom,” her ears ringing.

How could this be?

Did she really throw herself into Pei Jingyan’s arms on her own?

Had she lost her mind?!

Shen Lai refused to believe it. She replayed the footage over and over, but there was no denying it, she had indeed been the one to dive into Pei Jingyan’s embrace. Not only that, but she had even wrapped her legs around his waist like an octopus, showing not the slightest hint of restraint.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have genuinely thought they were a married couple.

With a thud, Shen Lai collapsed onto the floor in front of the bathtub, staring in disbelief at the images on the camera.

She had always assumed it was Pei Jingyan taking advantage of her while she slept. Turns out, she was the one who had been shamelessly clinging to him!

So Pei Jingyan really was innocent.

After spending what felt like forever in the bathroom, Shen Lai finally emerged. When she saw Pei Jingyan, who had just changed his clothes, her expression turned awkward.

Noticing her discomfort, Pei Jingyan smirked. “What? Did you finally remember what you did to me last night?”

Shen Lai hadn’t just remembered, she had seen it with her own eyes.

And she had seen, crystal clear, how she had wrapped her legs around Pei Jingyan’s waist.

The memory of Pei Jingyan’s physiological reaction made her even more guilty. Maybe it was the remorse over having misunderstood him all this time, but for once, her tone softened as she stubbornly insisted, “Even if I did hug you, it was just sleepwalking. It doesn’t mean anything.”

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow, amused. “So you admit you took advantage of me?”

Shen Lai swallowed hard, awkwardly changing the subject. “Uh… shouldn’t we head downstairs? The other guests are probably already up.”

With that, she immediately turned and hurried out of the room, her retreating figure practically screaming “guilty.”

Watching Shen Lai practically wear the word “shame” on her face, Pei Jingyan chuckled, slipping his hands into his pockets as he leisurely followed her out.

Once downstairs, Shen Lai first sought out Director Miao to return the camera before heading to the living room.

The moment she stepped in, she could sense the tense atmosphere.

Especially between Huo Chilin and Bai Hansui. The two, who had always been practically glued together in the past, were now sitting on opposite sides of the room, not even exchanging glances.

Curious, Shen Lai sidled up to Wu Qi and whispered, “What’s going on with them?”

Weren’t they the ones who loved putting on a show of being the perfect couple in front of the cameras?

Why the act today?

Wu Qi lowered her voice. “You haven’t heard? Bai Hansui’s company released a statement this morning, claiming she had no idea Huo Chilin was dating you, that she was also a victim, unknowingly made the ‘other woman.'”

Shen Lai’s brow twitched. “Unknowingly made the other woman?”

Wu Qi nodded. “It’s a common tactic in the entertainment industry. Huo Chilin isn’t part of the industry, so even if he’s done something questionable, it won’t affect him much. But Bai Hansui is different. If she gets labeled as a homewrecker, her career could be ruined.”

Shen Lai understood now. Bai Hansui’s company had thrown Huo Chilin under the bus to protect her.

No wonder the atmosphere between them was so off today.

Shen Lai knew Huo Chilin well enough, he hated being used. If Bai Hansui had discussed this with him beforehand, he wouldn’t be reacting like this. So she must have acted first and asked for forgiveness later.

Shen Lai thought to herself that Bai Hansui was truly ruthless, she would even exploit others to protect her boyfriend.

Though, neither of them was any good.

Shen Lai had guessed right. When Huo Chilin woke up this morning and saw the announcement from Bai Hansui’s company, he realized she had sacrificed him to save herself.

The two were already in the middle of a cold war, and because of this incident, Huo Chilin hadn’t spoken a word to Bai Hansui all morning.

At that moment, Huo Chilin suddenly glanced over without warning. Shen Lai had just finished speaking to Wu Qi and was withdrawing her gaze when their eyes met.

Shen Lai frowned in disgust and was about to turn her head away when a shadow abruptly fell over her, blocking her line of sight.

Pei Jingyan had somehow appeared in the living room without her noticing. He looked down at her with a leisurely tone, “Flirting with another man behind my back?”

Pei Jingyan stood nearly 190 cm tall, and when he positioned himself in front of Shen Lai, his legs were right at her eye level.

Unbidden, Shen Lai recalled the incident from earlier that morning. Her gaze involuntarily flickered toward the area between his legs, now back to normal, showing no signs of anything unusual.

“Miss Shen,” Pei Jingyan’s teasing voice suddenly sounded from above her, “Where exactly are you looking?”