Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 48

Shen Lai’s attention was entirely focused on the idea of repayment, so she didn’t immediately notice Pei Jingyan’s use of the word “husband.”

She found herself in a dilemma.

Right now, she had nothing, what could she possibly offer in return?

Moreover, given Pei Jingyan’s status and influence, was there anything he couldn’t obtain? Would he really lack anything she could give?

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Lai asked, “How do you want me to repay you?”

Pei Jingyan lowered his gaze, his eyes skimming over Shen Lai’s soft, pink lips before his breath brushed against her ear, laced with a teasing malice. “What if I say ‘repay me with your body’?”

Shen Lai’s eyes widened instantly.

Repay him with her body?

What kind of joke was Pei Jingyan making?!

Seeing the mocking smile at the corner of Pei Jingyan’s lips, Shen Lai finally caught on, her face flushing with humiliation.

She should have known Pei Jingyan wasn’t this kind.

If he didn’t want to help, he could have just said so, why deliberately humiliate her like this?

And here she was, moved for a few seconds because he had stood up for her earlier!

Watching Shen Lai’s flustered anger, a glint of amusement flashed in Pei Jingyan’s eyes. He slid his hands into his pockets and slowly straightened up. “Just a joke. I’m not so desperate as to be interested in my sworn rival.”

Shen Lai eyed him skeptically, unsure whether to believe him.

Pei Jingyan, however, acted as if he didn’t notice her expression and continued leisurely, “The washing machine in the villa is too dirty. I have a cleanliness obsession, if only someone could help me…”

Shen Lai froze for a second before immediately catching his drift. “I’ll wash them for you!”

Pei Jingyan glanced at her.

Shen Lai quickly added, “From now until the end of the show, I’ll handle all your laundry!”

The villa only had one washing machine, and since it was a temporary rental, it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time. For hygiene reasons, all the guests had been hand-washing their clothes.

Someone like Pei Jingyan, a pampered young master who’d never lifted a finger, surely had never done his own laundry.

Shen Lai usually hand-washed her clothes anyway, what was a few more items?

Compared to clearing her name, doing laundry was the easier option.

Pei Jingyan lifted an eyebrow lazily. “You sure?”

Shen Lai forced a stiff smile. “As long as you help me deal with Bai Hansui’s situation, washing a few clothes is nothing.”

Pei Jingyan smirked indifferently. “Since Miss Shen is so sincere, then it’s settled.”

A faint light sparked in Shen Lai’s eyes as she cautiously asked, “So… you’re agreeing?”

She hadn’t expected Pei Jingyan’s request to be so simple. She’d thought he would take the chance to make things difficult for her.

Pei Jingyan didn’t answer directly. “If your performance is lacking, the deal is off at any time.”

That was as good as a yes. The weight pressing on Shen Lai’s chest finally lifted.

With Pei Jingyan’s help, the chances of resolving this situation were much higher.

On their way back, Shen Lai suddenly remembered something and pressed, “By the way, what was up with that lie detector earlier? Why didn’t it go off?”

She had been terrified, if Pei Jingyan’s lie detector had sounded, their fake marriage would have been exposed.

Pei Jingyan seemed to have anticipated her question and replied coolly, “I bribed a staff member beforehand to tamper with my lie detector.”

Shen Lai’s eyes widened in realization.

No wonder Pei Jingyan had lied so confidently, he’d already prepared a backup plan.

Shen Lai nudged Pei Jingyan with her shoulder and gave a thumbs-up. “Didn’t expect you to be this clever.”

Pei Jingyan lowered his gaze to meet Shen Lai’s bright eyes, a fleeting emotion passing through the depths of his dark pupils.

Pei Jingyan stepped outside the villa to make a call, while Shen Lai headed back to her room. As she reached the corner of the second floor, a tall figure suddenly blocked her path.

Upon closer look, it was Huo Chilin, who had remained silent throughout the show earlier.

At that moment, Huo Chilin’s expression was grave, as if someone owed him millions.

Shen Lai’s face turned cold. “Do you need something, Young Master Huo?”

Hearing her distant tone, Huo Chilin’s eyes burned with deep resentment.

He had just seen everything from the second floor, Shen Lai laughing and chatting with Pei Jingyan downstairs. Why was she so indifferent to him?

Was he, her ex-boyfriend, really inferior to Pei Jingyan, her supposed rival?

Suppressing the growing frustration in his chest, Huo Chilin spoke stiffly, “How do you plan to handle this?”

Shen Lai frowned, not understanding his meaning. “Handle what?”

Huo Chilin replied bluntly, “What Bai Hansui said on the show earlier.”

Shen Lai didn’t know why Huo Chilin was suddenly concerned about this. She responded indifferently, “That doesn’t seem to have anything to do with you, does it?”

With that, she tried to walk past him, but Huo Chilin abruptly grabbed her arm.

Shen Lai’s brows furrowed. “Let go.”

Just as she instinctively tried to pull away, Huo Chilin said, “I can help you.”

Shen Lai paused and slowly looked up at him.

Huo Chilin stared intently into her eyes. “As long as you divorce Pei Jingyan, I can help clear your name.”

Shen Lai’s expression flickered slightly.

Divorce Pei Jingyan?

Seeing her silence, Huo Chilin mistook it for hesitation and grew more confident. “Right now, I’m the only one who can help you. Only if I step forward will people believe you’re innocent.”

Shen Lai laughed. “Aren’t you afraid your girlfriend will be upset if you help me?”

The sudden mention of Bai Hansui made Huo Chilin’s brow twitch.

If he defended Shen Lai, it would mean Bai Hansui had lied on the show.

Yet, recalling how Bai Hansui had shifted the blame onto him during the program, Huo Chilin found an outlet for his frustration, his tone turning colder. “She was the one who lied first. She’s the one in the wrong here.”

Hearing Huo Chilin speak so righteously, Shen Lai couldn’t help but feel amused.

When Pei Jingyan had cut ties with her back then, she hadn’t seen this kind of moral high ground from him.

Noticing the mockery in Shen Lai’s eyes, Huo Chilin seemed to guess her thoughts, his face darkening. “In any case, if you want to keep your career in the entertainment industry, you’ll need my help. Do you really think Pei Jingyan would stand up for you? Even if you’re married, he wouldn’t bother with something this trivial.”

Shen Lai suddenly asked, “Why do you care so much about me being with Pei Jingyan?”

Huo Chilin’s lips pressed into a tight line.

Shen Lai met his gaze. “You’re not still hung up on me, are you?”

As if his deepest secret had been exposed, Huo Chilin clenched his fists. “You’re overthinking it. I just wanted to help you out of consideration for our past relationship.”

Shen Lai laughed, her smile dripping with sarcasm. “Young Master Huo, when your girlfriend’s fans were relentlessly attacking me, why didn’t you think to step forward out of consideration for our past? And now you’re here pretending to be the good guy?”

Huo Chilin’s jawline was taut, and he remained silent.

Shen Lai forcefully pulled her hand back. “If you had any conscience at all, you would have stepped up to clarify when Bai Hansui slandered me on the show earlier. Using something like this to threaten me now only makes me despise you even more.”

“Besides, since we’ve broken up, please stay away from me. Right now, I and…”

When it came to Pei Jingyan, Shen Lai paused briefly before correcting herself, “My husband are doing just fine. Please don’t try to drive a wedge between us.”

Huo Chilin didn’t notice the subtle hesitation in Shen Lai’s words, his attention entirely fixated on the term “husband.”

Shen Lai actually called Pei Jingyan “husband”!

In that instant, it felt like a hammer had struck Huo Chilin’s chest, a sharp pain piercing his heart without warning.

During their six months together, he had never once heard Shen Lai address him like that.

How could she be so intimate with Pei Jingyan, of all people, her former rival?

Shen Lai didn’t spare Huo Chilin another glance and turned to head upstairs.

But as she turned, her eyes met Pei Jingyan’s, who was standing on the steps slightly below her.

Pei Jingyan had finished his call at some point and was now leaning against the wall, watching her with a faint trace of amusement in his gaze.