Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 49

Shen Lai stiffened, her cheeks instantly flushing crimson.

When had Pei Jingyan come upstairs?

Had he heard what she said to Huo Chilin?

Caught in the act, Pei Jingyan leisurely ascended the stairs. The moment Huo Chilin saw him, a guarded glint flashed in his eyes.

Yet Pei Jingyan didn’t spare him a single glance, his gaze fixed solely on Shen Lai.

Shen Lai felt awkward, nothing was more embarrassing than being caught red-handed by the person involved. She feigned composure and asked, “You’re done with your call?”

Pei Jingyan responded with a terse “Mm,” offering no further words.

For some reason, Shen Lai felt an absurd illusion, as if she’d been caught cheating on her current partner with an ex. But in reality, she and Pei Jingyan were just pretending to be married.

Covering her lips with a light cough, she said, “Let’s head back to the room. I was just about to go up anyway.”

Pei Jingyan gave a casual nod and finally turned his attention to Huo Chilin, as if noticing him for the first time.

“What a coincidence, Young Master Huo is here too?”

The moment their eyes met, the air seemed to thicken with tension.

Huo Chilin’s breathing grew slightly heavier. “I needed to discuss something with Shen Lai.”

Pei Jingyan raised a brow. “Is it about how your girlfriend framed my wife on the show?”

The term “girlfriend” sounded particularly grating. For the first time, Huo Chilin didn’t immediately acknowledge it. For some reason, he didn’t want to appear inferior in front of Pei Jingyan.

His fists clenched at his sides. “This is between Shen Lai and me. It has nothing to do with you.”

Pei Jingyan smirked. “She’s mine. How could it not concern me?”

The words “she’s mine” made Shen Lai’s heart skip a beat.

Huo Chilin’s expression darkened further.

“There’s no need for Young Master Huo to worry about my wife. I’ll take care of her,” Pei Jingyan said lazily. “You’d be better off keeping your own people in check—stop them from doing such stupid, malicious things.”

As if to provoke him, Pei Jingyan slid an arm around Shen Lai’s waist.

Huo Chilin’s eyes reddened, but what stung even more was that Shen Lai didn’t push Pei Jingyan away.

It was as if this kind of intimacy had happened many times before.

Without another glance at Huo Chilin, Pei Jingyan guided Shen Lai upstairs.

Once Huo Chilin was out of sight, Shen Lai lowered her head and whispered, “That’s enough, right?”

Pei Jingyan followed her gaze to his hand resting on her waist and slowly withdrew it.

An inexplicable awkwardness settled between them. Unable to resist, Shen Lai asked, “When did you come upstairs earlier?”

Pei Jingyan turned his head to look at her, a teasing curve playing at his lips. “Right when you called me ‘husband.'”

He deliberately emphasized the word “husband.”

Shen Lai nearly choked on her own saliva, the tips of her ears hidden beneath her long hair burning with shame.

So he had heard her after all.

Flustered, she instinctively explained, “I only said that in front of Huo Chilin on purpose.”

Pei Jingyan’s tone was languid. “I didn’t say anything about it. Why are you so nervous?”

Shen Lai didn’t know why she was nervous either. To outsiders, they were indeed a married couple and one with a marriage certificate at that.

Her expression was uneasy. “I just didn’t want you to misunderstand.”

Pei Jingyan cast her a sidelong glance and countered, “What would I misunderstand?”

Shen Lai choked for a moment. She couldn’t quite articulate what she was worried Pei Jingyan might misunderstand. Both of them were fully aware of the nature of their relationship—calling each other “husband” and “wife” was merely for outsiders’ benefit.

For some reason, a fleeting sense of disappointment flashed through Shen Lai’s heart.

When she snapped out of it, she shook her head vigorously.

They were just acting. She shouldn’t let the act become real.

Back in the room, Pei Jingyan went to take a shower first. With nothing else to do, Shen Lai went to swing in the courtyard.

The production team had set up a vine-covered pergola on the balcony. She sat there leisurely, enjoying the cool night breeze, utterly relaxed.

Just then, Shen Lai received a message from an unknown number: Contact me anytime once you change your mind.

She frowned.

That inexplicably confident tone could only belong to Huo Chilin.

Shen Lai simply couldn’t comprehend Huo Chilin’s thought process. Back when the Shen family was in trouble, he had rushed to break up with her. Now that she and Pei Jingyan were “married,” he was suddenly reaching out again.

Was Huo Chilin out of his mind?

Without a second thought, Shen Lai deleted the message and promptly blocked the number.

Huo Chilin waited for a long time but received no reply. When he tried calling, he found himself blocked, just as expected.

Yet, he remained surprisingly calm about it.

At the very least, this proved Shen Lai still had feelings for him. Otherwise, she could have just ignored him, why go through the trouble of blocking him?

With that thought, Huo Chilin’s expression softened considerably.

Then, he noticed a message from Bai Hansui asking where he was and saying she wanted to talk.

Huo Chilin couldn’t help but recall how Bai Hansui had shifted blame onto Shen Lai during the show earlier. His barely relaxed brows furrowed again. He replied, I have something to take care of tonight. Go to sleep first.

Immediately after, he called his assistant. “Find those people who used to be close with Shen Lai. Get them to testify that she never bullied Bai Hansui.”

The assistant on the other end hesitated before mustering the courage to ask, “Mr. Huo, you mean… finding people to testify that Miss Bai lied?”

Huo Chilin was displeased by the questioning. “Just do as I say.”

Not daring to argue further, the assistant agreed and set off to handle it.

Half an hour later, Pei Jingyan emerged from the shower, drying his hair. Noticing Shen Lai wasn’t in the room, he heard faint rustling sounds from the courtyard.

Stepping onto the balcony, he saw Shen Lai swinging gently on the pergola, occasionally pushing off with her feet to sway higher.

Her soft hair fluttered in the breeze, revealing her delicate, porcelain-like face, which seemed even more radiant under the night sky. The hem of her dress rippled like shimmering lake water.

Pei Jingyan’s gaze deepened, darker and more profound than the night behind him.

Shen Lai was lost in the rhythm of swinging when she suddenly noticed someone standing in front of her, startling her.

Pei Jingyan leaned casually against the doorframe, his bathrobe loosely tied at the waist. His damp hair fell over his forehead, softening his usual sharp, unapproachable demeanor.

Shen Lai pressed a hand to her chest. “Why do you walk without making a sound?”

Like a ghost.

Pei Jingyan crossed his arms. “Weren’t you supposed to do my laundry?”

Only then did Shen Lai remember, she had promised to wash Pei Jingyan’s clothes until the show ended.

Gritting her teeth, she said, “I didn’t forget. I’ll do yours later.”

A lazy arrogance flickered in Pei Jingyan’s eyes. “Make sure it’s clean. I’ll be checking.”

Shen Lai took a deep breath, mustering all her strength to swallow back the curse on her tongue. “I guarantee it’s cleaner than your face,” she retorted.

With that, she stepped off the swing and deliberately bumped into Pei Jingyan’s shoulder as she passed by, letting out a disdainful snort before boldly grabbing her clothes and heading into the bathroom.

After a long, relaxing soak, Shen Lai slipped into her bathrobe and finally got around to washing their clothes.

Pei Jingyan’s discarded clothes were piled in the laundry basket. She bent down casually to pick them up when something suddenly fell out of his pants.

Shen Lai looked down, a pair of men’s underwear lay sprawled in front of her.