Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 6

Shen Lai’s spine stiffened abruptly.

“So you’d better pray nothing happens to this child.” Pei Jingyan gave her a meaningful glance. “Otherwise, you’ll be the one suffering.”

Shen Lai’s hands, resting on her lap, tightened their grip on her trousers. “What if it’s not a boy?”

Someone of Pei Jingyan’s status would never accept anything less than a male heir to inherit the family business.

Pei Jingyan replied indifferently, “Whether it’s a boy or a girl, as long as it’s born, your task is complete. The rest isn’t for you to worry about.”

Shen Lai thought the same. If she couldn’t bear a son, Pei Jingyan would naturally find another woman to do so.

It wasn’t as if they would stay married forever.

The atmosphere in the car grew inexplicably tense. Shen Lai turned to look out the window, falling silent. The glass reflected her distant expression.

Pei Jingyan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze dark and unfathomable.

After a while, the car stopped in front of the villa.

Shen Lai unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out first. “President Pei, I’ll go rest in my room now.”

Pei Jingyan said nothing, so she entered the villa, greeted the butler, Mr. Sun, and went upstairs.

Pei Jingyan watched Shen Lai’s retreating figure before glancing at the prenatal report in his hand. He folded it and slipped it into his pocket.

She had expected to struggle with sleep in a new environment, but to her surprise, Shen Lai slept soundly until dawn.

Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above her, it took her a moment to realize she had already moved into Pei Jingyan’s home.

No wonder everything around her felt several levels more luxurious.

Rubbing her eyes, she headed to the bathroom to freshen up. The mirror reflected her slender frame, and her gaze lingered on her flat stomach. The motion of brushing her teeth gradually slowed.

She raised a hand to rest on her abdomen, a strange feeling rising in her heart.

There was actually a little life growing inside her.

And it was hers and Pei Jingyan’s child.

Shen Lai had never imagined she’d become a mother so soon. She’d heard childbirth was excruciating, that it would distort her body and make her ugly.

She had once joked with her mother, “I’d have to really love a man to bear his child.”

Only now did she realize that sometimes, love wasn’t necessary… money was enough.

Descending the stairs, Shen Lai had just reached the dining room entrance when she spotted a familiar figure seated inside.

Pei Jingyan was dressed in a dark suit, his tie impeccably knotted, his shirt buttoned meticulously to the top, exuding an air of restrained indifference.

Hearing footsteps, Pei Jingyan looked up, locking eyes with Shen Lai as she entered.

“Awake?”

Shen Lai cleared her throat softly. “Yes.”

She had assumed Pei Jingyan would have already left for work.

Just then, Mr. Sun brought out breakfast. Shen Lai thanked him and took her seat.

This was the first time the two of them had shared a meal at the same table. The atmosphere was quiet, punctuated only by the clinking of utensils.

Then Pei Jingyan’s voice broke the silence. “You can report to Polai today. Your new agent will be waiting for you there.”

Shen Lai paused before replying softly, “I understand.”

Pei Jingyan studied her for a moment, as if recalling something. Setting down his spoon, he leaned back in his chair and spoke unhurriedly, “What happened that night?”

Shen Lai was momentarily confused. “What?”

Pei Jingyan tapped the table with his long fingers. “The night you were drugged.”

Revisiting the past, Shen Lai’s grip on her spoon suddenly tightened. Pei Jingyan stared at her intently, as if waiting for her answer.

To be honest, Shen Lai had fled right after waking up that morning. Pei Jingyan hadn’t contacted her either, so she clung to the hope that perhaps he hadn’t recognized her or simply didn’t care to associate with her.

Thus, Shen Lai never planned to explain.

Maybe Pei Jingyan had always assumed she deliberately drugged herself to seduce him.

After hesitating, Shen Lai explained, “My former agent wanted me to accompany an investor. I refused, so she slipped something into my drink.”

Such things weren’t uncommon in the entertainment industry, many willingly offered themselves to climb the ladder.

But Shen Lai’s pride wouldn’t allow it.

Even if she had fallen this low, she couldn’t bring herself to sleep with men old enough to be her father.

“So you just swallowed the insult?” Pei Jingyan leaned back in his chair, his tone laced with either mockery or admiration. “That doesn’t sound like the style of the esteemed Miss Shen.”

Shen Lai bit her lip.

She was no longer the pampered heiress who could have anything she wanted. There were no parents to back her up, no one to fight for her.

And these six months in the entertainment industry had taught her all about bowing to reality.

In a low voice, she said, “I reported it to the company. They assigned me a new agent.”

Pei Jingyan’s brow twitched. “That’s it?”

“What else could I do?” Shen Lai smiled self-deprecatingly. “She claimed it was for my own good, and since I didn’t suffer any ‘real’ harm, that was the only resolution.”

Her former agent thought Shen Lai had escaped that night, unaware she had stumbled into Pei Jingyan instead.

Naturally, Shen Lai couldn’t reveal such a thing, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and bear it.

Still, the topic made her ask, “Why were you there that night?”

She remembered Pei Jingyan had gone abroad for further studies two years ago. Had she not run into him at the hotel, she wouldn’t have known he had returned.

Pei Jingyan replied casually, “Of course, to come back and claim my inheritance.”

Shen Lai’s throat tightened.

Right. With the heir selection imminent, it made sense for him to return.

She wasn’t sure whether that night had been fortunate or not. If it hadn’t been Pei Jingyan, she might have been dragged back by that investor.

But if forced to choose between the two, she’d still rather have slept with Pei Jingyan.

At least he was handsome and fit, far better than that bloated, hideous investor.

After breakfast, Shen Lai went to Polai Entertainment to report in.

There, she met her new agent, Wan Shilan.

“Miss Shen, hello. I’m Wan Shilan, your new agent from now on.”

Shen Lai shook her hand. “Lan-jie, I’ll be in your care.”

As someone well-versed in the entertainment industry, Wan Shilan had naturally heard of Shen Lai, the former heiress who entered the industry after her family’s bankruptcy. Unfortunately, she had faced public backlash upon debut and achieved little in the past six months.

She had expected someone with a temper, but Shen Lai turned out to be quite amiable.

Wan Shilan’s impression of her improved. “No need for formalities. It’s my duty.”

Wan Shilan brought Shen Lai a cup of warm milk and struck up a conversation with her. “President Pei has instructed that since you’re pregnant now, we should avoid assigning you any overly risky work. So in the early stages, we’ll try to arrange lighter schedules for you.”

Shen Lai had already anticipated this situation. Now that she was pregnant, Pei Jingyan wouldn’t let her take any risks.

Moreover, even if she weren’t pregnant, given her current level of popularity, she wouldn’t have been able to land any high-profile shows anyway.

Shen Lai cooperatively replied, “I’ll follow the company’s arrangements.”

She had initially thought she’d have to wait a long time for work, just like before, but to her surprise, Wan Shilan informed her that a show had already invited her for this Friday.

Shen Lai exclaimed in surprise, “This Friday?”

Wasn’t that just two days away?

Wan Shilan was amused by her reaction. “Of course! You’ve gained quite a bit of popularity now, there are plenty of people eager to invite you onto their shows.”

“But…” Wan Shilan hesitated at this point.

Shen Lai asked curiously, “But what?”

Wan Shilan replied tentatively, “This show is a couples’ variety program. They want to invite you and President Pei to participate together.”