Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 66

Shen Lai was still exhilarated from catching the fish and didn’t pay attention to what Pei Jingyan had said. She nodded vigorously, “You’re the best!”

A deeper smile curved Pei Jingyan’s lips.

Huo Chilin’s face instantly darkened as if thunderclouds were pressing down, his breathing growing heavier.

Shen Lai hadn’t denied that Pei Jingyan was her husband.

Pei Jingyan took the fish off the spear and handed it to Shen Lai. “Here, take it.”

Shen Lai reached out with both hands to accept it. “I’ll take it up first and put it somewhere safe so it doesn’t escape.”

Pei Jingyan ruffled her hair. “Mm, go ahead.”

Shen Lai froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing as she met Pei Jingyan’s unruffled gaze. She muttered under her breath, “I just fixed my hair this morning, don’t mess it up.”

A glimmer of amusement flashed in Pei Jingyan’s eyes.

Since there were outsiders present, Shen Lai didn’t press the issue. Cradling the fish carefully, she made her way back to shore.

Watching Shen Lai fetch a metal bucket, add some seawater, and place the fish inside, one might have mistaken her for raising the fish rather than planning to eat it.

Pei Jingyan withdrew his gaze and turned to see Huo Chilin standing beside him, his expression utterly grim. Pei Jingyan raised a brow, feigning nonchalance. “Young Master Huo, shall we continue?”

Huo Chilin’s breathing was slightly uneven as he watched Pei Jingyan resume fishing with practiced ease. A malicious thought suddenly flickered through his mind.

Huo Chilin approached Pei Jingyan with his spear and said coldly, “President Pei, I’ve never fished before. Mind if I learn from you?”

Pei Jingyan gave him a long look but said nothing.

After a while, a fish finally swam into range. Just as Pei Jingyan was about to strike, Huo Chilin suddenly lunged first.

Water splashed everywhere as Huo Chilin’s spear missed its mark, scaring the fish away.

When Pei Jingyan turned to look at him, Huo Chilin calmly explained, “My apologies. I didn’t realize you’ve seen it too.”

Pei Jingyan let out an ambiguous chuckle and continued fishing.

However, from then on, every time Pei Jingyan targeted a fish, Huo Chilin would strike as well. After half a day of this, not only had neither of them caught a single fish, but they’d also scared off all the others.

Even the live-stream audience noticed something was off.

[Seriously, why is Huo Chilin sabotaging the fishing?]

[If you can’t help, at least don’t make things worse. This is ridiculous.]

[President Pei has the patience of a saint. I’d have slapped him by now.]

[If Huo Chilin doesn’t want to eat, fine, but don’t ruin it for the other guests! Can the production team just kick him out already? I can’t stand seeing him!!!]

Pei Jingyan arched a brow. “Young Master Huo, if you’re bored, why not check under the rocks for crabs?”

Huo Chilin bristled at being dismissed. “I just lack experience. A little more practice and I’ll get the hang of it.”

Seeing Huo Chilin stubbornly refusing to leave, Pei Jingyan narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze inscrutable.

A short while later, another fish swam near their feet.

Huo Chilin kept his eyes on Pei Jingyan, waiting for him to make a move so he could strike first again.

But just as Huo Chilin thrust his spear forward, he suddenly felt something trip his foot. Losing his balance, he crashed heavily into the water, seawater and sand flooding his nose and mouth as his clothes were instantly drenched.

Pei Jingyan turned his head at the sound and saw Huo Chilin lying awkwardly in the water. He raised an eyebrow and said, “Young Master Huo, how could you be so careless?”

A vein throbbed violently at Huo Chilin’s temple as he gritted his teeth and asked, “Did you do that on purpose?”

Pei Jingyan remained unfazed. “On purpose? What do you mean?”

At that moment, Bai Hansui, who had been on the shore, heard the commotion and ran down. She struggled to help Huo Chilin up, asking worriedly, “Chilin, are you okay?”

Huo Chilin knew full well that Pei Jingyan had set him up, but there was nothing he could say about it.

After all, the cameras hadn’t caught anything, and his word alone against Pei Jingyan’s wouldn’t hold up.

Swallowing his anger, Huo Chilin replied stiffly, “I’m fine. I just lost my footing and slipped.”

Bai Hansui looked concerned. “Let me take you to change your clothes first, so you don’t catch a cold.”

Huo Chilin gave a sullen hum and let Bai Hansui help him back to shore.

Shen Lai watched them leave and asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong with him?”

Pei Jingyan replied nonchalantly, “Maybe he’s just too weak to stand properly.”

Shen Lai didn’t question it further. In fact, with Huo Chilin gone, there’d be fewer disruptions for Pei Jingyan.

Though Huo Chilin had wasted a lot of their time, Pei Jingyan still managed to catch a few fish before nightfall.

By then, the entire island was shrouded in darkness. Everyone gathered around the campfire, roasting fish as the aroma filled the air.

Dai Jingxuan said, “It must’ve been tough catching so many fish. You’ve worked hard.”

Bai Hansui chimed in, “We all did our part. It wasn’t too difficult.”

Then she glanced at Huo Chilin and joked, “Though Chilin did accidentally get his clothes wet while fishing. But it’s worth it if we all get to enjoy dinner.”

For some reason, hearing Bai Hansui try to take credit for Pei Jingyan’s efforts made Shen Lai feel inexplicably irritated.

Shen Lai suddenly spoke up, “As far as I remember, all these fish were caught by Pei Jingyan. What does Huo Chilin have to do with it?”

Bai Hansui froze.

“If I recall correctly, not only did he fail to help, he kept getting in the way,” Shen Lai scoffed. “If it weren’t for Pei Jingyan’s quick hands, we’d probably be going hungry tonight.”

Being called out so bluntly, Bai Hansui’s expression turned awkward.

Beside her, Huo Chilin’s face darkened even further. “That’s because I didn’t know how.”

Shen Lai said coolly, “If you don’t know how, then stay quiet and don’t cause trouble for others.”

[Shen Lai’s words are a bit too harsh, aren’t they?]

[LOL, Huo Chilin was deliberately targeting Pei Jingyan, and you expect Shen Lai to go easy on him? I hope you’re just as generous when you run into a useless teammate like Huo Chilin.]

[The person above must be just as shameless as Huo Chilin. If I had a teammate like that, forget scolding him, I’d beat him up.]

[Shen Lai’s still being too polite, honestly. She’s still holding back when talking to her cheating ex and fake best friend.]

Surprised that Shen Lai had stood up for him, Pei Jingyan leaned in and murmured, just loud enough for her to hear, “Did the sun rise from the west today? Someone actually spoke up for me.”

Shen Lai cleared her throat. “I just didn’t want someone else taking credit for your hard work.”

Pei Jingyan stared at her with an inscrutable gaze but said nothing.

Uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Shen Lai quickly changed the subject. “Is the fish ready yet? I’m starving.”

Hearing her words, Pei Jingyan finally averted his gaze and turned his attention to flipping the grilled fish in front of him.

Shen Lai secretly let out a sigh of relief.

She wasn’t even sure why she had been so nervous.

After a while, Pei Jingyan handed her the grilled fish. “Try it and see how it tastes.”

The aroma had reached Shen Lai from a distance. She took the fish from Pei Jingyan’s hand and took a bite, her eyes widening in delight. “It’s delicious!”

Seeing her sparkling eyes, Pei Jingyan’s thin lips curved slightly. “Is it really that good?”

Thinking he didn’t believe her, Shen Lai held the fish up to his lips. “If you don’t believe me, try it yourself.”

Pei Jingyan’s gaze shifted from Shen Lai’s face to her hand. Instead of taking it, he leaned in and bit down right where she had taken her previous bite.