Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 78

When Shen Lai woke up, it was already the next morning.

She slowly opened her eyes to the sight of a pristine white ceiling, the faint scent of disinfectant lingering in the air.

The moment she moved, a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen. Just then, a deep voice sounded beside her, “You’re awake?”

Shen Lai turned her head with difficulty, meeting Pei Jingyan’s dark, inscrutable gaze. He sat by the hospital bed, still dressed in the same suit from the day before.

Struggling to sit up, she leaned against the headboard and asked weakly, “Where am I?”

Pei Jingyan casually tucked the blanket around her. “The hospital.”

Shen Lai paused, only then recalling the sudden abdominal pain she had experienced during the show yesterday. She vaguely remembered Pei Jingyan carrying her onto a boat, but everything after that was a blur, except for a voice that had continuously reassured her, whispering, “Don’t be afraid.”

Her dry throat moved slightly.

Had those words really come from Pei Jingyan?

But she quickly snapped out of it. Even if they had, it was probably only for the sake of the child in her womb.

After all, he had made that perfectly clear himself.

A self-deprecating smile flickered across her lips before she quickly composed herself and asked, “How did I suddenly get stomach pains out of nowhere?”

Pei Jingyan didn’t notice the fleeting complexity in her expression. A shadow passed through his eyes as he replied, “The doctor said there are trace amounts of toxins in your system.”

“Toxins?” Shen Lai was stunned. “You mean… I was poisoned?”

Pei Jingyan gave a solemn nod.

Shen Lai frowned in confusion. “That’s strange. I didn’t eat anything unusual. How could I have been poisoned?”

Pei Jingyan studied her intently. “After returning to the campsite yesterday, what did you eat?”

Shen Lai thought for a moment. “We started the tasks as soon as we got back in the morning. The only thing I had was what the production team provided…”

Her voice trailed off as realization dawned. She looked up at Pei Jingyan. “Could it have been the raspberries? Were they contaminated?”

Pei Jingyan didn’t answer immediately. After a brief silence, he asked, “Bai Hansui was in your group. Why wasn’t she affected?”

Bai Hansui was also pregnant. Logically, she should have eaten the raspberries too, so why was Shen Lai the only one who fell ill?

Shen Lai answered truthfully, “She said her stomach was bothering her that day, so I was the one doing all the tasting.”

At the time, Shen Lai had found it odd, but she hadn’t dwelled on it. Now, looking back, it almost seemed as if Bai Hansui had known something would happen if she ate those raspberries.

Could Bai Hansui have tampered with the props?

But out in the wilderness, where would Bai Hansui even get her hands on cyanide?

As Shen Lai spoke, Pei Jingyan’s gaze darkened. Just then, his phone rang.

Glancing at the caller ID, he stood and stepped outside the ward to answer.

“Speak.”

“Mr. Pei, we’ve tested the batch of raspberries you sent over. No cyanide was detected—only the ones from Miss Shen’s group contained trace amounts of toxins.”

A cold glint flashed in Pei Jingyan’s eyes, quickly concealed beneath his composed demeanor.

Just as he suspected.

Someone had specifically targeted Shen Lai.

After hanging up, Shen Lai glanced at his phone screen and asked, “Who was that?”

Pei Jingyan didn’t hide it from her. “I had the raspberries tested.”

Shen Lai’s heart tightened. Her gaze locked onto Pei Jingyan, as if she could faintly guess what he was about to say next.

Sure enough, Pei Jingyan continued, “Only your plate of raspberries was laced with cyanide.”

Shen Lai’s hands beneath the sheets clenched tightly onto the fabric. “So, you suspect one of the guests poisoned me?”

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow at her. “Who’s always targeting you on the show?”

There was no need to guess, aside from Bai Hansui and Huo Chilin, no one held such deep-seated animosity toward Shen Lai.

And while Huo Chilin might have questionable character, he wouldn’t go so far as to do something like this.

So the culprit was obvious without even thinking.

Shen Lai pressed her lips together. “But we don’t have any evidence.”

Though she also believed Bai Hansui was involved, without proof, she couldn’t outright accuse her.

Bai Hansui wasn’t foolish enough to admit it either.

Pei Jingyan said nonchalantly, “I’ll handle it.”

Shen Lai looked up at him curiously. “How are you going to handle it?”

Surely he couldn’t just make Bai Hansui confess to being the mastermind?

Pei Jingyan’s gaze was inscrutable. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Though Shen Lai didn’t know what Pei Jingyan had planned, she didn’t doubt him for a second.

Perhaps it was because he had always solved her problems before, she instinctively trusted him.

And for the sake of the child in her belly, Pei Jingyan wouldn’t let Bai Hansui off the hook.

Then Shen Lai suddenly remembered something important and quickly asked, “By the way, what about the baby? Is it okay?”

Seeing her anxious expression, Pei Jingyan’s lips curved slightly. “It’s fine.”

Hearing this, Shen Lai felt an inexplicable sense of relief.

Maybe she was worried that if something happened to the baby, she’d have to compensate Pei Jingyan with another one.

She really didn’t want to go through pregnancy all over again.

Pei Jingyan casually tucked the blanket around her. “Sleep. I’ll take care of this.”

His expression was serious, his dark eyes fixed on Shen Lai. She blinked, then softly murmured, “Okay.”

Obediently, she lay back on the hospital bed, gripping the blanket as she closed her eyes again, though her mind was still in turmoil.

Pei Jingyan sat by the bed, watching Shen Lai’s pale face before his gaze drifted to her abdomen, his eyes darkening with intensity.

Then he pulled out his phone and sent a message to Director Miao: Handle something for me.

Meanwhile, due to Shen Lai’s sudden hospitalization, the show’s filming had been temporarily suspended.

The remaining guests were left to their own devices. A bonfire flickered on the island, and the remnants of dinner lay scattered in the corners.

Bai Hansui returned to her tent. As she lifted the flap, she saw Huo Chilin sitting inside, his face shifting between light and shadow.

“Chilin, there you are. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Hearing her voice, Huo Chilin slowly looked up, his gaze fixed on her in the dim light.

Bai Hansui shifted uncomfortably under his stare. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Huo Chilin didn’t speak. Instead, he threw something at her feet.

Bai Hansui followed the motion and froze when she saw what it was. A chill crawled up her spine.

Hadn’t she already gotten rid of this piece of clothing? How did it end up in Huo Chilin’s hands?

Her expression stiffened, her smile forced. “Chilin, where did you get this?”

Huo Chilin’s voice was low. “Found it in the forest.”

“The forest?” Bai Hansui’s lips twitched. “When did you go there?”

Huo Chilin’s deep gaze seemed to bore into her soul. “Right when you sneaked in behind everyone’s back.”