Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 89

Before long, Pei Jingyan’s car appeared at the hospital entrance.

Shen Lai got into the car and saw Pei Jingyan sitting in the back seat in a tailored suit, documents in hand, likely coming straight from the office.

After fastening her seatbelt, she noticed his gaze lingering on her. Seeing her troubled expression, Pei Jingyan closed the file and asked, “What’s wrong? You look upset.”

Mentioning the matter made Shen Lai feel uneasy. She lowered her voice and said, “My mom found out about our marriage.”

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“She saw the news about Bai Hansui’s arrest, and since footage of us from the variety show was also captured, she looked it up online.”

Pei Jingyan leaned back in his seat. “And? Does she disapprove?”

“It’s not that she disapproves,” Shen Lai replied, her thoughts heavy. “She just thinks our family has fallen from grace and worries I’ll be mistreated.”

Hearing this, a hint of amusement flickered in Pei Jingyan’s eyes. “Have I mistreated you all this time?”

Shen Lai shot him a glance. “If you had, I would’ve divorced you already.”

Truth be told, she had initially shared her mother’s concerns even mentally preparing for the worst.

But Pei Jingyan had done nothing of the sort. Instead, he had defended her time and again.

Shen Lai lowered her lashes, casting a faint shadow over her eyes.

Sometimes, she almost wished he wouldn’t treat her so well. That way, when the time came for them to part, she wouldn’t feel so reluctant.

Clearing her throat as if to mask her emotions, she changed the subject. “By the way, my mom said she’d like to meet you. When you have time, come with me to see her.”

Pei Jingyan remained composed. “Didn’t we meet last time?”

“Last time, it was as my boss. This time…” Shen Lai hesitated. “It’s different.”

A lazy smile curled at the corners of Pei Jingyan’s lips as he suddenly leaned in. “Different how?”

The cool scent of pine and cedar enveloped her, pressing her almost against the car door.

Shen Lai swallowed hard, refusing to back down. “Don’t you know?”

Pei Jingyan feigned innocence. “No, I don’t.”

Shen Lai choked back a retort.

She was certain he was doing this on purpose.

His lips curved into a teasing smirk. “What’s wrong? Weren’t you calling me ‘husband’ quite smoothly on the show? Now that the cameras are off, you’re pretending we’re strangers?”

The memory of her words on the program resurfaced, and Shen Lai gulped. “That was for the role. I couldn’t very well call you ‘President Pei’ in front of everyone, could I? That would’ve given away that we’re a fake couple.”

Pei Jingyan studied her profile, her fair skin tinged pink under the sunlight, like a delicate piece of warm jade. Deciding not to tease her further, he finally pulled back. “Shall we head home now?”

At the word “home,” Shen Lai paused imperceptibly before responding with a calm hum.

That night, while scrolling through Weibo, Shen Lai came across Bai Hansui’s name.

Reports stated that the Bai family had bailed her out. When she left the police station, a swarm of paparazzi surrounded her. With a cap pulled low and a mask covering her face, she kept her head down, shoved her way into a car.

Who could’ve imagined that just days ago, Bai Hansui had been a glamorous star? In the blink of an eye, she had become a social pariah.

After this ordeal, not only was her reputation ruined and her career over, but she also faced massive breach-of-contract penalties.

Even Huo Chilin had severed ties with her.

It could be said that Bai Hansui’s career and love life were completely ruined.

Shen Lai looked at the news without feeling much.

If Bai Hansui hadn’t done those shameful things, she wouldn’t have ended up like this.

After the variety show was suspended, the company arranged other work for Shen Lai. Initially, her manager, worried about her pregnancy, wanted to assign her fewer tasks, but Shen Lai refused.

She wanted to earn as much money as possible before her belly grew too big. That way, even after divorcing Pei Jingyan, she could support herself and her mother.

The word “divorce” suddenly flashed through her mind, and Shen Lai’s thoughts froze for a moment.

It should have been a happy thought, so why did it weigh so heavily on her heart?

Could it be that she was reluctant to divorce Pei Jingyan?

The moment this idea surfaced, Shen Lai shuddered. Reluctant to leave Pei Jingyan? Did that mean she had fallen for him?

That was insane.

Shen Lai shook her head vigorously, trying to dismiss the absurd thought.

After finally finishing the advertisement shoot, Shen Lai returned to the dressing room to remove her makeup. As soon as she pushed the door open, she saw Pei Jingyan sitting on the sofa, legs crossed, exuding an air of effortless elegance just by being there.

Shen Lai was surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Could he be here to pick her up after work?

Pei Jingyan looked up, his expression unusually serious, uncharacteristically so.

Seeing him like this, Shen Lai felt an inexplicable unease. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Pei Jingyan’s voice was low. “My people have found the employee who fled from Shen Corporation back then.”

Shen Lai stiffened, disbelief washing over her. “Really?”

Pei Jingyan gave a faint hum of confirmation.

Shen Lai hadn’t expected Pei Jingyan to act so quickly. In just a few days, he had tracked down the person she had previously thought would take at least half a year to locate.

She couldn’t help but ask, “Where did you find him?”

Pei Jingyan adjusted his suit. “After the incident, he hid in his hometown and soon built a small Western-style house. Seems he got quite a payoff.”

Shen Lai’s breathing grew slightly ragged.

Hearing this, she became even more convinced that the man had taken bribes, how else could he have suddenly become so wealthy?

Clenching her teeth, she forced herself to stay calm. “Where is he now?”

Pei Jingyan tilted his chin toward his assistant. “Bring him in.”

“Yes.”

Moments later, a bloodied man was dragged in by the assistant like a ragdoll and thrown heavily onto the floor.

Shen Lai recognized him instantly, it was Qin Qifeng, the factory worker who had fled after her father’s accident.

Seeing Shen Lai, Qin Qifeng trembled. “M-Miss Shen.”

Shen Lai forced herself to remain composed, her voice icy. “Thanks to you and Han Xinjie, I’m no longer a ‘Miss’ anymore.”

Not only that, but she had also been forced to sell herself to pay for her mother’s medical bills.

Qin Qifeng’s face twisted with guilt, his gaze dropping to the floor.

Shen Lai took a deep breath. “What really happened back then? Did someone pay you to frame my father?”

She had never believed her father would cut corners with substandard materials, risking lives. Even in prison, he had insisted on his innocence.

Qin Qifeng remained silent, his eyes flickering nervously toward Pei Jingyan.

Pei Jingyan crossed his legs and raised an eyebrow slightly. “What are you looking at me for? Can’t you hear my wife asking you a question?”

Hearing that term of address, Shen Lai’s face flushed red, and he covered his mouth with a light cough.

Qin Qifeng glanced at the towering assistant behind him, then recalled the beating he had just endured, too terrified to lie again. Trembling, he stammered, “I-it was Han Xinjie who told me to do this.”