Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 94

Shen Lai’s hand holding the spoon paused slightly.

Pei Jingyan glanced at the caller ID and casually answered the phone, “Hello.”

A mature, sultry female voice came from the other end, “Jingyan, I’ve already arrived at your company.”

Hearing the name “Jingyan,” Shen Lai,

Pei Jingyan looked up at the clock on the wall and frowned slightly, “Weren’t we supposed to meet at nine? Why are you there so early?”

“I happened to be free, so I left earlier,” the person on the other end chuckled. “I even brought you coffee, your favorite iced Americano.”

Pei Jingyan responded indifferently, “Got it. See you in twenty minutes.”

The dining area was very quiet, and the conversation between the two was clearly audible to Shen Lai. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip on the spoon, her fingertips turning slightly white.

After Pei Jingyan hung up, Shen Lai absentmindedly stirred the porridge in her bowl with the spoon, as if casually asking, “Who was that?”

Pei Jingyan replied calmly, “A friend.”

Shen Lai thought to herself, a female friend who would arrive early to wait for him at his company and even knew what kind of coffee he liked.

Even she didn’t know what coffee Pei Jingyan preferred.

At this thought, Shen Lai suddenly felt a sense of defeat. She realized she knew almost nothing about Pei Jingyan, it was from another woman’s mouth that she learned about his preferences.

Pei Jingyan set down his knife and fork, elegantly wiping the corners of his mouth with a napkin from the table. “I’ll head to the company first. Take your time eating.”

Shen Lai kept her eyes downcast, not looking at him. “Mm.”

Noticing her low spirits, Pei Jingyan’s brow twitched slightly. Just as he was about to say something, a notification tone interrupted his thoughts.

“Jingyan, I’m craving the wife cakes from that shop at the intersection. Can you grab some for me on your way here?” A coquettish voice came through the speaker.

Shen Lai’s heart clenched slightly as she stared blankly at the dining table.

Pei Jingyan replied, “Got it.”

The other end quickly responded with a laugh, “Thanks.”

Pei Jingyan put away his phone and glanced at Shen Lai, who was still quietly eating her breakfast, seemingly oblivious to the exchange.

His gaze was deep and inscrutable before he turned and left.

Listening to the fading footsteps, Shen Lai gradually stopped moving. She looked at the breakfast in front of her and suddenly found it utterly tasteless.

“Lai Lai?”

“Lai Lai, what’s wrong?”

The sudden voice snapped Shen Lai out of her thoughts. She looked up to see her mother watching her with concern.

Chang Suning said worriedly, “What’s the matter? You’ve been distracted ever since we got to the hospital.”

Shen Lai adjusted her emotions and shook her head lightly. “I’m fine.”

Seeing her pale complexion, Chang Suning wasn’t entirely convinced and tentatively asked, “Did you and Jingyan have a fight?”

For a split second, Shen Lai’s expression stiffened before she forced a smile. “No, why would we fight?”

They hadn’t even argued, let alone had a full-blown fight.

Chang Suning remained skeptical. “Really? No fight?”

Shen Lai’s smile was strained. “Of course not. He treats me so well, he practically dotes on me. How could we possibly fight?”

Chang Suning thought it made sense. Recently, Pei Jingyan had gone above and beyond for their family, arranging her transfer to a better hospital, securing the best doctors, and even helping Shen Lingzhen get out of prison. Even a biological son might not have been so devoted.

She felt slightly reassured. “It’s good that you didn’t argue. You’ve been spoiled by your family before, and you should work on your temper. Don’t always make Pei Jingyan accommodate you.”

Shen Lai lowered her head and muttered softly, “What has he ever accommodated me for?”

Chang Suning snorted. “Do you think I don’t know you? Spoiled since childhood, never willing to admit defeat. How many times did you argue with people before your family went bankrupt?”

Shen Lai had no retort and stayed silent.

Chang Suning sighed and spoke earnestly, “But LaiLai, things are different now. You’re married. You can’t always expect your partner to accommodate you, marriages like that don’t last long.”

At the mention of marriage, Shen Lai’s gaze dimmed slightly.

She thought to herself, her relationship with Pei Jingyan wasn’t real anyway. They might divorce at any time.

After leaving the hospital, Shen Lai took a taxi home. Along the way, she absentmindedly scrolled through her phone until her finger suddenly froze on a particular news headline.

Bold black letters filled the screen: [Suspected Shen Group CEO Spotted Holding Hands with New Female Companion While Shopping!]

In the candid photo below, a stunning woman with a fiery figure was brushing dust off Pei Jingyan’s shoulder, their demeanor intimate.

Shen Lai recognized her immediately, the woman Pei Jingyan had dinner with last night.

Sure enough, the person who called him this morning was the same woman.

Her grip on the phone tightened unconsciously, her fingertips turning pale.

Shen Lai didn’t even realize when she arrived back at the villa. She sat on the sofa, the reflection of her dazed face flickering on the TV screen.

When Pei Jingyan returned, he found the villa shrouded in darkness.

He flipped on the light and saw Shen Lai sitting in front of the TV, lost in thought.

Pei Jingyan paused, his brow furrowing slightly. “Why didn’t you turn on the lights?”

Hearing his familiar voice, Shen Lai snapped out of her trance. She turned her head and saw Pei Jingyan standing at the entrance, watching her.

Shen Lai swallowed hard and forced a calm tone. “I was thinking and didn’t notice.”

Pei Jingyan didn’t pick up on her odd behavior. He casually loosened his tie and tossed it onto the sofa. “The nutritionist called earlier. She has some family matters and won’t be coming for the next couple of days.”

Shen Lai lowered her eyes and murmured an indifferent “Mm.”

“I reserved a table at Cloud Pine Restaurant. We’ll eat out tonight.”

Cloud Pine Restaurant.

Hearing the familiar name, Shen Lai’s heart clenched.

It was the same place Pei Jingyan had dined with that woman last night.

The thought of going there with him where he had shared a meal with someone else filled her with an inexplicable resistance. Her voice turned cold. “No need. I don’t have much of an appetite. You can go alone.”

She stood up to leave, but in the next second, a strong hand gripped her arm, pulling her back onto the sofa before she could react. A heavy shadow loomed over her as Pei Jingyan caged her between himself and the sofa, his arms braced against the backrest.

His expression was dark, his voice icy. “What’s wrong with you?”

Shen Lai had been acting strangely since last night, as if deliberately keeping her distance.

She avoided his gaze, turning her face away. “Nothing. I’m just not hungry.”

Pei Jingyan grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, his lips curling into a cold smirk. “No appetite when it comes to eating with me?”

Shen Lai took a light breath, raised her eyes to meet Pei Jingyan’s turbulent gaze, and said word by word, “I don’t want to eat. Is that not allowed?”