Fake Pregnancy? Oops, It’s Real — and So Is the Husband - Chapter 95

The air grew heavy, the temperature around them plummeting rapidly as an invisible silence enveloped the space between the two.

Pei Jingyan stared intently into Shen Lai’s eyes, his breathing rough and heavy, like a wild leopard on the verge of eruption.

Suddenly, Shen Lai raised both hands and pressed them against Pei Jingyan’s chest. “President Pei, if you keep pressing down like this, I won’t take responsibility if anything happens to the baby in my stomach.”

Her words snapped Pei Jingyan back to his senses. His gaze dropped to Shen Lai’s abdomen, where a faint swell was visible beneath her clothes.

His face tense, he finally released his grip.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Lai broke free from his embrace and straightened her clothes. “I’ll handle dinner myself. You don’t need to worry about me.”

Without waiting to see Pei Jingyan’s reaction, she turned and headed upstairs.

Watching Shen Lai’s retreating figure, Pei Jingyan’s eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion.

Just then, his phone rang from his pocket. Irritation flashed across his brow as he pulled it out and saw a notification from Weibo.

He was about to swipe it away when he suddenly noticed his own name in the preview.

His brow twitched, and he tapped to open the post.

The moment he saw the headline and accompanying photo, his expression darkened. He immediately dialed his assistant. “When was the news about me and Yi Xingyu leaked?”

The assistant hesitated before answering cautiously, “This afternoon.”

“This afternoon?” Pei Jingyan’s voice dropped dangerously low. “Why didn’t you inform me?”

The assistant stammered, “You’ve never cared about these things before, and the story wasn’t even true, so I didn’t think it was necessary to bring it up…”

Pei Jingyan’s expression grew even more severe.

He never browsed Weibo, so he hadn’t seen the news. No wonder the employees had given him strange looks when he left the office earlier.

“Have it cleaned up. I don’t want to see any more news about me and her on social media tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

Pei Jingyan hung up and was about to head upstairs when a sudden thought crossed his mind.

As if realizing something, he slowly lifted his gaze toward the second floor, a faint smirk curling at the corners of his lips.

When he reached the second floor, he stopped outside Shen Lai’s door.

He knocked. “Open up.”

No response came from inside.

Pei Jingyan raised an eyebrow. “If you don’t open it, I’ll have Butler Sun bring the key.”

The next second, the door swung open abruptly. Shen Lai stood there, her expression strained as if holding something back. “What do you want, President Pei?”

Back to calling him “President Pei” again.

Pei Jingyan chuckled lightly, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. “You saw today’s news, didn’t you?”

A flicker of unease passed over Shen Lai’s face, quickly suppressed, but not quickly enough to escape Pei Jingyan’s notice.

“So you did see it.” Pei Jingyan’s lips curved slightly. “Is that why you were upset tonight?”

Shen Lai’s throat moved as she stiffened her neck. “Who said I was upset?”

The amusement in Pei Jingyan’s eyes deepened. He suddenly reached out, bracing a hand against the wall, effectively caging her in a half-embrace as his warm breath brushed against her neck. “Miss Shen, could it be… you’re jealous?”

Shen Lai stiffened as if struck on a sore spot, her voice rising sharply. “Who’s jealous?!”

Pei Jingyan’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Really not jealous? Then why did you react so strongly when I mentioned taking you to Cloud Pine Restaurant?”

If he remembered correctly, the place he went to with Yi Xingyu last night was Cloud Pine Restaurant.

Recalling Shen Lai mentioning yesterday that she and Wu Qi had been shopping at a nearby mall, it seemed she had spotted them dining there. No wonder Shen Lai had been acting so strangely after returning.

Shen Lai swallowed hard and pushed Pei Jingyan away forcefully. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I’m going to watch a drama now-”

Before she could finish, Pei Jingyan grabbed her wrist and suddenly said, “She’s just a friend. She just returned from abroad yesterday, so I had dinner with her.”

Shen Lai froze mid-struggle as Pei Jingyan continued, “As for today, she came to discuss work with me. I didn’t know paparazzi were following us. That photo was just her brushing dust off my shoulder.”

Hearing this, the knot of anger in Shen Lai’s chest deflated like a punctured balloon. The lingering frustration and suffocation she had felt suddenly vanished.

“You’re the only woman for me,” Pei Jingyan said, locking eyes with her and enunciating each word clearly. “I promised you I wouldn’t mess around during our marriage, and I meant it.”

Seeing the earnest look on Pei Jingyan’s face, Shen Lai’s heartbeat inexplicably quickened.

But how could she be sure if what he said was true? Pei Jingyan was a normal man, it wouldn’t be unusual for him to seek out other women.

Shen Lai bit her lip and avoided his gaze. “Who cares about that? Even if you dated someone else, it’s none of my business.”

Noticing her softened expression, Pei Jingyan teased, “Not angry anymore?”

Shen Lai stubbornly retorted, “Who said I was angry? Stop making things up.”

A glimmer of amusement flashed in Pei Jingyan’s eyes. “Fine, you’re not angry. Can we eat now?”

Thinking he was about to take her to Cloud Pine Restaurant again, Shen Lai was about to refuse when Pei Jingyan added, “Today, I’ll show off my culinary skills.”

Shen Lai paused. “Skills?”

“Noodles.”

“……”

In the bright kitchen, steam curled in the air as Pei Jingyan, sleeves rolled up, deftly boiled water, added seasoning, and dropped in the noodles, his movements smooth and practiced.

Clearly an old hand at this, Shen Lai was surprised. “You can cook this?”

Pei Jingyan stirred the noodles with chopsticks. “Learned it while abroad.”

Shen Lai couldn’t help but recall the saying online: “Send out a student, return a chef.” How true it was, even a domineering CEO like Pei Jingyan had to cook when overseas.

Soon, the noodles were ready. Pei Jingyan took off his apron and handed Shen Lai the chopsticks. “Try it.”

She took a bite, her eyes lighting up slightly. “It’s good.”

Pei Jingyan smirked. “You’re the first person to taste my cooking.”

Shen Lai stiffened, slowly raising her head to look at him. “You’ve never cooked for anyone else abroad?”

Pei Jingyan sat across from her. “Of course not.”

After a few seconds of silence, Shen Lai asked, “What about that female friend?”

Pei Jingyan arched a brow. “Why would I cook for her?”

The corners of Shen Lai’s lips twitched upward before she quickly suppressed them. “Oh,” she murmured, dropping the subject and focusing on her noodles, her cheeks warming slightly.

The restaurant was bathed in dim yellow light, with no one speaking, only the crisp clinking of bowls and chopsticks breaking the silence.

Seeing Shen Lai practically bury her face in the bowl, Pei Jingyan teased, “Miss Shen, are you eating noodles or the bowl itself? Is my cooking really that good?”

Shen Lai nearly choked. She lifted her head, coughing lightly. “I was just hungry. It has nothing to do with you.”

Pei Jingyan arched an eyebrow.

Shen Lai quickly slurped up the remaining noodles, set down her chopsticks, and said, “I’m full. I’m heading upstairs first.”

Watching Shen Lai’s retreating figure dart up the stairs, then glancing at the empty bowl in front of him, Pei Jingyan’s lips curled faintly. He stood and carried both their dishes to the kitchen.

Shen Lai slept soundly until dawn.

Stretching lazily, she gazed at the blue sky and white clouds outside her window. Recalling Pei Jingyan’s words from the night before, the corners of her lips lifted unconsciously.

She grabbed her phone from the bedside table and absentmindedly opened Weibo, intending to check her homepage. To her surprise, all the photos of Pei Jingyan and that woman had vanished, even the trending topics were gone.

Shen Lai froze.

Had Pei Jingyan ordered them taken down?

Not only that, but the Shen Group had also issued a legal statement five minutes ago, clarifying that the claims in the photos were false, Pei Jingyan and the woman in the pictures were merely “ordinary friends.” The statement condemned the paparazzi’s malicious rumors and vowed to pursue legal action.

The phrase “ordinary friends” brought a faint glimmer of satisfaction to Shen Lai’s eyes. She got out of bed, freshened up, and descended the stairs with light steps.

As she reached the landing, she heard voices from below.

Entering the living room, Shen Lai saw a woman seated on the sofa, her lips painted a sultry vintage red, clad in a figure-hugging black dress and stiletto heels, her curves striking like a blazing wildfire.