The Eleventh Year of Secretly Loving Her - Chapter 4

Zhong Xiran hung up the phone and quickly opened Weibo.

The top trending topic was: #Huo Xin Returns to the Country to Secretly Meet His First Love#.

Next to it, a bold red word flashed: [HOT].

Clicking into the topic, she saw that the hottest post had already been shared over ten thousand times.

In the video, Huo Xin and Zhong Xiran entered a private room one after the other, and then came out separately.

Although the two showed no intimate gestures, the name “Huo Xin” combined with the overly charged term “first love” was enough to set the public’s imagination running wild.

Everyone on the internet knew who Huo Xin was.

At just twenty-six, he had founded the short-video app T-Video in the U.S. three years ago, and in that short time, it had climbed into the top ten of the U.S. app charts, with a company valuation exceeding ten billion dollars.

He had instantly jumped into the top ten of Forbes’ list of young billionaires, a rising star in the business world.

Add to that his gentle, everyman charm and single status, and he already had countless fans online, many women even openly called him their “husband.”

Over the past two years, he had given many speeches and interviews, but he never mentioned his private life; his romantic life was a mystery.

Until a month ago, when Huo Xin gave an interview to domestic media, announcing his entry into the local market, and unexpectedly revealed that he had always had a “first love” in his heart. Unfortunately, they had broken up after college for certain reasons, but his love for her had never wavered.

The interview immediately sparked heated discussions online, with everyone guessing who this “first love” could be.

After all, who doesn’t love the story of a domineering CEO secretly in love with his first love?

For some reason, the interview video was soon taken down, and when it was re-uploaded, the part about the first love had been completely deleted.

The internet never forgets.

Once this trending topic went live, netizens immediately dug out the previously saved, uncut version of the interview.

Combined with this new video, the all-knowing netizens quickly uncovered Zhong Xiran’s identity—she was actually the wife of Qi Sinian, head of the Qi Group?!

This news instantly sent gossip to the next level.

Although Qi Sinian was usually low-key and had few photos online, the ones that were available showed a refined, cool, and extraordinary aura, a true elite.

Moreover, his credentials were even more impressive than Huo Xin’s. He earned a Master of Business Administration at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and led Qi Group to remain the top company in its industry domestically for years.

And he was only two years older than Huo Xin.

What a once-in-a-century melodramatic love triangle among the elite!

What kind of goddess is Zhong Xiran? Did she save the galaxy in a past life? She had somehow earned the favor of two male gods.

A netizen posted Zhong Xiran’s high school graduation photo online.

Netizens exclaimed—so it wasn’t that she saved the galaxy in a past life; it’s just that she was truly beautiful.

Even in an ordinary graduation group photo, she stood out, stunningly beautiful at such a young age, her gaze carrying a mix of innocence and allure, precisely the kind that men adored, pure yet enticing.

At that moment, a small Weibo account suddenly came out with a scoop.

@GossipEncyclopedia: Qi Sinian marrying Zhong Xiran was forced by the family, purely a business marriage. They are a contract couple with no real feelings.

In an instant, #Zhong Xiran Huo Xin First Love# and #Zhong Xiran Qi Sinian Contract Marriage# surged to the top of trending searches.

Zhong Xiran watched the torrent of gossip flood in, her fingers trembling slightly.

She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and immediately tried calling Qi Sinian to explain.

A mechanical female voice came from the receiver, “Sorry, the number you are calling is turned off.”

She quickly called Jiang Zheng, only to find it was also turned off.

Not knowing whether it was because they were busy or deliberately avoiding her, she could only wait and try again later.

Back in her room, Zhong Xiran first sent Yin Tai a message apologizing that she couldn’t meet today, then opened Qi Sinian’s WeChat chat window.

CiCi: I’m sorry, I can explain. Things aren’t the way you think.

No sooner had she sent the message than Zhong Guangcai’s call came in.

His voice was clearly tinged with anger he couldn’t hide. “You really met with Huo Xin? Didn’t I tell you, you’re never to see him again? Do you even know what you’re doing? You’re already married!”

Zhong Xiran tried to explain, “I just wanted to…”

She was cut off by Zhong Guangcai, “I don’t care what you wanted. Right now, you apologize to Sinian immediately. Even if you have to kneel, make him forgive you. Under no circumstances can this affect the Zhong family business.”

Zhong Xiran felt helpless, “His phone is turned off.”

“Then keep calling until he turns it on,” Zhong Guangcai said coldly. “Don’t you get it? He’s deliberately ignoring you.”

After Zhong Guangcai finished, it was her mother, Yu Shulan’s turn to scold her. “What nonsense are you making? Are you tired of a good life? Why are you always so rebellious?”

……

Her uncle, aunt, and various relatives from the Zhong family took turns calling to “educate” her.

The last time she felt this much pressure was when she ran away with Huo Xin.

She sat in a daze on the sofa until night fell.

Qi Sinian hadn’t replied to her WeChat, and his phone was still off.

He usually responded within half a day; this time, it seemed he was truly angry. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ignored her for so long.

She gazed out at the dark night, stood up, and headed to the Qi Group headquarters.

She had to see Qi Sinian first before anything else.

The receptionist’s gaze betrayed an unintentional mix of gossip and curiosity, “President Qi has something going on. He won’t be at the company for the next few days.”

Whether he really had something going on? That was obvious.

Back in the car, Zhong Xiran suddenly didn’t know what to do.

Although Qi Sinian was cold, he had never been angry with her. If he was determined not to see her, there was no way she could find him with his resources.

Messages poured in from the family group chat, with people constantly asking how she was handling the situation.

She thought, if Qi Sinian really wanted a divorce, never mind the rest, the Zhong family would probably devour her first.

She gave a self-mocking smile. Xie Yu called again, “Xixi, have you seen Qi Sinian yet?”

“Not yet. He’s not at the company.”

Xie Yu paused for a moment, gritting her teeth, “Anyway, you’ll find out sooner or later. Some media got insider information that Qi Sinian is going to divorce you. They’ll make it public at 10 p.m. tonight.”

Zhong Xiran closed her eyes slightly, leaned back, and rested her head against the chair.

“I know.”

Qi Sinian divorcing her was nothing out of the ordinary.

Back then, Qi Sinian didn’t mind her eloping with someone and still married her, which made many in the Zhong family think he had feelings for her.

But that wasn’t the case.

Before the marriage, Qi Sinian had said that they had been engaged since childhood; having someone else swoop in would be too embarrassing.

There was also another reason. He was busy with work and didn’t have time to adjust to anyone else.

She knew very clearly that he had no feelings for her at all.

But she couldn’t explain what she was feeling now.

She hadn’t wanted to marry back then, yet now, the thought of a divorce didn’t entirely appeal to her either.

These past few years of marriage had been stable, and she had grown somewhat attached to that stability.

At 10 p.m. that night, the news broke: #Qi Sinian Zhong Xiran Divorce# went viral again.

The next morning, when the stock market opened, Zhong Group’s stock plummeted, and by 3 p.m., they hit the daily limit down.

Zhong Guangcai was anxious like ants on a hot pan, repeatedly urging her to apologize to Qi Sinian.

She couldn’t find him.

Only now did she realize how little she knew about Qi Sinian. Besides the company, she didn’t know where else to look for him.

Should she call Qi Sinian’s parents? She didn’t have the face to do that.

Moreover, after such a big incident, Qi Sinian’s parents hadn’t called her. It was clear they wanted the young couple to deal with it themselves.

By the afternoon of the third day, Zhong Guangcai couldn’t sit still any longer and called her home to discuss a plan.

As soon as Zhong Xiran entered the house, she saw a circle of people in the living room: her father, mother, and various Zhong family relatives.

Even her younger sister, Zhong Wanzhi, who was in her senior year at university, had specially come back.

As soon as Zhong Wanzhi saw her, she put on an expression of utter disdain and said bluntly, “Can’t you behave yourself? What if Sinian divorces you because of this? What about my study abroad tuition?”

Zhong Xiran’s gaze turned icy.

She knew she wasn’t favored at home, but she hadn’t expected even her own sister, who benefited from her, to step on her like this.

She raised her hand and slapped Zhong Wanzhi hard.

“The clothes you wear, the things you use, even your tuition, are paid with my money, and you think you have the right to lecture me?”