The Whole World Knows She Loves Me - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Return Home

“According to reports, Jiang Liuyi’s world tour concluded at 10 a.m. on the 24th. She returned to the country shortly after…”

Beep! The playback paused.

On the screen, Jiang Liuyi wore a light cyan long trench coat with the collar popped up, hiding her red lips. Underneath, a fitted sweater and skinny jeans showed off her curvy figure, accentuated by a few centimeters of high heels. Sunglasses shaded her eyes, and an aura of cold distance radiated off her—even through the screen, the aloofness was palpable.

Editor-in-chief Yuan Hong put down the remote and tilted her chin at the screen.
“What do you all think?”

The others from the magazine sat around the conference table. He Xiaoying said,
“Jiang Liuyi is super popular right now, especially since she’s never done an exclusive interview before. If we land this one, it’ll be a major win!”

Others chimed in:
“Totally! I was reading about that short king’s gossip yesterday, and boom—Jiang Liuyi’s return pushed every celebrity off the trending list!”

“She’s gorgeous. You don’t know how many face fans she has.”

“And this time, she publicly admitted she’s taken—that alone is a huge headline!”

“I vote for Jiang Liuyi too.”

Just as the editor was about to finalize it, someone groaned,
“But we just can’t get her!”

The person nearly wailed,
“You have no idea! I haven’t even managed to see her assistant!”

Another chimed in wearily,
“Remember when Meixiu Magazine tried to get an interview with her? They waited so long…”
She held up six fingers.

Gasps followed:
“Six weeks?”

“Six weeks?! Please—six months!”

“And even then, they didn’t land her. Let’s just go with Zhang Susu.”

The editor-in-chief fell silent. The content director stood up.
“I vote for Zhang Susu too. She’s worked with us before—very cooperative. And she has that new romance rumor—we can use that angle.”

“Right! I heard her rumored boyfriend is some rich heir. We can dig into that.”

“Plus, Zhang Susu is easier to talk to and easier to probe.”

The editor glanced at everyone, hesitated a moment, and finally made the call, though her eyes still lingered longingly on Jiang Liuyi’s image.
“Alright, Zhang Susu it is.”

She looked at He Xiaoying.
“You’ll be lead writer. Contact her.”

He Xiaoying stood up, a little disappointed, but knew her own limits. She really wasn’t capable of getting Jiang Liuyi. The magazine layout deadline was fast approaching—she couldn’t risk missing it. Zhang Susu was the safer choice.

She nodded.
“Got it.”

Editor-in-chief said,
“Meeting adjourned.”

Just as everyone was getting up, she looked toward the person at the far end.
“Song Xian, hang back a moment.”

Song Xian nodded politely to her colleagues. As Yuan Hong approached, she said,
“Thanks again. We’ll need your help for the shoot.”

“No problem.” Song Xian’s voice was calm, unreadable. “Happy to help.”

Song Xian wasn’t a full-time photographer. ManTong Magazine had two divisions—children’s books and fashion entertainment. ManTong originally started as a children’s publisher, but in recent years, with dwindling returns, they launched a new fashion and entertainment magazine that had been selling well. HQ recently asked for a new celebrity interview section. Song Xian used to be the art editor and illustrator for the children’s department, but since the focus shifted, she was frequently pulled over to help.

She had a photography license, and when the last photographer went on maternity leave, the boss didn’t want to hire a new one—so they asked Song Xian to step in.

Yuan Hong patted her shoulder.
“It’s not easy shooting these. I’ll treat you to a meal next time.”

Song Xian smiled.
“Really, it’s no trouble.”

Yuan Hong licked her lips, hesitating.
“I’m serious. Actually, about my cousin—he met you last time, and now he keeps begging me to—”

“Editor.” Song Xian interrupted politely, “I’m already married.”

“What? He just wanted your WeChat—Wait, what?”

Yuan Hong was stunned.
“Married? When did that happen?!”

“Last month.”

Yuan Hong was floored.
“You didn’t even throw a party or anything.”

Song Xian replied calmly,
“It’s not a big deal.”

Yuan Hong: …

After leaving the meeting room, He Xiaoying immediately spun her chair to scoot beside Song Xian, grinning.
“Got pulled aside by the chief again?”

Yuan Hong had a lot of single relatives. Once, her cousin dropped off some documents and saw Song Xian—then wouldn’t stop asking about her. Yuan Hong eventually gave in and introduced them. Then all hell broke loose. That cousin posted a photo of Song Xian on WeChat, and suddenly half the unmarried family mobilized, even the parents got involved.

Thinking of that, He Xiaoying chuckled.
“What excuse did you use this time?”

Song Xian stayed calm.
“I told her I’m married.”

“Pick a better excuse. Wait—what?! Married?!”

Song Xian looked over at her.
“I got married.”

He Xiaoying exploded.
“WHAT THE F—!”

Within an hour, the whole ManTong office knew: their prettiest flower had been picked. The content director, casually making coffee, strolled over to her and asked,
“Seriously married?”

Song Xian nodded. No matter how many times she was asked, she answered with the same calm,
“Yes. Really married.”

The director’s heart thudded. She clenched her coffee cup tightly.
“Someone from the office?”

All ears instantly perked up. Everyone wanted gossip. Though they were always curious about Song Xian’s private life, she only ever talked when she wanted to. Most of the time, her mouth was shut tight.

Unlike most aloof beauties, Song Xian wasn’t just cold—she was impossible to reach.

Now someone had reached her. Who wouldn’t be curious?

Song Xian shook her head.
“No. Not from here.”

The director wanted to smile—but forced it down. She’d been crushing on a planner in the company who was hopelessly devoted to Song Xian. That guy had chased her endlessly, always warm and attentive, but Song Xian never once gave him the time of day. The director had just been silently frustrated, never blaming Song Xian.

Partly because Song Xian was from another department. The children’s division didn’t overlap with hers, so she had no authority. More importantly—Song Xian was simply too good at her job. From photography and expression capture to editing—she was flawless. There was never any reason to fault her.

Of course, there was one other reason:
She was beautiful.
Attracting people wasn’t her fault. The director liked the planner, sure, but she knew the score—so she just treated Song Xian coldly from a distance.

Now, hearing Song Xian was married, she lit up inside. Her smile could barely be suppressed. She still wanted to gossip, but He Xiaoying interrupted:
“Director Ye, do you still have Zhang Susu’s contact info?”

Director Ye turned her head.
“Should be on my computer. I’ll send it to you.”

And finally left Song Xian’s desk.

As soon as she was gone, He Xiaoying leaned in to gossip.
“You think Director Ye’s about to make a move again?”

Someone across the table looked up.
“Obviously. Didn’t you see how hard she was smiling just now?”

He Xiaoying looked at Song Xian.
“But how did this happen so fast? You just got married? How long have you two known each other?”

Song Xian thought for a moment.
“Two months.”

He Xiaoying: …

So this is how trendy beautiful women live? Flash marriages are fashionable too?

She asked cautiously,
“Was it love at first sight?”

Song Xian lowered her head.
“Not really. Just… mutually beneficial.”

He Xiaoying: …

Trying one more time,
“There had to be something great about her. You didn’t just pick a random person, right?”

Song Xian thought seriously for a while before replying softly,
“Her voice is really nice.”

“…You’re a voice fetishist?”

Song Xian calmly denied it.
“No.”

He Xiaoying: …

Three strikes. I’m out.
She gave up and went to contact Zhang Susu after receiving Director Ye’s info. Only after she left did Song Xian glance at her computer screen. It was still playing the same news clip the editor had shown earlier.

On-screen, Jiang Liuyi sat in an airport lounge, looking down at her phone. Her lips were pressed together, pride written all over her posture—an innate confidence emanated from her.

Jiang Liuyi had become famous at a young age. Her first stop was the Paris Music Festival. Afterward, several world-renowned orchestras offered her contracts, but she chose to return to China. Many doubted her, but she proved them all wrong with stunning achievements.

At just twenty-six, she had already completed a world tour. Her solo and ensemble concerts were all sold out—her solo concerts especially had been hailed online as “the ultimate auditory experience.”

How she met Jiang Liuyi was purely by chance. Song Xian didn’t like cooking, so after work she’d usually grab some bread from a friend’s bakery for breakfast. That day, Jiang Liuyi was there too.

It’s hard to say who made the first move—or maybe they both did. After leaving the bakery, she asked Jiang Liuyi if she wanted to grab a seat somewhere.

And just like that, they started dating.
And got married.

It was fast—but both were satisfied with the marriage.

Song Xian’s phone buzzed on the desk. She picked it up. It was a message from the woman on the screen.

Jiang Liuyi:
“Just got home. What time are you off today?”

Song Xian began to type, paused, deleted, then replied:

“5:30. Do you need me to leave early?”

Jiang Liuyi:
“Would that be okay?”

They hadn’t seen each other in over a week. Song Xian understood how she felt.
“Yes.”

Jiang Liuyi:
“Want me to come pick you up?”

Song Xian:
“No need. You just got back—rest up first.”

Jiang Liuyi smiled when she read the message and put her phone down. Song Xian was still so thoughtful—afraid she’d be tired, so she didn’t want her to come out to pick her up.

Song Xian didn’t know how much Jiang Liuyi was overthinking this.
Just as she was about to close the news tab, a message came in from her friend:

Friend:
“I baked a new type of bread today—perfect for breakfast. Want to pick it up after work?”

Without hesitation, Song Xian replied:
“Can’t. I’ve got plans today.”

Friend:
“Plans? What plans? Working overtime?”

Song Xian, still shutting down the news tab, typed with a blank expression:

“Nope. Leaving early.”

Friend:
“Leaving early?? What’s going on? Why are you in such a rush to get home?”

Song Xian’s expression didn’t change as she typed her honest reply:

“To fulfill my marital duties.”