A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
New Year’s Eve.
The crosshatched streets of the city glowed with ten thousand lights. Traffic was sparse, and pedestrians were few. On this night, those who belonged home were already there, gathered in reunion.
In a high-end apartment in the heart of Haicheng, where every inch of land was worth gold, the light belonging to Leng Ying was also on—warm and bright.
But unlike the reunions in most households, this lit-up home held only one person.
A phone, discarded on the carpet by its owner, rang persistently for over ten seconds. When its master didn’t answer, it quieted down again, playing its part as an obedient, considerate companion. The light blended with the moonlight, spilling gently over the tranquil furnishings of the apartment.
Time passed unnoticed.
Under the plush yellow goose-down blanket on the carpet, a figure stirred slightly. A messy head of black hair poked out first, followed by a cold, elegant face. With a hand smoothing back her hair, the unruly strands turned into a silky cascade.
“……” Leng Ying picked up her phone and let out a barely audible sigh.
New Year’s Eve was always filled with social obligations. Even though she had moved out to live alone, she couldn’t entirely escape it. Her aunt’s New Year greetings on WeChat needed a reply. As for some work acquaintances… she’d leave them on read.
Sitting cross-legged in her makeshift nest of blankets, Leng Ying replied to each message. Then, the phone suddenly rang again.
A call.
Her fingers froze mid-air—clearly unwilling to answer.
She stared at the screen until the ringing stopped on its own, the bubble notification disappearing. With a small sigh of relief, she tapped into the WeChat chat with the caller and sent:
“Happy New Year, Sister Qun.”
Sister Qun replied instantly:
“Happy New Year—but I wasn’t calling just to say that.”
Leng Ying replied with a sigh:
“It’s New Year’s, Sister Qun. You should be resting.”
“You might be resting,” Sister Qun replied, “but the trending topics don’t sleep. I called you an hour ago—you didn’t answer. I figured you were asleep.”
…So even waking up was predicted now.
Leng Ying and Sister Qun had worked together for years—she was a reliable and in-sync partner, and Leng Ying wanted their partnership to last. Thinking of this, her slender fingers typed carefully, wording a polite reply.
But Sister Qun, familiar with her routine, quickly messaged again:
“Fine, don’t look at the trending topics if you don’t want to.”
She backed off, but only slightly:
“It’s the same old drama. Tonight Ren Meng wore a ring that matches your necklace at the gala. Clearly trying to stir things up.”
Leng Ying replied sincerely:
“I really have nothing to do with her.”
Sister Qun had heard her say this many times, but still double-checked:
“Really?”
Leng Ying exhaled softly, sounding a bit helpless:
“Of course it’s true. If you hadn’t introduced her when she bought lyrics from me, we wouldn’t even know each other.”
Sister Qun believed her. But still, she messaged with some frustration:
“Ren Meng’s tactics are over the line.”
They were.
Leng Ying’s brows furrowed, visibly annoyed.
But instead of venting, she offered:
“It’s free publicity. Might as well take it. I’ve written a new song this month—I’ll send it to you tomorrow, and you can coordinate things.”
That wrapped up their chat. Leng Ying opened Weibo, though she didn’t like to.
Keeping one’s heart peaceful was hard enough in this world. The chaos of social media only disturbed her inner stillness.
She didn’t enjoy it.
The top post was about Ren Meng wearing a matching ring. Clicking in, the feed was flooded with fans squealing over the “ship.”
Leng Ying truly couldn’t understand it.
Since rejecting Ren Meng’s idea of fake dating for publicity, they hadn’t spoken privately. What was there to “ship”?
The silver necklace resting against her collarbone had long been warmed by her body. She lowered her gaze and drew the pendant out from beneath her clothes—a butterfly wing, delicately crafted and forever captured in a fluttering moment.
It was her 18th birthday gift.
Under the moonlight, the silver shimmered like water. Thinking of the one who gave it to her, Leng Ying’s cold expression softened, and a slight smile curved her lips.
The ring Ren Meng had copied was just a knockoff.
It annoyed Leng Ying—she felt it had dirtied the authenticity of her own necklace.
This piece, once a pure work of art, had become a public talking point. A marketing tool.
But as the butterfly pendant danced before her eyes, peace returned to her heart.
Only joy remained.
Just like every time she saw her, she smiled—completely beyond her control.
Like now…
Leng Ying placed a hand over her chest. Her heartbeat pulsed vividly in the quiet night.
I do miss you a bit.
As the minutes ticked by, and seconds circled again and again, her thoughts wandered to that voice, that face, that smile—it was hard not to miss her.
Especially tonight.
Wrapped in her down blanket, Leng Ying leaned back and turned her head toward the living room window.
The glass was clear. The night was dark. The lights were warm.
It was a night for reunion.
She sat alone at home. The lights were kind—but she was alone.
In that moment, her strength drained all at once. She collapsed onto the blanket fort, sinking into its warmth and the soft carpet below.
Noise had always kept its distance from her. And she from it. She never thought it wrong—but now, she couldn’t help but confront her human vulnerability.
Until—
Until a special piano ringtone played from the phone beside her.
Bright, simple, lingering.
A butterfly landed on her fingertips.
“Yingying, it’s New Year.”
A video call.
“Wishing you a year of joy and success—every minute, every second.”
Leng Ying smiled involuntarily and whispered,
“Mm. You too.”
The call came from across the ocean—where it was still daytime. The first thing she saw was the sun shining brightly on the screen. Then, as the camera shifted, golden hair framed a familiar face—
Ji Yu, radiant as ever.
Ji Yu teased, half-joking,
“So formal. ‘Mm, you too’—Yingying, is that all I get?”
Leng Ying stood apart from the noisy world—but the world, through Ji Yu, called to her. Not even poor video quality could dim Ji Yu’s expressive face.
Her features were sharp, meant to be cold—especially with her golden hair. Yet the moment she saw Leng Ying, her expression softened.
Leng Ying let out a light laugh.
“I meant every word. And your wishes were already wonderful. I wanted to give the same to you.”
Ji Yu’s smile was brighter. She always smiled more freely around Leng Ying.
Raising her brow, she leaned in with a mysterious tone:
“Yingying, want to see fireworks?”
Leng Ying blinked:
“Where are there fireworks?”
Ji Yu drew out her words:
“Something I went to great lengths to find…”
The camera shifted.
Leng Ying was briefly disappointed when Ji Yu’s face disappeared.
But then—Ji Yu’s hand appeared onscreen.
She was holding a tiny sparkler.
“Took me forever to find this,” she said. “I wanted to light it for you.”
Leng Ying felt a flicker of happiness:
“But it’s still daytime.”
It was New Year’s Eve at home—but still day where Ji Yu was.
Ji Yu replied matter-of-factly:
“If I were alone, I wouldn’t bother. I only found it to show you. If you won’t watch… then it’s meaningless.”
The sparkler wobbled in the frame, as if pleading.
“Yingying, okay?”
Leng Ying almost laughed, but held it back, pretending to reluctantly nod.
Ji Yu was thrilled. Though her face wasn’t visible, her joy came through loud and clear:
“Yay!”
The sparkler lit up instantly, bursting into golden sparks.
—Just like Ji Yu’s golden hair.
Brilliant and impossible to miss.
Outside the window, real fireworks echoed through the night, joined by dazzling drones painting the sky.
Haicheng’s New Year’s chimes began to ring.
In ten seconds, the old year would turn a new page.
Leng Ying hadn’t turned on her TV, but she could hear it—
The whole country counting down together.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6…
5…
“Yingying.”
4, 3…
The sparkler fizzled out, its sparks gone quiet.
2…
Ji Yu turned the camera back around.
Golden hair filled Leng Ying’s screen.
1…
“Happy New Year!”
Leng Ying finally smiled—her cool, elegant features curving into beauty.
Like spring mountains veiled in mist.
Ji Yu stared, briefly stunned.
“Happy New Year,” Leng Ying said. “Too bad you’re still overseas.”
Ji Yu snapped out of it and said with excitement:
“Yingying! I have good news!”
“What?”
Good news?
…She had just said it was a pity Ji Yu wasn’t here. Was she implying…?
“I’m coming back to China!”
Exactly what Leng Ying had guessed.
Ji Yu pouted:
“Yingying, why aren’t you surprised?”
“I guessed it.” Leng Ying said, “I said it was a pity you’re overseas, and you said you had good news. Easy to figure out. When are you coming?”
“In three or four days. Once I wrap things up here.”
Ji Yu’s voice was bright and excited:
“I’m so happy.”
Across oceans, through the tiny screen of a phone, Ji Yu’s gaze burned hot, focused on Leng Ying.
Leng Ying heard her say:
“We’ll be able to see each other soon.”