A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Early the next morning, just as Leng Ying and Ji Yu finished breakfast, the production team arrived—armed with tripods, boom mics, and all their filming gear.

Before filming began, the crew had already cleared with Sister Qun that shooting inside Leng Ying’s home was allowed. Any clips would be considered potential editing material, to be used depending on what fit the show.

Since breakfast was already over, they missed the chance to film that. The luggage was all packed too. The PD (production director) thought for a moment—they had to capture something—so he pointed toward the music room:
“Teacher Ying, would it be okay to film in there? A lot of your fans really want to see your creative space.”

Leng Ying agreed with a pleasant smile. “Of course.”

The PD eagerly carried the camera in. The guitars on the wall stood out immediately—especially one that had appeared in the recent promo video.

“This is the one from your video, right? It’s rare to see you playing guitar these days.”

“…Yes.” Leng Ying paused slightly, then let out a faint chuckle. “It is. My family wasn’t too fond of it before.”

Oh?

The PD asked, “And now?”

Leng Ying replied mildly, “Now my wings are strong enough. I don’t care what they think.”

The PD didn’t know whether to feel lucky for catching such juicy material, or awkward for accidentally hearing something so personal. Thankfully, Leng Ying added,
“It’s fine. If I can say it, it means it’s okay to broadcast.”

After a tour of the music room, the in-house filming wrapped up. Leng Ying and Ji Yu got ready to head downstairs.

Sister Qun had come over with the production crew and took the opportunity to issue some last-minute reminders as they went down the stairs. Leng Ying patted her shoulder reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

Sheng Jia Qun turned and patted Ji Yu’s hand.
“Yingying is in your care now.”

Ji Yu nodded solemnly.
“I’ll bring her back in one piece.”

Leng Ying: “……”

She chuckled and pinched Ji Yu’s earlobe—it was soft and squishy.
“Let’s go.”

They got into the vehicle arranged by the production team. Sister Qun watched as they drove off.

. . .

They napped a bit in the car—it had been an early start.

Ji Yu had been convinced the production team would try to “surprise” them by showing up earlier than agreed, so she dragged Leng Ying out of bed well ahead of schedule. Leng Ying didn’t really mind—they could show up early if they wanted—but Ji Yu cared, so she got up early anyway.

This kind of routine wasn’t something she was used to.

As soon as they got in the car, she leaned against Ji Yu and drifted off.

The PD, sitting in the front seat, glanced back and gave a gentle reminder:
“Teachers, we’re headed to the airport now—about an hour away. Then it’ll be a four- to five-hour flight.”

Ji Yu nodded.
“We still can’t know where we’re going?”

“You’ll find out when we land.” The PD pretended not to hear the question and tried to move on.

Ji Yu picked up a whiteboard prop left in the car and pointed to the sleeping Leng Ying beside her. She could hear her calm, even breathing.

The PD got the hint and began conducting a silent interview via whiteboard—a unique kind of car ride Q&A.

But wow—what a pair!
The PD could swear by years of variety show experience: this duo was gold.

Leng Ying slept through the entire ride. When they reached the airport, Ji Yu gently woke her.

There was no choice—they had a strict flight schedule, and everything that came after was tightly coordinated. No delays allowed.

The destination was still a secret, but the airport wasn’t—inevitably, they bumped into fans waiting at the terminal. As the cameras rolled, Leng Ying gave a small wave, then turned to Ji Yu and said,
“I don’t have many fans. Even fewer come to the airport.”

“They’re not your fans?” Ji Yu asked.

“Not really,” Leng Ying replied. “Two of them I recognize—they’re professional paparazzi. The others? Unfamiliar faces. Oh, this part—please edit it out.”

“Got it.”

The four-hour flight was long, and Leng Ying dozed off again without realizing it.

Ji Yu asked for a blanket and gently covered her, then played on her phone for a while before falling asleep too. The PD’s camera caught the moment—outside the window, clouds rolled like waves—and found it hard to look away.

After landing, Leng Ying should’ve been well-rested and alert, but her face remained as calm and unreadable as ever. Ji Yu, who had also gotten a decent nap, pushed their luggage forward. Leng Ying took one of the suitcases from her. Not long after, they reached the parking lot—they’d be transferring to a car next.

“It’s colder here than in Haicheng,” Leng Ying remarked, waking up more fully when a breeze brushed past. Before the trip, she had packed two jackets on top of her suitcase. She now pulled them out and draped one over herself and the other over Ji Yu.

Ji Yu smiled at her. “Thanks.”

The car drove out of the city and wound into the mountains.

When they opened the windows, the crisp mountain air rushed in, fragrant with new leaves and filled with birdsong. Ji Yu took a deep breath, turned toward Leng Ying, and exclaimed,
“Yingying~ it feels so good!”

Leng Ying smiled. “That’s how mountains are.”

Ji Yu nodded. “You don’t get this kind of charm overseas.”

The PD followed up: “You were abroad for a long time?”

“Yeah,” Ji Yu replied. “I guess I count as a native of Haicheng, but I moved overseas with my family when I was really young. Just came back recently.”

“Never thought about staying abroad permanently?”

“Anywhere’s fine.” Ji Yu said, “But I came back mostly because of our Teacher Leng Ying.”

Leng Ying looked at her.

Ji Yu beamed. “Teacher Leng didn’t want to leave the country. Like they say—if the mountain won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.”

Leng Ying chuckled, not denying it.
“Yeah, I don’t really like leaving Haicheng.”

When you’ve lived in a place long enough, you don’t want to leave. Besides, Leng Ying wasn’t the type with wild ambition—she had a laid-back nature, content with what she had.

Ji Yu knew this about her and had never tried to convince her to work overseas. Leng Ying never brought it up either.

Right before getting out of the car, Ji Yu peeled the last candy from her pocket and handed it to Leng Ying, whispering,
“They’re going to confiscate snacks soon.”

Leng Ying allowed her fingers to press the tangy orange-flavored candy to her lips and pop it in.
“Welcome to Yacheng, Teacher Ji.”

“I’ve never been anywhere in China outside of Haicheng,” Ji Yu said, marveling at everything around her.

Leng Ying thought about it seriously and said in surprise,
“…It’s my first time in Yacheng too.”

Ji Yu laughed. “Our Teacher Leng doesn’t like going out.”

“Mm.” She wasn’t wrong—Leng Ying preferred solitude.

“There are a lot of mountains in Yacheng,” Leng Ying speculated. “We’re probably headed to a mountain village?”

The PD kept quiet—still keeping the location secret. Ji Yu pointed to a wisp of chimney smoke ahead.
“I’m guessing that’s our destination.”

Leng Ying replied flatly, “I’m not betting with you.”

“Fine by me,” Ji Yu said cheerfully. “That just means we’re in sync!”

She always had a way of framing things.

Leng Ying smiled faintly—that was as good as agreement.

The bumpy mountain road finally led them to the village entrance. Ji Yu felt an enormous sense of relief.

They got out with their luggage—they were the third pair of guests to arrive, with one more pair still en route. The show’s director and the other two pairs were already waiting at the village gate.

Ji Yu’s eyes swept over Ren Meng, and she proactively greeted them.

Standing beside Ren Meng was a semi-retired public figure, Bo Xin, who had once appeared with Ren Meng on an acting competition show. On that show, they were inseparable, but afterward, they’d gone their separate ways.

The last pair was unfamiliar.

Ji Yu glanced at Leng Ying, who didn’t recognize them either.

“Hello, Teachers! I’m Autumn Sardine,” said a bright-eyed girl with a topknot. “You can call me Sardine, or Fishy. And this is my partner…” She pointed to a girl in a soft yellow blouse.
“Happy Pan-Fried Bun! You can call her Bun-Bun.”

Leng Ying: “……”

Ji Yu: “……”

Director Pan stepped in, “Sardine and Pan-Fried Bun were matched by questionnaire—they’re the pair with the highest compatibility score among all our online friend applicants. In the show, they’ll go by their screen names.”

Leng Ying nodded to show she understood, then suddenly remarked,
“But the other three teams are using their real names.”

“That’s the charm of online friendships!” Director Pan grinned. “All you need is a good nickname. Anyway, since one team won’t arrive until tomorrow, the rest of you will get to pick your rooms today.”

He brought out four cards with pictures of the rooms printed on them.

The room selection process was simple.
“From the pre-show compatibility quizzes, we had two teams tie for first—Leng Ying and Ji Yu, and Ren Meng and Bo Xin. To break the tie, you’ll need to play a little game!”

Sardine and Bun-Bun settled on the folding chairs provided, whispering to each other and enjoying the upcoming show.

The props team set up two tables in front of the tied teams. On each table sat a box of thin biscuit sticks.

“A simple game—Biscuit Relay Race! You can only pass the biscuits using your mouths. The first team to finish their box wins the right to choose their room first.”

“You have two minutes to decide who goes first.”

Ji Yu nudged Leng Ying. “Yingying, who starts?”

Her eyes sparkled. Leng Ying said,
“You want to go first, don’t you?”

“Yup,” Ji Yu grinned. “I want to feed you~”

Leng Ying smiled and nodded.
“Alright, you go first.”

There were ten biscuit sticks in the box, which meant each person would have to feed the other five times.

They made their decision quickly. Ren Meng and Bo Xin, on the other hand, dragged it out until the last second. Ren Meng finally said,
“I’ll go first.”

Bo Xin showed no reaction.

Ji Yu glanced over and thought,
Hmm… they really don’t seem that close.

Our bond is way stronger, she decided happily.

At Director Pan’s signal, Ji Yu decisively picked up the first biscuit stick with her mouth and leaned toward Leng Ying.

They were very, very close.