A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After Lunar New Year’s Eve, more people gradually returned to the streets. The furniture store also quickly delivered the sofa Leng Ying had ordered. They helped her rearrange the living room furniture, moving the sofa and chairs into a new layout.

One after another, several pieces of furniture were replaced with new ones.

With this small-scale move, previously hidden dirty corners were exposed to the air and discovered by the homeowner, Leng Ying. She took out wet wipes and carefully cleaned them one by one. Tiny specks of dust danced and settled in the sunlight before being wiped away by the soft, damp tissues. After a moment—or perhaps quite a while—Leng Ying straightened her back, satisfied with her cleaning effort, and looked around at the results of her work.

“Hiss…”

Her back hurt from kneeling too long.

She couldn’t help but think, Am I getting old? But that fleeting feeling of aging quickly vanished.

She was still young.

This year marked the fifth anniversary of her eighteenth birthday.

After Ji Yu returned to the country, they could celebrate the sixth anniversary together.

Thinking about this made Leng Ying happy. On her phone, her group leader also sent good news: their new song had found a suitable buyer. Another payment would soon be on its way to Leng Ying.

The snow from before New Year’s Eve had long melted under several days of sunny weather, and the streets were now dry. Today was another sunny day. Even just sitting by the window, the sunlight could warm her, though it wasn’t intense—it felt gentle, like soaking in warm water.

After gazing outside for a while, Leng Ying decided to reward herself with a trip outdoors.

She opened her “going-out essentials” box and carefully equipped herself with everything inside—sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a face mask. Fully armed.

Time to go out.

She had a clear goal: to restock the empty fridge at home and buy something warm to eat. Winter always seemed to call for hot, steaming food to feel complete. Even though Leng Ying thought eating ice cream in winter was cool in its own way, warm food was still her first choice.

Sunlight generously spread across every corner of the street, even lighting up dark spots under eaves and shop signs.

But once she started walking, the first thing she felt was the cold.

Sunlight was just a color—it didn’t mean warmth.

Winter sunlight generously shared its brightness but was stingy with its heat.

Leng Ying walked along, letting out a quiet sigh.

From inside, the sunlight had looked so dazzling, so inviting. But once she stepped outside, all that greeted her was the cold wind. Thankfully, she had dressed warmly before leaving—fully bundled up to block the wind’s bite.

Hidden in her inconspicuous black jacket, her baseball cap pressing down on her fluffy hair, sunglasses covering her amber eyes, and a mask hiding most of her face, she was well disguised.

She stopped, took out her phone, and snapped a photo of her boots stepping on cobblestone. She sent it to Ji Yu. Then, catching the light reflecting faintly off the nearby shop’s glass wall, she decided not to put her phone away. She lifted it and took another shot—this time including her reflection in the glass.

She sent both photos to Ji Yu with the caption:

“Like a loofah under a quilt.”

She wandered into a nearby supermarket she was familiar with and quickly picked out the supplies she needed, tossing items one by one into her shopping cart. She enjoyed the feeling of the cart going from empty to full.

Ding!

Her phone chimed—it was a message from Ji Yu:

“Hahaha, what a funny description! I just woke up~”

A selfie followed—bare-faced. The sun had just risen abroad. Ji Yu sat on her bed, the curtains behind her drawn open. Outside, a vast blue sky and a red sun could be seen. The morning light cast a golden hue over Ji Yu’s already golden hair, adding even more brilliance.

The glow also reflected in Ji Yu’s eyes and brows, blazing with warmth and energy—far more vibrant than the winter sun.

Leng Ying stared at the photo, entranced.

“Sorry…” A child around five or six years old had nearly bumped into her, stopping just in time as she stood still by the shelf. He nervously wiped his forehead. “Sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Leng Ying replied instinctively, snapping out of her trance.

The child ran off. A new message popped up right after Ji Yu’s photo:

“Time to throw off the covers and scrub that loofah clean =w=”

Leng Ying couldn’t help but laugh—then quickly composed her expression again.

Her eyes were bright with amusement—but Ji Yu couldn’t see that. Ji Yu only received her reply:

“You’re a sunflower.”

Sunflower?

Ji Yu tilted her head, thinking:

“Sunflower seeds for you to eat.”

Leng Ying: “……”

She thought for a second and replied:

“I graciously accept.”

Her eyes moved to a rack of prepared meal kits, then to the fresh produce section twenty or thirty steps away.

Hmm… maybe no pre-made food today.

She suddenly felt like making hot pot herself.

After her “gracious acceptance,” her chat with Ji Yu paused. Ji Yu waited two or three minutes before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom to freshen up.

Soon after, a sleek golden high ponytail appeared atop her head, wiping away all traces of bedhead. Her dark pupils were calm and sharp—her entire vibe had changed from the sleepy girl in the earlier photo.

Ding dong—

Ding dong ding dong—

The doorbell rang.

Ji Yu walked to the entrance of the living room and stood there with arms crossed, unmoving. The doorbell rang four or five more times, pressing her to respond.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance and pressed the intercom: “What is it?”

Outside stood a twin-tailed girl who rolled her eyes (out of sight of Ji Yu) and said,

“Heard you’re returning to China. I came to see you off.”

“My flight’s the day after tomorrow.” Ji Yu didn’t move and made no effort to let the girl in. She clearly expected her to say her piece and leave.

The girl laughed, “I showered for an hour before coming!”

Ji Yu frowned and pointed out:

“You smell like alcohol.”

“…You’ve got a dog’s nose,” He Ruofu muttered resentfully. “Had a class reunion last night, I only drank a little.”

Ji Yu looked at her like she was a walking biohazard. He Ruofu defended herself:

“I left right after drinking!”

“Oh.” After repeated assurances, Ji Yu finally stepped aside a little.

“Fine, come in and talk.”

“What’s your plan for when you return to China?” He Ruofu entered and grabbed a bottle of unopened water from the table, gulping down half. “Your career’s doing great, and now you’re leaving.”

“I made an agreement with my mother,” Ji Yu replied. “After graduation, I’d finish my current overseas projects and return to China.”

And now was that time.

“Doesn’t your family still have business in China?” Ji Yu added, “There’s an old saying—those who are capable, do more. Let the competent adults handle things abroad. I’ll start fresh in China.”

She said it lightly.

He Ruofu sighed, “Alright, but since your whole family’s been abroad so long… going back without any familiar faces, my mom’s worried.”

Hearing that softened Ji Yu’s expression:

“Thank Auntie for me.”

As for the rest of what He Ruofu said…

Ji Yu showed a smile He Ruofu had never seen before:

“I have friends in China.”

“Huh? Oh…” He Ruofu suddenly remembered: “Right, that online friend of yours? The super mysterious one? She’s in Haicheng too?”

“Not an online friend,” Ji Yu corrected her. “Yes. She’s in Haicheng.”

“Well, that’s a waste of a cleaned-up house,” He Ruofu said. “Jingming Pavilion hasn’t been lived in for ages. My mom went over yesterday and decided to have people clean it. She even said she’d hire some housekeepers and chefs for you—so you won’t starve.”

“…My aunt would say that about me? No way,” Ji Yu said skeptically.

“Okay, I exaggerated the starving part,” He Ruofu admitted. “But the rest is true. She said she’d send you resumes today so you can pick.”

Ji Yu thought for a moment, then didn’t refuse:

“Maybe I’ll stay at Jingming Pavilion occasionally. Let her have her fun—it gives her something to do.”

She had spent part of her childhood in China. Jingming Pavilion was the house from that time, though the memories were now hazy—just shadows in her mind.

Hmm… Maybe she could invite Yingying to stay there for a few days and try to recall those childhood memories…

The more Ji Yu thought about it, the better the idea sounded. She even messaged He Ruofu’s mother—her aunt—to ask how the resume collection was going.

If Yingying might live there too, she’d have to choose carefully.

He Ruofu watched from the side, thinking with growing suspicion:

“This friend of yours… can she really handle your lifestyle?”

Ji Yu: “?”

She put her phone away and said seriously:

“Don’t slander me.”

“I’m being honest,” He Ruofu insisted, pointing at herself. “Even I have to scrub myself clean to visit your place. I can’t imagine you living with someone.”

Oh… that.

Ji Yu replied naturally:

“She’s different.”

He Ruofu: “?”

She had to ask:

“Different how?”

He Ruofu was getting annoyed:

“What, she smells good and I smell bad?”

Ji Yu looked at her and said nothing.

He Ruofu: “…Ji Yu, I’m your cousin.”

Her instincts flared. She stared at Ji Yu:

“She’s different… This ‘friend’ of yours—she’s not just a friend, is she? Are you going back for her? Come on, tell me. I promise not to spill anything.”

Ji Yu chuckled:

“First of all, I’m going back because I believe life in China will help inspire my designs. Second, she and I are very good friends.”

He Ruofu pouted:

“I would keep your secret, though.”

“She” came first, “I” came second—He Ruofu noticed that subtle difference. In Ji Yu’s heart, this “very good friend” clearly held the lead in their relationship…

She grew even more curious:

“How about I return to China with you?”

Ji Yu refused:

“You haven’t finished your studies.”

That only made He Ruofu more suspicious, though it was clear she wasn’t going to get anything else out of her today.

Ji Yu had already started seeing her off:

“Are you done? I don’t serve breakfast here.”