A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 32
Chapter 32
They hadn’t even reached the courtyard yet when they heard the sounds of an argument from inside.
“What’s that sound, what’s that sound?”
“Let me grab my popcorn!!”
“Let me see, let me see, let me see!”
Ji Yu and Leng Ying exchanged glances—was someone arguing?
Leng Ying said, “It’s not the voices of the previous guests.”
“Wasn’t the second group supposed to arrive?” Ji Yu suddenly realized, “It must be the pair who were late.”
Leng Ying smiled slightly. “Great minds think alike.”
Ji Yu’s cheeks flushed, her attention suddenly pulled away from the argument and focused on Leng Ying. But Leng Ying had already quickened her pace. “Let’s go see what’s going on.”
“LOL, truly, gossiping is human nature.”
“Frontline of the drama—Pan, don’t you dare shut off the livestream! Don’t disappoint me!”
“Actually, the other livestreams are broadcasting this too.”
“It’s even trending right now…”
“…Well, our “Ying Ying Overflowing” stream is just pure vibes.”
“Perfect white noise, I had it on this afternoon while writing my thesis—my productivity soared, and I was spiritually healed.”
“You’re a sweetheart, sis.”
As they got closer to the courtyard, the arguing became clearer. Ji Yu still didn’t recognize the voices, but Leng Ying had already guessed. She said to Ji Yu, “Sounds like Ji Youqin and Luo Qing.”
Ji Yu, who had been abroad and only followed news related to Leng Ying, immediately responded, “Luo Qing sang one of your songs.”
Leng Ying: “……”
She gave a helpless smile. “Yes, we worked together once professionally.”
Ji Yu asked, puzzled, “What about Ji Youqin?”
“xswl—she really only follows Ying Ying’s news, huh”
“Cut her some slack, she was overseas after all”
“Even if she was local, she probably wouldn’t care about others…”
“I’m shipping them!”
Leng Ying gave a brief explanation about Ji Youqin.
Like Leng Ying, Ji Youqin was a second-generation celebrity, though pampered by her parents and with a very good relationship with them. She fully invested herself in her acting career. While her acting wasn’t outstanding, it was passable, and with her good looks thanks to her genes, she held a moderate position in the entertainment industry.
Luo Qing and Ji Youqin met during a TV series. Luo Qing wasn’t acting—she was there to sing the OST. Ji Youqin instantly felt a connection, and later always tried to have Luo Qing sing for her projects. Gradually, they became good friends.
Now, Ji Youqin was trying to transition from idol dramas to film. She had just completed her first feature film, which hadn’t been released yet. Luo Qing hadn’t secured the OST for it and had taken on another job instead—singing a song that ended up blowing up. Her Weibo followers had increased several times over.
…That was the current state of their story.
Leng Ying used the time walking up to the courtyard to explain this to Ji Yu.
Ji Yu applauded. “What a story.”
“…Come on sis, that’s pure flattery”
“Flattery? I thought it was genuinely interesting!”
“LOL, meanwhile the contestants inside are probably shaking in the corner—maybe it’s time to rescue them…”
“Are you sure it’s not just to redirect attention onto yourselves?”
Leng Ying pushed the door open.
Even the sound of the courtyard gate opening didn’t stop the argument inside.
“If you didn’t want to come, then don’t! Who are you pulling a long face for?” Ji Youqin looked hurt, tears in her eyes. “You never used to argue with me!”
“…I’ve never been talkative,” Luo Qing said, clearly with a headache.
“Oh, really?” Ji Youqin sneered. “You just got popular and don’t want to hang with me anymore, is that it?”
Luo Qing: “…Where is this coming from?”
“Why’d you go sing someone else’s song!” Ji Youqin demanded. “Couldn’t you have saved that time for me?!”
“You were filming your movie for 200 days,” Luo Qing replied. “Was I supposed to just sit at home doing nothing?”
“I could support you!” Ji Youqin blurted out.
Leng Ying and Ji Yu: “……..”
Crouching in a corner, Autumn Fish and Pan-fried Bun spotted them. Autumn Fish’s eyes lit up, and she waved frantically but didn’t dare make a sound.
Leng Ying and Ji Yu quietly crept along the courtyard wall. Leng Ying asked, “How long’s it been?”
Autumn Fish, exhausted, whispered, “Half an hour.”
She and Pan-fried Bun had finished their task early and came back to check out the stove—hoping to cram in some last-minute prep. But they stumbled into Ji Youqin and Luo Qing’s fight.
As two nobodies, they hadn’t dared intervene. All they could do was squat in the corner and cry quietly.
Ji Yu was amazed. “…So they’ve been fighting for more than half an hour—you two only heard half an hour of it?”
Pan-fried Bun: “…Yeah.”
She sighed, “This job is tough.”
Leng Ying listened to the looping argument and said uncertainly, “Is this… circular fighting?”
“HAHAHAHAHA Cold Teacher you’re savage!”
“LOL I’m dead—this is totally how kids argue…”
“No one’s gonna talk about the song Luo Qing got famous for, huh…”
“SOS this is a dark joke now”
Ji Yu commented, “Elementary school fight.”
Leng Ying laughed, then stopped herself. “Technically, we should break it up.”
Ji Yu: “Technically?”
Leng Ying replied cautiously, “I just don’t want to get dragged into it.”
Though this kind of fire always seemed to find her.
Watching the arguing pair, Leng Ying suddenly realized something. “Their luggage is still here.”
That meant Ji Youqin and Luo Qing hadn’t gone to their assigned rooms.
Ji Yu felt uneasy. “They didn’t go do the task?”
Leng Ying paused, then asked Autumn Fish, “Did you bring anything back from the task location?”
Pan-fried Bun had already smelled the fresh bamboo shoots and nodded. Autumn Fish answered, “We brought back a chunk of pork—the homeowner just butchered the pig.”
Leng Ying murmured, “We can make bamboo shoots with pork… stir-fried bamboo shoots would be good too…”
As the four talked, the last group finally arrived.
“What the hell is all this yelling?!”
Ren Meng burst through the door, eyebrows raised, clearly annoyed. “You’ve been going in circles—I’m sick of hearing it!”
Ji Youqin and Luo Qing froze, staring at the entrance.
Bo Xin was carrying a bucket of sweet potatoes. Ren Meng had her hands in her pockets, walking confidently. “What? Did I say something wrong?”
“Yes, yes, fight! I want to see it!”
“JYQ looks stunned lol”
“We’re eating well over here too!”
Ren Meng strode over and told Bo Xin to set down the sweet potatoes. Then she looked at the two and raised her brow. “What’s wrong, ladies? Forgot who I am? Yelling so much you lost your memories? Then stop yelling—shake hands and be friends.”
Ji Youqin: “……” She muttered, “Get lost.”
Ren Meng widened her eyes. “You’re setting a bad example for a national audience! How can you use foul language?!”
Ji Youqin: “?”
She was about to snap, but Ren Meng had already looked away, waving vigorously at the others. “Teacher Leng, Teacher Ji, Teacher Autumn Fish, Teacher Pan-fried Bun—don’t just stand there! Come greet our new friends!”
Ji Yu was shocked. “…She changed her whole persona.”
Leng Ying: “…No idea why.”
They weren’t really interested in others, but it seemed like something had changed between Ren Meng and Bo Xin during the task. Something that repaired their relationship.
Ji Youqin and Luo Qing both looked toward the four of them.
Autumn Fish grabbed Pan-fried Bun’s arm. They helped each other up—legs numb from squatting so long.
Leng Ying and Ji Yu were more agile, having not squatted as long.
As they stepped further into the courtyard, Autumn Fish started to introduce everyone—but Ji Youqin cut in. “I know. The producers told us.”
She stared directly at Leng Ying, locking eyes. “Leng Ying. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Leng Ying gave a faint smile. “We’ve never had the chance to work together.”
“That’s right,” Ji Youqin sneered. “You’ve never worked with me, but you have worked with Luo Qing.”
…Yes. That little detail Leng Ying had skipped.
The song that made Luo Qing famous was written and composed by Leng Ying.
But it was strictly business. Leng Ying was very picky about her collaborations—she required a vocal test before selling a song. Luo Qing’s voice suited the piece, she could afford it, and she could sing it well—so why not?
Ji Yu took a step forward and said to Leng Ying, “Hey, Ying Ying, now I finally get it—there are always people in this world who whine and blame others when they’re not good enough. Doesn’t matter the country. Life is full of trouble, and we all have to deal with the occasional lunatic.”
Ji Youqin: “? Are you talking about me?!”
Ji Yu smiled, “Why are you so worked up? I didn’t name names. Do you think I’m talking about you?”
Ji Youqin: “You—!”
“It’s like someone being named Ji with a first tone, and someone else Ji with a fourth tone—totally different names,” Ji Yu said, worriedly. “Sister, just because our surnames sound alike doesn’t mean you should take it personally.”
Leng Ying: “…Stop being cheeky.”
She greeted Ji Youqin and Luo Qing as usual.
Luo Qing looked very embarrassed. “Teacher Leng, I’m really sorry. Our argument has nothing to do with you.”
Indeed, though they’d been arguing in circles for over half an hour—or longer—it was mostly Ji Youqin one-sidedly blowing up…
Leng Ying took the bamboo basket from Ji Yu and smoothly changed the subject. “We borrowed tools from the homeowner and dug up a lot of bamboo shoots. Autumn Fish and Pan-fried Bun brought back pork.”
Bo Xin added, “Ren Meng and I brought sweet potatoes.”
A modest way to say it—the bucket was huge.
Leng Ying gave a small nod and then asked the arguing duo, “Did you two bring anything back from the task location? There were no spices or rice at the stove—I’m guessing your task might have included those.”
Ji Youqin: “……”
Luo Qing: “……”
She looked incredibly apologetic.
Luo Qing lowered her head. “…No, we didn’t.”
Ji Youqin snorted. “I’ve been arguing the whole way here. Of course I didn’t have the mood to do any tasks.”