A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 4
Chapter 4
“I’ve already eaten,” He Ruofu quickly replied, smoothly picking up the topic. “Not in a hurry to leave, and I’m not hungry. It’s not lunchtime yet. Ms. Ji Yu, I’m on a mission—inviting you home for lunch today.”
Ji Yu gave a short laugh. “So, they finally got tired of their lovey-dovey time and decided to call me back just to feed me dog food?”
She had moved out voluntarily—not because of family conflict or anything dramatic. It was simply because she didn’t want to be the third wheel at home anymore. Her parents had been affectionate for decades, and being around them constantly made her feel like she was glowing—uncomfortably.
Rather than be a lightbulb at home, she’d rather shine alone.
“Come on,” He Ruofu coaxed. “You’re moving back to the country, right? Why not go home for a meal?”
“Airplanes make it easy. I can go home whenever I want,” Ji Yu said nonchalantly.
He Ruofu muttered, “You’re only a year older than me!”
…So stop acting like you’re a whole generation ahead of me!
Ji Yu shrugged. “You’re still in school, but I’ve graduated and started working. That’s the difference, He Ruofu.”
Before she graduated, Ji Yu had also been under tight family control. Add to that the heavy academic pressure, and she hadn’t returned home once since going abroad…
Of course.
There was another reason she kept buried deep inside. Just a guess—but after knowing Leng Ying for so many years, she felt it was a very reasonable one: Leng Ying probably wasn’t ready yet. Every time Ji Yu tried to gently test the waters, she’d get turned away.
There had always been plenty of excuses.
Now that she had finished her studies and decided to move her unfinished plans back home to continue working… Yingying wouldn’t stop her, right?
Based on their recent chats, Yingying seemed quite excited about her return.
Ji Yu was confident she hadn’t misjudged things.
“……”
He Ruofu stared at Ji Yu, who had suddenly started laughing to herself. “…That’s terrifying.”
Ever since the decision to return home was finalized, Ji Yu seemed to have gained a second personality.
No, maybe it had always been there…
How long had Ji Yu been laughing? He Ruofu lost count. Only when Ji Yu finally stopped did she speak again: “So… are you coming home for lunch?” Her tone lacked the confidence she had earlier. “If not, then you can explain it to them yourself.”
Ji Yu raised an eyebrow. “You’ve got plans?”
“I’ve got a meeting,” He Ruofu said, eyeing her. “What’s with that look? I’m not going drinking—I’ve got a group project discussion.”
“Your life, your freedom,” Ji Yu said flatly. “Not my concern.”
“Alright, alright, not your concern. I’m an adult, I know what I’m doing.” Then He Ruofu remembered something. “Oh, by the way, some news outlet caught wind of your plans to return. They want to interview you and even reached out to me.”
Ji Yu didn’t hesitate. “No interviews.”
“Knew it.” He Ruofu spread her hands. “Already turned them down for you. But they might still spin rumors and publish gossip—just giving you a heads-up.”
Ji Yu chuckled, finding it amusing. “I’m that famous now?”
“You’re the lead designer for our group’s latest brand!” He Ruofu said. “A rising designer returns home… Oh, and let’s not forget: you’re the heir to the Ji family. ‘Ji Family’s inheritance battle intensifies, heir flees overseas…’ Blah blah blah. Headlines write themselves.”
Ji Yu tilted her head, thoughtful. “You sound disappointed I turned down the interview.”
“Fine, I’ve been hanging out with a reporter friend lately… but that’s not the point.” He Ruofu was clear-headed. “Even if you did give the interview, they’d still twist the story however they want.”
She sighed. “That’s the media for you.”
“That’s the tabloids,” Ji Yu corrected. “They won’t affect me—or the stock prices.”
Just then, her aunt texted, saying she’d narrowed down the résumé pool and would review them over lunch.
Ji Yu put her phone away. “Alright, I’ll head home in a bit. Go take care of your own business.”
He Ruofu gave her a playful fist salute. “Righteous!”
Ji Yu smiled but said nothing. She knew He Ruofu too well. The only reason she was pushing Ji Yu to go home was so she didn’t have to. That way, the family would focus all their chatter on Ji Yu instead.
…But being the shield came at a cost.
Even between sisters, debts must be tallied.
She made a mental note of this one. He Ruofu had already left, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Ji Yu didn’t linger at home. She packed up quickly and headed out. She couldn’t return empty-handed, so she needed to pick something up—a bit of a time investment.
Her phone connected to the car’s Bluetooth. On the center screen, an app icon pulsed gently, and a cheerful voice rang through the car:
“Good morning! Today’s low is -3°C and the high is 5°C. Please dress warmly to avoid catching a cold.”
The app’s icon was a simple cartoon mountain on a blank white background. It used to have many functions, but after the original company shut down, Ji Yu tracked down the developer, and now it served just one purpose—weather updates.
Despite frequently changing phones, this app, along with WeChat, was a must-install for Ji Yu.
…Because it was how she had first met Leng Ying.
Maybe it was because He Ruofu had just asked about her, but Ji Yu couldn’t help but recall those early days.
She had been quite young—probably just two years into her life abroad. Truth be told, she felt no sense of belonging there. Her father had followed her mother in settling overseas, and as a child with no say, she’d had to go with them.
She went to unfamiliar schools, in an unfamiliar place. Even though she understood the language, it wasn’t the one she was born into—it wasn’t her native tongue.
She felt lonely.
Even when classmates reached out to her, the loneliness remained.
She was always “so-and-so’s child,” never just Ji Yu.
This kind of loneliness was even deeper than spending a whole afternoon alone in the school’s quietest corner. It was like a damp shadow, seeping into her spirit.
It was during one of those moments that she stumbled upon an ad for a mobile app called Solitary Mountain. It was independently developed.
“The eternal flow of rivers, the collision of tectonic plates…”
“Mountains rise from the earth.”
“They are silent, they stand still.”
“They are lonely.”
“In this once-in-a-lifetime journey of existence…”
“We are mountains.”
“Looking at each other from afar.”
“The mountain wind calls to us…”
“Saying: Solitary mountains echo too.”
Solitary mountains echo too.
…How beautiful.
Ji Yu felt like a mountain herself. People climbed mountains but never listened to what the mountains wanted to say.
She downloaded it immediately.
Once the app installed and loaded, she realized its true nature: it was a chat app with random matching. Users could set their location, and the algorithm would recommend others accordingly.
On a whim, Ji Yu chose Huaguo (China) and selected Haicheng—the city she was most familiar with.
She entered the match queue.
And met Leng Ying.
In a foreign country, she had connected with someone from the same city she used to live in.
Later, Ji Yu would wonder: if she hadn’t moved abroad with her parents, might she have met Leng Ying on some ordinary morning in Haicheng? Or maybe they’d already crossed paths unknowingly in the past, brushing past one another… until now, when they reconnected in Solitary Mountain.
Drifting apart, only to meet again.
That was her romanticized version.
But what was real was how well they clicked.
Even though time zones were completely opposite—daytime abroad was nighttime back home—somehow, by pure coincidence, Leng Ying had plenty of free time then.
When one mountain carries the fragility of another, they begin to understand each other’s language.
Their connection deepened rapidly. Soon, text-only messages weren’t enough. They exchanged other contact info.
From one small app, they bridged their way into real life.
Ji Yu snapped back from her memories, a faint smile on her lips. She set up the GPS and started driving toward her parents’ house.
Yingying.
Soon—very soon—I’ll see you again in real life.
…
Different times, same world. Mountains and seas are one.
Just as Ji Yu longed to see Leng Ying, Leng Ying felt the same.
Even now, surrounded by fragrance and clinking glasses at a fancy reception, her mind was far away.
Did the furniture get arranged properly? Will Ji Yu’s flight be delayed? I have to go pick her up… Will she be staying at my place? I really want to see her, but I’m also a little scared.
When you’re apart, everything feels perfect. Meeting in person brings all kinds of messy adjustments… Leng Ying trusted Ji Yu, but the anxiety quietly brewing in her heart wouldn’t go away. Maybe it would disappear only after they truly saw each other.
The sweet scent of flowers—it was perfume.
“Yingying, come say hi to Director Dong. Remember? You met her when you were little.” Her mother’s voice snapped her back to the party.
Today was a celebration banquet. Her mother’s new film had far exceeded box office expectations. She and her husband were the stars of the evening.
Leng Ying had been brought along as a showpiece.
Her mother pulled her over to greet Director Dong. Leng Ying felt completely out of place. The lights shimmered off her silky white dress, making her look like a porcelain statue on display. But no matter how refined, she was still a product on the shelf—subject to all kinds of critical eyes.
Director Dong was a gentle-looking middle-aged woman, her hair in an elegant updo, years softly etched into her features. She turned calmly to meet Leng Ying’s gaze and smiled. “You were just finishing elementary school back then—still a little girl…”
She gestured with her hand to indicate a child’s height and sighed, “You were only this tall! Now you’ve grown so much. Time really flies.”
Leng Ying’s mother smiled. “Our Yingying’s always had a great memory—I’m sure she remembers you, Director Dong. I still recall… when we watched your show at home, she’d hum along to the ending theme!”
The song, of course, had been composed by Director Dong herself.
Director Dong, clearly pleased with the flattery, turned to confirm with Leng Ying, “Is that so?”