A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Cold Ying and Ji Yu’s duo suffered a complete defeat! They ranked last in last night’s firefly-catching competition!

The next morning, viewers tuning into the live stream were shocked to see the sad state of Cold Ying and Ji Yu’s breakfast:

“Yingying Overflow…”
“What happened, President Ji—can’t hold it together anymore??”
“SOS are they going to eat like this for days??”
“Just two days, sis, you’re late. Director Pan already said it yesterday—today is prep day for the sports meet, and the actual event is tomorrow. The rankings will be reshuffled afterward and materials redistributed.”
“That’s not so bad then. It’s just two days. We can deal with this kind of meal, right?”
“t’s just a little bleak lol crying“
“Plain steamed buns without even pickles… Pan, you’re too stingy…”
“I’m dying of laughter. Come see how Director Pan mistreats guests (meme face.jpg)”
“So where’s the footage from last night’s firefly event? Where are the bloopers? I want to see how they lost!”
“Wait for the main episode, the show’s Weibo is basically dead”
“Don’t expect too much from the crew and you won’t be disappointed. Let’s focus instead on my faves Yingying Overflow’s new food collab~ Link: Sweet Little Grove”

As for Cold Ying and Ji Yu, they were quite chill about the loss.

Life is unpredictable! Winning and losing is normal!

What’s the big deal about losing once? It’s not like they can’t handle defeat.

…Well, maybe it was because they totally forgot about the firefly-catching task.

Ji Yu was in deep self-reflection. Cold Ying didn’t see the point—she simply stuffed a bun into Ji Yu’s mouth and tersely said, “Eat.”

Ji Yu obediently ate the bun Cold Ying gave her. Then they exchanged a glance and pretended to still be hungry so they could ask the kitchen for another plate of buns. When the buns arrived, they nonchalantly pulled out a clean plastic bag and packed them all up.

Director Pan weakly protested: “That’s against the rules.”

“Which part?” Cold Ying denied calmly. “We’re taking it fair and square. We have to go scout out which team we want to join for tomorrow’s sports meet. We don’t have time to sit here and finish breakfast.”

She said casually, “It’s called takeout.”

Pan: “………………”

Pan made a last-ditch effort: “You don’t get to choose the team. You go to be interviewed.”

Ji Youqin: “Huh?”

Her eyes widened: “We’re being interviewed?!”

Bo Xin wasn’t surprised: “The village probably set up the sports meet a while ago, right? The villagers must have formed teams already.”

“Exactly,” Director Pan said with a grin. “The villagers received the Red May Sports Day notice last month, so the teams are already formed. You’ll be trying out for their teams. Please proceed to the training grounds for your interviews.”

Ji Yu didn’t return the buns. They were already in her hands—why give them back? Besides…

“Sports require energy. We’ll share the buns with everyone.”

Cold Ying successfully convinced the others.

The score? Guests 8 – Pan 1. Total victory.

Pan waved his handkerchief in defeat.

“Hahahaha I’m crying”
“They really pulled it off”
“Honestly, if Pan had prepared some energy snacks, he could’ve confiscated those buns with confidence”
“Fr, this person is speaking truth”

The eight headed toward the training grounds for the sports meet. There were four clearly identifiable teams: red, yellow, blue, and purple—each wearing matching uniforms.

As soon as they arrived, a village auntie greeted them: “Hello! I’m the village secretary. You’re the applicants, right? Come, we’ve prepared an interview challenge. Who wants to go first?”

Cold Ying stepped up to ask, “Hello, may I ask what the interview entails?”

The auntie pointed it out to them: “We’ll test strength, endurance, and vocal power. You’ll compete in a 1000-meter run, weightlifting, and singing. Tomorrow’s sports day will have similar, but not identical events.”

The eight exchanged glances. The auntie also called over four team captains: “These are the captains of our four teams. They’ll be scoring your performance.”

Ji Yu turned to Cold Ying: “Shall we go first?”

They had just eaten—energy levels were still good. Wait too long and digestion might kick in.

Cold Ying agreed and stepped forward with Ji Yu to introduce themselves.

They started with the 1000-meter run. At the starting line, Ji Yu asked, “Do we both have to run?”

“Of course~” the secretary chuckled. “You’ll be participating in all events tomorrow, so today’s test will help the captains plan the lineup.”

The other six guests watched from the sidelines.

Ji Youqin was shocked: “They don’t seem stressed at all!”

She understood Ji Yu—she had known from the first half of filming that Ji Yu’s hobbies abroad included physical activities, so good fitness was expected. But Cold Ying?

Cold Ying?! No way—

Ji Youqin was getting nervous: “What if I can’t outrun Cold Ying…”

Luo Qing said plainly: “The viewers are probably already mentally preparing for that.”

Ji Youqin: “……Heh.”

After the 1000-meter run, Qiudao Fish humbly asked: “Ms. Ying, do you work out regularly?”

“I do,” Cold Ying smiled. “I want to live a long life.”

Qiudao Fish pondered: “Oh, so what kind of training do you usually do?”

Cold Ying thought a moment. “All kinds, really. But you could start with gentle exercises—like health-preserving routines—and then gradually add strength training. I can send you a workout plan later.”

Qiudao Fish: “…The problem is I’m not consistent… I’m more of a ‘two days on, five days off’ type… and so is my buddy…”

Ji Yu coughed: “Yingying, we have to head to the next event.”

“Hmm? Okay.”

Watching them walk away, Qiudao Fish said solemnly, “I’ll start training now…”

“Starting now won’t help you catch up by tomorrow,” Shengjian Bao whispered.

“True!” Qiudao Fish grabbed her shoulders, trying to pass on her newfound determination through eye contact. “But that’s exactly why we need this mindset! Don’t you think us skipping out on training every single day is a bit much…?”

“You’re right, sigh… okay, I’ll try with you…” Shengjian Bao said. “But my strength isn’t too bad, you know.”

That was an understatement.

Out of all four groups, she lifted the heaviest weight among the guests. She was the undisputed champion of the weightlifting round!

Even Ji Yu looked at her with awe. So much power in such a small frame—really, people should get out more!

Ji Yu stuck close to Cold Ying, shamelessly “charging up.”

—Okay, maybe not shamelessly. Not exactly.

They had completed all three events. She deserved a little recharge snuggle!

Cold Ying let her cling on.

After the tests, the village secretary said the team captains needed time to deliberate, and asked them to return at 2 p.m. for the results. It was lunchtime, so the guests headed back to Director Pan’s place.

The buns had long been devoured.

Ji Yu felt vindicated. She and Cold Ying were clearly the most farsighted. Quite pleased with herself.

Apparently, Pan agreed. Their lunch was no longer just white buns—it was stir-fried dishes! Even though they were all vegetarian, it was an upgrade from the morning!

Especially since there was tomato and scrambled egg—technically half a meat dish!

Compared to the other three groups, their food was a bit sad…

But hey, a grateful heart is a happy heart.

Cold Ying served rice for herself and Ji Yu. The rice had been steamed with grain from a villager’s home—not processed, so there were still a few husks in it—but the texture was fantastic.

Very chewy and satisfying.

Then she poured the tomato and egg directly onto their bowls and mixed it all up.

All done!

Ji Yu sniffed. “It smells sweet.”

“I added sugar,” Cold Ying said. “The tomatoes we picked last night were too sour.”

“Director Pan, you paid attention to details like this? Maybe I misjudged you—you’re actually thoughtful!”
“Pan being attacked again lol”
“What’s the story behind the tomatoes last night? Anyone know?”
“Must be an unbroadcast clip. I watched the stream and didn’t see anything like that.”

“Hey, are you guys done with the tomato and egg?” Ren Meng popped over and saw there was still a bit left. “How about I trade you six pieces of braised pork for it~?”

Cold Ying agreed right away. “Sure.”

Ren Meng used communal chopsticks to scoop six giant pieces of pork for them, took the tomato-egg bowl back, and gave it to Bo Xin.

Bo Xin was surprised.

Ren Meng said, “I noticed you didn’t get enough last night.”

Last night’s tomatoes were also picked by Cold Ying and Ji Yu.

While the six-person team was diligently catching fireflies, Cold Ying and Ji Yu were out gathering wild tomatoes in the dark.

Sour but tasty.

It was a satisfying trade. Cold Ying split the pork with Ji Yu and said with a smile, “Seems like not catching fireflies wasn’t a total loss.”

“Mhm~” Ji Yu nodded as she ate the food Cold Ying gave her. Whatever Yingying says is right~

After lunch and a short rest, they arrived at the training ground exactly at 2 p.m.

The villagers had eaten at the training ground—big open-air pots. Ji Yu took note and started plotting how to sneak in for dinner.

The team captains had also finished their discussion. As soon as the guests arrived, they were taken by their chosen captains to start training.

Ren Meng was disappointed. “I was hoping to see a team-captain bidding war.”

Luo Qing said, “Probably saved that for the actual episode. They didn’t let us see it.”

“Guess we’ll have to wait for the show~” Ren Meng waved. “Tomorrow we’re all opponents. Good luck! Safety first, friendship second, competition third!”

Bo Xin chuckled.

Ji Yu commented, “This is kind of fun.”

“Hmm?” Cold Ying replied. “Safety is important.”

The village secretary overheard Ren Meng and immediately felt a kindred spirit: “Well said! Exactly! Safety first!”

Ji Yu whispered to Cold Ying, “Let me recharge a bit longer~”

The afternoon training wasn’t going to be easy~

Cold Ying let her hold hands and gave hers a gentle squeeze. “Let’s recharge together.”

The eight guests paired off and enthusiastically threw themselves into training.

And their effort paid off—

Before they could even ask, the secretary invited them to stay for dinner.

Since the teams were preparing for the sports meet, the big-pot dinner was hearty and generous. There was plenty of meat—way better than the program’s usual meals!

Especially for Cold Ying and Ji Yu.