A Love Letter Written to You - Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Leng Ying held the velvet box in her hand but didn’t open it right away. Instead, she asked Ji Yu with interest, “Guess what the gift is?”
With her fair, slender fingers resting on the pure black velvet box, Ji Yu’s gaze fell on it. She lightly licked her lips and chuckled, “Let me guess…”
The velvet box was quite small, clearly not big enough for anything large.
A ring? …Impossible.
Even though she kind of wanted one.
Ji Yu thought for a moment and then, hesitating slightly, reached up and pinched her own earlobe.
“Earrings?”
The ones she was wearing now were a simple pair of silver studs, very minimal in design.
She wasn’t sure she had guessed correctly.
But Leng Ying smiled.
Which meant she had guessed right!
Leng Ying flipped open the lid with one hand. “Mm, I picked them especially.”
There were two — one for each ear — both shaped like five-petal flowers in shimmering silver. Leng Ying pinched one between her fingers and leaned in toward Ji Yu.
Her cool fingers pressed against Ji Yu’s earlobe, bringing a wave of unexpected warmth.
Ji Yu involuntarily trembled.
“Don’t move,” Leng Ying said in a low voice.
Ji Yu obediently froze in place, letting Leng Ying’s fingers gently play with her earlobe—
Well, “play” might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Ying was just normally removing her earrings.
She placed the ones she removed into the velvet box. A faint scent lingered as she pulled away, only to draw close again immediately.
This time, she was putting on the new earrings.
“All done.”
Ji Yu had been completely entranced by her scent. When she heard Leng Ying speak, she blinked back to attention and murmured, “Already…?”
“How long do you think putting on earrings takes?” Leng Ying smirked, pinching Ji Yu’s earlobe mischievously before pulling back. “I did a great job.”
Ji Yu checked in the mirror and grinned. “They look very neat.”
She touched her earlobe. Aside from the texture of the petals, she felt something else and asked curiously, “Are the petals engraved with something?”
Leng Ying looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. “Mm. I had a master engraver do some micro-carving. I designed the pattern myself.”
She smiled. “Giving earrings felt too ordinary otherwise.”
Ji Yu’s eyes reflected Leng Ying’s silhouette.
“This is your first gift since returning to the country,” Leng Ying said.
“I love it,” Ji Yu admitted happily, flashing a bright and energetic smile. “Thank you, Ying-ying~ jie-jie~”
Her golden ponytail bounced with excitement, and paired with her playful tone, Leng Ying suddenly saw an image of the golden retriever her parents once kept.
Only, that retriever didn’t like to be close to her.
But Ji Yu…
Ji Yu would nuzzle up to her.
While she was lost in thought, Ji Yu suddenly pounced.
She buried her face into Leng Ying’s shoulder and rubbed against her. The breath she exhaled was warm and passed through Leng Ying’s clothes, seeping into her skin.
“I’ve been wanting to do this forever!”
Leng Ying hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and tousled Ji Yu’s head—petting her golden retriever-like hair without much care.
Warm.
So different from the chill of late winter.
…
Xiao Ye dutifully dropped off her boss and Ji Yu, then tactfully excused herself, leaving the space to the two of them.
Ji Yu had brought very little luggage back with her—just a small suitcase.
“I can always buy what I need later,” Ji Yu said casually. “This one just has essentials and some gifts.”
“The house already has everything. If not, the housekeeper can get it easily,” Leng Ying said, before pausing. “Gifts?”
“Yeah,” Ji Yu nodded. “Ying-ying jie-jie has a lot of friends here in China, right? I’ll be meeting them, so I brought some small gifts. Otherwise, I’d feel rude.”
Leng Ying understood and smiled. “I don’t have many friends here—mostly just work partners. Xiao Ye is my assistant, and I’ll introduce my manager to you soon. You know her — Sister Qun.”
“I remember,” Ji Yu said. “I even helped pick out the baby gift for Sister Qun’s child, remember?”
Leng Ying added, “She counts as a friend. As for others in the industry… just colleagues. No one I feel is important enough to introduce to you.”
“Ohhh~” Ji Yu nodded thoughtfully. “Then I’ll start with Sister Qun! I’m sure she’s heard loads about me!”
Leng Ying laughed at that. “Of course. I never hid our conversations from her.”
Ji Yu smiled knowingly, then looked around the room, examining the furnishings. They seemed a little different from what she had seen daily in their video calls.
She voiced her observation, and Leng Ying awkwardly touched her nose, her tone slightly evasive, “I swapped out some furniture since I knew you’d be staying here.”
Though she sounded evasive, she was completely honest about it. Seeing Ji Yu’s excitement, Leng Ying felt glad she hadn’t tried to cover it up.
She cleared her throat. “I didn’t change that much…”
But Ji Yu was already sprawled out on the sofa.
“So soft, so soft, so soft!” she giggled, hugging the throw pillows naturally. She lay on the couch and looked up. “Thank you, Ying-ying jie-jie~”
Leng Ying: “…”
So enthusiastic.
She felt like she was being overwhelmed.
“Drop the ‘jie-jie,’” Leng Ying said.
She was used to being called Ying-ying. Now hearing “Ying-ying jie-jie” just felt… weird.
Ji Yu burst into laughter. “Okay, got it!”
She agreed too quickly, and Leng Ying suspected she was still hiding something mischievous behind her sweet face—like a golden retriever who looks obedient but can secretly destroy your house.
But right now, Ji Yu was behaving, so there was no reason to scold her.
Leng Ying moved closer to the sofa. The house was warm with the heater on, and they had already taken off their winter coats. Ji Yu followed her movements from bottom to top and caught a whiff of something.
“…Citrus?” she finally said.
“Hm?” Leng Ying frowned slightly and lowered her head to sniff herself. “Really?”
“Yeah,” Ji Yu confirmed. “Smells so good.”
Leng Ying gently swatted away Ji Yu’s clinging hand. “I changed my body wash. Once you shower, you’ll smell like this too.”
Ji Yu beamed. “That’s perfect.”
Her eyes curved into happy crescents. “Good friends should use the same body wash! Then we’ll both smell nice!”
Leng Ying nodded calmly, seemingly unaffected by the words. She reached out, half-lifting Ji Yu from the sofa. “You’ve had a long trip. You should rest. Go take a shower—I’ll cook noodles.”
Before Ji Yu could respond, she pulled her arm away, instantly widening the distance between them.
Ji Yu didn’t want to part with the citrus scent, but Leng Ying was right—flights were tiring. Just now, when she flopped onto the sofa, she nearly dozed off in minutes.
Her suitcase really didn’t have much.
Leng Ying pulled out a brand-new set of pajamas for Ji Yu, then turned and walked to the kitchen once Ji Yu had gone into the bathroom she used daily. She quietly opened the fridge to check the supplies—she had restocked everything just yesterday.
She didn’t plan to make anything fancy.
Fresh eggs, tomatoes, baby greens, and chopped scallions. She also pulled out some pre-prepared minced meat.
Enough to be comforting and warm.
On the way back earlier, she had asked Ji Yu how she was doing. Ji Yu had complained about the airplane food, but said she ate some of it. She looked tired—more than a feast, she needed a good night’s sleep.
That’s what Leng Ying thought as she prepared the ingredients with quiet ease.
Cold water flowed from the tap. She dipped a finger to test it—too cold. She turned the knob toward hot. The water hadn’t warmed up yet.
But behind her, warm, damp air suddenly drifted by.
Leng Ying turned her head—it was Ji Yu, fresh from the shower. The bathroom light was still on behind her, casting a soft amber glow in the background. Ji Yu was drying her hair, and though she was fully dressed, she somehow looked… damp.
The new pajamas fit her perfectly—flattering her curves.
But Leng Ying, ever the unromantic one, simply grabbed a coat nearby and draped it over her. “Careful not to catch a cold.”
“…”