August 9th
The day before 'Love Letter' premiered.
Jing Yu and the others finally wrapped up their ten-day press tour and returned to Modo City.
"We're finally back!" Xia Yining cheered as soon as she saw their familiar residential complex.
"Ah, it's good to be home!"
"I mean, Jing Yu… we're finally done, right?" she asked.
"Not exactly," Jing Yu replied with a flat expression. "We're done traveling, yes, but according to Yuzhou's arrangement, tomorrow we'll be attending the premiere at the biggest cinema in Modo City. We're going as 'audience members,' but after 'Love Letter' ends, we'll go up and do a surprise meet-and-greet with the audience. Yuzhou's arranging media coverage of it afterward."
"That sounds like a total hassle." Xia Yining's face fell.
"Back when we were filming dramas, promo schedules were never this packed. These past ten days nearly drained my soul."
She could complain freely like this because of her close relationship with Jing Yu—she knew he wouldn't take offense.
"So basically," Yu Youqing jumped in, grasping the key point, "the two of us will be watching a movie together. On Qixi."
Xia Yining's eyes lit up.
A movie date—this was a first.
Jing Yu was such a workaholic. He'd even given up gaming for the past six months just to focus on directing. She'd never imagined there would be a day when she'd sit beside him in a cinema.
"It's not the two of us. It's the four of us—Cheng Lie and Yu Youqing are going too." The elevator dinged as it arrived at their floor. Jing Yu looked over at them.
"Well, Producer Cheng doesn't count—we'll just pretend he's not there. As for Sister Youqing… we'll just ignore her too. That means... it is just the two of us!" Xia Yining beamed.
As long as you don't acknowledge the third wheels, they don't exist!
Yu Youqing glanced at her. Seriously?
"Alright, go rest early. We have to get up early tomorrow. There'll be photographers on-site, so if you two don't look your best and end up immortalized in some ugly shots, don't say I didn't warn you." Jing Yu ignored Yining's excitement, unlocked his door, and disappeared inside.
Xia Yining and Yu Youqing stood face-to-face across the hallway.
"I mean, is Jing Yu really that zen?" Xia Yining sighed. "He's, what, 26? Almost 27? And he's got a stunning girl like me living right across the hall, and he doesn't have any thoughts? Planning to stay single for life? And look at his bedtime routine—it's barely 9 PM!"
Yu Youqing laughed, typed in her door code, and tossed out a casual jab.
"Maybe he's just not into flat-chested girls?"
Xia Yining's expression changed instantly. She lunged.
"I've had it with you! Another jab like that and—old hag!"
"Only two years older than you," Yu Youqing huffed as she ducked. "And still two months younger than Jing Yu!"
"Still an old hag!"
"Well, better than being flat!"
Their bickering faded as the door shut behind them, leaving the hallway quiet.
The next morning
Qixi Festival – Saturday
Most couples would naturally schedule their movie dates for the evening.
This made the morning screenings a saving grace for single film lovers.
At least, that's what Tang Yun had thought when she booked her early morning ticket.
But once she arrived at the theater, despair set in.
"Why the hell are there couples here this early? It's barely 10 AM! What kind of public menace—"
Tang Yun stared at the theater full of affectionate, whispering lovebirds and felt her soul leaving her body.
She was a tall, slim, fair-skinned beauty—by every standard, a total knockout. And yet, she had been single for all of her 25 years.
She booked the 10 AM show—the earliest available.
Honestly, if it hadn't been for the ending of 'Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal', which had completely broken her, she wouldn't have come to the cinema alone like this.
"Love Letter, huh... when will someone like Jing Yu ever write one for me?"
She had seen the teaser. But honestly, it wasn't clear what the film had to do with a "love letter."
Still, she had faith in Jing Yu. Anyone capable of writing something as emotionally powerful as 'Trust & Betrayal' surely wouldn't make a bad romance film.
She checked the Qixi box office pre-sales.
'Love Letter' had $65 million in pre-sale revenue—ranked second.
First place was 'Summer Dream' with 69 million, barely ahead.
Third was 'Tonight!' at 43 million, and fourth was 'I Don't Love You' with 35 million.
Tang Yun felt reassured. As a fan of Jing Yu, it was comforting to see his new film holding its ground.
After waiting a while, it was time to enter.
For a morning screening, the turnout wasn't bad—about 40% full. But of those attendees, 80% were couples.
Squeezed between two lovey-dovey pairs like a third-wheel sandwich, Tang Yun took a deep breath, calmed herself, and tried to ignore the kissing couple in front of her. Her eyes locked onto the silver screen.
After a few minutes of trailers and ads, the film began.
The opening scene was soaked in melancholy.
The setting. The lighting. Just a few brief shots, and Tang Yun already felt a twinge of sadness.
A snow-covered day. A beautiful, delicate woman walking alone across the white expanse. Behind her, a long trail of footprints.
It evoked the mood of "a lone fisherman in a snowy river."
'Love Letter', originally by Shunji Iwai, was already considered a romance classic in Jing Yu's past life. It had stood the test of time.
But unlike most love stories, it didn't go for big, sweeping drama.
There were no steamy scenes, dramatic misunderstandings, breakups, cheating, pregnancies, reconciliations—none of that.
Instead, it told the story, through the perspective of Watanabe Hiroko, fiancée of the deceased Fujii Itsuki, of how a letter mistakenly sent to her late fiancé's childhood address ended up connecting her with his middle school classmate, also named Fujii Itsuki, who happened to look just like her.
It was a story about a love letter—one written by someone long gone, that only reached the intended recipient more than a decade late.
So…
Ten minutes into the film, more than a few couples were starting to feel awkward.
"This is... kinda slow."
"Where's the pretty boy from the trailer?"
"Isn't he the male lead?"
"Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
The movie opened with Hiroko mourning her deceased fiancé. Then she sends a letter to his childhood address. That's it.
No male lead in sight. Not the usual pace of a romance movie.
Even Tang Yun was beginning to feel a bit restless.
Twenty minutes in, and all we've gotten is exposition about Hiroko's connection to the deceased Fujii Itsuki.
Still no sign of the male lead—played by Jing Yu.
Man, this is really slow...
That said, she did appreciate Yu Youqing's performance as Hiroko.
Every glance and movement carried the weight of someone mourning a loved one.
Soon, the narrative shifted to the adult Fujii Itsuki (female).
And it was only then that Tang Yun realized—Yu Youqing was playing both roles: Hiroko and Fujii Itsuki.
The two characters looked identical!
In Jing Yu's original-world version of the film, actress Miho Nakayama had played both Watanabe Hiroko and Fujii Itsuki. Thanks to her stellar acting, she made their personalities so distinct—one quiet and shy, the other outgoing and warm—that many viewers didn't realize they were played by the same actress until halfway through.
Some even thought the two characters were the same, confusing: "Why is the main character suddenly shy, then cheerful? Alone one minute, surrounded by friends the next?"
On one hand, that was the highest praise for an actor—viewers seeing the character, not the face.
But for 'Love Letter', this led to confusion in understanding the story.
So, despite Yu Youqing's recognizable appearance, Jing Yu made sure to add subtle hints in the film to clarify things—just in case someone mistook Hiroko and Fujii Itsuki as one person and got lost.
By this point, twenty minutes of the film had passed.
And still…
No male lead. Jing Yu's "beautiful boy" hadn't shown up yet.
Even Tang Yun, a loyal fan, was starting to get anxious.
We've spent twenty minutes just setting up the emotional background between Hiroko and the late Fujii Itsuki…
This is way too slow…