Ning: Better None Than the Wrong One, Thank You, Liu Yuning

When her family dumped their failing hotpot restaurant on 22-year-old socially anxious fan Wu Xiaoxiao, she never expected to pitch the idea of “livestreaming + fan engagement” to her idol, Liu Yuning. Even less did she expect that one pitch to bring the top-tier star crashing back down to earth.

He’s a 1.93-meter-tall chatterbox from Northeast China, and a perfectionist who gets stomach cramps at night. She’s a prolific online fan creator and a “Transformers” survivor who’s afraid of crowds. A misunderstanding brings them together at the police station, and a contract binds them to a hotpot restaurant thick with steam and bustle. He teaches her to face crowds; she teaches him to drop his act. When the shadows of school bullying return, he kicks the rumors aside and shields her in his arms. “When a wound festers, you have to tear it open and treat it.”

Liu Yuning, I once looked up at you shining on a stage before thousands. Now, I just want to stay by your side in this world and help you make our hotpot broth delicious. This is a heartwarming love story about a top-tier star and his socially anxious fan, finding redemption in each other and growing together amid the bubbling warmth of a hotpot restaurant.

(This story is fictional and has nothing to do with the real celebrity. Please don’t conflate it with the actual person.)