Unfinished Stories from the Late-Night Diner

The first time Lin Wanxing pushed open the door to the late-night diner at the end of the alley, she found the owner, Chen Mo, wiping down a rough porcelain bowl with a crack in it.

A pastry chef who had just lost her job, she had also been dumped by her boyfriend of five years. With only the last of her savings in hand, she searched for something hot to eat in the city at two in the morning. Chen Mo’s diner never opened during the day. It served only those trapped in the darkness of night. He was quiet and skillful, and even a simple bowl of yangchun noodles could bring warmth.

Lin Wanxing became a regular, bringing failed batches of cookies in exchange for a bowl of soup and listening to Chen Mo tell stories of diners’ missed chances and regrets. Gradually, she discovered that this hard, taciturn man always stared at an old photograph after closing, while the baking dream she had buried deep inside began to sprout again with his encouragement.

But just as Lin Wanxing’s desserts were about to win gold at a competition, Chen Mo prepared to close the diner. Can the feelings left unspoken and the thoughts hidden amid the warmth of the kitchen find their ending before closing time?