Lin Xiaoman, the Lin family bun shop’s star dough kneader, is forced to take her sister’s place as a bride. Her groom is the famous “iceberg” of the city, Lu Tingxiao, CEO of the Lu Group.
On their wedding night, the man tosses her a contract, his gaze colder than a freezer: “Three years. We stay out of each other’s way. Just be a pretty fixture.”
Lin Xiaoman glances at his chilly mansion, so pristine she can see her reflection in it, then points to the kitchen. “Fine, I’ll be a fixture. But that room is mine.”
From then on, President Lu’s aloof life starts to fall apart.
He sneers that her braised pork is “tastelessly vulgar,” then shows up at the table every night at the same time for a week.
At a family banquet, the socialites mock her for being “low-class.” Lin Xiaoman retaliates by setting up a stall in the banquet hall and steaming fresh buns on the spot. Their aroma draws a queue of powerful figures, while President Lu’s face turns black as a pot.
When his scheming ex-girlfriend comes to stake her claim, Xiaoman smiles and hands her a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce. “Sister, with your bland, noodle-soup looks, I doubt you can handle President Lu’s spoiled palate after I’ve raised him.”
When her runaway bride of a sister regrets her decision and tries to take her place back, and a business rival frames her, everyone thinks this “cook” is finished. Lin Xiaoman wipes her hands and picks up her gleaming jujube-wood rolling pin.
Then, on the very day their three-year contract expires, Lu Tingxiao corners her in the kitchen, thick with the aroma of food. Behind him, a pot bubbles with the spicy hot pot base she has just invented. His usually icy voice is tight with scorching urgency. “Let’s tear up the contract… Can I officially apply to become your long-term meal ticket?”
