Shen Nian, 26, is a severe social anxiety sufferer. Her food delivery instructions always say, “Leave it at the door, knock three times, and go.” She hasn't spoken to her neighbors in three years, and her greatest wish is for the whole world to leave her alone.
Jiang Chen, 28, is a social butterfly extraordinaire. A retired firefighter and pet influencer, he can chat with the neighborhood security guard like they're brothers while livestreaming. His fans say he's “nice to everyone.”
They had been minding their own business until Jiang Chen moved into apartment 302 and accidentally filmed the door of 402 during a livestream. The comments started shipping him with his “mysterious neighbor.”
Shen Nian was mortified. Even worse, Hua, her most difficult client, showed up and demanded that the influencer make a promotional video. If Shen Nian couldn't make the deal happen, she'd have to redo the designs.
Forced to knock on the door of 302, she and Jiang Chen soon found their rhythm. He cooked, she designed pet furniture, and a corgi named Milk Tea played matchmaker.
He thought he was helping her heal, but really, she was saying “I'm a little scared” out loud for the first time.
She thought he was rescuing her, but really, he was letting someone see his scars for the first time since retiring.
Before long, the whole internet was shipping them. Then public opinion turned against them, and she was hit with rumors and online harassment.
The girl who once couldn't even bring herself to open the door wrote a long response on her own for the first time:
“I'm socially anxious, but I'm not afraid anymore, because the right person is standing at my door, along with a chubby dog.”
This is a story about taking things slowly. Slowly growing closer, slowly falling in love, slowly going from “I can't” to “I'll try.”
