Apple Hot Cocoa

Qi Qi is a university student at a key university in the capital of a northwestern province. Her greatest dream in life is simply to make a decent living on her own.

She works her way through school and returns to her hometown, a small county town ranked fifth-tier, during her junior-year winter break to prepare for graduate school exams.

Everything in the small town is familiar. Even the many new shops have nothing to do with Qi Qi, because she has neither the money nor the energy to explore their cozy, lovely atmosphere.

Yet one coffee shop draws her inside.

On a stormy night, Shu Li says, "We have an extra umbrella. Take it."

The next day, Qi Qi returns the umbrella. Shu Li serves her a hot Americano and a fragrant drink with a rich chocolate aroma, topped with a slice of dried apple.

"This is a new drink I'm thinking of adding to the menu. It's called hot apple cocoa, and I haven't set a price yet. Would you mind giving it a try and telling me if it's good?" Shu Li asks sincerely.

From the hot apple cocoa to the coffee shop, and then to Shu Li herself, everything draws Qi Qi in.

"Come here. You'll feel safe here, and you'll be happy. You can let yourself go. I'll gladly welcome you."

But beneath Qi Qi's seemingly fragile exterior lies an incredibly strong backbone. Given the chance, she'll fight to grow. She isn't a vine that needs a wall to cling to, nor a flower that needs to be tenderly cared for. She's a person who stands tall beneath the sky.

Note: Qi Qi has a strong sense of self-worth and is fiercely determined. She desperately wants to succeed, or rather, to make herself happy. Shu Li is an older love interest, a nontraditional guiding knight with a controlling streak.

I hope this will be a cozy, sweet romance.

Theme: You have to forge your own road to success