How Is a Geek Supposed to Fall in Love?

Xia Mi is a homebody, mild-mannered and a little socially anxious, with a head full of wild ideas and flights of fancy.

Meng Jinyan is a techie with great gaming skills. He loves video games and hates pointless socializing.

Two lifelong single homebodies, on the same day, find their two excruciating blind dates converging at the same cafe.

Their eyes wander from the cafe's promotional standee to the ceiling, until they accidentally meet.

They exchange a helpless smile, as if to say, I get you.

Back home, Xia Mi zooms in on her selfie with the cafe's promotional standee and accidentally spots Meng Jinyan posing in front of it, flashing a peace sign too.

From then on, like a domino effect, countless miraculous coincidences make Xia Mi realize that he is everywhere in her world.

A photo posted by someone in the same city shows a ticket stub for a late-night video game movie, and their seats turn out to be next to each other.

They visit the same anime convention on the same day and buy Demon Slayer merchandise.

They live in the same residential compound and finally discover that they are neighbors.

Then there's a birthday party for a mutual friend. After escaping the socializing, they go to the terrace for some air

The man leans against the railing, gazing at the river and the ferries in the distance. Neon lights flicker across the high-rises on the opposite bank. Suddenly, he reaches out and traces the letters EVA.

Xia Mi can't help murmuring, "The Human Instrumentality Project."

Huh?

Mm?

They turn to look at each other, startled, then share a smile a moment later.

Look at that, their brainwaves are perfectly in sync.

On the way back, Xia Mi works up the courage to ask for his contact information.

But Meng Jinyan walks over first and strikes up a conversation, asking the girl who's cute enough to make his heart flutter for her phone number.

- EVA is an old anime, short for Neon Genesis Evangelion. The Human Instrumentality Project is a meme from the series.

- A love story about two homebodies: an accomplished illustrator x a game algorithm engineer

- A slow-burn, everyday-life sweet romance, a modern fairy tale, not too long; just writing for fun~

--

Please add my next book, Spring Cocoon, to your reading list!

A close friend asks Zhou Ziqi why he insists on befriending Chun Jian, who's quiet, keeps to herself, and is so gloomy and withdrawn that nobody wants to hang out with her.

Zhou Ziqi doesn't think it's a big deal. "It's enough that I want to."

His friend is stunned. Then it hits him: "You don't actually like her, do you?"

Zhou Ziqi neither confirms nor denies it, just smiling carelessly.

His friend clicks his tongue in disbelief. "So you, the famous Zhou Ziqi, keep going to her class every day just to make your presence known?"

Zhou Ziqi lifts his chin and raises an eyebrow. "Chun Jian, I'm going to be her friend, no matter what."

He has the confident, spirited air of someone certain to get what he wants.

Chun Jian stands a few steps away in the corridor, her slight figure hidden in the shadows beneath the corridor lights, almost completely unnoticed.

But Zhou Ziqi can always spot her at a glance, then pull her out where everyone can see.

"Hey, Chun, good evening."

The boy smiles brightly and walks straight toward her as if no one else is there, asking her to find him a novel or manga.

-

Chun Jian doesn't know why this popular boy at school has attached himself to her.

He's sunny and warm, handsome, top of the class, and loved by everyone: a dazzling, radiant boy.

He's exactly the kind of person she fears most during adolescence, and envies most, too.

She wants to look straight at the sun, but its dazzling light stings her eyes. She turns away and quietly takes a step back, yet longs to embrace its warmth.

Still, the boy keeps smiling as he barges into Chun Jian's life, warm and persistent, slipping in quietly, little by little, until he's everywhere.

Eventually, Chun Jian asks him in a muffled voice:

"Do you have some kind of KPI to be friends with every student and teacher in the school?"

"I do, Chun Jian." His eyes crinkle into crescent moons, and he makes a sincere suggestion. "Want to help me out?"

His clear laughter fades into the wind.

Zhou Ziqi's smile makes her head spin.

He has a thousand ways to make people like him.

-

Zhou Ziqi discovers that the girl is hiding a secret

She should be a butterfly, with beautiful patterns on her wings and a heart as radiant as gold and as gentle as clouds. Yet she is trapped alone in a cocoon, where no one else can reach her and she can't get out.

That's all right. He can wait for her to break free.

- A withdrawn girl x a cocky boy who's like a little sun

- A lightly ensemble-cast story about healing and redemption, set in high school

Theme: Love life