Keep Away! I'm Socially Anxious

A major fire on New Year's Eve drove Huai Chaoyan, an illustrator with severe social anxiety, out of the home she'd been cooped up in for three years.

The man who appeared out of nowhere to save her turned out to be Feng Xia, the high school's ultimate social butterfly and heartthrob.

The man tilted his head and smiled, looking dazzlingly harmless. "Huai Chaoyan, could I... use saving your life as an excuse to ask you for something?"

To complete her "repaying the favor KPI" and escape the hell of social anxiety, she urgently turned to her beloved family member, "AI Xiaoyu."

"Xiaoyu! Quick! Teach me how to repay a favor without leaving home!"

"Ayan, perhaps... you could draw him a picture."

On New Year's Eve, fireworks burst across the ink-dark sky screen.

Feng Xia lowered his head, his voice mingling with the muffled roar of fireworks. "Chaoyan, will you draw me a picture?"

Huai Chaoyan's heart pounded like a drum. "Okay."

[KPI. This is all for the KPI...]

Later, Feng Xia showed up at her door with the sketches Huai Chaoyan had left behind. His eyes lingered on the clearly defined, eye-catching lines of the abs on the page, amusement bubbling in his gaze. "So this is what you like... me to look like?"

Huai Chaoyan's face instantly turned red. "I-it was Xiaoyu's idea!"

"Oh?" Feng Xia chuckled, waving the drawing. "Then your AI doesn't seem very reliable."

"That's because you made it!"

"Right, my fault." He suddenly moved closer. "Then how about I make it up to you by giving you the real-life version of this AI, with eight-pack abs?"

They reunite after eight years, and the person she loves has become socially anxious.

Feng Xia: If she takes one step back, I'll charge ahead 101 steps.

"My heart has been waiting for you for years."

[Reading Guide]

1. A socially anxious illustrator whose inner monologue is constantly firing off x A sunny social butterfly on the surface, but a devoted romantic AI engineer underneath.

2. The text in [ ] is the heroine's inner voice. She's a character who grows over time, so you'll read more of her inner monologue early on.

3. Reunited after a long separation, he secretly loves her, both are each other's only ones, slow-burn romance, happy ending.

4. School memories are interspersed throughout. AI Xiaoyu is an adorable family member! A healing, sweet little treat.

Theme: Loving yourself is the best kind of love.