Jasmine Nights in Chengdu

In Chengdu—a city where ancient culture breathes beside modern rhythm—a love story unfolds, crossing borders, faith, and the quiet spaces of the human heart.

Hadi, a young man from Malaysia, is sent on a secret mission by his father: to seek an investment worth more than profit, one rooted in humanity. Struggling with language, belonging, and the weight of expectation, he stumbles upon a small family-run halal eatery—Ma Family Restaurant. It becomes the turning point of his life.

Behind its warmth stands Ma Yuxin, a graceful university lecturer: highly educated, quietly lonely, carrying complex feelings from her time in Malaysia. When she meets Hadi—gentle, humble, foreign—her carefully built world begins to shift.

What starts with misunderstandings grows into trust. What begins in a crowded kitchen flows into long conversations in teahouses, shared umbrellas in the rain, and laughter at the Panda Research Base. Together, they face family pressures, the fragile survival of a restaurant, and the daunting yet hopeful dream of building a halal food brand in Southwest China.

As Ma Taste rises from a humble eatery into a symbol of culture and faith, Hadi and Yuxin find themselves building more than a business—they are building a bond. From mistakes to cooperation, from longing to sacrifice, they learn that love, like food, needs patience, courage, and heart.

Jasmine Nights in Chengdu is not just a romance. It is a tender portrait of how trust bridges cultures, how business can hold both profit and purpose, and how kindness can light even the loneliest streets.

Through Chengdu’s alleys and teahouses, its mosques and rain-soaked nights, its lanterns, spices, and jasmine tea, these novel weaves a cross-cultural love story—warm, humorous, romantic, and achingly real.

In Chengdu, will their love remain a secret in their hearts—or become the most lasting flavour of all?

Ikram Mutalib