Do yourself a favor and go read it right now.

*this review contains minor spoilers*

A Story Concerning Sweets is a short baihe manhua written and illustrated by artist Shi Yi Er (who is also the creator of My Mom’s a Superstar).

The manhua follows a young girl who suffers from congenital heart disease. After experiencing a heart attack and losing her vision, Xiao Xiao is hospitalized at her local hospital, where she meets an unnamed young ghost who becomes her best friend.

Despite featuring young protagonists, A Story Concerning Sweets doesn’t shy away from mature (but not inappropriate!) themes. Since the protagonists don’t always fully understand the cruelty of the outside world, the narrative still manages to capture a lighter tone—to the story’s benefit.

Having died within 72 hours of her birth, the young ghost has haunted the halls of the hospital where she was born since she developed consciousness. Although she doesn’t know why she can age like a living person, she still understands that she is “different” from others.

So when she finally meets someone who can sense her presence and alleviate her loneliness, she is overjoyed (even if she doesn’t dare to admit it at first). As she and Xiao Xiao spend more time together, they bond over their shared love of sweets and storytelling.

But Xiao Xiao’s illness is an ever-looming threat to their happiness…

By the end of the manhua, I was deeply attached to both protagonists and their brief but beautiful journeys. A Story Concerning Sweets concludes with a final chapter, an epilogue, and a bonus chapter. You should do yourself a favor and read all three conclusions.

As someone who craves happy endings, I’m content to believe that the bonus chapter is the “true” finale (and no one can convince me otherwise).

Vitally, although the manhua might be categorized as “baihe,” the main protagonists never consider their feelings so deeply to the point of “love.” Any and all romantic undertones are sidelined in an appropriate way, which I appreciate, and their relationship is only ever implied when they are both adults.

A Story Concerning Sweets was originally serialized for free on Shi Yi Er’s Weibo, where you can still find the original chapters. If scrolling through social media feeds sounds like too much trouble, you can also access the chapters much more easily (and still for free) on Tencent’s official ACQQ manhua app or website.

If you require an English translation, you can find chapters 1-4 and 8 translated on MangaDex by JungleTranslations and ZephyrScan. I was also able to find the missing chapters translated into English elsewhere, but unfortunately on much sketchier websites.

But even if it takes a little extra work, I would still recommend going through the effort to read A Story Concerning Sweets. Despite having chanced upon it over a year ago by now, it’s the rare short story which has left a lasting impact on my feelings ever since.

Also, the art is gorgeous.

Plot: 4
Characters: 5
Romance Relationship: 5
Translation: 3
Bias: 4

Overall: 4.2