A café romance that'll make you side-eye your barista... and your own marriage.
Season 1 • Episode 1
Latest96°C Café is set against the backdrop of a homely café, owned by married couple Liqiao (Desmond Tan) and Xijie (Paige Chua). When Xijie meets with an accident, she stops working at the café and things start to change. As Xijie becomes more forlorn and withdrawn, Liqiao over time develops an unlikely affinity with Yuchen (Julie Tan), a fine arts student hired to help out in the café. With an unexpected twist at the end of the mini drama, this is a contemporary love story which brings cheers and tugs at the heartstrings of viewers.
96°C Café is set against the backdrop of a homely café, owned by married couple Liqiao (Desmond Tan) and Xijie (Paige Chua). When Xijie meets with an accident, she stops working at the café and things start to change. As Xijie becomes more forlorn and withdrawn, Liqiao over time develops an unlikely affinity with Yuchen (Julie Tan), a fine arts student hired to help out in the café. With an unexpected twist at the end of the mini drama, this is a contemporary love story which brings cheers and tugs at the heartstrings of viewers.
Acting
Desmond Tan simmers with repressed everything.
Production
The café feels lived-in, cozy, and quietly suffocating.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This Mediacorp production reflects Singapore's 2010s shift toward morally messy protagonists in Chinese-language dramas.
The title's 96°C references water just below boiling—perfect metaphor for a marriage about to blow.
SG
