JOH CH25: Empty

After sending Gu Yuanting off at the airport in the morning, Su Yiran had been listless all day.

Without Ting-ge around, he couldn’t muster the energy to do anything.

He returned to the shop and weakly went about the daily business operations.

Before long, it was time for the scheduled livestream. He had already announced yesterday on Weibo that he would be streaming this afternoon, and his fans—who hadn’t seen him for three days—were excited and eagerly waiting.

Su Yiran didn’t want to let them down. He adjusted his mood, pulled himself together, and started preparing for the stream.

This time, he was not only going to officially launch the shop’s new signature dessert—Soy Milk Box Cake—and the secondary feature—Fresh Cream Lemon Cheesecake, but he also had a secret weapon: Dirty Bun.

The Dirty Bun was a wildly viral dessert in his previous life, practically blowing up the entire internet.

It was a type of bread, and as its name suggested, it looked messy. After eating, your hands and face would be a mess too. It looked dirty, felt dirty, and left you dirty—but it was delicious.

It went viral precisely because of that contrast between appearance and taste. For a while, his Moments and Weibo feeds had been completely flooded with it.

Su Yiran planned to tease this dessert in today’s livestream. For the next themed series, he would be launching a “Dirty Series” with the Dirty Bun as the centerpiece.

The current Soy Milk Box Cake and teaser for the Dirty Bun would be launched alongside his marketing campaign with a partnered agency.

Once all the preparations were done, Su Yiran posted a Weibo update with the stream link:

Today’s livestream content: New signature desserts launched! Super tasty retro-style Soy Milk Box Cake, Fresh Cream Lemon Cheesecake, and the updated Rainbow Soy Pastry 2.0! Plus a preview of the next series: the adorably messy Dirty Bun 🐰✨ Come join me on Apple Live and check it out~ Sweet-toothed friends, click here → [Livestream Link]

Moments after posting, it received over 2,000 likes, hundreds of shares, and 200+ comments:

【Yi Yi is finally streaming! Hugging Yi Yi and crying.】

【On my way!】

【Snatching Yi Yi and sprinting a kilometer hahaha】

【Beat the one above! Yi Yi is mine!!】

【Never heard of these desserts before—so excited, starry eyes!】

【Is this the rich streamer who went viral yesterday? Count me in ( :з」∠ )】

【That pink bunny emoji every time—too cute QAQ I’m melting 😭】

【I’ve had the first two desserts at Yi Yi’s store! Absolutely amazing!! Highly recommend!】

【“Dirty Bun”? What the heck? That name is so weird, I’m dying 😂】

【Jealous of people who can go to the store. Different city, I’m crying TAT】

【I visited A City last week and went too! FYI, Yi Yi is super charming!!! Super handsome!!! So good-looking!!!! Aaaaaaa (groundhog screech)】

【Say no more—girl above, share the pics!!】

【Groveling for pics!!!!!!!】

As his stream’s popularity grew, more local fans and tourists in A City started visiting the shop. They would often post on Weibo or in the livestream comments, showing off or praising him—Su Yiran got a bit shy from all the attention.

Many visitors had asked for pictures of him, but since he never showed his face during livestreams, most fans were respectful and refrained from posting any photos online. If anyone did upload a pic, other fans would quickly message or comment asking them to delete it—and they always did.

It wasn’t like Su Yiran was intentionally hiding his face; it was just that he focused his dessert livestreams on the desserts themselves. That’s where the camera should be—on the food and on teaching.

Not looking further into the later comments, he closed Weibo and started his livestream.

Because of yesterday’s wood carving viral moment, lots of new curious onlookers had wandered into his livestream room. Coupled with his growing fan base, the number of followers had now surpassed two million.

Many viewers were intrigued by the dessert names listed:

【Is Soy Milk Box Cake made with straight-up soy milk? I’ve never had this combo before. Curious!】

【Dirty Bun? Sounds like a cursed creation 😂】

【Cream + Lemon + Cheesecake sounds odd but fresh. Yi Yi’s so creative!】

【I finally succeeded making the Rainbow Soy Pastry from the last stream! It’s insanely delicious! Doing a happy twirl~】

Su Yiran spotted one comment and clarified: these first three desserts weren’t his original creations—they were from “Master Hua.” Only the Rainbow Soy Pastry in this series, and one dessert from the next, were his own innovations.

The livestream went smoothly. He first demonstrated how to make the Fresh Cream Lemon Cheesecake, describing its flavor profile as he worked. He had even prepared a detailed script beforehand to make sure he could describe it in the most mouthwatering way.

Halfway through, to keep his recipe confidential, he stopped demonstrating and just showed the finished product. He also explained that the full recipe would be revealed in a month.

Realistically, even if he didn’t share it, popular recipes would quickly get reverse-engineered by others. But proportions and techniques varied, so the taste wouldn’t always be the same.

The visuals made everyone drool. Viewers who had already tried it bragged in the comments, drawing waves of envy.

He then moved on to the Soy Milk Box Cake, explaining as he worked:

“When you pour in the soy milk, don’t dump it all at once. Add it in 3 to 5 batches, based on the amount.”

“When mixing the egg yolks, low-gluten flour, and soy milk, stir until there are absolutely no lumps. That way, the soy milk and roasted soybean flour blend perfectly, and you get a rich, creamy mouthfeel.”

“This one’s an old-school flavor. It might remind you of retro sponge cakes. It’s very nostalgic—hope you all enjoy it.”

He kept an eye on the comments while explaining:

【Yi Yi’s voice feels even gentler today. It’s making my heart melt QAQ】

【So it’s made with soy milk and roasted soybean flour? That combo sounds smooth and rich. I want to try!】

【I don’t care about anything—I’m just here to gawk at the rich guy.】

【Why does it feel like Yi Yi’s mood is a bit low today? I feel strangely sad.】

【What does “nostalgic style” even taste like? Can food have a “style”??】

【Once again, I’m hopelessly addicted to Yi Yi’s voice today.】

【Say what you want—rich guy is boss!】

【It’s real! I’ve tried it!!! Can’t describe it exactly, but it’s so unique—you’ll know when you taste it.】

【Why do I want to hug Yi Yi and gently pat his head QAQ】

【How do you control the heat when roasting soybean flour?】

Su Yiran was surprised at how observant his fans were—they even noticed his low mood, even though he thought he’d masked it well.

He took a moment to adjust, then kept answering questions while demonstrating. Just like before, he stopped halfway and showed the finished Soy Milk Box Cake.

He then made the Rainbow Soy Pastry again. He had taught this before, but since each livestream should feature one full recipe, he used a different method this time.

Lastly, he introduced the Dirty Bun:

“As the main item in our next feature dessert series, the ‘Dirty Series,’ the Dirty Bun lives up to its name. It looks dirty, feels dirty, and you’ll be dirty after eating it—but it’s so. dang. good…”

The viewers had mixed reactions—some intrigued by the novelty, some blindly loyal and sure it would taste great, others skeptical, others curious, others analyzing ingredients and steps seriously, and still others who thought it actually sounded delicious.

Since it was a teaser, Su Yiran only demonstrated about a quarter of the process and withheld a few ingredients, then stopped. He showed the completed Dirty Bun—it did look messy—and successfully piqued everyone’s curiosity. The chat exploded with discussions.

Seeing the great response, Su Yiran relaxed a little. Although the Soy Milk Box Cake and Dirty Bun had gone viral in his previous life, he wasn’t confident he could recreate that success on his own here. His current goal was simply to make them a moderate hit and spread them to more dessert lovers.

With the livestream exceeding expectations, it was time to roll out his marketing campaign.

He had signed the official contract with the marketing company yesterday, and that evening, after finishing up at the shop, he contacted the campaign manager.

—

In Country D.

After getting off the plane, Gu Yuanting felt a sudden, inexplicable emptiness in his chest.

But his busy schedule quickly made him forget the feeling that lasted barely a second.

This time, he wasn’t like in his previous life—someone picked up from the trash and then thrown back into a corner like garbage. Now, he was openly, ceremoniously brought back with high honors.

He had a whirlwind afternoon and evening full of socializing, masks, power plays, smiles with daggers behind them, undercurrents, and silent wars. He was in his element. This had always been his life—his everyday normal.

It wasn’t until deep into the night that his first day of madness ended.

Just like in his past life, he returned to his room alone. Loosened his tie, removed his coat, showered, didn’t bother drying his hair, sat in the cold wind, drank strong liquor, perched at the window, and stared out at the night.

The lights were off—just like he always preferred.

In the utter silence and darkness, he sat alone, sipping his drink. The liquor burned its way down his throat, esophagus, and stomach—a sharp, corrosive pleasure.

The room was large and discreetly luxurious. In his previous life, it had taken him ten years to earn the right to live here.

Later, he was the only one left in the main residence. He got used to it and never moved rooms again. Every time he returned, he stayed right here.

So he should be used to it.

Used to this feeling—being alone, sitting in a vast, dark emptiness, watching the darkness.

He shouldn’t be feeling this sudden, crushing hollowness in the center of his heart, like something had gone missing.

---

Author’s Note:
(Mini Theater) 

Ting: sobbing in the storm!!!! I miss Ranran so much!!!!!!! 🥲🥲🥲