Today was the tasting event for Su Yiran’s Dirty Bun at his dessert shop.

A week had passed, and for Su Yiran, it had been a whirlwind of activity.

First, he hired four new full-time employees and a few college students as part-time staff. He scheduled them according to their availability, ensuring there was always someone helping out in the morning, afternoon, and evening shifts.

Two of the new employees had prior experience in dessert shops. With solid foundational skills and the ability to make several popular desserts, they were assigned to the back kitchen with veteran staff member Zhang Xiaohong, working alongside Su Yiran on desserts. The other two new hires worked at the front counter along with the part-time staff.

Over the past few days, as the shop’s marketing gained traction—and thanks to the solid quality of the desserts—Yi Ting Desserts began attracting more and more customers from within the city.

With this positive cycle, as the customer base grew, so did the shop’s reputation. Many customers even became spontaneous brand advocates, recommending the shop to others on their own accord.

In just a few days, Yi Ting Desserts had become widely known throughout City A, especially for its line of specialty desserts, which were receiving rave reviews. Business picked up quickly.

Even passersby who weren’t particularly into desserts couldn’t help but notice the crowd gathered in the store, with a long line stretching in front of the counter. Driven by curiosity and a bit of herd mentality, they joined the line to see what the hype was all about.

On Sunday, the line extended outside the store and even reached the intersection nearby.

The scene was so striking that it appeared in the next day’s local newspaper and even made it into the city’s top ten trending searches online.

This time, the viral moment had nothing to do with marketing—it was entirely user-driven.

Su Yiran was full of energy every day. Not only was he working nonstop on weekends, but he was also swamped on weekdays with no time to spare.

Since Ting-ge wasn’t home, Su Yiran often stayed late at the shop after closing and even streamed live for over an hour before heading back.

The buzz around the Dirty Bun continued to build online over the past few days, teasing the appetites of netizens and making them increasingly curious about this odd-sounding dessert.

As soon as the tasting event was announced, it drew immediate attention. Many people, including food bloggers with millions of followers, reposted his announcement on Weibo, tagging him and asking for an invite.

Given how hot the Dirty Bun trend was, a lot of food influencers wanted to ride the wave and attract views. Many passionate dessert lovers were also itching to try it out.

The online buzz was overwhelming. Some influencers even went the “cute” route, acting coy and rolling on the floor to beg for an invite…

In the end, Su Yiran carefully selected 20 influential personalities and extended personal invitations to each of them.

He also hosted a giveaway on Weibo, offering five lucky fans a free invite to the tasting event, with transportation and accommodation fully covered—a way of giving back to his fanbase.

Since City A is a tourist city, winning the giveaway also meant a chance to enjoy a trip. That giveaway post got a ton of shares and brought in another wave of popularity.

In addition to these 25 people, Su Yiran also invited several local media outlets, food critics, and loyal customers.

A couple of days earlier, he had hired an event planner. Yesterday, they worked together to transform the shop into a mini event venue. Today, he woke up early to finish the final touches. The shop closed at 2 PM, and the Dirty Bun tasting event began right on time at 4 PM.

The invited local foodies, bloggers, media representatives, and fans arrived one after another. Although it was officially a Dirty Bun tasting, there were also samplings of the soy milk box desserts and other specialties.

Throughout the event, Su Yiran kept a close eye on everything, not letting himself relax for even a moment.

For most of the staff, it was their first time experiencing such a formal event—with media, cameras, and even interviewers.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, just as planned. By 6 PM, the event had wrapped up successfully. The guests left full and satisfied, many with big smiles.

After everything was done, Su Yiran posted on both his WeChat Moments and Weibo, announcing that the tasting event had been a success. Soon after, the feedback he’d been waiting for began pouring in:

@LittleFairyLovesDesserts
#DirtyBun #YiTingDesserts
I have to say it was delicious!! The moment you bite into it, it’s crisp but not greasy. The chocolate melts in your mouth. It’s called the Dirty Bun for a reason—your hands and face end up covered in cocoa powder. LOL. So fun! Anyway, off to wash up now~
[Photo: face and hands covered in cocoa powder]

@DailyFoodie
#DirtyBun #YiTingDesserts
The initial bite is slightly bitter, but seconds later, the chocolate filling bursts out, filling your whole palate. I’ve never had a sensation like that before. Highly recommend!

@BigWhiteYang
#DirtyBun #YiTingDesserts
TAT TAT TAT OMG I won the giveaway and finally met my beloved @YiTingDesserts!!! Crying tears of joy!! Don’t ask why I’m crying 😭😭😭😭 Also, the Dirty Bun is crazy good. SUPER ULTRA DELICIOUS!!!

@CantGetFat
#DirtyBun #YiTingDesserts
Great texture, a hint of bitterness, not overly sweet. The chocolate inside is just waiting to explode. It really does look “dirty” like mud—fun and unique! But watch the calories, folks. Good thing I don’t gain weight~ 😬

@NoChocolateNoLife
#DirtyBun #YiTingDesserts
Most traditional desserts go for elegance, but this one takes the opposite route—messy and bold, yet absolutely delicious. The filling is rich but not cloying. For someone like me who can’t live without chocolate, this was pure bliss! Off to clean up now too~
[Photo: cocoa-covered hands and face]

The invited guests gave glowing reviews—not just for the Dirty Bun, but also for the soy milk box series and other in-store desserts.

Most of these guests were well-known influencers. A few were infamous for their sharp tongues, so when even they unanimously praised the Dirty Bun, it piqued the curiosity of netizens even more, who flooded the Yi Ting Desserts Weibo page, asking when the product would officially launch.

As more and more people asked about it, the Dirty Bun exploded in popularity online.

Eventually, Su Yiran posted a reply on Weibo:

“December 3rd—Dirty Bun officially goes on sale! 🐰 Due to the time-consuming process of hand-making each bun, including the lengthy lamination process and high labor intensity, this product is limited: only 100 per day. Each person may purchase only once per day, maximum two buns per order. Thank you all for your support! 🐰”

Classic scarcity marketing.

Everyone was stunned. Fans who adored Yiran even detected a hint of mischief behind the cutesy bunny emojis.

This strategy ignited even more online discussion. Within a day, Dirty Bun hit the top of the trending chart.

Yi Ting Desserts’ Dirty Bun—not even officially released—was already a nationwide sensation.

---

D Country. 1 PM.

By now, Xiao Zhu had been in D Country for a week.

In just seven days, he had undergone astonishing growth. He had seen, done, and learned more than he ever expected.

A shocking piece of news had just rocked D Country’s high society:

The prestigious Gu family—established in D Country for over a century—had just welcomed back its long-lost heir. The legitimate firstborn son, kidnapped by a stepmother more than two decades ago, had returned. Upon his comeback, he quickly established dominance and was officially appointed as the heir to the Gu Group.

Xiao Zhu hadn’t expected his wild guess to actually come true.

In the days that followed, he realized just how little he truly knew about President Gu. After witnessing the man’s various maneuvers, Xiao Zhu couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of awe—tinged with fear.

Especially when he noticed that Gu’s original successor—his half-brother—had shown up on the first day… and then vanished completely.

No one mentioned him again. It was as if that “big brother” had never existed at all.

Thinking about the mysterious disappearance of “Young Master Gu,” Xiao Zhu couldn’t help but shudder. No way, right?

Trying to distract himself, he focused on driving and glanced at the rearview mirror.

And then he froze—and exchanged a subtle look with Assistant No. 1, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

Yes. Since arriving in D Country, Xiao Zhu had been demoted from the only assistant to Assistant No. 3. Now he had two superiors ahead of him. Assistant No. 1 was a foreigner who had worked for the Gu family for many years, far more experienced in every way.

But even he looked bewildered by what was happening in the back seat.

Both of them wore complicated expressions.

Xiao Zhu arrived at the destination and stopped the car, but didn’t say anything.

In the back seat, Gu Yuanting sat with furrowed brows, head bowed, carefully knitting a sweater in shades of pink and white. His expression was serious and utterly focused.

Xiao Zhu knew: when the President was knitting, no one was allowed to interrupt.

He was fully, completely immersed.