Qiu Yingying is reborn and bound to a learning system.

Ever since her studies were interrupted by Qu Xiaoxiao's party that night, Qiu Yingying has put in a lot more effort and fixed her daily study time at ten hours.

The system's intelligence pills were constantly being replenished; she could collect two or three every few days by checking in. She counted the days, took the pills, and when she opened her personal panel, seeing her intelligence score of 14, she couldn't help but smile—she was almost at the maximum of 20. These 14 intelligence points completely freed her from the embarrassment of struggling to come up with a creative idea when faced with a GG proposal; those obscure marketing theories and difficult customer needs analyses could now be grasped at a glance; even modifying the wording in GG copy and adjusting the details of poster layout could accurately hit the customer's preferences. The system's virtual learning room seemed to isolate her from all external distractions; her focus had recently been maximized. She had also started studying GG courses, simulating proposals and polishing GG scripts there, her efficiency more than double that of sitting at her desk.

During the day at work, Qiu Yingying has undergone a complete transformation. Previously, when faced with clients' demanding revisions to GG plans, she would frantically search through case studies and find supporting data. Now, she can respond clearly and logically, even offering better creative directions based on her feedback. When coordinating with the design department to adjust GG materials, she can accurately convey requirements, saving the trouble of repeated communication. Several GG promotion projects she handled achieved conversion rates far exceeding expectations, prompting even her department manager to specifically praise her at the meeting: "Qiu's progress is truly remarkable, a complete transformation!"

According to company regulations, new employees need a six-month probationary period before they can be officially hired. However, Qiu Yingying received her official hiring notice in the fourth month thanks to her outstanding performance.

When the HR handed her the contract for permanent employment, Qiu Yingying looked at the salary terms—a base salary of 8000 yuan and a performance bonus starting at 2000 yuan—and was so excited she almost gripped her pen tightly. In the GG industry, there's no cap on performance bonuses, meaning that as long as she continued to work hard, her income could rise even further.

She walked out of the HR department, unable to resist taking out her phone to immediately share the good news with Guan Juer and Fan Shengmei. Her steps were so light she felt like she could fly. A boost of 14 points in intelligence, coupled with her daily hard work, finally allowed her to shed her past naivety and recklessness, and firmly establish herself in the gay industry.

With her work going smoothly, Qiu Yingying's side business as a food blogger is also thriving.

She no longer just shares simple home-cooked dishes, but instead digs out the Chinese pastry recipes she learned from the system and learns to make osmanthus cake, mung bean pastry, and peach blossom pastry. She makes those pastries delicate and petite; the osmanthus cake is sprinkled with golden dried osmanthus flowers, the mung bean pastry is flaky and melts in your mouth, and the peach blossom pastry is shaped like real peach blossoms blooming on a plate.

Qiu Yingying posted photos of the making process and finished products of these pastries on Weibo, along with delicate and down-to-earth captions: "Springtime is the perfect time to eat sweet peach blossom pastries. They're so pink and tender, every bite is pure bliss~"

In 2016, Weibo was booming. Without the impact of short videos, text and image content was especially popular. Her follower count soared, quickly surpassing 2.2. Her videos on Kuaishou had already exceeded 3 followers, and the comment section was full of messages urging her to post more. Some asked for recipes, some praised her skillful hands, and some even said they could smell the aroma through the screen.

Sometimes, when working late into the night, Qiu Yingying would take some time to bake a batch of cookies, take photos, and post them on Weibo. Looking at the heartwarming comments from her fans and the ever-growing savings in her account, she felt that life was like those Chinese pastries—soft, sweet, and full of hope.

Qiu Yingying's Chinese pastries are becoming more and more exquisite. Every time they come out of the oven, she always divides them into several portions.

Fan Shengmei and Guan Juer were the most frequently fed. As soon as the peach blossom pastries and mung bean cakes came out of the oven, Qiu Yingying rushed into the living room with a plate: "Sister Fan! Guan Guan! Come and try these freshly made ones, they're still hot!" Fan Shengmei bit into the crumbly pastry, praising her skillful hands repeatedly while asking for the recipe. Guan Juer, on the other hand, liked to hold a piece of osmanthus cake and eat it in small bites, saying that the taste was just like the pastries her grandmother used to make when she was a child.

Qiu Yingying didn't forget her neighbors either, occasionally knocking on the door of 2203 with a box of pastries. Qu Xiaoxiao would say, "You're such a busybody," but her hands would honestly take the pastries, and after tasting one, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow: "Wow, Qiu Yingying, your skills are pretty good. They're even better than the ones sold in dessert shops outside."

As for Andy, Qiu Yingying was especially concerned about her. Knowing that Andy had been living abroad for many years and rarely had the chance to eat authentic Chinese pastries, Qiu Yingying would always make a point of sending her some low-sugar and low-oil options—soft and glutinous red bean cakes, sweet lotus seed pastries, and matcha mochi with a subtle tea aroma.

When Andy first tasted Qiu Yingying's pastries, her eyes lit up. The sweet and refreshing flavors were the taste of home she had longed for countless times in the dead of night while working on Wall Street. From then on, she never mentioned moving again, and would even occasionally ask Qiu Yingying, "Next time you make pastries, could you make an extra batch?" She also often brought some to share with everyone.

That day, Tan Zongming called her and talked about moving to a different house. Andy refused outright: "I'm not moving. I'm fine living here."

Tan Zongming was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly, "I thought something had made you change your mind, but it turns out you were captivated by the delicious food. Who would have thought that even an elite like us from Wall Street could fall for a peach blossom pastry?"

Andy held his phone, looking at the mung bean cakes Qiu Yingying had just brought over. A smile unconsciously curved his lips. He didn't refute her, only saying lightly, "The taste is indeed quite good."

The warmth and life in the hallway gradually warmed her heart.