After the apprenticeship banquet, Su Yan went to Tsinghua University to study every day, leaving in the morning and returning around ten o'clock.

In less than a month, she lost a lot of weight, and her dark circles under her eyes became more pronounced.

Li Juan felt extremely sorry for her, so in order to reduce her burden, she directly bought a small three-bedroom apartment in a community near Tsinghua University.

So, Su Yan moved from the courtyard house to the small third room.

On Chinese New Year's Day, she only went home for a meal before returning to Tsinghua University to continue studying under Professor He, while also preparing for the grade skipping exam after the start of the semester.

She has to skip directly to the end of her senior year, so after the semester starts, she will directly take the senior year final exam. If she passes, she can graduate directly and then start her postgraduate studies.

Her two mentors have already decided on the university she will attend for graduate studies: Beijing Medical University.

In fact, given her status as a disciple of both Master Jue and Master He, Beijing Medical University had already indicated that they didn't need to look at her grades and she could directly pursue a master's degree.

But Master Jue refused, saying that the procedure should be followed as it should be.

If Su Yan hadn't gotten in through her own merit, and if this got out, everyone would think that everything she achieved was thanks to her two masters, thus ignoring her own excellence. Elder Jue would certainly not allow such a thing to happen.

Aside from going home for Chinese New Year and having one meal there, Su Yan stayed at Tsinghua University until the start of the semester to go back and take the exams.

The principal took this graduation exam very seriously and assigned six teachers to proctor it.

Su Yan had been studying diligently throughout the winter break and made rapid progress. This test was very easy for her, and she finished both tests in less than an hour and handed them in.

She shoved the object into Director Zhong's hand and hurriedly left the examination room before he could say anything.

Director Zhong glanced at the exam paper, which was filled with writing, then looked up in the direction she had left, and stammered, "Incredible..."

Unaware that she had once again sparked a discussion among the teachers, Su Yan headed straight for the dessert shop after leaving the exam hall.

Bai Meng, Deng Ziyi, Chen Ting, and Qiu Xiaorou all work at the dessert shop.

All she did in Beijing was study. Qiu Xiaoting had nothing to do while she was with her, so she let her stay at the dessert shop to help out. Now, Bai Meng plans to train Qiu Xiaoting and open a branch in another district for her to manage, since she is someone Su Yan trusts, and they trust her too.

The dessert shop has a much wider variety of options, and as always, there's a long queue outside.

Su Yan came in, washed her hands, and helped pack the food. "Four matcha egg tarts and one pineapple bun, right? Okay, let me pack them for you now..."

Her voice rang out, and the people next to her, who had been so busy that they hadn't noticed her arrival, suddenly looked up and stared at her.

"Ayan?" Bai Meng asked uncertainly.

Su Yan glanced at her briefly and laughed, "What? You don't recognize me anymore? That won't do. Once I go to Beijing, who knows how long it will be before we see each other again? Won't you all not recognize me then?"

Deng Ziyi realized what was happening and quickly said, "You didn't tell us when you were arriving at school. Weren't you a bit startled by your sudden appearance?"

Su Yan doesn't bring her phone when she's studying, so she misses a lot of calls. Sometimes, when she misses important calls, someone calls Jue Lao directly.

For example, Cai Minjun and Jiang Jingxing.

Sometimes, when she was listening intently, Old Man Jue would suddenly shove a phone into her hand and say with a displeased look, "It's for you."

Su Yan still can't help but laugh when she thinks about that scene.

"I came to find you right after I finished my exams." She said, "Take care of your work first, and we can sit down and chat when you're done."

The dessert shop is busy from opening until noon every day, and the long queue finally stops at the door around 1 p.m.

One of the shop's employees brought back lunch, and the group went to the break room to eat.

As soon as she entered, Bai Meng couldn't wait to ask, "Ayan, are you really graduating?"

Su Yan nodded. "Once the results come out and there are no problems, I'll go back to Beijing after I get my diploma, so I won't be staying here for long."

Deng Ziyi said reluctantly, "We've already spent too little time together. Now that you're going to Beijing, we'll have even less time to meet."

Su Yan didn't suggest that they come to Beijing to find her, because even if they did, she might not have time to play with them, and it would be a hassle for them to make the trip.

"I'll come find you when I have time."

Chen Ting said, "We must keep in touch often in the future."

"You're talking nonsense. Ayan has a share in the dessert shop, so of course we should keep in touch," Bai Meng said.

Su Yan asked, "Chen Ting, how are things going at home?"

When the topic came up, Chen Ting's face turned cold. "After I escaped, my mother threatened to kill herself at home. She said that if I didn't marry her, she would kill herself in front of me. I refused, and she said all sorts of nasty things."

She said I could go back if I didn't want to, but I had to give her 5,000 yuan. After that, we would no longer be mother and daughter. I took the money, went back, and had the village chief witness. She wrote a letter severing our mother-daughter relationship, and I moved my household registration. I gave her the 5,000 yuan.

Deng Ziyi said angrily, "Your mother is a terrible person! When you first started school, you sent most of your school stipend home every month. It's so hard to get into university! Your mother actually made you give up your studies and marry that kind of man for a few hundred yuan dowry! I spit on her!"

At first, Chen Ting would feel sad and shed tears, lamenting her bad luck, but not anymore. She has an income and good friends, and she is not lonely at all.

"It's good that you can make decisions quickly," Su Yan said. "Being able to cut your losses in time means that even God is on your side."

Chen Ting smiled bitterly, "You are my God. If it weren't for what you said to me that day, I wouldn't have been able to figure it out so quickly."

"Let's skip the formalities. I'd like to ask what your plans are after graduation?"

Deng Ziyi immediately raised her hand, "I don't want to do professional work anymore. I'll come and manage our dessert shop after I graduate."

Bai Meng also raised her hand, "Me too. Rather than earning just over a hundred yuan at the hospital, I'd rather open more branches."

Now, many people in the neighborhood have figured out the variety of desserts they sell, including some weird and unusual flavors. Not only are they expensive, but they also taste terrible, which has led to the closure of many dessert vendors.

Some people wanted to pay them to make the recipes, but they were all turned down.

“Then I’ll go with you,” Chen Ting said.

Bai Meng thought for a moment and then asked, "Ayan, do you have any ideas for the long-term development of the dessert shop?"

She has a talent for making desserts, but she's really clueless when it comes to running a business.

Su Yan had already thought about this problem.

"You should open a branch in each district and train some capable people to manage it. But remember, never use people with impure intentions. Also, you can't be careless about the taste; you must strictly follow the proportions."

Taste and price are the most important factors in ensuring repeat customers.