Master Wen returned on the evening of the second day after the competition started. Once back, she immediately dived into the baking room, busying herself.

She was busy throughout the entire night.

No one knew where she had gone in the past two days.

No one knew what recipe she came up with overnight.

The day of the competition arrived.

Every master in the baking room showcased their best skills, some focusing on the recipe, others on flavor innovation, and some on the presentation...

The pastries were placed in the most prominent spots in the shop, each accompanied by a tasting tray. Bite-sized pieces emitted an enticing aroma from the trays.

They were just waiting for the opening time, waiting for customers to come and taste.

Manager Sun was a fair manager, instructing the clerks to recommend these new products impartially and let customers try them. The key was whose pastry would make the customers want to pay for them.

Tong Huaqiong was invited to the shop by Manager Sun early in the morning.

Tong Huaqiong nodded repeatedly upon seeing the innovative pastries in prominent spots.

It seems fair competition can indeed stimulate creativity.

In the future, Taohua Dessert should host a pastry competition every year to let those with remarkable skills stand out.

Tong Huaqiong pointed at the pastries and asked, "Which ones did Master Wen make?"

Manager Sun gave a wry smile and shook his head.

Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help frowning.

"Master Wen was busy in the baking room all night," Manager Sun whispered to Tong Huaqiong. "But her pastries haven’t been presented yet. I guess they’re not ready."

Busy all night?

That means Master Wen wasn’t willing to be outdone in this competition and spent the whole night preparing.

But is one night enough time?

Tong Huaqiong found it hard to believe that Master Wen wasn’t ready and had a feeling she was preparing some big move.

Manager Sun had a different thought. He believed Master Wen’s last-minute effort was destined to fail.

But that might be for the best, saving him the trouble of handling any dissatisfaction if she became the head of the baking room, where others might not respect her.

He secretly hoped Master Ji would win; even if there was some dissatisfaction, it would be a minority, and he wouldn’t have to exert effort to stabilize the baking room’s morale.

Tong Huaqiong suddenly heard a commotion from the back.

Tong Huaqiong turned around and saw Master Wen pushing a trolley with pastries.

Seeing Tong Huaqiong and Manager Sun, Master Wen greeted, "Owner. Manager Sun." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Tong Huaqiong’s gaze fell on the trolley, where pastries were meticulously wrapped in packaging paper, obscuring their identity.

Distinctive labels on the packaging read "Gu Champion Scholar Green Bean Cake," "Lu Huaiyuan Chestnut Puff," "Lu Zhuangyuan Hibiscus Cake," "Su Pingting Butterfly Cookies," and so on.

Apart from the Butterfly Cookies, things like Green Bean Cake and Chestnut Puff were very common, but when associated with a name like Champion Scholar or Huaiyuan, their value skyrocketed.

Gu Champion Scholar and Lu Huaiyuan—that’s the recently renowned Gu Jingzhe and Lu Zhaoyang in the city, one a Champion Scholar, the other a Huaiyuan. Which parent doesn’t want their child to achieve great academic success?

As for Su Pingting, she’s the most popular star of the Tianxiang Building in the past six months, causing disputes between Xie Sangongzi and Gu Ruinian with her outstanding talents.

Tong Huaqiong understood then, Master Wen was engaging in a co-branding business.

But whether Lu Zhuangyuan’s Hibiscus Cake would be convincing was uncertain, given that the results of the final imperial examination hadn’t come out, and who knew if Lu Zhuangyuan was indeed Lu Zhaoyang.

"Wang San, could you help me place these pastries on the counter?" Master Wen said to a thick-browed, big-eyed clerk.

Master Wen initially wanted to explain a few things to Tong Huaqiong and Manager Sun, but she had other matters and hurried to the back of the shop.

The clerk named Wang San placed Master Wen’s pastries on a separate counter.

"Wang San, lend a hand," Master Wen called out.

Tong Huaqiong looked over and saw Master Wen rushing back with a pile of items.

Wang San took the items from Master Wen’s hands.

Tong Huaqiong picked one up and saw plaques inscribed with "Gu Champion Scholar Green Bean Cake," "Lu Huaiyuan Chestnut Puff," "Su Pingting Butterfly Cookies,"...

In small letters, the origin of each pastry was described.

Tong Huaqiong couldn’t help but laugh. While she didn’t know about the others, she did know that her own son loved green bean cakes, eating a couple every time he stayed up late reading.

Gu Champion Scholar’s Green Bean Cake was indeed convincing.

What surprised Tong Huaqiong was that Master Wen could persuade Gu Jingzhe to help write the plaques and draft the copy.

A glance at the beautiful handwriting told Tong Huaqiong it was Gu Jingzhe’s.

Once the pastries and plaques were set up,

Master Wen arranged for notebooks and pens, then asked Manager Sun to lend her a clerk who could write.

Manager Sun was curious about what Master Wen was up to, and with Tong Huaqiong there, he casually pointed to Wang San and said, "You’re working with Master Wen today."

Tong Huaqiong saw Master Wen’s intention and asked, "Are you planning to personally promote the pastries next?"

Master Wen smiled and nodded.

No wonder she asked Gu Taohua whether attracting customers always relied on the taste of the pastries.

Turns out she planned to start with marketing.

It must be said, Master Wen had shifted from being just a pastry chef to considering issues from a shopkeeper’s standpoint.

What’s the purpose of developing pastry recipes?

Isn’t it to sell them?

Tong Huaqiong asked, "So what do you plan to do with the paper and pen?"

Master Wen said, "An activity, Owner, you’ll see shortly."

Tong Huaqiong laughed, eager to see how much of a splash Master Wen could make.

Soon, Taohua Dessert began its day’s business.

The clerks were fully prepared.

Master Wen began to promote.

"The green bean cake loved by Gu Champion Scholar, eating it will help you become a top scorer..."

"Come and try Lu Huaiyuan’s chestnut puff."

"The Butterfly Cookies loved by Tianxiang Building’s Su Pingting are sweet and fragrant."

A more significant activity followed, Master Wen introduced a game to guess whether Lu Zhaoyang could win the Champion Scholar title in the final imperial examination.

Any customer who bought a piece of Lu Zhuangyuan Hibiscus Cake could register. If Lu Zhaoyang won the top Place Scholar, those registered could enjoy a 20% discount on any pastry from the shop, and with their voucher, they could also receive a free piece of scented soap or a box of rouge from the Lu Family’s cosmetic shop.

This announcement brought a crowd rushing to buy the Lu Zhuangyuan Hibiscus Cake.

Many students from Wanliu Academy in the crowd were shouting that Brother Lu would surely become the top Place Scholar this year.

Tong Huaqiong exclaimed in amazement.

No wonder Master Wen was nowhere to be seen these past two days. She had been busy planning a marketing event.

To think she collaborated with Lu Zhaozhao, leveraging Lu Zhaoyang’s final examination to create a marketing campaign. If Lu Zhaoyang really became the Champion Scholar, they’d likely give more than just rouge and soap; Lu Zhaozhao would be willing to give even more.

Moreover, she managed to involve Wanliu Academy’s students, getting them to participate in this promotional event.

Tong Huaqiong almost immediately decided on the head of the baking room.

More than that, Master Wen’s talents meant she could even manage a branch store as a shopkeeper.

Gu Taohua joyfully said, "Mom, not only does Master Wen make good pastries, but she also thinks of great selling ideas. She even thought of using Brother San and Brother Zhaoyang as gimmicks."

Tong Huaqiong replied, "Indeed."

Master Wen’s pastries soon sold out entirely.

Especially the Lu Zhuangyuan Hibiscus Cake was in high demand.

In response to strong customer demand, Gu Taohua personally informed Lu Zhaozhao and got fifty more Hibiscus Cakes to include in the promotion.

"Master Wen, how did you come up with such a trick?" Tong Huaqiong asked after closing.

Master Wen, a bit embarrassed, said, "I was inspired by you, Owner."