Qiu Yingying is reborn and bound to a learning system.

When a person achieves a certain level of success, their mind becomes increasingly calm, and gossip and rumors become insignificant. --- Qiu Yingying

"What are you looking at, laughing so happily?" Meng Yanchen's voice came from the doorway, carrying the slightly cool air of someone who had just returned from outside.

He was carrying an insulated bag and went straight to the kitchen as soon as he entered the door. "I just passed by your favorite dessert shop and bought some double-skin milk pudding."

Qiu Yingying looked up at him and handed him her phone: "We've surpassed 130 million followers, and the second episode gained 20." Her tone was a mix of excitement and a sense of grounded certainty.

Meng Yanchen took the phone, quickly glanced at the comments section, and the smile on his lips softened considerably: "You're so good, you deserve it."

He placed the insulated bag on the dining table, and when he opened it, a rich aroma of milk wafted out. "I watched this episode, and the judges said that the addition of dried tangerine peel was ingenious and truly a brilliant touch."

"I just wanted to try adding something new to the traditional recipe, and I didn't expect everyone to like it so much." Qiu Yingying walked to the dining table, sat down, picked up a spoon and scooped up a mouthful of double-skin milk. The sweet but not greasy taste melted on her tongue, and she felt warm inside.

She recalled Zhou Jianjun's rare affirmation during the recording of the second episode, as well as the subtle change in Li Man and Zhou Hang's attitudes, and suddenly felt that all her perseverance had been meaningful.

After finishing their dessert, Meng Yanchen had to return to the company to handle some urgent business, so Qiu Yingying escorted him to the underground parking garage. The garage was quiet at night, with only motion-sensor lights turning on with each step, casting a dim, yellowish glow over the two of them.

Meng Yanchen turned around to say goodbye, but Qiu Yingying gently pulled his hand.

"Be careful on the road." Qiu Yingying looked up at him, her eyes sparkling in the lamplight.

Meng Yanchen's heart softened suddenly. He leaned closer to her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Qiu Yingying's eyes widened slightly, then she relaxed, raised her arms to hug his neck, and stood on tiptoe to return his kiss.

The kiss was light, yet it carried an unspoken understanding and tenderness between them.

Neither of them noticed that at the garage entrance, paparazzi Lao Zhang, who had just finished a long day's work, was dragging his tired steps past. He was carrying a camera and just wanted to get home and rest quickly, but he inadvertently caught a glimpse of this scene.

With his professional instincts kicking in, Lao Zhang instinctively raised his camera and pressed the shutter. He didn't recognize the two people at all, only thinking that the intimate scene in the garage late at night might fetch a good price. He never expected that his casual snapshot would capture the recently popular food blogger and the rising star of the business world.

Meanwhile, in the Meng family's old house, Fu Wenying was watching a rerun of "A Bite of China" on her tablet. Ever since she stumbled upon the "Yingying Loves to Eat" account, she had become a loyal fan of food, learning to cook home-style dishes every night by following the videos. She especially loved Qiu Yingying's gentle narration and clean, efficient cooking techniques.

She was unaware that the food blogger she raved about was actually her son's girlfriend, Qiu Yingying. She only found out recently after watching a TV program.

"Old Meng, come quick!" Fu Wenying called out to Meng Huaijin, her voice brimming with excitement. "Qiu Yingying's Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is so authentic! She even added dried tangerine peel for extra flavor. It's so much more innovative than anything I've had before!"

Meng Huaijin put down the newspaper in his hand, walked over, and glanced at the tablet: "Really good, to have such skills at such a young age."

Fu Wenying's eyes lit up. "Do you remember that food blogger I told you about before? She has a gentle voice and her cooking is incredibly meticulous. I've tried making cola chicken wings following her recipes several times, and they've always tasted amazing." She clicked on the account she was following, and there it was—"Yingying Loves to Eat," with over 130 million followers. "Look, it's her! So Qiu Yingying is this blogger. No wonder her voice sounded so familiar!"

Meng Huaijin was taken aback for a moment, then smiled: "In that case, it really is fate."

"Absolutely!" Fu Wenying became happier the more she thought about it. "I knew this girl was pleasing to the eye. She's pretty, independent, and strong. A young girl like her is doing so well in Shanghai on her own, and she seems very mature. I never imagined she would be the blogger I've always liked. This girl and our Meng family are truly destined for each other!" She picked up her phone and couldn't help but send a message to Meng Yanchen: "Yanchen, tell Yingying that I really like her videos and I'm a fan. Please bring her over for dinner sometime."

When Meng Yanchen received the message from his mother, he had just finished dealing with company matters. He couldn't help but laugh when he saw the message. He had known for a long time that his mother was a fan of "Yingying Loves to Eat," but he had never had the chance to say it out loud. He didn't expect his mother to find out on her own and be so happy.

He replied, "Okay, I'll tell her," thinking to himself that it was time to find an opportunity to take Yingying back to the old house for dinner.

The next morning, Qiu Yingying was woken up by her phone vibrating. She groggily picked it up, and the news notifications that popped up on the screen instantly snapped her awake. Messages from her friends had also arrived.

#New Internet Celebrity Qiu Yingying is Keeping a Sugar Daddy# #Yingying Loves to Eat and Her Character is Worrying# These two hashtags prominently occupy the top of the trending search list, followed by the glaring word "Explosive".

Clicking into the trending topics, the top post is a set of high-definition photos. The first photo shows her holding hands with Meng Yanchen in a parking garage; her hand is on Meng Yanchen's wrist, in an intimate pose.

The second picture is a close-up of the two kissing, taken at a tricky angle, making it look particularly ambiguous.

The accompanying text was even more sensational: "Newly popular food influencer Qiu Yingying has surpassed one million followers, but her private life is chaotic. She was photographed behaving intimately with a young, handsome man in a parking garage. It's reported that the man has no stable job and is suspected of being kept by Qiu Yingying. There were previous rumors that she rose to fame through financial means; now it seems her private life and character are truly questionable!"

Looking at the photo, Qiu Yingying didn't know whether to be angry or laugh. How did her relationship with Meng Yanchen, from supporting each other to understanding each other, become "keeping a gigolo"?

She casually clicked on the comments section, expecting to be met with a barrage of criticism, but instead, she was greeted with nothing but "reverse actions".

"??? Keeping a gigolo? Isn't this guy Meng Yanchen from the Meng Group? A business tycoon, you know!"

"I can't believe this! Didn't the paparazzi do their homework?"

"Help! If you can't see clearly, don't be a paparazzi! President Meng is someone who single-handedly brought the Meng Group to new heights. You're calling him a gigolo?"

"What a powerful woman Qiu Yingying is like! Her career is thriving, and her boyfriend is a business elite—a perfect match!"

"I was worried that my sister would be bullied, but now it seems like she's the real winner in life, right? 130 million followers + a top-tier boyfriend, I'm so envious!"

"Those who say this woman has bad character are probably just being sarcastic, right? What's wrong with her dating? Holding hands and kissing are normal. Does being an internet celebrity mean you can't have a private life?"

"Suddenly, I find my older sister even more adorable. She's so calm and composed when she's focused on cooking, and so sweet when she's in love. Who wouldn't love this contrast?"

The comments section was filled with joy and harmony, and some netizens even dug up Meng Yanchen's public information, listing everything from his educational background to his business achievements, to "slap the paparazzi in the face."

Some fans joked, "The paparazzi probably just snapped a photo on their way home from get off work, and they didn't even know who the main character was before posting it. I give this reverse publicity a perfect score!" Others shared screenshots of Meng Yanchen visiting the set of the show, saying, "I've always felt that their relationship was special, but I didn't expect it to be this sweet. I support the older sister!"

Qiu Yingying scrolled through the comments and couldn't help but laugh out loud. She had just put her phone down when Meng Yanchen called, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Looking at the trending topics?"

"I saw it," Qiu Yingying said, suppressing a laugh. "I didn't expect you to have the nickname 'pretty boy.' It's quite novel."

Meng Yanchen chuckled softly on the other end of the phone: "It's just that some people are so likable that even paparazzi passing by on their way home from get off work couldn't resist taking pictures." He paused, his tone becoming serious, "Should I have the PR department handle it?"

"No need," Qiu Yingying thought for a moment. "Everyone can see it clearly, there's no need to make a fuss. Besides, this trending topic might even help me gain some followers."

"I saw it," Meng Yanchen said with a smile. "My mother is also very happy, saying that you and I are destined to meet. How about I take you back to the old house for dinner this weekend, so she can fulfill her wish to meet her idol?"

Qiu Yingying felt a warmth in her heart and smiled as she agreed, "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Qiu Yingying checked her account backend again. Sure enough, as netizens had said, her follower count was still rising, approaching 135 million. In addition to comforting and teasing messages from fans, her private messages also contained numerous collaboration offers from brands, more than double the number before.

She casually replied to a few fan comments, sorted out the collaboration invitations, and then turned her attention to preparing the next recipe. She was a bit busy and needed to find an assistant to help her handle business collaborations.

Around noon, the trending topics gradually subsided, but the hashtags #QiuYingying'sPowerfulWomanDemeanor# and #MengYanchenPrettyBoy# were still hanging at the bottom of the trending list, becoming a source of amusement for netizens.

Media outlets attempted to contact Qiu Yingying and Meng Yanchen for verification, but both chose not to respond. This calm and composed attitude, in turn, won over more people who had previously been indifferent to Qiu Yingying.

Back at the Meng family's old residence, Fu Wenying also saw the trending topic and was furious: "These media outlets are talking complete nonsense! What 'keeping a gigolo'? Don't they know who Yan Chen is?"

She turned to Meng Huaijin and said, "I think Yingying has a really good temper. If it were anyone else, they would have been furious long ago."

Meng Huaijin, however, took it in stride: "Don't take things online too seriously. The comments say the paparazzi just happened to be passing by after get off work and took the picture casually. They probably didn't understand the situation and made a fool of themselves."

In the afternoon, the production team of the show "A Bite of China" also posted a message on their official Weibo account, along with a photo of Qiu Yingying focused on cooking during filming, captioned "Focusing on food, loving life, looking forward to Qiu Yingying's wonderful performance in the future," indirectly showing their support for her. This post immediately garnered support from fans, who left comments such as, "Well done, production team! Supporting sister!" and "Looking forward to the dishes in the next episode, go for it, sister!"

In the evening, Meng Yanchen arrived at Qiu Yingying's residence from the company. As soon as he entered, he saw Qiu Yingying busy in the kitchen, with fresh corn and pork ribs laid out on the cutting board, and a faint aroma filling the air.

"What are you doing?" Meng Yanchen walked over and gently hugged her from behind.

"Corn and pork rib soup," Qiu Yingying glanced back at him, her eyes smiling. "You said you were busy at noon and didn't eat much, so I'm making sure you get some nourishment so people won't say you're a 'kept man' who's not getting enough nutrition."

Meng Yanchen chuckled softly, resting his chin on the top of her head: "Okay, whatever you say." He looked at the neatly cut ribs on the cutting board and couldn't help but sigh, "It's still so comfortable to eat at home."

The two cooked together, dividing the tasks and cooperating in a warm and pleasant atmosphere. The ribs stewed in the clay pot, bubbling and steaming, their aroma gradually spreading throughout the air.

Qiu Yingying leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching Meng Yanchen diligently washing vegetables. Suddenly, she felt that this unexpected trending topic had actually made everything clearer.