The IV drip treatments quickly concluded.
After the last bottle was finished, Liu Chen suddenly felt a sense of lightness in her mind.
With this sensation, Liu Chen tentatively tried to recall the broadcast time of "Empresses in the Palace" in her previous life.
Soon, Liu Chen retrieved key fragments from the scattered memories of her past life.
She had just returned to the factory and was verifying the quantity of new product orders. Sitting in her office, she poured a cup of warm water and took a rest. She saw an intern sales representative next to her was slacking off, watching a TV series.
She originally intended to remind her that as a salesperson, the priority was to familiarize herself with the products and market. However, while hesitating, she found herself captivated by the drama on the tablet.
Seeing the intern sales representative turn off the tablet and prepare to leave for the day, Liu Chen, still a bit engrossed and curious, asked:
"What TV series is this? It seems quite good?"
The university graduate, who had just graduated, heard this and looked as if she had seen a ghost, exclaiming in disbelief, "No way! 'Empresses in the Palace' has been airing since its premiere in 2011 and is still popular today. You've never watched it?"
Recalling this, Liu Chen opened her eyes, and they once again sparkled like stars. She could now think with her brain, and it felt even smoother than before she fell ill!
"What are you so happy about, remembering something?"
Ren Yu's voice came from the bedside. Liu Chen, however, pursed her lips and smiled without a word. She got out of bed. Due to Liu Chen's strong insistence, the underfloor heating temperature for the past two days was not as exaggerated as before, and it felt a little cool after getting out of bed.
Putting on her jacket, Liu Chen rushed to the kitchen first, then cooked two each of the four brands of pork and seafood dumplings she had bought from the refrigerator last time.
When Ren Yu walked to the kitchen door, she saw her Chenchen standing by the stove, a silly grin on her face as she watched the pot full of boiling dumplings.
Sixteen dumplings were packed tightly at the bottom of the pot. When they were cooked, they turned the water surface into a large white mass.
Seeing the whole pot of dumplings, Ren Yu only asked one question:
"Is that enough to eat?"
Liu Chen, who was scooping the dumplings, almost dropped them due to laughter.
"There are sixteen dumplings, how could it not be enough?"
In fact, since she stopped entering the one-on-one tutoring system, Liu Chen's appetite had returned to normal. But in Ren Yu's eyes, it was because Liu Chen's body had not yet recovered, so her appetite was small.
Hearing Liu Chen's words, Ren Yu did not argue. Instead, she quietly cooked a small pot of hot milk. After Liu Chen sat down, she poured the milk into two cups and sat face-to-face with Liu Chen, with a cup of milk in front of each of them.
Ren Yu ate a dumpling with her spoon while writing her thoughts on eating dumplings in a notebook with her right hand.
"Pork and cabbage, the pork content is too low, it tastes like plastic..."
Looking at the cup of milk placed in front of her, she shook her head:
"The milk is sweet. Drinking it will mask the original taste of the dumplings."
After speaking, she continued to eat the next dumpling and record new thoughts.
Ren Yu looked at Liu Chen's serious expression and tentatively asked:
"Do you plan to promote dumplings as your next product?"
Liu Chen had just finished eating a dumpling and nodded upon hearing this.
"After all, it's the fastest-selling among frozen foods..."
Before she could finish, Ren Yu interrupted her.
"You need to learn to conceal your ambition and start by taking small market shares. Otherwise, if you immediately go for the biggest piece of the pie, your previous efforts could easily be overturned."
Liu Chen was stunned by Ren Yu's words.
"I hadn't thought of that. Besides, shouldn't consumers decide market share?
From what you're saying, it sounds like market share has become a colony for a few companies.
And besides, a boss who doesn't want to be number one isn't a good employee. At worst, I'll just deal with whatever moves they make."
Perhaps it was because she could finally think clearly, but Liu Chen's attitude today was particularly assertive.
After saying these words, Liu Chen continued to eat the next dumpling and write her tasting notes.
Hearing Liu Chen's words, Ren Yu's face showed a mix of happiness, relief, and a hint of sigh.
"Steady and solid progress. Your 'Beautiful Brand' will surely secure a position in national supermarket chains within five years. Launching frozen products then would be the most secure plan."
Liu Chen listened to Ren Yu's words without comment and playfully said:
"Oh, don't be so anxious. Look, I'm still in the stage of sampling competitor products, and haven't even seen the first sprout of R&D. Are you worrying a bit too much?"
After saying this, Liu Chen finished writing her tasting notes and then looked up at Ren Yu, who was drinking hot milk opposite her.
Her ballpoint pen twirled between her fingers, Liu Chen narrowed her eyes and looked at Ren Yu opposite her:
"And do you know what you sound like when you speak like that?"
"Hmm?"
"You sound just like Grandpa Chen."
After saying this, Liu Chen ignored Ren Yu's frozen expression, lowered her head, and giggled. Finally, she couldn't help it and laughed so hard that her shoulders began to shake, and the spoon trembled, dropping a dumpling back into the bowl.
"Oh no, I can't stop, hahahaha!!!!"
Ren Yu looked at Liu Chen, who was shaking with laughter, and could only sigh helplessly, waiting for her to return to normal.
After Liu Chen finished laughing and forced down another five dumplings, she pushed the bowl with the remaining ten dumplings towards Ren Yu, her voice a little guilty and aggrieved:
"I can't finish them..."
Ren Yu said nothing. She simply took the spoon from Liu Chen's hand and silently ate the remaining ten dumplings.
While Ren Yu was eating the dumplings, Liu Chen started scrolling through Weibo on her phone. Because of the issue of the 60,000 yuan amount she had previously agreed upon with Ren Yu, Liu Chen had recently been watching Yu Bing successfully transfer funds to those who had already received bonuses multiple times.
And the rumors about herself online had become increasingly outrageous in the past few days. Some claimed she had already married and had children with Ren Yu, and that she only got into Tsinghua University through Ren Yu's connections.
Others said she was meticulously groomed by her mother since childhood to marry into a wealthy family, and even the time of her C-section was predicted by someone, which was why she would have a smooth life.
The remaining rumor versions were basically extensions of these two. Liu Chen's only thought after reading them was:
The gossip I read in those official accounts in my previous life was indeed unreliable. This is too far-fetched!
However outrageous it was, Liu Chen still took screenshots of the Weibo accounts with the most comments and sent them to Ren Yu. Well, they would receive a lawyer's letter as well.
After eating the dumplings, it was a sort of celebration for the end of her illness, as Liu Chen was eager to get back into bed for her one-on-one tutoring session.
This time, she would make up for all the missed tutoring!