Chapter 4 cup noodles

The weird feeling in her stomach compelled Lianna to walk into Sheng Global Industries. She was still aching from all the grueling tasks that had been thrown at her yesterday, and today was no different. But right as she reached the executive floor, she knew that something was different. The air seemed heavier now, tense with the anticipation of more challenges to come.

This time, there was no Sophie to greet her, no friendly face to offer solace. The office seemed buxom with activity, people scurrying around with furrowed brows and strained schedules. Lianna squared her back, ready to take whatever was thrown her way from Sheng Rui. Nothing could have prepared her for the barrage of tasks awaiting her.

The moment she stepped into Sheng Rui's office, he looked up from the desk, his expression unreadable. "You're late," he said, though it was barely five minutes past the time she was supposed to arrive.

"I-" She began to apologize, but he cut her off.

"There is no time for any excuses. You have a lot to do today." His voice was gruff, nearly demeaning, as he thrust a tablet in her hand with a list so long her eyes widened. "I need everything on that list completed by the end of the day."

Lianna's eyes blinked. "All of it? Today?

"Is that a problem?" he asked, his cold gaze locking onto hers, daring her to cower in defeat.

She bit back the angry retort and merely shook her head. "No problem, sir."

The tasks ranged from organizing files to scheduling meetings with high-profile clients, orchestrating travel plans, and even proofreading contracts-most requiring several hours of focused attention. Literally every task seemed intentionally time-consuming, designed to stretch her to the breaking point.

But quitting just wasn't an option, not after she had stood her ground the day before. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her fail.

---

The day passed in a blur of frantic activity as Lianna barely had time to breathe running from one end of the office to the other. For every step she took that made her think she was catching up, another email or message would pop up on her tablet, sucking her deep into the bottomless well that was work. Save for a few of the office, most of it had left by 6:00 PM, but Lianna was still at her desk, her eyes burning from staring so long onto the screen.

It wasn't until 9:00 PM that she finally finished the last of her tasks. Getting up, her legs were weak and wobbly; clutching her bag, it was as if she had just run a marathon. She came out of the building into dark, deserted streets, and the exhaustion weighed heavy upon her shoulders. She hadn't eaten since morning, too busy even to think about food.

Her stomach growled, as if reminding her of its existence, and that's when it hit her-she didn't have any food in her house.

---

Lianna entered her apartment, slung her bag onto the couch, and let out a deep sigh. She had been running around so much that she had forgotten to stock her kitchen. Her father's money had managed to cushion her thus far, and the pantry at home was never devoid of anything. But now, staring at the bare cupboards in this small apartment, for the first time in her life, she felt she needed to look after herself.

"Great," she said to herself, pulling out her phone to search for the nearest grocery store.

---

As Lianna wandered down the brightly lit supermarket aisles, she felt a strange sense of disorientation. She had never really paid any mind to prices before, in large measure because she never had to—really at all. Back home, somebody else did the shopping, and the fridge was always stocked with anything and everything she could ever want: lobster, steaks, imported cheeses, and exotic fruits—luxury foods that were basically day-to-day fare in her life.

But standing in front of the fresh meat section now, she was appalled. A single package of steak was more than half of what was in her wallet. Lobster? Forget it. Even just basic groceries seemed expensive, way beyond what she could comfortably afford before her first paycheck arrived.

She wandered the aisles, growing more frustrated by the minute. Everything she was used to eating was so far out of reach. She felt lost, out of place in this world of budgets and limitations. Her father warned her this was going to be tough, but she really had no idea just how little prepared she would be for something as ordinary as grocery shopping.

Finally, she was standing in front of a gaudy, cheap packet-lined shelf. **Cup noodles.**

She looked in amazement. She had never seen anything like that. Were they good enough to eat? So much cheaper, so unassuming-a long way from the seven courses she had grown up with. But with her tummy growling loud in protest, Lianna realized she didn't have much of a choice.

She pulled out a package and took it up to the cashier, staring at it warily. Cup noodles. Was this really her life now?

---

Plopped down at her small kitchen table at home, Lianna stared down at the unfamiliar packet of noodles. Turning it in her hands, she read the instructions with a frown. **Boil water, pour into the cup, and wait for three minutes.** It sounded simple enough, but she had never done anything like this before.

She had vaguely remembered people eating cup noodles on TV. The characters in those scenarios made it look so easy. Perhaps all those hours of binge-watching TV were not a waste after all. Feeling strangely satisfied, she boiled the water and poured it with care into the cup, watching as the noodles softened and transformed before her very eyes.

Three minutes later, she reached for the cup and took a cautious mouthful. The flavor exploded in her mouth-unexpectedly salty, savory, and rich. It was nothing like fine dining to which she was accustomed, but it was. good. Really good, actually.

As she ate, a strange sense of peace settled over her. For the first time in her life, she was eating something without worrying about the rules of etiquette, without the pressure of being perfect. She slurped the noodles, uncaring of how undignified it sounded, and she leaned back in her chair, feeling oddly relaxed.

---

A memory surfaced, unbidden.

Seven years old, sitting at the large, elegant dining table in her family's mansion, she felt crystal chandeliers glinting above them as the servants placed gourmet dish after dish in front of her and her siblings. Lobster bisque, filet mignon, truffle pasta-everything was perfect, but the air was thick with tension.

"Sit up straight, Lianna," her father boomed across the table, and she instantly sat up straight. "Use the proper spoon for the soup. You are holding it wrong."

She looked nervously at her older brother, sipping his soup with just the proper degree of elegance. Her older sister did likewise, their actions mechanical and jerky as if she was taught to eat like a machine.

There were rules at every meal. Use the right utensil, chew with your mouth closed, don't talk unless spoken to. Even just picking up the wrong fork could get one a well-sharp reprimand. Eating was never about pleasure; it was a performance-a display of control and refinement.

Lianna blinked, snapping back into a world where the flavor of cup noodles still lingered on her tongue. She looked down at the empty cup and smiled, a real, small smile that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

For the first time ever, she had eaten something for her own good-without the rules, without the expectations. It wasn't fancy, and it wasn't elegant, but it was hers.

---

She cleaned up the small mess she had made and collapsed onto the couch; exhaustion finally caught up with her. But as she lay there on her back, staring up at the ceiling, a small glimmer of hope began to make its presence known. Maybe she didn't need to live the way she had before. Maybe this struggle was exactly what she needed-a good kick in the right direction to help her grow.

She closed her eyes and let the sleep overtake her, knowing that tomorrow would be just as hard-if not harder. But at least she had made it through today.

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