The supermarket staff worked quickly and efficiently. They pushed a few shopping carts and helped Celine move all the items to her seven-seater van.
Even though the van was spacious, facing such a mountain of supplies made it feel cramped and overloaded.
The staff had to put in quite a bit of effort to "squeeze" everything inside.
The folded-down back seats, the empty space under the front passenger seat, the trunk—
Aside from the driver's seat, the entire vehicle was stuffed full. It was so packed that not even the smallest gap could be found.
"Phew… finally done," said a young staff member, wiping sweat off his forehead. He smiled at Celine.
"Miss, you really bought a lot of stuff!"
Celine smiled and thanked him.
She closed the car door and looked at the fully loaded van. At that moment, she felt very thankful that she had spent a little extra to rent a seven-seater.
But the very next second, she felt a bit annoyed. She should've just rented a small cargo van!
That would've made loading easier. And when she returned to her rental place in a couple of days to pack up her and Lorenzo's "leftover items," she could carry everything in one trip and save herself some trouble.
Once this thought appeared, it quickly took over her mind like vines growing wildly.
Yes, she should rent a small cargo van!
Celine had always been the type to act quickly. Once the idea came, she grabbed her phone and quickly found the number of the car rental company she had used before.
The call connected, and she spoke clearly and directly.
"Hello, this is Celine. I rented a seven-seater van from you earlier."
"I'd like to rent another vehicle—a small box-type van, the kind that's good for moving goods."
She gave the address of her current rental house, confirmed the time for them to deliver the vehicle, and arranged for both vehicles to be returned together in a few days.
Once everything was set, she hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and started the van.
She turned on the GPS, avoided the main roads, made several turns, and finally drove into a quiet alley that didn't even show clearly on the map.
She looked around carefully.
No surveillance cameras.
No people passing by.
She turned off the engine.
The next second, she focused her thoughts.
The whole truckload of supplies vanished into thin air, as if it had never been there. Celine had moved everything into her space.
The previously packed truck was now empty and spacious.
She glanced at the time on her phone. There was still a while before the rental company would deliver the small truck to the guesthouse.
She didn't want to waste any time.
Celine turned the steering wheel and headed to the largest local wholesale farmers' market.
With the convenience of her space, she could shop as much as she wanted without worrying about carrying everything.
This time, she focused on more basic and bulk supplies.
First, she found a steamed bun shop and placed an order for over a thousand plain white buns, arranged to pick them up the next afternoon.
Next was large barrels of purified water. Celine went straight to a water supply station and made another bulk purchase.
Finally, she bought fresh fruit.
Apples, bananas, oranges... She grabbed whatever she saw, packing dozens of large boxes full of fruit.
To avoid drawing attention, she made three separate trips into the market.
Each time, she acted like a regular small-scale buyer, quietly moving the buns, water barrels, and fruit into her space without anyone noticing.
After finishing everything, Celine looked at the supplies now stored in her space and felt satisfied. Then she drove back to the guesthouse.
On the way, her phone rang.
It was Shenan calling. Celine answered.
"Hello, big brother."
"Celine," Shenan's voice sounded relaxed, "I got in touch with Mateo. He said the team approved his leave, and he'll be here tonight."
Mateo, her fourth brother.
Celine's heart stirred.
In her past life, Mateo had ended up in prison…