Suzy stopped at a small noodle shop nearby and ordered a bowl of beef noodles.
Maybe it was because she was starving, but the noodles tasted exceptionally good.
Especially the pickled vegetables—they suited Suzy's palate perfectly, and refills were free.
Without hesitation, Suzy asked the owner to pack ten servings of beef noodles.
After a moment's thought, she added stir-fried rice noodles and several other types of noodles—ten portions of each.
"Miss, why are you ordering so much?" the shop owner asked in surprise.
The woman was in her early forties, with a gentle, kind demeanor. Seeing Suzy place such a large order all at once, she double-checked the quantity just to be sure.
"I'm bringing food back for people at my company," Suzy replied casually, making something up on the spot.
Realization dawned on the owner. "Ah, I see. Alright—wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."
Suzy paid the bill.
The shop worked quickly, and the portions were generous.
The owner found a large cardboard box and packed everything neatly.
Seeing how much Suzy liked the pickled vegetables, she stuffed several extra bags into the box.
"These are homemade," she said warmly. "Since you like them, take some back with you. Come again next time."
A quiet warmth spread through Suzy's chest.
"Thank you, Auntie. I'll get going then."
She greeted her and bent down to lift the box.
The owner hurriedly stopped her. "It's just you? Didn't your coworkers come?"
Suzy paused, then shook her head.
The owner looked at Suzy's pale face with concern. "Oh dear… that won't do."
Out of caution, Suzy had been wearing a mask ever since moving into the rental apartment.
She'd only taken it off while eating, and hadn't had time to put it back on yet.
One glance at her complexion was enough for the owner to tell she wasn't in good health.
Suzy was slender, with a delicate frame and a pretty yet bloodless face—it tugged painfully at the woman's heart.
"Young lady, don't lift that. Wait here––I'll get my son to help."
She called out loudly, summoning her high-school-aged son.
The young man was tall and broad-shouldered, and he quickly helped Suzy carry the box to her car's trunk.
"Thank you," Suzy said with a smile.
The guy didn't dare look at her directly. He mumbled a quick "no problem," his ears red, and hurried away.
"Take care, miss!" the owner called after her.
After saying goodbye, Suzy drove off toward a milk tea shop.
It was too hot. While eating the noodles, she'd suddenly started craving milk tea.
She ordered one drink for herself.
Then she placed a large order—five cups of each flavor she liked, asking the staff to pack them up.
Altogether, it came to more than thirty cups.
Not an outrageous amount. She was mostly worried the shop might get overwhelmed and make her wait too long.
Otherwise, she would've just ordered one of everything.
According to Suzy's plan, it wasn't time to stockpile milk tea yet. There was no rush.
When she arrived, her order was already packed and ready.
After getting into the car, she immediately stored the boxed milk tea into her space.
Then she picked up the extra cup and took a deep sip.
Every pore in her body seemed to relax at once.
So good.
After running around all day, Suzy sat in the car and rested for a bit.
It was already afternoon, exactly four o'clock.
She picked up her phone and contacted the supermarket suppliers.
The call was answered by a sales manager. Suzy got straight to the point.
She claimed she was preparing to open a supermarket and needed to order a large quantity of supplies.
She explained her needs in detail.
There was a brief silence on the other end before the manager spoke.
"I'm sorry, Miss Kale. All our stock has already been fully booked—including future inventory. We really can't take your order. You might want to check with another supplier."
The call ended.
Suzy frowned. Something felt off, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
She contacted several more suppliers.
Every one of them gave the same answer. All supplies in City A had suddenly been snapped up.
Did that mean she'd really have to stockpile directly from supermarkets?
That would be a huge loss.
Suzy's brows knit tightly together.
Just as she was growing more frustrated, her phone rang.
The caller ID read: Uncle.
Suzy froze for a split second, then quickly answered. "…Uncle!"
"How have you been lately, Suzy?" A familiar, gentle male voice came through the line.
Her nose stung instantly. "I… I'm fine."
She said the words, but her voice still choked despite herself.
Through the phone, her uncle, Leonard Kale, caught it immediately.
On the other end, he frowned slightly, his tone full of concern. "Have you been wronged? Did someone bully you? Tell your uncle."
"N-no, I'm really fine," Suzy replied quietly.
She quickly changed the subject. "Uncle, why did you suddenly call me?"
"Malcolm Brone called me," Leonard said.
Suzy paused. "So… you know already?"
"Yes." His voice remained gentle. "Suzy, have you run into some kind of difficulty lately?"
He paused for a few seconds before adding, "Or did someone say something to you?"
Leonard had always been half a guardian to Suzy. He was also friends with Malcolm Brone.
The more Malcolm thought about it, the more uneasy he felt—so he told Leonard about the situation.
Leonard had been shocked for a long time after hearing it. Why would Suzy suddenly sell all her assets?
As her uncle, he would respect her choices—but he also worried she might have been deceived by George Kale.
That was why he'd called, just to make sure.
"Don't worry, Uncle," Suzy said softly. "I'm really fine. I just need a large sum of money right now to take care of some things."
She added quickly, "It has nothing to do with George. And I'm not being scammed––if you're worried about that, too."