Three days later, the first signs of trouble appeared.
A small tea shop in the east district reported ingredient delays.
Then another supplier announced temporary delivery issues.
Golden Leaf Tea increased emergency orders to stabilize their stores.
Suddenly the market changed.
Suppliers began receiving dozens of urgent calls.
Milk powder inventory dropped rapidly.
Prices began climbing.
Shop owners across Hangzhou started to worry.
Inside Sweet Time Milk Tea, Zhang Rui checked his supplier messages repeatedly.
"This doesn't make sense," he muttered.
Two of his usual suppliers were already out of stock.
The shortage had appeared almost overnight.
Across the city, Chen Mo watched the market shift calmly.
Market Prediction had been correct.
The shortage had begun.