By the next morning, the shortage had spread across the entire district.
Several milk tea shops temporarily closed for the day.
Others reduced their menus.
Golden Leaf Tea's regional office was filled with tension.
"We need emergency supply," one manager said urgently.
But suppliers had the same answer.
Inventory depleted.
Meanwhile, a few small distributors suddenly began offering ingredient stock.
The prices were higher than normal.
But desperate shop owners had no choice.
They bought anyway.
None of them realized those distributors were connected to Chen Mo's investment network.
The market had entered full panic mode.
And Chen Mo controlled the inventory.