Chapter 58

Suzy waved her hand quickly. "Not at all. Actually, perfect timing—I’ll take you to buy a few more things."

At this hour, the supermarket was still open.

She pulled Derek into the car and drove straight to one of the largest supermarkets in the area.

Once inside, Suzy grabbed the biggest shopping cart she could find and began a whirlwind shopping spree with Derek trailing beside her.

Daily necessities. Food. Drinks. Instant meals.

The cart filled rapidly.

Suzy didn’t hesitate over prices. She still had plenty of money left, and besides, buying supplies for Derek would generate resource rebates for her system.

It was an incredibly worthwhile trade.

With that in mind, she stopped worrying about costs altogether. Anything that looked useful went straight into the cart.

"Don’t just follow me around," she said grandly. "If you see something you like, just grab it."

By the time they finished, they had filled three large bags with supplies.

All of it went into the trunk.

After that, Suzy drove them to Derek’s residential complex.

His apartment was not far from hers—barely a kilometer away in a straight line.

It would take about twenty minutes on foot, even less by car.

Suzy drove straight into his complex.

After parking, she opened the trunk and naturally handed him the two heavier bags while keeping the lighter one for herself.

"Let’s go," she said. "Up to your place."

Derek blinked, stunned. "Huh?"

"You don’t want me to come up?" Suzy gestured at the stuffed bags in her hands. "Can you carry all this by yourself?"

Only then did he process what was happening.

"All of this... is for me?"

"Of course," Suzy replied matter-of-factly. "What else would it be?"

Before he could react, she added casually, "If it’s inconvenient for me to come up, that’s fine too. Then you can just take the supplies and—"

"N-no, please help me carry them," Derek interrupted quickly.

He lifted both arms to show the heavy bags hanging from each hand, his expression innocent.

"I don’t have any free hands."

Suzy didn’t think much of it.

"Alright, let’s go."

She locked the car, and the two of them took the elevator up to the apartment Derek rented.

Suzy quietly observed the surroundings.

The complex was decent—one elevator serving two apartments per floor, with acceptable security measures.

Soon, they arrived at Derek’s door.

He lived on the eighth floor. After the elevator doors opened, they turned a corner to reach his unit.

While Derek searched for his key, Suzy examined the door.

It looked thick and sturdy.

He unlocked it and pushed the door open, stepping aside to let her in.

The apartment was clean and simple. There weren’t many belongings.

Suzy originally intended to set down the supplies and leave, but Derek said gently, "Come in and sit for a bit. I’ll get you some water."

It was hard to refuse such polite insistence.

So Suzy changed into a pair of indoor slippers and stepped inside.

Derek went to the kitchen to pour water, leaving her alone in the living room.

She took the opportunity to quietly examine the layout.

The place wasn’t bad.

The windows had been sealed and reinforced with wire mesh, preventing anyone from climbing in through the balcony or windows.

The door was also solid—perhaps not as strong as the explosion-proof one she had installed at home, but more than adequate.

Soon, Derek returned with a glass of warm water.

Suzy took a sip before speaking again.

"Tomorrow I’ll have someone deliver more supplies to you. You’ll be home, right? Make sure to receive them."

At that moment, Derek finally sensed something strange.

First, she had told him to stock up.

Then she dragged him to the supermarket and bought a mountain of supplies.

And now she was planning to have even more delivered tomorrow.

The pattern was becoming impossible to ignore.

Even if Derek Martin had been slow on the uptake, by now he could sense that something was wrong.

"Suzy... is something going to happen?" he asked quietly.

Suzy didn’t hide it anymore.

"I got some information from a friend. The temperatures are going to become very abnormal soon. It’s going to get hotter and hotter."

She paused before continuing.

"Tomorrow I’ll have someone deliver some heat-protection supplies to you. And starting tomorrow, try not to go out unless you really have to. If anything happens, contact me immediately."

The faint smile on Derek’s face slowly faded, replaced by seriousness.

"I understand, Suz," he said. "Don’t worry. I won’t run around."

Suzy nodded. "It’s getting late. I should head back."

She stood up as she spoke.

"Won’t you stay a little longer?" Derek asked.

"No, I still have things to do."

Suzy waved goodbye and turned toward the door.

But suddenly, her wrist was caught.

Derek’s hand closed around it with firm, unmistakable strength.

She turned back, puzzled. "What’s wrong?"

He looked at her steadily, his lips moving slightly as if the words were difficult to say.

"Suzy... why are you so good to me?"

First, the warning.

Then the supplies.

It was impossible not to think too much about it.

"Do I need a special reason?" Suzy said lightly with a smile. "You’re my junior. I have to take care of you."

Derek pressed his lips together. "Would you treat other juniors the same way?"

Suzy answered without hesitation. "No."

The word struck him like lightning.

A brilliant light flared in his eyes. So she only treated him like this.

Did that mean... she might also feel something for him?

His throat tightened. Ignoring the frantic pounding of his heart, he finally gathered his courage.

"Then, Senior... does that mean you kind of—"

Before he could finish the sentence, Suzy’s phone rang at the worst possible moment.

She gave an awkward smile and answered.

It was Leonard, asking when she planned to return home.

After hanging up, she said apologetically, "My uncle called. I should get going."

Derek forced a small smile.

"Alright. I’ll walk you downstairs."

The words he had almost confessed were swallowed back.

He escorted her to the building entrance and stood there until her car disappeared completely into the night.

Only then did he turn and head back upstairs.

He pulled out his phone and began typing a message to her.

He deleted and rewrote it several times.

In the end, he sent only a single sentence:

"Message me when you get home."

***

The distance from Derek’s apartment complex to

Starlight Towers

was short.

Within minutes, Suzy arrived.

She had barely reached her door and was about to take out her key when the door opened from the inside.

Leonard stood there with a cheerful smile.

"You’re back."

Suzy blinked. "How did you know I was here?"

He lifted his phone and gave it a small shake.

"The cameras. I installed the rest of the ones you didn’t finish earlier."

Suzy laughed. "Not bad, Uncle."

Leonard chuckled. "Where did you buy these cameras anyway? They’re surprisingly good. Every time someone passes by, it sends an alert."

Suzy slipped into her house slippers and walked inside.

"Bought them at the mall. Expensive, but worth it."

Leonard closed the door behind her. Then his tone changed to a more serious one. "Oh, right. There’s something I need to tell you."

Suzy turned around immediately. The solemn expression on his face made her heart tighten.

"What is it?"

Leonard said slowly, "I just saw Wendy in the neighborhood again."