Chapter 376: Rich, Handsome and Strong [2] He wore smart casual clothes, a well-fitted button-down shirt tucked into chinos, and leather shoes that showed careful maintenance. His hair was neatly styled with product that kept every strand in place without looking overly stiff. Everything about his appearance suggested someone who took care of himself really well, both mentally and physically. He carried himself with ease. He appeared to be very secure mentally in his position in life. Noah moved some of his shopping bags to free his right hand and accepted the handshake with polite disinterest. "We met once briefly. I’m Noah Carter." The man’s grip was firm but not aggressively so, and his smile remained pleasantly neutral. "James Chen. I’m Sophia’s boyfriend." Sophia’s expression showed a mixture of emotions Noah couldn’t quite parse—surprise at seeing him looking so different from their disastrous blind date, perhaps some embarrassment about how that encounter had ended, and something else he didn’t care enough to identify. "Those are quite impressive bags you’re carrying. Celebrating something special?" James observed, his eyes noting the luxury brand logos. "Not particularly, just wanted to go shopping," Noah replied casually to the question. James nodded with a knowing expression. "Can I give you some advice?" Noah paused for a moment, studying James before him with mild curiosity about where this was heading. "Sure." "All these brands—they don’t actually elevate your position or make you grander as a person. They’re essentially elaborate scams created in third-world countries. These luxury companies pay less than five percent of their retail price to manufacture the actual products." He gestured at Noah’s bags with subtle condescension. "So I’d recommend against buying them. You’ll appear like a spoiled brat at best to those of knowledge and intelligence." Noah’s expression shifted into a frown at that last sentence. He had somewhat agreed with the man’s initial points about luxury brand markups and manufacturing costs—those were factual observations about the industry. But that final comment was clearly passive-aggressive, delivered with just enough plausible deniability to seem like helpful advice while actually being an insult. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 He’s trying to score points in front of his girlfriend. Weak, Noah thought. The transparent attempt to establish dominance through unsolicited criticism was pathetically obvious to someone like Noah, who had been through this multiple times in his life. But Noah wasn’t about to let this man trample on him without consequences. He was no longer the same person who didn’t have the power or confidence to speak. "You’re absolutely right that these brands are overpriced. The markup is obscene, the manufacturing costs are minimal, and the perceived value is largely artificial." Noah said calmly, his tone remaining neutral. Yet, somehow, James felt some sort of undertone that made his smile falter slightly. Noah paused, letting that agreement hang in the air before continuing. "But here’s the thing about being able to afford obvious scams: it means the money genuinely doesn’t matter. When you can waste fifty thousand dollars on a shopping trip and not even notice it missing from your account, the ’smart financial decision’ stops being relevant. I’m not buying status symbols because I need validation. I’m buying whatever catches my eye because I literally cannot spend money fast enough to make a dent in what I earn." Noah’s eyes met James’s directly, his expression showing no hostility, just stating facts. "So while I appreciate the financial advice, I think it’s better suited for people who actually need to worry about their budget. Which, clearly, you do. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so concerned about how other people spend their disposable income." James’s face turned slightly pink as he caught the meaning behind Noah’s words. He was not a fool; the meaning was as obvious as daylight. The passive-aggressive act he’d been projecting had just been completely dismantled and reversed. "Anyway, nice meeting you both," Noah said with finality, already turning to leave. He didn’t wait for a response, simply walking away while carrying his bags with the same stride that had drawn attention in the first place. He ignored both of them completely as he headed toward the parking lot, their presence already forgotten as his mind returned to more important concerns. Behind him, the small crowd that had witnessed the exchange began murmuring among themselves. "Did that guy just get completely destroyed?" someone whispered. "Yeah, he tried to act superior and got shut down so hard, that’s what happens when you give unsolicited advice to people you just met," a young woman observed with obvious satisfaction at the result of the encounter. Juicy drama like this wasn’t a daily thing, so when it came, it was always welcome by the folks. Humans were naturally like this, whether it was engraved in their genes or not. "The way he just walked away without even caring about their reaction. That’s real confidence," another person added with admiration. An older businessman who had been watching nodded approvingly to his companion. "That young man understands something important—when you actually have wealth, you don’t need to justify or explain it to anyone. Whilst understanding that brands don’t necessarily elevate you in rankings, it does pave the way. Your demeanour, clothes, generosity, and possessions all play a vital role in a communication that many disregard, and that is body language." The businessman’s friend nodded his head. "That’s indeed true, no matter how many people fool themselves, looks matter. After all, they are the first gate that any person encounters." "This guy looks like he wants to disappear," someone else laughed quietly. "His face turned pink like a schoolboy getting scolded." Sophia stood frozen, her expression showing complicated emotions as she watched Noah’s retreating figure. The man she had dismissed so contemptuously during their blind date had just casually revealed he could spend more in an afternoon than most people earned in a year, and he’d done it while making her current boyfriend look small and insecure. James cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to recover his composure. "Well, that was... he was clearly just bragging to save face."