Chapter 375: Rich, Handsome and Strong! After his shopping spree was done, Noah began to leave the mall with multiple bags in his hands, designer labels from all across the world and sectors with other premium brands that represented more money than many people earned in a year. The logos were unmistakable to anyone who recognised luxury goods. People walking through the mall looked at him with various expressions of envy, jealousy, and shock as he passed through the corridors toward the exit. Some were envious of his obvious wealth, their eyes tracking the expensive purchases with desire for a lifestyle they couldn’t afford. Others felt bitter jealousy at his apparent ease with spending what they could only dream of having. Still more were genuinely shocked by his physical strength and seeming fearlessness. To walk through a crowded public space carrying so many premium brand bags without any visible concern about theft took either remarkable confidence or complete naivety. The fact stood that everyone could see Noah walking alone with nobody by his side, whether it was friends or bodyguards. What impressed most females was his ability to carry such a large volume without apparent strain; some even looked at their partners in contempt, wishing he were the same as the young man walking in front of them. "Mommy, look at all his bags!" a young girl whispered loudly to her mother, pointing at Noah as he walked past. "He must be really rich!" Her mother quickly shushed her, though she couldn’t help glancing at Noah with her own mixture of curiosity and judgment about such conspicuous consumption. Two teenage girls stopped mid-conversation to stare as Noah passed, their eyes going wide at the collection of luxury brands. "Oh my god, is that like thirty thousand dollars worth of shopping?" one whispered to her friend, trying to be discreet but failing entirely. "More like fifty thousand, are you kidding?" her companion hissed back. "That Rolex box alone is probably twenty grand. Who is he?" "I don’t know, but I’m about to find out," the first girl said, pulling out her phone as if considering approaching him for his social media. A little boy tugged on his father’s sleeve, his eyes wide with innocent admiration. "Daddy, that man is carrying so many bags! He must be really strong! Can you carry that many bags?" His father chuckled awkwardly, feeling inadequate under his son’s earnest gaze. "That’s... a lot of shopping, buddy. Maybe he’s a professional athlete or something. Why don’t we go buy you the console you wanted?" "I want to be strong like him when I grow up!" the boy declared with childish determination. An elderly couple watched Noah pass with disapproving expressions, the woman leaning toward her husband to comment. "Young people these days, flaunting their wealth so shamelessly. No modesty at all." A group of young men near the food court observed Noah with obvious envy mixed with resentment. "Must be nice having daddy’s money to throw around," one muttered bitterly. "Nah, look at how he carries himself. That’s not some spoiled rich kid. He might’ve earned that himself..." another observed more perceptively, although his observation was mostly based on the manhwa books he read at home. "You’re seeing things. He’s just shopping like everyone else. Those things you read sure affect your grip on reality." "Then why aren’t you walking up to grab one of those bags if he’s so harmless?" the second challenged, and his friend fell silent. A young woman in business attire paused her phone conversation to watch Noah walk by, her professional assessment more calculating than emotional. She recognised quality when she saw it—both in the merchandise and in the person carrying it. The way he moved suggested confidence that went beyond mere wealth. "Noah?" Noah’s dazed mind snapped back to the present, and he turned to see who was calling his name. The voice felt oddly familiar, triggering memories he had completely forgotten about under more pressing concerns. He turned around fully to find a person he genuinely didn’t expect to see. Sophia, the girl that Aunt Mei had enthusiastically set him up with on a blind date back when he first received the system and was still desperately poor, trying to navigate this world with his startup. The memories came flooding back like a striking wave across the seabed. She had rejected him publicly in that cafe, making an entire scene because his GPA wasn’t impressive enough for her standards. She hadn’t even let him finish explaining his situation when she asked about employment. When she’d demanded to know if he was employed, he’d said "no" but had been trying to explain he was self-employed and working on building his own business rather than labouring under someone else. She’d cut him off before he could clarify, her contempt for his apparent unemployment overwhelming any interest in the actual details. Noah had completely forgotten about her existence since then, his mind occupied with infinitely more important matters—the shop in Esta, his father’s recovering health, Ethan’s family crisis, the tournament, the World Tree expedition, and everything else he had gone through across two dimensions. Now here she was, standing in front of him at the mall while he held multiple bags of luxury goods, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read. "Yes?" Noah turned to face her fully, his tone polite but distant. Whatever this encounter was about to become, Noah genuinely didn’t have the mental energy to care about past rejections from a blind date that felt like it had happened in another lifetime. She was still as beautiful as he remembered, scoring perhaps an eighty-four out of a hundred in terms of conventional attractiveness. Of course, this assessment included the light makeup she wore that enhanced her natural features—foundation that smoothed her complexion, subtle eyeshadow that made her eyes appear larger, and carefully applied lipstick that defined her mouth. The man accompanying Sophia stepped forward with a friendly smile and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you. You must be a friend of Sophia’s."