Daniel and his gang erupted in boisterous laughter, causing tears to stream down their faces. Amidst the laughter, Daniel clutched his stomach and threw some cash at Jao, taunting him, "Pick up the money and scram. You must be starving after not eating for three weeks."
Jayson shook his head disapprovingly and muttered, "Daniel, you're such a fool." He couldn't be bothered to engage with Daniel and his band of troublemakers. As he approached the taxi, Daniel suddenly stopped laughing and glared at him, bellowing, "How dare you!"
"Daniel, you're being too loud," Jayson scolded.
Daniel scowled and ordered his cronies to "get them." His three henchmen flexed their muscles and advanced menacingly.
Daniel's lackeys wore smug grins as one of them approached Jao, while two others headed towards Jayson. They clearly underestimated Jao, not taking him seriously.
Jayson casually leaned on the car and gestured towards Daniel, instructing Jao, "I'll take care of this blockhead. You handle the others."
"Got it," Jao replied, before charging forward.
Daniel's expression twisted into a smirk, as if he was watching a comedy show. But his amusement turned to shock when he saw Jao effortlessly take down his three lackeys in a matter of seconds.
The lackeys lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Jayson approached Daniel with a sinister grin, while the latter was still in a state of disbelief.
"So, Daniel, how does it feel?" Jayson taunted, with laughter.
As Daniel tried to make a run, his face drained of colour. Jayson couldn't believe he was letting him get away with it. But then he noticed a shoe lying on the ground that had fallen off one of Daniel's accomplices and picked it up. Without hesitation, he hurled it at Daniel, striking him on the back of the head. With a pained groan, Daniel quickly retreated, fleeing for his life.
Jayson couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Daniel's sorry state. He hummed a tune as he and Jao climbed into a taxi and headed to a high-end store in the city. Arriving at the entrance, they stepped out of the taxi and approached the store.
Jayson paid no mind to the unfriendly glares directed at him as he strode confidently towards the electric doors. The security guard stationed there stood at attention, giving no indication that he had just spotted a potential customer.
As Jayson walked past the guard and prepared to enter the store, a voice called out from behind him. "Welcome to Men's Dream; you are our special customer," the voice said.
Pausing, Jayson turned around and spotted a portly man decked out in branded clothing. The man's nose was slightly upturned, and he carried himself with an air of authority.
"Why didn't you welcome me?" Jayson asked the security man with a boldness that bordered on audacity.
The fat man's expression soured, and he shot a disdainful look at Jayson. "Why should he welcome you?" he sneered. "Take a good look at yourself. You're wearing cheap knockoffs, and yet you have the nerve to demand special treatment. Consider yourself lucky that you weren't kicked out the moment you stepped through the door."
As Jayson heard the fat man's words, he took a closer look at his outfit and suddenly realized that it was not what he had thought it was. The outfit, which he had always been proud of as his best, had been a gift from Elena during their last wedding anniversary trip abroad.
Jayson's expression turned sour as he muttered, "What a load of nonsense about it being from overseas."
The fat man couldn't help but grin at Jayson's reaction. He chuckled and told him to leave, saying, "Kid, now that you know where you stand, get out of here."
Jayson rolled his eyes, refusing to feel ashamed despite being caught wearing a fake outfit. He stood up straight and faced the fat man with confidence.
To Jayson, what is shame? Do they eat it? He doesn't care at all. He turned to the security boy at the entrance and demanded, "You should apologize for the negligence and also provide me with a proper welcome as a valued customer of your store? If this issue cannot be resolved, I may have to bring this matter to the attention of your manager. Just to let you know, I happen to know Mr. Henderson personally."
The portly man's eyes widened in disbelief as he stammered, pointing an accusatory finger at Jayson. He had expected Jayson to be embarrassed and quickly flee the scene, but instead, he was met with an unflinching, thick-skinned demeanour.
The security guard was visibly intimidated, hastily bowing and greeting Jayson with reverence: "A warm welcome to Men Dream, our esteemed customer."
Jayson flashed a confident grin, responding with a sense of pride, "That's more like it."
With his head held high, he strode towards the entrance, while the fat man's expression soured with displeasure.
If Jayson is welcomed the way he was, doesn't it mean that they have the same status? His face even darkened the more he thought so.
As Jayson approached the entrance, the fat man bellowed, "Stop right there, kid!"
Jayson pivoted at the sound of the man's voice, casting a condescending look his way. The fat man bristled in response. "Do you have any idea who I am?" he spat, jabbing a finger in Jayson's direction.
Jayson's features furrowed as he retorted, "What's the meaning of this? Do you realize you're pointing a finger at a current millionaire and a future billionaire?"
Shock registered on the man's face as he stared back at Jayson, unable to discern anything that would indicate his wealth. He remained dumbstruck as Jayson strode past him and into the building.
Jayson and Jao strolled around the store, but despite spending three minutes there, none of the sales representatives approached them to showcase the clothing. Jayson scanned the area and noticed that many sales reps were busy attending to other customers and going out of their way to avoid approaching them.
Despite being ignored, Jayson remained determined to see the products for himself. He approached a sales representative and confidently asked, "I understand you may have missed the fact that I am a millionaire, but I won't hold it against you. Could you please give me a tour of your store?"
The sales representative was taken aback when the customer introduced himself as a millionaire. She couldn't believe that this scruffy-looking man was claiming to be a millionaire, especially since he had a beggar with him. She sighed inwardly, thinking that she had drawn the short straw, but she maintained her composure and greeted them with a polite smile.
"Apologies, sir. We were so busy attending to our customers that we failed to notice such a distinguished guest like yourself," she said professionally, Jayson nodded approvingly,
Without any verbal expression, the sales representative regarded him with suspicion and gestured towards the cheap men's clothing department.