Just as he was thinking this, Brian Foster saw Henry Clark slightly bend the watch strap to examine it closely, even sniffing it.

Brian Foster: "..."

Awkward.

No way, this is really unnecessary!

Even though it's a limited edition luxury item and very hard to get, there's no need to go this far!

Brian Foster sat there with a stiff face, completely unable to understand what Henry Clark was doing, wanting to say something but stopping, then picked up his teacup to drink and ease the awkwardness.

"Ahem, do you... want to take a look at the wallet from the same series? They're all from the same gift box."

Upon hearing this, Henry Clark nodded and said, "Sorry to trouble you."

Brian Foster felt complicated.

He had just thought this junior was quite particular, but what is he doing now? I was just being polite, and you actually took me up on it!

Sighing inwardly, Brian Foster took the wallet out of his pocket and handed it over.

A wallet is a personal item and shouldn't be shown to others casually, even if there's nothing shameful inside.

The wallet had a strong sense of design, the snakeskin pattern was both delicate and wild, the cursive logo was embedded within, luxurious yet with a touch of youthful casualness and unruliness.

The texture of the high-end leather was excellent, and with the halo of an international top brand, the whole thing exuded the scent of money.

But Henry Clark still wasn't concerned about any of that.

He carefully examined the wallet's exterior again, then handed it back to Brian Foster, and said seriously, "Mr. Foster, the strap and the wallet leather are genuine leather. Real snakeskin."

Brian Foster's expression froze, as if he'd just heard something unbelievable, then burst out laughing: "This is bionic leather! Medusa 7th generation bionic snakeskin, just search it on your phone and you'll see."

"Medusa" is the name a company specializing in bionic leather gave to their snakeskin series materials, which are extremely popular with major brands.

After the strictest protection law was introduced, bionic leather companies rose up, riding the wave of environmentalism to take off. With fierce market competition, technological innovation came quickly. Now, with the seventh generation out, it's said that even experienced craftsmen can hardly tell it apart from real leather, and some mid- to low-end machines can't accurately detect the difference.

"You probably haven't paid much attention, so it's understandable to make a mistake. No need to feel embarrassed, I appreciate the thought, hahaha. Our Qianli Group is in the clothing and accessories business, so we pay more attention to these new materials. When the 'Medusa 7th generation' first came out, there was coverage everywhere. The current bionic leather is amazing!

"Besides, the bionic leather supplier for D&B is world-class, and D&B's reputation speaks for itself. There's no way they'd use real snakeskin."

Abnormal climate over the past twenty years has led to the extinction or endangerment of many species. After the strictest protection law was enacted, market regulation became extremely strict, banning the use of snakeskin, crocodile skin, ostrich skin, and other animal leathers in products for sale. As major luxury brands all made statements, the materials they used switched to bionic animal leather, whether for new markets or political correctness. In short, genuine leather is now rarely seen in the luxury market.

The rise of new materials was too fast, their market share grew too quickly, and after businesses hyped them up together, consumer attention shifted accordingly, favoring new materials.

So, in this context, if a luxury item you bought uses real snakeskin, it must be a fake!

Henry Clark saying it's real snakeskin is basically telling Brian Foster that the watch and wallet in his hands are both fakes!!

Of course, Brian Foster didn't believe it!

Henry Clark said seriously, "I've been able to tell real snakeskin from fake since I was a child. I might mistake bionic cowhide, faux sheepskin, rabbit fur, and so on, but I won't mistake snakeskin. I also bought a product made from Medusa 7th generation material last month, so I know about this new bionic snakeskin material.

"Mr. Foster, your watch and wallet are made of real snakeskin."

Brian Foster looked at Henry Clark as if he were a stubborn, naive child, shook his head, and let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, I get it. Young people should read more news, keep up with the latest scientific developments, and don't think that just because you have some skills you can see through the whole world!"

Even as he said this, the expression on Brian Foster's face was completely perfunctory. He then put on a polite, distant smile, saw Henry Clark out of the office, watched him enter the elevator at the door, greeted the passing company employees, then returned to his office and closed the door.

All the smiles on his face instantly disappeared.

Brian Foster locked the door, returned to his desk, and stared intently at the wallet and watch on the table, his expression shifting unpredictably.

Then he took a utility knife from the drawer, cut out a piece from the inner and outer layers of the wallet and the watch strap, carefully placed them in a small opaque paper bag, folded and rolled it up, and put it in the inside pocket of his jacket.

The luxury limited edition gift set he had just shown off to Henry Clark was ruthlessly rolled up and stuffed into an empty black thermos.

After packing it up, Brian Foster put the thermos in the drawer under his elbow, took out his phone to make a call, tidied up his desk, unlocked the office door again, and resumed working as if nothing had happened.

It wasn't until the end of the workday that Brian Foster, just like usual, left with the thermos in hand, smiling and greeting the employees as he left.

Brian Foster had been on a business trip recently and got sick, still had a bit of a cough, and had several meetings coming up. He'd been using this thermos to brew throat-soothing tea, carrying it everywhere, and everyone was already used to it.