Returning to Fisher City, Penguin Ma bypassed his company and went straight to his villa in Fisher Bay.
He needed to have a good talk with his daughter and introduce her to Xia Lin.
"Mr. Ma, you're back so early today," the housekeeper greeted Penguin Ma.
"Where is Xiao Qin?" Penguin Ma asked the housekeeper.
"Miss is in the study upstairs."
Penguin Ma nodded and went upstairs, still holding the calligraphy he had bought back for thirty million.
"Xiao Qin," Penguin Ma called out as he entered the study.
"Dad, why are you back so early today?" Ma Yuqin was happy to see her father.
The father and daughter had a good relationship, and Penguin Ma had always protected his family well, so the outside world had no idea who his daughter was.
Although there were often rumors outside about who his daughter was, Penguin Ma couldn't be bothered to refute them, as long as his daughter wasn't affected.
"I just returned from Modu. Dad met a young girl and wants to introduce her to you," Penguin Ma said.
Ma Yuqin was taken aback and a little angry. "Dad, you're so old, how can you do this to Mom?"
Ma Yuqin thought Penguin Ma had found a younger woman, and was thus angry.
"Xiao Qin, you've misunderstood me. How could your father do anything to betray your mother? This girl has an extraordinary background. Dad means for you to become good friends with her. Do you understand?"
Seeing his daughter's misunderstanding, Penguin Ma quickly explained.
Ma Yuqin felt a little better after hearing this.
Her heart was filled with confusion. Someone her father described as having an extraordinary background must truly be extraordinary.
It was rare for Ma Yuqin to see her father speak so seriously to her. She nodded and asked, "Dad, what should I do?"
"Don't deliberately try to get close to her or curry favor with her. Just make friends with her sincerely. This girl is kind-hearted and truly worth befriending."
Penguin Ma had a high opinion of Xia Lin.
First, she had refused his offer of ten million yuan for her calligraphy and paintings, selling it instead for five million to the person who had bid earlier. This was not something an ordinary person could do.
Coupled with what happened during dinner today, his judgment of people was always accurate, and Xia Lin was a very good girl.
This further solidified his desire for his daughter to become friends with Xia Lin.
"Okay, how old is she?" Ma Yuqin asked.
"She's younger than you. She's in Modu. You should go tomorrow. I'll talk to the national young king and mention it to her."
Penguin Ma nodded with satisfaction when he saw his daughter agree.
"So soon?"
This time, Ma Yuqin was surprised.
"Even for making friends, it shouldn't be this urgent."
"It's best to listen to Dad," Penguin Ma mused.
*Ring ring...*
At this moment, Penguin Ma's phone rang.
Penguin Ma frowned as he looked at the caller ID, which showed a European number.
"Hello... hello," Penguin Ma answered the phone.
"Hello, Mr. Ma, this is Peter from England."
The foreigner on the other end spoke fluent Chinese.
Penguin Ma knew who Peter from England was. He was a member of European royalty, and his family's wealth was even greater than his own.
However, they had no contact. Why was Peter from England calling him personally?
"Hello, Mr. Peter. May I ask what you need me for? If it's about cooperation, please contact our company's public relations department."
Penguin Ma politely inquired and then told Peter from England that there was no need to discuss business matters.
"No, no, no, Mr. Ma, I'm just looking for you," Peter from England quickly explained.
"May I ask what you need me for, Mr. Peter?" Penguin Ma continued to ask.
"Mr. Ma, did you just buy a piece of calligraphy? That calligraphy is by your countryman Liu Shiru," Peter from England stated his purpose.
Penguin Ma was displeased. How did a foreigner know about the painting he had just bought?
Were their sources so well-informed?
Or were they monitoring him for commercial competition?
"I'm very curious how you knew?" Penguin Ma asked, somewhat annoyed.
"Oh... my god, Mr. Ma, you're too out of touch! Pictures of this calligraphy are all over the internet now. They say it was bought at a high price by someone called Xiao Ma in a live broadcast."
Peter from England exclaimed in shock.
Penguin Ma's face immediately turned red. He really didn't know. He had been on a plane for most of the day and hadn't had time to check.
He then used Ma Yuqin's phone to search, and indeed, as Peter from England had said, there were many screenshots of the calligraphy online, likely taken by netizens from the live broadcast. It was because he had foolishly kept bidding without negotiating that it had gone viral.
There were also some pranksters who added captions: "Our Ma Ge is second to none in bargaining."
"I used to think I was a nouveau riche, but after seeing our Ma Ge, I was deeply struck."
"I don't envy lovers or immortals, only those who draw circles for houses. Write the word 'demolish' in the middle of the circle."
"I used to envy people who drew circles for houses, but now it's different. I only envy Ma Ge buying calligraphy."
Penguin Ma found this quite amusing.
"Mr. Peter, I did buy a piece of calligraphy yesterday. It has nothing to do with you, does it?"
Penguin Ma admitted.
"Mr. Ma, to be frank, this calligraphy was a gift from our family. We want to buy it back from you and return it to its original owner," Peter from England requested.
Liu Shiru's calligraphy had fallen into foreign hands during the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China. Later, it came into the possession of the Peter family, who then gifted it to Xia Feng.
Xia Feng had some connection with the Peter family when he left the country in his early years.
Penguin Ma hesitated.
Did this calligraphy have some hidden story?
"Why?" Penguin Ma asked curiously.
"Because a master from your country said he liked this calligraphy very much. All we can do is let this calligraphy be returned to its original owner," Peter from England said truthfully without concealment.
"The price is negotiable. If Mr. Ma is willing to part with it, I will buy the calligraphy you have for one hundred million."
Seeing that Penguin Ma remained silent, Peter from England thought he had doubts about the price and directly stated the price.
This meant that Penguin Ma could earn seventy million yuan for a painting he had just acquired.
However...
Was Mr. Ma someone who lacked seventy million yuan?
He needed to understand why.
"Mr. Peter, this puts me in a difficult position. This calligraphy is not worth that price," Penguin Ma said.
"Yes, its market price is at most twenty million. I bought it out of sentiment. Please, Mr. Ma, do us a favor. The Peter family will remember this kindness."
This calligraphy was a gift from the Peter family to Xia Feng. This sentiment was immeasurable, which was why Peter from England had personally called Penguin Ma.
This time, Peter from England was likely to be disappointed.
The more important Peter from England made it sound, the more Penguin Ma valued the calligraphy.
He had bought this calligraphy from Lin'er.
And Lin'er's backer was her brother, Xia Feng. Xia Feng might be the master Peter from England was referring to.
Didn't he try so hard to get in touch with Lin'er precisely because of her brother Xia Feng?