Zhao Dewang refused to accept it, no matter what he heard: "How can that be? This thing is not like the vegetables you often give me. This is a precious item. If you don't take money, I won't accept your inkstone."
When Tong Tong helped his son break free from the love蛊 back then, he had always felt indebted.
Now, to be gifted such a valuable item for free again, he absolutely could not do such a thing.
Liu Yifeng knew that Old Master Zhao was not the type to take advantage of others. His earlier words were just polite pleasantries. If he had accepted them readily, he wouldn't be Old Master Zhao.
So he said, "Then you can give me whatever you think is appropriate, just a token amount!"
"Collectibles, as long as they are genuine, will only become more valuable over time. Your inkstone is a genuine Tang Dynasty artifact. I won't talk about the future, but at the very least, I won't buy it from you for less than market price. Otherwise, I'd be taking too much of an advantage."
Old Master Zhao thought for a moment and then continued, "Last year, a collector friend of mine acquired a Duanxi inkstone. He bought it for one million yuan at the time. Now, a year has passed, and yours is in even better condition. So, I plan to offer one million two hundred thousand yuan for this inkstone. What do you and your son think? If you feel it's still too low, we can discuss it further."
Hearing the price, Liu Yifeng quickly said, "Won't one million two hundred thousand be too much? It's only been a year between last year and this year. How could it increase so much?"
"It's not much. I'm giving you the market price." After speaking, Zhao Dewang looked at Tong Tong again: "Tong Tong, do you think Grandpa Zhao's price is reasonable?"
Tong Tong immediately nodded: "Very reasonable. Thank you, Grandpa Zhao, for being willing to collect this inkstone!"
"I should be thanking you. For giving me such a wonderful inkstone to collect, it will be difficult to encounter such an inkstone again in the future. Since you both agree to let me have the inkstone, I won't waste any more words. I'll take the inkstone now. I'll call my son and ask him to transfer the money to your card." Although he had several million in his own account, he didn't feel bad about spending his son's money.
Liu Yifeng was naturally not afraid that Old Master Zhao would go back on his word and not pay after receiving the item, so he readily agreed to the transaction. He hadn't expected to sell the inkstone so easily. Tong Tong truly had foresight.
Zhao Dewang was a man of his word. Since he said he would have his son transfer the money to his card, he wouldn't pretend to forget. After carefully placing the inkstone on the table, he took out his phone and called his son, explaining the situation.
On the other end, Zhao Shubo listened to his father's intention without asking many questions and immediately agreed to transfer the money to Liu Yifeng's personal account that afternoon. As for whether the item was genuine, he didn't care at all; as long as his elderly father was happy and pleased, that was enough. Moreover, since the transaction was with Liu Yifeng, whose integrity was unquestionable, there was even less to worry about.
When Liu Yifeng heard that Zhao Dewang was calling his son, he couldn't stop himself. He hadn't expected Zhao Dewang to be so eager to have his son transfer the money, which made him feel a bit embarrassed. Before the old man finished his call, he immediately said, "The money is not urgent. It's the same whenever you're convenient. Why call Brother Zhao specifically?"
"It's convenient, and it's convenient anytime. You know my son runs a company, and it's a listed company. If he can't even come up with one million five hundred thousand, then what kind of boss of a listed company is he!" Zhao Dewang said. He knew that Liu Yifeng wouldn't rush him for the money, but he himself was someone who disliked owing favors. As long as the money wasn't paid, he wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.
As they chatted, it was unconsciously twelve o'clock. Thinking that the people on the other side were already having lunch, the old master Zhao didn't want to intrude midway. He looked down and gently asked Tong Tong if he had eaten.
Tong Tong shook his head: "Not yet, Grandpa Zhao. Shall we eat together?"
Looking at the innocent and adorable Tong Tong, Zhao Dewang always felt that this inkstone wasn't something Tong Tong had casually asked for. It was highly likely he had known its value for a long time. However, since Tong Tong hadn't admitted it initially, he wouldn't get an answer no matter how he asked now. Zhao Dewang had to put away his doubts and carefully placed the inkstone in the drawer of the lounge.
"Since no one has eaten, let's go together. By the way, has Xia Qianqian, who is always with you, eaten? Shall we call her and ask?" Old Master Zhao understood such matters. After all, he had been young once. Xia Qianqian and Liu Yifeng's father and son spent almost all their free time together. If he said there was no other relationship between them, he wouldn't believe it. At least one of them must like the other, otherwise, such a relationship couldn't last for so long.
Liu Yifeng then remembered that Xia Qianqian was in Director Wang's lounge and probably hadn't eaten yet. So, he immediately called her and arranged to meet at the cafeteria for lunch together. After hanging up the phone, the three of them went to the cafeteria. It was lunchtime, and many people were queuing up to get food. Most of them were staff members, but there were also people from outside the television station, such as contestants, guests, the judge Zhao Dewang, and other artists.
Everyone ate the same food here. Even the top anchor of the television station wouldn't have a private meal. The food that entered everyone's stomachs was largely the same, with no special treatment. Of course, if someone didn't like the food, they could eat out at their own expense; there were no restrictions. However, most people chose the free staff meal because it was delicious!
When Liu Yifeng and his group arrived at the cafeteria, Xia Qianqian also happened to be there. She bowed politely to Zhao Dewang with a respectful greeting. Although Zhao Dewang was not in their circle, his fame was no less than that of any artist. As a junior, it was only right for her to be humble. Zhao Dewang also had a deep impression of Xia Qianqian. Besides being Tong Tong's invited guest, the young girl looked very gentle and likable.
Afterward, they went to the serving area together. After getting their meals, they sat down to eat. Zhao Dewang talked about the afternoon competition, asking Tong Tong if he was confident and if he was nervous. Although he was a judge, he did not know the content of the afternoon competition. Even if he did, he would not deliberately reveal it to Tong Tong. If the championship was won through cheating, what would be the point of the competition!
On the other side, after Yun Duo'er left the recording studio, she departed from the television station. She had to go to an advertising company for a magazine shoot at noon before rushing back to record the afternoon program. While shooting the magazine, for some reason, the image of the person who asked her for an autograph in the morning kept flashing in her mind, causing her to be distracted during the photoshoot. What should have taken an hour to complete took an hour and a half. Fortunately, she had enough time during the lunch break, or she might not have finished.
Similarly, Su Wanru, on her way to the company headquarters, kept thinking about Yun Duo'er's face unintentionally. This girl gave her a completely different feeling. That sense of familiarity made her strongly believe that she had an unusual connection with this Yun Duo'er. However, to confirm if she was her sister, she needed proof, otherwise, no one would believe her, including herself. She had thought of a way to confirm it: a paternity test. If they were indeed sisters, it would be detectable. This idea might seem absurd, but a woman's intuition was like that. She felt that coming here on a business trip and coincidentally meeting Yun Duo'er face-to-face was a destined encounter arranged by heaven! Therefore, whether they were sisters or not, she wanted to confirm it. Otherwise, her heart would feel like a burning fire, and she wouldn't be able to calm down.