At the auction, a few others shared the same thoughts as Fat Ma. Of course, it was just a few, not many.
After all, being too obvious in trying to curry favor could invite ridicule. Another point was that today, the Tuffs Group was represented by Marco Tuff’s daughter, and as everyone knew, Marco Tuff’s daughter merely held a ceremonial director’s title and was not involved in any of the Tuffs Group’s affairs.
So currying favor with her might not necessarily be of any help to you.
Many of Marco Tuff’s contemporaries did not engage at all. Some younger people thought about currying favor, but Mia’s previous aloof attitude let them know that there were no advantages to be gained from Lara Tuff.
Only a few people were involved in the bidding, and these few had business dealings with the Tuffs Group. In fact, Fat Ma did not have any business dealings with the Tuffs Group, but the absence of past dealings didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any in the future.
Cunning like a fox, Fat Ma knew that his opportunity, his chance to go further, was right before his eyes, so he didn’t hesitate to bid, raising his card and offering ten million straight away.
Keep in mind, each bid had to be at least ten thousand higher, meaning one could bid up in increments of ten thousand, but he didn’t do so.
To everyone’s surprise, two bidders began to call out their prices, each cautiously raising the bid by one million.
"Twenty million!" Fat Ma bid again, this time even more aggressively, holding up his card and calling out a number of twenty million directly.
"Damn, what’s Fat Ma playing at today?" Many were baffled, as this was a charity auction, not an antique collection; even if they were bidding, it was supposed to be within limits.
"What’s your relationship with him?" Mia finally asked in a nonchalant whisper. She hadn’t had time to ask Yusuf Zuck how he knew this person, but now it was apparent that the man was putting on a show for her, so Mia was extremely curious about Fat Ma.
After thinking for a moment, Yusuf Zuck replied, "Met him through a friend this afternoon, I bought two villas, and he’s selling me one at cost price!"
"I – damn, you bought two villas? What for? House flipping?" Mia exclaimed in surprise. For more chapters visit n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net
"Yeah, why not buy when he’s offering one at cost price, and the other one for free?" Yusuf Zuck said with a smile.
Disinterested, Mia shrugged her shoulders, "This guy’s quite interesting. So he’s a property developer then?" Mia was unaware of Fat Ma before, indeed Fat Ma was a small fry even in the Western Sichuan circle, probably not even middle-ranking in terms of wealth.
"Hmm, there’s Jade Garden over in Haidian, that’s developed by him."
"Oh." Mia nodded, saying nothing further.
At that moment, the auctioneer’s hammer fell, confirming the sale at twenty million, as the other few bidders had dropped out.
It wasn’t that they couldn’t afford to bid higher, but because Fat Ma clearly intended to win at all costs. If they kept bidding and drove up the price, they would undoubtedly antagonize Fat Ma.
In the world of business, everyone is slick, clever, and cunning. It’s better to make one more friend than one more enemy.
Sure enough, after the sale, Fat Ma gave a grateful nod to those other two who had raised their paddles, for not driving up the price against him. This was them showing respect to him.
"Let’s get out of here, that’s it!" Mia stood up at this point, picked up her bag, and started walking out.
Yusuf Zuck followed, confused, "Is it already over just like that?"
"Maybe they’ll have a dance or some small performances later, but I’m not interested." Mia said with a pout.
"Brother Yusuf, Miss Tuff, please wait a moment!" Just then, Fat Ma, belly protruding, hurried after them from behind.
Yusuf Zuck and Mia turned around at the same time, both of them looking with interest at the box in Jesus Bell’s chubby hands. The box, which had originally belonged to Mia, now was in the possession of Jesus Bell.
"Brother Yusuf, I mentioned this afternoon that I wanted to treat you to a meal, right? Do you have time now? How about we go for some late-night snacks? I know a place that’s good for that," Jesus Bell said, smiling subtly at Mia as he spoke.
"Which late-night snack place are you talking about?" Mia asked curiously.
"There’s a congee shop; they have eighteen varieties, and it’s really good!" Jesus Bell exclaimed immediately.
"Congs? Boring, not interested. I’m heading home," Mia pouted and turned to continue walking.
"Who wants congee at night? Let’s go grill some skewers and have hot pot with tripe; get some draft beers going," Yusuf Zuck said from behind to Jesus Bell.
"This... Miss Tuff... she..." Jesus Bell’s face was a picture of embarrassment. He had mainly wanted to invite Mia, but she wasn’t interested.
Just then, Mia turned around, laughing, "Grilling skewers sounds good. Jesus, you lead the way!"
"Uh..." Jesus Bell was momentarily taken aback but also instantly understood that Miss Tuff didn’t like drinking congee or perhaps, she didn’t like going to such formal, upscale places.
"Alright then, just follow my car," Jesus Bell waddled off to his car, also realizing that Miss Tuff from the Tuffs Family was quite unconventional.
Yusuf Zuck and Mia got into the car, and after instructing Ross’s mother to follow the Cayenne in front, Mia took out her phone and dialed a number.
Moments later, a hearty laugh came through the phone, which Yusuf Zuck heard clearly—it was a man with a strong presence.
"Dad, there’s this guy called Jesus Bell, what’s his full name again, Yusuf Zuck?" Mia asked Yusuf Zuck while she was on the phone.
Yusuf Zuck was startled. Mia was actually bringing him up while on the phone with her dad?
"Jesus Bell!" Yusuf Zuck was only startled for a second before he gave Jesus Bell’s full name.
"Right, Jesus Bell, also called the fat one. He’s a good guy, you know him, right?"
"What about him?" Marco Tuff grumbled from the other end of the phone. "He just won your necklace in the auction, didn’t he?"
"Yeah, he’s the one who won it. Oh, you know already? Quick to catch on, aren’t you? Well, he’s an acquaintance of a friend, and he’s inviting us out to eat, which I’ve also agreed to, just so you know."
Marco Tuff started laughing; he understood the implication behind his daughter’s call hence he pondered before responding, "Give him your Uncle Gui’s number. It’s rare for you to ask. I must lend a hand. There happens to be a real estate development project in Australia; bringing him along won’t be a problem."
"Okay, I’ll hang up then."
"Hold on, don’t hang up yet!" Marco Tuff suddenly called out, "Is Yusuf Zuck the boyfriend you took with you today? When did you start dating him? How come I didn’t know about it?"
"He’s not my boyfriend, he’s Jiayun’s. I had him pretend to be, just for today. Hanging up."
With a "snap," not waiting for Marco Tuff to say anything more, Mia hung up the phone.
"Your dad seems pretty interested in the boyfriend matter," Yusuf Zuck said, looking at Mia with a smile.
"My dad said that as long as the person I choose is of good character and morals, it doesn’t matter if he’s wealthy or educated, because no matter how rich he is, he can’t be richer than me. If he marries me, he won’t have to struggle for a living, so as long as he’s got character and morals, that’s a win. Besides, he won’t interfere with my marriage; I’ll find someone on my own. He won’t set me up or play any of those matchmaking tricks!"
"Character and morals? Are you talking about me? I have good character, good morals," Yusuf Zuck said shamelessly.
Mia raised her eyebrows, a smirk on her lips, "Oh really? Are you suggesting you want to have a foot in two