Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 1635: Chapter 1619: Preparation

Huo Sining smiled and said, “I’ve brought the items, they’re with my husband, and I’ll go fetch them now. Additionally, if Mr. Earl is worried, you can invite a related appraiser over. Also, I think you might need to have your lawyer come over, we need to draft an agreement and get it notarized.”

“Why?”

Adrian was confused by what Huo Sining said, as previously he and Huo Sining had exchanged ten Huaxia antiques with gold coins, and she hadn’t mentioned needing a lawyer to draft an agreement for notarization. Why bring it up all of a sudden now?

Seeing this, Huo Sining couldn’t help but smile: “Because the transaction volume this time might be a bit large, I’m afraid it might surprise you.”

Adrian was indifferent, thinking that although there are many Picasso paintings in existence, they are not so common. Although Huo Sining claims to have several, if one of them proves to be genuine, it would be good enough.

Moreover, even if Huo Sining has two or three authentic Picasso paintings, with his prior promise to exchange one painting for twenty Huaxia antiques, it’s merely fifty or sixty Huaxia antiques, which isn’t much. There’s no need for a lawyer to sign an agreement just for that, is there?

However, since the request was made by Huo Sining, as the master of the castle and the party requesting the transfer of Picasso’s works from her, he naturally wouldn’t reject this not unreasonable request she made.

Returning to the banquet hall, indeed, everyone had already been informed by Bai Yishan. Knowing that those mysterious paintings Huo Sining salvaged from the Dover Sea Area were most likely Picasso’s works, as soon as they saw Huo Sining coming out from the collection gallery, everyone, including Gu Xu, stood up involuntarily, their eyes looking at Huo Sining filled with undisguised joy and excitement.

“Honey…”

Gu Xu also walked up, about to speak, but Huo Sining interrupted him directly.

“Do you have a lawyer nearby in London, who is very skilled in commercial negotiations, and can come over quickly? Contact them immediately and have them brought over; I have an important matter to attend to shortly.”

As Huo Sining spoke, she recounted what she had discussed with Adrian:

“The value of Huaxia antiques is uneven. Adrian may be a generous person, but he’s not a fool. That’s why when I take out twelve pieces of Picasso’s works, it means taking two hundred forty pieces of Huaxia relics from him. With that many items, I can’t just choose the most precious Huaxia relics from his collection gallery, or the old man will definitely turn his back, so this process is a tug-of-war. You must find a reliable lawyer to help me, the more capable, the better!”

Gu Xu nodded, took out his phone, and went to the corner to make a call. On the other side, Adrian was clearly also discussing finding a lawyer and appraiser with the butler.

Taking advantage of this gap, Huo Sining quietly gathered Bai Yishan and others together and briefly explained her cooperation with Adrian, also mentioning that the old Earl agreed to exchange one painting for twenty antiques.

Upon hearing this, not only Su Qingqing but even Zhong Xiaoyao was dumbfounded, and Miss Yue was also full of shock and disbelief: “One for twenty? My God, is this Brit out of his mind?”

Huo Sining shrugged: “Whether he’s out of his mind or not, it’s his offer, not my demand, and it’s cheap to grab it for free. I’ll require that we first sign a lawyer’s agreement, and only take out the paintings after signing. This way, once the contract takes effect, it will be too late even if he wants to back out.”

Huo Sining was worried that Adrian might back out, which is why she was so eager to have Gu Xu find a lawyer, but her caution was entirely unnecessary.

For the Albert family, who significantly value Picasso, the Huaxia antiques Huo Sining valued are not even worth mentioning in their eyes. Over two hundred Huaxia relics, to Adrian, cannot compare to Picasso’s genuine works.

That’s what’s meant by beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and value being closely linked to culture. The cultural differences between the East and the West result in Huaxia people and Europeans having vastly different valuations of artifacts. What might be very valuable to locals, like the “Four Treasures of the Study,” bead stone jade artifacts, might be just dead weight to these Europeans; magnificent tripod, furnace, pottery, sharp sword, stele posts to Huaxia people might hold no artistic value to Europeans.

Therefore, swapping twenty items for one, which seems an astronomical number to Huo Sining, Su Qingqing, and their company, doesn’t have much effect on Adrian.

After all, his collection gallery houses tens of thousands of Huaxia relics, which were looted by his ancestors from Huaxia Country. Trading these easily acquired items, and only a tiny portion at that, for the masterpieces of a great painter like Picasso is certainly not a losing deal in Adrian’s view.

Minutes later, Gu Xu provided Huo Sining with accurate information. He did not have a handy lawyer, but Shengtang has an old client headquarters in London. He contacted that client, who promised to immediately send their most capable lawyer to assist them.

Hearing this, Huo Sining felt relieved.

Elsewhere, Adrian quickly contacted his family lawyer and a professional European antique appraisal consultant. The consultant quickly arrived at Albert Castle by the Thames River, but after entering the castle, this old gentleman greeted Huo Sining in surprise:

“Hey, Miss Huo, long time no see, why are you here?”

When Huo Sining looked up and saw who it was, she was dumbfounded: “Mr. Augustin, how come you…”

Indeed, the person before her was an acquaintance of Huo Sining’s. At the previous New York International Treasure Appraisal Conference, he was one of the representatives of the England appraisal team and had once been a challenger to Huo Sining in a one-on-one competition, ultimately losing to her.

Though he lost, Augustin wasn’t bothered by it; on the contrary, he was very impressed with Huo Sining. He hadn’t expected that after such a long time, he would encounter this mysterious Oriental lady again in Adrian’s castle.