Chapter Thirty-Four: The Mission Moves Ahead

It was clear that Lin Erke had fully intended to come to the appointment, but was blocked by the people from Goldfish TV. To avoid troubling him, she had even considered not telling him about it.

Ma Wu turned to the man leading the group and said, “I’m ‘I Really Have No Money.’ I’m the top donor to streamers on your Goldfish TV platform.”

“Ah!” The man was visibly taken aback, then quickly switched to a deferential demeanor, bowing his head and saying, “My apologies, my apologies. I’ve always heard your voice in the streams, but I never imagined I’d meet you in person one day.”

“Apologize, my ass!” Ma Wu, anger flaring, kicked the man squarely, sending him stumbling backward.

“Threatening a young woman? Threatening your own streamer? Didn’t I call your higher-ups and tell them to stop targeting Lin Erke? Why are you still trying to squeeze money out of her?”

“Do you think Lin Erke is easy to bully just because she’s a woman? Do you not realize I’m standing behind her?”

The man, having been kicked, felt humiliated and finally dropped his pretense, snapping, “Ma Wu, don’t get too cocky. You keep saying you’ll buy out our Goldfish TV in the streams, but let me tell you, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.”

“Even if we’ve lost a lot of money because of that Lei fellow, you alone could never afford to buy our company!”

“Oh really?” Ma Wu chuckled, about to continue, when Lin Erke suddenly burst into tears and threw herself into his arms, cutting him off.

Gently stroking her smooth hair, Ma Wu whispered in her ear, “It’s all right now, it’s all right. I’m here. Don’t worry. Whatever injustice you’ve suffered, I’ll make sure you get back tenfold.”

Lin Erke gave a soft response from the safety of his embrace, but still buried her face in his chest, seeking comfort in his warmth.

The Goldfish TV representative, seeing this, let out a sinister laugh and sneered, “So that’s how you manage to get such a wealthy backer to speak up for you again and again, Lin Erke. Turns out you’re already his woman.”

“You act so pure on stream, like some untouchable snow lotus, but God knows what kind of plaything you’ve become for him in private!”

“You’re asking for it!” Ma Wu erupted with rage at these words. He gently set Lin Erke aside, lifted the man with one hand, and slammed him hard onto the stairs.

The man howled in pain, curled up, and glared at Ma Wu with venom in his eyes.

Ma Wu gave a cold laugh. “Goldfish TV, what a fine company. I hadn’t planned on driving you to the ground. Even though I intend to acquire you, I was prepared to offer a fair price so you wouldn’t take too great a loss. But after what you did today, I’m delighted. I’ll make sure there’s not a single drop left for you to squeeze from Goldfish TV.”

The man struggled to stand, then finally managed it and said to Ma Wu, “You may be rich, but don’t get too arrogant—don’t think you alone can buy an entire company!”

Having said his piece, the man realized that any hope of getting a refund from Lin Erke was lost and, his bravado faltering, made to leave.

Ma Wu made no move to stop them, simply watched their panicked retreat, then suddenly called after them with a smile, “You’re my future employee, so you’d better resign soon. Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can’t find a place in this industry again!”

With that resolved, Ma Wu turned to Lin Erke with a look of tender concern and said softly, “Erke, when things like this happen, you must tell me. You shouldn’t face it alone.”

Tears still streaming down her cheeks, Lin Erke shook her head and replied, “I didn’t want to trouble you too much. You’ve already done so much for me, sob…”

Ma Wu could only smile helplessly and drew her back into his arms.

Just then, a notification chimed in his mind:

Ding. Due to a complete falling out with Goldfish TV, the time limit for the mission: Acquire Goldfish TV has been shortened. Remaining time: three days.

Ding. As the mission’s difficulty has increased, the reward has been changed to: Cupid’s Arrow and one intermediate skill book.

Ding. You helped Lin Erke and drove away the people from Goldfish TV, earning 300 points of Swagger Value.

As he comforted Lin Erke, gently soothing her trembling back as she sobbed, Ma Wu’s anger only blazed hotter.

Lin Erke was the first woman he had ever loved, the one true weakness in his heart. No one was allowed to hurt or bully her.

He had yet to deal with Goldfish TV, and already they were daring to harass his woman.

Ma Wu vowed silently to himself: This time, I won’t let Goldfish TV off the hook. I’ll see to it that they’re driven out of the industry, and their chairman will beg me to buy their company!

With his mind made up to bring Goldfish TV down—and only three days left for the mission—Ma Wu wasted no time and prepared to act at once.

After calming Lin Erke and reassuring her that she had nothing to fear, he set out alone under the cover of night, driving straight to one of H City’s most prominent media companies—Leap Media and Cultural Company.

Leap Media owned several forums and news sites; they were the ideal engine for shaping public opinion. Ma Wu had already begun recording with his portable voice recorder upstairs and now had ample evidence of Goldfish TV’s ugly behavior—he just needed the right opportunity to expose them.

Leap Media was not far from Lin Erke’s home, and Ma Wu soon arrived and parked outside. He strode into the building, intent on finding someone responsible and willing to take on the job.

No sooner had he entered the office building than a middle-aged woman at the door blocked his way, grumbling, “Hey, you there—what do you think you’re doing?”

Ma Wu frowned, thinking to himself: Even a security guard wouldn’t speak so rudely to a stranger—who is this woman?

Seeing that Ma Wu didn’t respond, the woman waved him off irritably. “If you have nothing to do, get out. This isn’t a place for idle loafers like you. Go amuse yourself elsewhere.”

Already seething from his encounter with the people from Goldfish TV, Ma Wu felt his temper flare at the woman’s abuse. He replied angrily, “And who might you be? Are you security here? What gives you the right to order me around? I’m here to discuss business with your company. If this deal falls through because of you, can you take responsibility?”

The woman seemed to realize he had a point, but having already treated him so poorly, she refused to back down and continued to wave him away.

Ma Wu could feel an unnamable rage burning inside him, and was about to retort when a well-dressed man suddenly emerged from the elevator.

The man wore a perfectly tailored suit—your typical business elite. His gold-rimmed black glasses lent him an air of scholarly refinement, but when Ma Wu looked closely, he spotted a wild, predatory glint in his eyes.

This man was no ordinary person.

That was Ma Wu’s first impression.

The man stepped out of the elevator just in time to overhear the exchange. He frowned and turned to the woman, speaking sternly: “Aunt Wei, it’s one thing to fill in for your husband as security, but can’t you tell the difference between a random troublemaker and a legitimate visitor? Do you abuse everyone you see?”

“As he said, if he’s here to discuss business and your words ruin that deal, can you answer for it? Or can your husband? Don’t bring your quarrelsome habits to the workplace!”

Ma Wu looked at the man who had spoken up for him, smiled, and stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Hello, you must be from Leap Media. I’m here to discuss business. My name is Ma Wu.”

The man returned his smile—a gentle, refined expression, though moments ago his tone with the woman had carried a palpable authority. The blend of these qualities gave him a unique charisma.

He shook Ma Wu’s hand lightly. “Hello, I’m Chen Ao, Executive Team Leader at Leap Media.”