Chapter Thirty-Six: An Unexpected Interloper Appears

“I said I intend to acquire Goldfish TV—this is no empty talk. In the coming days, I will begin the acquisition process. And today, I’m here to deal a blow to Goldfish TV, to further drive down its market value, which will benefit my acquisition.”

“I can even sign an agreement with all of you here: if your company assists me this time, once I’ve acquired Goldfish TV, I will strengthen our collaboration and open all my advertising channels for your company’s use.”

At these words, the faces in the room changed yet again. What Ma Wu proposed was undeniably tempting, striking right at the core of their interests.

Chen Ao, in particular, regarded Ma Wu with renewed interest, falling into contemplation.

But Zhao Hu, without hesitation, leapt up to argue. “Oh, come on! You’re just dangling a big carrot in front of us. Anyone can sign an empty check! You keep saying you’ll acquire Goldfish TV, but do you think it’s that easy? And if you fail, who’s left to clean up the mess?”

Ma Wu’s gaze fixed on Zhao Hu, inwardly growing more displeased. This Zhao Hu had repeatedly tried to undermine him, pushing him to the very edge of his patience.

Nonetheless, Ma Wu kept his composure and addressed the group. “In that case, allow me to demonstrate my financial strength.”

There was no point in confronting Zhao Hu directly; what mattered was winning over the others.

Using the laptop Chen Ao provided, Ma Wu logged into his Huaxia Bank online account, disabled the balance concealment option, and projected the screen onto the board behind him.

In the next moment, the account balance of fifty million was displayed before the whole staff of Tengyue Media. Ma Wu could hear the gasps of astonishment from below.

They’d guessed Ma Wu must be wealthy, but none had imagined he would be this wealthy!

Observing the shocked faces before him, Ma Wu smiled in satisfaction, paused for a few moments, and continued:

“I believe you all can see that Goldfish TV is now a tiger fallen from its peak. Its current market value, at best, is just over thirty million.”

“And this fifty million is merely my liquid assets. As I said, I am determined to win Goldfish TV.”

“Feel free to continue your deliberations. I’ll just step out to use the restroom.”

With that, Ma Wu refrained from further persuasion, leaving the others to ponder while he exited the conference room and headed for the restroom.

Ding! You’ve shown the staff of Tengyue Media what true wealth is—Pretentiousness Value +200.

Ding! You’ve put Zhao Hu in his place—Face-slapping Value +200.

Standing outside the conference room, Ma Wu surveyed the labyrinthine office layout and found himself at a loss for the restroom’s location. He decided to ask someone for directions.

Taking two steps forward, he spotted a petite figure ahead. Assuming it was a staff member, he approached, tapped her on the shoulder, and asked, “Excuse me, could you tell me where the restroom is?”

The petite woman turned around, looking somewhat startled at Ma Wu. “Ma… Ma Wu?”

Ma Wu blinked in surprise, then took a closer look. Wasn’t this legal loli Wu Ting, who looked like a high schooler? He exclaimed, equally astonished, “Uh, Wu… Wu what again?”

Wu Ting, having initially felt a flicker of joy at the chance encounter, was instantly deflated by his comment. So, after all that time together, he hadn’t even remembered her name!

A virtual symbol of anger seemed to appear above Wu Ting’s head as she let out a small growl and launched herself at Ma Wu, her sharp nails aiming straight for his face.

Ma Wu was alarmed—why was this woman’s way of expressing anger always so physical?

He retreated hastily, protesting, “Hey, Miss Wu Ting, Miss Wu Ting, let’s not do this! If you scratch my charming face, how am I supposed to woo the ladies?”

Wu Ting stopped, glaring at him fiercely. Through gritted teeth, she demanded, “I gave you my contact information back then—why did you never get in touch?”

Ma Wu was at a loss. “I didn’t really have anything to say. Why would I contact you? To exchange pleasantries?”

Wu Ting stamped her foot in exasperation.

At that moment, another woman in a work uniform approached, giving Ma Wu a curious glance before addressing Wu Ting, “Miss Wu, may I speak with you about your business here?”

Wu Ting nodded coolly and replied, “One moment.”

Turning back to Ma Wu with a menacing look, she threatened, “Hurry up and tell me, where are you having your meeting?”

Ma Wu sweated—was she performing a Sichuan Opera face change? He answered honestly, “The largest conference hall over there.”

Wu Ting shot him one last glare before following the staff member away, not forgetting to add, “I’ll come find you later and settle the score.”

Watching Wu Ting’s small figure vanish down the corridor, Ma Wu muttered helplessly to himself, “This Wu Ting—one moment she’s calm and composed, the next she’s acting like a little girl. How is anyone supposed to handle her?”

Having quickly taken care of his business, Ma Wu returned to the conference room.

He found the room in a heated argument.

Tengyue Media’s people had split into two camps: one led by Chen Ao, advocating for helping Ma Wu and believing the benefits he’d offer would be greater in the long run; the other, naturally, headed by Zhao Hu, who stubbornly insisted that Ma Wu couldn’t possibly win against Goldfish TV.

Chen Ao, visibly angered, retorted, “Zhao Hu, you keep saying that Ma Wu alone can’t beat a company, but let’s talk numbers! Ma Wu’s current assets far exceed the entire value of Goldfish TV. How could he not win?”

Zhao Hu, his neck stiff, shot back, “Superficial! How do you know Goldfish TV is only worth that much? What if there’s someone meddling behind the scenes? My gut tells me there are others who want in on the fight for Goldfish TV, and Ma Wu won’t stand a chance!”

Gut feelings—what did that even mean… The rest of the staff, hearing Zhao Hu’s nonsense, gradually began siding with Chen Ao.

Chen Ao continued to debate with Zhao Hu, analyzing the pros and cons from a professional perspective, and detailing how the advertising channels Ma Wu would provide after acquiring Goldfish TV could yield huge profits for Tengyue.

But Zhao Hu, unable to offer any professional arguments, could only shout in anger.

Ma Wu narrowed his eyes, observing Zhao Hu’s increasingly hysterical behavior. He wondered: Why was Zhao Hu so intent on opposing him? He’d never crossed Zhao Hu before—what was his motive in stopping Tengyue from helping him?

He recalled Zhao Hu’s earlier words: “My gut tells me there are others who want in on the fight for Goldfish TV.”

A flash of insight struck Ma Wu—Zhao Hu must be someone’s pawn. There had to be another party vying with him for Goldfish TV!

With this realization, Ma Wu swiftly issued a command to his system:

System, I need you to investigate Zhao Hu’s background.

Ding! Investigating Zhao Hu’s background will cost 100 Success Points. Proceed?

Proceed, Ma Wu decided without hesitation.

Moments later, Zhao Hu’s life history unfolded in Ma Wu’s mind. And crucially, three years ago, Zhao Hu had pledged himself to Lei Hu of the Lei family!

Damn, so he’s Lei Hu’s man—no wonder he’s been obstructing me at every turn.

Moreover, Zhao Hu’s opposition was a warning: Lei Hu, too, wanted a piece of the Goldfish TV battle. Fifty million might seem like a lot, but in truth, it might not be nearly enough.

As Ma Wu reviewed Zhao Hu’s file, he discovered another key detail: in this company, Zhao Hu was effectively a mole. On several occasions, he’d stolen internal data from Tengyue and sold it to a rival company, embezzling significant sums in the process—yet no one had uncovered his betrayal.

Ma Wu pondered for a moment and decided he now knew exactly how to deal with Zhao Hu.