Chapter Forty-One: A Woman’s Grace

Ma Wu sneered, his voice full of disdain. "What, the son loses, so the father steps in? Is this like the Calabash Brothers rescuing their grandson? Let him come—let’s see what trouble he can stir up."

Wu Ting’s expression was grave as she warned Ma Wu, "You need to be careful. Although the Lei family has fallen from grace, they are still an old family. Despite Lei Hu making a mess of his clan all these years, they still have reserves."

Ma Wu nodded, his demeanor growing serious. Fifty million in reserve funds would be more than enough for Goldfish TV, valued at thirty million, but Lei Hu’s involvement brought many uncertainties. With Lei Hu bidding, who knew how much Goldfish TV would ultimately cost to acquire?

In silence, they soon reached the parking lot. Ma Wu climbed into his car and smiled at Wu Ting. "Thank you for seeing me off. Once your father has gathered those materials, just come find me."

Wu Ting gazed at Ma Wu, her eyes tinged with reluctance. After a moment’s hesitation, she said, "Ma Wu, you don’t really have the confidence to take on Lei Hu, do you? You’re short on money, aren’t you?"

Ma Wu was taken aback and had to admire Wu Ting’s sharp observation. Smiling, he replied, "Even if I’m not confident, I’ll do my best. Don’t worry. You already carry the weight of your family on your shoulders—it’s enough to leave you breathless. You must keep going."

Wu Ting shook her head, then slipped a dark gold card from Huaxia Bank into Ma Wu’s car. "I know. Ma Wu, you must keep going, too. I can sense that acquiring Goldfish TV is something you must accomplish. So I’ll support you as much as I can."

"There’s fifteen million on this card—the liquid funds the Wu family can move right now. I hope you beat Lei Hu. Good luck."

As she finished, Wu Ting clenched her small fist and made a gesture of encouragement to Ma Wu before stepping out of his car, disappearing among the maze of Wu family villas and estates.

Ma Wu looked at the dark gold card, turning it over in his hands for a long time before finally sighing and tucking it away.

Now was not the time for bravado. The injection of fifteen million would undoubtedly give him more confidence in acquiring Goldfish TV.

"Ah, the favor of a beauty is the hardest to repay!"

Ma Wu quickly started towards home—since the Wu family’s estate was in the suburbs, he had to drive a long stretch of deserted road to reach the city. Just as he was driving down that road, he suddenly saw an enormous wooden log placed across the way, blocking it.

Ma Wu slowed to a stop. From both sides of the road, seven or eight masked men wielding iron rods sprang out.

The leader held a photo, glanced at it, then looked at Ma Wu in the driver’s seat, grinning viciously. "Ma Wu, right? Heh."

Ma Wu took a steel pipe from his car and stepped out calmly, showing no fear. He looked at the masked man and quipped, "Brother, did your mother’s stockings end up on your head? That’s not how you wear stockings."

The masked man’s breath caught, his tone suddenly furious. He roared, "You bastard, you’re asking for death!"

After cursing, he swung his iron rod and shouted, "Brothers, get him!"

Ma Wu was soon surrounded by the seven or eight men.

These were clearly not ordinary thugs—they started swinging immediately, their iron rods aimed at Ma Wu’s head and legs. Their numbers made coordination awkward, but their blows came fast and hard.

Ma Wu’s powers of observation and attention were now exceptional, his physique especially strong. The iron rods whistling through the air seemed to move in slow motion to him.

He dodged left and right, avoiding their swings, and each time he wielded his steel pipe, one of the attackers was struck down, his head bloody.

Although Ma Wu could dodge, their numbers were overwhelming and their attacks chaotic. After he had knocked several down, he was still struck hard on the back a few times, the pain burning.

Ma Wu stepped in front of a masked man writhing on the ground, clutching his leg and moaning in pain. He brandished his steel pipe at the man's head. "Brother, speak up—who sent you?"

The masked man was stubborn, gritting his teeth and refusing to talk.

Ma Wu shook his head and brought the pipe down, breaking the man’s other leg.

"Ahhh!" The man could no longer even clutch his leg, smashing his head against the ground to dull the pain, crying out in despair, "You bastard, if you’ve got guts, just kill me!"

Ma Wu chuckled, "You still have two hands and a head. I’ll give you five seconds. If you don’t give me something useful, I’ll cripple your left hand. Ten seconds, your right. And then your head."

The man looked at Ma Wu, his eyes filled with terror.

"One."

"Two."

"Three..."

"I’ll talk, I’ll talk!" The masked man finally relented. The price offered by the client had been high, but now, with defeat certain, there was no reason to risk his life.

"It was the Wu family. The young master sent me."

"The Wu family’s young master?" Ma Wu was careful. Most people, after being threatened by Wu Zun, would assume this referred to him, but Ma Wu knew the Wu family had many cousins—there could be others who bore him animosity.

He wedged the pipe between the man’s fingers. "You’d better be specific. If I think you’re lying, I might not be able to control my hands."

"Wu Di! It was Wu Di!" The man finally broke down, clutching his head and screaming hysterically.

Wu Di, huh. Ma Wu squinted, saying nothing more.

After struggling for a while to clear the log, Ma Wu drove home. It was already eight o’clock at night.

Li Mida had reheated the food several times, finally waiting for Ma Wu to return. She asked anxiously, "Ma Wu, where have you been? Why are you back so late? Your phone was off, too."

Ma Wu, a bit bewildered, took out his phone and saw it had shut down from lack of battery.

He smiled apologetically, stepped forward to embrace Li Mida, and whispered in her ear, "Darling, that’s on me—I had some errands to run, and my phone died. Otherwise, I would’ve called you."

Li Mida felt a sudden jolt of electricity at her ear, her body instinctively collapsing into Ma Wu’s arms, murmuring weakly, "Bad… bad man. Go eat your dinner."

Ma Wu chuckled and bit her earlobe.

Li Mida let out a soft scream, struggling fiercely for a moment, her voice seductive. "What are you doing!"

Ma Wu had long since noticed that Li Mida’s ears were her most sensitive spot. Often, a little teasing there would ignite her emotions.

With her delicate earlobe in his mouth, Ma Wu whispered, "Tonight, I’ll make it up to you. Is that alright?"

Li Mida, already aroused, twisted shyly against him, trying to sound composed. "Whatever… whatever you want."

Ma Wu laughed, blowing gently into her ear, "Whatever I want? I don’t know what that means—you’ll have to tell me, won’t you?"

"Ah… enough, enough!" By now, Li Mida’s face was flushed crimson, her voice full of embarrassed anger.

Meanwhile, beside an abandoned factory in the east of the city, two black heavy motorcycles idled on the grass. The Phantom supercar Ma Wu had left there stood out among them.

One of the riders wore a tight motorcycle suit, her figure voluptuous—a fiery woman, by the look of her.

She dismounted, circled the Phantom, examined it for a while, then made a call. "The men below failed. I’m handling this myself. I’ve found the Phantom that rescued Bamboo Leaf Green."

The next day, after a night of passion with Li Mida, Ma Wu rose from bed, feeling full of energy. He turned on his phone to check the missed calls that had accumulated while it was off.

Li Mida lay weakly in bed, unable even to prepare breakfast. She’d been tormented by Ma Wu all night—she’d drifted off, only to be woken by him again and again, until she was so exhausted she couldn’t lift a finger.

Ma Wu checked his phone and saw a missed call from Chen Ao.