Chapter Forty-Five Peril at Every Turn

Ma Wu smiled, clapped his hands together in satisfaction, and said to Jinshan, “Excellent. Now I’m willing to acquire Goldfish TV for fifteen million. As long as you beg me, ask me to buy Goldfish TV for fifteen million, that entire sum will be yours.”

After saying this, Ma Wu suddenly leaned close to Jinshan’s ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “With fifteen million, no matter which country you flee to, you’ll be able to live well for quite some time, wouldn’t you agree?”

Jinshan’s face changed abruptly, a flash of uncontrollable fear in his eyes. Just who was this Ma Wu, to know everything? What sort of background did he have?

With a trembling voice, Jinshan stammered, “Yes, yes, Mr. Ma Wu, you’re right. I’ll beg you right now, I’ll do it, ha ha ha…”

The reporters were all a bit baffled, not knowing what Ma Wu had said to Jinshan that left him so frightened and incoherent.

Gritting his teeth, Jinshan finally managed to force out, “Mr. Ma Wu, I, Jinshan… I beg you, please acquire…”

“Hold it!” Just as Jinshan was about to finish, a powerful voice rang out from outside the door. Lei Hu strode in, carrying an imposing air.

Damn, he really showed up after all.

Ma Wu had long expected Lei Hu would try to interfere. Though a little disappointed, he wasn’t particularly alarmed. He watched Lei Hu with a calm expression.

Lei Hu, in turn, fixed his gaze on Ma Wu, with a hint of barely detectable hatred and wariness in his eyes. He said in a low, commanding tone, “Ma Wu, you think you’ve already succeeded? Heh, I, Lei Hu, representing the Lei family, am here to acquire Goldfish TV as well!”

At Lei Hu’s words, the reporters were astonished and quickly raised their cameras, the flashes firing rapidly around the conference room.

Ma Wu snorted dismissively, paying Lei Hu no heed, and laughed, “I knew you’d come. The father of Lei Bujing—the man who tipped a streamer ten million, only to shamelessly demand it back in the end.”

There were muffled chuckles among the reporters. Ma Wu had just implied that Lei Hu couldn’t even manage his own son, and here he was making a spectacle of himself.

A glint of anger flashed in Lei Hu’s eyes. He grinned menacingly, “Sharp-tongued brat. I hope you’re still laughing in a moment.”

Ma Wu burst out laughing, “Of course I am. Zhao Hu, after all, might still be grinning behind bars as we speak. Why shouldn’t I laugh, Lei Hu?”

If Ma Wu’s earlier jab was clear enough for the reporters, this latest comment left them thoroughly confused. Only those familiar with the past knew: Zhao Hu, Lei Hu’s lapdog, had been caught red-handed by Ma Wu and thrown in jail—an act that was a slap in the face for Lei Hu himself.

Lei Hu’s anger burned, but he knew he could never out-talk Ma Wu. So he smiled and said, “Ma Wu, weren’t you just asking Jinshan to beg you to acquire Goldfish TV for fifteen million? I, Lei Hu, bid twenty-five million!”

The reporters were stunned again—Lei Hu was actually bidding against Ma Wu, raising the price by a whole ten million at once! To pay twenty-five million for the mess that was Goldfish TV was clearly a poor deal. The reporters could only speculate that Lei Hu was trying to give Ma Wu a hard time out of personal animosity.

Jinshan, hearing Lei Hu’s offer, instantly brightened and began bowing obsequiously to him like a fawning dog.

Lei Hu shot him a sidelong glance and barked, “Get lost! You’ll still only get fifteen million. Don’t think you can squeeze a penny more out of me!”

Ma Wu snorted at Lei Hu and said, “Is twenty-five million the best you can do? Why shout so loud for that? I bid thirty million!”

As his words landed, the reporters were stunned once more. Countless of them began messaging their editors, asking them to clear space for headlines about the showdown between Lei Hu and Ma Wu: “Clash of the Tycoons: Who’s Richer, Ma Wu or Lei Hu?”

Ding. For fearlessly standing up to Lei Hu, your Swagger Points increase by two hundred. However, as you’ve already reached the maximum, your Swagger Points remain at 2000.

Lei Hu wore a look of indifference. “Boy, don’t get cocky just because you’re young. I’ve crossed more bridges than you’ve walked roads! Don’t provoke those you shouldn’t! I bid thirty-five million!”

Ma Wu shook his head, unwilling to argue further. He said crisply, “Forty million!”

Lei Hu’s eyes narrowed. Now he was forced to take Ma Wu seriously—anything above forty million would start to hurt. His family’s influence was waning, and he certainly didn’t have unrestricted access to their capital.

This time, Lei Hu fell conspicuously silent. Just as the reporters thought he was out of money, he suddenly shouted, “Fifty million! Ha! You really have that much, kid? Let’s see you match me!”

Ma Wu gazed at Lei Hu, drawing in a deep breath and slowly exhaling, hiding the faint hint of murderous intent he felt toward him.

If it hadn’t been for Wu Ting lending him fifteen million, he would already be out of funds. In other words, he would have lost to Lei Hu right here.

That was close.

Looking at Lei Hu, Ma Wu let his steely resolve show, and said in a low voice, “Sixty million.”

“So handsome!” Especially among the female reporters, there was a collective swoon. To utter, so nonchalantly, a sum most people could never earn in a lifetime—such dominance was irresistible.

In that moment, Ma Wu won the admiration of every woman present.

Sweat broke out on Lei Hu’s brow. He couldn’t come up with any more money—fifty million was already the result of selling off most of his assets and dipping into his private stash.

It was clear that barring a miracle, Ma Wu had won. But Lei Hu was unwilling to accept defeat. He had come here to fight for his son, to acquire this mess called Goldfish TV, making such a grand entrance—only to leave in defeat? He couldn’t bear it.

Lei Hu pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Hello, this is Lei Hu. Yes, yes. I’ve hit a bit of a snag today and need to borrow some money urgently. Yes, two million is fine? Good. Don’t worry, I’ll pay it back as soon as I can.”

He hung up and looked at Ma Wu with a grin. “Seventy million.”

Ma Wu’s heart clenched. Seventy million—there was no way he could scrape together that much. He had lost the contest to Lei Hu.

And the system’s main mission—acquire Goldfish TV—had less than a day remaining. According to his plan, he would close the deal today and complete the task just in time.

But Lei Hu’s intrusion had thrown everything off. He hadn’t expected Lei Hu to go all out in this bidding war.

If Lei Hu acquired Goldfish TV today, Ma Wu would be finished. He’d have no chance to snatch it back within a single day.

And if he failed to acquire Goldfish TV, he would pay—with his life.

Was it over?

Bitterness and unwillingness filled Ma Wu’s heart. He still hadn’t helped Wu Ting resolve her family’s crisis. He still hadn’t fulfilled his promise—to make Lin Erke the eternal queen of Goldfish TV.

Lei Hu, seeing Ma Wu frozen, was elated. Playing the elder, he taunted, “Ha, boy. Didn’t I tell you? You shouldn’t compete with your elders over wealth. With the mighty Lei family behind me, even if you acquired Goldfish TV, could you manage it? Hahahahaha…”

The reporters, watching what seemed to be a foregone conclusion, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. They had all, undoubtedly, hoped Ma Wu would win. But it seemed he really was out of funds.

Was this the end for Ma Wu?

Lei Hu was still gloating, “The Lei family is a giant. How could you, on your own, possibly stand against it? Not speaking? Out of money? In that case, get off Goldfish TV’s turf—because now it’s mine…”