Chapter 24: Trolls Stirring the Waters

Ma Wu raised his eyebrow, about to say something, but Wu Ting interjected angrily, “Old Li, what are you talking about!”

The driver, Old Li, was more polite toward Wu Ting. “Miss, I’m just reminding certain reckless young men of their place.”

Ma Wu chuckled, walked over to the front of the car, reached in, and gripped the steering wheel with one hand. “Listen, you’re just a driver. Who are you to tell me what to do? Not only can I afford this apartment, I could buy ten, or even a hundred of them with my assets. You’d better swallow your words and not provoke people you shouldn’t.”

Having said his piece, Ma Wu patted his backside and left. He saw no point in quarreling with someone from a lower rung of society, especially since he had no intention of “reaching for the stars” as Old Li implied.

After Ma Wu left, Old Li stared at the metal steering wheel, now visibly twisted out of shape, and stood in silence for a long while. When Wu Ting wasn’t looking, he secretly sent a message to a certain number: “Young Master, we've got a tough one here.”

When Ma Wu returned to Mount Surprise Apartments, he found Li Mida had just finished making lunch. A warm smile touched Ma Wu’s lips. He put his arm around Li Mida and said with a laugh, “You’ve worked hard. I’ve finished my business.”

Li Mida was caught off guard by his affection. Ever since she’d stormed off in a fit, been kidnapped, and then rescued by Ma Wu at great personal risk, her heart had been entirely his.

Li Mida squirmed shyly. “I-It’s only noon. Hurry up and eat.”

Ma Wu washed his hands and sat down. Looking at the sumptuous meal and the bashful beauty beside him, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Ever since he’d acquired the system, he truly felt more and more like a successful man.

He gave a command to the system: System, I want to check my current stats.

Name: Ma Wu.
Occupation: Student.
Hobbies: Self-indulgence, daydreaming about Lin Erke.
Spending Value: 1000
Show-off Value: 1200
Tycoon Value: 3000
Face-Slapping Value: 400
Success Points: 800

Ma Wu grinned excitedly at his eight hundred Success Points. Success Points were one of the hardest attributes to earn. If Spending Value could be exchanged for real money, then Success Points were the system’s own currency. Many things unavailable in the real world could be bought within the system.

As he reviewed his data, Ma Wu suddenly remembered that he still hadn’t claimed the mysterious reward from the emergency incident—when he’d avoided the Santana and subdued its occupants.

Curious, Ma Wu claimed the mysterious reward:

Ding! You have received: Modern Firearm, Desert Eagle x1
Ding! You have received: Standard Pistol Magazine x4, Mithril Bullet Magazine x1
Ding! You have received: Basic Firearm Mastery.

Whoa! He’d actually gotten a gun! Ma Wu was both astonished and thrilled. After all, what man doesn’t like guns? Owning one of his own was the epitome of cool.

Unfortunately, the ammo was a bit scarce. A Desert Eagle magazine holds seven rounds, so with five magazines including the mithril bullets, he had only thirty-five bullets in total.

As for the Basic Firearm Mastery—it was like the Basic Combat Skill Book he’d used before. Ma Wu opted to learn it immediately. Unlike his experience with Basic Combat, which had enhanced his physical abilities, this time he just felt the muscles in his forearms grow a bit tauter and a curious familiarity when gripping a firearm in his palm.

Ma Wu understood. This was “gun sense.” For most people, that instinct might require firing thousands of rounds at a shooting range—costing a fortune. Yet with a single skill book, he’d acquired this elusive sixth sense.

Back when he’d gone stone gambling, the strange old man who called him “Young Master” had gifted him a black stone. That stone had merged into his system, becoming a peculiar storage space about a cubic meter in volume.

Obviously, he couldn’t just carry a real handgun around—he’d never get on a train or plane that way. So Ma Wu tossed the Desert Eagle and all the ammo into his storage space.

Ma Wu ate his lunch, grinning to himself with excitement. Li Mida, watching him from the side, felt a chill run down her spine. Since when had her cooking ever made him so happy? Could he have caught something while he was out?

That afternoon, Li Mida went straight to work at the modeling agency. Although Ma Wu had taken over the company, she was determined to keep working and honing her skills, unwilling to sit idle at home as a mere ornament.

Left with nothing to do at home, Ma Wu naturally turned to live streaming. He opened the Goldfish Live app.

The first thing he saw on the home page was Lin Erke. Ever since that contest, when Ma Wu had helped her become the Queen of Flowers, Lin Erke had become the number one streamer on Goldfish—sixty to seventy percent of the platform’s viewers flocked to her stream.

When Ma Wu entered her stream, Lin Erke happened to be singing the original song he’d taught her. Countless viewers were cheering her on.

Now, Ma Wu was a king-level figure in the Goldfish streaming community, and the biggest spender in Lin Erke’s room. His arrival was heralded by a virtual airplane trailing a banner, announcing his entrance.

Lin Erke’s eyes lit up when she saw him, and she greeted him sweetly. “Welcome, ‘I Really Have No Money,’ to the stream.”

After defeating the rich second-generation Lei Bujing, Ma Wu had changed his Goldfish ID to “I Really Have No Money.” Despite casually tipping millions, he insisted he was broke—what a show-off. Ma Wu remembered that when he’d changed his ID, his Show-off Value had shot up fifty points.

Ma Wu’s arrival not only made Lin Erke uncharacteristically enthusiastic, but also sent other fans into a frenzy:

“Wow, the big boss is here!”
“Boss, take me under your wing! It’s been ages since you visited Erke’s stream!”
“Boss, I’m really good at sucking up—will you keep me?”

Ma Wu snickered at the screen, clearly enjoying the attention.

Just then, however, a group of viewers began spreading rumors about Goldfish TV’s imminent collapse and Lin Erke’s supposed downfall:

“Did you hear? Lei Bujing sued Goldfish TV. They’re being forced to refund all the gifts and tips from that contest. Goldfish TV is about to go under.”
“Lin Erke won’t get a penny of her rewards either. Besides, her popularity only matters on Goldfish TV. Once the platform collapses, she’s done for.”
“She’s finished. Goldfish TV’s collapse is largely because of her, and they’ll probably turn on her next.”

Lin Erke was overwhelmed as these messages flooded the chat. She tried to explain in a trembling voice, “Everyone, that’s not true. I’ve already received all the rewards and gifts I was owed by Goldfish TV. Besides, not all the kings asked for refunds—‘I Really Have No Money’ didn’t ask for his back.”

Despite her explanation, the relentless group wouldn’t let up:

“See? She’s panicking—must be true.”
“Hey, remember Lin Erke’s little toy poodle? Haven’t seen it lately. She probably sold it for cash.”
“Yeah, my distant aunt says those dogs fetch a fortune—must be worth hundreds of thousands!”

Seeing the chat still hounding her, Lin Erke’s eyes brimmed with tears as she tried, powerless, to defend herself.

Watching from behind his screen, Ma Wu realized something was off. These weren’t normal viewers—clearly, someone had hired trolls to stir up trouble.

But who? Was it a vendetta from Goldfish TV? Unlikely—they wouldn’t spread rumors that hurt themselves, especially with their stock in freefall and no resources for this sort of thing.

Could it be Lei Bujing? He probably didn’t care enough to bother.

Ma Wu couldn’t figure it out, but he wasn’t about to let these trolls dictate the mood.

He sent a private message to Lin Erke, telling her to connect his mic.

With tears still shimmering in her eyes, Lin Erke saw Ma Wu’s message. As if grabbing onto a lifeline, she immediately did as he asked and brought his mic into the stream.