Chapter Twenty-Five: Rising as the Eternal Queen of Goldfish TV
Ever since Ma Wu had helped crown her as the top streamer on Goldfish TV, provided her with original songs for competitions, and even uncovered the neighboring streamer’s plagiarism, Lin Erke had subconsciously come to regard Ma Wu as someone capable of anything.
When Ma Wu’s microphone connected to the live room, he cleared his throat twice. The moment the audience heard a man’s voice in Lin Erke’s stream, the entire chat fell silent; not a single viewer continued to argue in the barrage.
In a deep voice, Ma Wu announced, “Hello everyone, I am ‘I Really Have No Money’.”
Instantly, the audience erupted in excitement. The legendary big spender who had splurged tens of millions that night was making another appearance in Lin Erke’s stream. With Lin Erke at the center of a heated controversy, everyone wondered what bombshell Ma Wu might drop. Anticipation ran high.
Meanwhile, the number of viewers in Lin Erke’s live room kept climbing, nearing an all-time peak.
Pausing briefly, Ma Wu continued, “I just noticed many comments saying that Goldfish TV is about to go under, and Lin Erke is done for. I’d like to clarify a few things.”
“First, Lin Erke is definitely not finished. On the night of the competition, the over ten million she received in gifts was credited in full to her account. I’ve confirmed this with the senior management at Goldfish TV.”
With that, his credibility soared. Not only did Ma Wu have no reason to lie for Lin Erke, but his status also made it entirely plausible for him to obtain authentic information from the company’s executives.
“Second, regarding the rumors of Goldfish TV’s imminent collapse—they’re simply not true.”
A faint smile played on Ma Wu’s lips as he continued, “Goldfish TV isn’t going anywhere, because I am about to acquire it!”
His words sent shockwaves through the live room. The audience was so stunned that for a moment, even the barrage fell silent. Lin Erke, too, was so surprised she covered her rosy lips with her hand.
“No way! I always knew the boss was wealthy, but this wealthy?”
“Incredible! With money, you really can do anything. Goldfish TV’s market value is at least thirty or forty million.”
“He’s just grandstanding. How can someone who watches live streams be that rich? Forget it.”
“Are you dense? Didn’t you see him singlehandedly outspend everyone else? How can you possibly know how rich he is?”
Similar discussions flooded Lin Erke’s stream, splitting viewers into two camps: those hailing Ma Wu’s power, convinced he truly could buy out Goldfish TV; and skeptics dismissing his words as nonsensical boasting.
Lin Erke, still in shock, asked softly, “Really? Is this true?”
Ma Wu chuckled and replied, “It’s true. Although I haven’t yet negotiated with Goldfish TV’s management, I am determined to acquire it.”
With this bold declaration, the “Boss Is Awesome” faction of the chat surged once more:
“Did you hear that? So domineering!”
“Boss, I want to have your babies! How are you so cool? I’m falling for you!”
“No matter what happens, I, Xiao XX, will always support you. If you’re short on cash, I can lend you some. Tens of thousands is definitely doable.”
“Are you out of your mind? Like the boss needs your pocket change? Save it for your own wedding.”
Lin Erke blinked adorably before asking, “But why do you want to acquire Goldfish TV?”
She gave voice to the question on everyone’s mind. The main reason people doubted Ma Wu’s claim was that he seemed to have no motive for purchasing Goldfish TV.
Ma Wu forced a bitter smile. He couldn’t possibly tell her about the troublesome system he had, which would cause him to drop dead on the spot if he failed to acquire the company. So, after a moment’s thought, he decided to spin a beautiful lie: “Because I want to make you the eternal queen of Goldfish TV.”
The room exploded with excitement.
In that instant, countless reporters and gossipmongers lurking in the chat began churning out articles, flooding the internet:
“Goldfish TV’s Richest Emperor Plans Acquisition—All for a Woman!”
“Fury for a Beauty! Goldfish TV’s Tycoon Unhappy, Announces Takeover!”
“Goldfish TV’s Crisis: Coveted by the Wealthy!”
Within moments, Lin Erke’s live room broke ten million viewers. Many who had never visited her stream before flocked in for the spectacle, and the sensational headlines sent her popularity soaring yet again—so much so that she seemed poised to eclipse even other platforms.
Having said his piece, Ma Wu immediately gifted Lin Erke one hundred million Goldfish Coins. He didn’t bother with special gifts this time, just a direct reward—utterly domineering.
One hundred million Goldfish Coins equaled ten million in cash. With that one reward, Ma Wu had given Lin Erke more than all the other streamers’ gifts combined in recent days. Countless viewers were left in awe: “The rich really can do whatever they want!”
Ding! You just showed off massively on Goldfish TV. Your Show-off Points increased by one thousand.
Ding! You’ve just slapped the face of the hired trolls on Goldfish TV. Your Slap Points increased by five hundred.
Ding! You’ve spent ten million on the live platform. You’ve earned one thousand Consumption Points.
Ma Wu’s reward to Lin Erke was not on a whim. Goldfish TV’s current market value was still around thirty million, and if anyone tried to intervene, the price could be driven up even further.
The hundred million Goldfish Coins were useless just sitting there. Only by rewarding Lin Erke, converting them into Consumption Points, and then into cash, could he use them as capital.
Now, Ma Wu’s Consumption Points totalled two thousand, enough to exchange for twenty million in cash. Still, this was not yet enough to acquire Goldfish TV.
The acquisition mission allowed thirty days; Ma Wu felt he could afford to wait a bit longer. But for now, the most pressing matter was to root out the hired trolls stirring up trouble in Lin Erke’s stream. If he didn’t deal with them, her live room would never find peace—and that was something Ma Wu could not accept.
So Ma Wu continued, “Additionally, to those hired trolls who were spreading rumors about Goldfish TV’s demise and Lin Erke’s downfall, I won’t hold you accountable. I just want to know—who hired you?”
“If you message me privately with the relevant information, I’ll pay you a bounty ten times higher than what your employer offered.”
Rich! Overbearing!
That was the only impression Ma Wu left on the viewers.
In fact, anyone with half a brain could tell that the earlier troublemakers were hired trolls. But trolls were hard to deal with—they operated in large numbers, skirting the law, and were almost impossible to pin down.
That’s why there were rarely good ways to handle them.
But today, Ma Wu opened everyone’s eyes: a tenfold bounty! He’d simply use cash to flush out the mastermind. Trolls? He wasn’t afraid at all.
“Hands shaking, offering tea to the boss.”
“Boss, have some iced cola!”
“Boss and Lin Erke are a match made in heaven! He’s always protecting her—he must really love her.”
Ma Wu no longer paid attention to the barrage. Having said what he needed to, he exited Lin Erke’s live room, waiting for the trolls to come to him.
Meanwhile, Lin Erke kept her eyes glued to the chat. When she saw the last message—about how much Ma Wu had done for her—and remembered how he used to come to her stream every day just to say, “Erke, I love you,” her eyes grew moist once more.
Ma Wu sipped his tea, waiting for the trolls to approach him.
Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, someone with the username “I Can Make Anything Look Good” added Ma Wu and messaged: “Hello, boss. I’m the leader of the hired trolls stirring up trouble in Lin Erke’s live room.”
Ma Wu said nothing, watching as the troll continued typing.
Seeing no reply, the troll wrote again two minutes later: “I have no ill will toward you, boss. I was just taking a job. I’m willing to stop and clarify things in Lin Erke’s stream.”
“And I’m willing to tell you who hired us to smear Lin Erke.”
“All I know is that the person who paid us registered their bank account under the name Liu Mang.”