Chapter Twenty-Seven: Let Me Leave with Dignity

Li Mida did not see Ma Wu; Ma Wu walked straight over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Suddenly embraced by a strange man at her own doorstep, Li Mida was startled. She struggled to break free and was about to cry out when Ma Wu gently pressed his finger against her crimson lips and whispered, “Don’t shout—it’s me.”

Li Mida turned her head and saw that it was indeed Ma Wu. Her tense body relaxed, and she scolded him playfully, “You, you nearly scared me to death.”

As Li Mida looked Ma Wu over more closely, she suddenly noticed blood covering his forehead. Her expression changed dramatically. “Oh my God, did you get into a fight? Ma Wu, you’re bleeding all over!”

Ma Wu waved away her concern, utterly unconcerned. “It’s nothing, nothing. Let’s go inside.”

Despite Ma Wu’s repeated claims that he had merely fallen, Li Mida continued to scold him for stirring up trouble outside. She insisted on supporting him by the shoulder, as if he were gravely injured, and led him into the house.

Once inside, Li Mida bustled about, fetching bandages and iodine to tend to Ma Wu’s wounds, leaving him a little bewildered by her ministrations.

When she finally finished, Li Mida sat beside Ma Wu to rest. Seeing her slightly out of breath, Ma Wu felt a warmth rise in his chest. All these years, he’d just been a nobody, and no one had ever cared for him like this. Li Mida’s actions moved him deeply.

Suddenly, Ma Wu embraced Li Mida and breathed warmly against her delicate ear. “Are you being too good to me, Li Mida?”

Li Mida was momentarily stunned, her ears tingling from Ma Wu’s touch, and her cheeks flushed as she protested, “Not really—I’m good to everyone.”

Ma Wu shook his head, said no more, and kissed her red lips directly. At first, Li Mida resisted gently, but soon she surrendered to him, quickly lost in the moment.

Her forehead rested against Ma Wu’s chest as she lazily stroked him. “Ma Wu, will you always be with me?”

Ma Wu looked at Li Mida’s sweet, childish face and asked, “Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

Li Mida shook her head. “Before, when I was just a small-time model, people always had designs on me—I never felt safe. Now, with you protecting me, it feels almost like a dream. It doesn’t seem real…”

Ma Wu listened to her quietly, saying nothing.

Li Mida smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “Actually, I already know you’re infatuated with Lin Erke. You’ve made her the queen of Goldfish TV, right? And didn’t you say you were going to acquire Goldfish TV—just to make her the eternal star there?”

“I don’t ask for much. I only hope that when the time comes, if you want me to leave, you’ll let me do so with some dignity.”

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

Li Mida was the first woman in Ma Wu’s life. Though their feelings weren’t especially deep, Ma Wu was not a heartless man. After a long pause, he finally said, “It’s true that I like Lin Erke, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like you.”

“I said in Lin Erke’s streaming room that I was acquiring Goldfish TV just to make her the eternal queen, but that wasn’t the truth. The acquisition is something I must do for myself. I can’t tell you the details, but it’s absolutely not just because of Lin Erke.”

Hearing this, Li Mida finally relaxed a little. She snuggled against him for a moment, then went off to the kitchen to prepare his dinner.

Ma Wu sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

Speaking with Li Mida about the Goldfish TV acquisition made him painfully aware of his current predicament: his biggest problem was a lack of money. The system’s deadline for acquiring Goldfish TV was just two weeks away, and in that time, Ma Wu had to bring his assets above forty million to have any hope of contending with Goldfish TV.

Ma Wu was brooding when his phone suddenly rang.

He glanced at the screen—it was Lin Erke calling. He looked at Li Mida, busy in the kitchen, and chose to answer the call out on the balcony.

“Hello, Lin Erke. What’s up?” Ma Wu’s voice was a little cold; he still couldn’t shake off Li Mida’s words.

Lin Erke heard the less-than-enthusiastic tone on the other end and seemed at a loss for a moment. She hesitated, then said, “Um, Ma Wu, I actually wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?” Ma Wu was puzzled. “For what?”

“Just now, Liu Mang called me and said he’s resigned as my agent. He also confessed that he’d planned to drag me down at Goldfish TV, and even hired internet trolls to smear me.”

“Oh. So why thank me?”

Lin Erke laughed helplessly on the other end. “Don’t play dumb. I know he left me and confessed because you intervened, right?”

Ma Wu grinned. This Lin Erke was no mere pretty face—her powers of observation and deduction were formidable. She’d instantly guessed the truth.

Lin Erke continued, “Tomorrow night—are you free? I’d like to treat you to dinner at Hundred Flavors Pavilion in the west of H City, to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. What do you think?”

“All right.”

…

After hanging up, Ma Wu’s expression remained unsettled. He knew that if he wanted to always protect Lin Erke, leeches like Liu Mang could never be fully eradicated. If Liu Mang could afford to hire trolls, there must be someone backing him.

Ma Wu didn’t believe a mere agent like Liu Mang could casually produce half a million just for internet trolls. Behind him lay the real threat to Lin Erke.

After finishing the call with Lin Erke and enjoying the dinner Li Mida had prepared, Ma Wu went to his room and habitually opened his personal attribute interface:

System, I want to know my current personal attributes.

Name: Ma Wu.

Occupation: Student.

Hobbies: Fantasizing, daydreaming about Lin Erke.

Consumption Value: 2000

Pretentiousness Value: 1400

Wealth Value: 3000

Face-slapping Value: 900

Success Points: 800

Ma Wu looked at his meager 2000 Consumption Value, feeling a bit depressed. Two thousand Consumption Value equated to twenty million in local currency, which was still too little to acquire Goldfish TV.

After much consideration, he realized that only the system could solve the puzzle. He decided to ask how to make money quickly.

So he asked, “System, you want me to acquire Goldfish TV, but there’s not enough money. Any tasks? Give me a few more, please?”

Ding. The current main quest cannot be avoided and is unique: Acquire Goldfish TV. Time remaining: 13 days.

Ding. The master may encounter emergency events or actively accept side quests to earn the resources needed.

Encounter emergency events?

Ma Wu was speechless. Wanting to randomly stumble upon emergencies was about as promising as gambling all his millions on lottery tickets. But the side quests seemed promising.

Speaking of side quests, Ma Wu suddenly remembered that when he intercepted Liu Mang this afternoon, the system had hinted he could pursue a side quest related to Ye Qing.

Originally, Ma Wu hadn’t wanted to get involved with more women, but if there was no other way, he’d have to take on a few more romantic debts.

With this in mind, he decided to take action immediately. He planned to create opportunities to meet Ye Qing, perhaps repeated encounters would trigger a series of side quests.

It was already late, so it wasn’t the time to visit Ye Qing. But now that he had a plan, Ma Wu was in high spirits and went to bed early.

The next morning, Ma Wu found a flower shop nearby and bought ninety-nine roses. Driving his newly repaired Phantom sports car, he headed for the hospital where Ye Qing worked.

Carrying so many roses through the hospital was a rare sight, and Ma Wu attracted countless curious and admiring glances along the way, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Since he didn’t know which office Ye Qing was in, Ma Wu decided to ask the nurse at the front desk.

Today, Ma Wu was dressed impeccably in a custom-made designer suit and sported a stylish haircut. His naturally handsome features made it impossible for the nurses to look away.