Chapter Forty-Two: Outwitting the Superintendent

Ma Wu returned the call on Chen Ao’s computer, and the other party picked up almost immediately: “Hello, Chen Ao, what’s the matter?”

Chen Ao chuckled on the other end of the line. “Yesterday, I meant to let you know we’re about to launch our media offensive. But your timing is perfect. Turn on your TV. Watch the news.”

Ma Wu had a pretty good idea what was going on. The corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile as he left the call connected and turned on the living room television.

The morning news was broadcasting a major story about Goldfish TV:

“Goldfish TV has come under fire after reports emerged that executives intimidated and threatened their streamers. The chairman of Goldfish TV has called a special press conference to address the issue.”

“Although Goldfish TV’s representatives sincerely apologized to the public, the outrage has yet to subside. Many of Lin Erke’s fan groups have announced they will never spend another cent on Goldfish TV.”

“Goldfish TV seems to be wracked by one crisis after another. The recent wave of refund demands led by Lei Bujing had barely died down, and now another scandal has erupted. Its stock price and market value continue to plummet. Many employees at Goldfish TV are living in fear of imminent layoffs.”

Ma Wu’s smile widened. If Chen Ao were standing before him, he would’ve given him a big hug—the impact of this media attack was just too satisfying.

Laughing, Ma Wu said, “Chen Ao, I always knew you were a meticulous and reliable man, but I never guessed you’d execute with such force. I’m extremely satisfied. On top of what’s stipulated in the contract, I’ll pay your team an extra fifty percent.”

“And please, stay tuned. My acquisition of Goldfish TV is about to begin!”

After finishing up with Chen Ao, Ma Wu, in a rare move, opened Lin Erke’s streaming channel again. At that moment, Lin Erke was simply chatting with her viewers.

Looking at the stream, Ma Wu saw the chat flooding with messages:

“I’m so disappointed in Goldfish TV. Lin Erke’s fans will never give them another penny!”

“Goldfish TV started suppressing Lin Erke’s channel ever since Lei Bujing stirred up trouble. Unbelievable—they didn’t even ask for a full refund for ‘I Really Have No Money.’”

“Brothers, we can’t spend money on Goldfish TV anymore. How are we supposed to support Erke now?”

Through it all, Lin Erke kept urging her fans to stay calm and rational in the face of the situation, assuring them that she hadn’t requested a refund and that their interests weren’t at risk.

But many of her most devoted fans still couldn’t swallow their anger and continued to blast Goldfish TV in the chat.

Ma Wu logged in with his main account. As soon as he entered, a flashy animation lit up the stream: “I Really Have No Money” has joined the channel.

Seeing the arrival of the big boss, the crowd’s indignation boiled over:

“Boss, you’re finally here! If you hadn’t shown up, Lin Erke would be completely bullied by those Goldfish TV people!”

“Sir, does your promise to acquire Goldfish TV still stand? Please, don’t go back on your word.”

“Boss, if you love Erke, buy Goldfish TV!”

“Wait, was it the boss who leaked the story about Lin Erke being threatened? That’s kind of terrifying—his reach is amazing!”

Seeing this barrage of messages, Ma Wu felt his head spin. He sent Lin Erke a private message, asking her to let him join the voice chat.

Having been protected by Ma Wu several times before, Lin Erke was now almost entirely willing to follow his lead. She didn’t hesitate to connect his microphone.

Ma Wu, exuding his usual confidence, spoke up: “Hello, Erke’s fans. I’m ‘I Really Have No Money.’”

Hearing his voice, the chat exploded again:

“Yeah, yeah, we know you’re the legendary ‘I Really Have No Money.’ Get on with it!”

“Hahaha, my husband is still so dashing—I can’t take it!”

“Keep it together, old lady. Erke’s right here. Have some decency.”

“Boss, are you here to tell us about acquiring Goldfish TV?”

Amused by the scrolling comments, Ma Wu chuckled and said, “Everyone, I’m here today to tell you: for the next two days, please refrain from sending gifts to Lin Erke.”

Lin Erke was bewildered. She’d been hoping for Ma Wu to help her out, but now he seemed to be stirring up trouble.

But Ma Wu continued without pause: “In two days, those of you who love Lin Erke can send her as many gifts as you like. Because, in two days, Goldfish TV will have a new owner!”

“This afternoon, I’ll be heading to Goldfish TV’s headquarters to discuss the acquisition!”

The moment Ma Wu finished speaking, the stream erupted in celebration. Lin Erke’s fans showered him with praise for keeping his word, while onlookers grabbed their popcorn to watch the show.

Unexpectedly, Ma Wu’s influence was so great that as soon as he spoke, not a single gift was sent in Lin Erke’s stream. In other words, what was previously Goldfish TV’s biggest cash cow—a channel that could generate hundreds of thousands a day—was suddenly silent, all because of Ma Wu’s word.

Lin Erke’s stream became a festive playground for her fans, who filled the chat with messages:

“Oh! Congratulations to the boss on acquiring Goldfish TV, and best wishes for you and Lin Erke tying the knot!”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves—the boss is only going to negotiate this afternoon. Let’s wait for the deal to go through before we celebrate!”

“Goldfish TV finally gets what’s coming to them. Feels so good, I can’t even talk about it. Boss, you’re awesome—I’ll support you forever!”

“Why doesn’t the boss start his own stream? I’d love to see him in action.”

Just as the fans were in the midst of their jubilation, Goldfish TV’s super moderator abruptly entered the stream. Without warning, he shut down the chat and comment functions. A sinister message followed:

“This so-called ‘I Really Have No Money’—you’re nothing but a nouveau riche, pretending to be a big shot. Don’t think a few lousy bucks make you invincible. Stirring up trouble in the stream? Who do you think you are?”

Ma Wu instantly recognized the moderator’s voice—it was the same man who’d threatened Lin Erke at her home. A surge of anger rose in him, but he laughed and replied, “Oh, let me think. Isn’t this the idiot who went to Erke’s place to threaten her, only to be chased off by me and sent rolling on the floor? What, you’re a super moderator now? I thought you were Goldfish TV’s janitor. My apologies.”

“You—!” The moderator was speechless. Indeed, being chased and humiliated by Ma Wu that day was a deep embarrassment, but he didn’t have the guts to confront Ma Wu directly—he could only bluster from behind the screen.

Ma Wu smiled. He didn’t want to stoop to insults; that would be undignified. Instead, he decided to let Lin Erke’s fan groups do the talking.

He asked the system: “System, the moderator has muted the stream chat. Can you unmute it and prevent him from muting others?”

Ding! “The streaming system built by humans is so primitive. Piece of cake! Fee: One hundred Success Points.”

Ma Wu nearly spat blood. “Piece of cake” and you still charge so much? But for the sake of his moment, he paid without hesitation.

Soon, the frustrated viewers suddenly discovered they could chat again, and immediately unleashed their fury on the moderator:

“Ha! You got chased and beaten by the boss, and you still dare to talk?”

“All you’re good for is muting viewers. Useless mod.”

...

Ding! “You’ve humiliated the unscrupulous moderator. Face-Slapping Value increased by two hundred.”

Ding! “You shared your tale of roughing up the moderator. Swagger Value increased by two hundred.”

Ding! “You have the support of Lin Erke’s fans. Success Points increased by one hundred.”

Well, looks like it paid off after all.

Ma Wu couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. Having put the foolish moderator in his place, he prepared to head straight to Goldfish TV’s headquarters to negotiate the acquisition.