Chapter 21: An Insider? Terminate the Deal?

Blueberry TV attached great importance to "Meteor Shower," and once the schedule was finalized, they immediately began pre-promotion. With the official remake license for "Meteor Garden" in hand, there was no need for them to be coy about the marketing.

Soon, Blueberry TV released the news. "Meteor Garden" had once been a massive cultural phenomenon, exerting significant influence across the entire country. In those days, people rarely bought copyrights for remakes; if they had, the licensing fee for a show of such impact would have been far beyond a mere million.

The promotional effect was excellent.

"The 'Meteor Garden' F4! I remember back in middle school, we had our own F4 in class and in school. Although it feels embarrassing to think about now, that was our youth!"

"Exactly, it’s all about nostalgia! Nearly ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. I still vaguely remember it being pulled from broadcast for being 'misleading to teenagers,' but that didn't stop it from becoming a huge hit."

"The production design and costumes look a bit rough compared to today’s standards, but the show was undeniably hot. I just hope the new version doesn't disappoint!"

"There’s so little news! They haven't even announced the lead cast. Why are they being so mysterious?"

For a time, many people poured out their nostalgic sentiments. However, some sharp-eyed netizens soon discovered a key detail.

"Holy cow, holy cow, holy cow! The title 'Meteor Shower' is only one character different from the recently promoted 'Watching the Meteor.' Are they the same show?"

"It’s clearly not the same show. Who is the real deal and who is the copycat?"

"Is it a coincidence? Or on purpose? I feel like there’s some major drama brewing here!"

"Does anyone in the know have the scoop? Is there any dirt?"

Soon, well-informed and resourceful netizens stepped forward to explain.

"It’s explosive, absolutely explosive! 'Watching the Meteor' is the new drama from idol drama director Yu Youde. As everyone knows, Yu is a Mango TV loyalist, not a Blueberry TV person. Plus, 'Watching the Meteor' hasn't even finished filming yet; they released some news just two days ago. What does this mean? It means they got scooped!"

"But is the content similar too?"

"Wait, that’s not right. If Blueberry TV dares to use 'Meteor Garden' for promotion, they must have bought the remake rights, right?"

"During the press conference for 'Watching the Meteor,' they seemed to have an F4—oh wait, they changed it to H4! Clearly, they didn't buy the rights, haha!"

Netizens hotly debated how the titles of the two dramas differed by only one character. Everyone already knew that the former, which had held its press conference earlier, was an unlicensed imitation of "Meteor Garden." While that was nothing unusual—as everyone played by those rules—the fact that "Meteor Shower" was openly and legitimately promoting itself as the mainland version of "Meteor Garden" made the answer self-evident.

***

Yu Youde, naturally, received the news immediately.

Back to the moment Yu Youde first learned of the news:

"What? Are you sure? Let me see!" For a split second, he couldn't believe it. But when he saw the announcement from Blueberry TV, he was left stunned.

Unlike the average netizen, he made a few phone calls and quickly gathered information about Blueberry TV's new show.

"Damn, damn, damn!" His first reaction was to curse. When he learned that the director of the show was none other than Chen Mo, the blood rushed to his head.

"Chen Mo? What the hell? How is this possible? Isn't he an actor?"

"What about the content? Yes, the titles are the same, but the content must be different. It has to be!"

However, after an insider at Blueberry TV leaked some details over the phone, he was in disbelief.

"Murong Yunhai? Duanmu Lei? Nangong Shuo? Ximen Ruiqian?"

Upon hearing the names of the "Meteor Shower" F4, his first reaction was that it was impossible, followed immediately by paranoia. He started eyeing his own crew with suspicion.

"There's a mole! Abort the deal!" After all, the titles were nearly identical, and the F4 names were almost the same as well.

"What about the female lead? What's her name?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Chu Xun!"

"Holy crap! How does he dare? How does he dare do this? I’m going to sue him! Yes, I’ll sue him until he’s bankrupt!" the irrationally furious Yu Youde roared.

"Cough, cough. Director Yu, calm down! They have the official license for 'Meteor Garden.' I don't think you can really do anything to him," his friend on the other end of the line said.

Yu Youde’s face turned various shades of blue and purple. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he realized he truly had no way to deal with Chen Mo.

Sue for plagiarism? Not only did they finish filming before him, but they also had the legal rights. Even if the plot were identical, they had the copyright; no matter where he went, he would be the one in the wrong.

He knew exactly what his own show was: a mainland version modeled after "Meteor Garden." As for copyrights? Everyone just took what they wanted. Copyright? What was that?

But at this moment, he suddenly realized that because he hadn't bought the rights, he was completely helpless. He desperately wanted to calm down, but he simply couldn't!

In fact, he had paid a high price because of Chen Mo. Why did Fang Xiaoxia not implicate him after she was convicted and branded a disgraced artist? It was only because he had used both threats and bribes, spending a fortune to keep her quiet. Now, Chen Mo had pulled this stunt, causing him to completely lose his composure.

Just as he was struggling to calm down, he received a call from an old friend at Mango TV.

"Old Yu, what’s going on? How did you let this happen? Blueberry TV pulled this move, and now there’s a lot of controversy at the station regarding your show! What exactly is going on? Can you handle it?" the person on the other end said, sounding annoyed.

"I can. Chen Mo is just an actor; he went to direct a show—what kind of mess could he possibly make? Don't worry..." Yu Youde managed to calm down and analyze the situation. This was his genuine belief; after all, even Li Bin and the rest of the crew hadn't initially believed Chen Mo could pull it off, let alone Yu Youde.

However, the acquisition director at Mango TV was much better informed.

"Don't worry? Heh, do you really think the people at Blueberry TV are blind? If that show hadn't passed their internal screening, do you think they would have spent money to buy it and promote it with such fanfare?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible. An actor who hasn't even played many lead roles—can he shoot a good show? Director Lin, could there be a mistake?" Yu Youde still didn't believe it. Of course, this was the only thing he could use to comfort himself at this stage.

"Let's not talk about that for now. The station does have a lot of controversy regarding your show. Setting aside the quality of their show, what about you? When will you finish filming?"

"It’s almost wrapped up. Don't worry, it won't be long! Director Lin, just wait and see; that show is destined to be a massive flop!" Yu Youde said with absolute confidence.

"This might not necessarily be a bad thing for us," he continued. "As soon as their show airs and gets boycotted by the audience, we’ll launch ours. The audience will naturally know what to choose."