Chapter 5: Playing Deaf and Dumb—Is That All You Got? I’ll Just Turn Around and Sue You

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Hongjing Law Firm is considered one of the elite law firms, ranking among the top nationwide. Chen Mo quickly walked inside, having made an appointment by phone earlier. Soon, he was ushered into the reception room.

“Mr. Chen, hello, I’m Ouyang Jing, a lawyer at Hongjing Law Firm,” greeted a sharp and capable-looking woman in her thirties who was responsible for receiving Chen Mo.

“Hello, Lawyer Ouyang. Do you know who I am?” Chen Mo asked with a smile.

Ouyang Jing offered a professional smile and said, “Of course. Recently, the news about Mr. Chen has been all over the place. Are you here regarding the ‘Backstabbers’ incident?”

Chen Mo nodded. “Yes, Lawyer Ouyang. I’d like to consult about how to hold legally accountable those who have defamed me online by fabricating facts—like the whistleblower Xueyu and artists Fang Xiaoxiao and Du Chun.”

Ouyang Jing appeared well-prepared and unsurprised by Chen Mo’s question. She quickly began, “First, the incident occurred online, and the channels for spreading information are mainly through the internet. I have reviewed the relevant materials. The behaviors of the user ‘Xueyu’ and artist Fang Xiaoxiao, based on the recent Supreme Court’s ‘Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Criminal Cases of Defamation via Information Networks,’ allow you to file a lawsuit against them for online defamation.

“Online defamation refers objectively to the intentional fabrication and dissemination of false facts serious enough to damage one’s reputation and dignity, violating the personal rights of natural persons. According to the Interpretation, if the same defamatory content is clicked or viewed more than 5,000 times, or forwarded more than 500 times, it constitutes an online defamation crime.

“However, since this Interpretation has only recently come into effect, there are currently no precedents for online defamation cases. If you entrust this to our firm, though, the chances of winning are still very high.”

Chen Mo couldn’t help but smile; he hadn’t expected such clear legal guidelines on online defamation to have been issued.

But he asked with some hesitation, “What about Du Chun and the others involved in the ‘Backstabbers’ group?”

Ouyang Jing paused thoughtfully before replying, “Because Du Chun and the others’ online statements lack specific defamatory content, you can certainly sue them—after all, their remarks are suspicious of defamation—but it will be difficult to define them legally.”

Chen Mo nodded, then asked, “If they delete their previous posts one after another, can I still pursue legal action?”

Ouyang Jing smiled confidently. “Even if rumors are deleted on Weibo, you can still sue because the underlying illegal act persists. So you can maintain your rights through litigation. But you will need to submit a complaint and evidence.

“By the way, Mr. Chen, did you take screenshots of their posts before they were deleted?”

Chen Mo nodded and produced a prepared USB drive. “These are screenshots I took of their posts before they were removed.”

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“That makes things easier and saves a lot of time. If you decide to entrust this matter to our firm, we will just need you to sign a power of attorney shortly,” Ouyang Jing’s smile grew even brighter.

“Lawyer Ouyang, what if I want to make this case more high-profile? You mentioned that there are no precedents yet for online defamation cases—could ours become the first such case in the country?” Chen Mo suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Ouyang Jing’s eyes lit up with surprise. She hadn’t expected Chen Mo to be so bold. But could it be done?

Certainly!

Chen Mo was absolutely right. In fact, if a lawsuit is filed, this would indeed be the first online defamation case so far. The key is that Chen Mo’s case involves the entertainment industry, which naturally attracts a lot of attention. If handled well, the impact would be significant.

Soon after, Chen Mo entrusted the case to Hongjing Law Firm. From then on, the professional matters would be handled by professionals.

Unfortunately, regarding Du Chun and his group, the lawsuit could only be incidental, with a low chance of success.

After leaving the law firm, Chen Mo continued to monitor developments. The core figures of the “Backstabbers” incident, including Du Chun, chose to remain silent and gave no responses. Moreover, possibly due to some behind-the-scenes influence, the topic of the “Backstabbers” incident was clearly losing traction and had already been removed from trending searches.

Gathering evidence, filing a lawsuit, and court investigations all require time. Chen Mo had now been completely blacklisted by Star Entertainment, but he felt relieved in a way.

However, there was still one person untouched by the controversy: Yu Youde, the director of “Watching the Meteor Together.” Was he truly beyond reach?

Chen Mo began searching online for information while pondering the matter. Drawing from the original owner’s memories, he knew that the greatest grudge was against Yu Youde. Also, Fang Xiaoxiao’s sudden slander might not be unrelated to Yu Youde.

Suddenly, Chen Mo grabbed his phone and found a number in his contacts.

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The number belonged to Gao Li, a director from Taiwan whom Chen Mo had worked with before.

During this incident, Director Gao Li had also spoken up for Chen Mo on his personal Weibo. Unfortunately, he was not a particularly influential director, so the effect was limited. But for Chen Mo, it was a favor, and he had already called to thank him individually.

Chen Mo quickly dialed the number.

The call connected promptly.

“Director Gao, hello, this is Chen Mo. I hope I’m not disturbing you,” Chen Mo said.

“Chen Mo? Not at all. Are you doing well?” Gao Li sounded surprised to hear from him.

“I’m fine. Thank you for standing up for me before. Actually, there’s something I’d like to ask you to help me find out, if it’s convenient,” Chen Mo got straight to the point.

“Oh? What is it? Tell me, and if I can help, I will,” Gao Li replied after a brief hesitation.

“It’s like this: I want to ask if ‘Boys Over Flowers’ has ever granted adaptation rights to any mainland Chinese production companies,” Chen Mo said.

“Okay, I’ll ask around,” Gao Li readily agreed without hesitation.

After ending the call, just a few minutes later, Gao Li called back.

“Chen Mo, I asked some friends at CTS. They said no adaptation rights for ‘Boys Over Flowers’ have been granted to any mainland companies. By the way, why are you asking? Are you interested in this?” Gao Li asked curiously.

“Exactly. I just don’t know how much it would cost,” Chen Mo’s eyes brightened as he responded.

“Actually, if you want to get the adaptation rights, the price probably won’t be too high. The show was once banned in the mainland, and copyright infringement lawsuits for TV dramas are tricky. If you’re really interested, I can ask around some more,” Gao Li said with a knowing smile.

“That would be great! Thank you so much!” Chen Mo said quickly.

“No problem. It’s just a phone call,” Gao Li replied casually.