Chapter 9: Reap Some Benefits First

Chen Mo immediately took the "little heiress" to an ATM to check her balance. Goodness, although he had guessed that the young woman had plenty of pocket money, the actual amount still exceeded his expectations. The PIN was six sixes, and the balance also started with a six, followed by eight zeros. While two of those zeros were for the decimal places, that still left a cool six million. She was truly a little heiress; for a brief moment, Chen Mo even considered tossing aside all his troubles, tricking her into a relationship, and just coasting through life.

"Is this enough?" the heiress asked, looking at Chen Mo, completely unfazed by the figure.

"It's enough!" Chen Mo let out a long breath, temporarily shelving his unrealistic thoughts.

The two then headed to the bank counter, naturally using the VIP lane, and quickly processed the transfer. Seeing the seven-figure balance restored on his bank card, he finally felt relieved. Over six million—if he was careful, it would be enough to film an idol drama. It was only because Chen Mo lacked fame and found it hard to secure product placement that he had to be so frugal.

In fact, Chen Mo had initially considered two plans. One was, if the money wasn't enough, to simply produce a "beggar-edition" version of *Meteor Garden* just to spite everyone—a lose-lose situation. But now that he thought about it, the version from his previous life was already full of flaws and was practically the "beggar edition" among all the adaptations of *Hana Yori Dango*. Even the mainland version’s "F4" were supposed to be rich kids, yet what kind of wealthy heir drives the cheapest sports car? It wasn't even a sports car; it was just a strange-looking vehicle. How could he possibly make it any worse? Unless he forced the protagonist to drive something even more ridiculous?

As for the six million, while it was significantly less than the ten-million-plus investment of his rivals, Chen Mo held a natural advantage. He came from the future; at its core, an idol drama is all about the costumes, makeup, and props, as well as the actors' looks and styling. Since it was a modern setting, the costume budget wouldn't be excessive even if he set it higher. Moreover, his aesthetic sense was over a decade ahead of the current era, so as long as he paid a little attention, it would be fine. Regarding the cast, Chen Mo didn't intend to hire big names. As long as the four male leads were handsome and each possessed a distinct style, he was confident he could crush the competition's lineup.

As for props, since he didn't plan on using "bamboo-frame" cars, he would secure actual luxury sports cars. This shouldn't be a problem for the little heiress; as long as there was a way to borrow them for filming, it would be fine. The same went for the luxury villas—her resources would surely cover that. Since he had already accepted her money, he wasn't about to be hypocritical and refuse her help. Thinking about it this way, the real advantage was actually on his side.

The most troublesome part was the production team. Because Chen Mo had only been an actor in this world, he lacked resources in that area. Idol dramas actually have high demands for the production crew, especially cinematography. After all, idol dramas don't require deep plots or masterful acting—those just need to be passable—but they must look beautiful. In his past life, although he was only a web film director, he had built a small, capable team. Now, he had to start from scratch.

However, Chen Mo quickly realized that he hadn't attended some obscure vocational school, but the Beijing Film Academy! He could simply go back to his alma mater to scout talent. He could find actors, cinematographers, and assistant directors right there. While his own experience might be shaky for a massive production, for an idol drama, he didn't necessarily need seasoned veterans. Picking a few talented students from the academy would be perfectly fine.

What Chen Mo didn't know was that because the "First Internet Defamation Case in the Entertainment Industry" had become such a sensation, the labels of "assaulting an actress" and "being a diva" that had been pinned on him were gradually being stripped away—after all, the court had formally accepted the case. Furthermore, those who had backstabbed him were buckling under the pressure and issuing public apologies, which caused a complete reversal in how the public perceived Chen Mo.

Although they weren't like Fang Xiaoxiao, they didn't want to be sued, so they naturally sought to negotiate with Chen Mo. Unable to find him, they reached out to his agency, Star Entertainment. To some extent, Star Entertainment no longer saw the need to keep Chen Mo on ice. Their attitude changed significantly; while they were still annoyed by a "prickly" person who refused to compromise, they now needed him to be cooperative. Zhao Ming came to visit again, looking at Chen Mo with an increasingly complex expression.

He hadn't expected that Chen Mo's aggressive, head-on approach would completely turn the situation around.

"Impressive. I never thought you'd actually pull it off," Zhao Ming said in amazement.

"Indeed. So, what's this? Did the company send you to be a lobbyist?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

Zhao Ming nodded. "Your move this time was too sharp; it scared a lot of people."

"And so?" Chen Mo wasn't surprised. A real lawsuit, especially a criminal one—even if it hadn't gone to trial yet, the mere fact that it had been filed was terrifying enough.

The internet was buzzing with rumors. While many lawyers analyzed that the chances of conviction for people like Du Chun were low, one always had to fear the "what-if." Chen Mo was not only a troublemaker, but he also made waves that transcended the entertainment industry, attracting the attention of legal circles regarding this "First Internet Defamation Case."

"What are you thinking? I won't try to talk you out of the case against Fang Xiaoxiao and that 'Snow Fish,' but for the others, winning is almost impossible, right?" Zhao Ming asked.

Chen Mo remained noncommittal.

Zhao Ming continued, "You've already achieved your goal. Is there any benefit to dragging this out? They were scared initially, so they've pulled strings to negotiate. You could even set your own terms. Why not quit while you're ahead?"

Chen Mo hadn't actually expected the power of a single lawsuit to be so great or to have such a lethal effect on these celebrities. However, Ouyang Jing from Hongjing Law Firm had indeed mentioned that the comments made by Du Chun and the others were different from Fang Xiaoxiao's and would be difficult to qualify as criminal defamation. While there was a slim chance, the success rate was negligible.

The reason they were so desperate to settle was that having a well-known lawsuit hanging over their heads—with a long wait until the trial—was a constant thorn in their side. No production crew or brand wanted to take that risk. That was why they were so eager for an out-of-court settlement.

Chen Mo thought for a moment and said, "Fine. But I won't talk to 'Snow Fish,' Fang Xiaoxiao, or Du Chun. For the others, I'll have Attorney Ouyang handle the negotiations."

Chen Mo still had a contract with Star Entertainment, so while he would negotiate, a real settlement was off the table—not in this lifetime. Even if they couldn't be convicted of criminal defamation, this would still impact them. Besides, it was a rare opportunity to have so many celebrities involved in the "First Internet Defamation Case." He was giving them a chance to go down in legal history, after all!