This director is vindictive.

Chapter 276 Feng, the Ruthless and Silent One in Society

Speaking of this Mr. Zhou, he is definitely a veteran bigwig in the industry, as evidenced by the fact that he has over ten million followers.

Moreover, 1000 domestically produced new energy vehicles is quite a large investment. If the unit price is 20 yuan, that's two small goals.

So, it was incredibly popular at first.

Many netizens exclaimed that this big shot's vision is no less than Chen Mo's. After all, although Chen Mo's live stream gave away 500 million yuan worth of benefits, that was all thanks to the generous sponsors!
However, this Mr. Zhou used the excuse of celebrating his fan value exceeding ten million to make it seem like he paid for it out of his own pocket.

Even during the pre-livestream promotion, he announced a giveaway of a Maybach he had driven for seven years, stating that he was "supporting domestic new energy vehicles and that he was also getting a new car." Netizens praised his "broad vision" and "skill in leveraging online buzz," and the topic quickly trended on social media.

However, it's clear that when the enthusiastic netizens rushed to participate in Boss Zhou's event in hopes of winning a prize, they discovered that it was all a complete sham!

In the early stages of the campaign, only the phrase "follow + comment for a chance to win" was vaguely mentioned, without a clear selection mechanism, which led to accusations of "playing word games after harvesting traffic."

One netizen complained: "Selecting 3 people from 10 comments? It's harder than getting into Tsinghua University!"

Although the tycoon claimed that his initial idea was to "make friends with users," build an entrepreneurial IP, and enhance brand influence through the car giveaway event, the complex task chain made users feel exploited.

Netizens bluntly stated: "The time cost is more expensive than the car!"

However, this was not the end of the story. Netizens later uncovered hidden clauses in the lottery rules: winners were required to pay 20% personal income tax, and the vehicles were for personal use only and could not be transferred. Even more outrageous, during the pre-lottery promotion, netizens also found evidence that the winners were pre-selected, as one of the winners was actually an employee of this bigwig's company.

Further investigation by tech enthusiasts revealed that the three "lucky" winners' accounts were all registered less than a week ago and had no interaction history, suggesting they might be internal accounts. Although Zhou's team issued an emergency statement claiming that "the lottery process was supervised by a notary office," screenshots of the notary documents shared by netizens show that the notarization only covered the "comment scraping program," not the fairness of the entire process.

As public opinion continued to escalate, Mr. Zhou's lottery event completely degenerated into a public relations disaster. Netizens spontaneously formed an "Anti-Routine Alliance," compiling ten major flaws in the event rules on social media platforms and creating viral satirical videos.

One highly-rated comment pointed out sharply: "Giving away cars is a lie; the real purpose is to harvest user data—registering for the lucky draw requires filling in your ID card and bank card information, followed by a barrage of marketing text messages!"

"Damn it, they set up a lottery with rules so complicated you need to do math problems!"

"That made me laugh. I knew it wouldn't be that simple. Goodness, I've been working on it for two days and still don't understand the rules at all."

"Even a single discount on Pinduoduo wouldn't be as outrageous as what you're offering!"

"If you can't handle it, don't play! Chen Mo's livestream is genuinely straightforward and he just gives away freebies. If you can't learn to be honest, don't try to be like Chen Mo!"

"I'm speechless. The prize draw hasn't even started yet, and I've already downloaded the app, forwarded the link, and even paid for some parts. The worst part is, after all this, I'm only qualified to participate. Is this what you call sincerity? I'm going to work at 8 a.m.!"

Ultimately, this incident ended with Mr. Zhou issuing a public apology. However, it was clear that this attempt to emulate Chen Mo's livestream giveaway marketing strategy had completely failed, leaving behind a mess.

As for the practice of giving away thousands of cars without any restrictions, it simply disappeared without a trace.

This is truly a case of "no comparison, no harm."

This also cemented Chen Mo's legendary status with his previous live stream where he gave away freebies without any requirements.

"It has to be Chen Mo! He didn't even advertise before giving away the perks. That's what you call vision! That's real vision!"

"Hehe, let alone the entire entertainment industry, even looking at the whole country, how many people are as generous as Chen Mo, who is straightforward and honest without any tricks? So far, there's only one! It's a pity that Chen Mo has backed down again. Looking forward to the next live broadcast!"

However, although Mr. Zhou failed in his attempt, he ended up with a mess and a damaged reputation.

However, quite a few people still followed Chen Mo's example, after all, the effect was just too good.

The first to be affected are the live streamers.

Many small and medium-sized live streamers spontaneously organized "transparent welfare days" to gain popularity, broadcasting the lottery process live in real time. However, due to limited funds, they could only give away low-priced goods, which were extremely cheap items.

Although it was a genuine gift, it was also quite open and transparent.

The problem is, those things are worthless! The netizens who received the rewards either don't need them or don't want them at all.

Instead, they were ridiculed for "imitating Xi Shi" (a Chinese idiom meaning to imitate someone poorly).

Ms. Dong, from a home appliance brand, did a good job of imitating this approach.

Although they didn't give away hundreds of millions in a single live stream like Chen Mo, they directly launched a "Chen Mo-style lottery" on their official Weibo account—randomly drawing 1000 free air conditioners from the comments section, with the only rules being to retweet and follow!

After the event was launched, it quickly gained praise from netizens, who said, "This is true vision."

However, while these activities had their successes and failures, none of them could compare to Chen Mo's "nationwide carnival-style" live broadcast.

Immediately, more netizens flocked to Chen Mo's Weibo, urging him to start another live stream.

The number of comments quickly exceeded one million.

In response to widespread online calls for more live stream content, Chen Mo posted on Weibo: "The essence of giving away freebies is sharing happiness, not a KPI tool. Next time? We'll talk about it next time!"

The accompanying image is a still from the TV series "The Silent Truth"!
His response was meant to tell everyone that his live stream was actually to promote "The Silent Truth"!

To Chen Mo's amusement and dismay, many netizens left humorous comments on the Tencent Video page for "The Silent Truth".

"I just can't help but laugh. Promoting 'The Silent Truth'? This is supposed to be silent? The live stream has blown up the entire industry!"

"Tencent Video should learn from this! I'm eagerly awaiting the release of 'The Silent Truth.' Why don't you do a giveaway or something?"

"I feel like Chen Mo is really frustrated right now, haha. It seems like everyone's focus isn't on the show at all! They're all thinking about where they can get some freebies!"

"Chen Mo, stop making movies! How much does 'The Silent Truth' even sell for? It's not even as much as you can give away in one live stream!"

"No problem. It's said that 'The Silent Truth' sold over 3 million copies, and he gave away three copies of 'The Silent Truth' in one live stream. (Sarcasm intended)"

Chen Mo wasn't actually depressed.

In fact, although everyone's focus seems to have shifted, it is true that "The Silent Truth" has gained more exposure and attention.

Compared to his previous life, it's a huge improvement.

Soon, the premiere of "The Silent Truth," a drama whose promotion had sparked a nationwide frenzy and offered several "value benefits" (referring to the show's promotional materials), finally arrived.

Despite the initial focus of public opinion being diverted by the "lottery frenzy," "The Silent Truth" remains the most anticipated web series at present.

As a film critic, and now a self-media film critic, Zhou Xiaobin would naturally not miss such a drama.

Moreover, Chen Mo's previous two Mist Trilogy books had incredibly high ratings, so this final installment of the trilogy, which he put so much effort into promoting, must be something more than just a simple story.

Zhou Xiaobin took out a pen and paper, turned on the projector, and started watching.

A large digital time display appeared on the screen: 2010!

The city shrouded in fog uses a somber color palette, seemingly setting the tone for the entire series from the very beginning: gloomy and oppressive!
Soon the characters begin to appear on screen, at a subway intersection, Zhang Chao, played by Ning Li, appears.

Zhou Xiaobin couldn't help but feel a little excited. Although he had only just appeared, the role Ning Li was playing was completely different from the psychopathic killer Li Fengtian in "The Untouchable".

At this moment, he is playing a middle-aged man who looks somewhat greasy and sleazy.

In the first scene, he stands there, downing a can of beer in one gulp, pulling a suitcase in his hand.

He looked to be in his forties, his jacket was wrinkled and sticky, and his hair was plastered to his scalp, looking like he hadn't washed it for many days.
The way he drank beer before entering the subway station made Zhou Xiaobin frown a little, because this behavior was actually a bit strange.

That's right, he didn't read the original novel, "The Long Night." It wasn't that he wasn't interested, but rather that he didn't want to be influenced by the original work. In fact, many viewers don't actually read the original novel.

He wrote "drinking" in his notebook, circled it, and put a question mark on it!

Keep reading.

Ning Li, who plays Zhang Chao, drags his heavy suitcase, moving up one step at a time up the stairs.

Suddenly, the camera focused on a very striking image: the character played by Ning Li had two distinct bloodstains clearly visible on his neck!
As the elevator descends, the camera finally focuses on the face of Ning Li's character.

He suddenly turned and looked towards the subway entrance, giving off a guilty conscience. Something's wrong; this person is definitely suspicious!

Zhou Xiaobin couldn't help but exclaim that Ning Li's acting skills were truly superb.

With just an expression and a glance, he appeared so natural that it made people completely forget his previous role as Li Fengtian.

We arrived at the security checkpoint.

He appeared even more "guilty," seemingly very concerned about the suitcase in his hand.

As he got closer to the security checkpoint, he seemed to get more and more nervous, glancing at the security checkpoint every now and then.

In short, what this person conveys to the audience can be summed up in one sentence: "This person has a problem! And a serious problem!"

He was stopped and asked to put his bag through security.

"Just some blankets!" he said with a smile, looking down, before dragging his suitcase over.

With such a large suitcase, how could the security personnel possibly let him through?

In fact, Zhou Xiaobin had already noticed that there was definitely something wrong with the box, because the camera had given him plenty of hints before.

What's in the box?
The rest of the plot is nothing new; Zhang Chao is running, chased by security personnel and subway station staff.

He definitely can't escape! Everyone knows that.

Despite making many guesses, Zhou Xiaobin could never have imagined that his box contained a bomb.

However, the plot took an immediate turn; the man was quickly subdued, and his suitcase was moved to a spacious area.

It turned out that the suitcase didn't contain a bomb at all, but a corpse!
In an instant, the case of a law professor dumping his body in the subway shocked the entire city!

Zhou Xiaobin frowned more and more as he watched, mainly because he couldn't quite understand the opening scene.

It's completely baffling why the man played by Ning Li would drag a corpse to the subway and explode!
Yes, by this point he had realized that the other party was simply going to self-destruct!
But why?
The pleasure of not having read the original novel comes into play at this point; the hook remains.

However, the scene shifts to three months later.

In order to minimize the negative impact, the authorities decided to handle the case as a special case, assigning it to Yan Liang, the most unconventional investigator in the criminal investigation system.

The saying goes, "Sharpening your axe won't delay your work." Is this Yan Liang the same Yan Liang from "The Untouchable"?
This is not explained here, and the actor has also been changed to award-winning actor Liao Fan.

The process of finding the body of the top-scoring student highlights the "evil" nature of Yan Liang's investigation methods!
He likes to take unconventional paths and find alternative routes.

If you can't find a body, just poke the ground with bamboo sticks!

The body was discovered, and Yan Liang's character immediately came to life: taciturn and expressionless!
The most obvious impression he gives is that he is a capable person, but he doesn't fit in with the group!

On his way back to the criminal investigation team, he heard news from the car that the stock price of Kahn Group, a star company in the city, had plummeted by 80%!
Zhou Xiaobin made a special note of "Kahn Group" in his notebook.

Perhaps other TV series might have some inexplicable and useless information and shots, but he had seen the first two parts of Chen Mo's previous Mist Trilogy and knew that Chen Mo's style of filming web series was very close to that of movies.

That is, there are no wasted shots; every shot and every piece of information is deliberately arranged.

This information highlights the key point: the Kahn Group. Although we don't yet know what role the Kahn Group plays in this series, it's likely to be very important information.

At this point, the scene shifts, and time rewinds to the night of the subway body dumping incident.

The suspect, Zhang Chao, sat in the interrogation chair, and strangely enough, he cooperated perfectly without any struggle and confessed his motive for the murder!

The victim was his former student, Jiang Yang, who frequently borrowed money from him after losing his job and demanded huge sums of cash. Unable to bear the harassment, he accidentally killed Jiang Yang while drunk.

He intended to take a taxi to the other side of the river to dispose of the body, but unexpectedly, a traffic accident occurred on the way. Both parties had to call the police, which made him panic after killing someone. In a moment of madness, he chose to dispose of the body at the subway station!
Police asked why he said the box contained a bomb.

He explained it by saying he was confused at the time.

Everything seemed to make sense, everything seemed to be true.

Through the captain's words, everyone learned Zhang Chao's identity: he was a criminal defense lawyer who was very familiar with the police's case-handling procedures.

The biggest difference between web series and novels is that web series can present the story to the audience in a more vivid way through the visuals.

For example, during the interrogation, he said he couldn't remember the details of the crime, but the footage shown on the other side showed him committing the murder.

This is actually why well-made suspense dramas are often more thrilling than novels.

Because the visuals convey a sense of reality to the audience.

But is that really the case?
However, before Zhou Xiaobin and the audience could think too much, the police successfully led Zhang Chao to the place where he committed the murder and found the murder weapon, the electrical wire.

The scene shifts to forensic pathologist Lao Ma, who hands over the autopsy results to police officer Gu Yiming, who is handling the case.
Everything proved that Zhang Chao was the murderer who killed Jiang Yang!

However, the forensic doctor still felt that something was strange about the matter, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Because he felt it was too perfect and too smooth.

He walked right into the trap, causing a sensation, and then voluntarily confessed his crimes, with conclusive evidence!
At this point, the forensic doctor was somewhat like a mouth double for the audience; as soon as he spoke, everyone suddenly realized, "Yes, it went too smoothly."

Although the forensic doctor found the scratches on the wire to be abnormal, Gu Yiming, who was handling the case, didn't think anything of it.

Based on the existing evidence, this case can be directly submitted to the prosecution for indictment and sentencing.

Moreover, it's practically a foregone conclusion that Zhang Chao will be sentenced to death.

However, the criminal investigation captain still felt that something was not quite right, so he made a special trip to meet with Zhang Chao.

Because she felt that all of this was too logical, and Zhang Chao, as a criminal defense lawyer, would never send himself to the guillotine.

Zhang Chao's behavior was very calm and rational, which was completely different from his behavior at the subway station.

Why did he do this?
Zhou Xiaobin was also puzzled. A professor in the legal field once said that a person who understands the law, if he wants to commit a crime, is absolutely capable of making it impossible for anyone to find out.

But why would Zhang Chao do this? Why would he gamble his own wealth and status to kill his student Jiang Yang? And why did he do it so clumsily, even walking right into a trap?

When asked if he regretted it, he calmly replied, "What's the point of regretting it now that it's done?"

With the trial date for the subway body-dumping case drawing ever closer, the internet is already buzzing with excitement.

The trial has finally begun.

In court, when the judge asked Zhang Chao for the last time if he had any doubts about the evidence in the case, Zhang Chao did not raise any objections.

But when the judge stood up to pronounce the verdict, he suddenly stood up as if he were a completely different person.

He calmly and rationally recanted his confession!
"I don't understand why I'm standing here, facing murder charges! This must be a huge misunderstanding, because I've never killed anyone!"

"I wasn't even in Jiangtan City on March 12th!"

Everyone was dumbfounded by this scene.

Even Zhou Xiaobin was caught off guard because Zhang Chao, played by Ning Li, suddenly recanted his confession and produced the strongest alibi, making him seem like a completely different person from his previous confession and submission.

why?
Why did he do this?

The netizens in the show were in an uproar, and the viewers outside the show were also stunned!
Some might say, isn't this just the plot of the foreign documentary "The Life of David Gale"?
However, in reality, the vast majority of people have no idea about that foreign film or television work.

Their general feeling was that the first episode immediately created a lot of suspense!
(End of this chapter)