This director is vindictive.

Chapter 278 The Nuclear Bomb of the Live Streaming World: Chen Mo Unleashes Another Money-Spraying Storm!

In this world, "The Silent Truth" is even more popular than in its previous life.

The ratings and word-of-mouth will naturally surpass the heights of the previous life.

One reason is that Chen Mo has done a much better job in this life than in his previous life in terms of publicity.

Another reason is that in this life, Chen Mo has abandoned the commercial breaks that were most criticized in his previous life.

Therefore, it was no surprise that "The Silent Truth" was so highly praised.

However, due to the subject matter of "The Silent Truth," there are bound to be flaws in the script, leading to widespread claims that it is "overrated."

Some people always like to flaunt their uniqueness, so "The Silent Truth" quickly faced a wave of backlash!
The rating dropped from 9.2 to 9 overnight, and a large number of negative reviews appeared on major film review websites.

"The phenomenon of excessive marketing leading to over-praise has attracted many viewers, only to find the first episode riddled with bugs. How can such a show be touted as the pinnacle of domestic suspense dramas?"

"Finally, someone else is like me. In this kind of drama, putting everything else aside, the fact that a deputy bureau chief can control everything behind the scenes is just too outrageous, isn't it?"

"I don't understand at all why a show like this could get a nine-point rating. It's just the result of Chen Mo's excessive marketing. A show like this wouldn't even be good enough for Korean audiences."

"A play that completely imitates 'The Life of David Gale' is really incomprehensible. Why are so many people praising it? It's just Chen Mo's way of harvesting people's wealth. A group of people were actually fooled into having a collective climax. Many details simply cannot stand up to scrutiny."

"When making dramas like this, they should learn from the Koreans. After all that fuss, the main villain turns out to be just a nobody, and they even have an awards ceremony at the end! Seriously!"

Of course, there are both critics and rebuttals.

"Why are these people like this? Why do they always compare domestic films and television shows with foreign ones? It's true that South Korea is very good at making films that expose the dark side of society, but the overall environment is different. And in their eyes, foreign films are better than domestic ones. What a double standard!"

"Just look at the ratings these people give to other works, and I can't help but laugh. Foreign films and TV shows are all rated nine points or higher, but in China, even 'Dying to Survive' only gets a six. What good things can you expect from them?"

"I suggest you read the original novel. It was just a compromise. These people are either bad or stupid. Don't they understand why this drama was filmed this way? If it had been filmed as openly as you guys suggest, would we even be able to watch it?"

The controversy surrounding "The Silent Truth" quickly escalated online, forming a stark polarization. Supporters argued that the series had achieved its best within the current creative context, deserving high marks for its acting, dramatic tension, and social significance; while opponents focused on logical flaws and issues of censorship, even questioning Chen Mo's creative motives.

As the debate intensified, more industry insiders joined the discussion.

A well-known screenwriter wrote: "The 'flaws' in 'The Silent Truth' precisely reflect the struggle between real-world censorship and artistic expression. If we only focus on the villain's rank or the ending, we will overlook the core question of 'procedural justice' in the drama."

This viewpoint resonated with some viewers, who began to re-examine the series' metaphors for judicial dilemmas.

Film critic Zhou Xiaobin also stated, "Creating this type of subject matter is like dancing in shackles. If the audience focuses on the related case (the original work is adapted from a true story) because of the controversy, it may be more valuable than the rating."

Chen Mo didn't care about this at all.

Damn it, this show has already finished airing. It's precisely because the show has finished airing that its popularity has started to decline, which is why these people have a chance to use their talents.

Why didn't these people step forward when the show was airing, when it was generating heated discussions, and when it resonated with the public?

Because they knew that if they jumped out at that time, it would be useless; countless supporters would simply crush them.

However, sometimes things just happen by chance.

In fact, the Mist Trilogy has long since gone overseas and achieved good results in various Asian countries.

Previously, "The Hidden Corner" had even won the "Asian Content Award".

This time, "The Silent Truth" stood out from many highly-rated works from Netflix, such as "Alice in the Land of the Dead," "Girl Without You 2," "I Am the Organizer," "Satyagit Ray," and "Sweet Home," at the 3rd Asian Content Awards at the Busan International Film Festival, winning the "Best Streaming Original Series Award"!
When the news reached China, netizens who supported the show were overjoyed.

"Come on, come on, whoever said this kind of drama wouldn't even make it into the top tier in Korea, speak up!"

"Yeah, come out and say something!"

"Your foreign dad even awarded this show the Best Original Drama Award, so say something!"

Suddenly, those people who were praising Korean films and television shows as amazing and Chinese films and television shows as low-quality were embarrassed. What could they do? They could only pretend to be dead!
Chen Mo didn't really care about this kind of award; he didn't even attend the award ceremony.

However, those who gave low scores happened to compare the shows with Korean films and television dramas, praising Korean productions while criticizing Chinese dramas. At this moment, they were directly slapped in the face by their foreign "fathers".

The news that "The Silent Truth" won the "Asian Contents Award" continues to resonate within the Chinese film and television industry. While some still insist that "awards are merely a matter of political correctness," more viewers are beginning to rationally examine the groundbreaking significance of this drama.
Meanwhile, reviews from overseas media were translated and introduced back to China. The Japanese magazine "Eiga Art" pointed out: "With its narrative full of Eastern aesthetics, 'The Silent Truth' completed a poignant questioning of the judicial system. Its restrained yet sharp cinematic language far surpasses the sentimental clichés of similar themes."

The Korean drama "Cine21" focuses on its adaptation strategy: "The 'compromise ending' of the original novel 'The Long Night' is transformed into a sharper blank space in the drama. This 'dance in shackles' creates a unique critical tension."

Meanwhile, videos from the Busan awards ceremony were transmitted back to China.

On the Busan awards stage, the producer, who was representing Chen Mo, said only one sentence: "Thank you to everyone who thought this drama 'should not exist'." The audience erupted in applause.

That instantly silenced all the doubts.

After all, this statement is quite damaging. To put it bluntly, do most viewers really think this show is that good, that great, and that perfect?

Actually, that's not the case. Many people know that this drama has various flaws, but they also know that the fact that this drama exists is a success in itself.

That's why it received such a high rating!
As a well-known legal scholar wrote in his column: "The value of a work of art sometimes lies precisely in how many 'uncomfortable discussions' it sparks. The 'flaws' in 'The Silent Truth' are precisely the cracks that illuminate reality."

The controversy surrounding "The Silent Truth" has finally come to a temporary end.

Tencent Video, naturally, wanted to strike while the iron was hot and announce that it would list "Mist Theater" as an annual S+ project, and publicly invited Chen Mo to produce a fourth installment in the series.

However, Tencent Video was in an awkward position because Chen Mo did not respond at all.

A fourth installment? Sorry, Chen Mo has no such plan at all.

At least not at the moment.

He's been incredibly busy lately, mainly because two more pregnant women are about to give birth; he's been so busy he's practically running around non-stop.

Especially with Qixi Festival approaching, the second phase of the originally planned "wedding plan" will obviously not be able to be launched in time.

The key question is, Zhao Liying can't possibly go out and work while heavily pregnant, can she?

"No, how can I take pictures with such a big belly? Be good, take good care of yourself during pregnancy. After the baby is born, you can do whatever you want!" Chen Mo was coaxing the unhappy Xiao Zhao.

Zhao Liying gently stroked her pregnant belly, her fingertips tracing delicate wrinkles on the loose fabric of her clothes. She looked up at Chen Mo, a sly glint in her eyes: "Making a request now... isn't that taking advantage of someone's misfortune, is it?"

Chen Mo chuckled and raised his hand to make a "pause" gesture: "The special passage for pregnant women will be open for a limited time—but only for reasonable requests." He deliberately emphasized the last four words, but couldn't hide the indulgence at the corner of his mouth.

“I guarantee it’s reasonable!” She sat up abruptly, like a cat that had sniffed out dried fish. “The date for Qixi Festival was delayed, right? I was thinking, after the baby is born, could we upgrade our wedding—” She paused, drawing a semicircle in the air with her fingertips, “to a ‘private party’ or a ‘nationwide celebration’?”

"The whole nation?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow. "You're not thinking of live-streaming your wedding, are you?"

“It’s not going to be that kind of cliché!” Zhao Liying grabbed his sleeve: “A fantasy-themed wedding should have the grandeur of ‘celestial beings celebrating together’! For example, we could select netizens to cosplay as celestial guests, or open up virtual viewing seats…” She became more and more excited as she spoke, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Chen Mo flicked her forehead with his finger: "It sounds like an offline collaboration for a game."

Seeing her pout, he softened his voice: "It's not technically difficult, but do you really want to be watched by netizens?"

“That’s called ‘sharing romance’!” she declared confidently, then lowered her voice, “Actually… there’s an even bolder plan…”

Watching Zhao Liying lightly twirl her fingertips around his cufflinks, her eyes gleaming with eager anticipation, Chen Mo could only say, "Tell me!"

She suddenly took half a step closer, her pregnant belly pressed against Chen Mo's arm, as if she were holding an irresistible bargaining chip: "Our 'fantasy' wedding theme is so interesting, wouldn't it be a waste to just have a ceremony?"

Seeing Chen Mo raise an eyebrow, she immediately pressed her advantage, "How about... we build a fantasy-themed cultural street? The wedding procession can parade along the cobblestone streets, with all the taverns and teahouses along the way decorated in a fantasy style, and we can even build a shrine to the Moon God for tourists to draw lots—"

Chen Mo's temples throbbed. He already had a plan for a standalone wedding—after all, the "Phoenix Blossoms with Auspiciousness" ceremony was ingrained in his DNA. But a cultural street? This meant coordinating scenic area permits, attracting businesses, and safety plans… Even more frightening was that if this precedent was set, the others might create something like a "Primordial Wedding Theme Park" or a "Republic of China Spy Wedding Dress Base."

Just thinking about it made Chen Mo's head ache.

"Is it okay or not~" Zhao Liying suddenly pinched her throat and shook his arm, the last syllable of her voice ending with three tildes. She knew all too well how to get Chen Mo to compromise—she deliberately rubbed her right ring finger against the engraving on the inside of his ring, the "Mo" character that she had personally tattooed last year.

"You have to let me think about it, okay?" Chen Mo said helplessly.

Well, Zhao Liying's idea is indeed a good concept.

Of course, Chen Mo understood why Zhao Liying had this idea.

This relates to women's emphasis on this kind of "ritual".

It's not so much about vanity, but more about leaving a "mark".

If it's just about having a "Phoenix Brings Auspiciousness" wedding ceremony, using the Huayun brand name to create a similar fantasy-themed wedding, that would be great, but what happens after that?
However, if a cultural street or similar development is created, then her story with Chen Mo will leave its mark there.

As long as that cultural street continues to operate, people will never forget it.

Chen Mo thought about it more deeply. To be honest, cultural tourism projects in the post-pandemic era are indeed a good choice.

So, to be honest, Zhao Liying's sudden idea was a bit troublesome, but it was indeed very promising. Moreover, as long as the publicity was done well and the follow-up support was in place, it was not only a good idea but also a good business opportunity.

He doesn't know what will happen in the future, but if he strikes while the iron is hot and does a good job of promotion, the initial buzz will definitely be high, and he won't have to worry about business.

Thinking of this, Chen Mo affectionately put his arm around Xiao Zhao, who was still small even with her pregnant belly, and said, "Alright, your idea, if it can be implemented, is indeed quite interesting."

"Right? Right? Hehe!" Zhao Liying smiled broadly upon hearing Chen Mo's words.

“However, we’ll have to think carefully about how to promote this,” Chen Mo said.

"That's easy, why don't you just start another live stream?" Zhao Liying said, blinking her eyes.

Chen Mo smiled wryly and said, "That last live stream caused too much of a stir, and everyone's expectations were too high. I'm not worried about the promotional effect if we do another live stream, but I'm afraid it will be difficult to replicate the impact of the last one!"

There's no way around it; last time, a single live stream gave away hundreds of millions of yuan worth of freebies, which became a benchmark that countless netizens talked about with great interest.

Many people wanted to watch Chen Mo's second live stream, but Chen Mo knew that some things were not so simple.

Chen Mo is a pragmatist. On that day, he mainly only needed to give instructions, and the specific tasks were handled by a dedicated team.

After leaving Zhao Liying's place, Chen Mo went to see Yang Mi. Yang Mi didn't have much of a problem with Zhao Liying being ranked second, but she had reserved the third spot.

Back at the company, Chen Mo convened a meeting.

He brought up the "Cultural Street" project, and Zhong Lifang and Zeng Qingpeng were immediately impressed.

“I suggest setting up a separate subsidiary to operate this project,” Zhong Lifang immediately expressed her support.

Everyone discussed the feasibility of the project, and the conclusion was that while it might be troublesome for others to do, the publicity aspect of Chen Mo's "wedding" was unparalleled.

Of course, supporting services must also be provided.

You see, Chen Mo just needs to say a few words, and the rest will naturally be handled by Zhong Lifang and the others, including negotiating with the local government, attracting investment, and so on. Chen Mo doesn't need to worry about these trivial matters at all.

All he needs to do is provide the ideas and then do some promotion along the way.

Moreover, this "Themed Cultural Street" project is not just about one fantasy theme, but rather a series of themes.

After settling things here, Chen Mo began planning the next live stream.

First, it's about creating hype, or rather, what name to use for the live stream.

That's not difficult; just use the promotional title "Huayun Wedding Attire Series Phase II".

Moreover, if you're going to do it, do it big; it wouldn't be unreasonable to even turn your livestream promotion into a brand.

As for attracting investment, Chen Mo had no worries at all.

He posted directly on his official Weibo account: "Since we're just killing time anyway, how about we do another live stream?"

However, he still underestimated the impact of his live stream.

After this Weibo post was published, the hashtag #ChenMoLive# topped the Weibo hot search list within an hour!
"Holy crap, we've been waiting for you, Professor, hurry up and start!"

"How about it? It must be awesome, let's wait and see!"

"I just got a Tencent Video membership last time, can I win a wedding invitation this time?"

"I felt like I missed out on a fortune last time, but I'm definitely going to make it back this time! (Just kidding!)"

"Last time they gave away money like it was raining, are they going to rain red envelopes this time?"

Chen Mo's Weibo post immediately sparked a huge online debate.

On that day, the total number of views and participants for this trending topic exceeded 500 million, and more importantly, this number is still soaring.

Some netizens photoshopped Chen Mo into a God of Wealth emoji and captioned it, "The day Professor Beast starts his show, netizens will become rich!"

Another netizen tagged Boss Zhou: "Hurry up and learn, so you don't mess up your next live stream!"

"Seeing this news feels like a holiday. All those Double Eleven, Double Twelve, and 618 shopping festivals are so lame compared to this, okay?"

"Don't even mention Singles' Day or Double Twelve. Before, 'cutting off one's hands' was just a joke, but now it's real. I never buy things during those times."

"Who says otherwise? The price wasn't much of a discount, and the delivery was ridiculously slow. Wouldn't it be great to have a Chen Mo Welfare Festival in the future?"

A single Weibo post sparked a nationwide frenzy, with the internet buzzing like a festival.

Upon seeing this, several live streaming platforms were the first to react.

The first to be affected is Tencent Video. They had tasted the benefits before. That previous live stream was a real bargain for Tencent Video, making the other platforms extremely envious!
So naturally, they didn't want to miss it. But this time, they didn't have the advantage of "The Silent Truth" being broadcast on Tencent Video. So, Sun Huai called Chen Mo on Tencent Video immediately, but it was too late.

Because it's impossible to get through.

There was nothing he could do; after Chen Mo posted the Weibo message, his phone was bombarded with calls.

Several domestic platforms are sharpening their knives; having missed out last time, they are all determined to succeed this time.

It's not just those few live streaming platforms; the merchants are even more outrageous.

Especially with the success of the first live stream, merchants are now competing fiercely!
Not only was Chen Mo's phone ringing off the hook, but Shengshi Pictures' hotline was also overwhelmed with calls.

Caijing Weekly published a special report overnight, pointing out that Chen Mo's live broadcast has become a "phenomenal commercial IP", and the estimated GMV of a single session will exceed 15 billion yuan.

The report further stated: "Chen Mo truly deserves to be called a marketing genius. This Weibo post sparked nationwide discussion and fierce competition among businesses. Chen Mo used his personal brand to monetize projects upfront, creating a new model of 'profitability through announcement'."

Multiple platforms held emergency meetings overnight, all vying to secure the rights to the live stream.

(End of this chapter)