This director is vindictive.

Chapter 482 A billion in box office revenue? What's that? I'll throw another billion at happiness!
A night of frenzied activity! Okay, and there was a leopard too!
The group had so much fun that they didn't wake up until late the next day.

While eating, I naturally started browsing the news.

As netizens shared their ticket stubs on social media, claiming their bets, the hashtag #10BillionBoxOfficeBet# quickly rose to the top of the trending topics list.

Data analysts worked overnight to create charts pointing out that Chen Mo's "10 billion yuan bet" was a textbook example of marketing effectiveness—he didn't actually pay the huge sum, but through hype and spontaneous participation from netizens, he generated at least 10 billion yuan in additional box office revenue.

"This is not a gamble at all, but a precise emotional resonance." A financial influencer explained in a live broadcast: "When netizens post their ticket stubs to 'help Chen Mo pay off his debts,' they are essentially paying for the sense of participation in 'collectively witnessing history.'"

Data shows that among viewers who watched the show two or three times, 38% of them captioned their ticket photos with "We can't let the prophet lose."

On a film forum, a post titled "The Viral Spread Chain Behind the Billion-Yuan Bet" was widely circulated. The author analyzed Chen Mo's initial Weibo post about betting 10 billion yuan in cash against netizens, pointing out that the "absurdity" he deliberately created actually triggered a backlash from the public.

"This is seriously incredible! 10 billion in cash, they're just showing it off to everyone!"

"Other directors are probably kicking themselves right now. If they had known it would turn out like this, they could have just followed Chen Mo's example! After all, as long as it's shown to the public, it doesn't actually cost any money!"

"Although, this marketing campaign was indeed top-notch! Don't say that Chen Mo was just putting on a show for everyone. If, and I mean if, it really didn't reach 10 billion, would Chen Mo really renege on his debt?"

"Defaulting on a debt? Impossible! I don't know about others, but Chen Mo would never default on a debt! After all, although 10 billion is a lot, it's just a drop in the ocean for him. Besides, others can spend money on publicity, but he can't even spend money if he wanted to. That's what you call a true top-notch marketing master!"

Immediately, netizens were amazed, saying that Chen Mo's marketing campaign was absolutely brilliant.

With "Ne Zha 2" surpassing 10 billion yuan at the box office, Chen Mo's 1 billion yuan betting fund naturally didn't need to be redeemed. This result turned some netizens and film critics who had initially been pessimistic into sour grapes, and various sarcastic comments began to appear on social media:
"Chen Mo's scheme to get something for nothing is brilliant! He used a non-existent 10 billion yuan as bait, got free publicity from hundreds of millions of netizens, and made a fortune at the box office—I suggest business schools include this in their 'classic cases of contemporary marketing fraud.'" The accompanying picture shows Chen Mo, photoshopped to look like a casino dealer, distributing "air chips."

Under the popular Zhihu post "How to evaluate Chen Mo's zero-cost marketing of a 1 billion yuan bet?", a highly-rated answer reads: "It's like selling mineral water with a '10 billion yuan promise' in the desert, and only after the fools have run the marathon do they realize that the bottle cap says 'Chen Mo owns the final right to interpret this product.'"

One commenter added, "The most amazing thing is that these idiots are even helping him count the money. Now the whole internet is praising his accurate prediction."

A viral post appeared in the Hupu Entertainment section: "Rational discussion: Is Chen Mo treating the audience like monkeys?"

楼主列出一组数据：“《哪吒2》宣发费用2亿，陈默用‘虚拟10亿’撬动价值超30亿的社交传播，实际支出为0。

I suggest that all directors of next year's Spring Festival film season learn the "air betting method," since bragging doesn't cost anything.

The top-rated comment imitated Chen Mo's tone: "Next time I'll bet 200 billion, and if I lose, I'll just say it's performance art."

A short video produced by a financial media outlet went even further, directly attacking the film. The video showed the box office numbers for "Ne Zha 2" soaring, while the "10 billion yuan deposit" safe next to it remained tightly closed. Finally, a caption popped up: "Your 10 billion yuan red envelope has been converted into fuel costs for Chen Mo's private jet."

The screen was filled with comments like "So real," "They're so clever," and "They'll do it again next time."

It just goes to show that there are all sorts of birds in a big forest.

However, these remarks quickly sparked wider debate. Supporters of Chen Mo rallied to defend him.

"When Chen Mo put up a 10 billion bet, a bunch of people were jumping up and down saying that Chen Mo was unethical. Now that he's won, they're saying that Chen Mo was just making empty promises! Goodness, no matter what Chen Mo does, you sore losers will always jump out, right?"

"They're giving away free red envelopes and they're getting scolded? If they really lost 10 billion, these people would be the first to rush to claim the money!"

"I suggest that those who are just being sarcastic crowdfunding to sue Chen Mo for fraud, and see if the court will accept a case about 'not winning a free lottery' (doge)."

"They actually put in real money, right? Check out the 814 Welfare Festival. These people always like to selectively forget. Would anyone else dare to follow their example? They just actually achieved 10 billion and won, and now they're complaining here. It's really ridiculous!"

"They have 10 billion in real money on hand, while some people can't even afford a 10-yuan movie ticket without waiting for a pirated copy (lol)."

"I suggest the Sour Chicken crowdfunding campaign be audited—but according to your logic, the money raised must also be fake (doge)."

"Hahaha, this is absolutely brilliant! Chen Mo says: It's not that I don't want to spend money, it's that you guys don't give me the chance!"

Seeing this, the three women were all indignant. Yang Mi angrily took a bite of her fried egg and swallowed it, saying, "These people are really disgusting!"

Fan Binbin said nonchalantly, "It's normal! After all, with fame comes trouble. As the saying goes, 'Only the mediocre are not envied.' Like our master, no matter what he does, there are bound to be people who are jealous and jumping up and down with envy!"

She is indeed the most qualified to speak on this matter, after all, she went through so much back then.

If you're not famous, it's fine, but once you become famous, no matter what you do, someone will stand up and criticize you from a moral high ground!

Zhang Yuqi looked at Chen Mo curiously: "Master, how about it? Is there any way to shut these sour-footed chickens up?"

As Chen Mo sipped his soy milk, he said casually, "Shut them up? You overestimate them. They don't even deserve it."

“Exactly, they’ll be happiest if Chen Mo really retaliates!” Yang Mi said.

After finishing his food, Chen Mo picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, then put it down and said with a smile, "However, I'm in a good mood right now, so it's not a bad idea to slap them in the face!"

"How do we slap them in the face?" The three women looked at Chen Mo curiously. "Simple! Just throw money at it!" Chen Mo said with a smile.

"You wouldn't..." The three women stared at Chen Mo with wide eyes.

“That’s right, just like you thought. How about it? Isn’t it exciting enough? Isn’t it grand enough?” Chen Mo said with a smile.

"But that's 10 billion! Aren't you really worried about the cost?" Yang Mi asked with a pained expression, looking like a money-grubber.

The other two women also looked surprised.

Chen Mo, however, said nonchalantly, "I actually planned to spend this 10 billion from the beginning. Do you believe me or not, I can earn back many times over after spending this 10 billion?"

Chen Mo spoke with complete confidence; in fact, he had already won big in this betting marketing campaign.

The boost from this marketing campaign alone, the buzz it generated, and the positive response from the capital market have already earned him several billion dollars.

So he really didn't feel sorry for him at all.

Moreover, it can both slap those so-called "sour chickens" in the face and make oneself look good, so why not?
It's just a matter of spending money; for him, whether it's a billion more or a billion less, it really doesn't matter.

The three women were indeed shocked by Chen Mo.

If it were them, they definitely wouldn't be willing to give it up.

Don't be fooled by the 814 Welfare Festival, where Chen Mo casually throws away billions of dollars; it's ultimately the merchants who are paying for it.

However, in their view, Chen Mo had absolutely no need to spend this 10 billion.

Only now did they realize with awe that this was perhaps Chen Mo's true vision, something that most people couldn't imitate.

Chen Mo is a man of his word!
He immediately picked up his phone and posted a celebratory poster on Weibo to mark the box office surpassing 10 billion yuan, along with the caption: "1 billion yuan in red envelopes will still be distributed! All netizens who participated in the betting will enter a lottery to share 1 billion yuan in cash!"

Soon, on social media platforms, especially Weibo, the hashtag #ChenMoSpendsMoney# exploded and immediately topped the trending list!

It even surpasses the buzz surrounding the box office exceeding 10 billion yuan. The reason is simple: the 10 billion yuan box office doesn't really concern everyone that much, but Chen Mo's 1 billion yuan in real money is closely related to everyone!
Originally, everyone thought Chen Mo couldn't possibly win the 10 billion bet, but now that he has won, he's still throwing money around.

This immediately caused an uproar among netizens.

"Holy crap! It's really out?" (320 million likes)
"Winning and still throwing money away? Is Boss Chen crazy or am I?" (with a crying cat emoji)

"Who called him a braggart back then? Come out and show yourself!" (Forward to enter the giveaway link)

"Shout it with me, everyone: President Chen is so magnanimous!"

"Shout it with me: Mr. Chen is so generous! +1"

"Shout it with me: Mr. Chen is so generous! +10086"

"First time meeting the director and playing Texas Hold'em with the whole internet and going all in! Chen Mo is insane!"

"Haha, I booked the tickets when I signed up for the bet, so I'll make a killing whether I win or lose! Mr. Chen is so generous!" (Attached is a screenshot of the ticket stub for "Ne Zha 2")
"Weighted ticket stubs? Is this forcing me to watch it two or three times?" (Attached: a nine-square grid of ticket stubs)

"Chen Mo is so generous! This is what you call magnanimity! This is what you call a win-win situation! Chen Mo wins twice: once at the box office and once in terms of happiness!"

Chen Mo's spending spree only added fuel to the fire.

Although the stock prices of Enlight Media and Shengshi Pictures have been rising recently due to the box office success of "Ne Zha", it doesn't seem to have any significant impact.

But the popularity is undeniable.

A financial blogger commented: "The 10 billion yuan is essentially 'leveraged marketing,' using a deposit to leverage nationwide dissemination. Chen Mo won twice—both at the box office and in the stock price."

Film critics complained: "Netizens thought they were sharing money, but they were actually helping Chen Mo boost his KPIs—this wave of free online trolls is worth more than 10 billion!"

However, netizens didn't care at all, and instead gave Chen Mo a thumbs up.

"Whether you believe it or not is not important. What's important is that Chen Mo used 10 billion to get the entire internet to voluntarily become his 'word-of-mouth promoters'—this marketing lesson was worth it!"

Other directors: Art is priceless! Chen Mo: Oh, then I'll throw 10 billion at it and see how it goes? (Images of awkward expressions from various directors' interviews)

"I suggest adding a skit called 'Chen Mo Distributing Red Envelopes' to next year's Spring Festival Gala: 'I'll pay for anything under 10 billion, you can watch the movie if it's over 10 billion!'" (This comment received over 500,000 likes)
"Hey haters, where's your face? Doesn't it hurt? Brother Mo is a tough guy, ruthless and doesn't talk much! This is what you call a real show of scale. You bunch of sour chickens, come out and take your beating!"

(End of this chapter)