This director is vindictive.

Chapter 503 On the Ultimate Level of a Scumbag: The Entire Internet Begs Me to Continue Being a Scumbag

For public figures, the concept of a persona is quite interesting.

The earliest people in mainland China to become familiar with various character personas were from Hong Kong.

In the 1980s and 90s, Hong Kong celebrities were arguably the earliest group in the Chinese-language film and television industry to cultivate a persona.

For example, the most famous "Jade Girl" is Vivian Chow, whose standard look is long, straight black hair and a pure smile. She has to wear a white dress and stand on the beach for album covers, and kissing scenes in movies can only be faked. Even being photographed smoking by paparazzi can trigger a crisis that could cause her image to collapse.

There are also tough-guy actors, such as Brother Cheng, who deliver visceral punches on screen and always mention in interviews that he "doesn't use a stunt double."

Big Brother Cheng's "Furniture City God of War" persona even led to furniture stores on Hong Kong Island vying to hire him as their spokesperson—after all, everyone in Hong Kong knows that he can use a folding stool to perform the effect of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

There are also quirky comedians, cannonball actresses, music rebels, and heartthrobs.

At the same time, these personas also have many unspoken rules. For example, innocent girls cannot publicly date, and tough guys cannot be afraid of cockroaches; comedians must tell jokes at funerals, otherwise they are considered "acting like big shots"; the most tragic is the "talented scholar" persona - Huang Zhan was criticized for being vulgar when he wrote "The Uncivilized Collection" back then, but decades later netizens dug it up and praised him: "Uncle Zhan is so avant-garde!"

When it came to the mainland entertainment industry, the creation of personas was initially modeled after Hong Kong, with things like "pure and innocent female singers" and the like.

The results were quite good back then.

After the turn of the millennium, celebrities in the entertainment industry began frantically labeling and creating personas for themselves, for example:
"Erudite and versatile" - always posting photos of himself reading, only to be exposed as having never even finished reading "Dream of the Red Chamber";
"Highly Educated Academic Stars" - Their resumes are full of flair, but their academic qualifications are fake, and even their papers are ghostwritten.

"Able to sing and dance" - claiming to be an all-around entertainer, but he sang off-key and danced like he was doing radio calisthenics on the spot;

"A devoted and loving husband" - he marketed himself as a doting husband, but was then photographed meeting a young model at night;
The "dedicated work ethic model" boasted about not using a stunt double while filming, but even his lines consisted of numbers "12345".
Initially, these carefully crafted personas did indeed attract fans and generate revenue, with celebrities reaping the benefits of their meticulously crafted images. However, as paparazzi became increasingly aggressive and internet information spread rapidly, these fabricated personas collapsed one after another, resulting in horrific and disastrous revelations.

But Chen Mo is different. From the very beginning, he openly admitted that he was a "scumbag," and he didn't just say it; he actually did it.

While others cultivate a "faithful and good man" persona, he openly admits to having multiple partners.
While others fear being accused of "playing with emotions," he, on the contrary, acted with righteous indignation, treating everyone equally and doing things that even those "deeply affectionate" people couldn't do, such as holding seven "weddings."

While others pretend to be indifferent when their partners are exposed for cheating, he directly admits: "I'm the modern-day Wei Xiaobao, so what?"

Logically speaking, this kind of persona would be a death sentence in the entertainment industry, leading to immediate backlash and expulsion. But Chen Mo, through his wealth and talent for copying, managed to transform the "scumbag" persona into one of "genuine character."

Money power: While others give their girlfriends designer bags, he directly gives them shares. He spends billions of dollars on this, so who would dare to say he's a "gold digger"?
Talent (ability to copy): He's adept at everything from movies and marketing hype to business investments. Even if the audience is unhappy, they have to admit that he's truly talented.

As a result, his "scumbag" persona not only didn't collapse, but instead became a shield.

While others are ruined after a scandal, he bluntly says, "I've always been like this, and you guys are only just finding out now?"

To put it bluntly, in the entertainment industry, either don't create a persona, or don't pretend. Chen Mo's "I'm a scumbag, but I'm scumbag in a very clear way" style actually leaves netizens with nothing to criticize—after all, he already admitted it, so how can you "dig" any more dirt on him?
Even those who hate "scumbags" the most have to say that although he is a scumbag, he is a scumbag in a clear and obvious way, and he has even set a bad example!
So, the night Chen Mo released the trailer for "The Empress's Wedding", social media exploded.

Just as Chen Mo said to Fan Binbin, there's no need for any elaborate publicity; being straightforward is enough to generate buzz.

The trailer opens with a breathtaking long take:

In the soft light of dawn, Fan Binbin, playing the Empress, wears a golden dragon-patterned court robe, her pure white Akhal-Teke horse neighing proudly. She holds the reins in one hand, a gilded whip hanging down, her phoenix eyes sweeping over the kneeling people on both sides of the street—this upward-angled shot exudes the Empress's imposing presence.

Fan Binbin's empress image was immediately highlighted.

The camera suddenly pans down, and sixteen shirtless, burly men carry a gold-inlaid and jade-embroidered wedding sedan chair, breaking through the morning mist. The curtain of the sedan chair is lifted by the wind, revealing Chen Mo's seated figure: he wears a phoenix crown adorned with pearls, and the golden phoenix chasing the sun pattern on his red wedding dress flows in the morning light. The demure posture of a bride should be broken by the cynical smile on his lips.

As the camera zooms out, the breathtaking panoramic view of the "Ten Miles of Red Dowry" unfolds—

The procession was led by eighty-one young girls who carried gilded palace lanterns with the four characters "Imperial Gift of Marriage" shining brightly on the lantern shades!
The sandalwood chests were piled up like a mobile Great Wall, with the lids half-open to reveal silks and satins. The most extravagant item was a pure gold treasure basin carried by eight people, with each pomegranate seed carved from jade clearly visible inside (symbolizing many children)!
There's also a spectacular sight to add to the spectacle. What should be an exaggerated description of a ten-mile-long red bridal procession actually has ten teams of craftsmen laying out red carpets along the way. The "囍" character embroidered in gold thread meanders from the palace gate to the Chen residence, truly making it a "ten-mile-long red carpet" in the literal sense!
This trailer, though only a few dozen seconds long, has been shared millions of times.

The hashtag #TheCeilingOfModernSon-in-Law# instantly topped the trending search list.

The controversy erupted as expected, but the sentiment turned polarized.

Supporters went wild with memes: "Even if you're a kept man, you still have to look to Brother Mo! The embroidery on this wedding dress is more exquisite than my wedding photos" (with a nine-grid photo of Chen Mo's wedding dress).

"Empress: My dragon bed is big enough, my beloved concubines are lining up to serve me @ChenMoFanClub" (Top comment received 50 likes)

History blogger "Tang Palace Night Talk" launched a poll: "If Wu Zetian could travel through time and see this scene," 72% of respondents chose "reward the prince consort with ten thousand taels of gold!"
Fan Binbin's fans are almost in tears.

In Fan Binbin's fan group, someone posted a still from a drama where Chen Mo is wearing a phoenix coronet and wedding robes, and Fan Binbin uses a golden scale to lift her red veil, with the caption: "Oh my god! This is Fan Bingbing's 'wedding'!"

The fans in the group immediately went wild:

"Waaaaah, Fan Bingbing finally 'married' Chen Mo!"

"This scene is so beautiful! Chen Mo looks perfectly natural in her wedding dress!"

"Fan Bingbing's eyes are so tender, she's really 'marrying' the person she loves!"

Soon, the hashtag #FanBinbinMarriesChenMo# trended on Weibo, and fans expressed their feelings in the comments section:

"I used to think that Fan Bingbing had too strong an aura and no one was good enough for her, but now I realize that Chen Mo is the man she is willing to 'marry'!"

"Other female celebrities 'marry' into wealthy families, but Fan Bingbing directly 'married' Chen Mo. How cool is that! Chen Mo has truly fulfilled Fan Bingbing's 'wealthy family' dream. With a husband like this, what more could a woman ask for!"

"Chen Mo was willing to wear a wedding dress for her, and Fan Bingbing was willing to hold a 'wedding' for him. What an amazing love story!"

Some people even dug up a video of Chen Mo washing Fan Binbin's feet years ago, comparing it to the current "Empress's Wedding," and lamented:
"From the foot-washing ceremony to 'marrying' her, Chen Mo has truly spoiled Fan Bingbing rotten!"

“Other men are afraid of being called ‘sons-in-law,’ but Chen Mo directly ‘lives off a woman’s money’ and does it with a clear conscience. That’s a real man!”

In Fan Binbin's fan page, fans collectively broke down in tears:
"Fan Bingbing has worked so hard all these years, and now she finally has her own 'wedding'. Although it's a movie, it's more romantic than real life!"

"Although Chen Mo is a jerk, he truly understands what Fan Bingbing wants!"

"This isn't a promotional video! It's clearly Fan Bingbing's 'wedding documentary'!"

Some fans even edited together past interactions between Fan Binbin and Chen Mo, added clips from "The Empress's Wedding," and created a "wedding MV," which instantly garnered over a million reposts.

However, just as Fan Binbin had worried, many people have indeed begun to criticize her.

A prominent Chinese culture blogger posted a 3,000-word scathing critique overnight: "What kind of behavior is it for a man to wear a wedding dress? Our ancestors must be turning in their graves! Since ancient times, the son-in-law has always been the lowest in social status. Chen Mo is truly degrading himself. As a public figure, he has set such a bad example. It is utterly absurd!"

On a well-known forum, a post titled "Chen Mo is challenging traditional ethics and corrupting social morals!" quickly became a hot topic.

The original poster, "Messenger of Justice," wrote: "Chen Mo, this 'modern-day Wei Xiaobao,' has gone even further, openly using the 'male-marries-female-brides' gimmick in the movie! A grown man dressed in a phoenix coronet and wedding robes being 'married' by a woman—isn't this deliberately subverting tradition and sensationalizing? In today's entertainment industry, for the sake of traffic, they don't even care about the most basic ethics and morality? This kind of vulgar hype is simply challenging the bottom line of society!"

Will young people who watch this kind of movie think that "living off a woman" or "marrying into her husband's family" is something to be proud of? Chen Mo himself is clearly a scumbag, and now they want to bring this distorted value system to the big screen. Isn't this misleading the next generation? Movies are entertainment products, that's true, but they can't just abandon all principles to grab attention!

To put it bluntly, Chen Mo is just relying on his irredeemable "scumbag" persona, and now he's even using "men marrying women" as a marketing tactic. But what positive social impact does this have, besides satisfying some people's morbid curiosity? Does this mean everyone should follow his example in the future, with men wearing wedding dresses and women as the "groom"? It's utterly absurd!

A large crowd quickly gathered below and joined in criticizing Chen Mo.

"The original poster is absolutely right, Chen Mo really went too far this time!"

A public figure leading the advocacy of "male inferiority and female superiority"—is this an attempt to completely overturn the ethical norms of Chinese society that have existed for thousands of years? Today he dares to wear a wedding dress and play a son-in-law; tomorrow will he call on all men to hand over their paychecks? (Image: Chen Mo's wedding dress still photoshopped to look like the "President of the Soft Rice Association")

"Young people's values ​​are being distorted!"

My cousin actually said after watching the trailer, "I want to be married to a rich woman in the future." Chen Mo's "gold digger" values ​​are poisoning teenagers! (Screenshot: A comment "Seeking a rich woman to take me in" received over 10,000 likes)
(End of this chapter)