This director is vindictive.

Chapter 560 Chen Mo: Gold will always shine. Bi Dao: ? ? ?
The press conference is still ongoing.

Soon after Chen Mo returned to the stage, the second reporter began asking questions.

However, the reporter from the entertainment weekly asked even more pointed questions.

"Director Chen, you mentioned that your 'professional directing career has ended,' but you will retain your position at Shengshi Pictures. Does this mean that you will still indirectly control industry resources in the future? Some people question whether this is a monopolistic act of 'retiring from the industry but not retiring'."

Many people at the scene were somewhat taken aback.

There are indeed some rumors about so-called "monopolistic behavior," but in reality, most of the time it's just the work of competitors.

Unexpectedly, the reporter asked the question directly.

Chen Mo smiled and explained in a relaxed but firm tone:
"Actually, the film and television industry is one of the few fields where you truly rely on your skills to make a living. As everyone knows from reading online novels, other industries may be monopolized by capital or dominated by connections, but in this circle—"

He paused, then looked around the room: "If your movies are bad, the audience will vote with their feet; if your scripts are bad, the investors will be the first to object."

He casually tapped on the large screen and pulled up a set of data: "Of the top ten highest-grossing films in the past decade, six were directed by directors who were making their first commercial film. Take 'The Wandering Earth' for example; back then, who would have believed that a director who came from making bad films could create a science fiction miracle?"

Then he suddenly switched to a sarcastic tone: "In this industry, if you really don't have the ability, no amount of hype will work. Take a certain director, for example. Before his movie was even released, a huge number of people were already endorsing it, but what was the result? He got the worst movie in film history!"

The audience burst into laughter.

The live stream chat was filled with laughter and joy.

"Director Bi: You might as well just give me your ID number!"

"Goodness, Chen Mo, you really dare to say that! Director Bi is probably crying his eyes out in the bathroom!"

"Director Bi: First of all, I haven't offended you, Chen Mo!"

Chen Mo then concluded: "So, the fairest thing about this industry is that—"

He held up three fingers, a sight that prompted many media reporters to press their shutters, as this is indeed one of Chen Mo's most memorable moments.

Chen Mo then said, "First, the audience isn't stupid; second, the market is ruthless; third..."

Suddenly turning to the fans in the audience: "What do you think is third?"

The fans unanimously declared: "The work speaks for itself!"

"That's right!"

"As long as you have real skills, even someone who's just an extra in Hengdian could become the next Wang Baoqiang. That's why."

His tone suddenly became serious: "They and I have chosen to leave now—because we believe that this industry no longer needs us to 'hold up the show'."

"The so-called strong never complain about their environment. Everyone should know what happened to me back then. What did I have at that time?"
But didn't we still manage to get through it? The moment is just as crucial as the past!

Although many people despised Chen Mo for being petty, for actually bringing up the Backstabbing Cult again.

Some people also feel that Chen Mo is talking without understanding the situation, while Wang Baoqiang and Zhao Liying are indeed representatives of grassroots success stories.

But after all these years, there's only been one Wang Baoqiang and only one Zhao Liying!
However, theoretically speaking, Chen Mo's words are not wrong.

After all, everyone has read online novels.

You might say other industries are monopolized, but in the entertainment industry, even if you're not the best, if you're exceptionally talented, you can still make a name for yourself by writing novels!
However, this is a problem that they can only discuss themselves.

Soon the next reporter asked a question, this time from a financial media outlet.

"Director Chen, following the news of your and Ms. Yang Mi's retirement from the entertainment industry, the stock prices of Shengshi Pictures and other entertainment companies plummeted to their daily limit. Data shows that your retirement will create a market gap of over 200 billion yuan annually. Will this 'superstar vacuum' accelerate the decline of the entertainment industry?"
Some industry analysts believe that you and Ms. Yang Mi, among others, are irreplaceable in the entertainment industry. What are your thoughts on this?

Although irreplaceability is a product of the objective environment.

Chen Mo understood this in his heart, but he certainly couldn't say it to outsiders, nor could he admit it.

Chen Mo smiled and said, "Irreplaceable? How so? Everyone in this world is unique. In that respect, everyone is indeed irreplaceable. But if we're talking about celebrities, artists, and directors, then no one is irreplaceable."

Back when the "Four Dan and Two Bing" retired, you all said the sky was falling.

But what was the result? As it turns out, new talents emerge in every generation, each dominating the scene for a few centuries. In the entertainment industry, while it may not last for centuries, the meaning remains the same.

At this moment, Yang Mi turned around with a smile and pointed to the last row of the audience, saying, "Now look at that college student holding up a light sign that says 'Sister Mi, I'm a long-time fan of your 'Palace' series'—he was still wearing open-crotch pants back then!"

Amidst laughter from the audience, Liu Yifei added, "The audience will always find new stars, it just takes time."

Then, gossip media asked, "Is the collective retirement of these seven women related to family planning? For example, preparing for pregnancy?"

The scene instantly erupted in excitement, and the camera immediately cut to Jing Tian's flat shoes.

Gao Yuanyuan burst out laughing, her tone clearly showing disdain: "Is this even a question worth asking? It's nothing new, okay?" A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and the reporters stared at their colleague who had asked the question with looks of utter disbelief. Some even shook their heads and sighed—such a valuable opportunity to ask a question had been wasted.

You know, this kind of problem might be news for other celebrities, but for Chen Mo's family, it's just an old, forgotten story.

The photos of Gao Yuanyuan being photographed by paparazzi while she was heavily pregnant caused a huge uproar in the entertainment industry back then.

Later, news broke about "their disappearance," which was really nothing new.

Not to mention the current situation—of Chen Mo's seven women, only Liu Yifei still maintains the "fairy sister" image; the other six even have children chasing after their fathers on set asking for pocket money.

This reporter must have just come out of the deepest mountains and forests, right? How dare they bring up a family problem that was solved eight hundred years ago as news?

Even viewers in the live stream couldn't help but complain.

"This gossip reporter is so low-class! Did they just get internet access?"

"This question is utterly idiotic. Does Chen Mo really need to make his woman retire to prepare for pregnancy?"

"Someone's kids might be old enough to form a basketball team, and she's even retiring from the entertainment industry to prepare for pregnancy. These days, it seems like anyone can become a reporter."

"Alright, everyone knows what they wanted to know. Now, could you please let the fans have a chance to ask questions?" Chen Mo said, taking over the conversation.

The reporters certainly wouldn't be satisfied at this point, but Chen Mo isn't like other celebrities, so they were quite cooperative.

Soon, a fan representative came up to ask a question.

A male fan wearing glasses asked, "Brother Mo, will we still be able to see you at the 814 Welfare Festival in the future? Will the 814 Welfare Festival continue to be held?"

Chen Mo blinked: "The Welfare Festival is a festival for all netizens, so I dare not retire. Of course, the host of the Welfare Festival may be changed. After all, everyone sees me every year, so it's not very interesting. Therefore, we will design some more interesting themes."

A representative of the sisters' fans asked, "Sister Yuqi, do you still stand by what you said before about doing live-streaming e-commerce?"

Chen Mo looked at Zhang Yuqi with a blank expression, and the others also looked puzzled.

When did the Tiger Girls start telling their fans they'd be doing live-streaming e-commerce?
Zhang Yuqi, however, said nonchalantly, "Of course! I'm just not filming anymore, but I'll still do live-streaming e-commerce and give away some perks!"

"And let me tell you something: some of them have switched careers to become producers, some are doing behind-the-scenes investment, and I'm rather lazy and not cut out for that, so I'll still occasionally meet with everyone on live streaming platforms."

Among Chen Mo's seven women, Zhang Yuqi, the fierce woman, is actually the most active. By "active," I mean that she often does live streaming.

Selling products is just a side thing; it's not about making money at all. After all, live-streaming sales can be very lucrative for other celebrities, but for Chen Mo's women, for the women with billions in assets, what can that little bit of money do?

She was just bored and playing around.

However, just like how lying down unexpectedly generated a lot of buzz back then, it may have been an unintended but unexpected success.

Her willingness to do things for the benefit of others, without any financial incentive, has allowed her to outperform her celebrity peers in the live-streaming e-commerce industry.

After all, they are completely different in nature.

She enjoyed it.

Of course, this tiger girl can be quite fierce at times. During a live stream, a netizen casually remarked that she might have gained weight, and she immediately flew into a rage, arguing with the viewers in the live stream for two hours, trying to prove that she hadn't gained weight.

However, Chen Mo didn't usually pay much attention to these things, as she was having fun with them.

The press conference concluded successfully, but it did set another record: the highest number of viewers watching a live press conference online.

This press conference, which attracted nationwide attention, saw a peak of over 50 million simultaneous online viewers.

It's absolutely outrageous.

After all, it wasn't some kind of welfare live stream; it was purely a clarification meeting between Chen Mo and a group of women.

After the press conference ended, the trending topics were completely flooded with comments.

[Top Trending Topic] #ChenMoRetirementPressConference50MillionOnline#
The live streaming platform released its battle report overnight: peak concurrent viewership exceeded 5800 million, and the total number of bullet comments surpassed 12 billion. Netizens commented: "These numbers are even more outrageous than top idol concerts! The old guard is always the best!"

[Second trending topic] #BaldQiangDoesntCutDownTreesEveryday#
The little girl's witty reply went viral, and related memes quickly flooded social media. A parenting blogger commented, "This generation of kids has already mastered the logic of cartoons. I suggest working professionals learn this art of metaphor."

The official Weibo account of "Boonie Bears" seized the opportunity to ride the wave of popularity: "Director Chen, would you consider voicing Bald Qiang? Salary negotiable!"

[Third on the trending topics] #ChenMo'sLastWork#
[4th on the trending topics list] #People's Artist Yang Mi#
The related terms have spawned numerous jokes. For example, an art college at a certain university included an early interview video of Yang Mi in its textbook as a case study, labeling it "a negative example of classic public relations rhetoric in the entertainment industry," which led to a collective report from her fans (known as "Yang Mi's fans") alleging "academic persecution."

[Fifth on the trending topics] #Entertainment sector's rollercoaster ride#
The financial channel posted a comparison chart: before the press conference, the entertainment sector fell by 7%, but after Chen Mo took the stage, it rose by 6% against the trend. A brokerage report stated: "During Chen Mo's speech, the market value fluctuated by about 20 billion yuan per minute, making it arguably the most expensive talk show in history."

[Sixth on the trending topics list] #TheBackstabbingCultRe-entersTrendingTopics#
(End of this chapter)