You were asked to write a political intrigue drama, but you wrote "Da Ming 1566".

Chapter 100 Exclusive Beauty Advisor! Can't she be sentenced to death?

As soon as General Manager Huang finished speaking, the original screenwriting team members of the film and television company all wore mocking expressions. They had long harbored resentment towards Ma Yingkui. Why was it that after working hard for so many years, rising from an unknown screenwriter to where they were today, Ma Yingkui, this parachuted-in recruit, arrived with a much more lucrative contract than anyone else, lived in a luxury apartment provided by the company, and even took the position of head of the screenwriting team, bossing them around?

If Ma Yingkui truly possessed exceptional talent and ability, capable of producing convincing works, then they would accept it. However, the undeniable facts are laid bare before them: he is nothing but a complete fraudster and thief, shamelessly attempting to claim Chen Yu's two masterpieces, the result of his painstaking efforts, as his own, and even turning around to try and drive Chen Yu out of the industry.

Mr. Huang's attitude was so clear, and he had said so much; how could these seasoned veterans, who had spent years in the company and developed a keen eye for detail, not understand the implications and not know which side to take? Immediately, they all started talking at once. "Don't know him." "Who is he?"

"We're about to hold an internal meeting with the screenwriting team to discuss the scripts for our next few key projects. How did an outsider suddenly appear? What are the security guards doing? How can they let just anyone in? If this affects our work schedule, who will take responsibility?"

"Hurry up, hurry up, get this guy out of here! Don't delay our meeting!" As soon as the words were spoken, several tall security guards in black uniforms rushed over from the end of the corridor. They looked fierce and grabbed Ma Yingkui's arms without saying a word. They completely ignored his heart-wrenching cries and the venomous look in his eyes, dragged him out of the company gate like a dead dog, and then slammed him heavily onto the cold cement ground.

At that moment, Ma Yingkui collapsed to the ground in a disheveled state, feeling dizzy and disoriented, his ears ringing, as if his entire world had collapsed. His designer suit was covered in dust, and his hair was a mess; he was a far cry from the confident and charismatic head of the screenwriting team he had been moments before.

After a long while, he slowly got up from the ground, caught his breath, and shakily pulled his phone out of his pocket, the screen still smudged with mud and water. As if grasping at a last straw, his fingers trembled as he frantically called the executives of the major film and television companies that had previously contacted him, promising him a million-dollar annual salary and the opportunity to be their head screenwriter.

"Mr. Li, it's me, Ma Yingkui! Didn't you say before that you particularly admired my talent and wanted to recruit me as your content director?" "I can come over right now, I can start immediately, all conditions are negotiable, we can sign the contract right now!" "Mr. Li? Mr. Li, are you listening? Huh? Huh?" "Mr. Shen? It's me, Ma Yingkui!" "Mr. Liu? Mr. Liu, do you remember me?"

However, every single call he made ended with a cold, monotonous busy tone. Those company executives who had been showering him with attention and flattery just days before had vanished as if by prior arrangement. At that moment, Ma Yingkui finally understood that the news that "In the Name of the People" had been personally selected and highly praised by the leaders of the Zhejiang Provincial Anti-Corruption Bureau had probably already spread throughout the entire film and television industry.

Just a few days ago, I was highly sought after and cherished by major companies, but in the blink of an eye, I've become a piece of stinking dog shit that everyone avoids and wouldn't even touch. Anyone with a brain knows what the consequences will be if you get involved with me now.

Thinking about this, Ma Yingkui was filled with remorse and wished he could slap himself a few times. If only he hadn't been so greedy, hadn't been blinded by the generous offers from those companies, and had stayed obediently at Xiangyu Pictures, how wonderful that would have been! He would still be the undisputed head of the screenwriting team, earning a good salary and living a respectable life.

Furthermore, if when Qin Lan asked me to help contact Chen Yu and explain the misunderstanding, instead of standing idly by out of jealousy and resentment, or even kicking him while he was down and colluding with outsiders to frame him, I had genuinely contacted Chen Yu and helped him solve the problem, then I would definitely not be in such a miserable state now!

Perhaps one day, his name would be added to the credits of the two works destined to go down in history and become industry benchmarks, "Da Ming Dynasty 1566" and "In the Name of the People," and he could even benefit from it and become a well-known, top-notch screenwriter in the industry. But now, it's all too late. Everything is ruined by his own hands, and he's completely finished.

Chen Yu not only escaped industry blacklisting but soared to new heights, becoming a highly sought-after figure in the industry. Meanwhile, Chen Yu himself is likely to find it impossible to survive in the screenwriting world. Which company would want a screenwriter who attempted to steal others' work and betrayed their former employer? It's simply impossible!

But even in this moment of despair, a last glimmer of hope rekindled in Ma Yingkui's heart. His fingers trembled as he swiped through his contacts, finally finding that familiar number. He took a deep breath and dialed Qin Lan's number. He still clung to a sliver of hope: perhaps Qin Lan, considering his years of dedicated service to Xiangyu Pictures and his hard work, would be magnanimous and forgive him, giving him another chance to return to Xiangyu Pictures?

Even if it meant a demotion and pay cut, even if it meant starting as a lowly screenwriter's assistant, serving tea and water and organizing documents every day, he could accept it completely. As long as he could stay in this industry, as long as he had food to eat, there would always be a chance to make a comeback. Meanwhile, in the spacious and bright conference room of Xiangyu Pictures, besides Qin Lan and Chen Yu, a woman with neat short hair, wearing a well-tailored black suit, with exquisite and beautiful features and a capable demeanor walked in.

Qin Lan turned her head and introduced Chen Yu with a smile.

"Teacher Chen, this is the personal legal advisor I specially invited for you."

The woman in the suit extended her right hand to Chen Yu, wearing a simple yet exquisite watch on her wrist, and spoke with a confident and composed smile.

"Hello, Professor Chen. I have long admired your name. I am a loyal fan of yours. Your works, 'Ming Dynasty 1566' and 'In the Name of the People,' are truly wonderful and inspiring. I have read them repeatedly and gained new insights each time."

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Liu Mei, and I'm a notorious litigator in the industry."

Chen Yu was taken aback when he heard this.

A litigious lawyer?

These days, it's really strange that lawyers would use the obviously derogatory term "litigation scoundrel" to describe themselves or introduce themselves.

After Liu Mei detailed her scope of practice and her legendary track record to Chen Yu, Chen Yu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. It turned out this seemingly beautiful and capable female lawyer was actually quite formidable.

"What I do best is to use the weapon of law to make those who have bad intentions and do bad things pay the heavy price they deserve."

"If there are clear legal provisions to follow, then we should strictly follow the normal legal procedures, and then find ways to approach them from various angles to make their punishment doubly severe."

"If there are no existing legal provisions to rely on, then I will find a way to create legal provisions that can be relied on, find loopholes and gaps in the law, and then triple their punishment."

"In short, other people's lawyer's letters are at most a warning, just to scare people. Many people don't take them seriously. But the lawyer's letters I send out are real death warrants. Once you receive them, don't think you can get away easily. So those who want to hire online trolls or have ulterior motives to smear Teacher Chen should think carefully about the consequences."

"Of course, if it's just an ordinary viewer casually making a few comments because of the plot or characters, that's not within my scope of business, unless Teacher Chen is willing to pay extra."

After listening to Liu Mei's astonishing and domineering self-introduction, Chen Yu finally understood why she called herself a lawyer. So this woman's legal expertise wasn't focused on defense or mediation at all, but entirely on offense? She's practically a fighting nation in the legal world!

After a moment, a satisfied smile slowly appeared on Chen Yu's lips.

"Great, I like it."

He never expected that he would have a private legal advisor so soon in this life, the kind that only the wealthy and powerful in his previous life would have, and such a ruthless character with explosive combat power at that.

Judging from Liu Mei's confident and composed demeanor, Qin Lan must have gone to great lengths to poach her from another major law firm, and all the expenses were borne by Qin Lan himself, without him having to pay a single penny.

This is also one of the various supporting resources that the company would provide to Chen Yu, as clearly mentioned in the original contract.

With such a professional legal advisor by my side, I won't have to worry about handling any copyright disputes or malicious smear campaigns anymore; I can just leave it all to Liu Mei. It's so convenient, truly so convenient.

Just then, Qin Lan's phone, which was on the conference table, suddenly rang. The screen lit up, and the caller ID showed Ma Yingkui's name. The moment Qin Lan saw the name, the smile on her face vanished, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

She casually pushed her phone towards the center of the conference table so that Chen Yu and Liu Mei could hear it clearly, then pressed the speakerphone button and slowly answered the call.

As soon as the call connected, Ma Yingkui's voice came through, sobbing and crying uncontrollably, sounding as miserable as could be.

"President Qin, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, President Qin!"

"I was just confused for a moment, blinded by greed, and misled by those bad people, which led me to do such a despicable thing. President Qin, please forgive me this time, considering how hard I've worked for the company all these years, even if I haven't achieved anything great!"

"Please put in a good word for me and let me go back to the company, okay? I'm willing to start from the bottom, serving tea and water, cleaning, I'll do anything, even without pay. Please, Mr. Qin, give me another chance to change my ways! I promise I'll work hard from now on and never do it again!"

Hearing Ma Yingkui's desperate pleas, Qin Lan's face remained expressionless, her demeanor as cold as a block of ice that would never melt.

"When you betrayed me without hesitation, conspired with outsiders to scheme against the company, and tried to completely destroy Teacher Chen, you were incredibly shrewd and capable. The plan you devised with them was flawless. You didn't seem like someone who was confused at all back then."

"To tell you the truth, Teacher Chen is right next to me. As for how to deal with you, it's not up to me, it's up to Teacher Chen."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yingkui was stunned for a moment before realizing that the "Teacher Chen" Qin Lan was referring to was Chen Yu, whom he considered a thorn in his side.

He clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms until they bled. A flash of resentment and ferocity crossed his eyes, but it vanished in an instant. The next second, he began to wail in heart-wrenching pain, his cries even more pitiful than before.

"Teacher Chen, Teacher Chen, I really just made a mistake for a moment!"

"Your script is so good, so excellent! I was momentarily blinded by greed and jealousy, which led me to have such wicked thoughts. Teacher Chen, you are so magnanimous, you can forgive me as if I were nothing! I will never do it again, I kowtow to you!"

A cold, emotionless sneer appeared on Chen Yu's face. Let Ma Yingkui go? He had never met Ma Yingkui before, had no grudge against him, and was only jealous and resentful because Ma Yingkui saw that he was receiving generous treatment. Ma Yingkui was willing to join forces with executives from other companies to ruin him at all costs, even trying to destroy his entire career.

If I let him off so easily today, will any Tom, Dick, or Harry think they're easy to bully and dare to scheme against me? How will I ever be able to survive in this industry again?

Chen Yu had heard of the film and television industry as a mixed bag, a den of iniquity, since his previous life. It was essentially a primitive jungle where the strong preyed on the weak, and those so-called film stars, industry bigwigs, and veteran practitioners were basically all cowards who feared power but lacked virtue.

Only by thoroughly establishing one's authority, making everyone fearful, and letting them clearly understand the terrible price to pay for plotting against one, will there be no more reckless little characters who think about how to scheme against one and cause trouble for one's future.

In Chen Yu's view, even if Ma Yingkui were to lose everything and be completely blacklisted by the entire film and television industry, it still wouldn't be enough. This kind of person, given even the slightest opportunity, will bite you like a venomous snake when you least expect it.

What if this guy holds a grudge and keeps watching him every moment, wanting to take him down with him? Better safe than sorry, he might actually find an opportunity. Chen Yu didn't want to take such a risk and leave himself with such a huge hidden danger.

Chen Yu turned his head and looked at Liu Mei beside him.

Before he even uttered a word, the icy killing intent and unwavering determination surging in his eyes clearly told Liu Mei what outcome he desired.

Liu Mei's face immediately lit up with excitement, her eyes shining, and she even licked her lips. Her gaze toward Chen Yu revealed undisguised admiration.

No one knows why she, a top student who graduated first in her class from a prestigious law school and rejected countless offers from top law firms, would willingly bear the stigma of being a "litigation swindler" and take on these thankless and potentially offensive cases instead of, like other well-known lawyers, raising the banner of law to advocate for the disadvantaged and earning fame and status.

This is of course because:

It's so satisfying to use the law to rightfully punish bad people and watch them pay a heavy price for their actions!

Liu Mei didn't care about the reputation of being a "litigation swindler" at all; in fact, she enjoyed it because she loved the feeling of being in control and making the wicked get what they deserved! And Chen Yu's look just now, that decisive and ruthless attitude, was exactly to her liking.

Before Chen Yu could ask, Liu Mei spoke up, her tone full of confidence.

"Leave it to me. I can get him at least ten years in prison."

As she said this, Liu Mei's face showed an undisguised pride. Ma Yingkui's actions did indeed constitute copyright infringement and commercial defamation, but to get such a heavy sentence for such an economic crime is not something any lawyer can do. It requires a professional "litigation expert" like her to come in, collect evidence from all aspects, and find the most favorable legal provisions to achieve this.

Hearing what Liu Mei said, Chen Yu fell silent, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

Liu Mei thought that she had scared Chen Yu by saying that she would be sentenced to ten years, and that she felt that she was too ruthless, or that Chen Yu had doubted her abilities.

Just as she was about to explain further and tell Chen Yu that she was absolutely confident she could do it, Chen Yu looked up, his face showing obvious disappointment, and asked her a question.

"Only ten years?"

"Why can't we just give him the death penalty?"