Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

The lounge wasn't large, with a three-seater sofa, two folding chairs, and a long table. On the table were several bottles of mineral water, a stack of program schedules, and half a box of uneaten cookies.

When Su Yu pushed open the door, Liu Xiaoli was already waiting in the lounge. She was wearing a light dark gray coat, her hair was tied up, and her expression was calm.

"Mom." Liu Yifei walked over and sat down next to her.

Liu Xiaoli put her arm around her daughter's shoulder without saying a word, and gently patted her shoulder twice with her fingers.

Her movements were slow, like she was comforting a child who had been wronged but dared not cry. Liu Yifei leaned on her shoulder, closed her eyes, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Su Yu stood at the door, took out his phone from his pocket, found Han Sanping's number, and dialed it.

"Mr. Han, this is Su Yu."

"Okay, go ahead." Han Sanping's voice was deep. Hearing Su Yu's tone, the person on the other end of the phone seemed to sit up straight.

Su Yu took a deep breath, his voice low but serious, "Someone is spreading rumors about Liu Yifei, saying she's transgender, and they've listed ten pieces of false evidence. After recording the show today, a reporter asked her about it in person. I was there, and I spoke up for the production team."

Han Sanping didn't respond, waiting for Su Yu to continue.

Su Yu tapped his fingers lightly on the windowsill twice. "This isn't just about her; it's about our movie. Spreading rumors about the female lead before the release—you know better than I how that affects the box office. The competition during the May Day holiday is so fierce; who will buy tickets after seeing the news? The loss is at least a million yuan; that's a direct economic loss."

Han Sanping was silent for two seconds on the other end of the phone. Then came the sound of a lighter clicking, followed by the sound of him taking a drag of his cigarette and exhaling with a soft sigh.

"What are you planning to do?"

Su Yu turned around, glanced at Liu Yifei and Liu Xiaoli on the sofa, and then looked away.

"I'm going to sue. I'm suing Tianya Forum and Song Zude. I checked who first posted that thread, and it's him who spread rumors about 'transgender people' last year. It didn't cause a big stir then, but he didn't stop. Now he's gone even further. I can't tolerate it this time. If I tolerate it once, he'll think I'm easy to bully and he'll become even more aggressive in the future."

He slowed his speech, looking at his reflection in the window: "I also want to file a formal lawsuit and report his company for tax evasion and selling counterfeit goods."

Han Sanping's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone a few degrees heavier than before.

"You're right. I'll contact the media outlets we're working with regarding China Film Group. I'll have someone contact Tianya and QQ; if they don't delete the posts, we'll sue them. As for Song Zude, you can handle that yourself."

Su Yu tapped his fingers lightly on the windowsill twice, his voice softening, "Thank you, Mr. Han. I will follow the proper legal channels."

Han Sanping's voice was indifferent, revealing no emotion. "What are you thanking me for? This movie is my investment. Protecting the female lead is protecting my money. You don't need to worry about this; I'll handle it. Just focus on making sure the film is done well and doesn't go wrong during the May Day holiday."

"it is good."

........

Su Yu hung up the phone and turned around. Liu Xiaoli's gaze lingered on his face for a few seconds before she let go of Liu Yifei's arm, took out her phone from her bag, and dialed a number.

"Shaokang, is it convenient for you?...Yes, it's about Qianqian. You're familiar with CCTV and the portal websites, could you put in a good word for me? Okay.

Su Yu stood by the window, watching her series of actions, thinking: This is Liu Xiaoli. Calm and unhurried, she goes to whoever she needs to talk to, and says whatever she needs to say. No unnecessary words, no unnecessary expressions.

Su Yu put his phone back in his pocket, walked to the door, opened it, and called out into the hallway, "Lin Hao."

Lin Hao jogged over from the other end of the corridor, his suit jacket unbuttoned, carrying a stack of folders in his hand.

He ran up to Su Yu and stopped, catching his breath: "President Su, we've already started collecting materials."

Su Yu leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, chin slightly raised.

"First, the company's legal department drafted the complaint today and will submit it to the court tomorrow. Defendants: Tianya Forum operators and Song Zude. Cause of action: defamation and economic losses caused by infringement of the female protagonist's right to reputation. Evidence: screenshots of that post, its posting time, number of views, number of reposts, and screenshots of the comments section—all of these should be notarized. Find someone at the notary office to handle this today. Don't just take a screenshot yourself as evidence; the court won't accept that."

Lin Hao tore a piece of paper from the folder and quickly scribbled down notes.

"Second, I am filing a formal complaint against Song Zude's company for tax evasion and selling counterfeit goods. I had an intermediary check the materials last year, and they are in the second drawer of my office. Go back and find them, compile them into a booklet, make three copies, and send them to the tax bureau and the industry and commerce bureau by registered mail. Keep the receipt, write 'Complaint Materials' on the envelope, and attach a copy of my ID card and my contact information inside."

Lin Hao paused, looked up at Su Yu, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. Su Yu stared at him without blinking. Lin Hao looked away and continued taking notes.

"Third, issue a statement tomorrow. I'll draft the wording later and send it to you. The core message is simple: no reconciliation, no mediation, no private settlement, no withdrawal of the lawsuit. We'll pursue this until a prison sentence is handed down. Defamation, causing economic losses exceeding one million, has a statutory penalty you can look up yourself. I'm not talking about civil compensation, I'm talking about criminal charges. I want him to go to jail, not just pay money."

Lin Hao capped his pen, closed the folder, swallowed hard, and said in a slightly tense voice, "President Su, do all of this need to be finished today?"

Su Yu took his hand out of his pocket. "Everything needs to be done. Get the framework up and running by today. If the legal department is short-staffed, hire external lawyers, no matter the cost."

After he finished speaking, he remembered something and added, "Oh, right, have someone keep an eye on Song Zude's reaction. If he dares to respond publicly, collect all the evidence and sue him together."

Lin Hao nodded, turned around and left.

The video of Su Yu berating the reporter spread like wildfire, from portal websites to forums, from forums to Baidu Tieba, and from Baidu Tieba to QQ groups, spreading at a speed that even antivirus software couldn't stop.

Sina Entertainment's headline reads: "Our Times director Su Yu angrily berates reporter: Are you blind?"

Sohu Entertainment's headline reads: "Liu Yifei was confronted by reporters about rumors of her being a 'transgender person,' and the director cursed on the spot."

NetEase Entertainment's headline was rather poetic: "A Director's Anger: Words Can Kill."

Tencent Entertainment's headline was the most outrageous: "Liu Yifei's 'mysterious boyfriend' appears? Director Su Yu defends her and angrily confronts reporters."

The accompanying photo was of Su Yu, taken from the video. He was pointing his finger at the reporter's nose, looking as fierce as if he wanted to eat him alive.

The first comment was: "Is this a boyfriend or a bodyguard?"

The second comment is: "Who is this guy? He's fierce, but I like him so much."

The third point is: "Don't you care about Liu Yifei? She cried, didn't she?"

Online opinions were clearly divided into two camps: one camp supported Su Yu, saying that the reporter had no bottom line and that asking an 18-year-old girl about gender reassignment surgery in person was not an interview, but a public humiliation.

Another group argued that Su Yu was too violent and that as a public figure, he shouldn't have used foul language; he should have spoken up.

At this point, the publicity department of Shiguang Film and Television came into play. Lin Hao and his team infiltrated various forums, blogs, and online communities, posing as passersby to post and leave comments.

They don't use fake data or spam; they just naturally appear in the comment section of every discussion.

Su Yu read Lin Hao's work report and replied via text message: "Well done. Your bonus will be doubled this month."

.......

The next morning, the official Sina blog account of Shiguang Pictures posted a photo of a court receipt with a bright red court seal stamped in the lower right corner.

The title reads: "Regarding the malicious defamation of Ms. Liu Yifei and the film 'Our Times,' our company has filed a lawsuit with the HD District People's Court of Beijing."

The blog post itself is short:

"Defendants: Hainan Tianya Online Network Technology Co., Ltd., and Song Zude. Cause of Action: Defamation and infringement of reputation rights. Facts and Reasons: In April 2006, defendant Song Zude published a lengthy post on Tianya Forum titled 'Liu Yifei is a Transgender Person,' fabricating 'ten pieces of evidence' to maliciously defame Ms. Liu Yifei. This post was widely forwarded and commented on, causing serious damage to Ms. Liu Yifei's personal reputation and incalculable economic losses to our company's film 'Our Times,' including but not limited to wasted promotional resources, decreased confidence in theater scheduling, and discouraged audience viewing. Our company believes that the defendant's actions constitute the crime of defamation and should be subject to criminal prosecution according to law."

The blog post included three items: a photo of the court receipt, a scanned copy of the complaint, and a notarized document from the notary office regarding the fabricated post.

The blog post received over 10,000 views in less than an hour.

The most liked comment was: "Holy crap, I checked, defamation can indeed be a criminal offense. This Su Yu is ruthless."

What surprised Su Yu the most was that, in addition to the official seal of Shiguang Pictures, the lawsuit letter also contained the seals of China Film Group, Beijing Film Academy, and Hongxingwu.

The seal of China Film Group was stamped by someone commissioned by Han Sanping, while the seal of Beijing Film Academy was personally approved by Principal Zhang. Beijing Film Academy sued Tianya for spreading false news last year about "shady admissions practices and privileged enrollment," claiming the platform failed to fulfill its verification obligations, disseminated false information, and damaged the school's reputation. The seal of Hongxingwu was stamped by Liu Xiaoli, representing Liu Yifei herself.

This is the first time in the industry that four entities have filed a joint lawsuit.