What she lost was merely her life, but what I lost was love itself!

"In the past, female characters were always portrayed from a male perspective—virtuous, gentle, submissive, and bound by the traditional virtues. I feel this film can focus on telling the story from a woman's perspective. I hope to shape these female characters as figures who 'lack vulgarity yet possess backbone.' That is to say, they do not exist in dependency on men, much like the character Chen Ruoxi..."

The day after the premiere, Director Chen invited Chen Mo to discuss the work *Net Death*.

Director Chen was proud. His intentions were not sordid; he simply wanted to use his own insights to impress Chen Mo, persuade him, and conquer him so that Chen Mo would willingly hand over this work.

Indeed, he was just that confident.

This was also the reason why, although Chen Mo had been rather put off by Director Chen's initial remark about "cats and dogs," he didn't harbor a deep resentment toward the man himself.

Proud people have various flaws, but one had to admit that such individuals genuinely possessed real talent, and they didn't resort to low, underhanded tricks. If someone treated him with a foot of respect, he would return a yard.

This was the first time Chen Mo had heard Director Chen's thoughts on directing *Caught in the Web*.

"The character Chen Ruoxi is very complex, contradictory, and realistic. I prefer to position her as a human being rather than just a reporter. From a personal emotional standpoint, I praise her. Every time she says, 'I want to start over,' I feel a thrill; a person like that is unbeatable," Director Chen continued.

That was very much like the grand auteur himself. To be honest, Chen Mo hadn't thought that deeply about it. He was a worldly person, and his pursuit of art was limited.

His desire to adapt *Caught in the Web* stemmed mostly from his own personal feelings.

Moreover, regarding the character Chen Ruoxi, he hadn't given her nearly as much thought as Director Chen had.

He simply detested that type of person—yes, it was that simple.

Especially when the topic turned to Chen Ruoxi jumping to her death, the two of them developed a huge divergence of views.

Old Chen believed, "For Chen Ruoxi to jump to her death—that is far too cruel for a reporter!"

However, Chen Mo countered tit for tat: "What about Ye Lanqiu? Did she deserve to die? Who caused all of this? Where did the ultimate source of malice come from? Chen Ruoxi! I don't understand. Yes, from a female perspective, Chen Ruoxi is self-reliant, but her starting point was built on smearing Ye Lanqiu. She could use any means necessary for her career, but did she ever consider Ye Lanqiu?"

"A truly admirable, self-reliant woman should not be built upon the suffering of others!"

The two argued endlessly.

Neither could convince the other, yet the atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant.

Because whether it was Chen Mo or Director Chen, both were debating purely around the characters and the story within *Net Death*.

"I think the portrayal of Chen Ruoxi is quite good. It depicts the ugly faces of a large swath of current media practitioners—overflowing with a 'sense of justice,' adept at agitation, spreading rumors, disdaining independent thought, using public instruments for private vendettas, and falling into awkward traps out of greed for petty gains."

"If, following your biased mindset, Chen Ruoxi's ending is the same as in the novel—jumping to her death—don't you think that is too excessive and unrealistic?"

"I believe an ending where she loses both her career and her romance is the best choice—stopping right where it should. And to a certain extent, for a 'strong' woman like Chen Ruoxi, that is even more agonizing to her than death!"

"It's like the 'stabbing in the back' incident; as the party involved, you must surely hate those people to the core. But the reality is, apart from having the masterminds sentenced, that is all you can do!"

"Can a career and a romance compare to a vibrant human life? How is this any different from the sentiment of 'What he lost was merely a leg, but what I lost was my romance'?" Chen Mo still disagreed, dropping this speechless quote directly.

Director Chen was left utterly bewildered by Chen Mo's words.

"You're just quibbling! Utter nonsense! Can those be compared?" Director Chen was so angered by Chen Mo that he laughed.

"Why can't they be compared? Is what Ye Lanqiu lost not her life? Why should she, Chen Ruoxi, only lose her career and romance?" Chen Mo stubbornly held his ground.

"A young person is still a young person. While Ye Lanqiu's death is certainly lamentable, Chen Ruoxi's crimes don't warrant death, do they? By your logic, one by one, including all those who cyber-bullied Ye Lanqiu online, shouldn't they all deserve to die as well? Preposterous, far too preposterous!" Director Chen looked at Chen Mo's young and vibrant face, unable to stop himself from shaking his head.

"Making movies cannot just be about venting your own hostility. If you film it that way, it might feel cathartic, but you can't abandon all logic either. Cinema is the art of dream-making, but movies cannot *only* be dreams," Director Chen couldn't help continuing.

"Fine, even if what you say is right, if Chen Ruoxi only loses her love and career and can still start over, isn't that letting her off way too easily?" Chen Mo admitted that Old Chen made some sense, but he still couldn't reconcile himself to Chen Ruoxi's fate. Why should she get off that lightly?

"You are being far too one-sided. Of course, we can attribute everything that happened to the personal professional ethics and standards of the reporter Chen Ruoxi, or to the responsibility of the media, but that is only part of the picture."

"Because living in the era of internet information, while we enjoy the convenience it brings to our lives, we also enjoy full freedom of speech, allowing us to express our viewpoints and opinions in a timely manner. However, everyone's expression varies in quality, and anonymously published remarks inevitably carry a certain degree of subjectivity. Certain malicious remarks will ultimately harm the interests of others."

"To blame everything on Chen Ruoxi is simply lacking in fairness," Director Chen explained.

Chen Mo had to admit that what Old Chen said did make sense.

"And there is one most crucial point! A realistic-themed film should look like a realistic-themed film. In reality, do you think Ye Lanqiu's death could really make Chen Ruoxi pay with her life?" Director Chen asked again.

Chen Mo shook his head.

"That's why I say, outwardly Chen Ruoxi loses her career and love, but in reality, she must also suffer inner torment. This level of punishment is already sufficient. You should understand the principle that going too far is as bad as falling short," Director Chen said with the air of a mentor whose student was salvageable.

"Through this film, what do you want to express? A film cannot just be a film. As directors, we need to use film to showcase certain things. What do you think that is?" Director Chen continued.

"When an avalanche strikes, not a single snowflake is innocent! I hope that through this film, in an era where everyone is a self-media outlet and holds a voice, while people express beautiful things, they also need to pay attention to their own words and actions. Never let a moment of carelessness plunge them into deep trouble in the future," Chen Mo thought for a moment and said.

"That's more like it! Blindly venting one's hostility is the most undesirable approach in a film. One must learn restraint, so that when the audience finishes watching the fate of the people in the movie, they feel it is entirely reasonable and logical, rather than blindly following the director's subjective whims. If it's done that way, the film's warning loses its meaning, because anyone can tell it's just the director getting high on their own supply!" Old Chen, fond of playing the teacher, said in a didactic tone.

Chen Mo suddenly smiled and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Director Chen. I think I know how to shoot it now!"

At this, Director Chen completely stopped smiling. Oh no, he had fallen for this kid's trap! For a moment, he had even forgotten what he had come to see Chen Mo for in the first place!

This young man was truly wicked! Old Chen felt as though he had lifted a stone only to drop it on his own feet.

Clearly, he had wanted to direct this film himself and use his own ideas to conquer this youngster, but instead, he had talked so much that it turned into giving guidance!