Chapter 7: Tremble, Betrayers

Meanwhile, it wasn’t only Fang Xiaoxiao who received a court summons.

The few members of the Backstabbers’ Sect, including Du Chun and others, also began to receive related summons one after another.

When they saw that these were criminal litigation summons, none of them could hide their shock.

After all, as celebrities, they were quite familiar with lawyer’s warning letters and knew exactly what those entailed. But criminal litigation was an entirely different matter, one that ventured into unknown territory for them.

They only knew it was very serious; the fact that the court sent a summons meant the case had already been accepted.

And criminal charges were unlike civil ones—things could go so badly that they might even end up behind bars.

For a time, members of the Backstabbers’ Sect scattered all over the country filming, performing at events, or traveling, all hurried back to the company to handle the situation.

The Hongjing Law Firm took Chen Mo’s lawsuit very seriously.

After all, they intended to turn this case into the nation’s first landmark case of online defamation.

Crucially, they were very confident about the lawsuits against Fang Xiaoxiao and the netizen Xue Yu; the others were merely secondary.

If successful, the case would attract nationwide attention and provide a huge promotional opportunity for their firm.

Once they received the court’s acceptance notice and confirmed the trial date, Ouyang Jing informed Chen Mo. After discussions, they released related news to some entertainment media outlets.

Moreover, to ensure victory, the Hongjing Law Firm assigned not only Ouyang Jing but also their chief lawyer Chen Hong to handle Chen Mo’s case.

Entertainment media naturally would not miss such a major story.

Soon, topics like “The First Online Defamation Criminal Case,” “Fang Xiaoxiao and Other Celebrities Face Criminal Charges,” and “The Entertainment Industry’s First Defamation Trial!” surged to the top of trending searches. This time, the public uproar far exceeded the previous scandal.

Not only that, but since the case involved “online defamation,” a blind spot for many, the number of onlookers discussing it skyrocketed.

Almost immediately, legal experts appeared to educate the public on the law.

Many keyboard warriors began sweating nervously.

For a while, the entire internet seemed to quiet down considerably—after all, keyboard warriors had never imagined that their reckless online rants could be criminal.

Although the trial hadn’t begun yet, terms like “criminal litigation” and “court acceptance,” alongside free legal explanations from professionals, made everyone realize this was no small matter.

They might actually end up in jail!

“Wow, is this online defamation charge for real?”

“Should be real, right? Didn’t some lawyer say that if clicks exceed five thousand and shares over five hundred, a case can be filed?”

“Learned something new! Chen Mo is really bold! Usually, it’s just warning letters from lawyers, but he went straight to criminal litigation. Impressive!”

“Good! The Backstabbers’ Sect is truly disgusting. And Fang Xiaoxiao, the thief crying ‘stop thief,’ deserves it!”

“They deleted their Weibo posts. Can they still be sued? Isn’t the evidence gone? Can someone knowledgeable explain?”

“Thanks, yes. Even if defamatory posts are deleted, lawsuits can proceed because the illegal act still occurred. This is a right the parties hold and can be pursued through civil or criminal litigation.”

“Besides, the court’s acceptance means there must be evidence! But the Backstabbers’ Sect’s remarks don’t seem to constitute defamation yet. Let’s wait for the trial.”

“The internet is no lawless land. Chen Mo did a great job!”

“I hope they all get convicted. It’s disgusting how after the truth came out, they all played forgetful and didn’t apologize. No wonder Chen Mo resorted to legal action. Respect!”

...

Originally hoping to keep a low profile for a while until the storm passed, the Backstabbers’ Sect found themselves thrust back into the public eye.

Their Weibo accounts were flooded with comments.

Interestingly, a few of the more timid ones even issued public apologies.

But it was utterly useless.

“Where were you earlier?”

“Only apologizing after being sued? That’s pathetic!”

“Pee your pants scared? Haha! Don’t repost, I’m afraid of being sued!”

“Tremble, Backstabbers’ Sect!”

“Chen Mo is a real man. Everyone, see you in court!”

This explained why Chen Mo still sued Du Chun and others even knowing the lawsuits might not fully succeed.

Because unlike ordinary people, these were celebrities.

This blow alone would be enough to haunt them for a long time.

Even if they were ultimately found innocent, the damage would be irreversible.

Meanwhile, Chen Mo’s agent, Zhao Ming, immediately received numerous calls—mostly pleas for leniency.

Especially from Fang Xiaoxiao, who called both Chen Mo and Zhao Ming multiple times, crying and apologizing, but Chen Mo remained indifferent.

One must understand that Fang Xiaoxiao’s actions had directly led to Chen Mo’s career plummeting in the entertainment industry and his being blacklisted by his company.

The consequences were undeniably severe.

Shedding a few tears and uttering apologies to get Chen Mo to drop the case and forgive her—what wishful thinking!

This incident also quieted many keyboard warriors, paparazzi, and entertainment reporters significantly.

At least for the short term, fabricated reports diminished sharply since none wanted to risk legal repercussions.

At the same time, the entertainment and media circles began to take the judicial interpretation of “online defamation” seriously.

After all, in the past, many keyboard warriors would say, “Come hit me if you can, I’m behind a screen!”

But now, the authorities could trace the network cable and send you to court.

In fact, after this news broke, Hongjing Law Firm received numerous related inquiries, showing that many had been seriously harmed.

Major entertainment companies also warned their artists not to speak recklessly or post irresponsibly.

Because for high-profile celebrities, the threshold for proving online defamation was practically nonexistent.

For example, Fang Xiaoxiao’s single Weibo post had six-figure views and over five-figure shares—far exceeding any threshold.

Although online defamation carries relatively light sentencing, for public figures like celebrities, losing a lawsuit would mean effectively being forced out of the industry.

They would also face enormous compensation claims. How could they not be afraid?

How powerful was this lawsuit?

Du Chun’s newly acquired endorsements were immediately halted because of it, and a recently signed drama replaced him outright.

The others fared no better. Fang Xiaoxiao’s role as the third female lead in "Watching Meteor Showers Together" was canceled.

The careers of other Backstabbers’ Sect members suffered similar setbacks.

Even though their lawyers expressed great confidence in the case, it was useless.

The entertainment industry doesn’t care who’s missing; film crews and sponsors won’t take such risks.

At the same time, the entire entertainment world remembered the name Chen Mo.

Of course, for Chen Mo, this was not entirely positive.

While netizens hailed his actions as satisfying justice, to others, Chen Mo was now the biggest troublemaker, completely unpredictable and unconventional. Who would dare hire him?