Chapter 213: Journey to Korea

The lawyer's letter had been brought out, and Song Dazui took one look, his heart immediately quailing.

He decisively played meek, no longer giving any response.

Although it was a blow to his face, it was still better than being sued in court.

Of course, the cost of spreading rumors nowadays is still very low.

Even if it went to court, there wouldn't be much punishment.

But since Song Dazui wanted to keep stirring things up in the entertainment circle, he continued to use the scam-attaching method to ride on others' popularity.

Then he absolutely would not choose this path.

In his later years, when he got into a war of words with Luo Taijun, he was cornered by the other party at the company entrance and didn't dare to fart.

This kind of person bullies the weak and fears the strong, likes to be an internet troll, but if there's a real offline PK, he decisively admits defeat!

But Cheng Chen had no intention of letting this person off. Since the lawyer's letter had been brought out, it couldn't be just for show like in his later years.

Immediately after, Cheng Chen took the opportunity of updating his Weibo status on this matter.

He claimed he had already sued Song Dazui to court, together with Liu Tianxian.

Although lawsuits were time-consuming and laborious, Cheng Chen didn't care.

Even if he stopped paying attention to this matter, Su Qingya could also handle the follow-up of the matter...

Song Dazui was truly scared.

When Cheng Chen updated a photo of himself standing at the court entrance and @'d him, he immediately panicked.

The same day, Song Dazui immediately updated his Weibo, the gist being:

He had already deleted that Weibo post about Cheng Chen, it was all a misunderstanding.

He apologized to Cheng Chen, saying he shouldn't have commented without investigating clearly.

This matter was also a lesson for him personally...

Although saying this had the suspicion of slapping his own face, it was still better than going to court.

He knew he had no evidence, and going to court would only invite humiliation.

Compared to making a huge fuss in court that the whole city knew about, it was better to slap his own face now and retain some dignity.

When netizens saw the Weibo Song Dazui posted, they fiercely mocked him in his comment section.

But that guy had a thick skin; no matter how you sprayed him, he didn't care, neither responding nor updating.

However, Cheng Chen did not cancel the lawsuit because of his apology, and was still going through the legal procedures.

This made Da Zui dumbfounded.

Hey... you're being a bit petty as a Heavenly King!

I've already apologized, what more do you want?

But Cheng Chen's attitude was firm, and Song Dazui had no choice but to mobilize some internet sockpuppets to spam Cheng Chen's comment section.

Things like:

"Forgive where you can."

"Leave some room for maneuver in what you do, so we can still meet again in the future."

"Your vision is too narrow; you'll find it hard to accomplish anything great in the future!"

Seeing these comments, Cheng Chen was so angry he laughed.

"Regarding what you all said about leaving some room for maneuver in what you do, so we can meet again in the future, and so on.

I have no intention of having any interaction with that person whatsoever, so don't worry.

I especially detest those people who, without understanding any situation, urge you to be magnanimous.

Everyone must stay away from them. When lightning strikes them, they'll drag you down with them.

I'll give you self-righteous keyboard warriors a line:

'Do not urge others to be good without having tasted their suffering!'"

Cheng Chen's words immediately won the pursuit of many people online.

Chinese people tend to be more tolerant of bad people; perhaps the whole world is like this.

A bad person does bad things his whole life, but as long as he does one good thing, it's 'a prodigal son returns, worth more than gold.'

But a good person does good things his whole life, and if he does one bad thing, he will be condemned by everyone.

So, when Cheng Chen, despite Song Dazui having already apologized, still insisted on suing him to court,

many people expressed incomprehension, even saying Cheng Chen would repay the slightest grudge and was narrow-minded.

And Cheng Chen's counterattack this time was even more powerful, directly spraying the other party into muting themselves.

After experiencing this matter, Cheng Chen's Korea concert also immediately kicked off...

In order not to appear too freakish, Cheng Chen hid his Super Memory cheat.

He pretended to know nothing about Korean.

In reality, he had been watching Korean dramas at home quite a bit these past few days.

Although some say Korean dramas are women's spiritual yp, one has to admit, their film and television dramas really do have a knack.

In 2000, a drama called "Autumn in My Heart" reached a peak rating of 42.3% in Korea.

Many Chinese people's first impression of Korean dramas probably also began here.

The combination of Song Hye-kyo and Song Seung-heon, along with the music, visuals, and acting of this drama, were enough to make every viewer melt with heartache.

Whether the leads or the supporting cast, the emotional expression was all in place; each one was a tearjerker.

After that came 2003's "Stairway to Heaven." Those later tropes about Korean dramas—amnesia, love triangles, the female lead's incurable illness—originated earliest from this drama.

This drama seemed overly tearjerking and tragic at the time, but once these tropes became widespread, people began to find them tiresome.

The general plot is:

Che Chengjun and Han Jingshu grew up together as childhood friends, but were separated due to an accident.

Years later, when the two met again, Jingshu had lost her memory, and Chengjun had become a stranger in her mind.

When Jingshu regained her memory, she was sabotaged by her cruel stepmother Tai Meiluo and her daughter Han Youli.

And Chengjun's mother's opposition became yet another obstacle between the two lovers.

Nevertheless, Chengjun remained steadfastly devoted to Jingshu…

Perhaps because of this drama's influence, subsequent Korean dramas veered further off course.

They moved toward bitter romance; after "Stairway to Heaven" aired, dozens of bitter romance Korean dramas were immediately produced that same year.

But they all died out the next year with the release of one drama.

It was called Full House!

The drama tells the story of a novice novelist, Han Zhien, and a haughty super-star, Li Yingzai, who, through a series of misunderstandings, agree to marry and live together in Full House.

This concept is still used by some cultural fiction authors even after 2020.

It's a feel-good story, and a well-worn trope…

Notably, the drama featured Qiao Meitian's sweet appearance and stunning visuals.

And her humorous, mischievous, and whimsical performance gave viewers a refreshing sensation.

Thanks to this drama, she and Zheng Zhixun won the 2004 KBS Acting Awards Best Couple Award.

And the Best Actress Award and Popularity Award.

Qiao Mei also became wildly popular because of this drama, gradually expanding her career from Korea to mainland China…

Cheng Chen reviewed so much material on Korea's film and television industry because

he suddenly realized that filming some Korean dramas in Korea might not be a bad idea.

He had many excellent Korean TV drama scripts in his mind.

Like the drama that ignited Korean dramas back then, My Love from the Star — even people who hadn't seen it

had probably seen the ad copy promoting fried chicken and beer as a perfect pairing.

And other dramas such as The Heirs, Reply 1988, and Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.

Due to differences in cultural customs, these dramas might suffer from cultural dissonance if localized.

But in Korea, they never did — perhaps because of different eras, minor adjustments were needed.

Korea is a country with an exceptionally developed entertainment and cultural industry.

One incomplete statistic claimed that the number of people in Korea directly or indirectly employed in the entertainment and cultural industry

accounted for one-third of the nation's total population.

The development of the cultural industry is directly tied to Korea's national economy, and thus receives strong government support.

Korean dramas are the "vanguard" of Hallyu culture's export overseas.

Hallyu has swept through China.

In Japan — where the entertainment industry is even more developed than Korea's — Hallyu has penetrated even more thoroughly than in China.

Korean actor Pei Yong Jun even created the Yong-sama Economic Effect in Japan (the economic benefits brought by Pei Yong Jun's popularity).

The popularity of Korean dramas has driven more than just actor fame.

It has spurred a massive "K-drama economy."

The clothing, food, and daily items used by popular leads in these dramas became wildly popular due to their broadcast.

They also attracted numerous sponsors.

In My Love from the Star, the popular lipstick shade used by Quan Zhixian sold out at multiple international counters during the drama's airing.

Several Korean cosmetics brands, thanks to the boost from Korean dramas, began opening overseas markets.

After That Winter, the Wind Blows, Song Zhongji endorsed coffee; after The Heirs, Li Minhao endorsed skincare products.

After Hearing Your Voice, Li Zhongshuo endorsed clothing — sales all doubled.

And take Samsung, which in later years became a dominant force in the smartphone market, rivaling Apple.

It has, for over a decade, consistently promoted its latest products through Korean dramas.

Most Korean dramas are filmed and broadcast simultaneously, airing only two episodes per week.

The advantage of weekly dramas is that they can quickly gather audience feedback.

And make adjustments during filming.

For example, in My Love from the Star, Du Minjun's costume shifted from predominantly high-neck sweaters to predominantly low-cut sweaters

based on netizens' feedback…

So, there's a lot of room for manipulation here!

The profits from a film or drama aren't limited to selling broadcast rights.

Various sponsorships and product placements — as long as companies are willing to pay —

Cheng Chen can quietly embed his requirements into his "Korean dramas."

This is far easier than the grueling work of filming to earn money!

Thinking this, Cheng Chen leaned back in the airplane seat and fell asleep.

Cheng Chen's "K-dramas" could slip requirements quietly into the narrative.

Two hours later, Cheng Chen arrived in Hanseong from Jingcheng…

Thinking of this, Cheng Chen leaned back against the airplane seat and fell asleep.

……

Two hours later, Cheng Chen had traveled from Jingcheng to Hancheng……

No, it should be called Seoul now.

In January this year, the people of Korea suddenly changed the name of Hanseong, which they had used for nearly six hundred years, to Seoul.

In a certain sense, renaming Hanseong to Seoul was an attempt to shed the deep influence of Chinese characters on Korean culture.

Cheng Chen remembered that when Korea changed its capital's name this year, many people in China were extremely angry.

There are historical legacy issues here, but more importantly, this is a concrete measure by Korea to strengthen its own national culture and de-Sinicize.

Chinese culture made tremendous contributions to the formation and development of Korean national culture.

Korea has the right to change the Chinese transliteration of its own capital's name.

But China and other Chinese-language regions also have the right to accept or reject this new transliteration…

"Manager Cheng, the people sent to meet us have arrived. Let's go."

Having experienced the Japan trip last time, Cheng Chen was very low-key on this visit to Korea.

He did not announce his itinerary, nor did he bring many accompanying staff.

Even Wang Tianxiao, who had been constantly clamoring to come to Korea to buy cosmetics, did not come.

During the days she traveled with Cheng Chen to Japan for the concert, piles of company documents accumulated.

She hadn't finished handling them even by the day Cheng Chen departed for Korea, so she absolutely dared not travel again.

Hearing Su Qingya's words, Cheng Chen followed the direction of her finger.

He saw a group of men in black suits holding signs with Su Qingya's name on them.

Just like the last Japan concert, Cheng Chen was again collaborating with a Korean entertainment company for this concert.

The group coming to pick them up was sent by the partner company.

"Let's go."

Cheng Chen put on his mask and said to Su Qingya.

"Okay."

Su Qingya led the way, walked over to the men in black, and exchanged a few pleasantries with them.

They immediately bowed in unison, welcoming Cheng Chen and his party.

Notably, when looking for a translator, Cheng Chen discovered that Su Qingya could speak Korean.

When Cheng Chen asked her when she had started learning Korean,

Su Qingya said shyly:

"When I watched 'Autumn in My Heart', I thought it was absolutely beautiful, so I became interested in Korean and signed up for classes."

He never expected that the usually efficient and poised Su Qingya had such a girlish side.

But this was understandable—it was just like the nerdy guys back home who learned Japanese for their paper-thin wife characters.

"Mr. Cheng, hello, I'm the company president, Han Zhaoxi."

The men in black surrounded a middle-aged man around his forties, who bowed politely to Cheng Chen.

Sending the company's third-ranking official—a president—to meet them showed how highly they regarded Cheng Chen's party.

"Hello, President Han, thank you for your trouble."

Actually, even without Su Qingya translating, Cheng Chen understood what the man was saying.

But he still pretended not to understand anything, waiting for Su Qingya to translate before smiling and speaking.

Han Zhaoxi said respectfully:

"This is not a place to talk. I've arranged a hotel for your stay. The chairman has an extremely important meeting today.

So he sent me to host you. After he finishes the meeting, he will come to dine with you."

"Thank you…"

"Mr. Cheng!"

Before Cheng Chen could finish speaking, a woman's delighted voice came from behind him.

Cheng Chen turned around and saw the woman waving at him excitedly.

"It really is Mr. Cheng!"

"Oh my god, it's Cheng Chen! He's coming to Korea for a concert soon, and I didn't expect him to arrive today!"

"Mr. Cheng! I love you so much!"

A stone thrown into still water stirred a thousand waves—the airport suddenly filled with fans rushing toward Cheng Chen.

Many immediately pulled out their phones and began filming him.

Seeing the situation grow tense, several black-suited bodyguards immediately surrounded Cheng Chen and his party for protection.

"Mr. Cheng, let's leave here first."

Han Zhaoxi said anxiously.

"Okay, let's go!"

Cheng Chen couldn't understand how, with his face so thoroughly covered, the fans had still recognized him.

With so many people in the airport, if he got surrounded, he definitely wouldn't be able to escape anytime soon.

These black-suited bodyguards were clearly no mere showmen—they formed a tight circle around Cheng Chen and slowly retreated out of the airport.

Although many fans were shouting Cheng Chen's name, and media crews with cameras had arrived,

Cheng Chen still kept his face hidden; compared to his Japan trip, he was far more low-key now.

And with the chaos at the airport, the media fully exposed Cheng Chen's trip to Korea…

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