Chapter 16: With New Lawsuits from Netizens Every Day, Life Became Surprisingly Joyful

One month after posting his brief statement, Cheng Cheng returned home from dinner only to be intercepted at the community entrance by a swarm of reporters.

Microphones of every color and style were thrust before his mouth as journalists bombarded him with questions about his current situation, his future plans, and whether it was true—as online rumors claimed—that his mental state had deteriorated.

Having grown accustomed to such frequent interviews over the past month, Cheng Cheng responded with ease:

“My current state? I’m doing great! Every day, I file lawsuits against netizens, contributing in my own small way to a clearer and healthier Chinese internet environment. I feel honored—perhaps this is my mission!”

“When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, strains their muscles and bones, starves their body, exhausts their resources, and thwarts their efforts; thus, it stirs their mind, hardens their nature, and increases their abilities.”

“Of course, you’ve never heard that before—that’s my own creation.”

“People ask if I’m sleeping. I now sleep just two or three hours a day, spaced out—for example, half an hour at noon, half an hour at midnight, like that.”

“I’m not sleepy at all. I’m taking something called ‘Energy Pills’ daily. They keep me awake. Two pills a day are enough.”

“They’re not psychiatric medication! Not stimulants! Certainly not some kind of doping! If you doubt me, I’m willing to take a urine test anytime!”

“I’m very well adjusted. Every day there are netizens to sue, which makes me very happy.”

“As for the future, I plan to venture into film and television. I have two scripts submitted for approval, and several variety shows, TV dramas, classical poems, novels, and comedy sketches in the pipeline. In short, I intend to develop comprehensively.”

“Hmm, I’m preparing to enter the international market. Of course, being an idol isn’t bad either, but the global market offers me endless horizons!”

“Recent plans? Now that you mention it, I intend to register for the junior chef qualification exam tomorrow. I’m quite good at Shandong cuisine.”

“I absolutely do not have any mental illness. On the contrary, I think Zhang Jiao is the one who’s mentally ill. You should be paying more attention to her.”

After the interview, Cheng Cheng returned home leisurely.

At his residence, a dozen lawyers from the law firm were busy, buzzing with energy.

Seeing Cheng Cheng enter, a bespectacled business elite handed him a lawsuit document and said, “President Cheng, we successfully sued another one.”

Cheng Cheng nodded, took the document, and replied, “Good, thank you all for your hard work. You may continue.”

He found a place to sit, photographed the lawsuit, and posted it on Weibo, tagging the opposing account.

“Another case successfully filed! @SuperHatesCilantro, my friend, you refuse to listen despite thousands of words, insisting on testing the law! Don’t think hiding behind the internet will protect you! Since you dare to spread rumors, we’ll see you in court!”

Soon, the comments flooded in.

“Go, Frog Brother! It started as a joke, but now I truly admire you! Keep it up! Though I’m limited in ability, I’ll cheer for you!”

“Brothers, boost me up! I was the one who reported this guy to Frog Brother!”

“Frog Brother is mighty!”

“Thanks to Frog Brother for standing up for himself and for justice!”

“The most satisfying episode I’ve seen!”

“Classic username: ‘DoesNotEatCilantro.’ Haha, just seeing that name tells you all you need to know.”

“Ha ha ha! I love seeing these rumor-mongering pests get owned by Frog Brother!”

“Keep shouting! Aren’t they already cursing you harshly? @NoCilantroThisYear”

“If I don’t support you today, who will speak for me tomorrow!”

“Probably only someone like Frog Brother, with money and time, dares to take these people on. For ordinary people, defending their rights is so difficult! Thank you, Frog Brother, for doing what we cannot or dare not do! Your deeds benefit the present and the future!”

“Fight on! Awesome!”

“Frog Army, assemble! Cock-a-doodle-doo! Ribbit ribbit ribbit!!!”

Over the past month, Cheng Cheng had been mainly occupied with three things.

First and foremost was the lawsuits. Over the course of a month, Cheng Cheng had sued over nine hundred individuals—averaging more than thirty per day.

Actually, this wasn’t even that many. Zhang Jiao, thirteen brand owners, Xianghua Entertainment, and many prominent bloggers had verifiable information, making investigations relatively straightforward.

But personal accounts were another matter. Many were unverified, with no real-name registration, and Weibo’s backend often yielded no information. Some accounts were registered under the names of octogenarian men and women—impossible to sue. When Cheng Cheng exposed them, they simply deleted their accounts and fled.

The remaining eight hundred or so unlucky individuals had real-name verified accounts and openly slandered him, so there was no way for them to escape.

In truth, whether brand owners or influential bloggers, they had money and time and were unafraid of Cheng Cheng’s lawsuits. Zhang Jiao was the same; she had become a model figure for certain groups, attracting many organizations offering money, support, and counsel, undeterred by Cheng Cheng.

She even sued Cheng Cheng in turn, accusing him of exposing her personal information and inciting online harassment.

The two sides were locked in a fierce showdown.

But for personal accounts, it was different. Those sued by Cheng Cheng genuinely had to spend money and resources to defend themselves. What they hoped to gain from their reckless provocations was anyone’s guess.

Hopefully, they found it worthwhile.

The second matter was Cheng Cheng’s relentless frenzy and prize draws.

Each time he successfully sued someone, Cheng Cheng posted the lawsuit on Weibo, tagged the opposing account, and shared some legal knowledge.

Receiving thirty to forty lawyer’s letters daily, continuously for twenty-four hours, such frenetic activity cemented Cheng Cheng’s reputation as the most unhinged figure in the entertainment world (and no one contested this). Every day, people questioned his mental state in awe: “Is this worse than not sleeping?!”

The points he earned from this madness weren’t hoarded; he used them all for prize draws.

In the past month, Cheng Cheng had accumulated about 150,000 points, drawing ten times every two days on average.

The cultural and entertainment prizes he drew included:

Movies: the “Crazy Stone” package, the “First Love” package, and the “No Man’s Land” package.

TV dramas: the “Heavy Purple” package, the “Restart Life” package, and the first season of “Dark Glory” package.

Variety shows: the “Set Off Now” package, the “Hip-Hop China” package, and the “Star Detective” package.

Songs: the “Melancholy Land” package, the “Jingwei” package, and the “White Moonlight and Vermilion Mole” package.

Novels: the first volume of “The Three-Body Problem” package and the “Monkey King Legend” package.

Comedy sketches: the “First Encounter Photo Studio” package and the “Selling Crutches” package.

Classical poems: “Handan Youth” by Gao Cen and “Ode to Lime” by Yu Qian.

In total, eighteen cultural works. After a month of exploration, Cheng Cheng realized that not all system-drawn works were enjoyable—some like “White Moonlight and Vermilion Mole,” “Set Off Now,” “First Encounter Photo Studio,” and “Heavy Purple” were less appealing.

Moreover, even when he drew good items, they weren’t necessarily useful immediately.

He had no mood to engage with TV dramas or variety shows for now, and no venue for comedy sketches; classical poetry was out of the question.

As for novels, he’d only just drawn the first volume of “The Three-Body Problem,” with the remaining two volumes still distant and uncertain if he would ever get them.

Regarding “Monkey King Legend,” since the world lacked “Journey to the West,” what use was having just this spin-off?

As for movies, undeniably “Crazy Stone” was a good film, but it was outdated in this era, where the entertainment industry was highly developed and directors had already produced films of that type years ago.

He couldn’t shoot “No Man’s Land” now, nor would it pass censorship.

All in all, the only immediately usable works were two songs—“Melancholy Land” and “Jingwei”—and one movie, “First Love and Its Little Matters.”

Among these twenty ten-fold draws, Cheng Yi had also pulled many good items.

At present, his personal stats read as follows:

[Host: Cheng Cheng.

Points: 1,379

Age: 21

Height: 185 cm

Weight: 72 kg

Looks: 91 points.

Singing: 72 points.

Acting: 65 points.

Dancing: 87 points.

Skills: beginner-level Taekwondo, beginner driving, beginner English, beginner Japanese, beginner French, beginner Shandong cuisine cooking, beginner skateboarding, beginner parkour, beginner mental arithmetic, beginner photographic memory, beginner acupuncture, beginner magic.

Possessions: 4 magical eye drops, one luck potion, 8 fasting pills, one disposable mind-reading spellbook, one hair dye pill, 89 energy pills, 5 no-gain weight pills, one acne disappearance pill, one body part minor adjustment pill, one danger perception amulet, 10 calming teas, one instant charm lipstick, one terminal illness simulation patch.]

His height had grown from 181 to 185 centimeters, an increase of four.

His looks had risen from 89 to 91, up two points.

His singing skill had improved from 67 to 72, thanks to one singing experience book drawn.

His acting had risen from 45 to 65, aided by four acting experience books.

His dancing had improved from 77 to 87, boosted by two dancing experience books.

Since arriving in this world, Cheng Cheng had finally matured fully; his stats were now respectable, all talents at least passing grade, and his magical items included the luck potion, fasting pills, the disposable mind-reading spellbook, and more.

Notably, the luck potion came with a special note: it could not affect the system and could not increase the odds during prize draws.

Cheng Cheng was deeply regretful upon realizing this when he first drew the luck potion.

With his array of skills, Cheng Cheng felt he could succeed even if he didn’t become an actor.

The third matter was applying the drawn cultural works practically.

Over the past month, Cheng Cheng had successfully registered an entertainment company named Myth Entertainment Cultural Media Co., Ltd., and rented an office for its operations.

Of course, he was still the only employee.

Moreover, Cheng Cheng had submitted “All In” and “First Love and Its Little Matters” to the National Radio and Television Administration for review and filing, expecting to receive approval soon.

In addition, the lyrics of “Melancholy Land,” “Mercury Diary,” “Jingwei,” and “White Moonlight and Vermilion Mole” had all been copyrighted but were yet to be recorded, awaiting further singing experience books to raise his singing skill above 80 before proceeding.