The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 185: In the very first scene of filming, the director said he acted wrong!

The entourage van was completely quiet.

Two consecutive performances of extreme tragedy had drained all of Jiang Ci's mental energy.

It wasn't the confusion of being unable to exit the character, but a pure, bone-deep exhaustion stemming from mental overexertion.

Compared to his early debut days, and with the addition of the Emotional Isolation skill, his speed of detaching from a role was much faster now.

But that unprecedented mental fatigue pressed down on him with tangible weight.

He leaned back in the seat, eyes closed, not wanting to move even a finger.

Subconsciously, Jiang Ci opened the system panel in his mind.

Without hesitation, he found that long-noticed skill in the store.

【Deep Sleep LV1】

The introduction was simple: upon activation, the host would immediately enter a high-quality deep sleep state.

In this state, 2 hours of sleep would be equivalent to 6 hours under normal conditions.

Heartbreak Value exchange cost: 1200 points.

Not expensive.

For a life-extending wage slave like him who constantly needed to squeeze out mental energy, it was practically the king of cost-effectiveness.

【Exchange】

The moment the exchange was completed, the System Store interface automatically refreshed.

In the special skills column, a brand new icon popped up.

Jiang Ci glanced at it.

【Truth Patch (Consumable)】

【Price: 8888 Heartbreak Value】

【Description: Use on a target to force them to give the most truthful answer from their heart to one of your questions within 1 minute.】

Jiang Ci's brow twitched slightly.

The most expensive skill ever.

And it was a one-time consumable.

Forced truth-telling?

Jiang Ci couldn't think of a usage scenario for this skill at the moment.

However, he wasn't too worried about the Heartbreak Value.

In another two months, the summer movie season would arrive.

The xianxia film he starred in, "Three Lifetimes Tribulation," should be released by then.

Chu Wuchen.

That number one beautiful, strong, and tragic immortal he portrayed.

Five hundred years of protection, just to block the final Heavenly Tribulation for her, his soul scattering to the winds.

That smile right before death was something he had meticulously designed.

The Heartbreak Value harvested then would only be more than General Gu's, not less.

He closed the system and peacefully shut his eyes.

...

The next day.

The "Longing Across Time" crew held their opening ceremony in a remote corner of the film studio.

No media, no promotional articles, not even a red carpet or flowers.

Just a long table covered with a red cloth, holding fruits and an incense burner.

This was very "Zhang Mouyi."

Jiang Ci followed the creative team, quietly stepped forward, and took three incense sticks.

Amidst the curling blue smoke, he saw the other core members of the crew.

Luo Yu, playing the major villain Chi Jie, stood quietly in the farthest corner.

He was dressed entirely in black, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his whole person exuding an air of gloomy detachment.

Tang Xin, playing Mo Ying, was the complete opposite extreme.

She wore a pink princess dress, her hair tied in cute twin tails, holding a cookie tin as she weaved through the crowd.

"Come on, come on, try my homemade cranberry cookies!"

"Brother Wang, take a few more!"

"Lighting teacher, you've worked hard, replenish some sugar!"

She was enthusiastic like a little sun of the crew, using her sweet smile to quickly close the distance with all the staff.

No one would connect this energetic sweet girl with the emotionless killing tool from the script.

Not far away, Ji Lan, playing Xuan Shuang, held a small notebook, observing every person on site.

Her pen never stopped moving across the page.

Jiang Ci withdrew his gaze.

This crew, from the protagonist to the villain, was more intense than the last.

The simple ceremony ended, and Zhang Mouyi stepped forward.

He clapped his hands, and the scene immediately fell silent.

"Today's first scene, first take."

His voice carried clearly to everyone's ears.

"The opening scene, in the Guixu Forest, the onigiri scene between Ye Chen and A Li."

...

The set location was in the film studio's artificial forest area.

Tall imitation ancient trees, the ground covered with dead leaves and moss, basically replicating the appearance of 【Guixu Forest】 from the script.

Su Qingying had changed her clothes.

Not some elaborate ancient costume, but the most ordinary modern attire.

A white hooded sweatshirt, light blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers.

She stood quietly within that antique-style set, holding a thermal lunchbox printed with cartoon patterns.

A strong sense of temporal dislocation washed over everyone.

She was that modern girl who accidentally stumbled into the Shang Dynasty, A Li.

Jiang Ci had also changed into Ye Chen's costume.

A deep black robe embroidered with intricate silver thread patterns, long hair tied up with a simple wooden hairpin.

The moment the wardrobe assistant finished adjusting his collar, his entire aura settled down.

That icy, aloof, and proud air belonging to a half-demon who had slept for a thousand years returned to him.

Everything was ready.

Lighting, camera, sound, all departments were in position.

The clapper loader held the slate, about to call action.

"Wait."

Zhang Mouyi's voice suddenly rang out.

He walked out from behind the monitor and went straight to Jiang Ci.

The atmosphere on set instantly grew somewhat tense.

Zhang Mouyi stopped in front of Jiang Ci, lowering his voice, but those nearby could vaguely hear.

"In the script, when Ye Chen pushes away the onigiri, he says, 'A half-demon doesn't eat such mortal food.'"

Jiang Ci nodded.

"How do you interpret this line?" Zhang Mouyi asked.

Jiang Ci thought for a moment. "Tsundere. He wants to eat it in his heart, but can't swallow his pride."

"Wrong."

Zhang Mouyi directly negated him.

"It's not an emotional tsundere act."

He reached out a finger and tapped Jiang Ci's abdomen.

"It's a physiological rejection."

Jiang Ci was stunned.

Zhang Mouyi continued, "He's a half-demon, asleep for a thousand years. His body structure, his sense of taste and smell, are all different from humans."

"The grilled meat onigiri A Li made is delicious to humans, but to him who just woke up, that smell mixed with rice, grease, and seasonings is a burden."

"He pushes it away, first because his body instinctively rejects this 'mortal world smoke.' It makes him uncomfortable just smelling it."

"Then, it's the aloofness and stubborn pride of Ye Chen's character, who disdains to explain."

Jiang Ci immediately understood.

This scene needed to be performed on two levels.

The surface layer was tsundere.

The inner layer was physiological discomfort and rejection.

The latter was the foundation that made this character more real, more convincing.

"Understood." Jiang Ci nodded.

Zhang Mouyi looked at him and added another sentence.

"I want to see that moment you frown, not because of disdain, but because that smell genuinely makes you uncomfortable."

After speaking, Zhang Mouyi turned and walked towards Su Qingying.

Su Qingying stood quietly in place, holding that lunchbox, listening attentively the entire time.

"You," Zhang Mouyi pointed at her, "act according to the script."

A trace of confusion appeared on Su Qingying's face.

Zhang Mouyi explained, "In the script, after handing over the onigiri, A Li will look at him expectantly. This 'expectation' is an act."

"You don't know he rejects human food."

"In your eyes, he's just an 'ancient person' who woke up not long ago and is hungry. You feel sorry for him, want him to eat something warm."

Zhang Mouyi's speech wasn't fast.

"You are simply being kind to him."

Zhang Mouyi's gaze swept between Jiang Ci and Su Qingying.

"What I want to see is the moment a 'sincere heart' is harshly rejected by an 'instinct,' completely caught off guard."