The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 195: The Full-Course Feast from Director Zhang

As the workday neared its end, a directive pierced through the clamor of the film set.

"The 'Agony of Control' scene has been moved up to tomorrow."

Zhang Mouyi's voice, amplified by the loudspeaker, hammered against everyone's nerves.

The entire crew erupted into chaos.

The set assistant moving props froze mid-action.

The lighting technician adjusting equipment jerked his head up, his face a mask of stunned disbelief.

Insane!

This completely violated the fundamental workflow of a top-tier, large-scale production.

That wasn't an ordinary scene.

It was the scene in 'Longing Across Time' with the highest emotional pressure, the greatest acting difficulty, and the most utterly heart-wrenching cruelty!

Chi Jie captures A Li, uses his demonic power to control her, and makes her personally shoot an arrow at Ye Chen, recreating the tragedy from a thousand years ago.

The character's agony, the actor's explosive performance—all of it required vast amounts of time to brew, to settle.

Moved up to tomorrow?!

Zhang Mouyi's assistant, clutching a stack of freshly printed call sheets still warm from the printer's ink, broke into a nervous sweat as he jogged through the crowd.

He navigated through the throng of people and finally stopped in front of Luo Yu.

"Teacher Luo, Director Zhang's intention..."

The assistant handed over the revised call sheet, his sentence trailing off halfway, the rest of the words seemingly stuck in his throat.

Luo Yu took the thin piece of paper.

His fingertips trembled faintly.

Wen Nian silently drew near, her signature sweet fragrance, at this moment, felt like invisible vines—both soothingly coiling and nerve-wrackingly constricting.

She didn't look at the call sheet.

She looked at Luo Yu's taut profile, her voice soft, yet each word felt like a stab to the heart.

"A-Yu, Director Zhang is forcing your hand."

Luo Yu's body gave an almost imperceptible shudder.

Wen Nian continued, her every sentence lightly scraping against his sensitive nerves.

"Jiang Ci's momentum is too strong."

"Everyone saw how excited Director Zhang was about that impromptu performance with the headphones this afternoon. He thinks he's found a shortcut, found that kind of 'spiritual energy' that can instantly grab the audience's attention."

She paused artfully, letting the words "spiritual energy" and "shortcut" ferment violently in Luo Yu's mind.

Then, she delivered the cruelest blow.

"Right now, he wants to use you to suppress Jiang Ci."

"He's also testing you."

Wen Nian's voice dropped even lower, carrying an intimate sense of shared grievance.

"Testing whether you can handle that kind of free-spirited, wildly imaginative performance of his."

The words were venomous.

She defined Jiang Ci's performance as a kind of "clever trick" born of "spiritual energy."

Implying that if Luo Yu couldn't handle it, everything he stood for would become a laughingstock.

A single shoot was successfully twisted by her into a battle for honor.

Wen Nian's words acted as a catalyst, rapidly twisting Luo Yu's professional anxiety born of insufficient preparation into another, more aggressive emotion.

He clenched the call sheet in his hand, the thin paper crumpling and deforming under his grip.

The assistant didn't linger by Luo Yu's side for long, moving on to find the other lead.

Jiang Ci.

He had prepared himself for a wave of complaints about "insufficient preparation time,"

After all, Jiang Ci was also at the core of this scene.

"Teacher Jiang, tomorrow's scene..."

The assistant handed over another call sheet.

Jiang Ci took it, casually flipped through it, and then... let out a huge yawn.

"Oh, got it."

He folded the call sheet haphazardly and stuffed it into his pocket.

"No problem."

Jiang Ci rubbed his eyes, looking utterly sleep-deprived.

"Actually, it's good. Finish shooting earlier, wrap up earlier. I'm about to die from all these late-night shoots lately."

The assistant choked on his words.

He had prepared a bellyful of soothing explanations and reassurances, but not a single one was needed.

Not only was there no complaint, the other party even seemed... somewhat pleased?

This offhand, casual quip, filtered through the ears of the eavesdropping crew members nearby and then transmitted to Luo Yu not far away, instantly took on a different flavor.

"Die from all these late-night shoots" became a scornful dismissal of this ultimate showdown.

"Wrap up earlier" became arrogance towards this highly difficult scene.

Luo Yu listened to the whispers reaching his ears, his hand gripping the call sheet so tightly his knuckles protruded, turning white.

Jiang Ci paid no mind to the strange atmosphere around him.

His brain was operating at high speed.

Shooting earlier?

Excellent!

That woman Wen Nian was just worrying about not having enough material to "spoon-feed" Luo Yu.

Director Zhang was practically serving up a full imperial banquet!

He desperately wanted Luo Yu's hatred for "Ye Chen" to become so concentrated it could materialize.

Only then, when Chi Jie controls A Li and makes her shoot the arrow at Ye Chen,

Could the cruel delight, the deranged ecstasy of exacting revenge, be performed to its absolute extreme.

This was immensely beneficial for harvesting Heartbreak Value.

All he needed to do was "feed" Luo Yu into the shape he desired.

...

The hotel corridor, its carpet thick, absorbed all footsteps.

Jiang Ci walked towards his room in a pleasant mood.

A figure stopped not far ahead of him, blocking his path.

It was Su Qingying.

She held a thin piece of paper in her hand—that variety show invitation.

But she didn't mention the variety show.

She strode quickly up to Jiang Ci and slapped a new script directly against his chest.

The motion was hurried and forceful, carrying a barely suppressed anger, completely unlike the usually calm and composed Su Qingying.

Jiang Ci was a bit bewildered.

"Teacher Su?"

Su Qingying didn't answer.

Her state was very off.

Her face was etched with worry.

"Jiang Ci."

She called him by his full name.

"I know there are tensions between you two."

"But I don't want you bringing your personal issues into the performance, especially not in tomorrow's scene!"

Her speech was rapid, icy, and urgent.

Clearly, she had seen all the undercurrents between Jiang Ci and Luo Yu this afternoon.

In her view, Jiang Ci's airy, offhand comment of "wrap up earlier" at the set tonight was an extremely immature provocation.

She was worried Jiang Ci would ruin tomorrow's crucial scene because of his rivalry with Luo Yu.

Jiang Ci looked down at the script slapped against his chest.

On the script were the detailed storyboards for the "Agony of Control" scene.

He looked up again, meeting Su Qingying's eyes, which were full of anxiety.

He suddenly smiled.

That smile, under the dim yellow light of the corridor, carried a mysterious meaning.

He answered a question she hadn't asked.

"Teacher Su, you just need to trust me the way A Li trusts Ye Chen."

Su Qingying was taken aback.

Jiang Ci looked at her, the curve of his lips unchanged, and continued with the second half of his sentence.

"...Before the tragedy happens."

He paused, then added the final line.

"Everything is for the sake of the best 'work'."

Having said that, he stepped around the Su Qingying frozen in place, swiped his card, opened the door, and entered his room.

The door closed softly with a click.

In the corridor, only Su Qingying remained.

Work?

The best work?

She lowered her head.

Her gaze fell on the variety show invitation she had been clutching tightly all along.

On the white paper, three names were printed side by side, glaringly conspicuous.

Jiang Ci's meaningful words exploded in her mind.

A thought that chilled her to the bone suddenly surfaced.

This "work" Jiang Ci spoke of...

Was he referring... only to the movie?

Or... something else entirely?