The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 69: A Strategic Investment in Sustainable Growth

Backstage was buzzing with noise and activity.

The students were finally snapping out of the immense shock from the performance they had just witnessed.

"Oh my god, Xia Meng, you were absolutely divine just now!"

"It wasn't acting; I really felt like you and Jiang Ci were Ming Ming and Ma Lu!"

Countless praises and congratulations swarmed around Xia Meng.

She was surrounded at the center, yet her face showed no particular expression.

She was very calm.

So calm it felt somewhat out of place.

Her gaze instinctively cut through the excited faces, searching for something amidst the noisy crowd.

Right at that moment, a young man dressed appropriately and with a capable, efficient air walked in.

He politely parted the seething crowd, and the backstage instantly quieted down considerably.

Everyone's eyes focused on this stranger.

The man ignored the others, walking straight over to Jiang Ci, who was removing his makeup in front of the mirror, and to Xia Meng standing beside him.

"Mr. Jiang Ci, Miss Xia Meng, hello."

The man's voice was gentle, carrying a professional courtesy.

He introduced himself, "I am Director Wei Song's assistant. Director Wei asked me to convey his congratulations to both of you for your brilliant performance tonight."

With that, he respectfully presented two business cards with both hands. The cards had a simple design but an exceptionally high-quality feel.

Wei Song?!

"Hiss—"

The sound of sharp intakes of breath echoed backstage.

Wei Song's works were practically synonymous with art and awards.

Everyone's gaze instantly shifted from the man to those two thin cards.

Envy, jealousy, shock—all sorts of emotions intertwined.

As if oblivious to the reactions around him, the assistant continued explaining with a smile.

"Director Wei greatly admires both of your talent and dramatic tension."

"He believes acting skill is the only valid passport, having absolutely nothing to do with whether an actor themselves possesses popularity or traffic."

His gaze lingered on Jiang Ci and Xia Meng.

"Director Wei hopes to have the opportunity later to personally discuss with both of you about the script for a new project."

Backstage fell silent as a tomb.

A new project.

Director Wei Song personally discussing a script.

The weight of those words was enough to crush the psychological defenses of every acting student present.

Xia Meng reached out and took the card.

Her fingertips registered the cool, smooth texture of the cardstock.

She showed no excitement, not even looking at the card itself.

Her body instinctively turned towards Jiang Ci.

Her eyes held a question.

What does this mean?

How... should we respond?

She had grown accustomed to using Jiang Ci's judgment as her own reference point.

Jiang Ci observed the smiling assistant in the mirror.

He didn't turn around immediately.

He picked up a makeup removal pad himself and, unhurriedly, wiped away the heavy dark circles on his face, which had been specially applied to create the "Broken Feeling."

Only then did he turn around and accept the card.

His heart was utterly calm.

A new project?

Wei Song?

His mind was only circling around a few more practical questions.

"Is it tragic?"

"Are there many female characters?"

"Is the Heartbreak Value conversion rate high?"

These were the core KPIs that determined a project's value.

Under the gaze of the assistant, Xia Meng, and all the classmates backstage, Jiang Ci spoke.

He didn't immediately agree, nor did he show himself to be overwhelmingly flattered.

His tone was flat as he said, "Thank you for Director Wei's appreciation."

"However, whether I participate or not will depend on reading the script first."

These words landed with heavy, decisive weight.

The jaws of the classmates backstage nearly hit the floor.

This was Wei Song they were talking about!

He actually said... he needed to see the script first to decide?!

What kind of confidence was this? What kind of pride?

Amidst the stupefied stares of the onlookers, the assistant showed not a hint of displeasure. Instead, a flash of admiration crossed his eyes.

Neither servile nor overbearing.

Calm, professional.

This attitude was precisely the quality Director Wei Song admired most.

"Of course," the assistant immediately nodded, his attitude growing even more respectful. "This is Director Wei's contact information. After the script is refined, Director Wei will contact you personally."

He proactively took out his phone and exchanged contact information with Jiang Ci.

After finishing all this, Jiang Ci finished removing his makeup.

He completely ignored the weirdly complex atmosphere backstage and didn't look at Xia Meng again.

He casually tucked the business card into his pocket, put on his jacket, and said to everyone offhandedly,

"I'm heading out first."

Then, without looking back, he left the theater under the dazed gazes of everyone.

The entire backstage was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xia Meng watched Jiang Ci's back disappear through the doorway, then looked down at the card in her own hand—a card that could change the fate of any actor.

She remained silent for a long time.

Finally, she took out her phone and dialed a number.

On the other end of the line was her father, that top figure in the domestic theater theory circle.

The call connected quickly.

"Hello, Xiao Meng? Is the performance over? How did it go?" Her father's voice was as steady as ever.

Xia Meng didn't answer his question.

She just looked at the empty doorway and softly asked a question that rendered the other end of the line completely silent.

"Dad..." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"If there's a kind of performance that can instantly shatter another kind of performance that's been painstakingly practiced for years, a technical performance..."

"But its core... is humorous."

"What is that called... in theory?"

...

At the entrance of the graduation play theater.

A gust of cold wind blew, clearing much of the fog from Jiang Ci's exhausted mind.

All that crying and shouting on stage earlier had consumed a massive amount of energy, and now he just felt ravenously hungry.

"Ci-ge!"

A booming shout.

Zhao Zhen charged out of the crowd like an excited bear, giving Jiang Ci a solid bear hug.

"You were fucking incredible!"

He was so excited his face was flushed red, and his arms trembled as he hugged Jiang Ci.

"I, a grown man, cried my eyes out! You owe me tissues!"

Chen Mo followed behind, walking over slowly.

He adjusted his black-framed glasses; traces of moisture that hadn't been fully wiped clean still lingered on the lenses.

"The performance just now was extremely successful," he analyzed in his usual calm tone.

"Both in terms of dramatic structure and emotional tension, it far exceeded the scope of a student production."

His gaze settled on Jiang Ci, his eyes full of inquiry.

"Especially you. You've already formed the rudiments of a personal performance style. A style that... combines experiential and presentational methods, yet transcends both."

Faced with the effusive praise from his two roommates—one emotional, one rational—Jiang Ci just waved a weary hand.

"It was alright."

He rubbed his completely empty stomach.

"Just a bit hungry."

Zhao Zhen and Chen Mo's excitement instantly stalled.

Jiang Ci patted Zhao Zhen's shoulder, proposing with a serious expression,

"Let's go, back to the dorm."

"I'll check the food delivery app to see if there are any big discount coupons or spend-to-save deals left."

Zhao Zhen: "..."

Chen Mo: "..."

The two exchanged a look, seeing a hint of absurdity in each other's eyes.

Here they were, excited almost to the point of heart attacks, moved to tears for the sake of art, for their brother's success.

And the main person involved...

His head was full of nothing but food delivery coupons?

This huge contrast made them feel the tears they'd just shed were a bit ridiculous.

Back in Dorm Room 404.

Zhao Zhen and Chen Mo were still immersed in the afterglow of the performance, excitedly scrolling through posts on the campus forum on their phones.

*'The Night of Deification! The Full Version of Jiang Ci & Xia Meng's 'Rhinoceros in Love'—Did You Cry?'*

*'On-Site Audience Member: Don't go, seriously don't go, my throat is hoarse from crying!'*

*'A Rational Analysis of Jiang Ci's Performance: Is He a Genius or a Madman?'*

And the central figure of this storm—Jiang Ci.

He had already quietly changed into workout clothes, laid out a yoga mat on the balcony.

Then, he began his unshakable daily physical training.

Push-ups, planks, sit-ups...

Set after set, quiet and regular.

Now he had realized a serious problem.

To continuously harvest Heartbreak Value, he needed to take on various high-intensity, high-emotional-consumption "tragic" roles.

Crying scenes, shouting scenes, rain scenes...

These were all physically demanding work.

Without a good body, you couldn't handle the KPIs.

So, exercising was to better sustain his life.

It was to be able to take on more "Great Compassion Mantra"-level scripts in the future, to wring the emotions of the audience and his co-stars even drier.

This was a sustainable development strategic investment.