The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles

Shanghai, Hongqiao Airport.

The eight o'clock morning air was thick with the weariness of the working class.

Jiang Ci pulled a simple suitcase, walking out of the arrivals gate. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Sun Zhou hadn't come along this time. Jiang Ci had given him a break, telling him to wait for further instructions.

Not sleeping well last night left Jiang Ci shrouded in a lingering, inescapable fatigue.

A simple black trench coat made his already pale complexion appear even more bloodless and wan.

He didn't linger, directly hailed a cab and gave the address.

"Driver, to Rongchuang Tower, Building A."

...

The office floor where Spark Media was located was unusually quiet today.

When Jiang Ci's figure appeared at the floor entrance, the employees who had been chatting in the pantry or moving between workstations all slowed their movements in unison.

The whispers were kept extremely low.

"It's him... Jiang Ci."

"Oh my, in person he seems... even more somber than in photos."

A recent intern whispered to a senior colleague beside her, "Is that Brother Jiang Ci, the one who played the young general in 'Palace Conspiracy'? He feels... so distant."

The senior colleague lowered her voice, explaining with the tone of someone who had seen it all.

"You haven't seen his graduation play, you wouldn't understand."

"According to word from the audience who were there that day, by the end of his performance, he was so immersed he lost the boundary between himself and the character, completely consumed. Ever since then, he's been like this, carrying a heavy burden."

"Shh, stop looking. If Sister Wan catches us slacking off at work, we're all done for."

The murmurs abruptly ceased.

Jiang Ci was completely oblivious to all of this.

Or perhaps, he noticed the gazes directed his way, but simply didn't pay them any mind.

He opened his phone's front camera and glanced at himself.

The dark circles under his eyes were indeed a bit heavy, probably from last night's overly enthusiastic hotpot and lack of sleep.

As for his aura...

Maybe it was because he hadn't washed his hair, making it look a bit greasy.

He walked straight through the office area and stopped at the office door at the end of the corridor.

A brass plaque hung on the door, engraved with three flamboyant, sweeping characters.

[President's Office]

Jiang Ci straightened his collar, raised his hand, and knocked on the door.

A crisp, efficient female voice came from inside.

"Come in."

He pushed the door open and entered.

The anticipated scene of only his boss, Lin Wan, single-handedly strategizing in the office did not appear.

Lin Wan was indeed sitting behind her massive desk, arms crossed, posture relaxed.

But on the guest sofa by the window, there was another person sitting.

A woman.

Wearing a black bucket hat and sunglasses that covered almost half her face, her figure was slender, her aura cool and detached.

Hearing the door open, the woman on the sofa slowly turned her head.

Jiang Ci's footsteps halted right there at the doorway.

Familiar.

This figure was far too familiar.

The woman also seemed a bit surprised. She took off her sunglasses, revealing a stunningly beautiful yet expressionless face.

Su Qingying.

Jiang Ci's brain short-circuited for half a second.

Why was she here?

It was Su Qingying who reacted first. She stood up and gave Jiang Ci an extremely slight nod.

"Jiang Ci."

Jiang Ci immediately snapped back to reality, reflexively giving a slight bow.

"Teacher Qingying."

After the simple greeting, the atmosphere sank back into an inexplicable, awkward stillness.

Lin Wan watched the two at the door with keen interest.

One, travel-worn and weary, yet exuding a tragic quality that was somehow startling.

The other, fully armed, seemingly composed, yet even her sitting posture seemed a bit stiff.

Interesting.

"Standing guard at the door like door gods?" Lin Wan's voice broke the silence. "Come in, close the door."

Jiang Ci complied, walked in, and closed the door behind him.

Su Qingying sat back down on the sofa. She spoke first, as if to explain her presence.

"I'm here on behalf of Daylight Entertainment to discuss a potential script collaboration with Teacher Lin Wan."

Her explanation was clear, logical, and strictly business.

"There are a few newcomers at the company who are well-suited for the roles in Teacher Lin's script. I'm here to help facilitate the connection."

Her words were seamless, leaving no gaps.

But why didn't Jiang Ci believe it?

What kind of operation was this?

Daylight Entertainment, a top-tier entertainment giant in the industry, lacked a business development person to discuss scripts?

Even if they were short-staffed, would they really send their own pillar, an award-winning actress who collected trophies like they were nothing, to personally handle business outreach?

Are actresses that competitive these days?

Taking on agent duties on the side, pulling resources and chasing KPIs for the company's newcomers?

This excuse was so full of holes it was like a sieve.

In the office, the one with the clearest vision was Lin Wan.

Leaning back in her chair, watching these two young people with their own hidden thoughts, her mind was as clear as a mirror.

She had noticed Su Qingying's appreciation for Jiang Ci back during the 'Palace Conspiracy' filming.

That this usually aloof, uninvolved actress would appear here today with such a flimsy excuse—for whom, it went without saying.

But what she was more curious about was Jiang Ci.

This treasure she had personally signed.

After a stint training in the Wu Chuan crew, how had he returned with that tragic quality, which previously only erupted during performances, now solidified into something tangible?

In his every gesture and movement, he carried a sense of "Broken Feeling," like the "King of BE Aesthetics."

This made Lin Wan, a "character mother" renowned for writing tragedies, feel a jolt of shock.

And... an uncontrollable surge of wild delight!

This kid was born to eat this rice!

Lin Wan's mind was a stormy sea, but her expression remained unchanged.

She waved a hand towards Su Qingying, decisively.

"Since it's you personally asking, Qingying, I'll definitely give you this face."

"The script collaboration, we can discuss it."

With a light, casual sentence, she granted the actress a convenient favor.

Su Qingying seemed to relax slightly, put her sunglasses back on, and didn't speak further.

Only then did Lin Wan shift her gaze to Jiang Ci, looking him up and down.

"And you? Is Chu Wuchen wrapped?"

Jiang Ci nodded. He no longer had the mental energy to ponder why Su Qingying was here.

Survival was the primary task.

He got straight to the point, stating the purpose for which he had flown overnight to Shanghai.

"Sister Wan, I came to ask about the company."

"Are there any new scripts?"

He paused, adding the most crucial qualifier.

"Tragedies."

"The more miserable, the better. Preferably the kind that leaves the audience unable to recover for three years after watching."

Hearing this, Lin Wan showed no surprise. Instead, she smiled.

That smile was full of an "as expected" understanding.

"There is."

She pulled open a drawer, took out a few printed manuscript pages, and tapped them on the desk.

"A script I'm currently writing. Republican era setting. The story of an underground party member embedded in the enemy's heart, whose identity is eventually exposed and who is executed in front of his lover."

Jiang Ci's breathing instantly quickened.

This premise...

Sufficiently miserable! Sufficiently tragic!

He was just about to press for details when Lin Wan abruptly changed tack.

"However, I've only just started the script. It won't be finished anytime soon."

She raised her hand, pointing with measured emphasis in Su Qingying's direction.

"And, I just promised Qingying we'd discuss the collaboration for Daylight Entertainment's newcomers first."

Lin Wan spread her hands, showing a helpless, can't-do-anything-about-it expression.

"So, the script you want... you'll have to wait."

"As for how long exactly, I can't give you a definite answer right now."