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

The atmosphere in the office fell into a bizarre, frozen stalemate after Lin Wan's words, "You'll have to wait."

Wait?

Wait for how long?

The thing he was most short on right now was time.

Jiang Ci's brain was operating at lightning speed, searching for a way to break the deadlock.

The path through Lin Wan was temporarily blocked.

Jiang Ci's gaze, uncontrollably, slowly, shifted away from the face of his boss, Lin Wan, which clearly said 'I wish I could help, but I can't.'

Then, precisely, it landed on the woman sitting on the sofa, who was fully armed with disguise.

Su Qingying.

He put away the awkwardness he had just shown in front of his boss.

He adopted a tone somewhere between a junior seeking advice and a normal social interaction.

"Speaking of which, did Teacher Qingying go to see my graduation performance last time?"

Jiang Ci, of course, knew she had gone.

That wave of his that earned him the 30-day lifespan reward also had Su Qingying's contribution.

But he had to pretend not to know now.

Break the ice first, then talk business.

On the sofa, Su Qingying's upright figure shifted slightly.

She hadn't expected Jiang Ci to suddenly steer the topic towards her.

She was here for two reasons. First, to sound out Lin Wan's stance regarding the company's newcomers, which was official business.

Second, through her own channels, she had learned that Jiang Ci's scenes in "Three Lifetimes Tribulation" had wrapped.

Driven by a kind of psychology to study an "anomalous sample," she had appeared here.

She wanted to see what kind of state Jiang Ci, now detached from the tragic role of "Chu Wuchen," would be like in reality.

The result was, he seemed even more somber than he was on set.

Su Qingying regarded Jiang Ci as an anomalous sample, yet found herself increasingly unable to see through him. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

She nodded, took off her sunglasses.

Those clear, cool eyes looked directly at Jiang Ci.

"A very brilliant performance."

Her choice of words was, as always, professional and restrained.

"Especially the ending, the emotional transmission surpassed technique."

An extremely high evaluation.

In the office, Lin Wan, arms crossed, watched this scene with great interest, not interrupting.

Jiang Ci received the affirmative reply, but his heart remained utterly calm.

Just polite talk.

The important part was what came next.

He immediately seized the opportunity to climb the proverbial ladder.

"Then... does Daylight Entertainment have any scripts similar to the kind I just mentioned to Sister Wan? Something more... profound?"

He deliberately paused, carefully choosing his words.

Profound.

A word that sounds full of artistic pursuit.

In reality, it was a synonym for tragedy.

Su Qingying looked at him.

A flicker of barely perceptible surprise flashed in those clear, beautiful eyes.

She was silent for a moment.

Finally, she gave an answer that surprised both Jiang Ci and Lin Wan.

"Yes."

Jiang Ci's eyes instantly lit up.

"But you can't act in it."

"Whoosh—"

The light in Jiang Ci's eyes went out.

What?

Can't act in it?

He froze on the spot, his first reaction being that his professional ability was being questioned.

Am I being looked down upon?

Him, Jiang Ci, a man holding the two skills of [Line Master] and [Eye Micro-expressions], who could make an award-winning actress contribute 88 points of Heartbreak Value, and you're telling me he can't act in it?

Am I not standing high enough yet?

A sense of absurd humiliation, mixed with a huge panic over the loss of KPI, surged in his heart.

Lin Wan keenly sensed the strange atmosphere between the two.

She decided to step in and put out the fire.

Lin Wan picked up her phone, unlocked the screen, forcibly pulling all three into an everyday scenario.

"What are you all talking about, just standing there? It's mealtime."

"My treat today, we'll eat takeout right here in the office. Let me see what to order..."

As she spoke, she lowered her head to operate her phone, as if the words "you can't act in it" were just an auditory hallucination.

This successfully eased the tense atmosphere.

But Jiang Ci's heart was still hanging in mid-air.

No.

This matter had to be clarified.

It concerned his life-extension plan, not a single detail could be neglected.

Under Lin Wan's warning gaze that clearly said "you, kid, better behave," Jiang Ci persisted and pressed Su Qingying.

"Why, can't I act in it?"

His tone carried a stubbornness he himself hadn't noticed.

Su Qingying didn't answer immediately.

She just took out her phone from her bag, unlocked it, and pulled up a few files.

She turned the phone screen towards Jiang Ci.

On it were several PPTs for S-level projects Daylight Entertainment was currently preparing.

Jiang Ci leaned over to look.

The first PPT.

The cover was a vast starry sky and a massive futuristic warship, the title written in flamboyant calligraphy.

"Above the Firmament."

A grand, passionate sci-fi blockbuster.

Synopsis: The protagonist leads the human fleet, turns the tide against an alien invasion, and ultimately saves the world.

Jiang Ci's heart sank halfway.

Saving the world?

That sounds way too heroic!

He swiped to the next page.

The second PPT.

The cover was a pink sky and a male and female lead in school uniforms, even the title seemed to bubble with sweetness.

"Summer Bubble Candy."

Synopsis: Adaptation of a top-tier IP, a campus sweet romance drama, sweet from beginning to end, no angst.

Jiang Ci: "..."

His face fell.

What do you mean sweet from beginning to end?

Is this something humans can film?

Utterly insane!

Clutching at his last shred of hope, he swiped to the third PPT.

"Comedy King 2."

A sequel to a national-level comedy IP.

He didn't even need to read the synopsis anymore.

Jiang Ci slowly raised his head.

That face, already lacking much color, was now as pale as a sheet of paper.

The light in his eyes completely dimmed.

He exuded an aura of sadness, as if abandoned by the entire world.

However.

His utterly devastated appearance, falling into the eyes of Su Qingying and Lin Wan, automatically generated another, completely different interpretation.

Inside, Su Qingying was conducting a cool-headed analysis.

"Just as I thought."

"His tragic temperament is etched into his bones. He has a natural, physiological aversion to these 'happy' scripts."

"He's not incapable of acting in them; he disdains to act in them."

Su Qingying's analysis was logical and well-founded.

On the other side, Lin Wan's heart was already swept by a tsunami of ecstatic joy.

"I didn't misjudge him!"

"This kid was born for tragic scripts!"

"He just looks down on these soulless popcorn works!"

"Good! Has backbone! Worthy of being someone I, Lin Wan, signed!"

The boss's joy was heartfelt and monumental.

Seeing Jiang Ci's "deeply struck" appearance, Su Qingying actually began to seriously consider how to help this "sample" escape his predicament.

Out of a researcher's care for her experimental subject, she proactively offered a suggestion.

"Perhaps..."

She organized her words.

"You should try something completely different to adjust your state."

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope rekindled in Jiang Ci's dim eyes.

Something different?

Could it be that kind of edgy, artsy film?

Where the protagonist dies of a terminal illness in the end?

"My agent recently mentioned to me that a very capable variety show director wants to do an experiential reality show."

Su Qingying said slowly.

"I don't like appearing on variety shows, so I declined."

"However, I do think you could give it a try."

Jiang Ci: "?"

Variety show?

Reality show?

Listening to Su Qingying's "well-meaning" suggestion, Jiang Ci's mind buzzed with a "hum."

Subconsciously, he called up the system panel only he could see.

That line of cold numbers, within his field of vision, emanated a chilling aura of death.

[Remaining Lifespan: 194 days, 18 hours, 45 minutes]

If he doesn't land another tragedy soon...

He's going to be sent by these "well-meaning" industry bigwigs into a reality show to laugh and wait for death!

He felt his world turn ice-cold.