The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 12: A Scene, Another Deification!

Jiang Ci's hand holding the drumsticks trembled slightly.

The light in his eyes had already extinguished.

Then came a madness that seemed to burn everything to ashes.

He looked at the dark mass of "enemy troops" (extras) below the city walls.

His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing through the human heart's darkest depths... with both compassion and mockery.

What difference is there between you and me?

We're all just chess pieces on this board called "fate," powerless to control our own moves.

He smiled.

The corners of his mouth twisted into an extremely ugly curve, yet it was filled with heart-wrenching agony.

Behind the monitor, Director Li Xiang suddenly clenched his fists tightly.

He was completely stunned by Jiang Ci's current state.

This was no longer acting.

This was a perfect resonance at the soul level with the character's essence!

Su Qingying, standing not far away, felt her pupils slightly dilate.

She was seeing it again.

That familiar, terrifying sense of realism that seemed capable of sucking people's souls right in.

Last time, it was abandonment born of ultimate love.

This time, it was burning born of ultimate despair.

What kind of soul was hidden within this newcomer named Jiang Ci?

Qin Feng, the award-winning actor, had originally only intended to watch casually.

But when he saw Jiang Ci's smile, his normally impassive face showed astonishment for the first time.

Having been in the industry for thirty years, he had played emperors and generals, merchants and laborers.

He believed his understanding of acting had reached perfection.

Yet today, from this young man barely twenty years old, he saw something he had never touched before.

This wasn't technique.

This was... talent.

A talent that could make all techniques pale in comparison!

Just as the entire set fell into silence,

Jiang Ci moved.

Using all his strength, he slammed the two heavy drumsticks fiercely against the war drum before him!

"BOOM!!!"

A heavy sound exploded in everyone's eardrums.

Immediately after.

"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"

The drumbeats suddenly became dense and frantic!

Jiang Ci swung the drumsticks repeatedly like a madman.

The "wounds" on his body split open, blood staining the city tower beneath him.

His movements grew slower and more sluggish.

But he didn't stop.

His eyes remained fixed ahead, his pupils already beginning to lose focus.

Yet the drumbeats continued to sound.

One after another.

As if using his very life to play the final requiem for this doomed lonely city.

"CUT!!"

Director Li Xiang's roar carried a tremor he couldn't suppress.

The drumbeats stopped abruptly.

The drumsticks in Jiang Ci's hands clattered to the ground, and his whole body slowly slid down along the war drum, breathing heavily.

People remained immersed in the tragically suffocating atmosphere, unable to break free.

Several female script supervisors with low emotional thresholds were already covering their mouths, crying silently.

Zhao Xueling's eyes also reddened.

She looked at Jiang Ci lying on the ground, her eyes filled with shock and... a trace of pity.

"Monster..."

Qin Feng looked at Jiang Ci and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

This wasn't derogatory.

This was the highest praise an experienced actor could give to a junior.

Su Qingying stood in place, motionless.

Once again, this man's performance had shattered all her psychological defenses.

"Good! Good! Good!!"

Li Xiang suddenly stood up from behind the monitor, shouting "good" three times in succession.

He rushed over, wanting to help Jiang Ci up, but withdrew his hand halfway.

He was afraid of disturbing the actor's emotions that hadn't fully subsided.

"Quick! Medical team! Come check on him!" he turned and shouted.

Jiang Ci lay on the cold ground, his chest heaving violently, his mind completely blank.

During that scene just now, he had invested his emotions so deeply that it almost exhausted all his mental energy.

He felt like he had truly died once.

But then, the voice in his mind instantly revived him completely!

[Ding! Detected intense heartbreak emotion!]

[Heartbreak Value +120 from 'Su Qingying'!]

[Ding! Detected heartbreak emotion!]

[Heartbreak Value +50 from 'Zhao Xueling'!]

[Heartbreak Value +8 from female crew member 'Wang Xiaomei'!]

...

A series of system notifications flooded Jiang Ci's consciousness.

[Settling accounts...]

[This performance earned a total of 210 Heartbreak Value points!]

[Current total Heartbreak Value balance: 282 points!]

[Congratulations host on extending 30 days of life time!]

[Current remaining life: 47 days 08 hours 15 minutes 32 seconds]

Holy shit!

282 points!

And a direct one-month life extension!

He forcefully suppressed the impulse to leap up from the ground and roar at the sky, continuing to lie there "weakly."

An actor's self-cultivation still had to be maintained.

The crew members hastily helped him up from the ground, offering water and wiping sweat.

"Jiang Ci, are you okay?" Director Li asked with concern as he approached.

"I'm fine, director." Jiang Ci smiled weakly. "Just a bit exhausted."

"You kid, you're trying to give your life for this!" Director Li patted his shoulder with mixed affection and frustration. "That scene was absolutely stunning! I guarantee that when the movie releases, your character will become a classic!"

Receiving such high praise from the director, Jiang Ci smiled.

He looked up and happened to see Su Qingying and Qin Feng walking toward him side by side.

What were they planning? A triple interrogation?

Qin Feng stopped before him, his eyes that had seen everything carefully examining him from head to toe.

That gaze didn't seem like he was looking at a junior, but rather at a precious treasure.

"Kid." Qin Feng finally spoke, his voice low. "How did you do it?"

Jiang Ci was startled: "Huh? Do what?"

"Don't play dumb with me." Qin Feng's gaze was sharp. "That state just now can't be achieved through technique alone. Tell me the truth, what exactly... have you been through?"

Here it comes again! This question again!

Jiang Ci inwardly groaned.

Why does everyone think I have some tragic backstory?

I'm clearly an optimistic, cheerful, and fun-loving young man!

He could only deploy his universal shield once more, looking up at the ceiling at a forty-five degree angle, his eyes melancholy, his tone weathered.

"Teacher Qin, some things are better left in the past once they're over."

Qin Feng looked at his "story-filled" profile and fell silent.

Beside him, Su Qingying's gaze toward Jiang Ci grew even more complex.

With an additional element even she hadn't noticed... heartache.

Just then, an untimely yet somehow perfectly "appropriate" voice interjected.

"Teacher Jiang, that was amazing acting! Truly eye-opening for me!"

Everyone turned to see that Lu Yifeng had returned unnoticed.

He stood outside the crowd, wearing just the right amount of amazement and praise on his face, clapping enthusiastically.