The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 17: The Last Tenderness, Leaves the Audience Heartbroken

He blinked hard.

"Complete Guide to Scumbag Quotes and Techniques"?

System, has your style gone completely off the rails?

Jiang Ci stared at that bizarre skill description for a full minute.

Wait...

Innocent disguise techniques?

Methods for deep emotional eye contact?

Secrets to atmosphere building?

...

This... wasn't this the ultimate solution for that "sweet scene" he had to film the day after tomorrow!

So-called players and scumbags—weren't they just people who integrated "acting" into their daily lives?

Then why couldn't he do the reverse?

Use the world's most advanced pickup artist techniques to portray the purest, cleanest young general!

The moment this thought surfaced, even Jiang Ci himself felt his scalp tingling.

But the more he thought about it, the brighter his eyes became!

Feasible!

So damn feasible!

This wouldn't just solve the immediate "sweet scene" problem—it would directly achieve his true objective.

—To make this sweet scene more heartbreaking than any tragedy!

Why would a memory make someone feel utterly devastated?

Precisely because it was too beautiful, while reality was too cruel.

The sweeter and more flawless he made this memory appear,

The more heart-wrenching the contrast would become when compared to the tragic ending where the young general ultimately died in battle!

This was the true essence of top-tier "unresolved emotional pain"!

"System! This one! Exchange for 'Complete Guide to Scumbag Quotes and Techniques'!"

[Confirm exchange for permanent skill 'Complete Guide to Scumbag Quotes and Techniques'? Will consume 150 points of Heartbreak Value.]

"Hurry up!!"

The command was given.

Classic scumbag quotes and techniques instantly flooded his mind.

"How to instantly cause heart rate irregularities in the other person through non-essential physical contact lasting less than 1 second?"

"How to implant 'secret anchors' that belong only to the two of you in daily conversations?"

"Analysis of thirty-six types of 'broken' deep emotional gazes that women cannot resist..."

"'It's not that I like you—it's that I can't live without you'... Detailed explanation of top-tier emotional push-pull rhetoric..."

Jiang Ci clutched his throbbing head, lying on the bed for a long time before barely digesting this "dragon-slaying demonic art."

When he opened his eyes again,

His entire demeanor had undergone a subtle, indescribable change.

He picked up the script from the table, his gaze falling on the final scene.

[Grassland, afternoon.]

[Young General (played by Jiang Ci) helps the Princess (played by Su Qingying) onto her horse. He stands below the horse, holding the reins, walking slowly step by step.]

[Princess: A'Ci, do you think we'll always be like this?]

[Young General: (looks up, smiling) Yes.]

...

The third day.

This was Jiang Ci's final day on the Palace Conspiracy set.

The entire filming location was filled with a suppressed atmosphere.

Everyone knew that after today, the "Young General" who had amazed them all would completely "die in battle."

This character was about to meet his final fate.

"Jiang Ci, are you ready?"

Director Li Xiang walked over, patted his shoulder, his tone unable to conceal warmth and appreciation.

"Ready, Director Li," Jiang Ci responded.

Today he had changed into the young general's casual attire. Without the weight of armor, he carried more of the vibrant, spirited energy of a dashing young man, making his face appear even cleaner and more transparent, like unpolished jade.

Li Xiang looked at him, feeling a wave of emotion.

He always believed Jiang Ci was a natural method actor—his performances rooted in his own tragic temperament.

But today's scene was the ultimate "sweetness."

He was very worried Jiang Ci wouldn't find the right feeling, leaving the audience with one final regret for the Young General character.

"Don't feel pressured," Li Xiang comforted.

"I understand," Jiang Ci nodded.

"Qingying, how about you?" Li Xiang looked toward the other side.

Su Qingying had already changed into her costume—a young maiden's long dress that softened her usual icy, distant aura considerably.

She merely nodded faintly to indicate she was ready.

But her gaze kept drifting uncontrollably, again and again, toward Jiang Ci not far away.

Today he was like warm, smooth jade—so clean it seemed untouched by any worldly dust.

This stark contrast made Su Qingying's chest feel inexplicably tight.

"Good! All departments ready!"

"Palace Conspiracy Scene 158, Take 1! Action!"

The clapperboard fell, filming began.

On the artificial grassland, the warm sun shone perfectly, a breeze rustled through, making the green grass sway.

Jiang Ci led a gentle white horse to Su Qingying.

"Princess, please mount the horse."

His voice was clean.

Su Qingying's vision momentarily lost focus.

She extended her hand, and Jiang Ci immediately stepped forward, one hand lightly supporting her elbow while the other steadily supported her waist.

The movements were restrained and polite.

Yet the warmth from his palms carried an undeniable sense of protection.

Through the thin fabric of her clothing, his faint grassy scent mixed with the body heat of a young man made Su Qingying's breath catch abruptly.

She practically scrambled onto the horse in panic, not even daring to look at Jiang Ci's eyes.

Jiang Ci didn't immediately lead the horse forward.

He stood below the horse, simply looking up, gazing at Su Qingying on horseback.

No lines.

He just quietly watched her, his eyes filled with the unreserved, purely intense admiration of a young man.

In this moment, he wasn't the general burdened with national destiny.

He was just a youth called "A'Gu," looking at the girl he cherished above all else.

Behind the monitor, Director Li Xiang unconsciously leaned forward, staring intently at the screen.

Yes!

This is the feeling!

Pure! Clean! A young love without a single impurity!

"Watch... watch the road."

She urged quietly, her voice carrying a coyness she hadn't even noticed herself.

The smile at the corner of Jiang Ci's lips deepened.

He didn't argue, just obediently responded "Mm," then picked up the reins and slowly, step by step, began walking forward.

The wind lifted Su Qingying's skirt and Jiang Ci's hair tips, briefly tangling in the air before separating again.

Everyone present watched, completely mesmerized.

Zhao Xueling stood outside the crowd, tightly covering her mouth, her eyes instantly reddening.

Her mind uncontrollably flashed back to the scene filmed days earlier—the Young General covered in blood, beating the war drum until he collapsed and died.

Then looking at this clean youth before her now, leading a white horse, his eyes filled only with the girl he loved...

It was too cruel.

To personally tear apart the most beautiful thing in the world and show it to people—this was truly too cruel!

"A'Gu," Su Qingying's voice sounded softly from horseback, carrying a dreamlike quality, "Do you think we'll always be like this?"

This was the scripted line.

Everyone assumed Jiang Ci would follow the script, smiling and answering "Yes," drawing a sweet conclusion to this memory.

But Jiang Ci stopped walking.

He turned around, looked up again, gazing deeply at Su Qingying.

His face still carried that clear smile.

But within that smile was an added touch of heart-palpitating tenderness.

He didn't speak.

He simply reached out, using his fingertips to gently touch a stray strand of hair the wind had blown against Su Qingying's cheek, carefully tucking it behind her ear.

This motion made Su Qingying's body tremble almost imperceptibly.

Only then did he slowly speak.

His voice was very soft, yet clearly reached everyone's ears present.

"Princess, don't say 'always.'"

Su Qingying froze.

Behind the monitor, Li Xiang's pupils abruptly contracted!

Everyone was stunned.

This wasn't the scripted line!

Jiang Ci looked up, the light in his eyes like crushed starlight.

"'Always' is too long."

His voice carried a slight tremor.

"I only want 'now.'"

"As long as now, you are by my side, that is enough."