The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 210: You’re More Suited for Puppet on Strings

Then, Zhang Mouyi's voice once again echoed across the entire set through the loudspeaker.

"Everyone, attention!"

The film crew, which had just been celebrating jubilantly, quieted down.

"What we just finished shooting is the 'fruit,' the final outcome for Ye Chen, A Li, and Ling Xi."

Zhang Mouyi paused, then dropped a bombshell.

"However, Luo Yu's schedule is very tight. So, starting the day after tomorrow, we're going to shoot the 'cause' in reverse!"

Shoot in reverse?

This meant they would skip all the plot in between and directly shoot the scene from the first half of the entire movie—the scene where Ye Chen goes to rescue A Li for the first time and returns in miserable defeat.

From the ending, back to the beginning.

For the actors, this was hellish torment.

Especially for Su Qingying.

She needed to piece back together, bit by bit, the soul that had just been filled with despair.

Transform back into the young girl A Li who had just arrived in another world, curious about everything, naive and ignorant, even a bit of a love-struck fool.

Zhang Mouyi had obviously considered this point as well.

"Everyone has worked hard today. Tomorrow, the entire crew rests for a day!"

"The day after tomorrow, we start shooting the demonic array scenes!"

The director's command brooked no argument.

After a brief moment of stunned silence, the film crew erupted in cheers once more.

Jiang Ci opened his system panel and glanced at the final results.

【Total Heartbreak Value Harvested: 488 points!】

【Final Life Extension Duration Obtained: 88 days!】

【Current Heartbreak Value Balance: 5137 points】

【Remaining Lifespan: 1358 days, 18 hours】

...

The day of rest, for Jiang Ci, was spent hugging his hotel pillow and sleeping until the world went dark.

When he returned to the film set again, the atmosphere was completely different.

Jiang Ci had taken off that tattered, blood-soaked red robe steeped in despair.

He had changed into a brand-new, spirited, battle-damaged half-demon costume.

Today's shoot was the scene where Ye Chen first charges into the demonic array, attempting to rescue A Li.

This was an action scene.

It was also the moment in the entire film when the character Ye Chen was at his most arrogant.

"What I want is the feeling of a young man in splendid attire on a spirited steed, who doesn't know the meaning of life and death!"

Behind the monitor, Zhang Mouyi held a megaphone, shouting instructions to Jiang Ci in the middle of the set.

Jiang Ci stood at the center of the set, flexing his wrists.

He looked at the camera and flashed a highly provocative smile tinged with a hint of nonchalance.

That's the feeling!

Zhang Mouyi nodded with satisfaction, then shifted his gaze to Luo Yu on the other side.

Chi Jie's scene was right here.

He needed to watch Ye Chen's foolishness from the stance of an absolute victor, then use him to break his father's seal!

"Action!"

Filming began.

Jiang Ci moved.

Holding the Shattered Star Blade, he weaved through the demonic array filled with traps.

His face showed complete confidence and flamboyance.

However, when the camera focused on Luo Yu as his opponent.

Everyone felt something was off.

The Chi Jie in the script should be sinister, ruthless, and wildly arrogant.

Watching Ye Chen charging through the array, he should wear an expression of mockery and disdain.

But Luo Yu on camera was nothing like that.

He was overacting, his eyes bloodshot, that ferocity not stemming from cruelty born of absolute control, but from a frantic desperation to prove himself.

He didn't resemble a demon king toying with his prey.

He was more like a trapped beast that could only bare its fangs and roar mindlessly.

He had completely lost the style a villain should possess.

"Cut!"

Zhang Mouyi's voice carried a note of displeasure.

He stood up, pointed at Luo Yu in the middle of the set, and reprimanded him in front of everyone.

"Luo Yu! You're playing a demon king! Not a rabid dog that bites anyone it sees!"

"Where's your style? Where's your cunning?"

These words showed no mercy whatsoever.

Luo Yu's face flushed a purplish-red.

Wen Nian immediately rushed over from the corner.

Like a mother hen protecting her chick, she shielded Luo Yu.

"Director Zhang, please don't be angry. A-Yu just wants to perform well too much, the pressure is too great."

As she spoke, she took out a tissue and, in front of the entire crew, wiped the sweat from Luo Yu's forehead with extreme gentleness.

"Let's try one more time, okay?"

This display evoked mixed feelings among the onlookers.

Some envied Luo Yu for finding such a caring girlfriend.

Others secretly curled their lips, thinking this woman was putting on too much of a show.

Wen Nian's actions, in front of the entire crew, firmly cemented Luo Yu's image as a "giant baby in poor form, needing to be taken care of."

In the corner, Su Qingying watched this scene, her beautiful brows furrowing.

As a professional actress, she despised this kind of behavior that treated the film set as a stage for personal drama, using personal connections to hold professionalism hostage.

But given her position, she couldn't speak up.

On the other side, Jiang Ci was leaning against a pillar, expressionlessly munching on half an apple leftover from the props team.

The apple was sweet, and crisp.

In his system vision, that familiar label on Wen Nian was flickering with an ominous glow.

【Mental Manipulation in Progress: Using "over-protection" to undermine the target's independence and self-confidence】

Great.

The methods are as consistently stable as ever.

Jiang Ci had not the slightest interest in Luo Yu's fate.

He even felt that the more miserably Luo Yu was scolded, the stronger that inexplicable sense of satisfaction within him grew.

However.

An extremely serious problem now lay before him.

This scene had been NG'd seven times.

The entire morning was stuck here.

If Zhang Mouyi didn't relent, this scene would have to keep being shot.

Keeping it up meant seriously delaying the overall progress of the crew.

And the filming schedule directly affected the final quality of the movie.

More importantly, the portrayal of the villain Chi Jie directly determined the depth of Ye Chen's later tragedy!

A powerful, stylish villain—his victory would make the protagonist's failure feel soul-stirring and heart-wrenching.

A "pig butcher"—even if he won, the audience would only think the protagonist was trash who couldn't even beat a pig butcher.

Where's the tragedy in that?

Where's the Heartbreak Value?

Thinking of this, Jiang Ci stopped chewing his apple.

He looked at Luo Yu in the middle of the set, being coaxed by Wen Nian, hanging his head like a child who had done something wrong, and his brow unconsciously furrowed.

Watching Luo Yu suffer was indeed satisfying, but that satisfaction couldn't be eaten, nor could it be converted into life extension.

A charming and powerful villain is what creates a thrilling tragedy.

If Luo Yu, with this "pig butcher" face, defeated him, the audience would only think Ye Chen was trash. Who would feel heartbroken for trash?

This was practically smashing his own rice bowl.

Jiang Ci's eyes changed. He felt pained and exasperated, hating that iron couldn't become steel.

An important production tool was on the verge of breaking down.

How could this be allowed?

Jiang Ci casually handed the half-eaten apple to Sun Zhou,

pulled out his phone, his fingers flying across the screen,

his gaze shifting between the search results and the dejected Luo Yu in the corner.

A few minutes later, he seemed to have made up his mind. He put away his phone and whispered a few words to Sun Zhou.

Sun Zhou was stunned for a moment, then nodded with a strange expression and hurried off towards the entourage van.

After another NG.

Zhang Mouyi couldn't even be bothered to scold anymore. He directly announced that Chi Jie's scenes would be paused for now,

letting Luo Yu find his state, and continue tomorrow.

Luo Yu shrank into a corner by himself, completely withdrawn.

Wen Nian was still by his ear, using that gentlest tone to say the most heart-piercing words.

"A-Yu, don't blame Director Zhang. He might just prefer Teacher Jiang's style of performance..."

"Look, how effortlessly he acted just now. The entire crew's attention was on him."

These words stabbed into Luo Yu's already fragile self-esteem.

Right at that moment.

A figure blocked the light in front of him.

Luo Yu looked up.

It was Jiang Ci.

He was holding two bottles of chilled mineral water, his face devoid of any extra expression.

His assistant, Sun Zhou, was following behind him, panting as he carried a folder.

Jiang Ci offered one of the bottles to Luo Yu.

Luo Yu didn't take it, just looked at him with a wary and resentful posture.

Here to laugh at me?

Jiang Ci didn't mind.

He unscrewed the other bottle of water himself and took a sip.

Then, he spoke in a tone used for discussing professional matters.

"Teacher Luo, do you have a moment?"

"Shall we run lines together?"

These words not only stunned Luo Yu, but even the perfect smile on Wen Nian's face beside him cracked.

Run lines?

At a time like this?

Wasn't this just rubbing salt in Luo Yu's wound?

Luo Yu practically ground the words out through clenched teeth.

"I have nothing to run with you."

"Not the movie's lines."

As he spoke, Jiang Ci pulled out a script from the folder Sun Zhou handed him from behind. It was held together with a clip, freshly printed.

He handed the script over.

Luo Yu's gaze fell on that stack of paper.

He instinctively wanted to refuse.

But his eyes were glued to those bold, black characters on the cover.

It wasn't 'Longing Across Time' at all.

It was a stage play script he had never seen before.

The script's title had only three characters.

'The Puppet.'