The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 216: Craving Fireworks and Instant Noodles
In early May, as the scene where Ji Lan, playing Xuan Shuang, throws the frail and exhausted stand-in for A Li into the demon race's dungeon was completed,
the core scenes for the female antagonist were declared temporarily finished.
Zhang Mouyi announced that due to the subsequent plot involving large-scale scene transitions to a modern city setting, the film crew would enter a one-week break period.
They would wait for the three main leads to finish recording that promotional variety show before continuing with the subsequent filming.
Seizing this opportunity, Zhang Mouyi gathered several core creative personnel.
He didn't directly explain the plot. Instead, he pointed at a few eerily atmospheric storyboard sketches that had just been printed and placed beside the monitor.
"Everyone thinks it's over? We're not even close."
He picked up the top one, which depicted a Ye Chen enveloped in demonic energy, his eyes blood-red.
"Next step, demonic transformation. I want him to personally tear apart all his pride, to become the very monster he despises the most."
He then pointed to another sketch, showing Ling Xi's fragmented soul dissipating at Chi Jie's feet.
"Then, it's the moth flying into the flame." His smile held a touch of cruelty as he finally pressed his finger heavily on the last image.
It depicted a beam of light spanning two worlds, connecting the modern A Li and the ancient Ye Chen.
"See this light? This, is the true meaning of our drama's title."
...
Jiang Ci stood among the crowd, looking at those sketches brimming with tragic aesthetics, listening to Director Zhang's low, explanatory murmurs.
Crushing defeat? Demonic transformation? Longing across time? He had practically memorized the script by now.
To his ears, Director Zhang's impassioned speech automatically translated into another set of terms: 【Subsequent focus: Includes but is not limited to multiple high-value heartbreak scenarios such as "the tragic death of a former lover," "collapse of self-identity," and "cross-dimensional online romance."】
In early May, on the very first day of the film crew's break.
A piece of news detonated across the entire internet.
Amidst immense anticipation, the program team for 'The Yearning for Mundane Fireworks Daily Life' officially announced the guest lineup for its first episode.
Best Actress Su Qingying, rising-generation powerhouse actor Jiang Ci, and fellow actor Luo Yu.
The moment the list was released, Weibo's servers instantly slowed to a crawl, nearly crashing.
#QingCiCP#
#JiangCiSoloFans#
#SuQingyingFirstVarietyShowInTenYears#
#LuoYuJiangCi"Rivals"Reunion#
Four hashtags intertwined and dominated the trending chart.
The comment sections descended into utter chaos.
CP fans reveled in the ruins: "Ahhhhh! My ship is real! The actual people are personally serving up sugar! The BE from the movie must be compensated for in the variety show!"
Solo fans, however, were deeply worried, treating it like a major threat: "We'll take our brother and leave, we don't engage in CP shipping, we focus on our own idol, thank you."
"Big sister, what are you thinking! Why go on a variety show? And with those two people!"
"Is Jiang Ci crazy? Does he think his life is too long? That's a battleground!"
Movie fans, meanwhile, felt like they were celebrating New Year's early, each one pumped with adrenaline.
"Holy crap! Director Zhang is too good! The BE aesthetics iron triangle is locked in! I want to see what kind of show these three can put on in the variety show!"
Jiang Ci, at the eye of the storm, remained completely unaware of all this.
He was in his hotel room, meticulously and unhurriedly packing his luggage.
Sun Zhou stood to the side, staring at that small suitcase, utterly dumbfounded.
The suitcase wasn't big.
Inside were only a few changes of T-shirts.
One spare pair of long pants.
Aside from that, the item taking up the most space was a well-thumbed, dog-eared copy of 'An Actor Prepares.'
Sun Zhou simply couldn't hold back any longer.
He pointed at the nearly empty suitcase, stammering as he asked,
"Bro, you... you're only bringing this?"
Jiang Ci looked completely natural and matter-of-fact.
"What else?"
Jiang Ci patted the thick book, his expression solemn.
"Clothes are enough for changing. Spiritual sustenance cannot be interrupted."
He paused, his gaze turning towards the window, revealing a rare trace of yearning,
"After playing a dying person for so long, I need to find a chance to smell the mundane, everyday life of the human world. Otherwise, next time I won't even remember what a 'living person' looks like. How could I act then?"
Of course, besides these, Jiang Ci had specifically asked Madam Chu Hong to send him some of her homemade pickled vegetables from home.
In his view, that jar of sourness was one of the most concrete proofs of "living."
It's just that the courier would arrive tomorrow.
...
At the same time.
Elsewhere, in Su Qingying's luxurious mansion.
Her assistant was looking at the floor covered with gift boxes of the latest high-end luxury brand seasonal new arrivals, her brows furrowed in distress.
"Qingying-jie, we're going to record a slow-paced variety show about experiencing life, not walk the red carpet at Cannes..."
The assistant's voice carried a note of despair.
On the sofa, Su Qingying frowned, vetoing all the shiny luxury goods.
She pondered for a long time.
In her view, the essence of "everyday life" was not a crude environment, but rather sincere communication between people.
She recalled how on the film set, Jiang Ci could always use some unexpected method (like a mint candy) to break the sorrowful atmosphere,
pulling her out of the abyss of the character.
That was perhaps the most direct form of communication.
She needed a medium, something that could allow her to build a bridge for communication even in that unfamiliar environment.
Thinking of this, she suddenly had an idea.
She stood up and personally retrieved an antique wooden box from the collection room at home.
She opened it.
Inside was a set of Ru kiln tea ware, crafted by a master, with a sky-blue glaze.
Next to it was a small tin sealed with foil, containing top-grade Jin Jun Mei tea.
She handed the wooden box to her assistant.
"Bring this."
The assistant looked at that set of tea ware worth more than her annual salary and felt completely numb.
Her voice became weak with despair.
"Jie, they'll be chopping firewood in the mountains, lighting fires, boiling water in big iron pots..."
"This isn't sipping tea and discussing philosophy in a private clubhouse!"
Su Qingying, however, felt this was very "down-to-earth."
In her opinion, this was the most sincere way to embody "everyday life" through communication.
She insisted on bringing it.
The assistant completely gave up struggling.
Meanwhile, in Luo Yu's hotel room, it was quiet to an excessive degree.
He wasn't packing. He was just repeatedly reading the process overview sent by the program team.
After freeing himself from Wen Nian's control, he needed to handle these non-acting work matters himself.
His newly assigned assistant was still familiarizing herself with the job and cautiously asked him what he needed to prepare.
Luo Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Find me a few documentaries about classic method actors participating in reality shows."
The assistant was stunned.
Luo Yu pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose. Behind the lenses, his gaze was clear and focused. "They want 'everyday life,' right? Then I'll go observe what the most authentic 'everyday life' looks like."
He even took out a brand-new notebook and fountain pen from his luggage, ready to take notes.
Watching her artist adopt this academic-research approach to a life variety show, the assistant silently lit a metaphorical candle for the program team in her heart.
...
Back in Jiang Ci's hotel room.
Sun Zhou accidentally caught sight of Jiang Ci's phone, still lit up, on the bedside table.
The notes page was clearly visible.
Sun Zhou instinctively glanced at it, and then his entire body froze.
Written clearly on it were several lines.
"Three Major Goals for the Variety Show."
First: Eat well, drink well.
Second: Receive the appearance fee on time.
Third: Find an opportunity to ask Teacher Huang how exactly "Crab-flavored Dish" is made!
Sun Zhou's brain experienced a brief system crash.
He turned his head extremely slowly.
His gaze landed on the copy of 'An Actor Prepares' that had already been stuffed into the suitcase, only a corner of the book visible.
An absurd, yet utterly reasonable thought exploded in his mind.
The thickness of that book, the hardness of that book...
It would be a perfect match for holding down the lid of a cup of instant noodles.
