The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 238: Liu Guodong Sends Another Message

The clamor of the wrap party was left far behind the vehicle.

Sun Zhou drove the entourage van, smoothly leaving the film and television city behind.

Outside the car window, the lights belonging to the film crew were extinguishing one by one.

Jiang Ci leaned back in the rear seat, his eyes closed.

He recited silently in his heart.

"Activate [Emotional Isolation]."

A familiar warm current slowly spread from the area of his heart to his limbs.

The millennium-spanning loneliness and sorrow belonging to Ye Chen rapidly withdrew from his body.

Jiang Ci felt himself come back to life again.

He was no longer that half-demon Ye Chen burdened with the destiny of two worlds; he had transformed back into that ordinary twenty-two-year-old youth, Jiang Ci, who was somewhat exhausted from continuous high-intensity filming.

He opened his eyes. The light inside the car was somewhat dim, with only the flowing light and shadow from outside the window flickering across his face.

The phone in his pocket suddenly began vibrating frantically.

He took it out and unlocked it.

On the screen, an unread message from WeChat popped up abruptly.

Sender: Liu Guodong.

[Jiang Ci! Kid, did you forget graduation photos are this week?! You're the only one missing from the whole class!]

A series of exclamation marks made it possible to feel Teacher Liu Guodong's rage, which was about to blast through the top of his skull, even through the screen.

Graduation photos?

He quickly opened the calendar.

June 3rd.

Thursday.

Tomorrow was Friday, the final day for graduation photos at the school.

He practically shot up from his seat, shouting towards the driver's seat, "Sun Zhou! Turn around! To the airport!"

Sun Zhou was startled by him, instinctively stomping on the brake.

"Brother Ci? What's wrong? What happened?"

"To the capital!" Jiang Ci said rapidly, "Book the earliest flight to Beijing!"

Sun Zhou was completely confused, but still pulled over to the side and began frantically operating his phone.

"Bro, this... this is too rushed. I haven't arranged bodyguards yet, and the VIP channel needs to be applied for in advance..."

"No need!" Jiang Ci decisively refused, "Nothing is needed! Just me alone, buy a ticket!"

He was joking; he was just going back to school to take graduation photos. When had he ever needed that kind of entourage?

Seeing the look of terror on his artist's face that screamed "one more second late and I'll be executed on the spot," Sun Zhou, though not understanding, still booked the red-eye flight departing in two hours at the fastest speed possible.

On the plane, Jiang Ci practically fell asleep the moment he touched the seat.

He was too tired.

Over these past few months, he had practically split himself in two—half Jiang Ci, half Ye Chen.

In his dreams, it was a bizarre kaleidoscope.

One moment, it was the ferocious-faced Chi Jie, brandishing the Demon Blade, stirring up a bloody storm as he swung it towards him, laughing maniacally, "Half-demon, are you even worthy?"

He turned and ran.

The scene changed, and he found himself running into the grand auditorium of the Film Academy.

On the podium, Teacher Liu Guodong, holding a giant three-meter-long teaching pointer, pointed it at his nose and roared with a voice like a booming bell, "Jiang Ci! You're the only one missing from the whole class! Are you even fit to be a student?!"

The two terrifying scenes switched seamlessly.

In his dream, Jiang Ci was chased with no escape route to the heavens and no door into the earth.

Until a flight attendant's gentle call woke him.

"Sir, sir, the plane is about to land."

Jiang Ci's eyes snapped open. The flight attendant's gentle, smiling face was right in front of him.

He gave a start and sat up straight.

Outside the window, the horizon was already tinged with the pale light of dawn.

The early morning Capital Airport was bustling with people coming and going.

Jiang Ci, wearing the most ordinary black baseball cap and a white face mask, dragged a small suitcase alone, merging into the bustling crowd.

This long-lost joy of being an "extra," an anonymous face in the crowd, finally brought a moment of relief to the nerves that had been tightly wound for months.

Sun Zhou called again, insisting on sending a car to pick him up.

"Bro, just wait at the exit. I'll have the company car come over. It'll be quick."

"No need. I'll just take a taxi back. You get some good rest."

Jiang Ci hung up the phone and skillfully opened the ride-hailing app.

Soon, a white ride-hailing car stopped in front of him.

He opened the car door, threw his suitcase into the trunk, and then got into the back seat.

"Driver, to the Film Academy."

"Alright."

The driver was a talkative middle-aged man. He glanced at Jiang Ci in the rearview mirror but didn't recognize him.

The car smoothly merged into the traffic flow.

The driver turned on the car radio, which happened to be broadcasting an entertainment morning news segment.

"...The annual xianxia blockbuster 'Three Lifetimes Tribulation,' directed by Wu Tianming and starring Gu Huai and Qiao Xinran, has entered the intense post-production stage and is expected to meet audiences during the summer season..."

Listening to the broadcast, the driver sighed while driving.

"Wow, this movie is definitely going to be a hit. Wu Tianming's films, you can't go wrong."

He seemed to have found a topic and continued with great enthusiasm.

"My daughter was just telling me the other day that the Immortal Lord character in this, what's his name... Chu Wuchen, seems super mysterious. They haven't even released a proper still photo yet, keeping everyone's appetite thoroughly whetted."

In the back seat, Jiang Ci silently pulled his cap brim down a little further.

He nodded lightly and cooperatively uttered an "Mhm."

The driver completely failed to notice anything unusual and continued on his own.

"But I reckon, this character must be super tragic. Just look at the title, 'Three Lifetimes Tribulation.' It has 'tribulation' and 'three lifetimes'—it just doesn't sound like a happy ending. Screenwriters these days just love to torment people."

Jiang Ci: "..."

The journey was smooth all the way, and they soon arrived at the familiar main gate of the Film Academy.

Looking at the surrounding faces, brimming with youth and even carrying a hint of childishness, Jiang Ci felt a sense of dislocation, as if a whole era had passed.

Dragging his suitcase, he walked through the tree-lined path towards the male dormitory building.

The dormitory auntie was sitting in the reception room knitting a sweater. Seeing this unfamiliar face, she immediately looked up warily.

"Hey, that student, stop."

Jiang Ci stopped.

The auntie pushed her reading glasses up and looked him up and down. "Which department? How come I've never seen you before?"

"Auntie, I'm from the Acting Department. Jiang Ci."

"Jiang Ci?"

The auntie lowered her head and rummaged for a long time through a thick registry on the desk.

Her finger stopped on a name.

Then she looked up, suddenly understanding.

"Oh! I remember now! You're that big star who took leave for almost half a year to go film!"

This shout of "big star" was delivered with full, resonant force.

Several boys passing by looked over at him curiously.

Jiang Ci once again felt that ever-present sense of identity fragmentation.

He could only offer an awkward smile and mumble an acknowledgment.

The auntie didn't give him any more trouble, just waved her hand. "Alright, go on up."

Jiang Ci: "Thank you, auntie."

Dragging his suitcase, he walked up the familiar concrete staircase.

Fourth floor.

End of the corridor.

Dorm Room 404.

Jiang Ci stopped in front of the door plastered with a faded poster of a soccer star.

He took out the somewhat rusty key from his pocket.

Inserted the key into the lock.

"Click."

A soft sound as the lock turned.