The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 245: Red Carpet “Accident” While On Duty

June 28th, afternoon.

The premiere ceremony for "Three Lifetimes Tribulation" was held at the largest cinema in the capital.

The entourage van came to a smooth stop in the waiting area at the red carpet entrance.

Outside the car window was an impenetrable wall of people and camera flashes bright enough to pierce the night.

Sun Zhou was half-kneeling beside the seat, his fingers trembling slightly as he helped Jiang Ci adjust his suit tie.

Fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and he kept repeating instructions like a mantra.

"Ci-ge, remember to smile when you get out of the car later."

"Don't be too cold, but... but don't smile too artificially either. Be natural, yes, natural."

Jiang Ci kept his eyes closed, letting him fuss.

His mind was rapidly loading the "Celebrity Red Carpet Standard Smile Tutorial" that Lin Wan had specifically sent him.

"Step one, relax your facial muscles."

"Step two, press the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth."

"Step three, imagine something that truly makes you happy."

He was ready.

"Ci-ge, it's our turn!" Sun Zhou's voice came through.

The car door was pulled open from the outside.

A deafening wave of noise instantly flooded the entire vehicle.

"Jiang Ci! Jiang Ci!"

"Chu Wuchen!"

"Immortal Lord, look over here!"

Jiang Ci stepped onto the red carpet.

In that instant, following the tutorial's final instruction, he pulled his facial muscles into a precise, standard smile, showing exactly eight teeth, no more, no less.

However, his face, steeped in countless tragic scripts, seemed to have developed its own muscle memory.

This smile, magnified by countless high-definition lenses, inexplicably exuded a tragic sense of "the wind howls, the river runs cold; the hero departs, never to return."

The fans on the scene couldn't see this, though.

All they saw was the man emerging from the play of light and shadow,

his figure appearing even more slender and upright in a well-tailored black suit,

a polite yet distant smile still on his face.

The screams were almost enough to lift the roof.

The reporters in the media area went into a frenzy, the sound of camera shutters unceasing.

A male reporter shouted at the top of his lungs, thrusting his microphone forward.

"Jiang Ci! It's said you deliberately lost over ten pounds to play the role of Chu Wuchen. Is that true?"

Jiang Ci stopped walking and turned sideways towards the cameras.

His voice carried through the microphone across the venue.

"Nothing of the sort. It's all baseless speculation online."

Brief, not a single extra word.

Just as the media was about to press with the next question, a much more intense commotion than before suddenly erupted from the crowd at the other end of the red carpet.

Qiao Xinran had appeared.

She wore a pure white strapless gown, the hem dotted with fine silver sequins, her long hair swept up to reveal a graceful swan-like neck.

She seemed to glow, just like Su Nian from the drama, crossing time and space to descend upon the mortal world.

Amidst the fans' screams, the shouts of the CP fans were particularly prominent.

"Ahhhh! Chen-Nian is real!"

Qiao Xinran didn't linger too long in the center of the red carpet. Holding up her skirt and stepping in her high heels,

under everyone's gaze, she walked towards Jiang Ci with clear, purposeful steps.

Finally.

She stopped beside Jiang Ci.

A brilliant, somewhat familiar smile bloomed on her exquisitely made-up face.

"Master, long time no see."

This form of address sent the CP fans on-site into a state of absolute frenzy. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Jiang Ci's body stiffened ever so slightly for an instant.

He gave a polite nod, maintaining a social distance.

"Ms. Qiao."

However, Qiao Xinran completely ignored his deliberate distance.

She reached out and, with extreme naturalness, linked her arm with Jiang Ci's.

A warm, soft sensation transmitted through the thin fabric of his suit jacket.

Public appearance incident.

These four words instantly popped into Jiang Ci's mind.

Lin Wan's warning echoed in his ears,

and he could even clearly foresee tomorrow's entertainment headlines — "Jiang Ci and Qiao Xinran Romance Exposed? Intimate Red Carpet Interaction Spills the Beans."

Outside the crowd, Sun Zhou's eyes widened, his mouth forming an 'O', the fan sign in his hand nearly dropping.

The media reporters on-site, as if they'd caught the scent, all aimed their lenses at the intimately linked pair at the same time,

the shutter sounds suddenly intensifying severalfold.

Qiao Xinran's smile was sincere and unguarded.

She even tilted her head towards Jiang Ci, in an affectionate posture,

striking a perfect pose for the cameras.

That image, contrasted with the persistent sense of distance on Jiang Ci's face, created a dramatic conflict full of narrative potential.

The reporters went completely wild.

"Jiang Ci! Xinran! May we ask if your private relationship is this good as well?"

"Did anything unforgettable happen between you two during filming?"

Questions came one after another.

Qiao Xinran beat Jiang Ci to the response.

Looking at the questioning reporter, she smiled slightly and said something that caused an uproar on the scene.

"Chu Wuchen taught Su Nian what true guardianship is."

She paused, and the arm linked with Jiang Ci's seemed to tighten a little more.

"And Teacher Jiang Ci also taught me what a true actor is."

These words were deeply meaningful, full of room for interpretation.

Countless probing, gossipy, excited gazes all focused on Jiang Ci.

He felt the pressure of Qiao Xinran's arm linked with his.

He looked towards the cameras, his expression still calm,

and said with a hint of faint praise, "Ms. Qiao is truly a professional actor. Even now, she's still immersed in the role of Su Nian. This depth of immersion is something I really need to learn from."

A standard, watertight piece of PR rhetoric.

One side engaging in ambiguous pull, the other maintaining official distance.

The CP fans in the crowd were already losing their minds.

The red carpet segment finally ended.

In the rest area before entering the screening hall, the crowd was dense.

Qiao Xinran was shielded in the middle by her assistant, with Jiang Ci following behind.

Just as they were about to pass each other, Qiao Xinran suddenly turned her head and leaned close to Jiang Ci's ear.

Her movement was quick; onlookers only saw an intimate silhouette.

A warm breath, accompanied by her barely audible whisper, brushed past Jiang Ci's ear.

"Later, you will see that Su Nian's tears are shed for you alone."

Jiang Ci was momentarily stunned.

Before he could formulate any response, Qiao Xinran was already surrounded by her assistants and ushered into the guest passageway.

He stood there, watching that white figure disappear around the corner, feeling something was off.

This girl's offensive tonight was too purposeful, yet completely different from the "casting a wide net" tactics he remembered.

It was only then he recalled that, for a period before the final scene was wrapped, the Player Identification Aura had never sounded off again in response to Qiao Xinran.

Could it be that she... really cleared out her fish pond, just to hook him?

What kind of move was this? A preemptive strike?

The lights in the screening hall dimmed completely, and the massive screen lit up.

Majestic opening music swelled, an ancient scroll slowly unfurling, instantly pulling the audience into that ethereal, immortal realm of the Three Realms.

Jiang Ci sat in the second row of the guest seats. To his left, separated by a deliberately left empty seat, was Qiao Xinran.

He could clearly hear the audience's subtle discussions around him, feel their barely contained anticipation.

When the opening credits ended and the main feature began, the first shot focused on the cloud-wreathed Eternal Life Palace.

The moment that white-clad Immortal Lord figure first appeared on the big screen, the entire theater erupted in a collective gasp.

"Ahhh! Chu Wuchen!"

"Oh my god! He's so ethereal!"

"Seeing my husband's peerless beauty on the big screen, I'm dead!"