The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 264: Extending Life by Two Months! A Solo Dance in the Rain

Only Jiang Ci and Yan Zheng remained in the conference room.

The terms of that letter of intent were harsh.

The highest level of confidentiality, complete isolation from the world during filming.

The filming location, the border of Yunnan province, a place of gunfire and rain of bullets.

No stand-ins, all life-risking scenes, to be experienced firsthand by the actors.

Yan Zheng pushed the pen in front of him, waiting silently.

Jiang Ci didn't hesitate for a second. He picked up the pen and signed his name in the signature field.

The stroke of the pen was decisive and firm.

"I have only one request." Jiang Ci put down the pen.

Yan Zheng looked at him.

"During filming," Jiang Ci's voice was soft, yet heavy, "do not glorify sacrifice."

The lines on Yan Zheng's stern, square face seemed to soften for an instant.

He nodded.

"Agreed."

Jiang Ci returned to the entourage van. Lin Wan was waiting for him, still holding her laptop, the screen filled with a dense schedule.

"Wrapping up 'The Lurker' will take at most twenty days, followed by the nationwide roadshow for 'The Legend of Han and Chu,' with two commercial reshoots squeezed in between..."

Lin Wan's finger slid across the screen. She looked up, about to explain the schedule details to Jiang Ci.

Instead, Jiang Ci placed another document in front of her.

Lin Wan's gaze fell on the two handwritten characters on the cover.

'Icebreaker'.

When she scanned the terms of the letter of intent at the fastest speed possible, a surge of anger rushed straight to her head.

"Have you gone mad!"

Lin Wan slammed the letter of intent heavily onto the armrest.

"Do you have any idea what your upcoming workload is like?"

"Once 'The Lurker' wraps, you won't even have a single day to catch your breath before joining the crew for this 'Icebreaker'!"

"I've also received news that 'The Legend of Han and Chu' is preparing to announce its release date. You'll have to attend the roadshow then!"

"There are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year. Are you planning not to rest for a single one? Are you made of iron, or are you trying to get yourself killed!"

The air pressure inside the vehicle was terrifyingly low. Assistant Sun Zhou wished he could shrink into a ball.

Jiang Ci looked quietly at Lin Wan. His eyes, bloodshot from days of intense filming, held no excuses or retreat.

All of Lin Wan's fury suddenly died the moment it met those eyes.

There was a kind of calmness in those eyes that made her heart ache sharply.

She abruptly remembered the deeply buried pain he mentioned when talking about his father, and finally understood that behind this stubbornness was a line he would not allow to be crossed.

She deflated, leaning back exhaustedly into her seat, raising a hand to press against her throbbing temple.

She knew she couldn't stop this madman.

A long time passed.

Lin Wan picked up the laptop again, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

"You signed with Spark. Your schedule is my call."

Her voice was cold and hard.

"I've already helped you decline those two high-end luxury brand commercial appearances next month. The company will cover the penalty."

"After 'The Lurker' wraps, before 'Icebreaker' starts shooting, I've squeezed out seven days for you. Go home and rest properly."

When Jiang Ci returned to the set of 'The Lurker,' the atmosphere within the crew had undergone a subtle change.

The aftermath of the online storm had cast an unpredictable aura around his name in the eyes of industry insiders.

He was no longer just a newcomer with good acting skills, but more like a 'big shot with unfathomable connections.'

Even when a set assistant handed him water, they instinctively offered it with both hands, body slightly bowed.

"Teacher Jiang, your water."

Jiang Ci took the water and thanked him. He could feel the probing and wary gazes from all around.

In the corner, Director Hou Hsiao-hsien was facing the monitor, completely deaf to everything outside.

Only when Jiang Ci approached did he look up.

Hou Hsiao-hsien didn't stand on ceremony, nor did he look at Jiang Ci any higher because of that storm.

On the contrary, his murky eyes burned with an almost fanatical artistic excitement.

He picked up a few pages of still-warm paper from beside his director's chair and shoved them into Jiang Ci's hands.

They were new pages.

A scene added at the last minute.

Hou Hsiao-hsien's voice was very low, filled with satisfaction, "Perfect. The despair and loneliness of Shen Qingyuan in the later stages wasn't enough."

"Your current state is perfect."

Director Hou pointed at those pages.

"For the final scene, add a solo dance in the rain."

"Make his death even more beautiful."

He Xiaoping found Jiang Ci before filming started.

She wore a simple T-shirt and jeans, having washed away Gu Wanbai's fragility, leaving only her own cool, sharp efficiency.

"I heard you accepted Teacher Yan Zheng's script?" She got straight to the point.

Jiang Ci looked up from the script and nodded.

"Do you know what Teacher Yan's filming style is like?"

He Xiaoping lowered her voice, "My grandfather worked with him before. In snow at minus twenty degrees Celsius, for a single shot, he made all the actors lie down for five hours."

"Half the crew ended up in the hospital."

"His filming can really cost you your life."

Jiang Ci looked at the genuine concern in her eyes and replied calmly.

"That is my life."

He Xiaoping fell silent.

From this seemingly random statement, she understood a certain heaviness she could not touch.

Late at night, on set.

Artificial rainfall and water trucks were activated simultaneously. A torrential downpour poured down, turning the entire Republican-era street into a muddy mess.

This was the final scene before Shen Qingyuan's death.

He had sent out his last piece of intelligence; his identity was about to be exposed.

After dawn, the city would be liberated.

And he would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame as a traitor.

Jiang Ci, wearing a thin suit, stood in the center of the empty street.

The icy rain instantly soaked him through, clinging to his body, outlining his gaunt frame.

"Action!"

At the command, Jiang Ci moved.

He faced the empty space ahead, that void of darkness, and performed a flawless gentleman's bow.

Then, he extended his hand, his arm circling in a standard posture, as if there, in his embrace, was a beloved but invisible dance partner.

He began a simple, casual tango.

The unfinished dance he and Gu Wanbai had shared back at the Paramount Ballroom.

The steps were elegant, each one landing in the muddy water, splashing up dirty ripples.

His suit was a mess, but his movements remained composed and proud.

A turn, a pause.

The world was left with only him and the non-existent lover in his arms.

This lonely dance was his farewell to the world he had protected with his life but which had utterly abandoned him.

It was also the most cruel memorial for his own love that had been crushed.

Behind the monitor, everyone watched the figure dancing alone in the heavy rain on the screen.

That elegance pushed to the extreme, that Broken Feeling, pierced the heart of every person present.

The newly graduated little assistant from the Costume Department could no longer hold back, covering her mouth as tears silently rolled down.

He Xiaoping stood behind the crowd, biting her lip hard to keep herself from losing composure.

She finally understood that this man was born to portray tragedy.

In Jiang Ci's mind, the pale blue system panel refreshed frantically.

[From makeup artist Zhang Li, Heartbreak Value +18]

[From costume assistant Zhou Na, Heartbreak Value +22]

...

[Heartbreak Value +188 points]

[Congratulations, host, for obtaining lifespan duration: 60 days]

This tango performance had bought him two months of life.

"Cut..."

Hou Hsiao-hsien's voice rang out.

The rain stopped.

Jiang Ci remained standing in place, rainwater dripping from his hair and chin, his entire body icy cold.

Only when Zhao Zhen rushed up with a steaming hot dry towel and wrapped him tightly in it did that warmth stop his trembling body.

Right in the midst of this chaos of voices and rain,

the phone in his pocket vibrated, inappropriately.

Jiang Ci took the phone. The name flashing on the screen was Wei Song, director of 'The Legend of Han and Chu.'

As soon as the call connected, Wei Song's steady tone cut through the noise, coming through clearly, "Jiang Ci, 'The Legend of Han and Chu' is scheduled! September 1st!"

He paused, then changed tack, "But there's a bit of a problem with the publicity. Your current 'domestic entertainment God of War' image is too hard. They're worried it will affect the audience's immersion into Xiang Yu."

"I have an idea. What if we don't release any trailers!"

"Let's use that set of 'The Farewell My Concubine' stills of yours as the main publicity material, only release the back view."

"Use the sense of mystery to dilute the audience's stereotypical impression of you."