The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 265: The Overlord of Western Chu Needs No Hype Whatsoever!
Early August in the capital, at the National Grand Theatre.
Inside the main hall of the press conference, not a single one of the over a thousand seats was empty.
Even the aisles were jam-packed with media personnel carrying all kinds of cameras.
The official announcement press conference for "The Legend of Han and Chu" was a grand spectacle.
This wasn't just due to the powerful appeal of Director Wei Song and the cast of veteran actors,
but more because of that one name which, by itself, had stirred up the entire entertainment industry.
Jiang Ci.
On the stage, the main creative team seats were bathed in dazzling lights, nameplates lined up in a row.
To the right of Director Wei Song, the seat bearing the nameplate "Jiang Ci" was empty.
It was already ten minutes past the scheduled start time.
An unusual atmosphere began to flow through the venue.
The press section grew increasingly restless, hushed whispers merging into a continuous buzz.
In the simultaneous live stream, the bullet comments had long since erupted into a frenzy.
"What's going on? Where is Jiang Ci? He dares not show up for a press conference of this level?"
"This isn't being late; he simply didn't come. No one saw him before the event started."
"Getting arrogant after just getting hot? Does he really think that by taking down a legal offender, he's become the industry's disciplinary committee?"
"I think he's been softly blacklisted. He offended the capital circles. Huaxing Pictures replacing him at the last minute is totally normal."
"Xiang Yu without Jiang Ci? Not watching."
On stage, the host was desperately trying to warm up the atmosphere and maintain the schedule,
but down below, the focus of every camera was tightly locked on that empty seat.
During the main creative team interaction segment, a reporter from a top-tier entertainment media outlet got the chance to ask a question.
He stood up, adjusted his glasses, pointed the microphone directly at Director Wei Song, his question sharp, almost provocative.
"Director Wei, we see that Teacher Jiang Ci is absent from such an important occasion today."
"Does this imply that in his daily work within the crew, he also exhibits similarly undisciplined behavior and a lack of cooperative spirit?"
This question was too venomous.
It directly equated "absence" with "professional ethics."
"Is the 'dedicated professional' persona so highly praised online already collapsing within 'The Legend of Han and Chu' crew?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the flashbulbs in the venue went crazy, cameras and microphones all aimed at Wei Song.
Wei Song's assistant's face instantly turned pale.
Wei Song held the microphone, not yet having spoken.
Qin Feng beside him, however, suddenly reached out and took the microphone.
This move was unexpected.
As one of the country's top Film Emperors, Qin Feng didn't even stand up,
but that simple action alone instantly froze all the clamor in the hall.
He didn't look at the questioning reporter, his gaze calmly sweeping over the restless press section below.
"In this impetuous circle," Qin Feng began, his voice steady yet enough to make the entire hall so quiet you could hear a pin drop,
"when did an actor, missing a press conference in order to reshoot the final scene well, to live up to his role, become a crime?"
He paused briefly, raised the microphone slightly, his gaze directly confronting the entire hall.
The reporter who asked the question, his face alternated between green and white.
Only then did Qin Feng's gaze return to him.
"He didn't come because he's being a real actor, in the place he should be, doing what he should do."
"As for the hype you mentioned, do you think it's necessary?"
Qin Feng leaned back in his chair, casually placing the microphone on the table with a soft thud.
"You'll know once you've seen the film."
"The Conqueror of Western Chu, doesn't need any hype."
The entire hall fell silent.
The bullet comments in the live stream, after a brief freeze, completely exploded.
"Holy shit! Film Emperor Qin is too tough! This is the true backbone of a senior!"
"One misses the press conference for filming, the other stands up to the media to protect a junior. This crew is solid from the roots up!"
"Fanned! Just for this spirit, the quality of this drama is absolutely guaranteed!"
Wei Song gave Qin Feng an almost imperceptible nod, then took the microphone.
"It seems everyone is very curious about our male lead."
"In that case, seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times."
He made a gesture to the staff backstage.
The venue lights suddenly went completely dark.
The hall plunged into utter darkness.
Before anyone could adjust, the massive IMAX main screen suddenly lit up.
No armies of thousands, no entangled love and hate.
On the screen, there was only a stretch of gray, solemn, and forbidding riverbank.
The Wu River.
The wind sounded mournful, mist rising from the water.
At that moment, a haunting, mournful sound of a bone flute suddenly rang out without warning.
That sound didn't seem of this world; it was the lament of countless lost souls,
carrying a bone-chilling coldness that instantly seized the heartbeat of everyone present.
"Eight Thousand Souls."
On the screen, there was only one figure.
The back of a figure clad in black armor, draped with a red cloak.
He stood alone by the river, his posture straight as a pine, yet exuding an exhaustion that had burned everything to ashes.
The wind whipped his robes, flapping loudly.
The camera moved forward at an almost glacial pace.
With each inch it advanced, that sense of sorrow, suppressed to the extreme, grew heavier.
In the venue, hundreds of media veterans who had seen it all, involuntarily held their breath.
The bone flute's sound grew more piercing, the dull thuds of war drums pounding against everyone's chests.
Finally, at the moment the camera drew close behind him.
That figure moved.
He slowly turned his head back.
Just that one look back.
Hundreds of media personnel on-site, along with tens of thousands of viewers before their screens, all felt their breath catch.
The person on the screen, you couldn't see any fear of death in him, any despondency of a loser.
In those eyes was a pride that had burned to its extreme and was about to be extinguished.
It was a boundless desolation, all that remained after having looked down upon the rise and fall of kingdoms, success and failure, glory and disgrace.
The solitary arrogance of the number one Hegemon through the ages, who, even trapped in a hopeless situation, still looked down upon all living beings.
He looked at the camera, and at every person before the camera.
That shattered, proud gaze penetrated the screen.
The venue was dead silent.
A physiological shudder ran up their spines all the way to the crowns of their heads.
Some even forgot to press their shutter buttons.
A mere fifteen seconds, it ended.
The screen returned to darkness.
Only when the lights came back on did many people snap out of the massive emotional impact, feeling a knot in their chests.
Almost at the same time.
#Jiang Ci Wu River Suicide#
This hashtag, with no pre-promotion, no paid posters, descended upon the number one spot on the trending list with a crushing, overwhelming force.
Behind it, was a bright red "Explosive" character.
Clicking on the hashtag, the sentiment in the comments section had completely reversed.
"I'm stunned! The hell is this acted? This is Xiang Yu himself time-traveling from the Chu-Han period, isn't it?"
"That gaze is absolutely peerless! I felt that despair and pride even through the screen. I saw the true Hegemon bidding me farewell!"
"Those who said he was Acting Arrogant, come out and take your beating! Just for this shot, even if he tore the roof off the Grand Theatre today, I'd accept it!"
"The Conqueror of Western Chu, doesn't need hype. Teacher Qin Feng, you didn't lie to me!"
At the press conference venue, it took the host quite a while to regain his professional composure, attempting to connect with Jiang Ci who was far away on the film set.
A few minutes later, he announced to the entire hall with apology and respect.
"Very sorry, everyone. We just managed to contact 'The Lurker' crew. The response we got is that Teacher Jiang Ci is currently filming the most important sacrifice scene of the entire series."
"To ensure the filming effect and the continuity of the actor's emotional state, Director Hou Hsiao-hsien has demanded a completely closed set. No one is allowed to disturb."
The play is greater than heaven.
These four words, at this moment, became the best, and toughest, public relations response to all the controversies surrounding Jiang Ci.
