The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 271: Don’t read the ending, you’ll feel sorry for her.
The entire internet was waiting.
Waiting for He Xiaoping's response.
Black fans and paid posters had already prepared dozens of versions of promotional articles.
As long as He Xiaoping posted a vague Weibo, or one carrying even the slightest hint of grievance.
They could instantly nail Jiang Ci to the pillar of shame labeled "on-set bully" and "workplace bully."
The pyre of public opinion had been stacked high into the sky, only missing the spark that He Xiaoping would drop.
Inside the hotel room, He Xiaoping picked up her phone without a moment's hesitation.
She opened her photo album.
Edited.
Sent.
A brand new Weibo post, without any prior announcement, appeared on the homepages of all the gossip-hungry masses.
In the photo was her side profile, taken in a corner of the film set, eyes red, silently eating a boxed meal.
There was only one photo.
The accompanying text was also just one sentence.
"Those were Gu Wanbai's tears, not He Xiaoping's grievance."
This Weibo post poured cold water over the heads of all the reveling black fans and paid posters.
What does this mean?
What does 'Gu Wanbai's tears' mean?
Before everyone could react, He Xiaoping immediately posted another Weibo.
"...Before joining 'The Lurker' film crew, I thought my understanding of the character Gu Wanbai was already deep enough."
"Until yesterday's scene, I realized how laughable my self-assurance was."
"Jiang Ci, with his performance, helped me break through my acting bottleneck. He is the most dedicated and most awe-inspiring opponent I have ever encountered."
At the end of the long post, she solemnly tagged Jiang Ci's personal account.
If He Xiaoping's Weibo was a blow to the head.
Then, almost in the same second, a video released by the official 'The Lurker' Weibo account was enough to break everyone's spine.
Video title: 'The Character of an Actor.'
The video wasn't accompanied by any stirring music, only the most authentic on-set audio.
The footage started from Jiang Ci throwing the cake to the wolfhound.
His expression under the high-definition lens was even more impactful than the secretly filmed video.
He Xiaoping, playing Gu Wanbai, her tears bursting forth, being roughly dragged out of the main gate by servants.
"Cut!"
Hou Hsiao-hsien's hoarse voice rang out.
Inside, the smile on Jiang Ci's face instantly vanished.
That forced, fierce expression faded away, leaving behind bewilderment and exhaustion.
He shook his head and quickly walked towards the outside.
Then, it was the scene from the secretly filmed video.
He reached out his hand, wanting to help the crouching, weeping He Xiaoping up.
"Don't touch me!"
He Xiaoping screamed, swatting his hand away.
The secretly filmed video ended there.
But the official behind-the-scenes footage did not.
The lens clearly recorded everything that happened next.
Jiang Ci's hand hung awkwardly in mid-air; he was stunned.
It was a reaction of complete bewilderment.
He simply silently took two steps back, retreating to a safe distance.
Then, he turned around, using his own back to face the sobbing, broken He Xiaoping.
He didn't try to comfort her again, nor did he leave.
He just stood there quietly, using his own body to shield her from the gazes of all the surrounding crew members.
Only when He Xiaoping's agent rushed over with a blanket did he silently, quietly walk away without a word.
The end of the video was a long shot.
Jiang Ci walked alone to a deserted corner, his back to the camera, pulling a cigarette pack from his pocket only to find it empty.
He irritably crumpled the empty pack into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
The loneliness of an actor after leaving their role transmitted through the screen.
Those black fans who had just been frantically hammering their keyboards were now collectively choked.
Their comments, "hating for the sake of hating," appeared so laughable and despicable in the face of ironclad video evidence.
Public opinion ground to a halt.
#He Xiaoping He is the best opponent#
This brand new hashtag surged onto the trending chart at an astonishing speed.
Netizens' emotions shifted from anger to immense guilt, followed immediately by a frenzy of praise for Jiang Ci's character.
"Holy shit! I'm a fucking idiot! I apologize! Sorry, Jiang Ci! Sorry, He Xiaoping!"
"This is fucking god-tier acting! This is a real actor! What the hell were we fools arguing about!"
"After having his hand swatted away, he didn't get angry, silently stepped back, then turned to shield her from everyone's gaze... this character, this grace, I'm fucking crying!"
Right at the moment public opinion completely reversed.
Multiple veteran actors who had previously worked with Jiang Ci, almost simultaneously, reposted this behind-the-scenes video from 'The Lurker' official Weibo.
Film Emperor Qin Feng.
Veteran actor Huang Shengqiu.
...
Their captions were shockingly uniform, just eight words.
"The play is greater than heaven, character is seen in the details."
These eight words were the most authoritative stamp of approval from industry seniors.
That marketing account called "Old Ghost Insider" had its comment section and private messages flooded by furious netizens within half an hour.
It had no choice but to disable comments and sheepishly delete that so-called "smoking gun" video.
And at the center of this storm, Jiang Ci, was completely unaware of everything happening online.
He was hiding in his hotel room, facing the mirror, practicing the micro-expressions for the final scene over and over again.
He needed to retrieve a little bit of the character's initial warmth from "Shen Qingyuan's" bone-deep fierceness and resolve.
He repeatedly tried to curl the corners of his mouth in the mirror, attempting to show an innocent, carefree smile belonging to a wealthy young master.
But the person in the mirror, the smile simply couldn't reach his eyes, stiff like a mask.
"No good, still too stiff."
"Shen Qingyuan's smile should be a bit cleaner, without a trace of shadow..."
He was completely immersed in his own world, utterly oblivious to the earth-shattering changes outside.
Spark Media, President's Office.
Lin Wan stood before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, holding a glass of red wine, watching the terrifying public opinion data coming in from the backend.
The Public Relations Director stood behind her, having gone from initial panic to now being dumbstruck.
"Di... Director Lin..."
"Release a statement," Lin Wan said, swirling the liquid in her glass, a cold smile on her lips.
"Ah? Still release one?"
"Mm," Lin Wan turned around. "Don't sue those marketing accounts, and don't mention any grievances."
"Just one sentence: Thank the entire internet for their supervision. Everyone is welcome to enter the cinema to judge Shen Qingyuan."
This was precisely the effect she wanted.
The entire internet was curious.
What kind of plot, what kind of performance could it be, to scare an actress from a 'red third generation' background, who had seen countless major scenes, to the point of breaking down on the spot?
Just as everyone's curiosity was piqued to its highest point.
That director, Hou Hsiao-hsien, who paid attention to nothing but filming, suddenly updated his personal Weibo.
He posted a photo.
The background of the photo was the ornate floor of Shen Mansion from that scene.
A hand with distinct knuckles, yet deathly pale and bloodless, was clutching a wine glass.
Because the grip was too forceful, the wall of the wine glass had already cracked.
Sharp glass shards pierced the skin.
Vivid red liquid mixed with real blood dripped down.
The photo's caption was just one sentence.
"This hurts your heart?"
"Then you'd better not watch the ending."
