The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 290: Laughing at the jokes, not at the people; Brother Kun is a real man
The next morning.
The entire Chinese film market was sent reeling by a staggering number.
Four hundred and fifty million!
*The Legend of Han and Chu* raked in a whopping 450 million on its opening day!
This figure, like a heavy bomb, shattered multiple long-standing single-day box office records in Chinese film history.
The top ten spots on Weibo's trending list were brutally occupied by five entries related to this film.
#Jiang Ci's Killer Gaze#
#That Sword by the Wu River#
#Xiang Yu in the Flesh# 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
#Apologize to the Hegemon#
#The Legend of Han and Chu Ascends to Godhood#
Each hashtag was followed by a crimson "Explosive" tag, declaring the terrifying heat of this nationwide frenzy.
If last night's premiere only detonated an emotional tsunami within a small circle,
then today, that tsunami had already swept across the entire nation.
However, what truly left everyone in the industry holding their breath in fear was not the box office, nor the trending topics.
It was the attitude from the official authorities.
A state-level official media outlet published a film review article titled *What is the Backbone of a Proper Historical Drama?*.
The article not only explicitly praised the exquisite production and historical rigor of *The Legend of Han and Chu*,
but also, at the end, used a nine-grid layout to separately comment on the Xiang Yu portrayed by Jiang Ci.
There was no lengthy analysis.
The accompanying images were nine stills of Xiang Yu from different periods in the film,
from the high spirits at the Hongmen Feast, to the weariness amidst the Chu Songs on All Sides, to the resolve of the Wujiang River suicide.
The comment consisted of only sixteen characters.
"He brought to life the hero's final road, and performed the depth of history. The spirit of youth, an eternal elegy."
These sixteen characters carried immense weight.
It was an authoritative endorsement in the court of public opinion, hung high above the city gates of that court.
An "Imperial Pardon".
Online, those marketing accounts that had once viciously attacked Jiang Ci for acting arrogant and being unprofessional,
overnight collectively deleted their posts and groveled in apology.
Immediately after, the official movie channel also published a lengthy article, once again singling out Jiang Ci.
"...He not only brought to life the hero's final road, but also performed the depth of history. He is a rare 'immersive' method actor among young performers."
"We have reason to believe that such an actor will bring more classic roles worthy of remembrance to the market..."
Inside the entourage van, Sun Zhou was excitedly holding his phone, reading these promotional articles aloud.
Jiang Ci leaned back in his seat, tuning out everything from the outside world.
Before his eyes was the pale blue system panel only he could see.
The epic heartbreak storm from last night, combined with the scattered Heartbreak Value contributed by countless audiences in cinemas across the country after the film's public release today, had caused his account balance to skyrocket once again.
[Heartbreak Value Balance: 8690 points]
[Remaining Lifespan: Ten years, one month, 4 days]
Ten years.
This number caused Jiang Ci to momentarily lose himself in thought.
From initially having only seven days of life left, struggling on the brink of death, to now, he possessed ten years.
Enough for him to do many things.
The car came to a smooth stop downstairs at Spark Media.
The moment Jiang Ci pushed the car door open and stepped into the company lobby, all noise abruptly ceased.
The receptionist, the admin staff, passing artist assistants...
All employees, no matter what they were doing, seemed to have been paused.
The next second, they stood up in unison, their gazes converging on Jiang Ci.
"Clap clap clap—"
Someone, no one knew who, started the applause.
Immediately, thunderous applause erupted throughout the entire lobby.
The recently graduated young woman at the front desk looked at Jiang Ci, her eyes reddening. The delayed emotional impact from being emotionally 'stabbed' in the cinema yesterday hadn't faded,
and now seeing him in person today, tears fell without warning.
Jiang Ci was somewhat flustered by this spectacle. He could only give everyone a slightly stiff nod.
Lin Wan's office.
When Jiang Ci pushed the door open and entered, she was standing by the huge floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone.
"Yes, cancel the celebration banquet. Redirect all the promotional budget to the cinemas, secure our screening slots for me!"
"What? The rival wants to move up their release date? Let them!"
She hung up the phone, turned around, her face full of sharpness and excitement.
Seeing Jiang Ci, that queenly aura of hers receded somewhat.
"Sit."
On the desk, a brand new contract was already placed there.
On the cover, the gilded letters 'S-Class' were glaringly prominent.
"This is the new contract." Lin Wan pushed the contract towards him.
"The profit-sharing ratio is the industry's highest ceiling. I fought for you to get treatment on the same level as Teacher Qin Feng."
She paused, pointing to a certain page of the contract.
"And the penalty for breach of contract, I set it at an astronomical price. This isn't to restrict you, it's to protect you."
"From now on, anyone who wants to mess with you will have to first consider whether they can afford to pay that amount."
Jiang Ci picked up the contract. Without looking at the dense clauses, he directly flipped to the last page.
He picked up a pen and wrote his name in the signature field.
The action was clean and decisive.
Watching his action, all the explanations and clarifications Lin Wan had prepared got stuck in her throat.
It took her a long moment to find her voice again.
"You... aren't going to read it?"
"Would you cheat me?" Jiang Ci countered.
Lin Wan was speechless.
This madman, so obsessively extreme when it came to acting, was naively trusting like a fool in this aspect of trusting people.
Somewhere in her heart, she inexplicably softened.
"The company has already submitted *The Legend of Han and Chu* for consideration at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards." Lin Wan leaned back in her chair, changing the subject.
"We have a chance for Best Film, Best Director. And you,"
Her gaze settled on Jiang Ci, "have a very high hope of competing for 'Best Actor'."
The Golden Rooster Awards.
Hearing these three words, Jiang Ci's face finally showed a flicker of emotion.
That was the highest temple in the field of domestic performance.
It was the holy land that every acting student, from their very first day stepping into the school gates, had repeatedly heard their teachers mention.
It wasn't just a trophy. It was a form of recognition, the most authoritative stamp of approval for the identity of "actor" that he insisted on upholding.
Seeing his rare reaction, Lin Wan was quite satisfied.
"Before you head to Yunnan province to join the *Icebreaker* crew, you have one last schedule."
Lin Wan took an invitation letter out from a drawer.
"*Vogue*, solo cover."
The name of this top-tier luxury fashion magazine itself represented the highest recognition of commercial value.
"Now everyone in the industry is saying your rise to fame is too bizarre, too freakish." Lin Wan sighed with some emotion.
"The last one to get this famous this fast, accompanied by this much controversy and traffic, was still that 'legendary man'..." She made a joke.
"Brother Kun?" Jiang Ci chimed in.
Lin Wan nodded, about to say something.
But Jiang Ci spoke up very seriously.
"Laugh at the meme, not at the man. Brother Kun is a real man."
Lin Wan's expression froze.
Jiang Ci continued in his matter-of-fact tone, "He's been doing low-key charity work in Guizhou for many years, donating a lot of supplies, all tangible and real."
"The memes online are just a frenzy, but they can't erase the genuine good deeds a person has actually done."
Looking at the young man before her who was earnestly vindicating his "idol",
Lin Wan, for a moment, didn't know how to react.
This person's train of thought could always veer into places she never expected.
She had originally just wanted to use an inside joke to lighten the mood,
but ended up getting a serious lesson in ideology and morality from him.
This peculiar sense of contrast made her appreciate him even more.
An actor, at the very center of the vortex of fame and fortune, who still retained his simple set of values,
was far too rare.
