The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 35: One sentence broke her heart on the spot!

She's also afraid of pain, just like you.

Boom—

Qiao Xinran's mind went completely blank.

That tiny spark of affection that had just begun to sprout, along with all her pride, was utterly crushed by this single sentence.

Her...?

Which her?

What did he mean?

That tenderness and concern that filled his eyes just now—none of it was actually for me?

Am I just a substitute?

Overwhelming humiliation instantly shattered all her defenses.

She felt like a complete fool who had mistaken kindness for affection.

Her carefully prepared, pride-worthy performance had only earned her the experience of being seen as another woman's shadow.

This was a thousand times more painful than any direct rejection or humiliation.

Who is she?!

This thought screamed wildly in her heart.

As for Jiang Ci, after speaking those words, he slowly withdrew his hand.

The sorrow and tenderness in his eyes had already vanished, replaced once more by that icy aloofness that kept everyone at a distance.

He stood up, looking down at her with eyes as calm as a bottomless, frozen pond.

It was as if the heartbreakingly tender man from moments ago had never existed at all.

"Can you stand up?"

His voice was flat, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Qiao Xinran's lips trembled, but no sound came out.

And at that very moment, the system notification sounds exploded in Jiang Ci's mind!

[Ding! Detected intense heartbreak fluctuations from 'Clapper Loader Liu Xiaoya'! Heartbreak Value +8!]

[Ding! Detected intense heartbreak fluctuations from 'Makeup Artist Wu Feifei'! Heartbreak Value +10!]

[Ding! Detected intense heartbreak fluctuations from 'Costume Department Zhou Qian'! Heartbreak Value +7!]

[Ding! Detected intense heartbreak fluctuations from 'Director Assistant Sun Li'! Heartbreak Value +9!]

...

The continuous stream of incoming notifications thrilled Jiang Ci.

Success!

This move of "hitting the ox through the mountain"—

No, it should be called "pointing at the mulberry tree while scolding the locust"—

Wait, no, it's the ultimate BE aesthetic killing technique of "seeing the essence through the phenomenon"—the effect was outstanding!

His maneuver had not only precisely shattered Qiao Xinran's pride.

It had also thoroughly fed all the female staff watching nearby a mouthful of the ultimate "unrequited love" glass shards.

In just over ten seconds, his Heartbreak Value balance skyrocketed from 545 points all the way to 621 points!

A massive increase of 76 points!

Jiang Ci forcibly suppressed the urge to roar with laughter to the heavens, maintaining Chu Wuchen's detached, emotionless expression on his face.

"Cut! Good! Excellent!"

Behind the monitor, the Director suddenly stood up, waving his arms excitedly.

He too had been stunned by the scene just now.

He didn't know what Jiang Ci had whispered in Qiao Xinran's ear.

He only saw Jiang Ci's performance that could be called a stroke of genius!

From restraint, to tenderness when crouching down, to the struggle and pain of reaching out then withdrawing his hand, and finally returning to ice-cold aloofness.

The entire emotional transformation was clearly layered and bursting with storytelling!

Especially that final look in Jiang Ci's eyes—the sorrow contained within could truly break a person's heart.

Was this even acting as an immortal?

This was clearly portraying a lonely soul who had loved for millennia and suffered for millennia!

"Jiang Ci! You're a fucking genius!"

The Director grabbed his walkie-talkie, using the highest praise in his vocabulary.

Meanwhile, Qiao Xinran, amid the astonished discussions around her, finally managed to get up from the ground.

The color visibly drained from her face, her eyes filled with humiliation, resentment, and a kind of madness she hadn't even realized herself.

Since entering the industry, everything had gone smoothly—all men around her were either captivated by her or treated her with respect.

She had never tasted the flavor of "failure."

Nor had she ever experienced the feeling of her pride-worthy charm being seen as nothing but a laughable "substitute" in someone else's eyes.

Jiang Ci!

She ground this name between her teeth in her heart.

And at that moment, the system's alarm sounded sharply once again.

[Warning! Target 'Qiao Xinran' experiencing intense emotional fluctuations! Desire to conquer rapidly escalating!]

[Emotional analysis: Humiliation 50%, Anger 30%, Resentment 20%]

[New tag generated: Desire to conquer skyrocketing from 10% to... 30%... 40%... 50%!]

[Warning! Target has locked onto host as 'Ultimate Conquest Objective'! She will stop at nothing to find out who 'she' is and prove herself as the final victor!]

Looking at the bright red "50% Desire to Conquer" on the system panel, Jiang Ci's heart sank.

Seriously, big sister?

You're still not giving up?

Shouldn't a normal person in this situation get angry from embarrassment and then stay away from a "madman" like me?

Why are you acting like you've been injected with adrenaline, determined to clear this high-difficulty dungeon?

Jiang Ci inwardly groaned—it seemed he had overplayed his hand.

He just wanted to quietly harvest some Heartbreak Value to survive, so how did he end up becoming the "ultimate challenge" in a female player's eyes?

The atmosphere during the subsequent filming became exceptionally strange.

Qiao Xinran no longer added extra scenes, nor did she look at Jiang Ci with those oily glances.

She became unusually "professional."

But Jiang Ci could clearly sense that the way she looked at him had changed.

It was no longer simple flirtation and testing.

Instead, it was a gaze filled with scrutiny and absolute determination.

She had marked him as her prey.

After a day of filming, Jiang Ci just wanted to hurry back to the hotel and stay far away from this crazy woman.

But just as he was about to leave, a figure blocked his path.

It was Gu Huai.

This top-tier skilled actor had somehow appeared behind him and was looking at him with an extremely complex expression.

"Jiang Ci, come here for a moment."

Gu Huai's voice was low.

Jiang Ci's heart skipped a beat—had he figured something out?

Gu Huai led Jiang Ci to a deserted corner of the set.

It was quiet here, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Gu Huai simply stood there in silence, his powerful presence making Jiang Ci feel considerable pressure.

He felt somewhat nervous—what did this big shot want with him?

Had he noticed that Jiang Ci had been deliberately messing with Qiao Xinran earlier, and was he going to reprimand him for the sake of the crew's "harmony"?

"You acted very well just now."

Gu Huai broke the silence first, his voice betraying no emotion.

Jiang Ci felt slightly relieved and replied modestly, "Thank you, Teacher Gu. I was just trying my best to understand the character."

"Understand the character?"

The corner of Gu Huai's mouth lifted into a faint smile that carried a hint of inquiry.

"I actually think you weren't understanding the character—you were 'creating' the character."

Jiang Ci's heart jumped.

Gu Huai continued, "I watched the replay. After you crouched down, you said something to Qiao Xinran, right?"

Jiang Ci's heart rose to his throat.

"Don't be nervous," Gu Huai seemed to notice his unease. "I'm not interested in your private conversation." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

His gaze turned sharp, piercing straight through Jiang Ci.

"I just want to know one thing."

"How did you manage to transform her from an oily flirt into a genuinely heartbroken actress in just over ten seconds?"

"Manage what?" Jiang Ci instinctively played dumb.