The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 39: Su Qingying’s Visit to the Set

Su Qingying's WeChat message had Jiang Ci agonizing all night.

"Are you there?"

These two words were practically social terrorism tactics.

You could never tell whether behind these words lay "help me get a discount," "lend me some money," or "I found out your boyfriend is cheating."

Especially coming from a perpetual lurker like Su Qingying, it made one's heart race with unease.

Jiang Ci thought about it all night but still couldn't figure out what she actually wanted.

Was she concerned about him having trouble with Lu Yifeng? But Lu Yifeng hadn't made any moves recently.

Or perhaps...

Jiang Ci felt his brain cells were about to burn out.

He cautiously replied: "I'm here, Sister Qingying, is there something you need?"

And then, there was no then.

Su Qingying's side went silent like a stone sinking into the ocean, with no further reply.

Jiang Ci: "..."

Big sister, what exactly do you want to do? Just say it already!

With you pulling this stunt, I can't even focus on farming benefits during filming today!

Throughout the day, Jiang Ci felt somewhat restless.

On one hand, he had to carefully design "tragic romance" scenes to stimulate Qiao Xinran and make her contribute Heartbreak Value.

On the other hand, he had to distract himself guessing what medicine Su Qingying was actually selling in her gourd.

He even developed an absurd thought: Could Su Qingying's account have been hacked?

He spent the day lost in these random thoughts.

When wrapping up work in the evening, just as Jiang Ci was about to get in the car to return to the hotel, he suddenly saw a familiar entourage van stop at the studio entrance.

The door opened, and a tall figure wearing a simple trench coat, sunglasses, and a mask stepped out of the vehicle.

It was Su Qingying.

What was she doing here?

Jiang Ci froze.

Other crew members also noticed this unexpected guest, causing a small commotion on site.

Su Qingying wasn't an actor in this series, so logically speaking she shouldn't be appearing here.

She took off her sunglasses, revealing that aloof and exquisitely beautiful face.

Her gaze swept across the studio, as if searching for something.

When her eyes met Jiang Ci's, he clearly saw her footsteps pause momentarily.

Then, she walked in another direction.

She approached Gu Huai, who was talking with his assistant.

"Brother Huai." Su Qingying's voice remained as cool and detached as ever.

"Qingying? What brings you here?" Gu Huai seemed somewhat surprised to see her too, but still showed a smile.

"Just passing by, thought I'd drop in to see you." Su Qingying's excuse sounded somewhat forced.

Gu Huai smiled without calling her out, warmly inviting: "Since you're already here, let's have dinner together. I happened to have made plans with the director and others."

Su Qingying remained silent for a moment before nodding: "Okay."

From beginning to end, she never glanced toward Jiang Ci again, as if he were just an insignificant background prop.

Standing in place, Jiang Ci felt even more puzzled.

What exactly was she here for?

Really just passing by?

Trying to fool a ghost! From downtown to this film studio, it takes at least an hour and a half without traffic. Who would "pass by" this godforsaken place?

She clearly came here with some purpose.

Jiang Ci couldn't understand this move.

He could only watch helplessly as Su Qingying and Gu Huai, along with the director and producer who had rushed over upon hearing the news, walked cheerfully toward the restaurant outside the studio.

Jiang Ci felt somewhat uncomfortable inside.

Not because he was being ignored, but because this feeling of being kept in the dark made him very uneasy.

"Brother Ci, are we still leaving?" Assistant Sun Zhou asked quietly nearby.

"Let's go, back to the hotel." Jiang Ci withdrew his gaze and turned to get in the car.

The car slowly drove out of the studio.

Looking through the window at the group's retreating figures, a thought suddenly occurred to Jiang Ci.

Could Su Qingying be here to "check on him"?

She sent him a WeChat yesterday, and he didn't reply immediately,

Or maybe his reply didn't meet her expectations?

So she personally came today to see what he was actually doing on set?

As soon as this thought emerged, even Jiang Ci himself found it ridiculous.

What kind of person was Su Qingying? An aloof award-winning actress, an iceberg among humans.

Would she personally make a trip for such a small matter?

Impossible, absolutely impossible.

Jiang Ci shook his head, dismissing this absurd idea from his mind.

But just then, he suddenly noticed a detail.

While Su Qingying was chatting with Gu Huai, her gaze inadvertently glanced in one direction.

Standing in that direction was Qiao Xinran, who was complaining about something to her agent.

And at this moment, Qiao Xinran was also staring intently at Su Qingying's back, her eyes filled with jealousy and hostility.

Jiang Ci's heart suddenly sank.

He seemed to understand something.

Su Qingying's visit today might not be to see him, nor to see Gu Huai.

She came to see... Qiao Xinran.

No, more accurately, she came to observe the "relationship" between him and Qiao Xinran.

She must have seen all those trending topics online: #Jiang Ci Heartbroken#, #Feeling Sorry for Chu Wuchen#.

She suspected whether he had actually developed real feelings with Qiao Xinran during filming, creating some kind of situation.

So she came personally.

She saw that he and Qiao Xinran had little interaction on set, while he appeared quite friendly with Gu Huai.

What would she think?

Would she think he was some kind of "social butterfly" skilled at handling relationships, effortlessly navigating between men and women?

But the problem was, there was nothing between him and Su Qingying either!

Jiang Ci's mind was in chaos.

The "tragic drama addict" persona he had worked so hard to build seemed to have developed cracks in Su Qingying's eyes.

He felt like a scammer who had messed up, revealing his flaws before the one person who shouldn't have discovered them.

"Brother Ci, what's wrong? You don't look well." Sun Zhou asked with concern.

"It's nothing." Jiang Ci waved his hand, "Maybe I'm just a bit tired."

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, but his heart was anything but calm.

Su Qingying's sudden visit had stirred ripples in his heart.

Meanwhile, in the restaurant's private room.

Su Qingying sat beside Gu Huai, absentmindedly listening to the director and producer holding forth.

Her mind kept replaying the scene she had witnessed earlier at the studio.

Jiang Ci and Gu Huai standing together, chatting happily like old friends.

While on the other side, that actress named Qiao Xinran looked at Jiang Ci with undisguised possessiveness and infatuation in her eyes.

This was completely different from the picture she had imagined.

In her mind, Jiang Ci should be someone immersed in his own world, poor at socializing, a "artistic madman" interested in nothing but acting.

But now it seemed he was quite skilled at handling interpersonal relationships.

He could make someone as picky as Gu Huai view him differently.

He could also make that clearly troublesome Qiao Xinran completely devoted to him.

A strange sense of irritation suddenly welled up in Su Qingying's heart.

She picked up her teacup, took a sip, trying to suppress this emotion.

"Qingying, what are you thinking about?" Gu Huai noticed her distraction.

"Nothing." Su Qingying put down her teacup, saying lightly, "I just think the atmosphere in your crew is quite good."

She deliberately added a barely noticeable emphasis on the word "atmosphere."