The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 46: First Meal Back at School: Bragging!

"Brother Ci, that was some next-level bragging, I give it full marks." Zhao Zhen slapped Jiang Ci's shoulder, his face showing undisguised envy and jealousy. "What do you mean 'your doctor is on stage'? Are you performing Romeo here?"

Chen Mo pushed up his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses flashing with rational light. "According to Freud's theory, this is a typical psychological defense mechanism, projecting personal emotions into artistic creation to alleviate real-world anxiety. Brother Ci, this counts as sublimation."

Jiang Ci: "..."

Spending too much time with these two, one could kill any conversation dead, the other could turn it into an academic report.

"Alright." Jiang Ci stood up. "Stop analyzing, let's go grab something to eat."

"Let's go!" Zhao Zhen instantly perked up, throwing an arm around Jiang Ci's neck. "You're definitely treating! You're a big star now, we have to take advantage of this!"

"No problem." Jiang Ci agreed immediately.

He had the payment from "Three Lifetimes Tribulation" in his bank account. Although he'd transferred most of it to his mom, he still had more than enough to treat his brothers.

The three of them walked out of the dormitory building with arms around each other's shoulders, as if they'd returned to their freshman year days.

At the school gate, the barbecue street.

The evening's lively atmosphere, mixed with the aromas of cumin and chili peppers, along with the crisp clinking of beer glasses, formed the most vivid symphony of the university district's nightlife.

Zhao Zhen familiarly found a stall and sat down, waving his hand grandly.

"Boss! The usual three! Lamb kidneys, tendon, and giant squid, load them up with spicy until it kills! And bring a case of ice-cold beer!"

Soon, sizzling skewers and chilled beer were brought to the table.

Zhao Zhen popped open three bottles with a "pshh" sound, placing one in front of each person.

"Come on! Brother Ci! Welcome home!" He raised his beer bottle. "And here's to you soon conquering Qiao Xinran and reaching the peak of life!"

Jiang Ci clinked bottles with him and took a big swig.

The cool liquid slid down his throat, dispelling the late summer heat and washing away the tension that had built up in his heart over the past few months.

"Don't talk nonsense." Jiang Ci put down his bottle and picked up a skewer of grilled kidneys.

"Me talking nonsense?" Zhao Zhen's gossip spirit burned fiercely. "It's all over the internet! They say you and Qiao Xinran developed feelings while filming, that you two were inseparable every day on set! And that leaked photo, the way she was looking at you, damn, it was practically dripping with desire!"

Chen Mo calmly added from the side: "I've seen the photo. The shooting angle was low-angle, with light coming from behind and to the side. This kind of lighting easily creates an affectionate atmosphere. From a communication studies perspective, this photo has the potential to go viral."

Zhao Zhen glared at him: "Speak human language!"

"That means it might be staged, for publicity." Chen Mo said succinctly.

"Impossible!" Zhao Zhen immediately refuted. "Does my Brother Ci need that kind of publicity? He relies on his acting skills! Right, Brother Ci?"

Jiang Ci didn't speak, just silently took another drink of beer.

How could he explain?

That the way Qiao Xinran looked at him wasn't admiration, but Stockholm syndrome developed after being repeatedly emotionally devastated by his acting?

They wouldn't believe him even if he said it.

His silence, in Zhao Zhen's eyes, became confirmation.

"Holy shit!" Zhao Zhen slapped his thigh, his voice rising an octave. "It's really true? Brother Ci, you're amazing! That's Qiao Xinran we're talking about!"

Jiang Ci choked on his beer, coughing for a long time.

"Let's not talk about this." He changed the subject. "For the graduation play, which groups did you get assigned to?"

At the mention of this, Zhao Zhen's face instantly fell.

"Don't even mention it." He ate a skewer with utter despair. "I got assigned to 'Thunderstorm,' playing Lu Dahai."

Chen Mo gave him a sympathetic look: "With your image, you'd struggle playing Zhou Chong, let alone Lu Dahai... the director has quite the imagination."

"Get lost!" Zhao Zhen cursed, then looked at Jiang Ci with schadenfreude. "But compared to you, I'm still lucky. Brother Ci, you've got big trouble!"

Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow.

"Your partner, Xia Meng." Zhao Zhen lowered his voice, his expression mysterious. "Do you know what her nickname in our department is?"

"What?"

"Absolute Zero." Zhao Zhen said. "They say from enrollment until now, no guy has been able to have a continuous conversation with her for more than three sentences."

"Always with that 'don't touch me' expression. During professional class rehearsals, if there's any physical contact, her gaze, whoosh, can freeze you into an ice sculpture."

Chen Mo nodded in agreement: "Xia Meng's professional skills are indeed top-notch, excellent in every subject."

"Unfortunately, her personality is too reclusive, she hardly participates in any group activities. Her playing Ming Ming... in terms of appearance and temperament, it's a good fit. But Ming Ming's character has a passionate heart, cold on the outside but warm inside. This requires the acting partner to guide and stimulate her."

Chen Mo looked at Jiang Ci, his expression serious.

"Brother Ci, your opponent is an actor who's technically perfect but emotionally completely closed off. And you need to play Ma Lu, a madman who would burn himself up for love. The two of you, one ice, one fire. Whether you can create chemistry is hard to say."

"Interesting." Jiang Ci said simply.

Zhao Zhen and Chen Mo exchanged glances, both seeing horror in each other's eyes.

"Um... Brother Ci, maybe we should ask Old Liu to change the script?" Zhao Zhen tentatively suggested.

Jiang Ci shook his head.

He picked up his beer bottle, tilted his head back, and drank the remaining half-bottle in one go.

Then he slammed the empty bottle heavily on the table.

"She's the one."

The next morning, Jiang Ci slept until he woke naturally.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting mottled spots of light on the desktop.

Outside the dormitory, there were the noisy sounds of students going to class and the crisp ringing of bicycle bells.

Everything was filled with the vibrant atmosphere of life.

Jiang Ci stretched lazily, feeling all the bones in his body relax.

This long-lost sense of relaxation almost made him forget the life countdown hanging over his head.

He reached for his phone, habitually wanting to open the system panel to check.

But this time, he resisted.

The numbers on the panel were what he had fought desperately to earn.

He didn't want that string of cold numbers to ruin this moment of peace.

His phone vibrated, the screen lighting up.

It was a WeChat message.

[Old Liu: Back at school?]

Jiang Ci immediately sat up, leaning against the headboard, his fingers tapping on the screen.

[Jiang Ci: Teacher Liu, I arrived at school yesterday afternoon.]

The message was sent, and in less than three seconds, a reply came.

[Old Liu: Come to my office. Now.]

Concise and to the point, without a trace of emotion.

Jiang Ci sighed and got out of bed.

"Brother Ci, up so early?" Chen Mo from the opposite bed adjusted his glasses, looking up from a pile of professional books.

"Old Liu called me."

"Yikes!" Chen Mo gasped sharply. "You've been out of contact for so long this semester, he's definitely going to give you a proper lecture. You're on your own."

Jiang Ci didn't say anything, quickly washed up, changed into a clean T-shirt and jeans, pulled his cap down low, and walked out of the dormitory.