The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles-Chapter 56: Jiang Ci’s "Side Job" Can’t Stay Hidden Anymore!
The official announcement post for "Palace Conspiracy" on Weibo exploded like a bomb, detonating across the internet.
As the year's most heavily invested, strongest-cast S-rank historical political intrigue masterpiece, its very appearance was a feast of traffic.
The Weibo network was instantly set ablaze, with countless fans, drama enthusiasts, and casual netizens flooding the official account.
On the trending topics page, everyone was going crazy, drooling over Qin Feng's emperor-like demeanor and Zhao Lingxue's peerless elegance.
Every single image in the nine-panel poster was being zoomed in to a pixel-level for analysis and praise.
At that moment, a detail-obsessed "Leeuwenhoek" netizen discovered an unbelievable highlight in the most inconspicuous corner of the nine-panel poster, the ensemble cast image for supporting characters.
The lighting in that poster was dim, the atmosphere solemn and murderous, with over a dozen characters clustered around the leads, each portraying a different fate.
And in a position that wasn't eye-catching at first glance, but one you absolutely couldn't ignore once you saw it,
a young general clad in tattered armor, his face smeared with blood and grime, was looking up at the sky.
His face was a mess of dust and bloodstains, utterly disheveled, but his eyes shone like two cold stars.
An extreme sense of brokenness and desperation pierced through the screen, slamming hard into the hearts of everyone who saw this poster.
After a few seconds of dead silence, this netizen typed out a line with trembling fingers.
"Holy shit! This... this is that Jiang Ci guy, isn't it?!"
This comment instantly blew up the pot.
Countless people flooded into the replies under this comment, repeatedly verifying.
[It really is him! Even with the makeup, I'd recognize that aura even if I were turned to ashes!]
[I'm stunned! Wasn't he still acting in the xianxia drama "Three Lifetimes Tribulation"? How did he run off to "Palace Conspiracy" to play a general?]
[Wait a minute, this poster position... even though it's a supporting role, this is definitely not an extra! This is the treatment only important characters get!]
The direction of public opinion underwent a shocking reversal within just a few minutes.
The hashtag #JiangCi PalaceConspiracy# descended directly to third place on the hot search list with a force more ferocious and unstoppable than before, preceded by a blood-red "boiling" character.
If the previous hot search was about everyone discussing "Who is Jiang Ci?"
This time, the core topic completely became—"What gives him the right?"
"A complete newcomer, and his first project is an S-rank masterpiece like 'Palace Conspiracy'? How powerful must his background be?"
"That's not right, though. Didn't he sign with Spark Media? That company isn't top-tier in the industry, is it? Could they have that much influence?"
"Hey, upstairs, did you forget? When his Weibo announcement happened, both Gu Huai and Su Qingying liked it! The more you think about it, the scarier it gets!"
"Let me sort this out. He's playing the fourth male lead in 'Three Lifetimes Tribulation' while also playing an important supporting role in 'Palace Conspiracy.' Doesn't this count as double-booking? Are the entry barriers for artists these days that low?"
All sorts of speculations began racing headlong toward the realms of metaphysics and conspiracy theories.
Some said he was the illegitimate son of some big shot in the Beijing entertainment circle,
Some said he was a heaven-sent resource-backed celebrity forcibly inserted by capital,
And some even stated with absolute certainty that there was a massive PR team behind him orchestrating all of this.
At the center of the storm, Dorm Room 404 was currently a scene of dead silence.
Zhao Zhen and Chen Mo were already completely numb.
They were holding their phones in a daze, the screens displaying the same "Palace Conspiracy" poster.
The young general on the poster, with his chilling aura and tragic hero vibe, formed an utterly absurd contrast with the Jiang Ci on the floor who had just finished doing planks and was lying there exhausted like a dead dog.
They felt like the four years of acting classes they'd taken at the film academy had all been fed to the dogs.
"Ci... Ci-ge..."
Zhao Zhen's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He stammered as he spoke, his voice trembling.
"The fourth male lead in 'Three Lifetimes Tribulation'... and the important supporting role in 'Palace Conspiracy'..."
He paused, mustering all his strength to ask that question.
"Which one... which one is actually your 'little side job'?"
Jiang Ci had just recovered a bit from his exhausted state. Hearing this question, he scratched his head in confusion, his face filled with simplicity and sincerity.
"They both are..."
"It's all for a living..."
He couldn't exactly say that all of this was to extend his lifespan.
"..."
Zhao Zhen and Chen Mo exchanged a look, seeing the same brand of stupefaction reflected in each other's pupils.
They felt Jiang Ci wasn't just showing off anymore.
He might be trying to enlighten them, two mere mortals.
Driven by this wave of overwhelming popularity, the number of followers on Jiang Ci's Weibo account officially broke through the 1.5 million mark in a way that seemed to defy basic logic.
Countless marketing accounts worked overnight, churning out various sensational "in-depth analysis" articles with alarming titles, sprouting up like bamboo shoots after rain.
Jiang Ci had clearly become a rising traffic star who had already gained fame before even officially appearing in the public eye.
...
In another apartment in the capital.
Xia Meng's phone also timely popped up a hot search notification.
Her life was extremely regular; she never stayed up late. But tonight, she made an exception.
She was repeatedly watching a recording of her own rehearsal, trying to find even the slightest flaw.
When the words #JiangCi PalaceConspiracy# popped up, she just calmly clicked on it.
On the screen, that poster of the young general instantly occupied her entire field of vision.
She looked at the man on the poster, his eyes blazing, his aura desperate.
Her fingers, which had just been resting casually on the edge of the phone, suddenly tightened.
A violent tremor came from deep within her heart.
The Jiang Ci on the poster was a wildfire full of destructive beauty.
How did he do it?
All along, Xia Meng had absolute confidence in her "technique."
It was the only thing she could use to prove herself from within the halo and shackles of being "Xia Zongguo's granddaughter."
She firmly believed that perfect technique could reach the endpoint of performance.
But now, Jiang Ci's existence was like a resounding slap, striking hard against her belief.
His performance had no discernible "technique" to speak of.
Yet the power conveyed on that poster, that heart-piercing Broken Feeling, made her, the great master of the "technique school," tremble.
No.
That's not right.
Xia Meng closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down.
That wasn't acting.
It must be some kind of "method" she didn't know about, some shortcut.
A heretical path.
When she opened her eyes again, that moment of doubt had completely vanished.
