[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans":3,"chapter-the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-157":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The More Tragic I Act, the Stronger I Get — My Fans Beg Me to Stop Killing Off My Roles",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1297771,1723,"Chapter 157: Sorry, He's Just Too Into His Job","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-157",157,"\u003Cp>That picture-perfect healing smile on Xiao Ran's face visibly stiffened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His brain began to race, trying to parse this man's abrupt, nonsensical question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is there a tutorial?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of newfangled pickup line is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or some insider jargon only those in the circle understand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ran's agent reacted lightning-fast, immediately stepping forward to place himself between Xiao Ran and Jiang Ci, his face plastered with an even more ingratiating smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Teacher Jiang, you're such a joker.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Our Xiao Ran's natural affinity is just innate. What kind of tutorial could there possibly be?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, the agent subtly nudged Xiao Ran with his elbow, signaling him to quickly pick up the thread and smooth over this bizarre situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze passed over the agent's shoulder, still firmly locked onto Xiao Ran's face, which was beginning to look a bit unnatural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued with serious, utterly unemotional persistence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Innate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then how do the facial muscles exert force?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there a specific standard for the angle of the upward curve of the mouth?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What kind of mental activity needs to accompany the eyes to achieve this kind of 'healing' effect?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A barrage of overly \"technical\" soul-searching questions instantly tore away all the unspoken pretenses in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile on Xiao Ran's agent's face vanished completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ran himself was utterly frozen in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout his career, he had received countless interviews and flattery. Everyone praised his smile for being infectious, for being able to heal hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had long grown accustomed to this praise and internalized it as part of his personal charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had never imagined that one day, the act of \"smiling\" would be quantified and deconstructed in such a manner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of extreme confusion, an indescribable sense of shame surged violently in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally found the only \"reasonable explanation\" for Jiang Ci's bizarre behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A form of humiliation laced with extreme aggression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci, this industry-famous \"BE maniac,\" was using his method of studying tragic characters to dissect his own \"healing smile.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was using this method to mock his smile as a hypocritical product built from technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having figured this out, the muscles in Xiao Ran's face relaxed completely. That practiced, professional smile disappeared without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his head, looked directly at Jiang Ci, and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Teacher Jiang's research into acting truly goes deep into the bones.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words carried a hint of barely perceptible sharpness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not like me, who only knows the clumsiest method.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Smiling from the heart.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cleverly framed Jiang Ci's behavior as \"obsessing over technique, lacking soul.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he himself was \"genuine and heartfelt, naturally flawless.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This undercurrent-laden confrontation instantly escalated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan, standing to the side, had already clenched her fists, ready to jump in and start tearing into them at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when she witnessed this unexpected turn of events, her whole mind went blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had envisioned a hundred different scenarios of verbal sparring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she had never anticipated that Jiang Ci would use this method, akin to a dimensional reduction strike, to disarm his opponent without shedding a single drop of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ran and his agent were still on the first level, playing the industry's usual games of flattery-turned-backstabbing and veiled sarcasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jiang Ci, he was on the fifth level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This extreme sense of absurdity and contrast intertwined, making Lin Wan almost fail to hold back a laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her understanding of Jiang Ci, this \"new breed in the industry,\" was refreshed once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no longer just having an unusual train of thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was practically here to clean up the entire entertainment industry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan forcibly suppressed the urge to smile, stepped forward, and gently patted Jiang Ci's shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked towards Xiao Ran's agent, whose expression had already turned somewhat unpleasant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a tone that said, \"My kid doesn't know any better, sorry for the trouble,\" she spoke lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sorry about that, Brother Wang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He's got a bit of a professional obsession. Whenever he sees good acting, he always wants to deconstruct it and learn from it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan paused, then shifted her focus, looking at Xiao Ran.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After all, we're not like Teacher Xiao Ran, gifted by nature, a natural from birth.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan's words seemed like an apology, an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These few phrases not only solidified that the exchange between Xiao Ran and Jiang Ci was a \"discussion on acting,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But also, from the side, confirmed Jiang Ci's \"professionalism.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that line, \"not like Teacher Xiao Ran, gifted by nature,\" was a masterstroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It directly yanked Xiao Ran's pride and joy, his \"healing smile,\" from the realm of \"personal charm,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And dragged it onto the track of \"acting talent.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with Jiang Ci's earlier barrage of \"technical\" questions,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one-two punch from the duo directly hammered Xiao Ran into a \"specialty actor\" who \"only knows how to smile,\" with a singular, narrow talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ran's agent's face flushed a purplish-red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having navigated the industry for years, this was the first time he had encountered opponents who played by no rules at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you curse them, they're praising your \"great acting.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you ignore them, they look utterly sincere, eager to learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This feeling of having fire with nowhere to vent it, of punching cotton, made him feel like he was about to vomit blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the atmosphere was awkward to the point of near-solidification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Creak—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That ancient, heavy garden-style wooden door slowly swung open from the inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged man dressed in simple gray homespun cloth, with a slender build and a calm, composed demeanor, emerged from behind the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not look at the four people with their various agendas at the door, nor did he acknowledge the tense, confrontational atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply stood by the door and spoke plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director Hou invites everyone inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This utterly ordinary sentence was like a bucket of cold water, dousing the gunpowder in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Ran took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fury and humiliation in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he raised his head again, that impeccable professional smile was back on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only this time, when he looked at Jiang Ci, that originally clear, warm sunlight in his eyes now carried undisguised scrutiny and hostility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave Lin Wan and Jiang Ci a polite nod, then took the lead, stepping through the door with his agent in tow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His posture carried a sense of asserting dominance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if they were the hosts of today's meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the two of them disappear behind the door, Lin Wan finally let out a sigh of relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She leaned close to Jiang Ci's ear, lowered her voice, and quickly instructed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well done.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But once we're inside, tone it down. Hou Hsiao-hsien is in there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mind was still replaying the entire process of Xiao Ran's smile going from perfect to shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A standardized emotion could produce such drastic fluctuations when hit with external verbal impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stability is far too poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems this method of performance isn't suitable for me after all.\u003C\u002Fp>",1186,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","a60c4b8c20ff779064b443de190c141ba41e2b908dc4c8ddc44a5e5d66086ab7","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-158","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-156",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]