[{"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-241":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},1297855,1723,"Chapter 241: Have You Suffered Some Injustice Outside?","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-241",241,"\u003Cp>The next day, Jiang Ci boarded the high-speed train back to the small county town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exiting the station, he didn't rush to hail a taxi. Instead, he dragged his suitcase and walked unhurriedly along the mottled street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The proprietress of the \"Li's Noodle House\" at the street corner was leaning against the doorframe cracking sunflower seeds. With sharp eyes, she spotted him, froze for half a second, and immediately raised her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh my, isn't this Chu Hong's son? Back for the holiday?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci smiled and nodded at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His home was on the third floor of an old residential building. Before he even arrived, a rich, savory aroma aggressively invaded his nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smell of braised pork.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's steps faltered. His taste buds, tormented by film crew boxed lunches for months, completely revived at this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fished out his keys and quietly, carefully unlocked the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the soft click of the lock, the figure stopped moving and whirled around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong saw Jiang Ci at the door. She was stunned at first, then immense joy exploded across her face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rubbed her hands hastily on her apron and rushed over in two quick strides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You child! Why didn't you say you were coming back ahead of time?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong grabbed his arm, looking him up and down, unable to stop muttering, \"You've lost weight, your face is a whole size smaller. You definitely haven't been eating properly outside again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, Mom, I'm strong.\" Jiang Ci let her pinch his arm. The string that had been taut in his heart for months finally completely loosened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sit down quickly, the food will be ready soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong pushed him onto the old, peeling sofa in the living room, then plunged back into the kitchen. Amidst the clanging of the spatula, her anxious follow-up questions were mixed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many days can you stay this time?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are all your school matters settled?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did you get your graduation certificate?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci sat on the sofa, answering them one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze swept across this not-so-big living room. The wall was plastered with his award certificates from childhood to now. His childhood scribbles were pressed under the glass coffee table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything was old, yet incredibly warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered in his heart how to broach the subject of buying a house without frightening his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dinner was soon on the table: three dishes and a soup, all his favorites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried pea shoots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci buried his head and shoveled in two big mouthfuls of rice. The familiar taste of home-cooked food rushed into his stomach, comforting him so much he nearly shed tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong barely touched her chopsticks. She just watched him eat, continuously adding food to his bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, you eat too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am eating. Is filming outside especially tiring?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's alright, not hard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere at the dinner table was peaceful and warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci felt the timing was about right. He put down his chopsticks and cleared his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, I've recently... earned some money.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Hong's motion of picking up food with her chopsticks abruptly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her head. The gentle smile on her face instantly faded, replaced by a look full of vigilance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What money? Did you go film that kind of dangerous scene again? The kind where you jump off a building?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci was momentarily at a loss for how to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No, Mom, what are you thinking? It's an endorsement fee, for filming an advertisement. Very safe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Endorsement?\" Chu Hong was unfamiliar with the term, but hearing it was safe, her expression eased slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci felt this was a good opportunity and decided to press forward in one go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat up straight, his tone solemn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've looked at an apartment in Star City. I want to buy it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clatter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chopsticks in Chu Hong's hand slipped and fell onto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The color drained from her face in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stared at Jiang Ci, her lips moving a few times, but no sound came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buy a house?\" Chu Hong's voice suddenly rose sharply,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiao Ci, tell Mom the truth. Were you tricked by someone from the company? Did you sign something you shouldn't have? A house in Star City... that's a price that would squeeze a person dry to the bone!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, it's not a scam.\" Jiang Ci explained patiently, \"It's a legitimate development. I've seen it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Legitimate? How do you know it's legitimate? You've only been out for a few days, do you understand how treacherous people can be?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What if you don't get any acting jobs later? You're still so young! Money should be saved for emergencies, you can't spend it so recklessly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong grew more anxious the more she spoke, her chest heaving violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci tried to calm her down: \"Mom, don't worry, I have a plan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What plan! Your greatest skill is not to get scammed!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong abruptly stood up and hurriedly rushed into the bedroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci was left standing there, stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, Chu Hong walked out holding something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a passbook. The red cover was already worn white, its corners curled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slammed the passbook heavily onto the dining table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is what I've saved over the years, plus what you gave me before. Three hundred thousand in total, all in here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you're truly dead set on buying, take this too! Don't shoulder it all alone outside!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's gaze was nailed to that passbook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even remembered drawing a little stick figure on the cover with a pencil when he was a child.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This three hundred thousand was what his mother had exchanged for a lifetime of toil and frugality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind every digit were arguments over a few cents in the wet market, were old clothes mended and patched again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head and reached out to push the passbook back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, I don't want it. My own money is enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong's eyes instantly reddened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you think Mom is old and useless now? That I can't even help with this little bit?\" Her voice carried a thick sense of grievance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's not it!\" Jiang Ci panicked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quickly got up, walked around the table, and grasped his mother's cold hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, listen to me, it's really not what you think.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked into his mother's eyes, enunciating each word clearly and distinctly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This apartment, I'm buying it for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong was completely dumbfounded, staring at him blankly as if she didn't understand the meaning of his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci continued, \"The apartment is in Star City, not far from home, just over an hour by high-speed train. In the future, you can come back to the old hometown anytime you want, or you can live there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Three bedrooms, two living rooms, good north-south ventilation, and a big balcony. Don't you always say our balcony at home is too small, you can't even properly grow flowers? That balcony is big enough for you to plant a whole garden.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The living room fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong just looked at him, not speaking, but tears welled up in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, she suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You... have you suffered some great injustice outside?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The question made Jiang Ci's heart ache with a bittersweet softness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head, forcing out a smile: \"No, Mom, I'm doing very well. I just... want you to live more comfortably in the future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong looked at the unwavering resolve in her son's eyes. There wasn't a single trace of hesitation there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly realized that the child who needed her protection in every way had truly grown up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anger that had risen in her chest due to panic slowly dissipated just like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sat down again, picked up the passbook, and slapped it firmly into Jiang Ci's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine. But for a big matter like buying a house, I have to go see it with my own eyes. I can't let you be out there alone, getting cheated without even knowing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\" Jiang Ci immediately agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci lay on the small bed he had slept in since childhood. The wooden slats felt a bit uncomfortable against him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the next room came the faint sounds of his mother tossing and turning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew she was destined to be sleepless tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lay with his eyes open, staring at the familiar water stain on the ceiling left by dampness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What flashed through his mind, however, was that string of cold numbers on the system interface—the Life Countdown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had acted in so many heart-wrenching tragedies, made countless people weep for his characters. The extended life and money he earned in exchange,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>wasn't it all for this moment of peace before him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the woman who had toiled for him her whole life to have a big balcony where she could fill with flowers?\u003C\u002Fp>",1519,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.556Z",1,"novelbin.me","3858afb50414033a9b7f6af8d1b31d11bca54c6bfc33d4483660faa0afd4d1e2","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-242","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-240",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]