[{"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-249":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},1297863,1723,"Chapter 249: 404 \"All Villains\"!","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-249",249,"\u003Cp>Chen Mo's reply was almost instantaneous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just one word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci put away his phone and looked up at Lin Wan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan stood with her arms crossed, the expression on her face that said \"I'll see what tricks you can pull\" still hadn't faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jiang Ci, I'm reminding you,\" she spoke, breaking the silence in the office,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director Hou's set is not a place for you to bring friends to experience life. These two roles, even if they only have one line, must be played by professionals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I understand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he understood very clearly that when it came to acting, words were the most powerless justification in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The office door was knocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan said, \"Come in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The door was pushed open a crack, and two heads peeked in, one after the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one in front was Zhao Zhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was wearing an obviously oversized black suit, his tie crookedly knotted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a bottle of hair gel was smeared in his hair, making it stand straight up. Combined with his currently tense and twisted expression, he looked exactly like a puffed-up sea urchin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him was Chen Mo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was also wearing a suit, but it was a size too small, the sleeves a bit short, revealing his thin wrists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That pair of perpetually unchanged black-framed glasses were covered with a suspicious layer of fog, making him seem somewhat unreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two of them tiptoed in, every step taken with care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged man in a gray jacket, who looked shrewd and capable, stood up from the sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the casting assistant director sent by Director Hou, surnamed Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Director Wang's gaze swept over the two of them, his brow furrowing slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up the two resumes on the table; the resumes were pitifully thin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from their names, ages, and a passport photo, there was only one line: \"Graduating Class of 2025, Capital Film Academy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He put down the resumes and looked at Jiang Ci, a professional, polite smile on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Teacher Jiang, these two... are the people you recommended?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Director Wang adjusted his glasses, his tone tactful yet tinged with disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know Director Hou's productions, they're not child's play. Although these two roles are supporting characters, they still need experienced actors to carry them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Newcomers... especially newcomers who are complete blank slates like these, I'm afraid...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen's face flushed bright red instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Mo remained expressionless, only the frequency with which he pushed his glasses was three times faster than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci paid no heed to Assistant Director Wang's implied meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remained seated on the sofa, not even standing up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give them five minutes.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice wasn't loud, but it made everyone's movements stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them do a scene. If they're not up to it, I'll personally apologize to you, Director Wang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powerful aura hidden beneath that calmness made Assistant Director Wang's next words get stuck in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Lin Wan. Lin Wan gave no indication, just picked up her coffee cup, adopting a posture of \"you sort it out yourselves.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Director Wang was silent for a few seconds, then finally nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, five minutes it is.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to see what confidence this newly-minted \"Bad Ending Aesthetics Master\" had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's gaze turned to Zhao Zhen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You, come here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen moved over like a poor student called out by a teacher, his arms and legs moving awkwardly together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci pulled out a page from the script and tossed it to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are a secret agent enforcer. You've just captured a stubborn patriotic student. Your task is to make him talk.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen took the page, his hands trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forget the lines if you need to. Just think about one thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Last year's college basketball finals, the last thirty seconds, how that 6'5\" center from the directing department snatched the rebound over your head and scored the game-winner against you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, which had been shifting nervously, a flame of \"humiliation\" instantly ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci stopped looking at him and turned to Assistant Director Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director Wang, you can begin.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Director Wang cleared his throat and half-heartedly read his lines, playing the patriotic student.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You bunch of traitorous dogs selling out the country for glory, just kill me if you have the guts! I won't say a single word!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the words fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pounced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The suit jacket made a tearing sound from the sudden expansion of his muscles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grabbed Assistant Director Wang by the collar, his immense strength lifting this 150-pound middle-aged man off his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Won't talk?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a trace of his usual goofy, naive self remained on Zhao Zhen's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was filled entirely with a ferocious expression of brutality and mania.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were bloodshot, spittle almost spraying onto Assistant Director Wang's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I've got plenty of ways to make you talk! I'll make you beg to talk!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That unreasonable, savage glare, that brute strength honed from regular workouts, transformed in that moment into the most direct threat of violence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Director Wang was completely terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pen in his hand clattered to the floor, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen let go. Assistant Director Wang fell back onto the sofa, gasping for breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen stood where he was, sweating profusely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci looked at Chen Mo, who was already dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your turn.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled out another page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are an actuary working for the Japanese. Report to your superior, which is me, on how to extract more 'Imperial Construction Tax' from a slum district.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Mo walked forward and took the page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't start immediately, but instead did something none of them expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took off his glasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he pulled a glasses cloth from his pocket and began meticulously wiping them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the lenses in the way, his eyes, which always seemed a bit dull,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>were clearly exposed to everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A pair of cold, indifferent eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He put his glasses back on and looked at Jiang Ci.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was flat, devoid of any inflection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sir. According to my calculations, the slum population in Zhabei District consists of 3,214 households, totaling 11,072 individuals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Based on the current tax rate, 73,000 yuan in reserve notes can be collected monthly, but this is far from their pressure-bearing limit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold gleam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That kind of calmness, which completely reduced human lives to data, using the most rational logic to calculate the most cruel exploitation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was even more chilling to the bone than Zhao Zhen's overt violence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an \"evil of banality.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A kind of evil from the human world, more terrifying than a devil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Assistant Director Wang had completely stopped thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mouth agape, he stared blankly at these two young men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if they had time-traveled directly from Shanghai over seventy years ago!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up, grabbed the contracts on the table, his voice changing pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sign! Sign them now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After signing the contracts, Assistant Director Wang, as if having completed a sacred mission, left with the two contracts, his steps unsteady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Jiang Ci, Lin Wan, and the two roommates still in a state of soul-shock remained in the office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen looked at the salary figure on the contract, a huge sum for a newcomer, his hands shaking as if he had Parkinson's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ci... Ci-ge... I'm really... joining Director Hou's crew?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... I'm going to play a traitor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci stood up, walked over to them, and patted each of their shoulders in turn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't celebrate too soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no trace of a smile on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"From now until this film wraps, the three of us are going to play 'all villains'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"On the crew, on set, even at the hotel, you are no longer my roommates.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed at himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am the biggest traitor boss, Shen Qingyuan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he pointed at them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You two are my most capable dogs, understand?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>July 4th, 'The Lurker' crew officially announced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a time when the public opinion storm triggered by the \"Cart Titan\" hadn't yet subsided,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the crew's official Weibo account made the boldest response with a concept poster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the poster, Jiang Ci's Shen Qingyuan stood within a light and shadow split in black and white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One half was a wealthy young master in Western formal wear, gentle and refined as jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other half was hidden in shadow, wearing a traditional Chinese long gown, his face sinister and ruthless, his viciousness fully revealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night of the announcement, Jiang Ci took his two brothers, who had just received their first payment, to a barbecue stall near the film studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of them ordered a table full of meat skewers and beer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen got drunk, hugging a half-eaten lamb spine, crying his eyes out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ci-ge, when the movie comes out and I go back home, my dad will definitely break my legs...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci didn't comfort him, just opened another bottle of beer for him, smiling as he filled his glass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If your legs are broken, your acting will be even more realistic.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1578,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.556Z",1,"novelbin.me","386c9280415acd572e32a4a30754b0644e6738d5b9a1e5fa2f3e82cf258f9aca","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-250","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-248",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]