[{"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-266":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},1297930,1723,"Chapter 266: The Final Waltz","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-266",266,"\u003Cp>Simultaneously with the star-studded brilliance of the National Grand Theatre in the capital, the night in Hengdian was completely monopolized by the film crew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once decadent and opulent retro district was now heavily guarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neon signs still flickered, but their light and shadow could not penetrate the transformed \"Paramount Ballroom.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was no longer a dance floor; it had become an execution ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold barbed wire replaced velvet ropes, and fully armed Japanese military police with loaded weapons took the place of waiters holding champagne flutes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only things that remained unchanged were the mirror-smooth floor at the center of the dance floor and the crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, refracting a sinister light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavy door was violently pushed open from the outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci, portraying Shen Qingyuan, was dragged in, supported by two military policemen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expensive white suit had long been stained with blood and grime into unrecognizable rags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His left leg was twisted at an unnatural angle,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and with every drag, a faint yet distinct sound of grinding bones could be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Kneel!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The military policemen tried to force him to the ground, making him face his final judgment in the most humiliating posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as his knees were about to touch the icy floor, Jiang Ci's body defied the laws of inertia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using his fractured left ankle as a pivot, he executed a bizarre force-dispersing movement,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>instantly disrupting the balance of the two military policemen behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he used their forward momentum to \"squeeze\" himself free from their grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning on his intact right leg, he staggered upright in a precarious, swaying stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly lowering his head, he ignored the excruciating pain from his leg bone and the mocking or indifferent gazes around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his hands, caked with dried blood,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and with trembling fingers, straightened his crooked bow tie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he raised his hand and gently brushed off a speck of nonexistent dust from his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every movement was slow and labored, yet carried a composure that seemed bone-deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This elegance in the face of death was more provocative than any furious roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slow, deliberate sound of leather shoes clicking echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watanabe, portraying Major Takahashi, walked out from among the military police, swirling a glass of crimson liquid in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stopped in front of Jiang Ci, admiring his own handiwork, his \"masterpiece.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The former top young master of Shanghai,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watanabe's Chinese carried a strange accent, full of mockery, \"now, truly a beautiful dead dog.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he flicked his wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The red wine in the glass was splashed entirely onto Jiang Ci's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci remained motionless, letting the cold liquid trace the contours of his cheeks as it dripped down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He extended his tongue and lightly licked the wine stain from the corner of his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he raised his head, his eyes blurred by bloodstains, and gazed calmly at Takahashi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What a pity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A line of fluent Japanese, tinged with a Kyoto accent, escaped his chapped lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Using a Lafite bottle to hold cheap stuff from Yamanashi Prefecture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Major Takahashi, it seems your time at the Material Strategic Reserve Department did not elevate your taste.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A cuckoo occupying a magpie's nest is, after all, just a wild bird.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mockery froze on Watanabe's face,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his fingers gripping the glass turning slightly white from the force,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the disdain in his eyes rapidly replaced by a sinister gloom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Takahashi's rage was ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he didn't want to shoot this man so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physical death was too cheap; what he wanted was the complete destruction of his spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Men!\" Takahashi waved a hand towards the band nearby. \"Play music! Play the most cheerful waltz!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The band dared not disobey. After a flurry of panicked preparation, a light, melodious waltz\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>absurdly filled the murderous execution ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Takahashi then pointed at the group of arrested, trembling progressive students huddled in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drag one out!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A military policeman roughly dragged out a young girl from the crowd, her face already drained of color from terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Takahashi pointed at the girl, then at Jiang Ci.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mr. Shen, aren't you most skilled at dancing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is the last dance of your life. Don't disappoint me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the crowd, He Xiaoping (Gu Wanbai) stared intently at the man at the center of the dance floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had always believed Shen Qingyuan was that traitor who had betrayed his beliefs for wealth and glory, a coward clinging to life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at this moment, the resilience and mockery deeply hidden in that man's eyes fiercely shattered her perception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dragging his broken leg, Jiang Ci performed a flawless invitation to dance for the girl trembling with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He embraced her and stepped onto the dance floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every turn, every step, was torture from the searing pain at the fracture site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the smile on his face grew increasingly gentle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That smile was meant to soothe the fading life in his arms,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and also, through this absurd dance, to deliver the most merciless mockery to Takahashi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One circle, then another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the spinning, Jiang Ci's gaze pierced through the layered crowd, past the cold gun barrels and indifferent faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His line of sight met Gu Wanbai's within the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment their eyes met, there were no lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet He Xiaoping felt pinned in place by that gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was too much in those eyes, a weight so heavy it stole her breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her mind went blank. All her past hatred and contempt for this man\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>shattered completely at this moment, turning into silent ashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Takahashi finally lost all patience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This cat-and-mouse game bored him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew the pistol from his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gunshot drowned out the final note of the waltz.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl in his arms went limp and collapsed into Jiang Ci's embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warm blood quickly seeped through, staining the last clean patch of his white dress shirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci showed no trace of panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding the girl, he slowly knelt on one knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gently laid her on the floor, his movements so tender, as if placing a priceless treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after doing this did he slowly raise his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked directly into the dark muzzle of Takahashi's gun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On his battered face, a breathtaking smile suddenly bloomed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Takahashi, do you hear it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was soft, yet it clearly pierced the ears of everyone present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This dance is dedicated to you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That breathtaking smile on his face deepened,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his eyes filled with bone-chilling pity, as if looking at prey about to step into a trap yet unaware.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is not the finale of a waltz. This is... a prelude, a funeral march for you, and for all invaders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Takahashi's pupils constricted. A sense of foreboding seized his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci looked at him and, with lip movements only the two of them could clearly see,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>silently uttered that codename—\"Abyss.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1149,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","a0a4fb3007870f408eb27a2913c867d4722cf37bd033813a20c79f0405fa848e","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-267","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-265",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]