[{"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-273":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},1297937,1723,"Chapter 273: Is the Overlord Returning?","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-273",273,"\u003Cp>Time stretched infinitely in that moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiaoping's body stiffened like a sculpture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That untimely groan of the door hinge, that beam of light tearing through the church's gloom, nailed her firmly in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The priest's inquiry still echoed in her ears, yet it felt distant and muffled, as if separated by a thick layer of water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the monitor, Hou Hsiao-hsien remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All camera angles unanimously abandoned the grand narrative, their lenses locking onto He Xiaoping's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They aimed to capture every minute tremor of her muscles, to capture that struggle, hope, and final madness suppressed to the extreme, yet on the verge of eruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The groom standing opposite her, that honest, portly merchant, had his joyful expression frozen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt the hand he was holding growing cold and trembling uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This single word became the final wave that shattered her defenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiaoping's body trembled uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She abruptly closed her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That wildfire of desire to look back was strangled in her heart with all her willpower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn't look back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Wanbai was already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She died the moment she personally offered that birthday cake, only for him to heartlessly throw it to the wolfhound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What stood here now was merely an empty shell named Gu Wanbai, who needed marriage to secure a stable life in her remaining years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single scalding tear escaped from the corner of her tightly shut eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It traced a path down her exquisite makeup and fell onto the pure white veil, blooming into a small, damp stain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, she opened her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In those eyes that had just weathered a soul-shattering tsunami, all storms had subsided, leaving only a profound stillness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted her head, facing the ordinary man before her who could offer stability, and forced a nearly flawless, bridal smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three words, clear, steady, without a trace of hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The voice echoed in the empty church, tolling the final death knell for this grand funeral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the shadows of the church's last row.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's gaze never wavered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When those three words pierced through the crowd and landed clearly in his ears,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his body, which had been tense all along, finally relaxed a fraction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a profound relief that came from shedding all burdens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was finally safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This girl he had protected with everything he had had finally found a harbor to shelter her from the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A stable future without conspiracies, without bloodshed, and without him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his hand, intending to adjust the brim of his hat that was pressed too low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his fingertips touched the brim, he realized his fingers were trembling slightly, disobeying his command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, he made no sound, nor did he cast another glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned, walked against the intrusive light from the doorway, pushed open the heavy wooden door, and stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead cinematographer instinctively split a lens to follow that departing figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the suddenly erupting blessings and applause within the church, amidst the holy wedding march,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that figure in a gray trench coat, with a slightly hunched posture, seemed so out of place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it held an indescribable, tragic nobility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the spot he left, on the corner of that long bench, something remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not some valuable gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a small piece of paper, repeatedly folded, its edges worn fuzzy from handling, tinged with the yellow of age.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half of an old theater ticket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wedding was over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guests gradually dispersed, wearing satisfied smiles, discussing the bride's beauty and the groom's good fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiaoping changed out of the cumbersome wedding dress and back into her own plain clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She followed behind her \"new husband\" and \"father,\" preparing to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she passed the last row of the church, pulled by an invisible thread, she stopped as if possessed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze fell upon that empty long bench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That half of an old theater ticket, stained by time, lay there quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She walked over, bent down, and picked it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When her fingertips touched the familiar rough surface of the paper, when she saw the name of the play—long since carved into her bones—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>an agony she had forcibly buried throughout the entire scene erupted at this moment like a volcano, breaching all her rational dams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn't cry out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just held that half of a small theater ticket, as if holding her entire dismembered youth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, silently, slowly, she crouched down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She buried her face deep into her knees,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her whole body curled into a ball, her shoulders shaking violently,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>suppressed sobs wrenching from her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cut!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Hsiao-hsien's voice, hoarse and distorted, finally rang out across the film set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the final \"Cut!\" for the entire production of *The Lurker*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, there were no cheers for wrapping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the church, all crew members, regardless of rank, had reddened eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They watched quietly as that figure curled on the ground, crying until her whole body trembled, immersed in a vast, inexpressible sense of regret, unable to extricate themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The church door was pushed open again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci walked back in from outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took off his hat and took a deep breath of the fresh air outside the church.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Qingyuan's life had ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mission was also complete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the movement, He Xiaoping slowly looked up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood up, tear stains still on her face, and walked step by step to Jiang Ci.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, her eyes held no fear or rejection, only a calmness and clarity born from experiencing the extremes of joy and sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Jiang Ci's astonished gaze, He Xiaoping opened her arms and hugged him tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was an actor's deepest respect for another actor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She whispered into his ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, Jiang Ci.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you for giving Gu Wanbai the best love, and for giving her... the most painful ending.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film *The Lurker* finally drew to a close after nearly three months of shooting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wrap party was simple, held at an ordinary restaurant near Hengdian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Hsiao-hsien remained taciturn as ever, but for the first time, he took the initiative to toast Jiang Ci with a glass of wine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the banquet, Zhao Zhen and Chen Mo looked at Jiang Ci with complex expressions, seeming to have something to say but hesitating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this film, they had vividly portrayed two lackeys that made people grit their teeth in hatred, their acting recognized by the \"tyrant,\" yet a shadow had always hung over their hearts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ci-ge, do you think once the movie is released, I'll be completely done for in the love department?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Zhen said with a bitter face, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Mo adjusted his glasses and, unusually, chimed in, \"We might get eggs thrown at us on the street.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci ignored their banter. He ate quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan had already booked him a direct flight to the capital for tonight; he had no time to linger here in melancholy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nationwide promotional tour for *The Legend of Han and Chu* was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hegemon was about to return.\u003C\u002Fp>",1206,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","982534fa0f754d3a349df226d0abef77cb9f2c0c150894f0e6e7d6311d6500c5","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-274","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-272",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]