[{"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-283":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},1297947,1723,"Chapter 283: The Boomerang Arrives?","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-283",283,"\u003Cp>On the flight from Star City back to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou gripped his phone the whole time, his face shifting from red to ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, Jiang Ci wore an eye mask, asleep as if unaware of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou lowered the screen brightness to the minimum and opened that explosive trending topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>#HegemonYuJiBestAftercareCry#\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the hashtag, the tone had already plunged into the Mariana Trench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It started with a slow-motion close-up from the live feed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the video, after Jiang Ci took the prop sword, there was a barely noticeable weighing motion at his wrist,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and then that soul-probing line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Did they switch it to aluminum alloy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the clip dropped, the internet carnival officially began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Help! Teacher Zhao's tears haven't even dried and Jiang Ci is already analyzing the weapon's material!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I hereby declare the funniest aftercare of the year! The sorrowful atmosphere got shattered by one sword!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiang Yu: This sword weighs eight jin and four liang, carbon content zero point seven. Yu Ji: ?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hashtags like #JiangCiAluminumGuy# and #FarewellMyConcubinePhysics# barreled onto the trending chart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Netizens went wild with memes, photoshops, and jokes flooding everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some turned Jiang Ci into Iron Man, analyzing the vibranium shield composition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some remade The Legend of Han and Chu poster into a periodic table of chemical elements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were even university physics departments scrambling out papers overnight arguing how swords of different materials\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>require different angular velocities and initial energies for \"self-inflicted\" deaths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou watched these remixes, his temples throbbing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What on earth is going on!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We invested five hundred million in a serious historical drama! This is not a comedy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the plane landed, a low-key entourage van was already waiting on the tarmac.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan sat inside, handling affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Sun Zhou got in, he practically thrust the phone at her in a panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sister Wan, something happened! Look at this online…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan didn't look up, only glancing at the version of Jiang Ci photoshopped into a quality inspector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wasn't angry, nor annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan closed her laptop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let them laugh. The more they laugh now, the better.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and looked at Jiang Ci, who had just taken off his eye mask, bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In psychology there's a term called 'contrast priming.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When emotion is pushed to extreme joy and then struck by a massive sadness, empathy multiplies geometrically.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan's mouth curved into a smile that sent a chill down Sun Zhou's spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When they walk into the theater and see the Wu River suicide, every laugh they've already cried will have to be repaid with twice the tears.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou: \"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci listened and, as if in thought, nodded once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That logic resonated with his own theory about harvesting Heartbreak Value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Riding the wave of this whole-network meme craze, plus the tireless endorsement from veteran actors,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Legend of Han and Chu's presale box office surged past fifty million two days before release.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That number shattered presale records for similar historical films.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, while the outside world reveled and Jiang Ci remained calm,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Wei Song was enduring a complicated mental grind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't anxious exactly, he was just watching those \"aluminum alloy guy\" and \"FarewellMyConcubine physics\" memes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>feeling alternately furious and amused, his blood pressure taking roller-coaster rides all night so he couldn't sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand he was pleased the work had high attention,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>on the other hand he was anguished that the attention had gone off the rails.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like the qilin he'd nurtured with all his effort was being treated by the whole village like a husky for amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At three in the morning he couldn't hold back,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>he made a call that yanked the publicity director out of bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last straw was seeing a serious film critic he deeply respected\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>repost a photoshopped image of a caliper labeled \"Hegemon's ruler\" with the caption \"expectations maxed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ridiculous! Even Old Zhou is joining their nonsense!\" Wei Song raged into the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't so much anger as the pained cry of an old scholar,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A tragedy! Do you understand? We filmed the greatest tragedy in history! If people come into the cinema in a meme-watching mindset, that's sacrilege against Xiang Yu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's sacrilege against all our blood and sweat!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other end, the publicity director answered repeatedly,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but inwardly thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How do we suppress it? The whole internet is memeing, the heat is terrifyingly high. If we forcefully cool it down,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>tomorrow we'll be labeled #TheLegendOfHanAndChuCapitalControllingTrends#.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon, at the Kyoto National Film Center for the premiere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Backstage, the atmosphere was tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Song, wearing dark circles under his eyes, pulled Jiang Ci into a corner and launched into a \"lecture.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Jiang Ci, I'm telling you again.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pointing at him, Wei Song was stern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tonight, from the red carpet to the interviews, you clamp your mouth shut!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Keep that aloof hegemon energy! Don't say a single extra word! Do you hear me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Especially, do not mention anything about metal materials! Not a single word!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci accepted this willingly, even feeling Wei Song's worry was excessive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew well that any verbal explanation for an audience fed on comedy memes would be powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing that could crush them was the extremity of the tragedy itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This premiere was high-end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In attendance were not only industry stars and the media.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Gu Huai, executives from Tian Guang and Hua Xing mobilized their full teams, and even several top domestic history professors were invited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene felt less like a movie premiere and more like a high-level academic symposium.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the independent lounge backstage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a light knock on the door. Jiang Ci opened it and found Zhao Yingfei standing there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore an evening gown, makeup flawless, yet in her hands she cradled a narrow sword box that looked crudely packaged among its surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For you.\" She handed the sword box over, mischief shining in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci, surprised, took it and opened it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside lay a children's toy sword made entirely of pure white foam plastic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the blade, a crooked note stuck with marker: \"This one is light, convenient for quality inspection.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci: \"…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up and saw Zhao Yingfei's pretty eyes unblinking, the amusement in them like scattered starlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't be nervous,\" she said softly, but earnestly, \"Tonight, you're the Hegemon, I am Yu Ji. I'm sending you on your final journey.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that she turned and left, leaving Jiang Ci alone with the foam sword, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At five in the afternoon, a fine drizzle fell over Kyoto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the film center, the sides of the red carpet had already been packed shoulder to shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd buzzed with excitement yet carried an odd repression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if everyone awaited a historical judgment, a final verdict on the internet carnival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At seven sharp that evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the lounge, the stylist dressed Jiang Ci in his final outfit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dark red velvet suit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On anyone else this color could be disastrous or frivolous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Jiang Ci it conveyed a tragic grandeur of \"returning from bloodshed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't let the makeup artist overdo anything, only smoothing the stray hair from his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That severe face grew even sharper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He straightened his collar in the mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final battlefield had arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>",1228,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","3f0314d99346e9e739f1afd06c49b3608a510d4f80f8fac3a4f95ad15fe6fb07","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-284","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-282",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]