[{"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-314":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},1297978,1723,"Chapter 314: \"Brother Is Playing the Villain\"","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-314",314,"\u003Cp>At that moment, a slight commotion arose not far away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A set assistant led a group of children over from the other end of the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dozen or so kids, the oldest maybe ten, the youngest only five or six.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore ill-fitting, faded old clothes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>their faces and hands smeared with dirt, timidly trailing behind the adult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the real left-behind children the crew had found in a more remote mountain area nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their thinness from long-term malnutrition, and that instinctive mix of fear and curiosity toward an unfamiliar environment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was something no acting technique could replicate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Wen's voice cut through the morning haze via the loudspeaker like a blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Widest angle! I want this bus to look like a monster that can swallow everything!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cinematographer immediately adjusted the camera angle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the monitor, the already glaring yellow school bus, distorted by the wide-angle lens, became oppressive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The art director hurried forward, carrying a cardboard box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Jiang Wen's direction, he handed each child a plastic flower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cheapest, most saturated bright red, the children pinned them to their chests one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That jarring red collided violently on screen with Jiang Ci's washed-out gray old coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clapperboard snapped shut with a crisp sound in front of the lens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Action!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong was already standing by the bus door, wearing the gentle, pitying smile unique to a philanthropist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved to the children, signaling them to board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci stood on the other side of the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His job was to \"escort\" these children, to send them one by one into the yellow beast's mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children filed in, tiny silhouettes passing by his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci reached out mechanically; each time he supported one, the warmth through the thin clothing felt like his nerves were being burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the compartment behind him, there were crates filled with white powder that could easily snatch away that living warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The extreme contrast of textures made every time he reached out feel like an invisible branding iron searing him again and again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the smallest-looking little girl stepped up in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stopped and tilted her dust-streaked face up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a ragged pocket she took something out and pressed it into Jiang Ci's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A candy, the wrapper already crinkled, edges stained with unknown dirt,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as if the girl had treasured it for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a heavy regional accent, the girl spoke quietly and timidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you, uncle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That line was not in the script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That action was the little actor's most genuine on-the-spot reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the monitor, Jiang Wen lurched forward,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>grabbed the walkie-talkie, and, suppressing ecstatic delight in a low roar, yelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Close-up! Push for a close-up! Focus on Jiang Ci's face!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The camera slammed in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That dirty candy and the innocent, slightly pleading little face were magnified until they filled Jiang Ci's entire field of vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, every nerve in him snapped taut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of memory surged through his mind—his father's rough, callused, scarred hands,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>clumsily peeling open a piece of fruit candy and shoving it into his childhood mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he bit down, his molars clenched and the cheek muscles twitched uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang He could not accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lackey tamed by a drug lord, a drug dealer with blood on his hands,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>how could he accept candy handed by a mountain child?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To take it would be to carve a seam in the cold, fraudulent shell he had fashioned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And a devil like Cha Cai would not hesitate to pry that seam open and tear him apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to respond to that innocence with the most extreme action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly raised his hand, not to take the candy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he shoved the little girl's frail shoulder roughly and violently!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you babbling for! Get on!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A harsh shout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl stumbled from the push, almost falling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The candy, warm from her palm, slipped between her clenched fingers,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>with a small \"plop\" it fell into the wet, filthy mud at her feet, becoming caked with filth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hurt and terrified tears flooded her big eyes in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She dared not sob aloud, only covered her mouth and staggered up into the bus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The set plunged into a deathly silence because of this sudden scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the camera kept recording.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong stood to the side, half-turning his head and narrowing his eyes, like someone enjoying an intriguing beast-fight performance, his gaze seasoned with evaluative amusement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jiang Ci (Jiang He) turned and met Lei Zhong's eyes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the violent look vanished, replaced by a flattering, ingratiating smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hurried to Lei Zhong's side, lowering his body to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uncle, these brats are filthy, don't get our bus dirty.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explanation made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A newly tamed \"mad dog,\" desperate to prove his loyalty, would naturally be concerned for his master's property.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used this extreme \"evil\" to hide the \"good\" that was about to collapse inside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lei Zhong stared, his interest slowly turning into satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded, a sign of approval for the mad dog baring its fangs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's hand hanging by his side trembled violently at an angle others couldn't see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shoved his hand into his pocket, fingers shaking as they dug into the seam of his trousers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the children had boarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bus door shut with a clang, sealing the inside from the outside into two separate worlds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the compartment, the children, unaware of anything beyond, after a brief quiet, began to chatter excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spoke the lines from the script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are we going to perform in the city?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard the city has tall buildings, taller than the mountains!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their childish chatter, muffled through the windows, floated out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard there are lots and lots of candies in the city!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Really? Are they sweeter than these?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A boy's excited voice pierced Jiang Ci's eardrum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hand hanging by his side trembled violently at an unseen angle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the yellow school bus completely disappeared at the end of the mountain road did the suffocating \"cut!\" explode from the walkie-talkie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound dropped, and Jiang Ci staggered violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and bolted toward the direction the children had gotten off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl he had shoved was being led by the set assistant back toward the rest area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She still sniffled softly; when she saw Jiang Ci rush over, she hid behind the assistant in fright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci stopped awkwardly a few paces from her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bent down, wanting to force a smile, but the tug at his mouth looked worse than crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That face, moments ago full of violence and flattery,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>now was only pale and clumsy with a near-pleading desperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fumbled in his pockets and finally dug out half a bar of chocolate, flattened and crumpled, and held it out with shaking hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So... so sorry. Brother... brother was playing the villain just now... it wasn't on purpose.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crew watched the scene; truly, the more capable the actor, the more flawless the performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The little girl looked from him to the chocolate and still didn't dare to take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the young female clapper loader couldn't stand it any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said softly to the girl, \"Baby, don't cry. Uncle is a good person, he's filming a movie. Let's accept it, okay?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took the chocolate and placed it in the girl's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci staggered back two steps, no longer daring to meet those clear eyes, then found an excuse to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Jiang Wen emerged from behind the monitor holding the loudspeaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He scanned the crew still immersed in the earlier emotions,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and the \"most authentic\" actors he had paid for—the group of children.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoed across the valley through the loudspeaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wrap for today!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, lifted the loudspeaker from his mouth, and shouted to the producer Old Zhang at his side:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Old Zhang! Contact the village! If we used their 'real things,' we have to give back some 'real things'!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Put a sum from the production account, in the name of the Icebreaker crew, to build a road for their village!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Buy new desks and chairs and books for the school!\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1375,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","184c361c30d36328454a7eea0665df37ff46bf574fb98bc6c44aab081eddad4e","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-315","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-313",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]