[{"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-352":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},1297650,1723,"Chapter 352: The Third “Visit”","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-352",352,"\u003Cp>Chapter 352: The Third \"Visit\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan gazed at the never-ending river of car headlights flowing below the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind was strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The iron railing at the rooftop's edge rattled and clanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half of his body leaned out over the railing, his posture swaying precariously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black entourage van screeched to a halt below the old building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan hurriedly got out of the car. Looking up and seeing that teetering figure on the rooftop edge,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>her heart instantly clenched, and she instinctively almost cried out in alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait.\" Jiang Ci, beside her, suddenly reached out to stop her,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>his voice lowered to a whisper, his sharp gaze locked onto the figure on the rooftop. \"Look at what's in his hand.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan followed his pointing finger and focused her gaze, only then realizing that Gu Zhiyuan wasn't intent on ending his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, he was gripping a long clothes-drying pole, sweating profusely as he... tried to reach a piece of paper stuck outside the guardrail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That piece of paper was wedged in a gap between a drainpipe and the wall, fluttering in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a lottery ticket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had saved his meal money to buy it, his only hope for the entire month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan's gasp of alarm caught in her throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right at that moment, a freak gust of wind swept past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The piece of paper was lifted, tumbled in the air, and then plummeted into the traffic below, vanishing from sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan's forward-leaning posture froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held that position for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he withdrew the clothes-drying pole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His movements were sluggish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned his head back in despair and collided with the gazes of two people bundled up tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman's eyes held embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man's eyes were calm, revealing no discernible emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recognized the man's silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shame and anger of having his pathetic secret exposed ignited within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last trace of color drained from his face, his entire body tensing like a drawn bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Had your fill of the show?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was dry and hoarse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here to watch the joke? Or looking for a King of Bad Movies to launder your dirty money?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan was choked speechless by this wave of malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan no longer looked at them, turning to walk towards the rooftop exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every step carried the intent to drive them away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost. You're not welcome here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snarled, his tone full of resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled open the iron door leading to the stairs, only to find the two had no intention of leaving. Instead, they followed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan's home was on the top floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He used his key to open the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the door opened just a crack, a wave of sour, rotten odor assaulted their senses,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a fermented mix of instant noodles, sweat, and mildew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan instinctively took half a step back, her stomach churning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lights inside were off, the room dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The floor was covered with instant noodle containers, discarded manuscript papers, and empty liquor bottles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only navigable path was a narrow trail trodden from the doorway to the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan looked at this mountain of garbage, unsure where to step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci, however, seemed not to smell the odor, showing not even a hint of disgust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steps avoided the liquor bottles and waste paper on the floor,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>that composure seeming like an instinct etched into his very being,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a survival skill honed through countless days crammed in Hengdian background actor dormitories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He deftly stepped over an overflowing trash can, righting it in passing to prevent the soup from spilling,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then, in the center of the room, dragged out a small folding stool from the pile of clutter and sat down calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan watched his fluid movements, the prepared sarcasm getting stuck in his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had expected to see disgust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all he saw was calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bizarre sense of adaptation to this environment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan silently turned on the light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dim, yellowish light illuminated this pigsty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning against the doorframe, he put his guard back up and let out a cold laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The great Film Emperor visiting my doghouse. Want to experience life playing a beggar? Or want me to make a poison capsule film that loses everything for you, so you can taste what it's like to fall from the clouds?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci ignored his provocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pulled a script from his backpack and placed it on the greasy, low table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cover had three handwritten, crooked large characters — \"King of Extras\".\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to act in this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci looked up, his gaze above the mask exceptionally clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And you have to be the director.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold smirk on Gu Zhiyuan's face froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at the script for over ten seconds, then snorted with derision, thinking this was the biggest joke in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked to the corner, took out a box of instant noodles from a carton, and slammed it heavily onto the script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I quit that long ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His movements carried a self-destructive finality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now I only film weddings and supermarket openings. Eight hundred a gig, good work, no haggling.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get lost.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wan finally couldn't hold back and wanted to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Jiang Ci stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't angry, nor did he look at the box of noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze went past Gu Zhiyuan, landing on the wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There hung a yellowed, curling-edged old poster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poster showed a man's lonely back. Below it, a line of small text: Fifth Youth Film Festival Best Director — Gu Zhiyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was his only award-winning work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the beginning of his directing career, and also its end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So it's not the person who died, but the director named Gu Zhiyuan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's voice was very soft, yet each word pierced Gu Zhiyuan painfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan shuddered violently, the last trace of color draining from his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something in those murky eyes suddenly shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up and stared at Jiang Ci, his lips moving soundlessly, unable to utter a single word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci met his gaze, looked at him calmly for a second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>then finally withdrew his gaze, took Lin Wan's arm, and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the doorway, he stopped but didn't turn around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The script stays here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took a few banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the shoe cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll pay for the noodles.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'll come again tomorrow. If by then, you still think you're cut out for filming weddings, I'll find someone else.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said that, he pulled open the door and left with Lin Wan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The iron door slammed shut behind them with a \"bang\".\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Gu Zhiyuan remained in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood rigidly in place, his chest heaving violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Madman...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at that old poster on the wall until his eyes ached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't know how much time passed before he slowly walked to the coffee table and moved the box of noodles aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked up that copy of \"King of Extras\".\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as his fingers touched the cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bang! Bang! Bang!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A violent pounding came from outside the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A shrill voice pierced through the door panel, echoing through the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, Gu! Open up! I know you're in there!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you don't pay the rent tomorrow, get out with your garbage!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The landlord's cursing was like a rusty sledgehammer, completely smashing his already teetering self-respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Zhiyuan's fingers trembled violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lowered his head, his blurred vision falling on the opened script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every word on that page now felt like a branding iron, searing his soul and making it tremble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Scene One, Take One.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Setting: Rental Room.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Characters: Chen San, Landlord.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Landlord (O.S.): Hey, Chen! If you don't pay the rent tomorrow, get out!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality and the script overlapped at this moment in the most cruel way possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The script in his hand suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.\u003C\u002Fp>",1346,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.557Z",1,"novelbin.me","9942f48e3c27141a2a526e620d6cf8b76441af97b801bd1592dc2051a682eceb","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-353","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-351",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]