[{"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-84":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},1297898,1723,"Chapter 84: Zhongnanhai in the Cemetery","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-84",84,"\u003Cp>The next day, the sky was overcast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci woke up very early, or rather, he had barely closed his eyes all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He politely declined his mother Chu Hong's suggestion to accompany him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some words, in the end, could only be spoken by one person alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That eye-catching red Audi Q7 once again started its engine under the watchful eyes of the early-rising, grocery-shopping neighbors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the clamor when he arrived, this time the neighbors' gossip was much quieter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci ignored those gazes, steadily drove the car out of the residential complex, and headed towards the direction of the city's outskirts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scenery on both sides of the road slowly changed from low-rise residential buildings to continuous fields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the car stopped outside a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was quiet and solemn here, with pine and cypress trees evergreen throughout the four seasons, completely isolating the hustle and bustle of the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci got out of the car. He didn't bring anything with him, only carrying a small square box in his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He followed the stone steps, walking inside step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cemetery was empty, with only the rustling sound of wind passing through pine needles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rows upon rows of neat tombstones stood in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind every name was once a vivid life, a heroic story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci walked among the rows of gray-white tombstones. His pace wasn't fast, but his goal was clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he stopped before a tombstone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tombstone was kept very clean; clearly, his mother visited often.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On it, three characters were engraved in the simplest font.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yanjun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A black-and-white photo was embedded in the stone. The man in the photo wore a police uniform, looking very young, with a heroic air between his brows and eyes, smiling at the camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze was firm and bright, exactly as Jiang Ci remembered him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The epitaph used the simplest words to record his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Detective Jiang Yanjun, in 2008, while carrying out \"Operation Thunderbolt\" and assisting in the arrest of the leader of a major transnational drug trafficking syndicate, was unfortunately shot and killed while covering for an undercover colleague whose identity had been exposed, ensuring their safe withdrawal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was thirty-two years old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci stood before the tombstone for a very, very long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, he crouched down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reached out, carefully wiping away a few fallen leaves and dust that the wind had blown onto the tombstone with the sleeve of his trench coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His movements were slow and gentle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After doing all this, he finally took the small square box out of his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside were three cigarettes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhongnanhai, his father's favorite brand when he was alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He placed the three cigarettes side by side on the cold stone of the tombstone, lighting them one by one with a windproof lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Click.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flame danced in the breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pale blue smoke curled upwards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci just crouched there, watching the three flickering embers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally spoke, his throat terribly dry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dad, I came to see you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the sound of the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"After you left, Mom had it really hard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I... also had a pretty twisted time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled self-deprecatingly, reaching out to flick some dust off his trousers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci paused for a long time before speaking again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You probably won't believe it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The work I'm doing now... is actually a bit like yours.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Both are about saving people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci's fingertips trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only, you saved others.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm saving myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up at his father's young, righteous face on the tombstone. An unspeakable sense of grievance and exhaustion instantly overwhelmed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have to make others grieve for the characters I play, make them shed tears for the characters I play, make their hearts break.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Only then can I survive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Tell me, isn't that absurd?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind blew through the cemetery, making a low, moaning sound, sweeping up fallen leaves from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could answer him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After saying all this, Jiang Ci felt as if a giant boulder that had been pressing on his heart for months had been shifted aside a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unprecedented sense of relief washed over him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though the problem remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The countdown was still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he could finally stop carrying this secret alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He just sat there in front of the grave, keeping his father company, keeping the three cigarettes company.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the tobacco burned out completely, leaving only three short filter tips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Jiang Ci slowly stand up, patting the dust off his clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood straight in front of the tombstone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, just as his father had taught him when he was a child, he bowed deeply to the hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he returned home, Jiang Ci's whole being exuded a kind of relaxed ease, like the clear sky after rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That aura of melancholy and exhaustion that had surrounded him due to the KPI and the life countdown had dissipated a great deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He reverted to his previous self in front of Chu Hong—a bit lazy, but still fairly sunny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong was busy in the kitchen. Hearing the door open, she peeked out to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she saw the no-longer-tense expression on her son's face, she didn't ask anything, just silently pulled her head back and continued chopping vegetables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This trip home, counting all the time, wouldn't even amount to two full days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci had originally thought about spending more time with his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Director Wei Song's invitation waited for no one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided to leave tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, drive back to Shanghai to return this Q7 to the company, then set off for the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he took out his phone and called Sun Zhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phone rang twice before being answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou's energetic, loud voice came through: \"Ci-ge! I heard you went back to your hometown. What are your orders now!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The day after tomorrow, the capital. Can you make it?\" Jiang Ci got straight to the point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou on the other end of the line was clearly taken aback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought Jiang Ci would take a break for at least ten days or half a month on this trip home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How many days had it been? Not even four days!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The... the capital?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ci-ge, your efficiency is way too high! 'Chu Wuchen' just wrapped!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou was internally screaming; truly his Ci-ge, the king of workaholics!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he instantly reacted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This timing, this location!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rumor that had been circulating within the industry, which he had half-believed, suddenly became incredibly real!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ci-ge! Holy shit! Could it be true? Director Wei... Director Wei really contacted you?!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Zhou's voice changed pitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah.\" Jiang Ci acknowledged. \"Director Wei asked me to go over and discuss the script.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!\" Sun Zhou was already incoherent on the other end of the line. \"Yes! Absolutely yes! Forget the day after tomorrow, I can fly over tonight! Ci-ge, wait, I'll book the hotel and flight tickets right away!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hanging up, Jiang Ci looked at his phone and shook his head helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During dinner that evening, Sun Zhou sent over the hotel booking information, his efficiency astonishingly high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Early the next morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Jiang Ci woke up, the sky wasn't fully bright yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked out of his room and found his somewhat worn suitcase already standing by the door in the living room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clothes inside were folded neatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ms. Chu Hong, wearing an apron, was preparing breakfast for him in the kitchen—a bowl of egg noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Eat before you go.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She placed the bowl of noodles on the table, offering no extra instructions, no sentimentality of parting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci silently sat down and slurped up the entire bowl of noodles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mom, I'm leaving.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mhm, be careful on the road.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Hong saw him to the door, watching him pick up the suitcase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When you get to the capital, don't skimp on money. Stay somewhere nice, eat well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Got it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Ci changed his shoes and immediately went downstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the quiet morning of the old residential complex, that red Audi Q7 looked particularly conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roar of the 3.0T engine echoed between the silent buildings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car soon drove away, disappearing around the corner of the complex.\u003C\u002Fp>",1403,"2026-06-05T18:00:08.556Z",1,"novelbin.me","8209ef8bdd7ce6552a0cff786d6cca8bbf7355d0d16bc5de9d6ea36373ce702b","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-85","the-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-chapter-83",366,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-more-tragic-i-act-the-stronger-i-get-my-fans-cover.jpg"]