Chapter 5 Nina Circus
On the stage, the host began to recite the closing speech in a rhythmic manner.
"Thank you all for your love for Nina Circus. Without your support, we would not be as successful as we are today! Nina Circus will always provide you with wonderful performances and unique exhibits. I declare the performance over and look forward to seeing you next time!"
He bowed deeply, and the audience burst into thunderous applause.
At first glance, it sounds like an ordinary closing remark, but what are the "exhibits" the host is talking about? unique?
The trio, who were clapping along with the crowd, felt that there must be something fishy going on.
"What the NPC said is definitely not groundless. There must be something underground." Lin Muyu said in a deep voice.
Ye Yunhe expressed his guess: "Could it be that they are still trafficking in human beings?"
"I walked around a lot, and it was hard to dive into the depths."
Si Yu'an stroked his chin and agreed. Although the circus is large, tourists can only see the stage in front. If you go deeper, there will be staff stationed and patrolling. He walked over tentatively, but was gently asked to go back by the staff.
Such a tight arrangement is a bit too strange, what is hidden inside?
Lin Muyu was suddenly stunned. He sensed something, closed his eyes quietly, and used his supernatural powers.
The visual field connected to the brain is low, swaying and changing slowly, and the person attached is walking. The person walked forward purposefully along the red and white shed. Lin Muyu could only see the scene behind her, which happened to be the deep part of the circus that Si Yuan mentioned.
An employee came forward and greeted her familiarly: "Nina, are you here to see the team leader?"
The footsteps stopped.
"Yes, father, is he working?"
"He should be taking a break. The team leader just signed a contract with his partner. It's a big deal!"
"So that's how it is. Then I'll go in directly."
After saying goodbye, Nina continued walking forward for a few minutes, grasped the door handle in front of her, pushed the door open, and called her father softly.
The voice of a middle-aged man was heard in the room, and he asked Nina to come in with some surprise.
"Nina? Come here and let me see you. I've been busy these days. Have you eaten well? If the food is still not to your liking, just tell the kitchen. You can eat whatever you want."
The dull footsteps approached, pulling the little girl into the house and closing the door. I couldn't see the man's appearance or figure, I could only remember his voice and absorb all the useful information around me.
The office is very luxurious, the tables and chairs are made of precious wood, and antiques are placed on the display cabinet on the side... The items in the room are all priced at enough to make ordinary people's scalps tingle.
"I ate well. The doctor said my anorexia will gradually improve as long as I cooperate with the treatment. I ate a lot of food today."
"That's good. You really scared me a while ago."
There was a sound of clothes rubbing against each other, probably the man stroking Nina's head.
"How did you suddenly get such a serious illness? You're almost unrecognizable. The doctor said it's mostly psychological. What happened? You can tell your father."
"I don't know either, father." Nina's voice dropped. "I've been feeling depressed and uncomfortable. I don't even want to touch my favorite doll."
"Don't worry, nothing will happen..."
The phone suddenly rang, interrupting the tender scene between father and daughter.
"Sorry, Nina, please sit alone for a while. Father will be back soon."
The man's footsteps faded away.
The girl stood there quietly, not knowing what she was thinking. She did not sit down on the soft sofa as expected, nor did she leave. She just stood there motionless, with no idea what expression her face had.
The vague voice on the phone communicated with the man, roughly talking about cooperation. After a few polite words, the man opened the door of the lounge and went in without revealing any useful information. This made Lin Muyu a little disappointed.
But strangely, the girl still stood there.
Nina's vision suddenly shook, and she staggered. She covered her chest with her hands while breathing rapidly, and her neat clothes were wrinkled. She seemed to have seen something terrible. She wanted to step back but fell heavily to the ground. Her vision was crushed and shattered, and the connection was suddenly disconnected like a power outage.
Lin Muyu frowned and opened his eyes.
What did Nina see? Could it be that she has more than just anorexia?
Ye Yunhe and Si Yu'an calmed down and waited until he closed his eyes. Seeing this, they looked at each other and asked the question at the same time.
"Captain, any new findings?"
"Yes, deep inside is the captain's office, a man in his forties or fifties. He seems to care about Nina, but the atmosphere between the father and daughter is weird." Lin Muyu told all the useful information.
Si Yu'an clapped his hands. So that's where the captain was hiding! How did this guy hide it so deeply? How many good things are there in the office?
"Nina cannot be contacted for now. Let's go find the magician to talk to her first, and then find a way to sneak into the leader's office." Ye Yunhe made the decision.
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The magician was frantically searching in the magic room, and the protagonists stared at him at the door for five minutes without getting even a glance from him.
Social experts Si and An were the first to speak: "Sir, do you need any help?"
"!"
The magician was startled. He turned around and looked outside the door, and finally found someone there.
"No, no, thank you for your kindness. I was just looking for a photo... God, where did it go? Damn it! I clearly remembered putting it in my pocket!"
The man's tone gradually collapsed.
Ye Yunhe took a few steps forward and looked at him worriedly: "It looks like something very important. Please don't be anxious. The more anxious you are, the more confused you will be. Think carefully about when was the last time you saw it?"
"The last time? The last time was when I put it neatly into the pocket of my changed suit, and then I realized my magic hat was missing. I was about to go out to look for it, and this kind gentleman brought the hat to me. I packed up my props and went on stage to perform." The magician exhaled deeply, suppressed his anxiety, and thought hard.
"This photo must be very important. There is strength in numbers. Let us help you find it," the kind gentleman said kindly. "Can you briefly describe what is in the photo?"
The magician was so moved that he bowed skillfully.
"I don't know how to express my gratitude... I am so lucky to meet such nice people like you!"
"It's a picture of a woman dancing, it's night time, the moon is full. That's it, you know it when you see it."
Ye Yunhe covered her mouth and exclaimed "Wow", and asked in surprise: "Is this a photo of your lover? How romantic."
"Yes..." The magician replied a little embarrassedly, with a lonely expression, and smiled at them.
Seeing him like this, Ye Yunhe felt a little uneasy and thought that he had said something wrong.
"I'm sorry, did you break up? I reminded you of bad things."
"It's okay, Miss. My lover... passed away not long ago. I still can't accept this fact. Only that photo can keep me company."
Red Heart died?
The three of them felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.
"How could this happen? It is the saddest thing in the world that lovers are separated by death. Please accept my condolences, sir. I'm sure that lady would not want to see you like this." Si Yu'an comforted him softly, as if he could not bear to see such a development, his eyes slightly red.
"To be honest, I am a writer and have written many romance novels. I have seen lovers who have overcome all difficulties to be together, and I have also seen lovers who have separated due to misunderstandings. Both of these have provided me with a lot of inspiration, allowing me to write works that touch people's hearts."
"I can see that you are deeply in love with that lady. I wonder if you could tell me the story between you two so that I can write it down and weave it into a book to record it forever."
He still couldn't forget his persona as a writer.
The two companions who were watching Si and An's performance also cooperated with them and showed moved expressions.
The magician was a little dazed. He stared at the three people in front of him and lowered his eyelids in thought. Soon, he seemed to have made up his mind.
"In that case, well... I also hope that the story between her and me can be recorded, as a thank you for helping me find the photos."
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"I met her in a circus. At that time, I was just a young boy who knew only a few simple tricks. When I was looking for a job to make a living, I saw a small circus. As soon as I entered, I saw her performing ballet on the stage. Her dance moves were light and her demeanor was calm. I unconsciously became a member of the audience."
"After she bowed, I asked others her name and found out that her name was Hong Tao."
"I have a good talent for magic, so I was accepted as a student by the magician there. Sometimes I would sit on the stone slab at the back and stare blankly because of failures. That was also the place where we had our first communication."
"It was a full moon that day. She asked me what happened, and her face was full of worry. I looked at her, and I felt dizzy and hot, and my face was burning. I didn't know what I said or what made me laugh.
"Since then, we have often communicated with each other. She would tell me about her love for ballet, and I would tell her about the fun of magic. The circus gradually developed, the tent became bigger and bigger, more people came here to apply for jobs, and we had more free time."
"After I had completed my studies and had my first solo performance, I took out a bunch of flowers and confessed my admiration to her on the stone slab where we had our first conversation. It happened to be a full moon that day."
"She accepted the flowers and became my lover. We embraced each other in the moonlight and then took that photo."
The magician said this, lowered his head, picked up the cup and drank water, thereby hiding the expression on his face.
"Thinking back on it now, that time was so beautiful that it seemed like a dream. I had planned to propose to her, but she had an accident. While rehearsing alone, she fell from a height due to equipment failure..."
He gripped the water cup tightly, so tightly that veins popped out on the back of his hand. He lowered his head to hide his expression, and could not be seen clearly in the shadows.
His body trembled unconsciously, and he seemed to see again the gushing blood and the broken body that day, scattered on the ground like red petals. He crawled closer and touched his lover, who was still warm.
The shrill screams, the messy footsteps, the collapsed shouts of others, he could no longer hear anything, everything had left him.
Pain, self-blame, guilt, regret… negative emotions invaded and devoured him, tore at his soul, cut his body, cut out a piece of his heart, and finally mocked his stupidity and ignorance for making a deal with the devil.
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