At the backstage entrance, two team members wearing cotton coats and red armbands with the words "Security" were vigilantly stopping teenagers who wanted to join the fun.
Xu Kuo stepped forward, about to go in, when one of his team members reached out and stopped him.
"Hey! What are you doing? This is the performance area, audience members please move to the front!"
The team member looked Xu Kuo up and down, noticing that he was wearing a faded old cotton-padded jacket with several patches and worn-out cotton shoes. His face immediately showed impatience and disdain.
These days, anyone with a bit of status or who gets to perform on stage, dresses as presentably as possible.
This kid looks like a poor boy from some village who's just here to watch the show, and he's trying to sneak backstage.
Xu Kuo was taken aback, then explained, "Comrade, I'm here to perform a show, a magic show."
"Perform a show? You?" The security guard scoffed, nudging his colleague with his elbow. "Did you hear that? He said he's here to do magic tricks!"
Another teammate chuckled, "Kid, if you want to sneak in and watch the show, at least come up with a decent excuse! Magic tricks? Why don't you just say you're a big shot you invited from the provincial capital? Get out of here, get out of here!"
As he spoke, he reached out to shove Xu Kuo.
Xu Kuo frowned, realizing that it was truly a case of a scholar trying to reason with a soldier.
Arguing with these two guys who only care about clothes and not people is a complete waste of time. He glanced backstage, hoping to find someone he knew.
Unfortunately, Secretary Wen was standing deep backstage, surrounded by a group of chattering actresses, seemingly giving instructions, and had no time to pay attention to the entrance.
Just as he was feeling helpless, Xu Kuo caught a glimpse of Zhou Changke and Sheng Xu in the front row seats out of the corner of his eye.
His eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over there.
"Secretary Zhou! Captain Sheng!"
Zhou Changke was talking to the person next to him when he heard the shout and turned around. He saw that it was Xu Kuo and couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Xu Kuo? Why are you still outside? The party is about to start. Why aren't you backstage preparing? What are you doing here?"
Xu Kuo gave a wry smile, pointed towards the backstage entrance, and explained briefly, "Secretary Zhou, the security guards backstage don't recognize me and won't let me in."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Changke frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the efficiency of the process. He then waved to Sheng Xu beside him, "Sheng Xu, take him inside."
Sheng Xu nodded and stood up.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Zhihe's eyes lit up instantly. He excitedly grabbed Sheng Xu's arm and asked urgently, "Captain Sheng! Is...is that magic master here? Where is he?"
He craned his neck and looked around, eager to see who the master was.
Sheng Xu was amused by his eagerness and pointed to Xu Kuo beside him, jokingly saying, "He's far away, yet right in front of you. Teacher Zhang, the master you've been longing to meet is none other than this Comrade Xu Kuo."
“Him?!” Zhang Zhihe’s gaze suddenly focused on Xu Kuo, scrutinizing him carefully from head to toe.
A face that was too young, clothes that were plain, even shabby, and especially hands—clean, but the knuckles weren’t particularly long, and there were no calluses or dexterity that come from long-term practice of playing cards, coins, and other hand-playing techniques.
This...this doesn't look like a magician at all, let alone a "master"!
Zhang Zhihe's face instantly darkened, his eyes filled with disbelief and annoyance at being fooled as he looked at Sheng Xu: "Captain Sheng, don't joke with me like this! Him? Performing magic? How is that possible!"
Sheng Xu shrugged: "I'm not joking. If you don't believe me, ask Comrade Xu Kuo yourself."
Seeing the well-dressed middle-aged man staring at him with suspicion, Xu Kuo felt somewhat helpless, but still nodded politely: "Hello, Teacher Zhang, it is indeed me who will be performing magic tonight."
At this point, Zhang Zhihe completely lost his composure.
He felt like he'd been tricked!
He came all the way from the provincial capital, full of anticipation to meet the so-called "folk master," and this is what he was shown?
A young boy who hasn't even grown his hair yet, wearing patched clothes, and whose hands show no trace of martial arts skills.
"Nonsense! This is utter nonsense!" Zhang Zhihe's face flushed with anger. He abruptly shook off Sheng Xu's arm and glared at Sheng Xu and Zhou Changke. "You...you're making fun of me?! Jokes about something like this! Is this funny?!"
He felt that his expertise and passion had been insulted, and a surge of anger welled up inside him!
Xu Kuo was taken aback by this sudden outburst of anger and had no idea what was going on.
He turned to look at Sheng Xu, his brows furrowing slightly: "Captain Sheng, who is this?" Who is this person? He's so angry, like he's on fire.
A slight embarrassment crossed Sheng Xu's face as he explained, "This is Zhang Zhihe, a magician from the province. He heard about your... uh, the 'deed' of making all that stuff in your warehouse disappear, and he really admires you. He specifically wanted to come and learn from you..."
"Exchange and learning? Bah!"
Before Sheng Xu could finish speaking, Zhang Zhihe almost spat at Xu Kuo's feet, his eyes filled with contempt and disdain as he looked Xu Kuo up and down as if he were examining something unworthy of respect.
"Him? A country bumpkin who toils in the fields! He dares to call himself a magician? Captain Sheng, I think you're getting old and blind, you've been fooled by this kid! How could someone like that possibly do magic? It's pure con artistry! A charlatan!"
Sheng Xu's smile faded slightly, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Zhang Zhihe is, after all, a professional magician from the province. He makes a living this way, so he might really have a knack for judging people.
Could it be that... there was some unknown trickery behind Xu Kuo's previous move?
His gaze toward Xu Kuo unconsciously carried an air of scrutiny and suspicion.
Xu Kuo keenly noticed the fleeting doubt in Sheng Xu's eyes, and his heart sank slightly.
Goodness, this guy really managed to sway Sheng Xu with just a few words.
It seems that the title of "professional" works everywhere.
Now is not the time to argue with this self-righteous guy; business is more important.
He turned to the side, no longer looking at Zhang Zhihe, but at Sheng Xu: "Captain Sheng, please take me backstage first, it's my turn to get ready soon."
Sheng Xu nodded, agreeing that they should discuss things after the performance.
He led the way, and the two guards who had been blocking Xu Kuo earlier, seeing Sheng Xu leading the way personally, didn't dare to utter a sound and quickly bowed and made way.
Once backstage, the lighting was dimmer, and various props and people in costumes were bustling about, creating a lively scene.
They ran into Secretary Wen, who was holding a program and directing several female comrades to move things.
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