Xu Kuo gave a brief greeting: "Secretary Wen."
Secretary Wen looked up and saw Xu Kuo. He smiled at first, then his gaze fell on Sheng Xu behind Xu Kuo. He was clearly stunned for a moment, then quickly put down the list in his hand, put on an even warmer smile, and his tone became more respectful.
"Oh, Captain Sheng! What brings you backstage? Please come in and have a seat!"
Even a fool could see that Sheng Xu's rank was much higher than hers, the commune's clerk.
Xu Kuo paid no attention to their pleasantries and walked straight toward a small open space reserved for him in the corner.
There lay a simple cloth bundle he had brought, containing the "props" he would use that night—actually just some gadgets given to him by the system, plus some illusionary items he had prepared himself.
Before they had taken two steps, Zhang Zhihe, that persistent ghost, caught up again, craning his neck and shouting in a commanding tone.
"Hey kid! Where are your props? What are you hiding for? Show them to me! I want to see what kind of dirty tricks you, this country bumpkin, can pull off!"
Xu Kuo paused, turned around abruptly, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.
Is this guy still not done? He patiently explained to Sheng Xu out of respect, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have a temper.
"Why should I show you my things? Who do you think you are?"
"Hey! You're getting cocky!" Zhang Zhihe was so angry at Xu Kuo's impolite attitude that he glared at him.
"They're afraid to show it to anyone, they must be hiding something. It's definitely some low-quality junk! A trick that's obvious at a glance! Liars! Complete liars!"
He suddenly turned to Sheng Xu, extremely angry.
"Captain Sheng, look at this! Look at this! He's a complete fraud! He doesn't know any magic tricks at all! Kick him out right now! Don't let him embarrass us here and ruin our commune's reputation!"
The backstage area was already crowded and noisy, and Zhang Zhihe's shouting immediately attracted a lot of attention.
Seeing that the two were about to start arguing backstage and disturb others' preparations, Sheng Xu quickly stepped forward and stood between them. His face darkened, and he spoke with an undeniable air of authority: "Alright! Say less!"
He first turned to Xu Kuo and said with a warning tone, "Comrade Xu Kuo, you're about to go on stage. Focus on preparing your performance and don't cause any trouble!"
Then he forcefully pulled Zhang Zhihe's arm, half-pushing and half-persuading: "Teacher Zhang, Teacher Zhang, calm down, let's go outside and talk, so as not to disturb the actors' preparation. Let's go, let's go."
Zhang Zhihe was still furious and wanted to say something, but seeing Sheng Xu's serious expression, he ultimately didn't lash out. He just glared at Xu Kuo, flicked his sleeves, and was "invited" out of the backstage area by Sheng Xu.
Once backstage, away from the hustle and bustle, Zhang Zhihe immediately shook off Sheng Xu's hand and stomped his foot angrily.
He cursed, spitting as he spoke: "Liar! Absolutely a liar! Captain Sheng, don't be fooled by him! He wouldn't even show me, an expert, his props. Who knows what shady stuff he's hiding in that bundle! I'd bet my reputation of decades that his so-called magic tricks are nothing but a hoax! Crude, shoddy work, full of holes!"
Sheng Xu frowned even more as he listened to Zhang Zhihe's resolute judgment.
Zhang Zhihe is a professional, and his words carry significant weight.
If... if Xu Kuo really messed up his performance tonight in front of everyone, how do you explain the disappearance of his priceless antiques?
Could it be true, as Zhang Zhihe said, that some shady methods were used? This matter is probably not as simple as 'magic'.
Sheng Xu's eyes sharpened, and he made a silent resolution: If Xu Kuo really shows weakness tonight and fails to impress, I must thoroughly investigate the origins of those antiques! Perhaps, it might even uncover bigger problems!
At that very moment, in the front row of the audience, a pretty girl with two black braids was fidgeting and frequently glancing toward the backstage entrance.
She was Jiang Xiuying. Xu Kuo had specifically asked her to help him save a good seat. There was also an empty seat next to her, which was reserved for Xu Kuo to sit in when he came back after his performance.
Just as Jiang Xiuying was waiting anxiously, several slovenly-dressed, sleazy-looking young men strolled over with smirks.
The leader was a man with triangular eyes, a flat nose, and a roguish air about him; he was none other than Liu Erleng, a notorious local hoodlum.
He glanced around the crowd and immediately spotted Jiang Xiuying, a pretty girl sitting alone with an empty seat next to her.
Liu Erleng's eyes lit up, he chuckled, and without any hesitation, plopped down in the empty seat next to Jiang Xiuying, casually calling out to his underlings behind him, "Come on, guys, there's a seat here!"
Jiang Xiuying was startled by this sudden turn of events, especially when she smelled the stench of sweat and cigarette smoke on Liu Erleng. She instinctively shrank back to the side, mustered her courage, and whispered, "Comrade... I'm sorry, there are people here."
Liu Erleng glanced at her sideways, grinned to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth, his face full of mockery and arrogance, and sneered: "Someone's here? Who? I don't see anyone. Now, this spot belongs to me!"
Jiang Xiuying's cheeks flushed instantly, both embarrassed and angry. She bit her lip and pointed to the few remaining empty seats not far away: "Over there... there are still many empty seats over there, you can go over there..."
"I love sitting here! It's warm next to you, girl!" Liu Erleng shook his leg, looking like a scoundrel, his eyes darting around Jiang Xiuya without any restraint.
Jiang Xiuying knew that reasoning with this kind of person was useless; she couldn't afford to offend them, so she decided to avoid them.
She was both angry and scared, and her eyes were a little red. She had no choice but to stand up and move to an empty seat a little further away.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she took a step, Liu Erleng stood up immediately, moving even faster than her, and followed her with a grin, almost touching her body.
"Hey girl, don't go! Why are you in such a hurry?"
Jiang Xiuying was so frightened that she quickly shrank back, her back pressed against the back of the chair behind her, her voice trembling with obvious panic: "What...what do you want to do?"
Liu Erleng rubbed his hands together, his triangular eyes gleaming with undisguised lewdness, and chuckled, "Hehe, I didn't mean anything by it. It's the New Year, it's so boring being alone. I just wanted to have a good chat with you, girl!"
His gaze seemed glued to Jiang Xiuya, filled with aggression.
"What...what do you want to do?!" Jiang Xiuying's voice was already trembling with tears. She was forced to back away by Liu Erleng, her back pressed tightly against the cold chair back, her eyes filled with fear and helplessness.
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