Chapter 338: A Different Kind of Magic!

The audience below the stage finally quieted down.

And Chu Chen finally spoke slowly:

"In the era of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs, the pyramids had not yet been built, and the Sphinx was just a piece of uncarved stone. At that time, there was a group of people—they were not wizards, not priests, not people of status. But they mastered some 'little tricks.' They could make things disappear, make things reappear, and even guess what you were thinking in your heart."

Chu Chen walked slowly on the stage, every step perfectly synchronized with the rhythm of his speech.

"The Nile River flooded every year, drowning the crops, and there was not enough food to eat. The pharaoh's granaries were piled high with grain, but the bowls of the commoners were empty. To ensure the slaves and the poor had enough to eat, they used the tricks they had mastered to steal grain from the pharaoh."

Speaking to this point, he paused, stood in the very center of the stage, and turned to face the audience.

"But paper cannot wrap up fire after all. One night, the high priest caught them in the act. Bags of grain, like monsters that had grown legs, were walking along the walls of the granary—of course, all of this was an illusion they created using tools hidden in their sleeves. Caught red-handed, the evidence was ironclad. The high priest tied them up and dragged them before the pharaoh. According to the laws of the time, stealing the pharaoh's grain was a capital offense."

Chu Chen's voice suddenly softened, so soft that everyone in the audience involuntarily held their breath.

"But after hearing the high priest's report, the pharaoh was not angry at all; instead, he was very interested in these tricks. On the spot, he had them perform how they had stolen the grain. After watching their performance, the pharaoh was ecstatic. Not only did he not punish them, but he also ordered the establishment of a special organization, letting this group of people continue to perform their tricks to entertain the nobles, and this is the origin of magic."

Applause rang out once again.

A few seconds later, after the applause died down, Chu Chen smiled again and said:

"A magician makes things disappear, never to make them disappear forever. A magician makes things appear, never to show off. Disappearance and appearance are two sides of the same coin. You make something disappear from where it shouldn't be, and then make it appear where it should be—this is the entire secret of magic."

While speaking, Chu Chen took a white handkerchief out of his suit pocket and gave it a shake.

Then he wiped his hands with the handkerchief, crumpled the cloth into a ball, and held it in his palm.

But when he opened his fist, the handkerchief was gone.

In its place was a white dove.

The dove tilted its head to look at the audience below, flapped its wings twice, but it did not fly away, just crouching quietly in Chu Chen's palm.

Like a well-trained, obedient supporting actor.

The audience below the stage let out an "Oh—" sound, expressing their amazement at his performance!

Chu Chen gently stroked the dove's back with his other hand.

The dove let out two "Gugu" sounds, the noise spreading throughout the entire theater via his lapel microphone.

Immediately after, he waved both hands and tossed the dove into the air.

But the moment it left his hand, the dove turned into a bouquet of roses.

Afterward, he blew a breath at the flowers.

The next second, the flowers were gone too.

Chu Chen spread his ten fingers, palms facing up, his hands empty!

"You must think this is magical, but actually it's nothing. I believe you are used to this by now, and such magic is simply not worthy of tonight's gala. This is just an appetizer; tonight, I will bring you a different kind of magic!"

As soon as Chu Chen finished this sentence, enthusiastic applause erupted from below!

The barrage in the live stream room also began to frantically dominate the screen!

【So looking forward to it!】

【Start quickly, I can't wait anymore!】

【Amazing!】

【I've already prepared my screams!】

【Please begin your performance!】

The lights on the stage began to change slowly, transitioning from bright white to a deeper, warmer amber.

That color of light hit Chu Chen's face, making him look like a Renaissance oil painting—the boundary of light and shadow cut clear geometric shapes on his nose bridge and cheekbones, half bright, half dark.

Two thousand eight hundred people in the audience held their breath simultaneously.

A facet of the crystal chandelier on the dome refracted a tiny, rainbow-colored spot of light.

That spot of light moved slowly along the wall of the auditorium, like a quiet firefly foraging for food.

"How is it? Are you ready?"

After this sentence was spoken, there was another round of screams from below!

"Alright, everyone, no more nonsense, the truly spectacular performance begins right now! Hmm—before everyone entered the venue, our reception staff asked you to write your bank card balance on the back of your invitation letters. Did you all do it? Now, hold up your invitation letters and let me see them!"

As soon as Chu Chen finished speaking, the audience below raised their invitation letters one after another, waving them continuously.

Seeing that everyone had complied, Chu Chen nodded, then placed his right hand to his forehead and peered toward the audience: "Hmm, you did well. Now, please shout out your names!"

The words landed.

The sound from below rose in wave after wave!

Chu Chen pricked up his ears, earnestly capturing one specific name after another: "Huai Te Ma Xi?"

After he said this name, a lady in the northwest corner of the auditorium stood up directly.

"Huai Te Mo Ni Ka, is that you?"

"That's right, it's me!"

"OK, please stand where you are for now. Everyone else, please give me another name!" Chu Chen said again.

Below was another noisy scene.

"Who is Duo Bin Su Shan?"

Another lady stood up.

"Ha Te Dao Ge La Si?"

A Black man stood up.

"OK, Monica, what is your bank card balance? Please tell me loudly!" After selecting a few people, Chu Chen said to the first woman who stood up.

Hearing his question, the woman looked at her invitation letter and replied: "It's 580 yuan!"

"580 yuan, alright. Susan, what is your bank card balance? Please tell me!"

"3,000 dollars!" the woman named Susan replied.

"Hart, what is your balance again?"

"Hmm, it's in US dollars!"

Chu Chen nodded: "Alright, thank you for your cooperation, but to complete this magic trick, having just you is not enough. Next, I need one more person to assist me in completing this performance, and this person is the one with the highest balance in the entire room, and also the most prominent one, the CEO of UnitedHealth, Brian! Ladies and gentlemen, let us use warm applause to invite Brian onto the stage!"