During the scorching summer, when restlessness fills people's hearts, finding oneself in an air-conditioned room, enjoying the cool breeze and relishing in chilled beverages, should be a delightful indulgence.
However, Cai Yun did not find it enjoyable. He was feeling restless, ignoring the cold drink placed on the table and continuously inspecting the props in his hands. He murmured the key points of his performance under his breath, afraid that nerves would cause him to forget.
"Are you a magician? A novice magician?"
A voice from the side interrupted Cai Yun's train of thought. He turned his head and saw a young man sitting lazily in a chair, with a relaxed demeanor that stood out amidst the crowd of performers waiting to go on stage.
"I am a magician, but not a novice magician," Cai Yun replied. He was sensitive to the words "novice" and emphasized, "I already have experience performing in many places."
"If you're so nervous, then you must be a novice magician," the curious young man remarked.
Cai Yun twitched his lips and shook his head. "Being calm isn't right, is it? All the participants here are nervous. But how about you? How can you be so...?"
He hesitated to say the rest of his question. He wanted to ask how the young man could be so calm, but it felt impolite.
"Have you noticed?"
There was a slight change in the young man's expression as he leaned in and lowered his voice.
"Noticed what?"
Cai Yun was confused.
"So, you haven't noticed," the young man relaxed, bursting into laughter. He casually patted Cai Yun's shoulder. "I thought you discovered that my magic is not just magic but actual sorcery."
Cai Yun: "..."
"Are you also a performer of magic?"
Cai Yun's alertness increased, and he instinctively put away his magic props.
"No, I'm not a performer of magic. To be precise, I showcase extraordinary abilities," the young man said, returning to his cheerful disposition.
"Hah, extraordinary abilities?"
Cai Yun gazed at the young man with an incredulous look, then suddenly realized, "You use extraordinary abilities as a gimmick for your magic performances? Hmm, that may not be a good approach."
Cai Yun sensed that this was likely a promotional tactic in performance marketing, which he found quite intriguing. However, he was certain that a legitimate magician would never do such a thing.
"Gimmick? This is more than just a gimmick."
The young man exuded confidence. "I truly possess extraordinary abilities."
Cai Yun chuckled and felt no desire to continue the conversation with the young man. He felt as though the young man's mind was a bit off.
"Number 21, Cai Yun, please get ready. You're up next."
"Alright, I'm here."
Cai Yun hastily stood up, holding his props as he made his way towards the stage entrance.
As he approached the stage, Cai Yun became even more nervous. When it was his turn to go on stage, he took a deep breath and, with his props in hand, stepped onto the stage.
"Super Talent Showcase. As long as you believe in miracles and dreams, showcase your talents, and this stage will help you realize your dreams!"
"Good evening, mentors. My name is Cai Yun, a street magician, and I have been performing magic for two and a half years..."
After introducing himself to the audience of hundreds and the four observing mentor judges, Cai Yun's nervousness gradually subsided. "Today, I will perform a card magic trick..."
The staff timely brought a table on stage, and Cai Yun sat down. The camera focused on the table as he skillfully manipulated the playing cards, covering one card with a wooden ruler, causing half of the card to disappear.
With Cai Yun's exquisite magic skills, the four mentors did not find any flaws, and the audience responded with heartfelt applause.
Pass, pass, pass, pass!
All four mentors pressed the green button.
This boosted Cai Yun's confidence. By the time he came down from the stage, his leg muscles were finally not shaking, and a confident smile appeared on his face as the other contestants around him also applauded.
"Amazing, veteran magician! Your magic left me in awe!"
Just as Cai Yun was celebrating, he heard "veteran magician" and almost stumbled. He looked over and found the jovial young man whom he had conversed with earlier, approaching him and giving a thumbs-up.
"Veteran magician... Why did you call me a veteran magician?"
"Oh, didn't you say you are not a novice magician?"
"Huh?"
Cai Yun was puzzled for a moment. The phrase "veteran" corresponding to "novice" seemed somewhat bizarre.
"Number 23, 23, it's your turn. Get ready."
"Coming, coming!"
The young man hastily raised his hand and ran towards the stage.
"He seems to be a magician too?"
Cai Yun realized and couldn't help but glance at the TV screen backstage, wanting to see what kind of magic this guy was going to perform.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Yu Ze, the younger generation of Yu Ze."
"So, this guy's name is Yu Ze... It's a good name, but he's quite peculiar," Cai Yun murmured, continuing to watch the TV screen.
After introducing himself, Yu Ze faced the mentors' questions.
The four mentors, from left to right, were Shen Tao, Yang Mier, Jin Xing, and Liu Yehua, all renowned domestic celebrities.
"Yu Ze, hello. What talent do you want to showcase?"
In reality, each mentor had a list of talents that all the contestants wanted to perform, but this was a recorded program, so they had to act as if they didn't know.
"Hello, Teacher Jin. The talent I want to showcase is... extraordinary abilities."
"Huh?"
"???"
The four mentors were puzzled. Shen Tao reacted, looking surprised. "What do you want to showcase? I didn't catch that."
"Extraordinary abilities," Yu Ze nodded.
"Uh, extraordinary abilities?" Shen Tao wondered. "I saw that you signed up to perform magic, didn't you?"
The talent show allowed online registration, but this didn't mean that anyone who registered could perform. If that were the case, the first round of auditions might not be completed in a week. Therefore, the nominal first round of auditions had already been screened by the creative team, ensuring that the contestants' talents had a certain level of appeal, controversy, and audience draw before they could perform.
Hence, the fact that Yu Ze could stand here meant that his talent had passed the screening of the creative team. However, this didn't mean that contestants could casually change the program they had registered for.
"Magic is just a facade. I actually don't know any magic. What I do know is extraordinary abilities!"
Yu Ze smiled like a boy next door, looking radiant, but his words left the four mentors unable to compliment them.
"Haha, extraordinary abilities? This term sounds a bit ancient. Are you trying to say you have superpowers?"
Liu Yehua interjected, with genuine interest. "So, what you really want to perform today isn't magic, but superpowers? Are you sure? Our eyes are sharp, whether it's magic or superpowers, we can't be fooled."