Magic Performance

"Brothers, that's all for today's stream. Let's chat for a while."

Ling Yun stretched and spoke into the microphone.

[Streamer, besides singing, do you have any other special talents? Put on a show for us brothers.]

The bullet comments immediately responded.

[Support the comment above. The streamer sings so amazingly well, so he should be decent at other things too, right?]

[I second that +1!]

[How about smashing a boulder on your chest! (doge)]

Looking at the viewers egging him on, Ling Yun curled his lips into a sly smile. "Watching, of course, isn't a problem, but shouldn't you brothers send a few more gifts? Not much—just make the total value exceed one Heart of the Universe."

[Damn, how could the poor brothers in this stream withstand you squeezing them like this!]

[Streamer, streamer, can minors send gifts?]

[The guy above can send as much as he wants. Just get a refund after sending it. (doge to save my life)]

"Stop, stop!" Ling Yun hurriedly waved his hands, the smile on his face turning helpless. "Brothers, I was just joking. Who are we to each other? If I have to receive gifts just to perform a talent, wouldn't that be too formal!"

He was genuinely afraid that this group of "dangerous elements" would cause some refund fiasco. If he had to compensate the platform afterward, that would be absolutely miserable.

[Hahaha, the streamer chickened out! We found the group that keeps streamers from making money!]

[So what exactly is the streamer going to perform? Stop keeping us in suspense!]

[I can't wait any longer! Hurry up!]

[Don't worry, streamer. As long as the performance is good enough, we'll provide all the gifts you need!]

"Fine!"

Ling Yun slammed his hand on the table.

"Next, I'll give you something fun—a magic trick with no props!"

After saying that, he swiftly picked up a Clown Mask prepared beside the table and fastened it over his face. At the same time, his fingertips moved imperceptibly, and an extremely faint stream of spiritual energy flowed across his body.

In an instant, the outline of his figure seemed to undergo subtle changes, and even his air took on a strange quality.

Now, even if his own mother were standing right in front of him, she would still have to stare blankly for three seconds.

Immediately afterward, he turned on the stream's camera.

[Holy crap! I thought the streamer had shown his face!]

[Not bad, streamer. Is the face under the mask handsome or ugly?]

[A Clown Mask? Streamer, what are you going to perform? Making a living person appear out of nowhere?]

[Magic without props? Sounds so mysterious!]

The camera switched, focusing on Ling Yun wearing the mask.

He deliberately lowered his voice, adding a hint of mystery. "Watch closely, brothers."

He stopped looking at the bullet comments and focused on raising his right hand, palm facing upward, his five fingers naturally spread. In the shadowed area deliberately created by the camera and lighting, he flipped his wrist at tremendous speed. The movement was as smooth as a breeze brushing past.

At the instant he flipped it, he hurriedly connected to the Storage Space with his Spiritual Sense.

When his right hand opened again, a gorgeous, dripping-red rose had appeared between his fingers!

[Holy shit???!!!]

[??? Where did it come from???]

[Wait! Did my eyes just deceive me? It was too fast!]

[It's fake, right? A prop? Did the camera cut?]

[(ID: Little Li the Apprentice Magician) Holy crap! That technique! It was too fast! His sleeve? I didn't see it clearly! How did he do it?!]

[Quit acting, the streamer definitely used special effects!]

[Magic! It's definitely magic! Streamer, come clean!]

[Special-effects hack, get lost! That was clearly hand speed! The streamer is awesome! (voice cracking)]

"How was that? Do you want to see something even more exciting?" Ling Yun asked deliberately, his voice carrying a smile.

The moment his words fell, the gift effects in the stream exploded!

['Divine Ling's Little Fangirl' sent the streamer [Douyin Number One] *10!—Ahhhhh, my husband is devastatingly handsome!!! The Prince of Magic!!!]

['Passerby A' sent the streamer [Carnival] *1!—I was simply stunned by that hand speed.]

['Professional Stand-In' sent the streamer [Rocket] *3!—Divine Ling! Take my knees! Do you need an apprentice? The kind who knows how to shout 666!]

"Thanks, brothers! You're so generous!" Ling Yun's voice carried a hint of excitement. "Then here comes the advanced version! Open your eyes wide!"

This time, his movements were even more exaggerated.

He abruptly spread his arms and leaned his body slightly backward, drawing all the viewers' attention.

At the same time, he spread the five fingers of his right hand, palm facing downward, and made a fierce grabbing motion at the air roughly half a meter in front of the camera!

"Smack!"

While the viewers were still staring at his right hand grabbing at empty air, a large bouquet of brilliantly red roses, wrapped beautifully, appeared in his hand with a swish, as if it had materialized from thin air.

[!!!!!!!!!!]

[??????????????]

[No... bro??? What???]

[Holy crap... how do you explain this???]

[There was clearly nothing where he grabbed just now!]

[The camera didn't cut! Absolutely didn't cut! I was watching closely!]

[(ID: Old Wang the Magic Enthusiast) I... I've been in this profession for ten years... This... this violates the laws of physics! There's no way his sleeve could hide such a large bouquet! The position... the speed... This isn't scientific!]

[Brothers... I'm starting to believe in magic...]

[Streamer, tell us honestly, do you have a system?]

[Is the stream haunted???]

[I recorded it! We have to study it over and over!]

The bullet comments in the stream went completely insane. Doubts, exclamations, screams, analyses, and jokes all mixed together, nearly drowning out the screen.

The number of viewers online also seemed to ride a rocket, shooting from just over a million at the start to instantly breaking through the three-million mark!

Looking at the boiling scene and the gifts still rapidly increasing in the background, the smile beneath Ling Yun's mask deepened. But he wanted to end the stream.

So he put on just the right amount of exhaustion in his voice. "All right, all right, brothers. It's too late, and I really can't keep going. Today's magic took a lot out of me! Tomorrow night at eight, same time as usual. Your Divine Ling will start streaming on time. See you then!"

[Don't go, streamer! Do one more!]

[I just woke my roommate up to watch! How can you be ending already!]

[Don't leave, streamer! I'm going to sell my graphics card right now! Wait for me to send you a Heart of the Universe!]

[Holy crap, ending the stream with three million viewers? Streamer, you're seriously willful!]

[Good night, Divine Ling! We'll be waiting for you tomorrow!]

After ending the stream, Ling Yun had just taken off the slightly stuffy mask and set it aside when his phone screen lit up. Jiang Yingxue's QQ avatar was bouncing.

Jiang Yingxue: I just finished watching your stream... Um... when you made the roses appear, it was so amazing. (Followed by a starry-eyed kitten sticker)

Ling Yun: Thanks, Sister Yingxue. But... when I came to your house today, you seemed a little different from when we usually chat online. A little... aloof?

After he sent the message, nearly half a minute passed before the words "typing..." appeared on the other side, only to pause again.

Jiang Yingxue: (A rabbit sticker covering its face)... Yeah. You noticed. Actually... I've always been like this with my family. Really!

Jiang Yingxue: I only relax when I'm with you, but my family was there today, so I couldn't really let go... Sorry. Did I seem especially strange?

Her words revealed careful nervousness and a little frustration.

Ling Yun looked at the screen and suddenly understood.

So her silence and restraint during the day hadn't only been because of him. Social situations like this were themselves a tremendous source of pressure for her.

She couldn't even relax when speaking with her family... A look of understanding and faint pity rose in his heart.

Ling Yun: So that's how it is. I understand. It's fine, Sister Yingxue. That's fine too. It's already very late—past one in the morning. You should get some rest.

Jiang Yingxue: (A well-behaved panda sticker nodding) Mm-hmm! You should sleep soon too! I'm just going to edit the best parts of the magic trick you performed earlier, then I'll go to sleep! Good night!

Ling Yun: Good night.