The effect of Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty was exceptionally good—even Cheng Huanhuan couldn't help adding another line.
Lin Chudong quickly left the stage, greeted Liang Yin and the others, then went to the audience and found his seat.
The program ended, and it was Guan Lu's turn.
Guan Lu walked into the audience and handed a microphone to a middle-aged man.
"General Manager Wu, you're a true native of Magic City. You founded Hongyun Group from nothing, rising from an ordinary citizen to where you are today. It's truly admirable. Could you say a few words to your fellow townspeople?"
General Manager Wu was Wu Siping.
He was the founder of Hongyun Mineral Water, a billionaire, and the naming-rights sponsor of the gala.
This segment was actually just an advertisement for the sponsor, essentially an interview with a celebrity.
Wu Siping said a few words expressing his gratitude to his hometown, then picked up a bottle of mineral water from the table and performed a special trick for everyone.
He downed an entire bottle of mineral water in one breath, immediately drawing a wave of cheers from the audience. The program effect was excellent.
Hongyun Mineral Water came in transparent bottles with red labels, making it look particularly festive.
However, Lin Chudong seemed to notice that Guan Lu also had a bottle of water tucked in her pocket. Something about this was fishy. He had to be wary of that woman.
Lin Chudong peeled a Hongyun Mineral Water label off, tucked it into his pocket, and placed the bottle on the floor in case it came in handy.
After interviewing several people, Guan Lu suddenly came to Lin Chudong and casually leaned against the table in front of him.
She took out a bottle of mineral water with a blue label and placed it behind her. These small movements completely blocked Lin Chudong from view, so he couldn't see anything at all, and the camera couldn't capture any flaw either.
"Da Fei, let me ask you a few questions. How did you compose the song Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty?"
Lin Chudong took the microphone and said, "The song was mainly written based on the deeds of the ancient figure Yue Fei, promoting the spirit of patriotism."
"Oh, as expected of a musical genius... Hey, Da Fei, why is your bottle of water different from everyone else's?"
Guan Lu stood up and pretended to notice the blue-labeled Linquan Mineral Water on the table. She immediately asked in surprise.
Sun Xuan's expression changed slightly. "What happened? Director, get an advertisement ready. If there's a problem, cut straight to the ad!"
This was the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala sponsored by Hongyun Mineral Water. Having a competitor's Linquan Mineral Water appear onstage was tantamount to slapping the boss in the face.
By now, Wu Siping's expression had darkened. With so many bottles of mineral water bearing red labels, the blue-labeled one in front of Da Fei stood out starkly. Clearly, he had brought it in himself.
A trace of coldness flashed through Guan Lu's eyes. You little brat. You dared offend Zhi Lin, but you clearly have no idea how deep the waters are. If I want to ruin you, wouldn't it be effortless?
If this matter wasn't handled properly, Lin Chudong would completely offend the sponsor.
And that wouldn't be all. From then on, many sponsors would view Lin Chudong as a troublemaker, and many would demand that he be barred from appearing on their programs. That was practically no different from being blacklisted.
Liang Yin and the others immediately turned pale.
"What happened? When did Da Fei get Linquan Mineral Water?"
"Da Fei didn't even bring water himself. There's so much sponsored water here—why would he bring his own? Da Fei isn't stupid!"
Chen Jianguo frowned, his face filled with worry.
"This is bad. Da Fei's in trouble."
At such an important occasion, he had brought out a product from the sponsor's competitor. That was an absolute taboo.
Artists who had made this kind of mistake were practically always shelved in the end.
It would probably be difficult for Lin Chudong to resolve this situation cleanly.
Meanwhile, Shen Jianbin and the others had already packed up and were about to leave. When they saw this scene, they immediately laughed so hard that they slapped their thighs.
Sun Jie said, "Da Fei's a complete moron. He brought mineral water to a gala? Didn't he know the show had a sponsor? What an idiot!"
Shen Jianbin said, "Da Fei isn't that stupid. Someone must have framed him. Looks like he offended someone. Let's sit back and enjoy the show."
Su Yulin clenched her fists, worry showing on her face.
What is Da Fei doing?
Sun Xuan's side was already preparing to have the director cut to an advertisement. Although doing so would forcibly interrupt the broadcast and make it look like a Broadcast Accident, that was still better than offending the sponsor.
Da Fei, Da Fei, how could you be so careless?
Sun Xuan was terribly depressed. It was truly a case of Da Fei bringing both success and failure.
Lin Chudong's expression darkened. He had known Guan Lu would pull some underhanded trick. Sure enough, it was exactly as he expected!
Playing dirty, are you?
Facing the camera, Lin Chudong quickly composed himself. He picked up the blue-labeled bottle of mineral water and said, "This is a little program I prepared for everyone. Does everyone believe that magic exists in this world?"
The artists all understood that mixing up the sponsor's product was a fatal mistake, but ordinary viewers didn't think much of it.
As soon as they heard Lin Chudong say this, the audience immediately burst into laughter.
"No!"
Usually, an opening like that meant a magic trick was about to be performed.
Could it be that Da Fei, a professional singer, also knew magic?
Guan Lu was stunned as well. What is this kid trying to do? She had handled this matter very cleanly. Apart from the few audience members who had seen it, she wouldn't leave behind any evidence.
There was a chance of ruining Lin Chudong's reputation completely. No matter what he did, he wouldn't be able to make a comeback. Why was he still struggling?
None of these thoughts showed on her face. After all, she was in front of the camera and still had to maintain a professional demeanor.
Guan Lu smiled and said, "Da Fei, what are you trying to do?"
Lin Chudong said, "Do you believe I can turn this ordinary bottle of water into top-grade mineral water?"
Guan Lu shook her head. "I don't believe you."
Lin Chudong held the bottle by its cap with his right hand, displaying the entire bottle of mineral water to the camera.
He gripped the very top of the bottle with his left hand and said, "Everyone, I'm going to use magic to turn this bottle of water into top-grade mineral water. Please don't blink."
"Next, it's time to Witness a Miracle!"
Lin Chudong's hand slowly slid downward.
His left hand covered the upper edge of the label and continued downward.
When his hand had moved all the way down, a tiny portion of the label's upper edge was revealed. It had actually changed from blue to red!
The entire venue immediately erupted in astonishment!
At that moment, Da Fei's hand covered the middle of the label. The upper part was red, while the lower part was blue. The image was incredibly striking, looking just like genuine magic.
Guan Lu, who was closest to Da Fei, saw the trick's method clearly. Da Fei had held a replacement label in his hand and simply slipped it over the original.
There was nothing strange about him having a label. Hongyun Mineral Water was everywhere at the venue. But had he prepared this in advance? He wasn't actually a magician!
Moreover, his hands had moved far too quickly. Even knowing where the flaw was, only a magician could possess such powerful control.
Da Fei was merely a singer. How did he know magic too?
Guan Lu was standing in front of the camera, so of course she couldn't expose Lin Chudong's trick.
It was only a magic trick, not actual magic. Everyone knew it was fake.
As a host, if she exposed a magician's trick, would she still have a future in the industry?
Guan Lu had slept her way to stardom with her beauty. She couldn't let her career be ruined like this.
Da Fei's hand whooshed downward, and he raised the bottle of mineral water high into the air. The entire venue immediately erupted in cheers.
This little magic trick was extremely impressive. There was no way to see through it.
Most importantly, the performer was a singer, which made the audience even more amazed.
"Holy crap, Da Fei can do this too? That's ridiculous. It's so ridiculous that even Ridiculous's mother opened the door for it—ridiculous to the extreme."
"Artists these days are working way too hard. Without a couple of real skills, they don't even dare go on a show. Is Da Fei planning to enter the magic world?"
"To outsiders, Da Fei's magic trick looks incredible. But to those of us in the know, it's absolutely explosive too..."
"Da Fei really is an all-around artist. Where are all those Shen Jianbin fanboys from before? Why aren't they saying the Da Fei Band is awesome anymore? Can Wu Bo's little tricks compare to my Brother Fei?"
Before you continue