Chapter 79: Let Me Show You a Little Trick

"Can the crystal ball divine someone else's fortune?"
"Of course it can, but whose fortune do you want to read? Your future partner?" the elder asked with a mischievous glint in his eye.
Chen Fan waved his hand, a little unwilling. "No, I was just making a casual remark."
The elder's lips curled into a smile as he relented, "We're all adults now. As long as you know what you're doing, there's no need to worry about what others think."
"Really, there's nothing. I was just asking," Chen Fan insisted, denying it again.
In truth, Chen Fan might not be uninterested, but the novelty had yet to prove its endurance. Besides, with his own destiny still a mystery, how could he have time to concern himself with others?
"Remember, you said it yourself. I didn't force you," the elder said, crossing his legs and reclining on the red sofa chair.
Chen Fan quipped, "Are you Doraemon? Even seats from the Wanda Cinema can appear out of nowhere."
The elder touched his forehead and replied, "Every now and then, but it's nothing more than a few modest tricks."
"Let's leave it at that for today. Tomorrow, I'll continue with my library marathon," Chen Fan folded up the desk from his bed and climbed down, crystal ball in hand.
"Fan, who were you talking to?"
Hearing Xu Changhui suddenly call out, Chen Fan turned and apologized, "Did I disturb your nap? I was on the phone with a relative, got a bit loud without realizing. Sorry."
"No worries, I've been awake for a while. Is it going to rain? You should hurry and bring in the clothes," Xu Changhui yawned and got out of bed.
"Rain? I didn't hear any thunder," Chen Fan said, puzzled.
Xu Changhui went outside to check the sky, not a single cloud in sight. Scratching his head, he muttered, "That's strange. Wasn't there a flash of lightning earlier? It woke me up."
Chen Fan paused, then quickly replied, "Maybe you saw wrong, or maybe your phone screen lit up suddenly. That happens to me sometimes—I'll be asleep and accidentally tap my phone, and the flash wakes me."
"Could be. Never mind, I'm heading out for a midnight snack," Xu Changhui yawned again, still not fully awake.
Beep beep beep.
[Hey, want to play Werewolf in the activity room tomorrow?]
"This guy, isn't he usually holed up in the dorm playing games? Why the sudden invitation?" Chen Fan considered replying, [No problem], but hesitated.
[Did you break up with your games?]
[Ugh, don't even mention it. The school's lousy internet has lag spikes all day—it's like watching a slideshow. I'm done, not playing anymore.]
"So that's why," Chen Fan thought. No wonder. He often wanted to rant about the school's network: fine when few people are online, but come evening peak hours, a five-minute video stalls into an epic.
Xu Changhui had his own complaints; Chen Fan often saw him up all night downloading movies, though most files had no names, just strings of letters and numbers.
[Alright, since you asked so earnestly, I’ll reluctantly agree to join you.]
[You make me sound like a beggar. I heard there are lots of new scripts in the VR room. Did you try them last night? How was it?]
[Pretty good, aside from the NPCs slapping everyone.]
[...]
[No worries, getting mowed down by machine guns is nothing.]
Chen Fan reassured him with nonsense, successfully luring Li Peijun onto the ship. Still, he had no desire to experience another session in a Republican-era police station, kneeling in shackles to reason out logic. At least there should be a chair to sit in.
The elder was persistent, asking again, "You really don't want to see your future partner's fortune?"
"I don't even know who my future partner is. What's the point? I won't look," Chen Fan refused outright, stowing the crystal ball deep in the wardrobe, out of sight and mind.
Chen Fan remembered the elder’s earlier words and, with the intuition of a humanities student, deduced, "Wait, I recall you said the Gypsy woman's current function is only divination. That means she has other abilities, right?"
"Yes," the elder replied, "but they'll only appear after the New Moon Event. Don't overthink it—you'll understand when the time comes."
"Tch, time to wash up and sleep. Haven’t had an early night in ages. I'll catch up this weekend."
Chen Fan stood on tiptoe, stretching lazily. Holiday syndrome still lingered, and at this pace, university breaks would arrive before he fully recovered.
"Suit yourself, I'm off to shower," the elder said easily. With a snap of his fingers, a beach and sea appeared behind him.
"Watch out for the evening tide—don’t let it wash you away," Chen Fan chuckled.
"Good point. Watch this," the elder switched hands, snapped again, and the scene shifted to a private indoor bathhouse.
"Believe me, if you brought these tricks into the real world, you'd be the richest person alive," Chen Fan gathered his clothes and draped the towel over his shoulder.
The elder blew upward, a swim cap appearing on his head. Hands on hips, he said, "No need. Too many deadbeats out there. Helping them all turn their lives around would be tough. Better to command the landscape."
"You..."
...
"Now, let us welcome the most renowned magician of the twenty-first century, Mr. Chen Fan, for a magic performance. Please give him a warm round of applause."
Clap clap clap.
The magnesium lights overhead followed Chen Fan's steps, gradually ushering this radiant new star into the public eye. As the mysterious curtains parted, hundreds of white doves scattered from the stage, and all eyes were fixed upon him.
Chen Fan wore a black top hat, a classic deep-black suit, and a crimson bow tie at his collar. Never had his attire fit so perfectly, making him look anything but awkward.
Standing on stage, he was the idol everyone awaited. He could feel the audience's passion in the ceaseless applause, and there was no shortage of fervent fans tossing roses onto the stage.
"Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to perform magic for you," Chen Fan placed a hand over his chest and bowed lightly, drawing even more enthusiastic applause.
The host asked, "Mr. Chen Fan, your magic is celebrated at home and abroad, your achievements surpassing all previous masters. The industry praises you highly. What are your thoughts on this?"
Chen Fan smiled kindly. "They're just humble tricks. When I first started, I was merely a street performer showing off for passersby. Until one day, I happened upon a wise elder who imparted all his knowledge to me. Only then did my magic skills soar."
He removed his top hat and held it before him. "Hat magic is one of the classics, but today, I'd like to show you something different."
"Then let's look forward to it," the host said, leaving Chen Fan ample time for his act.
Following the usual routine, Chen Fan turned the hat brim up and crown down, traced a circle around the rim with his right hand, and snapped his fingers.
"Ordinary people worry about money, but this magic can solve that problem completely," Chen Fan said with a deliberately profound smile, slowly raising the hat overhead.
"Now, it's time to witness a miracle."
With a swift turn, bills began to rain from the hat: banknotes and coins from every country, large and small denominations, scattering across the stage and quickly spilling toward the audience.
"Amazing! This can't be explained by magic—this must be sorcery," the host exclaimed, unable to resist bending down to pocket a few crisp hundred-dollar bills among the piles.
"From now on, call me the International Money Printer. I'll safeguard the world's financial order, hahaha!" Chen Fan laughed like Detective Mouri Kogoro, as cash from the hat flooded the auditorium, transforming it into a colossal vault.
"Wake up, idiot! Even in your dreams, you laugh so loud—I can't believe you," Chen Fan felt two slaps on his face and opened his eyes to see the elder bouncing in front of him.
"So it was a dream. Why make such a fuss? Can't you let me enjoy it a bit longer?" Chen Fan propped himself up and leaned against the pillow.
"Wait...wait...what's going on?" Chen Fan was so shocked he could hardly speak.