Chapter 5: Stand-Up Comedy Troupe

When Yang Tengfei saw Lin Ran, his eyes lit up. “Hey, who is this beauty? Since when does the magic troupe have such a beautiful lady? Beauty, do you want to join our stand-up comedy troupe? We make at least twice the money per show compared to the magic troupe!”

Lin Ran’s gaze was cold, and she didn’t answer. Instead, she pressed the play button on her phone’s video.

She recorded the entire conversation between them and played it back. Yang Tengfei’s face darkened as he watched.

“Why… why did you record this?” Yang Tengfei angrily asked, “Delete it! If you dare to leak internal conversations, do you believe Ms. An will terminate your contract?”

Lin Ran shrugged indifferently. “I didn’t sign a contract, so what’s there to fear about termination? But, Mr. Yang, with that arrogant expression just now, I wonder if your fans will turn away. If it were me, I’d definitely lose followers.”

She smiled slightly. “If the fans refuse to buy tickets, will your Saturday night show be in jeopardy? Could it be rescheduled to Monday afternoon or even canceled outright?”

“You…” Yang Tengfei gritted his teeth and reached for the phone.

He thought Lin Ran would protect her phone, but she suddenly let go. He failed to catch it, and the phone fell to the ground, the screen instantly going dark and breaking into several pieces.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Zydt Mldtqlk zywtble blyavkzu. “Elzz, vbyv’p nsdhldkldv.”

Tsolhla, Nkd Syd zssjle yv bkx yp kq bl olal qsszkpb. “Psd’v usw jdso rbsdlp byhl ywvsxyvkn nzswe cynjwr? Rv’p yzalyeu wrzsyele vs vbl nzswe.”

“Zsw, usw, usw…” Zydt Mldtqlk oyp qwakswp. “Ebyv es usw oydv?”

Nkd Syd kddsnldvzu alrzkle, “R esd’v oydv yduvbkdt. Mseyu, swa xytkn vaswrl kp alblyapkdt, yde usw ekpawrvle wp. Fs, bso ycswv usw nsxl qsa alblyapyz vsxsaaso?”

Zydt Mldtqlk nswze sdzu takv bkp vllvb yde ytall, “Wkdl, ol’zz nsxl vsxsaaso… Plzlvl vbl hkels!”

Nkd Syd dseele sclekldvzu. “Fwal, cwv… usw casjl xu rbsdl; usw pbswze nsxrldpyvl, aktbv?”

Zydt Mldtqlk ydtakzu zssjle yv vbl rbsdl sd vbl taswde yde ypjle, “Ebyv swveyvle rklnl sq fwdj kp vbkp… Eblal nyd R cwu pwnb yd ydvkiwl?”

“R’x dsv wdalypsdyczl.” Nkd Syd pxkzle pzktbvzu. “Zsw esd’v byhl vs cwu vbl pyxl xselz. Kwpv vbl sdl tsv swv zypv xsdvb okzz es; R esd’v xkde.”

“You…” Yang Tengfei was about to explode. “That costs over ten thousand…”

“Oh? It’s that expensive? Then forget it.” Lin Ran nodded understandingly. “Let’s do this: I’ll earn enough money to buy a new phone, and after that, I’ll delete the video for you, okay? Don’t worry; I’ll definitely remember to delete it.”

Yang Tengfei gritted his teeth. “I’ll… buy…”

He turned away in anger, leaving the members of the comedy troupe speechless as they followed him.

Li Xing’ao, on the side, stared with wide eyes. Only when Yang Tengfei’s figure completely disappeared did he run over, shouting, “Sister, you’re amazing! Xing’ao really likes her sister!”

Qi Ruige turned to look at Lin Ran and gave her a thumbs-up.

Zhang Yupeng watched as Yang Tengfei left, finally sighing in relief. He turned to Lin Ran and said, “Thanks to you just now. These people always bully others casually because they have a lot of fans… but there’s nothing we can do. Ms. An doesn’t care at all.”

“They make money for Ms. An, so it’s normal for her to support them,” Lin Ran said. “But they rely on fans for their livelihood, and threatening them with fans is the easiest way.”

Zhang Yupeng frowned slightly. “But you’ve offended them. They might complain to Ms. An later… that woman is only interested in personal gain, and she might harm you.”

Lin Ran calmly replied, “It doesn’t matter. I haven’t signed a contract with the magic troupe anyway. If I don’t host, it’s not a loss for me. Besides, I got a new phone for free. What’s not to like?”

“Well…” Zhang Yupeng sighed. “Let’s continue rehearsing!”

He felt somewhat guilty. Lin Ran had stood up for him, but if things escalated, he couldn’t protect her either. He thought that in case Lin Ran got into trouble because of this, he should at least offer her some compensation.

Turning back to look at Lin Ran, he saw her at ease, learning magic with Li Xing’ao when no one was rehearsing lines with her. Li Xing’ao particularly liked Lin Ran, calling her “Sister” very affectionately.

Lin Ran was good at coaxing children, calling Li Xing’ao “Teacher Li,” making Li Xing’ao ecstatic, almost spinning in place with joy.

After rehearsing for the morning, Lin Ran learned quite a few small magic tricks and gained some understanding of the industry.

As the rehearsal was about to end, Qi Ruige came over to Lin Ran, asked for her WeChat, added her as a friend, and added her to the Miracle Magic Troupe’s group. However, this group rarely had conversations, and its existence was mainly to inform members about rehearsal times.

…

“Ms. An, the people from the magic troupe… are bullying us!” Yang Tengfei immediately called Ms. An to complain as soon as he left the theater. “The new girl they hired actually recorded our argument! Doesn’t she know the rules? She even threatened me! Please judge the situation. Who doesn’t say a few harsh words when arguing? If she randomly edits and uploads it online, won’t that harm us?”

He sounded extremely aggrieved, as if everyone else had wronged him.

However, Ms. An didn’t focus on this point. “The new girl? Did they find a host? Is she pretty? How does she compare to Cui Qianqian from the Dream Magic Troupe at the Guanlan Theater?”

Yang Tengfei was taken aback. “In terms of looks… she’s quite beautiful… but even if she’s beautiful, she shouldn’t bully people, right? She didn’t give me any face at all!”

Ms. An thought for a moment and sighed, “You’re right. If she can make you so angry, it means her emotional intelligence isn’t very high. This personality might not be suitable for a host… Let her host one more show. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll let her go, okay?”

Yang Tengfei was finally satisfied. “Sure, I’ll listen to Ms. An!”

…

The next morning, Lin Ran received a delivery containing a new smartphone. Her old phone was broken and couldn’t be turned on, so she inserted the SIM card into the new phone and turned it on.

The new phone ran very smoothly, and the internet speed was incredibly fast, providing a much better experience than the old phone.

Not long after Lin Ran received the new phone, she got a call from Yang Tengfei, who gritted his teeth, “You’ve received the new phone, right? I saw the delivery record! So… quickly delete the video!”

Lin Ran readily agreed, “Already deleted. I keep my promises.”

Naturally, she didn’t tell Yang Tengfei that her old phone didn’t have automatic backup functionality.

On Friday evening at 7 o’clock, the magic troupe’s performance officially began.

Lin Ran was wearing the outfit prepared for her by the magic troupe today: a tight white shirt, a black vest, and a snug black skirt that outlined her figure beautifully. The magic troupe had a makeup artist, and they gave her thick retro-style makeup. She wore a magician’s tall hat, giving her the appearance of stepping out of a classical painting from the Middle Ages.

The audience wasn’t large tonight; the Miracle Magic Troupe didn’t have high popularity, and less than a third of the tickets were sold. The theater was relatively loose, with less than a thousand people in attendance.

In modern society, magicians don’t receive much attention. Additionally, with the frequent appearance of “magic revealed” videos online, magic lacks the mystery it once had for many people, making it even more challenging for magicians to survive.

Magic performances are neither as prestigious as concerts nor as popular as music festivals. Most of the audience members who come to watch are seasoned magic enthusiasts, and they are often more critical of the program’s quality. Magicians find it difficult to satisfy them, and applause is challenging to earn.

But as soon as Lin Ran appeared, the audience straightened up, and applause started before she even spoke.

【Is this the new host? She’s too beautiful!】

【Was originally planning to go watch a movie, luckily came here. She looks great in this magician’s outfit, and her figure is amazing!】

【Take pictures, take pictures! Why is she so good-looking…】

【Hey, Lao Liu, come to the New Star Theater to watch the Miracle Magic Troupe’s performance! Hurry up, there are plenty of seats available, and you can still buy tickets. The new host is so beautiful; you won’t regret it with just one look!】

Lin Ran was momentarily stunned, muttering to herself, “The performance… hasn’t even started yet, and they’re already applauding… sigh… what should I say?”

Although her voice was small, the microphone’s quality was excellent. Her helpless and aggrieved muttering, coupled with her confused expression, made the audience burst into laughter. After the laughter, the applause became even more enthusiastic.

Backstage, although Zhang Yupeng had anticipated that Lin Ran’s appearance would cause a considerable reaction, he didn’t expect the response to be so enthusiastic.

He smiled satisfactorily and asked, “Why does it feel… like the applause is louder than when we perform our best magic tricks? Indeed, we made the right choice with this beautiful host!”

Qi Ruige followed suit with a hearty laugh: “Then, do I still need to go on stage? Can I just take a share of the money?”

Zhang Yupeng glared at him. “Do I look like I’m doing charity?”

Qi Ruige grinned. “You look like someone cooking stir-fried squid, right?”

Lin Ran waited for the applause to die down again and continued her lines, “Hello, everyone. I am the new host, and my name is Lin Ran.”

Without waiting for the audience to applaud again, she continued, “Now, let’s

Invite the handsome guy from our Miracle Magic Troupe, Li Xingyue, to perform ‘Time Travel’ for everyone!”

Amidst the thunderous applause, Li Xingyue stumbled onto the stage and began his performance.

Lin Ran pulled the curtain on the stage, and when she dropped it again, Li Xingyue had already disappeared from the stage.

Lin Ran held the curtain in her hands, spun around on the stage, and then chose a corner to drop the curtain. With a wave of her hand, Li Xingyue appeared again behind the curtain. Changing positions back and forth, it seemed as if he could teleport in an instant.

The magic was quite spectacular, but Lin Ran momentarily forgot her lines. Instead of trying to remember, she simply applauded.

【Applauding on her own initiative, she’s so adorable!】

【I really like her; what should I do? Will she continue performing?】

【Such an interesting host, hahaha…】