No one else saw that moment.
Only Director Sun saw it.
Originally, Director Sun just casually mentioned it. He didn’t believe that Dong Xuebing, a county party secretary, could perform magic—it sounded like a joke. Magic tricks appeared simple, but they required highly professional training, not something one could master in a year or two. It was the same concept as stage folk music, so Director Sun didn’t take it seriously, thinking Dong Xuebing was joking around.
But the phone was gone.
Just two seconds ago, it was still in his pocket, and now it was nowhere to be found.
Director Sun saw Dong Xuebing didn’t move or even lift his arm during those two seconds. This was a spur-of-the-moment magic trick proposed by Director Sun, and there wasn’t even any time for Dong Xuebing to prepare. Almost as soon as Director Sun finished speaking, Dong Xuebing performed the magic trick. It shocked Director Sun.
“How did it end up in your hand?” Director Sun couldn’t understand.
Dong Xuebing smiled and handed him his phone back. “I can’t tell you how. I have my ways. It’s a secret, hehe.”
Director Sun was very excited, patting his shoulder. “Alright, Xuebing, you can take a spot in the program.”
Director Sun said, “If you can’t do it, no one can. And you’re the head of the county; your performance will add a lot of engagement and impact to the show.” He immediately took a pen and added Dong Xuebing’s performance to the program. “If you’re going to perform, I’d suggest putting you in the middle to break up the two singing acts.”
Dong Xuebing said, “I haven’t decided yet. I usually do things on the spot, so I don’t need to prepare much. Anytime is fine.”
“Are you sure?” Director Sun asked.
“Very sure.” Dong Xuebing nodded.
“Alright, then you can decide.” Director Sun smiled slightly, looking at the program sheet. “With your magic, the program structure is clearer and more impactful. It’s great.”
The sky was fully light now.
The stars started arriving at the venue one by one.
Director Sun immediately began setting up and giving instructions. The stars all went up one by one to test the music and rhythms, and Director Sun also started advising them on many things, like the microphone quality—it was better to stand farther away during high notes. Since this was an outdoor event, he warned them not to interact too much with the audience behind them, as there weren’t enough security personnel, and he didn’t want any unpredictable incidents. Director Sun thought of everything, even planning aspects outside the director’s job scope.
“Huh.” When Chen Ying looked at the program sheet to see when her performance was, she suddenly exclaimed, “Xuebing, you have a spot too!”
Dong Xuebing had been watching from the side, not interrupting—he had left everything to Director Sun to manage. Hearing this, he replied, “Yeah, Director Sun said the program was too one-dimensional.”
“You’re going to perform magic?” Chen Ying blinked.
Dong Xuebing nodded. “I was just thinking of doing a magic trick.”
Chen Ying was quite speechless. The others around were also staring at him in shock. The staff from Xianglin County couldn’t believe that their county party secretary would perform magic. Was that even possible? The performers who came this time were all professionals, specifically in this field. Dong Xuebing, on the other hand, was a complete novice with no stage experience. How could he be reliable doing magic?
Although there were doubts, no one dared to voice them before Dong Xuebing, considering he was the top official.
Half an hour later, the program was roughly rehearsed. Director Sun nodded heavily, confirming everything was fine before letting everyone leave.
Some stars directly returned to their hotels, while others stayed to participate fully in Xianglin County’s cultural festival. After all, the park had food, drink, and entertainment.
Everything was ready. Dong Xuebing checked his watch—around 7:30, which was the official start time of the cultural festival. He quickly went to the park entrance to check the situation. Upon seeing the tightly packed crowd and hearing the deafening cheers in his ears, Dong Xuebing realized that the scene he had anticipated was too simplistic—there were too many people.
Dong Xuebing just glanced inside, and the sight was a sea of heads—there were probably thousands of people, all packed outside the park, with barely any space to stand. These weren’t merely people attending the cultural festival; many were there for the evening’s performance. Fans held up signs and glow sticks, shouting things like “Allen, I love you!” or “Liu Han, you’re the best!” The scene was overwhelming, with staff from the Investment Bureau and the park looking visibly flustered, some almost knocked over by the enthusiastic crowd.
There were too many people.
Meng Hanmei was also sweating profusely. Seeing Dong Xuebing arrive, she quickly approached him. “Secretary!”
Over there, Zhang Dongfang was also early. Seeing this scene, even Old Zhang looked nervous.
Dong Xuebing quickly said, “Hurry up and maintain order! Tell everyone there are plenty of tickets—no need to rush or push!”
The staff immediately grabbed loudspeakers to make announcements, but the crowd was still packed tightly.
Tickets for the cultural festival were being sold out, and the groups that got them surged forward, flooding into the park. The calm central park, quiet for half a month, suddenly became bustling. Some people rushed straight to the event site, seemingly to grab spots. Although they couldn’t get seating tickets, being there early could at least secure a good view. Some even climbed trees and rock formations. Others weren’t in a hurry, going to the temporary food stalls at the front to get breakfast or snacks.
“Secretary Xuebing.” Zhang Dongfang was pushed around by the incoming crowd, looking disoriented. He didn’t dare to stay at the entrance for long and joined Dong Xuebing, Meng Hanmei, and the others at the back. “The investors are also coming.”
Dong Xuebing glanced around. “There’s another side to the park that’s never been opened. Let the investor’s cars enter through the side gate; the front gate is impossible now.”
Zhang Dongfang laughed bitterly. It was impossible now. Not to mention cars, even people couldn’t get through the front gate now—too many people lined up outside.
But the frustration was just on the surface. Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang were inwardly very happy. This cultural festival has been part of Xianglin County’s history.