HLM – Chapter 219 Magician Wang Bo

As he walked over, Eva gave him a surprised glance and then smiled, “Your hairstyle is quite unique today. Hmm, very handsome.”

“You’re very beautiful too,” Wang Bo replied with a compliment. Then he reached up and rubbed his shiny bald head—it gleamed like polished jade.

A few people followed behind, and to Wang Bo’s surprise, they were all familiar faces. Leading them was a tall and sturdy young man with chiseled features—it was Thornton Hughes, the same guy he’d clashed with before.

Thornton clearly already knew that Wang Bo was the owner of the Marauder that had belched smoke outside his shop. He walked up with clenched teeth and growled, “Coward. Weakling. You still dare show your face in Oak City?”

Wang Bo glanced at him and calmly said, “As long as it’s not your bathroom, I dare go anywhere.”

Thornton glared furiously, clearly wanting to say something else, but one of the young men beside him spoke up first, “We’re here for the potluck party. Where’s your dish?”

Wang Bo didn’t quite get what a “potluck party” meant, but he did have a plate prepared—he had bought a doggy backpack for Zhuang Ding, and both the gift for Dale and the plate were inside it.

He pulled out a smooth, solid plate and handed it over. When the group saw the empty plate, their eyes widened. Someone asked, “Wait, where’s your food? Or the drinks?”

Wang Bo sensed something was off and gave Eva a puzzled look. Thornton burst out laughing, “Man, you’re hilarious! You brought an empty plate to a potluck?”

Eva quickly grabbed Wang Bo’s wrist and whispered, “Sorry! You misunderstood me. When I said to bring a plate, I meant a dish of food. It’s shorthand for potlucks. Damn it, it’s my fault—I should’ve explained better. I’m really sorry, Wang.”

People nearby had noticed the commotion and began gathering around to watch. Thornton’s friends started laughing exaggeratedly:

“This Asian guy is hilarious.”

“Hey, are you a beggar or something? Bringing an empty plate to scrounge food?”

“Don’t say that, man. Maybe he brought a plateful of fresh air!”

“Yeah, I’ve heard the air in Asia is terrible—maybe fresh air is a delicacy to them!”

Eva shot a cold glance at the crowd and said, “Shut your mouths. With you all talking, the air quality here has dropped significantly.”

Little Dale came over, tugged at Wang Bo’s hand, and said softly, “It’s okay, brother. Let’s go to my house. I’ve hidden lots of food—we can share some with you.”

Wang Bo gently patted her head and smiled. Good girl—at least someone’s kindhearted.

Honestly, he wasn’t the least bit scared of situations like this. He’d been confused earlier because he didn’t know what was going on, but now that he understood, he knew exactly what to do.

He quickly opened his sand table app and located the kitchen. The most eye-catching item was a big jar of spicy meat sauce he’d just made a couple of days ago—he’d prepared a large batch since more people had moved into the castle.

Time to show off. Wang Bo hyped himself up internally, then crouched and whispered to Dale, “Thank you, Dale. You’re very sweet. But, did you know? Your brother’s a magician…”

As he spoke, he snapped his fingers. Zhuang Ding trotted over to him.

Wang Bo winked at Eva and, holding the plate in his left hand, passed it beneath Zhuang Ding’s belly. At the same time, he used his right hand to swiftly scoop some spicy meat sauce onto the plate. So when the plate emerged from under the dog’s belly, it looked like it had magically filled itself.

“Whoa!”

“My God, that’s incredible!”

“Jesus, I can’t believe my eyes—it must be an illusion!”

“Eva, who is this guy? A master magician from where?!”

Wang Bo dared perform this trick in public because he had several advantages: Zhuang Ding’s body concealed the trick, it was already getting dark and hard to see clearly, and—most importantly—he was willing to go all-out just to impress a girl.

Dale squealed with joy, ran over, and sniffed the plate. “So spicy and so good!”

Eva took the plate of meat sauce, her face full of astonishment. “Wang, how did you do this?”

Wang Bo thrived in the spotlight. He grinned and said, “I can’t explain it just yet, but keep watching—I’ll show you something even better.”

He rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a tiny gift box from the doggy backpack—about the size of a business card, prepared especially for Dale.

He pointed at his own mouth, and Zhuang Ding instantly stood on his hind legs, front paws curled to his chest, mouth wide open. At that moment, a familiar voice exclaimed, “Whoa, Zhuang Ding is such a good boy—I love him!”

Wang turned around and saw it was Porter, the boss of the Rustic Builder Construction Company. Smiling, he pretended to stuff the gift box into Zhuang Ding’s mouth and slowly closed it, making the box disappear.

Then he walked over to Dale, crouched, and tapped her skirt lightly—plop—the gift box fell out.

Applause erupted. Cheers grew louder, and someone even whistled.

A youth beside Thornton muttered, “Shit, how disgusting. That dog probably has rabies, and now its saliva is all over the gift—gross!”

Without even looking back, Wang Bo snapped his fingers. “Zhuang Ding, bite him!”

Zhuang Ding immediately pounced like a tiger, scaring the young man into a flailing retreat.

“What a good dog! Smart enough to blow your mind!” a middle-aged man exclaimed.

Another onlooker glared at the rude youth and barked, “Kraken, shut your foul mouth! This dog saved over a hundred lives during the earthquake. What did you do back then? Who the hell are you to insult him?! Jerk!”

Wang Bo didn’t bother stooping to the guy’s level. He took out a man’s-wallet-sized gift box from the backpack and looked at Eva. “This is your New Year’s gift. How would you like me to give it to you?”

Eva gave a ladylike curtsey and smiled. “I look forward to seeing your method.”

But Wang Bo simply handed the box to her. “I’ll save the special tricks for later. But if you’d like, I can give you a private show anytime—outside of tonight, of course.”

Thornton sneered, “Hmph, what’s so mysterious about that? It’s just hidden up your sleeves. You think you’re some kind of David Copperfield?”

David Copperfield, possibly the most famous magician in the world, was once hailed as the “Legend of the Century” by the U.S. Library of Congress.

Wang Bo was quite pleased with the reaction. He’d intentionally worn a long-sleeved shirt just to provoke that kind of speculation.

Not far away, watching the whole scene unfold, Bowen frowned. “Something’s off. Wang’s pick-up game is way too smooth. If I were a woman, I’d already be ready to spread my legs.”

“Don’t be so crude, damn it. Can’t you see there are ladies present?” someone hissed. “But seriously, how did he do it? And when did he bring that meat sauce?” Charlie asked, completely baffled.

Juan grinned, “That’s just how the boss rolls. He’s the one I admire most.”

Bowen and Charlie: “…”