Chapter 095: The Second Prohibition

The New York night of magic, watched by the world and met with a thousand cheers, came to a triumphant close.

For the audience, it was beyond doubt a performance that exceeded every expectation in scale, in substance, and in sheer brilliance. The fans celebrated as though a festival had come to town.

Even after the show ended, many people still lingered to take photos and keep the memory alive, posting on Instagram, updating TikTok, and eagerly sharing with friends that they had been there in person.

The only one to blame was Leokan Li: his magic show was far too rare.

Most magicians, to say nothing of a performance a day, would at least put on three or four shows a week during a peak season. But Leokan Li was different. At the perfect moment after winning America's Got Talent, he had simply gone on vacation.

He had not taken advantage of the hottest moment of his fame, nor accepted commercial appearances; instead, he had gone off to enjoy himself. Then, after keeping everyone waiting for so long, he finally announced a show—only one.

Though the scale of that one show was huge, it still could not sate the audience's appetite.

Beyond the eighty thousand fortunate people who got inside, there were countless others who wanted tickets and could not get them.

As for the rumored second performance, there was still no concrete news at all, and some even said it might not happen after all. That only made those who had hesitated in the beginning all the more anxious.

Even in NBC's post-show interview, the female reporter Victoria specifically asked him, "I think thousands upon thousands of people want to know: when is your next performance?"

Faced with the question, Leokan Li replied, "For me personally, magic is a hobby. You know, the reason a hobby is enjoyable is that it has not become the job by which you make your living."

"When any hobby becomes your profession, you may grow tired of it, come to hate it, and even lose the spark of inspiration, deprived of creativity's favor..."

His words were reasonable enough, but Victoria was not so easily fobbed off. "So when? Please, for all the people who are waiting!"

With the advantage of being beautiful, even a soft and charming please could make many men raise their hands and surrender on the spot, divulging every secret they had.

But Leokan still only smiled. "That is hard to say. I mean, I need to be in a good state, with a heart full of enthusiasm, before I can share that passion with everyone."

Victoria turned those pitifully pleading eyes upon him; she was determined to get the scoop. In the end, Leokan yielded a little: "There will definitely be another one. At the very least, I still have my contract in Las Vegas. If you want to see me, you can go there during the Christmas holidays."

Who was he to pass up the chance to advertise?

Leokan's slyness made Victoria laugh. She knew she had already gotten what she needed, and she took the initiative to extend her hand. "I'm really looking forward to your next magic show. And by the way, I'm also your superfan!"

"Thank you," Leokan said with a nod.

"May I have a hug?" Her hope was genuine.

"Hahaha... come on then!"

Leokan gave her a hug, fulfilling that small wish.

Afterward, he still had to tend to the social side of things.

He had to take photos with the star guests who had come to support him and chat with them for a while.

Though many of them were meeting him for the first time, after a bit of back-and-forth they were no longer strangers.

Leokan shook hands with them, hugged the women, and then took a pile of playful photos with Nicki, and when he learned that what she liked was his talent, he finally let out a long breath of relief.

As the queen of hip-hop, she might look wild and dazzling on screen, but Nicki was actually quite a good person. Otherwise, she would not have so many fans who cared little about looks. Naturally, Leokan was happy to make her acquaintance.

At long last, Leokan left, worn out.

Stage performance is in truth very physically demanding. The audience only needs to shout; he, however, must pace back and forth, stir the crowd's emotions, think constantly, and still maintain the effect of the magic... After more than an hour, he wanted nothing more than to return and rest properly.

As for planning and marketing and all the rest, that could wait until tomorrow.

There was, however, a small episode on the way back. Fans who had somehow learned the news had actually blocked the route where the cars were leaving. The moment Leokan appeared, the surrounding area was packed so tightly with people that not an inch could be seen.

Fortunately, Judy had prepared two or three dozen bodyguards in advance, along with his personal order of nuns. Under the crushing enthusiasm of the frenzied fans, they struggled forward for a while before he finally managed to slip into the car.

He did not forget to wave outside. "That's enough for now! Watch out for the cars!"

"See you next time! I love you all too!"

The Escalade rolled forward slowly, but some fans still ran after it with their phones raised. From the devices they were using, they did not seem to be paparazzi, because paparazzi would certainly have professional cameras.

Leokan kept waving to the crowd, telling them not to run after the car. Only when the Escalade finally stepped on the gas and accelerated did the crazed fans disappear at last in the rearview mirror.

Fans being so enthusiastic—perhaps that is one of the happy troubles of being a star.

Leokan was escorted back to the hotel, took a shower, and slept soundly.

The next day he rose at a leisurely pace, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and then went to the restaurant for breakfast.

Olivia had brought Chef Liu from the California estate, specially to make breakfast for Leokan.

This was because Leokan had once said that the Cantonese morning dim sum made by the chef suited his tastes.

The Mother Superior had quietly kept that in mind, so on this New York trip she had specially brought him along. Toward Leokan, Olivia truly was meticulous in every detail.

Leokan sat down to enjoy the meal, and during that time he did not touch any smart electronic device, because he knew that the moment he opened one, it would be flooded with news about him.

That much was beyond question.

In fact, since last night, Leokan had already been the name on every front page.

This very morning, the New York street papers were printed in fresh ink with the astonishing headline: "Magician Leokan Li Makes the Moon Disappear!"

As the buyers of the print editions took them in hand, the New Yorkers boarding buses and descending into the subway would soon carry that story with them and make it the center of their morning chatter.

Online, the discussion was even more feverish. The moment the YouTube video was uploaded, it exploded in popularity and shot straight to the top recommended spot, where millions upon millions who had not yet had their fill watched it again and again.

Related posts on Twitter and news portals were all abuzz over the magic that made the moon vanish. Theories about Leokan Li being a wizard, theories about high-tech illusion—inevitably, the clamor only grew louder.

Even the magic debunkers were celebrating as though it were a holiday, eagerly joining the effort to explain Leokan's trick, though more likely than not they would end up, as before, with nothing at all.

Yet they still clung tenaciously to his heat, because Leokan was simply too hot. News of his feats had even reached Europe, and though it was not front-page material there, it still received respectable coverage.

Even the rather old-fashioned state broadcaster aired a clip of Leokan making the moon disappear during its midday segment, astonishing middle-aged and elderly viewers alike.

Perhaps the reason such a frenzy could be stirred up was that there had been no phenomenon like this for a long time.

Harry Houdini was the founder of an era, and David Copperfield was a figure of the last century. But in the new millennium, although the world of magic had continued to flourish, something essential had always been missing.

There had been newer talents like Criss Angel, and there had been duos like Penn and Teller, but in terms of performances that truly upended expectations and became known to all, there had been no definitive masterpiece.

Only recently—or rather, only last night—had Leokan Li's opening and closing acts finally allowed people to relive that sensation from the days before the internet, when one watched a magic performance and was left deeply, irreversibly shaken.

Add to that the media pouring fuel on the fire, and someone even posted a second prohibition after "Leokan Li is forbidden from buying lottery tickets": Leokan Li is forbidden from stealing lunar resources without permission!

It was clearly a joke, yet it drew a storm of comments and reposts across social media. Netizens who laughed themselves breathless were all hitting the like button, because their magician had become so powerful that even his claws were reaching toward the stars.

Earth's lottery numbers were no longer enough to unleash his talent. After all, before eighty thousand witnesses, he really had stolen the moon for several minutes. With such a ban in place, it might not even be an overreaction.

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