The pinnacle of magic

"Clifford!"

A dark-skinned woman with blond curly hair came from the other end of the corridor and waved to the magician.She looks a little Latin American, and judging from the color of her roots, her hair should be dyed.Her smile is full of enthusiasm, and there is a unique atmosphere of fashion people in her fashionable dress.Shi Rui guessed that she should be the person in charge of the TV station.

"Who is this?" The Latin beauty pointed to Shi Rui with a smile.

"Rui, my assistant." The magician seemed to have fully recovered from the shock.Only Shi Rui could notice that when answering this question, his pupils shrank slightly.

"Nice to meet you, Rui. I'm Fira, a loyal fan of Clifford." Shi Rui's overly delicate Asian face made Fira pause for a second.Then her gaze swept over the bandage on Shi Rui's hand, with a slightly concerned expression on her face, she deliberately extended her left hand to shake Shi Rui's.

"This way, please." Fira brought the magician and Shi Rui to a small bright and spacious conference room. "Clifford, this is what I mentioned to you, our gold medal producer, Mr. Rhett Salaman." She pointed to a man who was already seated.

The man sitting at the conference table has thick black hair and looks about 35 years old, with a pair of black eyes hidden in deep eye sockets.His pupils are slightly smaller, which makes his eyes look sharper.The high nasal root and slightly aquiline nose give people a sinister feeling.The man has some well-trimmed mustaches on his chin and on his chin. Judging from the tight skin on his face, this gold medal producer seems to be well versed in maintenance.

After being introduced by Fila, Rhett.Salaman did not stand up, but said in a low and hoarse voice, "I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon."

"Indeed. Hope you had a good time later that day." Almost immediately the magician remembered where he'd seen the face.When playing poker with Shi Rui in the casino that day, it was this man who sat opposite Shi Rui.

"Huh? Do you already know each other?" Fira asked in surprise.

The producer looked between Shi Rui and the magician with interest, and then chose a relatively vague statement. "We're friends at the poker table."

"Haha! Is it because Clifford made you lose money at the gambling table that you insist that only he can complete this show?" It seems that the producer's "hobby" has become so popular in the network that Fira immediately imagined how they met.

Rhett: "So to speak."

"Anyway, Clifford, this is a good opportunity. This show is almost tailor-made for you. The best time, the best exposure, the highest publicity intensity, what I will show you next will be Our main goal this year. If the response is good, this contract can even be long-term!" Fila explained with joy, while flipping through a document and pushing it in front of the magician.

""Peak Showdown"?" The magician only glanced at the title, and handed the proposal to Shi Rui. "Compared with looking at these things on paper, I would rather hear your own explanation." The magician raised his legs leisurely.

"This is a very challenging program." After taking a look at the producer and getting the latter's tacit approval, Fila began to introduce, "You all know that since December last year, our main competitor has broadcast a "Mysterious Night", a series of shows that show supernatural powers. Because it uses live broadcasting instead of the past, it fully satisfies the audience's curiosity. A record 27 points. In response, we have been planning another, more aggressive show since the beginning of the year. It wasn't until March that Reed got the chance to get out of his desert island show. .According to his plan, we will invite a master magician to reproduce various abilities on the spot. It is a hidden and gunpowder-like competition, isn't it?" Fila glanced at the tall building outside the window.Two TV stations in one city are housed in two buildings facing each other, which makes the atmosphere of hostility between the employees of both sides especially strong.

"Reproduce the ability..." The magician raised his head slightly, and tapped the table lightly with his index finger, "Good idea. Continue."

"Of course, there are bonuses! Now no matter which program you are in, bonuses are essential. The estimated bonus for the first episode of the program is 100 million, and it should increase in the future. We will invite people who have performed in public If the magician's reenactment fails, they can take away the bonus on the spot. Moreover, there is an even more exciting bet!" Fila raised his eyebrows, "In addition to the bonus, we will also put the entire show It's all on you!"

"Hmm... How about the freedom of performance?" The magician seemed to turn a blind eye to Fira's excitement, and had already begun to think about the content of the performance.

"Theoretically, you can choose all living supernatural beings as challenge objects, but we strongly recommend that you choose candidates in previous "Mysterious Nights". And, the more famous the better! Don't worry, we will challenge everyone Make a perfect assessment of the risk of the period, and will never make you do difficult performances for the ratings."

The magician closed his eyes and thought for a moment.When he opened it again, some kind of ambition was burning in the ice blue eyes.

"That is to say, if I accept this contract, I can have the complete right to choose, and the TV station can't reject my opinion?" He asked excitedly.

"Uh...in theory. But, you know, all shows are about collaboration...so..."

"Yes, your understanding is correct." Producer Reid said suddenly. "I don't think Mr. White cares how difficult the challenge is," he said, turning to Fira.

"That's right." The magician leaned back on the chair comfortably, "I will always worry that the performance is not exciting enough, or that I can't perform what I want to perform the most. Now, tell me the salary and working hours."

"One episode is 45 yuan. One episode every two weeks, roughly an hour, and it may be adjusted on holidays." The producer straightened his body and took the initiative to take over the negotiation work.

"It's too dense." Shi Rui, who had hardly said a word since entering the door, said suddenly.

Although he doesn't know the magician's full schedule, judging from the schedule he got, it is almost impossible to complete such a high-intensity performance.What's more, this is a live broadcast program, which means that there is less flexibility in time.

Read: "We can pay a fee to make up for changing your original schedule. But only if we get the highest priority."

"50." The magician raised his eyebrows. "Last year, Lawrence appeared in an episode of the show. I remember that the salary was 48. I think I'm at least worth the price."

Clifford suddenly mentioned the name of the world's number one magician, which made the atmosphere in the conference room stagnant.Fira opened her mouth, as if she wanted to remind the magician that the show was not a carefully planned and specially created series like this, and the world's number one magician was just going through the motions.

Shi Rui looked at the determined expression on the magician's face, and felt a feeling in his heart.The magician is creating a ladder for himself to reach the top.Before the ranking competition of the World Association of Magicians, he will try his best to overwhelm all competitors in every aspect.

The magician's goal is to aspire to the world's number one throne!

"The asking price of 50 is very reasonable." The producer smiled.Even with the upward curve of the mouth, his face still looks stern.

Fira licked her lips: "So... is there any question?"

The magician shook his head.

Producers also expressed no objection.

Fira was overjoyed and immediately took out several documents from the folder. "The contract is all here. If there is no problem, let's sign it today! The main thing is the first one, and the content behind it is the same as before."

The magician glanced at the first page of the document, and immediately pushed all the papers in front of Shi Rui.

"Rui?" He raised his eyebrows at Shi Rui.

Shi Rui nodded, and carefully read all the documents from beginning to end.After confirming several details with the magician, he finally shook his head and said that he did not find any problems.

The magician signed his name on the paper without hesitation.

"Actually, I like your signature better." He leaned into Shi Rui's ear and said.Then the whole person froze for a moment, and sat back in an unnatural posture.

An imperceptible smile floated on Shi Rui's somewhat icy face.

"Great! Let's have a toast, and wish you a happy cooperation?" Fira smiled and fetched four wine glasses.

"I drink water." Shi Rui picked up the glass in front of him.

"Happy cooperation!"

"Do you want me to take you back?" the magician asked suddenly before walking out of the TV station building.

"No need." Shi Rui flatly refused.

"Oh..." The magician paused, "Sunday, are you planning to go?"

Producer Red gave them two invitations to a weekend yacht party before they left.It is said that it was a private party, and most of the invitees were insiders.Since he is also the producer of two beauty pageant programs, Reed emphasized that there are countless beauties at the party.

Shi Rui turned sideways and stared into the magician's eyes. "Do you want me to go?"

"I have no objection. Maybe we can go hunting together?" The magician avoided Shi Rui's sight with a guilty conscience.

"I'm not interested in women." Shi Rui said lightly.He saw the magician's pupils constrict slightly. "And it was at night, and I could only be there as Shirley."

"Uh... Actually, it's not bad? Then I don't have to worry about being entangled by some women with big breasts and no brains?" The magician shrugged.

"Are you reminding me that I should add some cosmetics to my chest?"

Shi Rui's words made the magician froze immediately.He suddenly remembered that Shi Rui never deliberately disguised his figure even when he was wearing women's clothing.

"I'm just free this Sunday. If you want me to go, please call me in advance." Shi Rui waved his hand and walked out of the TV station's glass door with a smile, "After all, you are the boss."