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It all started with a coin.
A simple, nickel-plated steel coin.
The magician seemed to produce it out of thin air, as one moment his palm was empty and the next the coin suddenly appeared. Following this introductory move, he expertly rolled the renminbi coin across his knuckles.
Spectators looked on with keen interest, eager to see what would happen next. In the midst of the crowd was a certain Nie Mingjue, accompanied by his younger brother Nie Huaisang. Both men had shown up just in time to watch the spectacle, getting some good seats near the front. It granted them a closer view of the action. And not just that, but a closer look at the illusionist himself.
He had a lovely appearance. Fair in complexion, a heavenly glow to him. Quite the contrast with the darker-toned clothes he was wearing. Raven hair was tied back into a ponytail, a few loose strands framing his face quite nicely. He was zoned in on his craft, fully concentrated on the show he was putting on.
The talented young man was quick with his hands, nimble fingers toying with the small round object. In the first part of his act, he played with the coin, teasing the audience with it as he moved it from hand to hand. It magically vanished from between one set of fingers only to reappear in the other. It all seemed to happen at a mere snap of his fingers.
The spectators were left mesmerized, applauding once the sequence had finished. Offering his audience a small smile, the magician then moved onto his next trick.
That wonderful little smile, and those doe-like eyes to complement, were enough to captivate the normally stoic Nie Mingjue. He'd never met anyone quite like this young man. He just kept getting more and more drawn in, and he couldn't place his finger on how or why it was happening. This was just some street magician putting on a performance at this weekend's local festival. It's not like anything would come out of this. Besides, Nie Mingjue did not do relationships. He had no time for them. Clearing his mind of these thoughts, Mingjue refocused his attention on the magic show.
This time, the young man placed an empty drinking glass on the table. He turned it this way and that, showing the audience that there was nothing in there, no gimmicks to be found within it.
He then produced four more coins, transferring them from his right hand to his left. Visually it appeared as if he retrieved one from behind his ear, another from his elbow, yet another from right in front of him, and the final one from the side of that very glass.
One by one, he deposited all five coins into the glass. Each one clinked against the base of the tumbler, colliding in turn with their identical counterparts. Not only had the magician astounded the audience in terms of visual aspects, but audible ones as well.
In fact, the trick earned him a second round of applause. He smiled once again, and this time he caught sight of a certain man in the crowd. One such man who stared right back at him. He beamed just a little bigger, enough to show a teensy hint at a dimple.
So the young man didn't just smile for anyone. Nie Mingjue felt a bit special in that regard. But why the hell was his mind circling back to this topic? He was just here to keep his younger brother company. It was Huaisang who'd insisted they drop by this stage to see the show. Huaisang had always been fascinated by magic, ever since he was a kid. Nie Mingjue, on the other hand, hadn't really thought much of it. Until now.
"Excuse me, sir?" A voice suddenly called out to him, pulling him away from his thoughts.
Mingjue directed his attention to the sound of that voice. It sounded distant yet close by at once, and in a matter of seconds he realized that the voice was coming from the stage.
It was him. The young man who kept pervading his thoughts. The young man he couldn't bring himself to stop thinking about. The magician!
The table and chair that once adorned the stage were gone. The young man now stood in the center of the platform, nothing around him to detract from his next act.
"Yes, you sir," the illusionist confirmed with a nod of his head. "Would you like to join me on stage?"
"Da-ge, you better say yes. Otherwise I'll steal your place," Huaisang whispered in warning, resolute on going up there by any means.
Without a second thought, Mingjue abruptly got to his feet, nodding to the man at center stage. He earned himself yet another earnest smile before making his way to the platform. As he drew closer to the magician, he just couldn't believe it. He never would've guessed that he'd get picked out from the crowd, that he'd get to stand so close to this young man that he only thought he'd be able to see in passing. This was very much like a dream, and he never wanted to wake from it.
"Enjoying the show so far?" The magician asked, making casual conversation to set the man at ease. From what he could tell, the volunteer he selected looked rather tense.
Mingjue replied with a slight nod. "Yes, it's been great thus far."
"I'm glad," the young man smiled in response. "Would you mind telling us your name?" He followed up, not missing a beat.
"Nie Mingjue."
"Lovely to meet you, Nie-xiansheng," the illusionist bowed in greeting, continuing to course his show along. "You're not skittish to touch, are you?"
"No," came the answer, clear and simple.
"How about we shake hands then?" Not waiting for a response, he grabbed up Nie Mingjue's hand in both of his. As Mingjue returned the gesture, the magician couldn't help commenting aloud. "Wow, a strong, confident grip, Nie-xiansheng."
In turn, the young man reciprocated the grasp, continuing to shake Mingjue's hand. No signs of letting go anytime soon. "Uncomfortable yet?" He subtly taunted.
The act had become rather comical, especially when the handshake grew a bit more exaggerated. It was enough to garner some laughs from the audience.
"I see you're wearing a few rings," the young man observed as he loosened his grip. "Would you mind if I used one for my next act?"
Mingjue nodded. "Go ahead."
Smiling again, the illusionist slid a ring off of the man's right hand. He held the platinum-band between his thumb and forefinger, showing it off to the audience. The young man then toyed with the ring, rolling it from fingertip to fingertip and back until he suddenly closed his hand around it in a fist. After a few twists and flicks of his wrist, he slowly opened his hand back up. The movement was so subtle, dramatic in effect. As his fingers unfurled and revealed his palm, no traces of the ring were to be found.
The audience applauded once again, amazed at seeing yet another object disappear before their very eyes. Of course they had nothing to worry about because the ring wasn't theirs. But it was Nie Mingjue's, and he looked rather taken aback at no longer seeing it within view.
The young man picked up on this immediately, reassuring the man. "Oh, don't worry, Nie-xiansheng. Let me get that back for you, yes?"
The search was on as the magician patted at his breast pocket, inside pockets, pant pockets, but nothing seemed to be there. Then, as he gazed up at the taller man he exclaimed, "Oh, right there!"
Suddenly the young man reached up a hand close to Nie Mingjue's ear, almost as if he were about to caress his hair or face. Out of instinct, Mingjue couldn't help jerking back. His reaction earned him some laughter from the audience, but those sounds soon turned into applause. Gazing down at the shorter man, Mingjue noticed that he'd drawn a coin, supposedly from behind his own ear.
"I thought you said you weren't skittish?" The magician teased playfully as he deposited the coin into his breast pocket, only for it to suddenly appear in his other hand in quick succession.
Another round of applause from the spectators.
"Alright Nie-xiansheng, what I'm going to have you do is simple," the young man explained, getting back on track with his show. "I want you to perform a magic trick for us. Don't worry, I'll personally guide you through it, and in return you'll get your ring back. Deal?"
Nie Mingjue agreed to the terms, echoing in answer. "Deal."
"Excellent! Now, you see this coin, yes? And you can prove it has a perfectly flat surface?" The illusionist held up the coin, beckoning his temporary assistant to feel for himself that it was true.
Nie Mingjue nodded at the questions, running his fingertip down the flat-surfaced, circular object.
"And you see that too, yes?" The magician then asked the crowd, showing them both sides of the coin.
The spectators also confirmed what they saw, some nodding while others responded audibly.
Giving a nod of his own head, the young man continued, facing his assistant once again. "Now, I want you to take this coin in your hand, Nie-xiansheng, and make a fist."
At that the pair made contact a second time, Mingjue's skin tingling at the soft, gentle touch. The young man had taken hold of his hand, placing it palm face up with one hand, the tips of those nimble fingers brushing against the skin of his wrist. Using his other hand, the illusionist dropped the coin into the man's palm before curling the sturdy fingers around the object.
"Wonderful! And now we're going to flip your hand over. Like that, mm-hm."
Fingers had wrapped themselves around Mingjue's wrist, the magician leading the man's hand through the movement. In turn, Mingjue had loosened himself up, allowing the young man to guide him. It was only a small gesture, but the two had worked in tandem. Mingjue could at least appreciate that.
"Now, I'm going to have you all count down from three. And after that count, we will reveal the coin's new state. Are you ready?" The young man addressed the crowd with ease, hyping them up and inviting them to play a part in the act as well.
It wasn't long until he faced his assistant again. "And are you ready, Nie-xiansheng?"
Mingjue nodded in response.
The magician granted him a kind smile before looking to the audience once more. "Alright everyone. Let's begin, shall we? In Three…" he kicked off the count, spectators' voices slowly filtering in.
"Two…" This time they proclaimed the number with much more vigor.
"One," they all concluded together, eager to see what happened with the coin. Could it possibly have vanished? Melted? Or perhaps it changed shape? They would see for themselves soon enough.
At the end of the count, the magician snapped his fingers, using his other hand to steer Nie Mingjue's fist back to its primary position. "Now open your hand."
Doing exactly that, Mingjue was left in awe as he gazed upon the now bent coin. Apparently the warmth of his hand had been enough to arch the renminbi coin. Those seated in the very front row caught sight of the curved coin as well, eyes widening, mouths taking on the shape of an 'o.' A few even freaked out at the sight.
In order for everyone else to get a glimpse, the illusionist took up the coin with one hand and displayed it. His other hand, along with Nie Mingjue's, came to rest at their sides. Applause resounded throughout the tented space as the act came to an end.
The man had done it. He'd performed a trick and he'd dazzled the audience. And as his reward, it was time to give him back his ring. But first he needed to soak in a little of the attention.
Gently nudging his side, the magician gestured for the man to join him in a bow to their spectators. Nie Mingjue complied, following the young man's lead.
Once the clapping and cheering died down, the illusionist redirected his focus to his assistant. "Thank you, Nie-xiansheng for your assistance and for placing your trust in me. As promised, you'll be getting your ring back. Now, let's see where I can find it, yes?"
The young man reached into his inner pocket, and this time he pulled out a small, red box. "Try checking in here for me," he said as he handed it over.
Their fingers brushed against one another's in passing, the touch electrifying for them both. Especially so for Nie Mingjue when those lovely brown eyes kept gazing deep into his soul. He felt so exposed in their midst, as if the young man could read his mind, see right through him.
Remembering what he needed to do, Mingjue looked down at the box and removed the lid. Sure enough, his platinum ring was inside. He drew it out of the box, and inspected it just to be sure. As he did so, the ring became visible to the crowd as well. Recognizing it from before, the spectators cheered for the man who was finally able to retrieve his ring.
"Yes, another round of applause for Nie-xiansheng," the magician piped up, encouraging the audience. His eyes fell on Nie Mingjue one more time, offering him a smile as he bowed courteously to him.
"Umm, your box…" Mingjue reminded, about to give it back when he was stopped by a light shake of the other man's head.
"You can keep it," the young man assured.
Mingjue gave a polite bow, getting a good final look at the young man who'd captured his attention. It felt so strange, so wrong to suddenly turn his back to him, but it wasn't like he could overstay his welcome either. Just as he reached the steps that would take him back down to the spectators' area, a voice called out to him.
"Just a minute, Nie-xiansheng! You seem to have forgotten something else."
What was he talking about? It was only the ring he'd stolen, right? But he already gave it back. Unless… he somehow made it disappear from the box?
Turning around, Mingjue saw that the magician was indeed correct. There was something else he'd completely forgotten about. Something that currently dangled from the young man's hand.
"You forgot your watch, sir." He sounded so meek, so innocent as he spoke those words.
The crowd looked on in amazement, trying to figure out how and when the magician had stolen the watch. Either way, he was a master of his craft, and they applauded him for a job well done in stumping them. They'd become so distracted with the coin that they failed to take notice of the watch.
The young man had proven to be quite the little pickpocket, and Nie Mingjue wasn't sure whether he should be impressed or worried. Making his way back toward center stage, Mingjue saw as the magician approached him. The pair met each other halfway, the stainless steel watch their connecting point. It was akin to that infamous red string of fate, each of them gripping one end of it. As the magician let go, Mingjue tightened his hold on the timepiece. This time he gave the young man a final glance, nodding his head before he turned to leave.
Returning to his seat, he was immediately nudged by his brother who gave him a look. Mingjue practically rolled his eyes before directing his attention to the stage. Huaisang had gone mad. There was no way anything would result from this.
It wasn't long until he felt a second nudge, coming from none other than his younger brother. "Huaisang, stop it," he lightly chided, not taking his eyes off of the stage.
"Da-ge, there's something poking out of your pocket."
"What?" Mingjue hissed, abruptly looking down to see what his brother was referring to.
Like Huaisang pointed out, there really was something sticking out from his pant pocket. It was a small piece of cardstock. Extracting it from his pocket, Mingjue brought it up to further examine it. It was the magician's business card, his name depicted in fanciful cursive:
Meng Yao
He now had a name to put to that beautiful face, that beautiful little taunter and pickpocketer.
His name was Meng Yao, and Nie Mingjue would not soon forget it.