Not only was Xi Xi stunned, but Zhang Xiaoyang, who was standing beside him, was also frozen in place.
"Wow! Is this magic? How did you make this appear? Wow!" Zhang Xiaoyang looked at the money in Mu Li's hand with excitement, holding it and examining it repeatedly, as if trying to find a mechanism within the money.
"Impressive, right?" Mu Li suppressed a smile and said to Zhang Xiaoyang, "Brother, do you believe I can make your luggage appear at our destination?"
Zhang Xiaoyang's eyes widened instantly: "Are you serious?"
"Of course," Mu Li said with a confident smile.
After that, he looked at the production team with a mischievous smile and asked, "Do you believe it?"
After the previous scene, Xi Xi was a bit unsure and didn't answer for a long time.
"What's wrong? Director Xi Xi, why don't you have any curiosity?" Mu Li continued to provoke him.
"Hmph, we don't believe it," Xi Xi snorted, "You're just trying to trick us. Do you even know where you're going?"
Mu Li spread his hands and tilted his head, saying, "I don't know, but I can send this luggage over."
Xi Xi frowned, his face full of doubt. He subconsciously looked at the staff behind him, but they all shook their heads, indicating that they didn't know either.
"How about it, Director Xi Xi? If you don't believe me, let's make a bet," Mu Li said with a mischievous smile, "If I succeed, you'll buy coconuts for the four of us."
Xi Xi looked at the other staff again, and they all urged him, "Bet him! I don't believe he can do it."
Seeing so many people supporting him, Xi Xi also became bolder: "A bet it is."
Mu Li smiled and said, "Alright, then you first help us buy 4 coconuts. I'll leave this money with you as collateral. If I succeed later, you'll return this money to us, and you won't be able to restrict us from using these 50 yuan in the future. If I don't succeed, these 50 yuan will be yours."
Xi Xi took a deep breath, a hint of doubt surfacing in his eyes: "Why do I feel like I've been conned by you?"
Mu Li's face showed a hint of displeasure: "Director Xi Xi, how have I conned you? Don't I have 50 yuan here?"
Xi Xi subconsciously nodded.
"And haven't I given you these 50 yuan as collateral?" Mu Li asked again.
"That's true, but..." Xi Xi still seemed a bit hesitant.
"Then isn't that settled?" Mu Li nodded and said, "The money is given to you, so it's as if we bought 4 coconuts ourselves. If I don't succeed, you just deduct the money. There's nothing wrong with that!"
"Exactly, there's nothing wrong!" Zhang Xiaoyang also chimed in.
"Could it be..." Mu Li's eyes darted around, and he said with a hint of doubt, "Could it be that you really believe I can do it?"
Xi Xi was still hesitant, and he added, "No hands or feet allowed?"
"Absolutely not, I can even guarantee that I won't touch any of the items to be transported in the middle of it," Mu Li guaranteed.
Despite Mu Li's guarantee, Xi Xi was still somewhat suspicious: "You kid, you don't have some Psychic ability, do you?"
Mu Li said exasperatedly, "Please, what Psychic ability can instantly transfer so many things? Besides, I don't even know where the destination is. Do you think I'm Arceus?"
"What you're saying does make sense..." Xi Xi was still struggling.
"Director Xi Xi, just give us a straight answer. It's just 50 yuan," Zhang Xiaoyang also helped out from the side.
Xi Xi gritted his teeth directly: "Fine, I want to see how you do it."
Mu Li immediately showed a fawning smile: "Alright, please help me settle the bill first. 4 iced coconuts, 60 yuan in total."
?? Xi Xi's eyes almost popped out, "Didn't we agree on 50 yuan?"
Mu Li looked at Xi Xi with a puzzled expression: "When did I say the coconuts were 50 yuan in total? I only said that if my magic trick succeeded, you would treat us to 4 coconuts, and if it didn't, these 50 yuan would be yours. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No..." Xi Xi felt a mouthful of old blood stuck in his throat, unable to speak, but looking at the boss's serious expression, he had no choice but to pull out another 10 yuan from his pocket.
After paying the money, Xi Xi walked up to Mu Li and Zhang Xiaoyang with a gritted-teeth expression, saying fiercely, "The coconuts are bought, the money is paid, where's your magic trick?"
"This..." Mu Li's eyes darted around, and he pointed to the airport exit, saying, "Peng Peng and Sister Xiaofeng haven't arrived yet, have they? They also have luggage, and I can solve it all at once."
Xi Xi was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered and stared intently at Mu Li: "Are you trying to stall for time?"
"What stalling for time?" Mu Li retorted, "Director Xi Xi, do you understand program effect? If we reveal it so early, what's the point?"
"Is there a point?" Zhang Xiaoyang immediately echoed.
"Alright, alright, I'll just watch you..." Before Xi Xi could finish his sentence, two voices came from afar.
"Brother!" Mu Li and Zhang Xiaoyang looked up to see two people and two Pokémon pushing suitcases, walking towards them.
The boy was wearing a dark blue hat, a simple T-shirt, and shorts, accompanied by a Lucario. The girl had fair skin and a slender figure, accompanied by a Kirlia. They were the other two guests of 《Wonderful Life》, Peng Xiaochang and Zhang Xiaofeng.
PS: Kirlia, a Psychic and Fairy-type Pokémon, resembles a small girl, evolves from Kirlia, and can evolve into Gardevoir or Gallade when conditions are met.
"Hey, these two unlucky kids, how did they arrive at such an inopportune time," Zhang Xiaoyang couldn't help but sigh, but still extended his hand to greet the two people and two Pokémon.
The two looked at Zhang Xiaoyang's depressed expression and Xi Xi's smug look, and didn't react immediately: "What's going on?"
Zhang Xiaoyang sighed and shook his head: "It's hard to explain to you right away. First, let me introduce you. This is Mu Li, the new guest for this time."
Peng Xiaochang and Zhang Xiaofeng quickly shook hands with Mu Li and greeted him.
"You two don't need to be so polite. Speaking of which, you two are older siblings," Mu Li said a little awkwardly.
Zhang Xiaofeng was stunned for a moment, pointing at herself in disbelief: "Me?"
Mu Li nodded: "I should be two years younger than Sister Xiaofeng."
Peng Xiaochang couldn't help but smile: "I didn't expect our little sister to become an older sister too."
"Yeah, we're all getting old," Zhang Xiaoyang also sighed. After that, he handed the freshly acquired iced coconuts to the two, "Here, try them. These are the iced coconuts we just managed to trick someone into getting."
"Trick?" Peng Xiaochang took the coconut blankly, looking at Zhang Xiaoyang in disbelief, "Brother, when did you learn to trick people?"
"Eh?" Seeing Xi Xi's increasingly grim expression, Mu Li quickly interrupted Peng Xiaochang's question, "What tricking? It's not tricking, we're playing a game."
"Oh? A game? What game?" Zhang Xiaofeng asked curiously.
Xi Xi quickly explained: "Just now, Mu Li said he could do magic and transfer these suitcases to the house we're staying at."
"Is that true?" Zhang Xiaofeng looked at Mu Li curiously, her eyes full of wonder.
"He said so, anyway," Xi Xi didn't give Mu Li a chance to speak, "We didn't believe he could do it, so we made a bet. If he can do it, we'll treat you to 4 coconuts. If he can't, he'll give us 50 yuan."
"Right?" After Xi Xi finished explaining, his gaze shifted to Mu Li.
"Strictly speaking, we've already given you the money," Mu Li explained, "If I succeed, you have to give me back those 50 yuan, and you can't restrict us from using those 50 yuan during the program's recording."
Upon hearing this, Xi Xi couldn't help but scratch his head, looking at the other staff members uncertainly: "Is that what it means? Why do I feel like something's not right?"
Even Xi Xi was confused, and Peng Xiaochang and Zhang Xiaofeng were even more bewildered. Even Zhang Xiaoyang, who was standing nearby, was a bit slow to react: "Is that what it means?"
However, there was still a smart person in the production team who immediately saw through Mu Li's Miracle Eye.
"Xi Xi, are you stupid? He took 50 yuan he found from somewhere and exchanged it for your 4 coconuts worth 60 yuan. If he doesn't spend this money, Director Wang will definitely take it back. Now, he's essentially getting something for nothing, getting 4 coconuts for free and also having a chance to get 50 yuan from the program's reserve fund."
Zhang Xiaoyang's eyes almost popped out, and he was so excited he couldn't speak: "Wow, no, buddy, this..."
Peng Xiaochang and Zhang Xiaofeng, who were nearby, clearly hadn't sorted out the relationship yet and were still bewildered.
Xi Xi, however, had reacted and could no longer maintain his calm expression, which turned into one of utter indignation: "Mu Li, you..."
Mu Li quickly appeased him: "Hey, Director Xi Xi, to put it simply, I just used 50 yuan to buy 4 coconuts, which means you spent 10 yuan to treat the four of us to 4 iced coconuts. Does that make you feel better?"
Xi Xi was stunned for a moment, and the indignation on his face gradually disappeared: "When you put it that way, there's nothing wrong with it."
"Exactly, right? It's just 10 yuan, isn't it?" Mu Li smiled, "What's wrong with spending 10 yuan to treat us four kids to some coconuts? Is it not worth it?"
Xi Xi also nodded, his originally troubled expression gradually relaxing: "That's right, what's wrong with me spending 10 yuan to treat 4 kids to something? Even if Director Wang finds out, he won't have any objections."
"Right!" Mu Li smiled, winked at Zhang Xiaoyang and the other two, and continued, "What's more, you also have the chance to enjoy a magic show for free, right? Not to mention whether this magic show is worth 50 yuan, just the program effect alone is already worth it."
Xi Xi's expression had changed from initial anger and worry to complete relief: "That's right, I'm doing all this for the program effect."
The staff members nearby were already completely unable to look directly at the scene: "It's over, it's over, Xi Xi has been completely conned into a cripple."
Zhang Xiaoyang, who had witnessed all of this firsthand, was also stunned. For some reason, he vaguely saw a cunning figure in Mu Li—his master, Huang Xiaochu.
Although Peng Xiaochang and Zhang Xiaofeng still hadn't figured out what had happened, seeing Xi Xi's expression, they knew that this matter was definitely not simple.
"That's right," Mu Li smiled and patted Xi Xi's shoulder, giving him a thumbs-up, then looked at the other staff members.
"And now, it's time to witness a Miracle Eye."