The most important thing was that Brian Carter's magic trick had truly amazed her. She was a very attentive girl. Although at first she didn’t believe Brian Carter could pull off the trick, she still felt under the table to check if Brian Carter had placed any coins there in advance. Clearly, there were no coins. Yet, at the very instant Brian Carter slapped the table, she felt two cool objects suddenly drop into her palm, as if Brian Carter had really made the two coins pass through the desk and fall into her hand.

Being looked at by Grace Cooper like that, Brian Carter felt an indescribable sense of pride. “Heh... the magic trick is done. Grace Cooper, usually magicians get an appearance fee. I’ll just take your one-yuan coin as my fee—hope you don’t mind.” As he spoke, Brian Carter picked up a coin from Grace Cooper’s right palm, his fingertips inevitably brushing lightly against her hand.

Grace Cooper’s hand trembled slightly, then she closed her fist, smiled gently, and said, “Such a wonderful magic trick for just one yuan as an appearance fee—I really got a bargain.”

Brian Carter brought the coin to his lips and blew on it lightly. “It won’t be so cheap next time.” Then he put it in his pocket and strolled leisurely back to his seat.

Chapter 9: Wild Imaginings

At this moment, everyone was still staring in amazement at the coin left in Grace Cooper’s hand, unable to figure out how the two coins had ended up there. The only reasonable explanation seemed to be that Grace Cooper had coins in her hand beforehand—but this was Grace Cooper, after all. How could she possibly be Brian Carter’s accomplice? Brian Carter and Grace Cooper hardly ever even spoke to each other.

“Grace Cooper, how did the coins end up in your hand?” Grace Cooper’s deskmate Sarah Morgan asked the question everyone wanted to know.

Grace Cooper was frowning as well, looking completely baffled. “I don’t know either. As soon as Brian Carter slapped the table, the coins just fell into my hand.”

Sarah Morgan asked again, “Did he... maybe stick the coins under your desk beforehand?”

“No, I checked before he started.” Grace Cooper shook her head, closed her palm, and turned to look at Brian Carter, who gave her a brilliant smile.

David Foster’s expression was the most interesting of all. He was both amazed by Brian Carter’s magic and annoyed that Brian Carter had stolen the spotlight in front of Grace Cooper. Plus, he had just boasted that he would eat the coins. But by now, everyone had completely forgotten about David Foster’s big talk and was focused on figuring out how Brian Carter had pulled off the trick—including Grace Cooper. This didn’t make David Foster feel any better; Brian Carter had already made him lose face, and in front of Grace Cooper no less. Hatred filled his heart as he glanced at Brian Carter, then returned to his seat without a word, his eyes still flashing with a cold, sinister light.

Brian Carter’s deskmate Ethan Parker looked at Brian Carter with something close to adoration and whispered, “Dongzi, how did you do that trick just now? Can you teach me?” He had also watched Brian Carter perform the magic.

Brian Carter shook his head, putting on a mysterious air. “If you reveal the secret, is it still magic?”

Ethan Parker nodded, deeply convinced. “You’re right. If those master magicians revealed their secrets, who would watch their tricks anymore? But you really made it look amazing. I’ve racked my brains and still can’t figure out how you made the coins on the desk disappear, or how you got them into Grace Cooper’s hand.”

“Just average, third best in the world!” Brian Carter laughed, feeling extremely pleased with himself. This was just a small display of his skills, but it had already made everyone look at him in a new light. Even Emily Reed, one of the top five students in the class who usually never spared him a glance, was now sneaking peeks at him. And that bespectacled John Thompson, who was always so aloof, was now frowning in confusion. As for the other classmates who had seen the trick, they were all gesturing and discussing how Brian Carter had managed to pull it off.

Even Grace Cooper was now looking at him with that curious gaze. The books all said that to win a beauty’s heart, you first had to pique her curiosity about you. It seemed he had succeeded in making Grace Cooper curious about him. At this thought, Brian Carter’s heart couldn’t help but race. Could it be that he and Grace Cooper might really end up together?

The bell signaling the start of class brought instant silence to the classroom. This was the difference between a top high school and an ordinary one—the academic atmosphere here was intense. Brian Carter’s magic trick had only sparked their curiosity for a moment; soon, everyone was once again buried in their mountains of books and sea of exercises.

For the past year, Brian Carter hadn’t paid much attention in class, and now he had even less interest in listening to the teacher. His mind was completely occupied with the storage ring. Although he had only given it a small test, it had greatly increased his confidence in the ring.