Chapter 88

Xiu Mei brought Xiao Hai back to Xinan. She had known for a long time that Xiao Hai was going to watch the Russian Circus tonight. It was no wonder; Xu Yunqi must have told her aunt everything.

Back in Xinan, Xiu Mei invited Xiao Hai to have dinner at her hotel, but after some thought, Xiao Hai politely declined.

After getting home, he took a shower, changed into a new set of clothes, and ate a bowl of instant noodles. He thought to himself, "What a bitter life, refusing a good meal at a fancy hotel and eating instant noodles at home instead."

Damn, the red spot on his right index finger appeared again. The bite from the coffin cricket didn't seem to affect his health, but the red spot always appeared and was extremely itchy when it did. This cursed coffin cricket was still causing trouble even after its death.

He casually rubbed some soap on the red spot to stop the itching and checked the time. It was almost time to go.

The Russian Circus was performing at the Xinan Stadium, the only venue that could accommodate a large-scale circus performance.

Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi had already arrived. Good grief, these two girls had brought all sorts of snacks and drinks. They weren't here to watch a performance; they were here for a vacation.

"Has my aunt arrived yet?" Yunqi asked as soon as she saw Xiao Hai.

"Yes, yes, hey, give me a bottle of water."

"Pay up." Although Yunqi said this, she still handed him a bottle of water. "Remember, if the business deal goes through, I want a commission."

"I'll give you an old hen, and you can pair it with your little hen."

"Get lost!"

The three of them laughed and walked in.

Deng Mengmeng had bought tickets for the front row, where all the performances could be seen clearly.

Xiao Hai sighed. No wonder people with money could enjoy such a clear view of the performance. The best seats in the front row weren't cheap.

"Hey, I heard that the director of the Russian Circus, Petrov, brought his son and daughter this time?"

"Yes, his children, Gavriil and Ivanovtina, are known as the golden boy and silver girl. Especially Gavriil, who has won three international gold medals in animal training and is hailed as a rare talent in Europe in a century."

"Really that good?"

"Absolutely. Ivanovtina is skilled in training dogs, cats, and birds, especially dogs. Gavriil is even more impressive, training large wild animals with incredible skill."

Xiao Hai listened to the conversation of the people around him but was not entirely convinced.

Xu Yunqi whispered, "Xiao Hai, you can train dogs too, right? How do you compare to them?"

"They are professionals, and I am an amateur." Xiao Hai was unusually modest.

But to be honest, who could compare to him in animal training?

As the lively music began, the famous Russian Circus started its performance. Under the host's introduction and the alternating cheerful and stirring music, the performances of the ring gymnastics, the death wheel, and the hula hoop whip followed one after another. To be fair, these acrobatic performances were all very challenging, especially the death wheel, where the performers did not use safety harnesses. Any mistake could lead to a major accident, but the performers were so skilled that the entire performance was flawless.

The Russian Circus had indeed earned its worldwide reputation.

Especially when the "Minasov Clowns" came on stage, the laughter never stopped. Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi laughed so hard they were bent over.

Xiao Hai was also captivated and laughed foolishly. He had not wanted to come at first, but if he hadn't, he would have truly regretted missing such a wonderful performance.

After the "Minasov Clowns" left the stage, the laughter had not yet subsided when the music suddenly stopped. The director of the Russian Circus, Petrov, appeared with an interpreter.

After a series of Russian words, the interpreter said, "Always imitated, never surpassed, that is the great Russian Circus. In the Tsarist era, we performed only for the Tsar and the royal family; the common people could not see it. Today, I hope everyone here feels like a Tsar..."

More laughter and applause followed, but Xiao Hai felt increasingly uncomfortable.

Petrov's words sounded polite, flattering the audience, but they revealed a sense of superiority. It was as if performing here was a great honor for the "common audience."

"The best acrobats, the best animal trainers, and the best clowns in the world are all in the Russian Circus. No other circus can match us... I heard that a 'Joyful Circus' came here recently. If anyone in the audience has seen it, they will know the difference between professional and amateur..."

Xiao Hai felt even more uncomfortable upon hearing this.

Yes, the Joyful Circus was not on the same level as the Russian Circus, but why belittle others to elevate oneself? Moreover, Xiao Hai had a special feeling for the Joyful Circus because he had saved Jiajia, the daughter of the Joyful Circus director.

What he didn't know was that Petrov wouldn't have said these things if he hadn't had a grudge against the Joyful Circus director, Song Sanbao.

Although the Joyful Circus couldn't compare to the Russian Circus in scale and influence, Song Sanbao had a family-secret skill—changing clothes inside out, similar to the "bone-shrinking technique" in martial arts novels. During the performance, after using his skill, Song Sanbao, who was about 1.70 meters tall, could wear the clothes of a 2-3-year-old child and walk around the stage, performing comical actions that always drew laughter and applause.

However, this skill was very harmful to the body, and it took ten to fifteen days to recover after each performance.

Petrov had seen the "changing clothes inside out" performance and believed that if he could include it in his circus, it would amaze European audiences who had never seen it before. He studied it carefully but could not figure out the secret, so he visited Song Sanbao, hoping to learn the skill.

However, "changing clothes inside out" was a family-secret skill that Song Sanbao would not teach to anyone, no matter how much Petrov offered.

This made the proud Petrov very unhappy, and he never missed an opportunity to mock the Joyful Circus, especially since Song Sanbao had just performed in Xinan, and the Russian Circus was now here.

"Next, let's give the most enthusiastic applause to the excellent animal trainer, the beautiful and young daughter of Director Petrov, Ivanovtina, for her incredible animal training performance!"

To the gentle music, Ivanovtina entered the ring with several cats, dogs, and parrots.

Ivanovtina was renowned in Europe for her skills. In the cheerful music, the performance of the Persian cat was truly spectacular.

It not only walked on a large ball but also jumped from one chair to another through a metal hoop. Most astonishingly, it could even walk on a tightrope upside down.

Xiao Hai was also amazed. Training a cat to this level was indeed a remarkable feat, no wonder the Russian Circus had such a long-standing reputation.

Next, Ivanovtina's dog training performance also amazed the audience. Various creative and imaginative acts drew applause and cheers.

"The next act requires a volunteer from the audience." With the help of the interpreter, Ivanovtina pointed at Xiao Hai. "Sir, could you please come up?"

Xiao Hai was reluctant to go up, but Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi, eager for excitement, pushed him up to the stage.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Miss Ivanovtina said that all you need to do is stand here still," the interpreter said with a smile.

Then, several circus performers brought a sponge mat and had Xiao Hai stand on it.

Xiao Hai didn't know what the Russian woman was going to do.

Two large Scottish sheepdogs entered the ring. The audience fell silent.

Ivanovtina placed a rope on the ground. On her command, the two sheepdogs each picked up one end of the rope and ran around Xiao Hai.

The rope was tied to Xiao Hai's feet.

Interesting, interesting... Fun, fun... I really want to know how this Russian woman trained them...

However, just as Xiao Hai found it interesting and fun, the two sheepdogs suddenly ran forward and pulled hard, causing Xiao Hai to fall onto the sponge mat unprepared.

The audience erupted in laughter, and Deng Mengmeng and Xu Yunqi laughed so hard they shed tears.

Ivanovtina had planned this final effect!

Xiao Hai, lying on the sponge mat, looked embarrassed and angry. Was this just for the audience's amusement? Normally, Xiao Hai would have laughed it off, but Petrov's earlier words had already made him unhappy.

Once someone has a grudge, they tend to think the other person is deliberately targeting them.

"Igor, Tessa, release the rope," Ivanovtina said with a smile.

Everyone thought the performance of the sheepdogs was over, but the best part was yet to come: the sheepdogs not only tied up the audience but also helped untie the rope. More applause and cheers would follow.

However, the two sheepdogs remained motionless.

"Igor, Tessa, release the rope," Ivanovtina repeated the command.

The sheepdogs still didn't move. The venue fell silent again. Although most of the audience didn't understand Russian, they could see that the two sheepdogs were refusing to obey their owner's command.

Ivanovtina became anxious and took out some dog treats from her pocket.

But something unexpected happened:

The usually gentle and loyal Scottish sheepdogs suddenly barked fiercely and refused to let Ivanovtina approach.

What was going on?

(Brothers, if you can, please vote for the Three Rivers. Thank you.)

[Page Break]

[Page Break]