Temporary Interrogation Room.
A long table served as the dividing line, with "Aya" and Lu Yue on one side and Liu Shanhe and Nie Bing on the other.
The four sat facing each other in pairs.
The atmosphere wasn't particularly tense or oppressive, partly because the person about to be interrogated showed no signs of nervousness. She seemed to be casually chatting with her elders, while the lead interrogator wore a serene and amiable expression.
Judging solely by their expressions, it was hard to believe this scene was unfolding in an interrogation room.
Truth be told, someone unfamiliar with the situation might easily mistake Lu Yue for the suspect and Nie Bing for the lead interrogator.
Lu Yue looked slightly indignant, his eyes firm, while Nie Bing was serious and focused, her gaze sharp and probing.
Lu Yue's reaction was deliberately crafted to fit his current persona: a friend of "Aya," convinced she couldn't possibly be Cifera, and indignant over her wrongful accusation.
Nie Bing's stance was simpler: she firmly believed "Aya" was Cifera and was closely observing her, waiting to see what tricks she would try to pull next.
[Ha ha, this scene is quite amusing. At first glance, you'd think the Little Granddaughter was the one being interrogated.]
[Lu Yue seemed more relaxed even when he was being interrogated himself. Was he overacting a bit?]
[He's probably afraid of messing things up and being betrayed by Aya, leading to mutual destruction.]
[Sister Aya isn't that petty. She must be grateful for Lu Yue's help. Why would she betray him?]
[Did you see Little Bingbing's face? Haha, she looked like she wanted to devour Aya whole! How certain is she that Aya is Cifera?]
[Old Liu seems to be going through the motions. Why not just let Nie Bing handle the interrogation? That would be much more interesting!]
On screen, Liu Shanhe finally spoke, but to everyone's surprise, he didn't address "Aya." Instead, he turned to Lu Yue:
"Miss Lu Yue, you mentioned earlier that you could prove Miss Aya's identity is not fabricated. Could you please elaborate?"
[Who said Old Liu was just going through the motions? He's dead serious!]
[What's the meaning of this? Shouldn't they question Aya first?]
[You don't get it, do you? This is the experience of a seasoned Criminal Investigator at work.]
[Think about it: if Aya really is Cifera, her subsequent testimony would inevitably contain false information. But Lu Yue might not have been briefed on the details of these fabrications beforehand.]
If Cifera were questioned first, she could fabricate false information. Lu Yue could then tailor his testimony to match these lies, putting the interrogators at a severe disadvantage—essentially digging their own grave!
Therefore, by having Lu Yue testify first, any pre-prepared false evidence Cifera had might become useless. Moreover, under the intense scrutiny of Old Liu and Nie Bing, she would find it extremely difficult to improvise new fabrications on the spot.
Now do you see how meticulous Old Liu is? Beneath that kind, gentle face lies a razor-sharp intellect capable of delivering a fatal blow!
Damn! That's exactly how it played out! Amazing, Old Liu!
In the footage, Lu Yue was clearly taken aback by Liu Shanhe's immediate questioning.
Not a fool, he instantly grasped Liu Shanhe's strategy.
But this put him in a tight spot. To be honest, he didn't actually know this "Aya" at all!
His confidence in vouching for her stemmed from her obvious kinship with Little Ya, whom he did know.
He had planned to say that he had met Aya through Little Ya, once she revealed her identity, background, and relationship to Little Ya.
This approach would have been perfectly logical, leaving little room for error.
But now the tables had turned, and he was being asked to speak first. What am I supposed to do now? One slip of the tongue, one wrong word, could expose "Aya" and doom them both!
Oh, God!
Why is this so difficult?!
Liu Shanhe noticed the clear astonishment on Lu Yue's face, as well as the faint hesitation flickering beneath his eyes. Deep down, he wasn't surprised.
As expected, Lu Yue isn't truly familiar with "Aya." He might not even know her real name. He merely has some basis for believing "Aya" exists and couldn't possibly be Cifera.
Now that he's being asked to speak first, he's at a loss, afraid of making a mistake that could ruin everything.
However, this doesn't prove "Aya" is Cifera. It only proves that Lu Yue is wary of antagonizing her.
As for why he's wary, that remains unclear.
While Liu Shanhe pondered, Lu Yue finally took the plunge. He knew Liu Shanhe wouldn't let "Aya" offer any hints, and she didn't seem inclined to speak anyway.
In this situation, the safest approach was to tell the truth.
Taking a deep breath, Lu Yue said with a hint of resignation:
"Old Liu, you truly live up to your reputation as a legendary Criminal Investigator. Your interrogation skills are unmatched.
"I confess: Sister Aya and I only met for the first time this afternoon. I don't know her well at all—I don't even know her full name.
"But I'm certain Sister Aya isn't Contestant Cifera. She looks exactly like a childhood friend of mine, and she knows my secret about being a man—a secret only my family and that friend know. Contestant Cifera couldn't possibly know this.
"Although I didn't directly ask about her relationship with my friend, their striking resemblance and her knowledge of my secret strongly suggest a very close connection—practically family. Perhaps they're sisters?
"Sister Aya must have realized I'd already guessed her connection to my friend, which is why she immediately turned to me for help when you began suspecting her.
"This is why I believe Sister Aya's identity isn't fabricated."
Lu Yue finished, letting out a sigh of relief.
Apart from deliberately omitting the fact that he was "Night Shadow," everything else he said was genuine, without a single lie.
As a microexpression expert, Liu Shanhe would undoubtedly recognize his sincerity. This was far more credible than fabricating lies about being close to "Aya" or claiming they had known each other for a long time.
My impromptu reaction was flawless. "Aya," are you satisfied now? The rest is up to you—just don't drag me down with you!
Just as Lu Yue was thinking this silently, Nie Bing suddenly raised her hand, her composure cracking:
"Excuse me, but I need to interrupt!
"I think I just heard... Miss Lu Yue, did you say you're a man? I'm not mistaken, am I?"
Seeing Nie Bing's bewildered face, Lu Yue's composure instantly crumbled. He couldn't help but turn to Liu Shanhe and ask:
"Old Liu... didn't you tell Officer Nie Bing about this?"
"...Well, considering it's your personal secret, we naturally wouldn't disclose it unless necessary. Aside from the live stream viewers, only Little Lin and I knew beforehand."
Liu Shanhe replied awkwardly.
Although most viewers online likely already knew Lu Yue's secret, most people at Starry remained unaware due to their inability to watch the live stream.
Lu Yue never imagined that Liu Shanhe hadn't even told Nie Bing, a core member of the Expert Team. Now, he had effectively revealed his secret right in front of her!
For Lu Yue, even though the entire internet knew his secret, as long as he didn't see the comments, it wouldn't affect his heart. Once tonight's Charity Auction was over, even if the people at Starry learned his secret, he wouldn't be present to witness their shocked, ghostly expressions. He could simply abandon his modeling identity and create a new account.
Yet here he was, once again facing those judgmental, "worldly criticism" stares!
This is awful! All I wanted was to practice the Art of Disguise! Do you all have to react like you've seen a ghost?!
What's wrong with cross-dressing? What's wrong with being a male cross-dresser? Does it bother you?!
Seeing the grief and indignation on Lu Yue's face, Nie Bing suddenly realized she might have gone too far earlier.
She shouldn't have even asked the question. If the Master had no objections, he must have known all along.
Recalling the Master's mysterious demeanor after questioning Lu Yue earlier, she should have been able to guess the answer herself.
Indeed... I'm still too inexperienced. If Cifera were here, she would never make such a mistake... I still have so much to learn from her!
Nie Bing swiftly conducted an internal self-reproach, then couldn't help but glance at "Aya":
Cifera, if it were you, you would know exactly how to apologize in a way that would make Lu Yue feel most comfortable!
But I can't do that... So I'll just apologize sincerely.
With this thought, Nie Bing abruptly stood up, about to bow and apologize to Lu Yue.
But just then, "Aya" spoke first, interrupting Nie Bing's movement.