In front of the coffee shop stood the beautiful woman who had crashed into the utility pole. Her striking height—easily exceeding 1.8 meters—and well-proportioned, powerful frame were immediately noticeable.
She wore a sharply tailored dark gray tracksuit that accentuated her long, lean figure.
The black baseball cap she had been wearing flew off upon impact, landing a few steps away. Her waterfall of gray hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing a face that exuded a fierce, commanding aura.
Her features were sharply defined: a high, straight nose, piercing eyes with an uncommon sharpness and coldness for a woman, and healthy, sun-kissed skin.
Yet at that moment, this athletic beauty with her spirited presence was clutching her smooth forehead, her brow furrowed slightly, and her striking eyes betrayed a clear daze and a hint of unexpected annoyance.
She instinctively bent down to retrieve her cap, her movements carrying a crisp, efficient energy.
"Wait! She... she looks like Lu Yue, the famous model! The one who's done tons of sports brand ads!" a girl familiar with the fashion scene suddenly exclaimed from a corner.
"You're right! It's her! I remember her mountaineering photos—that same cool, fierce vibe! What's she doing here? And how did she run into a pole?"
"Lu Yue? The model with that unique style?"
"Yes, yes, that's her! That height, that heroic air—no mistaking it!"
"Pfft... A sporty beauty colliding with a lamppost? The contrast is hilarious! Quick, get the cameras rolling!"
As the café patrons buzzed about the model Lu Yue, Cifera's eyes never stopped scrutinizing the tall "beauty."
Finally, she was absolutely certain: this "beauty" was none other than the Little Grandchild, Night Shadow.
Thanks to her Imposter Ability, Cifera, the world's foremost master of disguise, could see through almost any disguise technique. No one could successfully use disguise in her presence without being detected.
Beneath the exquisitely feminine disguise, Cifera recognized Night Shadow's unique bone structure and unmistakable aura.
Cifera's hunch proved correct. In Night Shadow's live stream, popularity surged, and the Bullet Comments erupted into a frenzy:
[??????????]
[What's going on? I clicked on Little Grandchild's stream and there's a beautiful woman here? Did I enter the wrong room?]
[Hahahaha! No, you didn't enter the wrong room! This is Little Grandchild himself! Freshly baked crossdressing god!]
[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Little Grandchild?! This is fucking Little Grandchild?! Oh my god, I actually fell for a man!]
[For those confused, Night Shadow happened to catch the live stream of the Starry Press Conference, specifically the part where Cifera announced her theft plan and pulled off her disappearing act. After that, he went totally berserk!]
[He holed up in his hotel room for less than half an hour, and came out looking like this! We only realized it was a disguise when the Production Team's cameras followed "her" the whole time!]
[When I saw a stunning beauty walk out of Night Shadow's room, I thought he'd brought his girlfriend to the show. Turns out... it was even more explosive than that!]
[I'm dying of laughter! He definitely crashed into that pillar because he was too entranced by the blonde beauty! Case closed—it's definitely Little Grandchild!]
[Wait, is he going to walk up to her and shout, "Hmph, blonde woman! You blinded me!"?]
[Upstairs, he's in disguise—he wouldn't go that far, right? Still, I wouldn't put it past Little Grandchild to do something like that...]
[Hold up—he's disguised as supermodel Lu Yue?! Isn't he worried the real Lu Yue might see the live stream or show up in person and expose him? This guy's got some serious balls!]
[I'm betting Little Grandchild has his eyes on tonight's Starry Charity Auction too! This is going to be a head-to-head showdown with Cifera!]
-
Studio.
The official live stream had already switched to Night Shadow's footage.
Host Qiu Qiu nearly lost her composure when she saw Night Shadow crash into a utility pole earlier. Summoning her professional composure, she suppressed her laughter and turned to Inspector Nie Junfeng:
"Inspector Nie, Night Shadow truly lives up to his lineage as the Grandson of the Phantom Thief. Like Contestant Cifera, he seems to be skilled in the art of disguise."
"Viewers in the bullet comments are suggesting that Night Shadow might also be targeting tonight's charity auction. What are your thoughts on this?"
Nie Junfeng couldn't hide the amusement in his eyes at the thought of Night Shadow, disguised as a stunning woman, crashing into a utility pole while distracted by his own beauty.
However, as a professional commentator, he refrained from mockery and offered a serious analysis:
"It's clear that Contestant Night Shadow was deeply provoked by Contestant Cifera's flamboyant behavior at the Starry Press Conference."
"As fellow contestants, Cifera's overwhelming success must have created immense pressure and resentment for him."
"Therefore, he's decided to compete head-to-head with Cifera. I predict he's very likely set his sights on the Starry Light as well."
"As for why he chose to disguise himself as a famous female model, I believe he learned about the pre-auction fashion show featuring jewelry during the Starry Press Conference. He likely aimed to access the Starry Light by posing as a model.
"I must say, the Grandchild of the Phantom Thief lives up to his reputation. While his disguise might lack the near-magical perfection of Cifera's transformations in terms of detail, it's still convincing enough to pass for genuine."
Hearing Nie Junfeng mention disguise techniques, Host Qiu Qiu quickly asked, "Inspector Nie, how can you tell Night Shadow's disguise is inferior to Contestant Cifera's? To be honest, I can't see any difference—they both seem equally impressive!"
As if anticipating this question, Nie Junfeng immediately explained, "Well, the answer is quite obvious. Contestant Cifera also impersonated a man, 'Cifer,' yet her disguise could even drastically alter her height.
"Night Shadow, on the other hand, chose to impersonate a tall, athletic, and heroic-looking female model precisely because his disguise techniques likely couldn't significantly change his height or physique.
"A female model with a similar height and build to his own would have been the perfect choice for him to impersonate."
"Ah, I see now!"
Qiu Qiu nodded, then raised a crucial question:
"But he's impersonating Lu Yue, a real, active, and well-known model. Isn't he worried that the real Miss Lu Yue might see the live stream, or worse, even attend the auction in person?"
"Wouldn't his identity be instantly exposed?"
Nie Junfeng pondered aloud:
"This is indeed a significant risk. There are two possible explanations:
"First, Contestant Night Shadow might be incredibly bold, gambling that Lu Yue herself wouldn't watch the show tonight or appear at the Starry Charity Auction. But if that's the case, he's being recklessly audacious.
"Second, he might have confirmed that Lu Yue genuinely couldn't attend tonight's event or watch the broadcast... perhaps by 'controlling' her in some way we haven't yet uncovered.
"I lean more toward the second explanation. If I'm not mistaken, Lu Yue was likely originally scheduled to participate in the charity auction's opening show.
"After learning this through some means, Contestant Night Shadow identified her as the perfect impersonation target, then manipulated her into submission before flawlessly assuming her identity to gain entry.
"Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that his youthful arrogance and competitive fervor clouded his judgment, causing him to overlook these details temporarily. Only time will tell what actually happened."