In Little Ya's mind, since "Aya" was supposed to be family, the cats in their home would naturally be familiar with her and wouldn't shy away from strangers.
However, "Aya" was merely a fabricated persona, a fake sister. Given the cats' keen sense of smell and wariness of strangers, they would likely be frightened by this "newcomer." If they showed any signs of alarm or avoidance, it would undoubtedly catch Nie Bing's attention!
Now what, Kitty Phantom Thief? How are you going to handle this?
Little Ya's reasoning was crystal clear.
Although she had instructed her family to play along with her lie and acknowledge Cifera as her sister "Aya," she had no intention of actively covering for Cifera.
Even if Cifera's disguise were exposed due to the cats' fear of strangers, it would only prove that "Cifera had impersonated Aya," not that the real "Aya" didn't exist.
This way, Little Ya wouldn't technically be lying. Everyone would simply have been deceived by Cifera.
However, what unfolded next left Little Ya, her parents, Sister Jingjing, and the other informed servants utterly astonished.
The cats were indeed wary of the unfamiliar Nie Bing and Lu Yue, hesitant to approach them at first.
But when "Aya" gently beckoned them, cooing softly, "Come here, little ones. Don't be afraid. Greet our guests,"
they seemed to understand her command perfectly. Without hesitation, they trotted over, circling Nie Bing and Lu Yue to sniff them curiously before vying to rub against "Aya's" legs, displaying extraordinary affection.
Even more astonishing, the household's notoriously irritable, large orange tabby—who typically only acknowledged Little Ya's mother—sauntered over with a languid gait.
It casually settled at "Aya's" feet, belly exposed, purring contentedly as she stroked its stomach, its face radiating pure bliss.
Heavens! How is this possible?! How did she do that?! Is this some kind of trickery?!
A tsunami of shock and awe surged through the minds of everyone from the Cat's Eye Clan, their carefully maintained composure threatening to crumble.
Cifera silently observed Little Ya's fleeting expression of surprise, inwardly chuckling:
Little Ya, so shocked, aren't you? Did you really think you could stump me with this?
I'm the real deal—a Kitty Phantom Thief with the Cipher Template. Cats naturally adore me, you know?
Plus, your family's image as cat lovers is deeply ingrained in the audience's minds. Viewers watching the live stream now will naturally assume I'm familiar with these cats, given the sheer number of them in this room.
With the Authority of Trickery bolstering my act, how could these cats possibly dislike me?
As expected, the bullet comments erupted just as Cifera had predicted:
[Wow! Sister Aya really is beloved by cats!]
[Even that grumpy, chubby ginger cat is rubbing against her! You can tell Aya spoils it with treats all the time.]
[No matter how good the Art of Disguise is, it can't fool a cat's nose and eyes! Aya must be the real deal!]
[Little Bingbing, you'd better believe her now!]
Watching the intimate bond between "Aya" and the cats, Nie Bing's mind tilted dramatically toward the conclusion that this was indeed the real Aya.
As the Bullet Comments pointed out, animals often possess instincts far sharper than those of humans. Their evident fondness for "Aya" served as compelling, almost undeniable, evidence.
But... having come this far and met "Aya"'s parents, Nie Bing couldn't rest until she had thoroughly verified the truth. She couldn't bear to admit her damned sixth sense had been wrong.
Taking a deep breath, Nie Bing spoke abruptly, her tone as direct and lacking in tact as ever, yet imbued with genuine sincerity:
"Uncle, Aunt, I apologize for disturbing you all tonight.
"But I have only one purpose: I need to truly convince myself that the 'Aya' before us is genuinely your daughter, and not Contestant Cifera in disguise.
"Next, would you be willing to cooperate with me, Aunt, in conducting a final verification of 'Aya'?"
Little Ya's parents had initially agreed to play along with her act, partly for their own amusement. Now, they were equally willing to cooperate with Nie Bing in verifying Cifera's identity.
Little Ya's mother eagerly replied:
"No problem at all! I'll cooperate fully! Just tell me what you need, Officer Nie Bing, and I'll do my best to help."
"But we still believe the person before us is my precious daughter," Little Ya's mother said. "If it turns out she isn't, that would be truly unbelievable! Heh heh!"
"Aya," hearing her mother's words, chimed in with a laugh:
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm the real Aya. Surely you can recognize your own daughter?"
Though still stunned by Cifera's mastery over the cats, Little Ya forced herself to join the conversation:
"That's right! She's definitely my sister! No one but her could make all these cats behave so well. I've always wondered how she does it, but she never tells me."
To Cifera, Little Ya's words were clear: How did you do that? Tell me!
"Want to know the secret?" "Aya" replied with a knowing smirk. "You'll have to beat me first."
Little Ya crossed her arms, huffed, and turned her head away in a huff.
Seeing that everyone involved had no objections, Nie Bing cut to the chase, concisely explaining her verification method.
The method was simple: "Aya" and Little Ya's mother would sit back-to-back at a distance, each with paper and a pen.
Then, Officer Nie Bing would ask three questions that couldn't be answered through investigation, didn't involve personal privacy, and could only be known by the mother and daughter.
If their answers matched closely, it would prove that this was the real Aya. Conversely, it would greatly increase the likelihood that "Aya" was Cifera in disguise.
Hearing Nie Bing propose such a plain yet nearly foolproof verification method, Little Ya's parents were convinced Cifera was doomed.
After all, "Aya" was a fabricated identity created on the fly. Even they didn't know the real answers and had just made things up as they went along. How could Cifera possibly get it right?
Still, this was a good thing. They were eager to see if Cifera could pull off another miraculous "miracle."
Their expectations were through the roof!
Since Little Ya would later become a Pursuit Team Expert, they had been following the live broadcasts of the competition closely, witnessing Cifera's baffling and seemingly impossible feats.
To be honest, the couple had always loved cats. But seeing Cifera, the girl dressed as a cat, perform so brilliantly instantly turned them into Cat Fans.
The reason they abandoned their own daughter to "pet the cat" first was partly because they were finally meeting their idol in person.
Little Ya's thoughts mirrored her parents': she believed Cifera was in serious trouble this time.
Unless Cifera could read minds, there was no way she could match Little Ya's mother's answer.
Little Ya had actually thought of Nie Bing's method long ago, which is why she initially never imagined Cifera would let Nie Bing come home with them.
She believed Cifera, being so clever, would have anticipated this extremely unfavorable verification method. If Nie Bing saw her parents, she was certain the officer would propose it.
Yet Cifera had proactively invited Nie Bing along.
At the time, Little Ya had considered many possibilities, but ultimately couldn't believe Cifera had a perfect counter to this verification method.
Instead, she was convinced Cifera was gambling—betting that Nie Bing wouldn't use this method.
But just now, Cifera had perfectly handled her cats' fear of strangers. In that instant, Little Ya understood—
Cifera hadn't chosen to invite Nie Bing over on a complete gamble; there was an element of certainty involved.
Cifera had long known about the cats in her home and had prepared countermeasures. She believed that witnessing her intimacy with the cats would completely convince Nie Bing.
Therefore, she never imagined Nie Bing would bother with such a redundant verification method.
But as it turned out, Cifera had underestimated Nie Bing's meticulousness. This criminal investigator was anything but someone who played by the rules!
With these thoughts in mind, Little Ya looked at "Aya" and, while verbally supporting her, said:
"My sister will definitely be fine, Officer Nie Bing. She must have already considered your verification method, otherwise she wouldn't have generously invited you to continue the verification at our home!"
In reality, she was secretly taunting Cifera:
So you miscalculated this time, huh? You played with fire and got burned by your own cats. I can't help you with that, you know~