"Keep it professional, no noises now~ You wouldn't want netizens saying your acting is worse than Little Bingbing's, would you?"
Fuck! A scholar may be killed, but never humiliated!
Could Lin Zhiyuan really lose to Nie Bing's atrocious acting?
No way!
Unable to shout aloud, Lin Zhiyuan could only curse inwardly, venting his rage.
Cifera!
The security guard named Cifer was actually Cifera in disguise!
She really can perform shapeshifting!
In an instant, Lin Zhiyuan understood the mystery of Cifera's disappearance from the stage earlier.
She timed the lights going out perfectly to create the window for her disguise,
then seamlessly blended into the crowd as a security guard to create the illusion of vanishing into thin air,
and finally anticipated Nie Bing's request, manipulated Lei Gang into cooperating, and walked right out of the scene as a guide!
Though the plan was simple in theory, Lin Zhiyuan understood the immense difficulty of executing it.
Just the perfect shapeshifting alone—achieving a speed comparable to Sichuan's "face-changing" opera—that's something no human could possibly accomplish...
Without a doubt, Lin Zhiyuan was once again stunned by Cifera's outrageous abilities.
After the shock came absurdity.
Lin Zhiyuan realized Cifera was repeating her old trick—infiltrating the Pursuit Team to play them like puppets!
Damn it! What kind of competitors are these? Can't we have a fair, straightforward showdown?
Though the shocking revelation and sheer absurdity of the situation sent a chill down his spine like ice water being poured over his head, Lin Zhiyuan, with his formidable self-control and quick thinking, immediately reacted in a way that best fit the current "script."
His body suddenly went limp, his eyes rolled back, and a faint, muffled "Ugh..." escaped his throat. As if his bones had been removed, he collapsed backward like a ragdoll.
See that, viewers? My acting blows Nie Bing's out of the water!
There's no way I, Lin Zhiyuan, could be the worst actor on the Pursuit Team!
Unbeknownst to Lin Zhiyuan, Cifera had already infiltrated the Heaven's Eye System monitoring him and Nie Bing, implanting her self-adaptive simulation livestream program.
This program, leveraging reference materials provided by the user, constantly generated future scenes based on the user's predicted plot progression.
Moreover, regardless of the director's camera adjustments—as long as they remained within certain limits—the program could simulate corresponding camera angles, creating a seamless, hyperrealistic illusion.
At that moment, on the director's monitors backstage, the footage showed Lin Zhiyuan still helping Nie Bing adjust her equipment.
The footage from Nie Bing's side showed her diligently calibrating the equipment.
As a result, the scene of Lin Zhiyuan being forced to sign the document and then subjected to Cifera's "cruel" methods never reached the audience's eyes.
Nor did the audience witness Lin Zhiyuan's self-proclaimed "masterful" acting that he believed had utterly crushed Nie Bing.
As if sensing Lin Zhiyuan's thoughts, "Cifer" smirked faintly, a hint of amusement in her expression, and chuckled inwardly:
"Don't worry, Little Lin. Once this is all over, I'll release your 'spectacular' performance for everyone to see."
Simultaneously, "Cifer" steadied Lin Zhiyuan's limp body while shouting toward Nie Bing, her voice perfectly calibrated with panic:
"Lord Lin! What's wrong?! Officer Nie Bing! Lord Lin has fainted!!!"
Nie Bing whipped around at the sound.
What she saw was "Cifer" anxiously supporting the unconscious Lin Zhiyuan. His eyes were tightly closed, his face pale (from holding his breath), and he appeared completely unresponsive.
Fainted?
Nie Bing's first reaction was shock and concern, but it lasted only a split second!
Her years of experience as an elite criminal investigator instantly revealed that Lin Zhiyuan's "fainting" posture was far too deliberate, radiating an unnatural stiffness.
Especially the eyes, though tightly shut, were twitching imperceptibly beneath the lids. This was no genuine faint... was he faking it?!
In a flash, Nie Bing's gaze locked onto "Cifer" with palpable intensity.
Beneath the nervous and flustered demeanor of the young security guard, his eyes suddenly flashed with an inexplicable cunning and mockery as he glanced at her for help.
He's behind this! And Lin Zhiyuan is playing along!
Who else could possibly make Lin Zhiyuan cooperate so completely, even feigning unconsciousness?
"You!" Nie Bing's icy voice dripped with shock and fury as she tensed to react.
But "Cifer" moved faster.
In the instant Nie Bing's eyes locked onto him, her muscles coiling like a spring ready to strike,
"Cifer" subtly shifted his grip on Lin Zhiyuan's arm, pushing him toward the sofa while simultaneously closing the distance to Nie Bing with ghostly speed.
Nie Bing's vision blurred. Before she could react, "Cifer" was right in front of her, moving so quickly she had no time to mount an effective defense or counterattack.
A warm hand, gentle yet irresistible, landed lightly—almost tenderly—on the crown of her head!
"Hehe, pat pat on the head~"
It was no longer the male voice of "Cifer," but the familiar, playful, and slightly smug tone, Cifera's uniquely languid, cat-like drawl, ringing clearly in Nie Bing's ear:
"Little Bingbing, you're slow on the uptake~ If I were a real villain, this wouldn't be a head pat, but a strike to your carotid artery!
"But since this is just a simulated crime show, you can pretend I've knocked you unconscious. Now, just lie down obediently like Little Lin over there and cooperate?"
Nie Bing felt a surge of heat rush to her cheeks, instantly reddening her ears and neck.
This was the second time she'd "woken up" only to be "knocked unconscious" by Cifera again!
And this infuriating woman had even disguised herself as a dim-witted man this time, yet spoke to her with her own distinctive tone and gaze, and even... patted her head?!
The stark contrast and sense of "desecration" nearly snapped Nie Bing's rational line. She desperately wanted to knock this mischievously perverse "bastard" to the ground immediately.
But she couldn't. Cifera had specifically reminded her they were on camera, and she had to follow the rules.
Forcibly suppressing the urge to call Cifera "shameless," Nie Bing gritted her teeth. If looks could kill, Cifera would have been flipped "Earth" over a thousand times by now.
"Aiyo, don't glare at me like that! Doesn't this look cool? I think this is what the world's most handsome man looks like! If I were a man, I'd definitely want to look like this."
Nie Bing naturally didn't realize Cifera was deliberately flattering her past self. Assuming she was just teasing her again, she rolled her eyes.
Seeing Nie Bing's disgusted expression, "Cifer" shrugged indifferently, wearing an easygoing, infuriatingly smug smile.
First, "he" carefully repositioned Lin Zhiyuan, who had sprawled awkwardly on the sofa, turning his face toward the backrest to prevent him from sneaking peeks at the "gossip."
Then, "he" walked over to the Technical Booth, gently pressed the still-stiff Nie Bing into a chair, and moved the entire setup aside to clear the main operating position.
During the move, "Cifer" wrapped her arms around Nie Bing from behind, though they didn't actually touch her body. Yet the sensation of being embraced instantly rekindled the blush that had only recently faded from her cheeks.
That bastard! He's doing this on purpose!
Even if he'd carefully positioned Lin Zhiyuan out of sight, what good was it? The entire nation was still watching!
Realizing this, Nie Bing simply closed her eyes. I'm still "unconscious," anyway. Out of sight, out of mind!
"Cifer" gazed at Nie Bing's flushed face and tightly shut eyes, a mischievous grin spreading across her features.
Little Bingbing is still so adorable. Teasing her is just too much fun~