"Ah, I'm going outside to check why my friend hasn't arrived yet," the actress explained absentmindedly.
"What about your coffee?"
"Don't worry, I'll be back shortly." With that, the actress pushed the door and left.
After about ten minutes, another lady entered the café. She was wearing a gray flared skirt, had glasses on, and was carrying a large bag. She glanced around the café and then approached a waiter, asking, "Hello, have you seen an actress who hasn't removed her makeup? She's my friend."
The waiter nodded and replied, "Indeed, a lady like that was here a moment ago. She mentioned she was waiting for her friend."
"I'm her friend, but where is she?" the lady in the gray skirt inquired.
"Oh, she waited for a few minutes and seemed quite anxious, so she went out to look for you."
"I see, well, I'll go look for her then."
The waiter quickly stopped her, saying, "You'd better not go out again. Otherwise, when she comes back, she won't be able to find you, and you'll end up going out to look for her again. You might as well just sit here and wait for her."
"Alright, in that case, where was she sitting earlier?"
The waiter led her to the spot where the actress was sitting and said, "She was sitting right here. You can wait for her here. By the way, what would you like to drink?"
"A cup of red tea, thank you!"
"These friends are quite interesting, one dressed so elegantly and the other so modestly," Tony Monet chuckled softly.
To his surprise, Nicole furrowed her brows and shook her head, replying, "No, unless I'm mistaken, they should be the same person!"
"One person? What do you mean?" Tony Monet asked in confusion.
"Simply put, the actress from earlier and this so-called friend of hers are actually the same woman. The only difference is that she was wearing makeup before, and now she's not!" Nicole whispered.
"Are you sure?" Tony Monet asked, somewhat incredulous.
Nicole nodded and said, "Absolutely. Don't forget, I used to be an actress too. I'm very familiar with stage makeup. Even though she removed her makeup, it was obviously rushed, so there are still traces left in many subtle places. And this heavy makeup is not something people wear casually except on stage. Moreover, their body shapes, facial features, and even their walking posture are identical. If they're not the same person, that would be too much of a coincidence."
Tony Monet stole a glance and then inquired, "Is the difference between this person with and without makeup really that significant?"
"Of course, with enough props, I could turn you into a sixty-year-old man right now if you'd believe it!" Nicole replied confidently.
"Uh, so am I looking like a sixty-year-old man right now?" Tony Monet mockingly complained.
Nicole quickly reassured him, "No, precisely because you don't, it highlights the makeup skills. If you already looked like that, there'd be no need for makeup!"
"Alright, I accept your explanation. But why would this woman pretend to be two different people?" Yet, as he said this, a memory from a Conan episode he had seen flashed in Tony Monet's mind, prompting him to exclaim, "Oh my, I hope this isn't leading to trouble!"
Just at that moment, a loud "bang" sounded from outside, causing Nicole to pat her ample chest in alarm and exclaim, "Oh my, what's happening? Could that be gunfire?"
Tony Monet's eyes followed Nicole's gesturing hand, and after a slight swallow, he replied, "Definitely not gunfire. It sounds more like firecrackers."
"Really? At a time like this, someone's actually setting off firecrackers?"
"You've misunderstood. It's not firecrackers; it's more like fireworks, the kind that makes a popping sound."
"Oh, I see. That's a relief."
Just as Nicole was starting to calm down, another round of shouts came from outside: "Oh my god! Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"
"Tony, you said it wasn't firecrackers, but can firecrackers really kill someone?" Nicole, who had just regained her composure, was once again taken aback.
Tony Monet furrowed his brows, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It's definitely not firecrackers. Alright, wait for me here. I'll go out and take a look."
Nicole quickly grabbed his arm and said, "Tony, please don't go out. It might be dangerous if there really are firecrackers going off outside at a time like this."
In the end, Tony Monet couldn't persuade Nicole, so he stayed in the café. Fortunately, the police soon arrived. The leader, a chief inspector, approached a waiter and inquired, "There was an actress who hadn't removed her makeup found dead in the alley nearby. I heard she was at your café earlier?"
Upon hearing this voice, Tony Monet found it very familiar. He looked up and indeed recognized Chief Inspector Kline. He stood up and asked, "Inspector, what exactly happened outside?"
Seeing Tony Monet, Chief Inspector Kline greeted, "Oh, Mr. Monet, you're here. What brings you to this place?"
Tony Monet pointed at Nicole and explained, "We just finished watching the opera with Miss Nicole and decided to drop by for some coffee. By the way, you haven't told me what happened outside."
"Oh, a firecracker went off in the alley nearby, and then someone discovered an actress dead there. We questioned passersby in the vicinity, and someone said they saw this actress at your café earlier, so we came to investigate." Chief Inspector Kline explained slowly.
"An actress? Are you talking about the one who was dressed as Lady Polavar in 'The Silver King'?" Curious, Nicole asked.
"Well, I don't know about this Lady Polavar attire, but she's definitely an actress. She hasn't removed her makeup or changed her clothes yet."
At this moment, a waitress stepped forward and said, "Inspector, indeed, there was a lady actress who came to our café earlier. She mentioned she was meeting a friend here. Worried about being late, she came without removing her makeup or changing clothes. However, her friend hadn't arrived when she came, and she seemed quite anxious. So, she went out to look for her friend."
Pointing to the lady with glasses, the waitress continued, "That lady is her friend. Initially, after she arrived, she didn't find the actress, so she wanted to go out and search. I persuaded her to stay inside."
Hearing the waitress's account, Chief Inspector Kline approached the lady with glasses and asked, "So, if that's the case, the lady who was killed in the alley is likely your friend. Would you mind coming with me to identify her?"
The lady with glasses nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course, of course."
PS: I noticed that some readers were confused about the protagonist's identity. Actually, it's quite simple. Tony Monet is an obscure British painter who decided to try his luck in New York. He bought a third-class ticket on the Titanic, and unfortunately, he perished in the shipwreck, leading to the protagonist's opportunity to transmigrate into his body.