Chapter 90
When Tang Congnan learned that Li Chu was taking on another crime drama, he wasn't entirely on board. Li Chu had already made a name for herself with one such drama, and taking on a similar role so soon risked typecasting. However, after reading the story outline, his concerns shifted.
“Are you sure you want to play this kind of character? I don't know why, but I keep thinking this protagonist should be an Alpha.”
“That's just a stereotype, Brother Nan.”
It was a common stereotype in the ABO world: cold, robotic characters were almost always Alphas. This was often true, as Omegas, with their innate emotional sensitivity and empathy, tended to be more emotionally expressive.
“Alright, but can you pull it off?”
Tang Congnan's doubt was understandable. The character was a far cry from Li Chu's usual roles, even vastly different from Qin Mu in Die at Dawn and Dusk .
“I can!” Li Chu nodded. She liked the story and wanted to challenge herself. She felt it was time to step outside her comfort zone of relying on her Omega empathy and tackle a character she couldn't immediately connect with.
“Then I trust you. Focus on studying the script. I've cleared your schedule of any non-essential engagements.”
Li Chu beamed. “Thank you, Brother Nan.”
“Don't mention it. Let me know if you need anything.” Tang Congnan flicked Li Chu's forehead. As her sole client, he was naturally invested in her career.
Li Chu immersed herself in the script, engaging in daily discussions with Director Wang and Writer Qian to better understand the role. Meanwhile, the director and producer were busy assembling the rest of the cast.
The story of The Exiled began with a dismemberment case. The story initially unfolded through the perspective of a young man named Xiaoduo, a landlord managing properties in the Anhe Building. Built thirteen years ago, the Anhe Building was a massive thirty-story structure with an atrium. Initially housing eight hundred households, it now accommodated over a thousand after thirteen years of modifications and merged apartments.
Xiaoduo's father owned over thirty units in the building. Even without working, Xiaoduo could live comfortably off the rent. After working for six months following graduation, he returned home to help his aging father manage the properties. Not all tenants were diligent with their payments. The Anhe Building was visibly chaotic, housing a diverse mix of people from all walks of life and age groups.
This time, Xiaoduo was going to collect rent from the seventh tenant on the thirteenth floor, a Beta man in his twenties named Chen Yi, who worked in insurance sales. Chen Yi was three months behind on rent. The Anhe Building offered lower rents compared to other properties in the area, but due to the high turnover rate, rent was typically paid monthly. Most landlords would evict tenants after two months of non-payment. Xiaoduo had initially intended to do the same, but Chen Yi, a tenant for a year, had pleaded for an extension, which Xiaoduo reluctantly granted.
However, the third month arrived with no rent payment from Chen Yi, despite his promise to pay in full. So, early in the morning, Xiaoduo went upstairs, keys in hand, and a growing impatience. He banged on the metal door, but there was no response. Annoyed, Xiaoduo assumed Chen Yi had left to avoid him. He dialed Chen Yi's number while searching for the right key, intending to issue a final ultimatum: pay up or be evicted.
The call went unanswered. Xiaoduo finally found the key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside, cursing under his breath. The sight that greeted him made him collapse in terror. Chen Yi lay on the floor, his body dismembered and arranged in a grotesque tableau.
This was just the beginning. The Haijia City police immediately formed a task force to investigate the three dismemberment murders that had occurred in the Anhe Building within four months. Due to the building's complexity and the transient nature of its residents, the investigation stalled. Then someone suggested bringing in "that person." The task force referred to "that person" as Rong Yun, the protagonist of the story, the character Li Chu was to portray.
Rong Yun was a brilliant detective with an impressive track record. Every case she handled was closed efficiently. She was, in a way, a rising star in the police force. However, Rong Yun wasn't well-liked. Colleagues had mixed feelings about her. Some described her as a highly effective crime-solving robot, but not a good police officer. This wasn't because she had done anything wrong, but because she came across as cold and detached, lacking empathy for the victims and their families. She was like a shadow, observing human joy and sorrow from a distance, simply performing her duty.
She didn't care if victims' families or witnesses broke down during interrogations; she just wanted to solve the case quickly. A colleague once criticized her for this, and Rong Yun retorted, "Isn't finding the murderer the best comfort for the deceased? What's wrong with wanting to do it quickly?" The colleague was speechless, muttering, "Talking to a brick wall." Despite her lack of interpersonal skills, Rong Yun's efficiency guaranteed her a promising career. However, an incident landed her in a correctional facility for two years.
The script, as Li Chu understood from the director and screenwriter, unfolded chronologically, introducing the protagonist through other events before intertwining her past with the present case. The reason for Rong Yun's imprisonment stemmed from a murder case two years prior, a case involving her secret love, Cen Lan.
Cen Lan was the victim. She was an Omega, sunny, enthusiastic, and gentle. In the original version of the script, intended for Ning Manqing, Cen Lan and Rong Yun had unspoken feelings for each other. However, with Li Chu playing the role, Rong Yun's Alpha identity changed to Omega, adding a layer of complexity and tragedy to her attraction to a fellow Omega.
At this point in the story, Rong Yun hadn't had the chance to express her deeper feelings, and Cen Lan only saw her as a good friend. Had the story continued on this path, perhaps Cen Lan's warmth would have softened Rong Yun's coldness, transforming her into a truly good police officer.
But fate had other plans. On a summer night two years ago, Cen Lan died in Rong Yun's arms. Rong Yun remembered it was her birthday. Cen Lan had come to celebrate, they had dinner and drinks, and then Rong Yun blacked out. She awoke to the shocked faces of her colleagues, Cen Lan's lifeless body in her embrace.
Her colleagues explained they had received a distress message from Cen Lan. When they arrived and knocked, there was no answer, forcing them to break down the door. They found the scene before them.
It was a murder scene, and Rong Yun was the prime suspect. However, the case was riddled with inconsistencies. The murder weapon was missing. Both Rong Yun and Cen Lan's blood, as well as their drinks, tested positive for sleeping drugs. It was a clumsy attempt at framing, but there were no signs of forced entry or tampering at Rong Yun's home, and the damaged surveillance footage yielded no clues.
Opinions within the police force were divided. Some believed Rong Yun was guilty, citing her expertise in criminal psychology and her detached personality. Perhaps this was a deliberate act. Ultimately, Rong Yun was suspended and placed under surveillance in a special correctional facility.
Due to the severity of the Anhe Building serial murders, Rong Yun was released to lead the investigation. The task force suspected the killer resided within or near the building, as the crimes exhibited a performative nature, a form of self-expression. The killer's gender was likely Alpha or Beta, with Beta being more probable due to the scarcity of Alphas in the Anhe Building. The secondary gender was presumed male, as two of the three victims were Beta males, and the third, a female, was too young to have a differentiated primary gender. The killer's strength, evident in the dismemberments, also pointed towards a male.
The first victim, Chen Yi, from apartment 1307, was an insurance salesman. The cause of death was blood loss from a stab wound to the abdomen. His body was cut into thirteen pieces and arranged in the shape of a snake with a human head.
The second victim, Zhang Mengzhong, from apartment 2416, was unemployed. The cause of death was asphyxiation. His body was cut into six pieces and arranged in the shape of a fish.
The third victim, Zhou San, from apartment 2906, was possibly an underage prostitute. The cause of death was cardiac arrest following drowning. Her body was cut into four pieces, with the head split in two, arranged in a shape resembling an earthworm. The third crime scene was so horrific that even seasoned officers were haunted by nightmares.
Rong Yun seemed even colder than two years prior. Li Chu recalled Writer Qian's description: upon seeing the gruesome crime scene photos, Rong Yun's first reaction wasn't fear, disgust, or anger, but disdain. She disdained the killer's method of self-expression through dismemberment, and more importantly, she found the arrangement of the body parts aesthetically displeasing. The arrangements were abstract, requiring the police to sketch the positions to decipher the killer's intent. The third victim's arrangement was the easiest to interpret, as the bisected head marked the beginning and end.
Li Chu gained a deeper understanding of the character. Rong Yun, at first glance, seemed similar to Xi Yiyun, but they were fundamentally different. Rong Yun was like a humanoid, lacking empathy for human suffering. She had once experienced a flicker of emotion, but the person who sparked that flicker was now dead, dead in her arms.
The title, The Exiled , had multiple layers of meaning, as Li Chu interpreted and confirmed with Writer Qian. It referred to the criminals, exiled by society or themselves, and to Rong Yun, exiled by fate.
I was born to learn how to be human, but why has fate exiled me, taking away the very possibility of becoming one? — Rong Yun
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