Chapter 99
Thus, the hidden plot of The Exiled , starting from the execution of the first serial killer, gradually surfaced.
Facing Rong Yun's questioning, Yu Jia reverted to his previous state, an indifference as if the accusations in the interrogation room had nothing to do with him. He didn't reveal a single word more to Rong Yun, not even a meaningful glance.
He simply lowered his head, his spine slumped, facing the imminent end of his chaotic half-life.
Rong Yun didn't press further. Although she was eager to know the clues, Rong Yun was still Rong Yun. After that momentary loss of control, she regained her composure.
The content of their conversation was simultaneously relayed to the detention center and Rong Yun's direct superior, the chief. They inquired whether an extension of the execution was needed, as Yu Jia seemed to be involved in another case.
Rong Yun shook her head. She felt it wasn't necessary, and she had sufficient reasons. She believed Yu Jia had no connection to Cen Lan's case. They lived in two different worlds, and Yu Jia wouldn't commit a crime in an unfamiliar, insecure place. Moreover, the methods used didn't match at all.
Rong Yun also knew she couldn't get anything more out of Yu Jia, so his delayed death wouldn't be of any help.
As for why Yu Jia said those words in the end, Rong Yun had already guessed the possible answer.
Someone wanted to play a game of chess with her, and this game had begun two years ago, or perhaps even earlier.
She had been waiting, and now it seemed the time had come.
“Okay, cut! Next scene, get ready!” Director Wang yelled, waving the rolled-up script in his hand.
Li Chu immediately changed her position, throwing herself back into the busy filming.
While she was busy, Ning Manqing was even more so.
Ning Manqing returned to the Ning family and announced two things: first, she would join the family business, and second, she would send Ning Yuxi away.
The second matter attracted far less attention than the first. Mr. and Mrs. Ning, along with Ning Haoyuan and Second Sister, were too preoccupied with confirming the first matter to care about why Ning Yuxi was being sent away.
Although Ning Haoyuan and Second Sister had been infighting all these years, attempting to divide more of the Ning family's assets and ultimately become the head of the family, they understood very well that while they were rivals when Ning Manqing wasn't involved, when she wanted what they wanted, she became their biggest enemy.
Regarding why she was returning to take over the family business, Ning Manqing omitted many details, lightly mentioning Ning Yuxi's "contribution." When facing her parents, she deliberately spoke with ambition, making the suspicious couple feel they were essentially the same kind of people.
Ning Haoyuan and Second Sister were so angry they cursed Ning Yuxi at home for being a good-for-nothing who provoked Ning Manqing, and they also cursed Ning Manqing for likely having this plan all along, merely lowering their guard previously.
However, their thoughts couldn't influence others. No matter how unwilling they were, Mr. and Mrs. Ning happily held a banquet, inviting prominent figures and announcing the news. They also decided to let Ning Manqing parachute into the top management of the head office, responsible for a major project.
This was the project both Ning Haoyuan and Second Sister had been vying for. Their expressions couldn't be contained, while Ning Manqing wasn't surprised at all, even raising her glass to them.
The atmosphere at the banquet was quite good. Although there were some, like Ning Haoyuan and Second Sister, who didn't want Ning Manqing to return to the business world, most people welcomed her, especially some of Ning Manqing's former followers.
Before Ning Manqing became an adult, due to her remarkable talent, her small circle was basically composed of the favored children of Yunzhou's wealthy families. Although they had their own conflicts and checks and balances in private, on the surface, they followed Ning Manqing's lead. However, after Ning Manqing differentiated into a Beta and entered the film and television industry, their contact decreased significantly, but the initial relationship remained, and it wasn't difficult to utilize.
While the Ning family was immersed in a superficial celebratory atmosphere, Ning Yuxi was forced onto a plane bound for abroad.
No one saw him off, and no one cared what would happen to him afterward.
Mr. and Mrs. Ning were undoubtedly very snobbish and cold-blooded. In exchange for their outstanding daughter taking over the family business and bringing in more profits, they were happy to send their unpromising, spendthrift son abroad.
Ning Yuxi cursed Ning Manqing without any restraint on the plane and was knocked unconscious by the bodyguards Ning Manqing had sent to watch him.
When he woke up, he found himself in a small house in a foreign country. Ning Yuxi wanted to sneak back to his country but discovered his passport wasn't with him. Resentful and frustrated, he decided to indulge himself abroad. Although he wasn't academically inclined, his bilingual education from childhood allowed him to communicate normally without any problems.
But later, he discovered his cards were frozen, and he could only live on the equivalent of about three thousand yuan given by Ning Manqing each month. He fell into madness, and when he found he couldn't contact his parents or even his former friends, he became terrified.
For the first time, he burst into tears and begged for mercy from the person he hated the most. Ning Manqing, on the other end of the computer, remained unmoved.
“I warned you not to touch her. Enjoy your life now.”
Ning Manqing wouldn't use those despicable methods on Ning Yuxi. She knew very well how to truly crush someone like him, even without leaving any obvious flaws.
She wasn't throwing him abroad to be abused; she provided him with housing and basic living expenses. As long as Ning Yuxi worked honestly like everyone else, he could make ends meet. But was that possible for someone like him?
As for what happened later—Ning Yuxi using his Omega status to become someone's mistress, then cheating and being caught by several parties, being beaten until he miscarried and hospitalized, finally dying from promiscuity, drug addiction, and suicide—that was all a story for another time.
As for Min Yiyuan, Ning Manqing used Mu Xiao's channels to have Tiange's subsidiary acquire Zhaoxing Entertainment, owned by Min Yiyuan, and reorganized the company.
Min Yiyuan still had his father to rely on, so Ning Manqing couldn't touch him for now, but it didn't prevent her from venting her anger by having him ambushed and beaten.
Ning Manqing briefly told Li Chu about these things. Li Chu didn't develop any psychological trauma because of those two idiots and threw them to the back of her mind after hearing about it.
She didn't bother to dwell on such people. She had more troublesome things to deal with recently. Of course, it wasn't the so-called potential rival and perfect wife material, Mu Qinxi, who was supposed to go on a blind date with Ning Manqing, but rather some recent difficulties in filming.
Currently, Mr. and Mrs. Ning had no intention of arranging a blind date for Ning Manqing. After all, she had just taken on a major project, and they were eager for her to focus on being an emotionless money-making machine.
Li Chu had also been worried about disturbing Ning Manqing, so she reduced the frequency of her messages and was even lectured by Ning Manqing over the phone for it.
Li Chu was lost in thought when Qian Duoduo waved her hand in front of her eyes.
“Sister Li, are you okay?”
Li Chu came back to her senses, nodded, and sighed again.
Director Wang was currently focusing on filming scenes related to Cen Lan, as the Omega actress playing Cen Lan had joined the cast. There weren't any problems on her side, but Li Chu's side was constantly having issues.
Li Chu initially acted in her scenes according to Rong Yun's usual state, but Director Wang called cut.
Director Wang said she needed to portray a slightly different feeling because Cen Lan was someone Rong Yun had a crush on, not just some random person.
Actually, the word "crush" wasn't quite appropriate for Rong Yun. Rong Yun didn't know that her feelings for Cen Lan were romantic; she just felt Cen Lan was different from others.
She was different from others, and her liking was different from others' liking.
That feeling was a bit awkward. Li Chu tried to add a touch of color to the pure white wasteland of her heart, but that touch of color was probably too stark and abrupt, even Li Chu herself couldn't accept it, let alone Director Wang.
Li Chu could only continue to adjust her state. Director Wang and Writer Qian even pulled her aside to discuss the scenes, but Li Chu still couldn't grasp that vague feeling.
Even the emotion of liking, Li Chu couldn't portray well, let alone the scene of Cen Lan's death. But it wasn't a solution to keep getting stuck like this, so Director Wang filmed Cen Lan's solo scenes first, letting Li Chu sort herself out.
That night, Li Chu sought help from Ning Manqing. Ning Manqing told her that kind of liking was like a running gear mechanism with one part not meshing. It was suddenly and abruptly given a heavy blow, so the gears urgently changed direction. After that, it was difficult to find that trace in the complex parts. That was probably Rong Yun's hidden affection.
Ning Manqing's description was specific and romantic, but Li Chu still hadn't fully grasped that feeling.
Li Chu understood that ultimately, it wasn't a problem with Rong Yun's emotional scenes, but rather that she might not have understood the real Rong Yun, so she couldn't portray Rong Yun's affection. Thus, she read the script several times again and wrote character biographies. In this process, she deepened her understanding of Rong Yun.
If Rong Yun was a blank canvas, then her liking should be a shade brighter white, painted on the original white. At first glance, it was straightforward and obvious, but upon closer inspection, it seemed to blend into the vast whiteness, nowhere to be found.
Li Chu portrayed the character with this state of mind, and Director Wang finally relaxed, and the filming progressed smoothly. But Li Chu knew her problem still existed.
Because she hadn't yet found the feeling of Rong Yun losing Cen Lan, the scene of "Cen Lan's death" was still a considerable challenge for her, so Li Chu asked Director Wang for a day off to think it over.
So, Li Chu wasn't at the set today but in her hotel room, the script in her hands almost worn out.
Li Chu sighed again, and the three assistants looked at each other.
Li Chu thought for a moment, put on a mask, and decided to seek out her muse, Ning Manqing.
She couldn't bring Qian Duoduo along for this, so Li Chu gave Qian Duoduo half a day off and went to Ning Manqing's place.
Ning Manqing wasn't at Ning Corp but at a company she held a controlling stake in. Although Li Chu wasn't entirely clear about the scale of her business, she knew this company was involved in computer-related work.
It was summer now. Li Chu wore a simple T-shirt and skirt. The programmers, who were busy working, looked up at the masked Omega led in by their boss, revealing subtle expressions in unison, then lowered their heads again under the boss's gaze.
After entering Ning Manqing's office, Li Chu finally relaxed, collapsing onto Ning Manqing, wrapping her arms around her neck listlessly.
“Having trouble getting into character?” Ning Manqing removed Li Chu's mask, looking at her worried expression and rubbing the tip of her nose.
“Can't find the right feeling, so I came to consult my life mentor.”
“Did you bring the script?”
“Yes.”
Ning Manqing nodded at the script on the table, unlocked her computer, and said, “I'll read it after I finish this section.”
“Then I won't disturb you.”
Li Chu prepared to jump out of Ning Manqing's embrace, but Ning Manqing held her down.
“Stay like this, you're not heavy.”
Ning Manqing wrapped her arms around Li Chu's waist and her fingers danced across the keyboard.
Which Alpha wouldn't want to write code while holding their soft wife?
Li Chu felt a little embarrassed, her eyes fixed on the incomprehensible characters on the computer screen, thinking how amazing Ning Manqing was.
“Teacher Ning, you're so skilled.”
“Just a hobby. I knew it before, then put it aside for two years. I only helped Bai Wu write programs when she asked, and then I picked it up again.”
Before meeting Li Chu, Ning Manqing's life wasn't just about acting.
“Truly amazing.”
Li Chu thought this was probably the difference between a genius and an ordinary person, and Ning Manqing was not only a genius but also very hardworking.
Oh, thinking that such a person was her wife made Li Chu feel even happier.
Ning Manqing didn't take long. After she finished, Li Chu handed her the script for advice, got off her lap, pulled the chair over from the other side, and sat beside her.
Ning Manqing skimmed through the script for about ten minutes. During this time, Li Chu didn't interrupt her. After she put down the script, Li Chu sat up straight, waiting attentively.
“No need to be so nervous. This problem is actually quite easy to understand, after all, it's my area of expertise. To help you understand, I need to explain two basic concepts first.”
Ning Manqing rubbed Li Chu's head and, seeing her nod, began, “To express a character's emotions, you need to understand the character's essence. Starting from your understanding of the character, you see Rong Yun as a humanoid creature, like artificial intelligence. Then we need to directly understand how it operates, how it's human-like.”
“To make a computer understand human intentions and solve problems, we must tell the computer the thinking process, methods, and means of solving the problem in computer language so that the computer can complete a certain task. This communication process is called programming. Can you understand?”
Li Chu nodded. Although she didn't understand programming, she could understand its definition.
“The core of programming is algorithms. Let me tell you what an algorithm is. An algorithm is a clear instruction for solving a problem. If an algorithm has flaws or isn't suitable for a particular problem, then executing this algorithm won't solve the problem.”
Seeing Li Chu looking a bit dazed, Ning Manqing squeezed her hand reassuringly and continued, “For example, I wrote a program for a robot vacuum to clean the floor at home, and it can execute it successfully. But what if I input an instruction for it to cook?”
“It can't execute it?”
Ning Manqing nodded approvingly, “Right, that's an incorrect algorithm.”
Li Chu smiled even more sheepishly. This was obviously a question even a child could answer, but she was still quite happy that Ning Manqing praised her like this.
Ning Manqing continued, “Let's continue talking about algorithms. An algorithm should have five characteristics: finiteness, definiteness, input, output, and effectiveness. It doesn't matter if you don't understand this, it's just for later comparison.”
“Let's return to the character itself, Rong Yun and Cen Lan. Leaving aside other things, let's just talk about Rong Yun's feelings. If love is a program for her, then Cen Lan is its algorithm. But this algorithm violates the basic characteristics of an algorithm because love is irregular.”
“It's full of infinity, indefiniteness, and it's not even necessarily feasible. The problem can't be solved, so Rong Yun is confused by the feelings she has for Cen Lan.”
“As long as Cen Lan is by Rong Yun's side, this unsolvable instruction will continue to be issued. Over time, Rong Yun's own program changes, gradually transforming into a form that can run the algorithm. In other words, Rong Yun likes Cen Lan more and more, but this change is spontaneous within the program, not controlled by Rong Yun herself. Rong Yun's main processor doesn't understand that the Cen Lan algorithm represents love.”
Ning Manqing watched Li Chu as she spoke, ensuring her girlfriend understood what she was saying.
Li Chu nodded, “Mm, I understand!”
Putting it this way, Li Chu understood what Ning Manqing meant and looked at her with expectant eyes, waiting for her to continue.
“But Cen Lan died, which means the algorithm stopped running. There will be no more instructions for the program to run. So, what will happen to Rong Yun internally?”
Li Chu's eyes lit up, and she replied, “The program representing love has already changed, but there's no external input, and the main processor isn't aware of the change in this program, even thinking that this program is just meaningless code. So, love is put on hold, and the program that has been changed to fit a certain algorithm can't run other algorithms anymore. Is that what you mean?”
The more Li Chu spoke, the more excited she became. She felt like she understood!
She seemed to understand the feeling of loss and confusion Rong Yun felt when she lost Cen Lan. The thing that stopped working in her living body wouldn't threaten her life, so she didn't understand what she had lost, nor did she understand the significance of that program never running again.
“Smart.”
Ning Manqing looked at her excited girlfriend and slowly leaned closer.
Li Chu snapped out of her thoughts, saw the beautiful face magnified in front of her, and blinked in confusion.
“Remember what I said at the beginning? The algorithm is the core of the program.”
“I remember.”
“Actually, there's another, more romantic way to put it: the algorithm is the soul of the program.”
“So when I say you're my only algorithm, it means I'm saying you're the soul of my love.”
“But I'd rather say, you are Eros itself.”
The soft whispers were lost in the intimacy of their lips and teeth.
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