Hua Ruolin

Biodata

Appearance

• Facial features: Handsome, with a chiseled, model-like face 41 47.
• Bearing: Exceptionally composed and serious. During their earlier acquaintance, Tong Zhao thinks he looks ten years older than himself, although the actual difference is only five or six years 41.
• Present-day reputation: In his early forties, he is considered a highly desirable unmarried man in British business circles 47.

Personality

Hua Ruolin is formal, exacting, and strongly conscious of responsibility. He approves of Shu Sizhuo’s proper table manners and interest in business, while disapproving of Tong Zhao’s slouching and lowbrow comics. As a guardian, he prioritizes independence and preparation for leadership, insisting that his nephew cannot face the dangers of heading the Shu Family while remaining dependent on someone else 41 42.

His reserved manner does not prevent him from becoming emotionally attached. Although unaccustomed to physical affection, he embraces Shu Sizhuo when they meet. His initially stiff relationship with Tong Zhao develops into regular evenings drinking together, and Tong Zhao’s departure causes him to lose his usual composure. After learning of Tang Xu’s reported death, he grieves privately in the courtyard where they used to sit 41 43 44.

Background / History

Bringing Shu Sizhuo Home

While living overseas, Hua Ruolin receives a call from Tong Zhao, whom he knows as Tang Xu, explaining Shu Sizhuo’s circumstances. He agrees to help, arranges his company’s affairs, and flies to Grinding Cloud City with an elite legal team and bodyguards. At their dilapidated inn, he is visibly disturbed by his nephew’s living conditions. Shu Sizhuo embraces him, and Hua Ruolin reassures him that things are all right now 41.

He takes Shu Sizhuo and Tong Zhao to City A, buys them expensive clothing, and accommodates them in a luxury hotel while his lawyers investigate the Shu Family’s affairs. He also offers to meet any requests Tong Zhao has in return for helping his nephew; Tong Zhao declines compensation 41.

Guardianship and the Shu Family Dispute

Hua Ruolin’s team uncovers the conspiracy against Shu Sizhuo and secures his return to the family residence 42.

• Uncle Ou: Investigated for falsified company accounts, illegal asset transfers, bribery, and money laundering; receives a twenty-five-year sentence 42.
• Qin Yan: Exposed for conceiving a Shu Family child through illegal means and collaborating with Uncle Ou to fabricate evidence that Shu Sizhuo was mentally ill 42.
• Inheritance: Qin Yan’s son loses his right to inherit from the Shu Family 42.

As Shu Sizhuo’s legal guardian, Hua Ruolin moves into the family residence and works to remove corrupt personnel from its company. He also begins preparing his nephew to become the family head, enrolling him in numerous tutoring classes 42 43.

His strictest domestic dispute concerns Shu Sizhuo sleeping in Tong Zhao’s room. Hua Ruolin repeatedly orders him to sleep alone and punishes him for sneaking back, despite Tong Zhao’s argument that a recently bereaved and abused child naturally needs comfort 41 42.

Friendship with Tong Zhao and His Departure

Despite their disagreements, Hua Ruolin becomes Tong Zhao’s regular drinking companion. Their courtyard evenings grow familiar enough that he begins bringing sunflower seeds and changing into loungewear before joining him. Shu Sizhuo resents being excluded from their adult company and frequently interrupts 43.

Hua Ruolin divides his time between the Shu Family’s affairs and his work in the United Kingdom. During the summer, he sends Shu Sizhuo to Britain to study with an elderly gentleman; Tong Zhao accompanies the trip 43.

The following spring, Tong Zhao announces that he must go home and may never return. Hua Ruolin demands an explanation and offers to take him there and bring him back. Unable to persuade him to stay, he is left to comfort Shu Sizhuo after Tong Zhao departs without saying goodbye 43.

When Shu Sizhuo becomes feverish with grief, Hua Ruolin agrees to search for Tang Xu’s hometown near Grinding Cloud City. He locates the orphanage where Tang Xu grew up, only to be told that Tang Xu died in an accident the previous month. He does not give Shu Sizhuo a direct answer about the search and is later seen drinking alone and wiping his eye 44.

Present-Day Business and Family Contact

Eight years later, Hua Ruolin remains involved in Shu Sizhuo’s business life. A major project of his in the United Kingdom requires the Shu Group’s participation and shareholder discussion. He plans to return to China to introduce Shu Sizhuo to important people involved in the project 47.

After noticing scratches on his nephew’s face and hand, he accepts Shu Sizhuo’s explanation about taking in a stray cat literally and recommends vaccination. During the same call, Shu Sizhuo proposes that he meet a handsome twenty-seven-year-old man studying in Britain. Hua Ruolin rejects the matchmaking attempt and ends the call 47.

When Shu Sizhuo later asks for sexual instructional videos, Hua Ruolin wonders whether his nephew has finally moved beyond his longstanding grief. He sends a two-gigabyte compressed file, but tells him that asking an elder for such material is improper and encourages him to make friends instead 49.

Relationships

• Shu Sizhuo — Nephew and former ward. Hua Ruolin protects his inheritance, oversees his education, and maintains demanding expectations of his independence. Their relationship continues into adulthood through both family contact and business cooperation 41 42 43 47.
• Tong Zhao / Tang Xu — His nephew’s rescuer and later his close drinking companion. Initial disapproval gives way to companionship; Tong Zhao’s departure and Tang Xu’s reported death deeply affect him 41 42 43 44.
• Qin Yan and Uncle Ou — Adversaries in the struggle over the Shu Family’s inheritance. His investigators and lawyers expose their schemes against Shu Sizhuo 42.

Notable Quotes

“You need to understand that Shu Sizhuo is a wolf. How can a wolf depend on others? If you tame him into a docile pet dog, how will he stand on his own in a position fraught with danger?” 42

“Do you have to go? I can take you, and when you want to come back, I can pick you up.” 43