Xin Hexue

Biodata

Background

In his first life, Xin Hexue was the crown prince of asteroid B3081. Born with triple-S-grade spiritual power but poor physical aptitude, he underwent a demanding education and mecha training. He commanded a successful campaign against Planet 3042 before dying of illness 2 14.

In his second life, he was the neglected fifth prince of an ancient dynasty. His soul was poorly suited to the world, leaving him rarely lucid before eighteen. He eventually inherited the throne but died from poison despite the care of the eunuch You Yi 2 5 26.

System K promised Xin Hexue a life free of illness and pain if he collected enough love and heartache points from targets across small worlds. He entered the Face Blindness world when his assigned character turned eighteen and spent two years adapting to it with K’s help 2.

Face Blindness world

The character Xin Hexue entered was a pureblood Beta adopted from a Twelfth District garbage dump at age seven. His adoptive father, Xin Bao, abused him and forced him to beg for gambling money. At fourteen, the character appeared in a successful film; its payment and the crew’s support helped him move to the Sixth District and finish high school 1 38.

The original plot assigned him a lover’s contract with Pei Guangji, followed by abuse, abandonment and death. Xin Hexue rejected that outcome and resolved to pursue his mission on his own terms 2 3 17.

Appearance

Xin Hexue is tall and slender, with a delicate frame and subtle muscle definition 4 9.

• Soft black hair, black eyes and cool, pale skin 2 28.
• Long, dark lashes and a small mole beneath his left eye 2.
• Slender hands with visible blue veins; his thin skin bruises easily 2 6.

Personality

Xin Hexue often presents himself as gentle and accommodating while concealing a calculating, competitive temperament. He dislikes relying on chance and prefers to control whatever variables he can. System K compares him to a pampered cat that hides its arrogance behind an affectionate exterior 2 5 35.

He uses carefully chosen personas to influence his targets. With Pei Ying, he cultivated the impression that he was devoted to Pei Guangji; with Xi Zhengqing, he exploited Xi’s impersonation while pretending not to recognize him 13 25.

Health and Conditions

• Face blindness: He identifies people through context and distinctive features, such as Pei Ying’s blue hair highlights and ear studs 3 9.
• Fragile health: His body is highly sensitive to pain and cannot tolerate genetic enhancement agents. He is also allergic to many medications 3 9 11.
• Beta physiology: He lacks the glands needed to perceive Alpha and Omega pheromones. His lack of glands also reduces the effect of the aphrodisiac used on him at the Pei banquet 8 27.
• Fear of venomous creatures and shelled insects: In his second life, palace attendants locked him in a room containing the “five venoms.” The experience left him with an involuntary fear and nausea response to such creatures and similar-looking insects 26 27.
• Social anxiety: His character’s school bullying over face blindness left him prone to panic when he becomes the center of a crowd’s attention 33 36.

Abilities and Skills

Acting and deception

Xin Hexue uses acting to manage his targets’ perceptions and gather affection or heartbreak points. He also regards acting as a favorite hobby: distinctive costumes and roles make people easier for him to distinguish despite his face blindness 13 38.

• Won the film role of Yi Si after an audition that moved its observers 44.
• Persuaded Qiu Yuan that they might be alike as nonhuman outsiders, intending to gain his protection 41.
• Qiu Yuan later criticized his portrayal of Yi Si as too confident and lacking the character’s desperation 47.

Archery and military training

Xin Hexue learned archery in his imperial life and trained in mecha combat as a crown prince 14 35.

• Hit a bull’s-eye after initially appearing to need Xi Zhengqing’s instruction 34 35.
• Can use a light bow effectively, but his physical condition prevents him from drawing heavier bows 35.

System support

System K tracks mission targets’ affection and heartbreak values and assists Xin Hexue during dangerous encounters 2 17 29.

• Can briefly paralyze a target with an electric shock; the skill has a cooldown 20 29.
• Can take physical form briefly and carry Xin Hexue 20.
• Unlocked a body protection program for his last three points at the Pei banquet. Under special circumstances, it can enhance his physical capabilities, particularly endurance 27.

Equipment and Items

• Moonstone necklace — A birthday gift from Xi Zhengqing, made from a stone in his private collection 19.
• Heart of Eternity — An aquamarine-and-diamond necklace given by Xi Zhengqing; Xin Hexue agreed to keep it safe for him rather than accept it outright 38.
• Puppy — Xin Hexue’s mechanical cat, despite its name 17 24.

Relationships

• System K — His companion and mission system. K trained him for the Face Blindness world, monitors target values and helps protect him 2 20 27.
• Xin Bao — His abusive adoptive father in the Face Blindness world. Xin Hexue gave him money for gambling debts and later learned that Pei Guangji had concealed his death 1 2 16.
• Pei Guangji — A mission target and Xin Hexue’s contractual lover. Xin Hexue sought to end the contract after discovering Pei had hidden decisions from him and tracked his location 7 16 17.
• Pei Ying — Pei Guangji’s younger brother. Xin Hexue helped with his schoolwork and attended his parent-teacher meeting; Pei Ying’s attraction led to conflicts over unwanted kisses and impersonation 12 13 32.
• Xi Zhengqing — A mission target who impersonated Pei Guangji while pursuing Xin Hexue. Xin Hexue recognized the deception, manipulated Xi’s growing attachment and later accepted his proposal 20 25 46.
• Number One / the Cutter — A xenomorph who serves Xin Hexue in the guise of an android butler. Xin Hexue gave him the name Number One and arranged repairs after noticing damage to his bionic skin 24 38.
• Qiu Yuan — A director and mission target who became suspicious of Xin Hexue’s identity. He cast Xin Hexue as Yi Si and later coached him on the role 40 44 47.
• You Yi — A eunuch who cared for Xin Hexue during his illness in his second life 5.
• Ling Ji — A space pirate whom Xin Hexue regarded as an enemy during his first life; Ling Ji also sought to protect him 14.

Story Role

1. Rejecting the script: After Xin Bao drugs him, Xin Hexue avoids the scripted encounter with Pei Guangji. He later signs Pei’s contract but confronts him over Xin Bao’s death and the surveillance placed on him 3 4 7 16.
2. Targeting Xi Zhengqing: Following Pei Guangji’s hovercraft crash, Xin Hexue turns his attention to Xi Zhengqing. He knowingly plays along with Xi’s impersonation and reverses their intended power dynamic 17 20 25.
3. The Pei banquet: Drugged again, Xin Hexue encounters Number One in his mutant form and flees in fear. He unlocks K’s body protection program but is later hospitalized 27 30.
4. Acting and engagement: Xin Hexue draws closer to Xi Zhengqing, cultivates Qiu Yuan’s interest and wins the role of Yi Si. He accepts Xi’s proposal while continuing to generate heartbreak for Pei Guangji 41 44 46 49.
5. Engagement preparations: Xin Hexue stays at the Xi Residence before the engagement banquet, privately expecting that he may soon stop pretending with Xi Zhengqing 50.

Trivia

• Cosmos are the planetary flower of Xin Hexue’s first homeworld, B3081. Number One later plants them in the villa garden 33.
• His robot names include the mechanical cat Puppy, the gardener Number Two and the vacuum Number Three 24.
• He dislikes scallions and, after an encounter with tentacles, thinks he will never eat seafood again 24 29.