Pei Ying

Biodata

Background

Pei Ying was born seven years after his older brother, Pei Guangji. Under the Pei family’s rules, the eldest son was groomed to inherit the corporation, while younger children were excluded from succession and deliberately raised to become spoiled wastrels 8.

His mother died when he was in elementary school. No one attended a parent-teacher meeting for him afterward until Xin Hexue came to one in his senior year 13.

Pei Ying played the part of a carefree second young master, often skipping class and neglecting his studies. He deliberately left assignments undone and submitted blank exam papers, believing that the role made life easier for someone his family considered a failure 12 13.

Appearance

Pei Ying resembles his brother, though he normally has distinctive hair and earrings that help Xin Hexue identify him 9 32.

• Hair: Naturally black, with a Klein blue underlayer 9.
• Earrings: Two silver cone-shaped studs in his left ear 9.
• Build: Approximately a head taller than Xin Hexue 13.
• Disguise: He dyed his blue streaks black and removed his earrings when posing as Pei Guangji at the hospital; Xin Hexue eventually noticed his ear piercings 32.

Personality

Pei Ying is outwardly unruly, short-tempered and indifferent to school. Beneath that persona, he resents his exclusion from the family succession and is sensitive to how Xin Hexue sees him: he refuses to submit homework Xin Hexue completed because he does not want him to think he is stupid 11 12.

His attraction to Xin Hexue brings out both attentiveness and jealousy. He carefully follows medical instructions while caring for him, but also kisses him without permission after becoming jealous of Pei Guangji 11 13.

Abilities

Enhanced healing

Pei Ying’s family possesses rapid healing: a cut like the one Xin Hexue suffered from broken glass would heal within a minute for a member of the Pei family 9.

Alpha senses

• He senses Pei Guangji’s pheromones at the villa and feels a combative response to another Alpha’s presence 8.
• He detects an unfamiliar Alpha’s pheromones around Xin Hexue and connects the scent to Xi Zhengqing 21.

Story Role

Meeting Xin Hexue

Despite being told to stay elsewhere, Pei Ying returns to the Halfway-Up-the-Mountain Villa and finds Xin Hexue there with Pei Guangji. Initially, he watches the unfamiliar Beta with malicious curiosity, but helps him after he drops a glass and begins coughing. Xin Hexue memorizes Pei Ying’s blue hair and earrings to distinguish him from his brother 8 9.

When Xin Hexue later collapses with acute gastritis and a fever, Pei Ying calls a doctor and takes time off school to care for him. Xin Hexue subsequently attends his parent-teacher meeting and offers to help improve his grades 11 12 13.

After the meeting, Pei Ying’s jealousy leads him to kiss Xin Hexue in a stairwell. Xin Hexue slaps him and leaves; Pei Ying later finds him in the rain, apologizes for acting impulsively and escorts him back 13 14.

Succession and the banquet

After Pei Guangji’s hovercraft crash leaves him comatose, Pei Ying returns to the main family to defend his claim to the succession. He initially tells Xin Hexue that his brother is away on business rather than reveal the accident 17 18.

Pei Ying discovers that Xi Zhengqing has been impersonating Pei Guangji around Xin Hexue and punches him. Xi offers to help him inherit the Pei Corporation if he stays out of his way; Pei Ying reluctantly agrees to keep silent 21 22.

At Pei Ying’s belated coming-of-age banquet, the family signals his prospective position as heir. When Xin Hexue disappears during the event, Pei Ying confronts Xi and joins the search. Xin Hexue is found unconscious and taken to hospital 25 28 30.

Hospital visit

Pei Ying visits Xin Hexue at the hospital disguised as Pei Guangji. Xin Hexue recognizes his ear piercings while they are kissing, slaps him and orders him to leave, saying he is disappointed in him 32.

Relationships

• Pei Guangji — His older brother by seven years. They share both parents and have a distant but not openly hostile relationship before Pei Guangji’s accident makes the succession uncertain 8 18.
• Xin Hexue — Pei Guangji’s lover and the object of Pei Ying’s affection. Pei Ying cares for him during his illness, but twice crosses his boundaries while pursuing him 11 13 32.
• Xi Zhengqing — Pei Guangji’s childhood friend and Pei Ying’s rival for Xin Hexue’s attention. Xi helps Pei Ying advance his inheritance claim in exchange for his silence about Xi’s deception 21 22 25.