Chen Guiliang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Chen Guiliang (陈贵良)
Alias(es)	Chen the Hero; Chen Daxia; CG; Old Ancestor Chen / Hongmeng Laozu; Feng Kelian; Mr. X 105 135 160 435 610
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Peking University Yuanpei Class; ByteDance; Youke; Hongmeng Technology; Game Science 117 160 448 514
Occupation/Role	Entrepreneur, technology chairman, game designer and publisher, writer, investor
Status	Alive; later becomes the world’s richest person 604
First Appearance	Hair Tossed 3

Background / History

Chen grew up in a village in Southern Sichuan. His parents spent years in debt after his father was deceived in a subcontracting venture and left responsible for unpaid wages owed to fellow villagers. The experience, alongside his own confrontations with local bullies, shaped his early urge to defend others from intimidation. 16

He is a reborn individual whose previous life included studying journalism, working as a social-news and undercover reporter, and later editing for a magazine that closed amid the decline of traditional media. His adult memories and experience inform his unusually mature conduct while still in high school. 6 30 601

At County No. 2 Middle School, Chen served as Chinese class representative. He built his literary foundation by memorizing the Three Hundred Tang Poems, Song lyrics, and the Dictionary of Ancient Chinese, while studying poetic metrics with assistance from teacher Li Runze. 11 69 He won first prize in the New Concept Composition Competition, attracted recruitment interest from major universities, and ultimately entered Peking University’s Yuanpei Class. 69 87 91

Appearance

Chen is 1.8 meters tall. In high school he was severely underweight, with sunken cheeks and a skeletal appearance; improving his diet, gaining weight, changing his hairstyle, and receiving Bian Guanyue’s help with clothing markedly changed how others saw him. 11 37 38

• Reached 120 pounds during his initial recovery and later weighed 136 jin with a proportionate build. 37 89
• Is repeatedly described by classmates, peers, and industry acquaintances as handsome. 38 441
• Wore a custom Fei Yu Fu worth over 300,000 yuan at his Peking University graduation, both as personal attire and promotion for My Own Swordsman. 418

Personality

Chen is confident, thick-skinned, and quick with jokes, often using humor to defuse awkwardness or seize control of a conversation. He can be generous with friends and family, but his business decisions are frequently pragmatic and calculating. 37 56 172

He is unusually willing to challenge authority, public consensus, and powerful competitors. This brings him influence as a speaker and commentator, but also repeated public disputes and hostile online campaigns. 136 219 271 305

Despite his wealth, Chen remains attentive to products, creative work, and ordinary users. He tests his companies’ games himself, follows online discussion, and argues that executives should not become detached from the front line. 457 514

Abilities & Skills

Writing and Historical Research

Chen is an accomplished writer of essays, classical-style poetry, popular history, and commentary.

• Produced the ancient-style poem “Voyage of Ying Sea” and another poem within seven steps when tested by Bihui editor Dong Hongkang. Both were selected for publication. 66
• Earned consistently exceptional Chinese-composition scores in high school, including two full marks; his essays never fell below 56 points. 69
• Wrote Those Things of the Ming Dynasty, a popular-history series whose manuscripts were reviewed by historians and professors for factual accuracy. 121 217
• Submitted a researched critique of annotations to the “Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng”; Professor Yuan forwarded it to the high-school Chinese textbook writing group. 108

Entrepreneurship and Investment

Chen repeatedly turns cultural ideas, media attention, and emerging technology into businesses.

• Began with private-server operations before moving into card games, online communities, social platforms, games, smartphones, film, and investment. 37 108 417 441
• Founded a technology company and became a multimillionaire by age nineteen. 161
• Uses Xiyi Investment for strategic investments, including a planned stake in JD.com. 417
• Allied with Tudou founder Wang Wei to block the Tudou–Youku merger and pursue control of Tudou. 510
• Invests with a long-term focus, favoring product quality and cultural value over immediate monetization. 364 502 595

Game Design and Product Direction

Chen is the inventor of Sanguosha and remains deeply involved in game mechanics and development decisions.

• Designed Sanguosha characters and event content, including the limited Zhu Yuanzhang card. 128 207
• Guided game-rule adaptations and promotional content for the title’s community. 124
• Chose Feng Ji to lead My Own Swordsman, specifically preferring a newcomer with room to innovate over a merely competent veteran. 265
• Offered practical design feedback for a multiplayer game, including ward limits, scanning tools, and smart-cast controls. 457
• Supported My Own Swordsman’s high-budget development, motion capture, historical reconstruction, and six-million-yuan promotional video. 502

Public Speaking and Media Handling

Chen is a high-profile speaker who can turn confrontations into publicity.

• Publicly rebutted Li Yanhong’s criticism of Web 2.0 at the China Internet Conference. 271
• Defended ByteDance’s management independence during financing talks and refused Carlyle’s demand to place an executive in his company. 219
• Used documents and development records to reverse online accusations that Future Era copied DNF. 305
• Criticized media figures and public controversies through his online writing, mobilizing significant attention from netizens. 345 480

System-Derived Capabilities

In the extra chapters, Chen obtains abilities and items through a system.

• Completed the “Golden Screenwriter” quest after producing the global hit Squid Game under the alias Mr. X. 610
• Received the Presence Regulator, which amplifies his already exceptional personal appeal. 610 611
• Received the Bond Contract and used it on Bian Guanyue, Tao Xue, and Xu Fengyin, creating a “[Lovers Until Death]” affection bond. 610
• Allocated system-earned attribute points toward physical fitness and gained combat-related skills, including cold-weapon techniques. 615
• Demonstrated high-level reaction speed and gunplay in PUBG, though he later admits his advantage comes from the system rather than ordinary talent. 615

Literary Works

Work	Notes
“Voyage of Ying Sea”	Classical-style poem praised by Dong Hongkang and published by Bihui. 66
** Those Things of the Ming Dynasty **	Popular-history series written to fund Chen’s early companies; secured a tiered royalty beginning at 15% and rising as high as 20%. 105 121 172
Fourth volume of Those Things of the Ming Dynasty	Took more than a year because Chen sought to address the political, intellectual, economic, and cultural changes of the Zhengde era with greater depth. 217
Non-fiction Literature Award	Chen establishes the Chinese Non-fiction Literature Award, offering a two-million-yuan first prize and ByteDance promotion for winning works. 426
** Squid Game **	Written and produced under the alias Mr. X through ByteDance Pictures; the Netflix release reached more than 150 million viewers and 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first month. 610

Enterprises and Major Ventures

Venture	Chen’s involvement	Notable development
Sanguosha	Inventor, designer, promoter	Built into a profitable card-game business with physical cards, online play, events, and community promotion. 108 128 207
Xiaonei Network	Founder and operator	Expanded rapidly while Chen was still a Peking University student. 117 119 265
Hainai Network / Kaixin Network	Founder and strategic leader	Developed social features, recruited entertainment-industry users, and competed with emerging social platforms. 219 229
ByteDance	Founder and principal decision-maker	Secured financing, led major platform partnerships, developed Weibo operations, and expanded into media and investment. 160 417
Youke	Founder; later appoints Qu Guohao as CEO	Surpassed Shanda to become China’s leading online-game company. 448
Game Science	Principal investor and decision-maker	Financed Future Era, My Own Swordsman, and other self-developed titles. 320 364 502
Hongmeng Technology	Chairman	Built Hongmeng Mobile, took the company public in Hong Kong, and reached a valuation of 60 billion Hong Kong dollars on listing. 514 558
Xiyi Investment	Founder	Manages ByteDance-linked investments and later becomes known for early investments in rapidly rising companies. 417 604

Relationships

• Bian Guanyue — High-school friend who becomes Chen’s girlfriend and later agrees to a low-key marriage after discovering she is pregnant. Chen transfers assets and shares to her as betrothal gifts. 30 282 578
• Tao Xue — Friend and romantic partner whose relationship with Chen remains ambiguous for an extended period; she is later bound by the Bond Contract. 378 610
• Xu Fengyin — Artist working with Chen’s companies and one of his girlfriends in the extra chapters. 263 610
• Xie Yang — Dormmate and longtime friend. Their friendship begins in high school and continues through Chen’s later business life. 3 183 578
• Yang Shuo — Childhood friend who felt guilty for failing to support Chen during an earlier conflict; Chen later gives him a job and Yang becomes protective of him. 174 196 549
• Chen Xinghua and Yao Lan — Chen’s parents. Their hardship heavily shaped his youth, while their pride in his accomplishments becomes a recurring part of his rise. 16 70 87
• Chen’s grandmother and great-grandmother — Elder relatives toward whom Chen is notably filial; he cooks for his grandmother, spends time with his great-grandmother before her death, and supports his hometown. 56 377
• Tao Chenggang — Business associate and game-industry partner who works with Chen on private servers and game ventures. 46 71 196
• Feng Ji — Game developer chosen by Chen to direct My Own Swordsman; Chen consistently supports his high-budget, authenticity-focused vision. 265 364 502
• Wang Wei — Tudou founder and Chen’s business ally in the campaign to prevent Tudou’s merger with Youku. 219 510

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arc	Chapters	Key events
Rebirth and high-school reinvention	3–87	Applies knowledge from his former life, improves his health, confronts bullies, wins the New Concept Competition, and receives admission to Peking University. 3 30 69 87
Writer and campus celebrity	66–172	Publishes poetry, gains national attention, writes Those Things of the Ming Dynasty, joins literary events, and gradually abandons literary activities to focus on business. 66 135 172
Student entrepreneur	105–208	Builds Xiaonei Network and the Sanguosha business while studying at Peking University; becomes known among students, players, writers, and investors. 105 119 128 208
Internet and gaming expansion	219–364	Resists investor interference, confronts industry rivals, develops Future Era and My Own Swordsman, and expands his influence across China’s technology sector. 219 271 305 364
Hongmeng, media, and national prominence	375–558	Serves as an Olympic torchbearer, launches Hongmeng Mobile, enters film and television, establishes cultural initiatives, and becomes one of China’s wealthiest entrepreneurs. 376 426 441 558
Global influence and epilogue	595–615	Uses esports, AI, investments, international media, and system-granted abilities to become a globally recognized technology figure. 595 603 610 615

Equipment / Items

• Custom Fei Yu Fu — Traditional outfit costing over 300,000 yuan; used as promotional material for My Own Swordsman. 418
• Ancient-weapons collection — Includes an early Western Han bronze sword, custom Mingguang armor, Tang-style weapons, Abbasid cavalry equipment, and Oirat military gear. 601
• Olympic “China Red” torch — Carried during the Olympic torch relay. 376
• Presence Regulator — System item that enhances Chen’s perceived presence and charisma. 610 611
• Bond Contract — System item used to create the “[Lovers Until Death]” bond with his girlfriends. 610

Notable Quotes

“I’m a very materialistic person, I really don’t have any literary aspirations.” 172

“A chairman cannot be detached from the front lines of products for too long.” 514

“I’m not pretending anymore, I’m coming clean. Actually, I’m just a one-in-a-million esports genius.” 615

Trivia

• Chen’s high-school nickname, “Chen the Hero,” came from his habit of standing up to bullies and intervening in others’ problems. 16 80
• He failed six of fourteen university courses in one semester, yet still made a habit of attending at least two classes daily while running his companies. 140 215
• Chen has cameo appearances in Crazy Stone, iPartment, and The Founding of a Republic. 235 441 519
• He became an Olympic torchbearer and later appeared on Xinwen Lianbo. 376 377
• Chen bought a top-floor duplex in Huaqing Jiayuan using royalties from Those Things of the Ming Dynasty. 282
• He later purchases a villa in Ocean·LAVIE for 728 million yuan, chiefly citing privacy and quiet as reasons for moving. 539