Bai Qing

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Bai Qing (柏青)
Alias(es)	Qingqing 679
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Female
Occupation/Role	High school student; civilian investigator during the alien-replacement crisis
Status	Alive 1466
Age	16 during the alien-replacement crisis 700
First Appearance	Chapter 664, “Don't Forget to Bring It on Monday” 664

Background

Bai Qing is a high school student and an academically strong, test-oriented learner. Once she begins studying, she works through practice tests with unusual efficiency; however, she admits that astronomy and other interests outside her coursework are not her strengths. 671 699

She grew up in a tense household. Her parents had argued for as long as she could remember, while keeping their conflicts and personal problems away from her. Her father was serious, authoritarian, and focused on technical work, while her mother felt that she had settled into an unhappy marriage. 671 679

Before their relationship deepened, Zhang Heng had helped Bai Qing escape a group of girls from outside school who had cornered her. She later remembers this incident when she insists on paying for their meal at KFC. 664

Appearance

Bai Qing has short hair and usually dresses in casual student clothing. Zhang Heng notices that a short dress gives her a fresher and more mature appearance than her usual denim shorts. 675

• Short-haired. 675
• Wears a new short dress for her outing with Zhang Heng and Chi Jia. 675
• Later wears a thick down jacket and red knitted hat during winter break. 1464
• Uses makeup, altered clothing, and a silver wig when concealment is necessary. 688 1466

Personality

Bai Qing is reserved and initially hesitant around Zhang Heng, becoming embarrassed easily when he compliments her or when their relationship draws attention. She nevertheless trusts him enough to reveal the long-standing problems in her family—matters she had not even shared with her best friend. 671 675

She is compassionate but unwilling to remain passive. When her mother begs for protection, Bai Qing physically supports her and confronts her father despite his attempts to dismiss her as a child who should not interfere. 679

The destruction of her family leaves her frightened, grieving, and increasingly suspicious of the people around her. Her fear becomes especially severe after learning that human beings can be imitated by alien entities. Even so, she continues investigating, adapts to disguises and coded communication, and accepts dangerous responsibilities rather than abandoning the search for her mother. 683 688 701 708

Skills & Competencies

Academics

Bai Qing is an accomplished student with a disciplined study routine.

• Completes practice examinations rapidly and consistently. 671
• Excels in conventional, test-oriented education. 699
• Is less confident when faced with specialized astronomy material outside her studies. 699

Investigation

Although inexperienced, Bai Qing becomes an active participant in Zhang Heng's inquiry into the entities replacing humans.

• Gathers information from the youth center gatekeeper and seeks out Director Gao regarding Lin Sisi. 698
• Works separately from Zhang Heng while maintaining contact by phone and following his instructions on evidence collection. 698
• Identifies that the Children's Palace has likely been infiltrated after recognizing inconsistencies in the people around her. 704
• Her inexperience remains a weakness: Director Gao immediately recognizes her false claim of being Lin Sisi’s relative. 698

Adaptability and Resolve

Bai Qing repeatedly acts despite fear and little prior preparation.

• Participates in Zhang Heng’s surveillance plan after her mother’s apparent death, accepting a changed appearance and an identity-verification code. 688
• Carries out a diversion at a cardboard factory despite being visibly nervous and unfamiliar with such actions. 692
• Uses the code phrase to expose an entity impersonating Zhang Heng, preventing herself from being fully deceived. 703 704
• Cooperates with Zhang Heng’s escape plan while under police surveillance, changing her appearance in an arcade to evade pursuit. 1466

Relationships

• Zhang Heng — Classmate, investigative partner, and romantic interest. He supports Bai Qing through her family crisis and involves her in uncovering the alien replacements; she comes to regard him as her hero. 671 685 714
• Chi Jia — Bai Qing’s close friend and classmate. Chi Jia teases her about Zhang Heng but remains concerned for her after the family tragedy and supports her attempts to move forward. 675 713 1464
• Bai Qing’s mother — Her mother initially seeks Bai Qing’s protection from Bai Qing’s father. Though believed murdered, later evidence suggests that she may have been replaced and held captive; her official status later changes to missing. 679 696 1464
• Bai Qing’s father — A strict and emotionally distant parent whose apparent murder of Bai Qing’s mother devastates Bai Qing. He is later acquitted after the case changes from homicide to disappearance. 679 683 1464
• Bai Qing’s grandparents — Her guardians after the incident. They accompany her during police procedures and remain involved in her father’s case. 683 687
• Director Gao — An educator and former astronomer whom Bai Qing approaches for information on Lin Sisi. Director Gao initially treats Bai Qing’s account of alien entities as a trauma-driven delusion. 698 700

Story Role & Major Arcs

Growing Closer to Zhang Heng

Bai Qing begins as Zhang Heng’s classmate and desk mate. Their connection grows through small exchanges—homework, milk tea, KFC, and a planned concert outing with Chi Jia and Qin Zhen. 664 671 675

Family Crisis

Bai Qing’s mother claims that her husband has become a different person, installed hidden cameras, and attempted to harm her. Bai Qing refuses to simply accept her father’s explanations, standing beside her mother while Zhang Heng stays to help. 679 680

The crisis culminates in Bai Qing finding the aftermath of her mother’s apparent murder. Zhang Heng prevents her from seeing the full scene, while her father is arrested and Bai Qing is taken to give a statement as both victim’s family and a key witness. 682 683

Investigation of the Replacements

Bai Qing accompanies Zhang Heng to examine her mother’s body at a funeral home. The improvised CT scan reveals an abnormal structure in the brain’s fourth ventricle, supporting the possibility that her mother had been replaced by an alien entity. 685 686

Despite her grief, Bai Qing joins Zhang Heng’s surveillance operation and later investigates the old planetarium/Children’s Palace for clues connected to Lin Sisi. Her phone breaks during the mission, leaving her isolated and vulnerable to manipulation. 688 698

After Director Gao challenges Zhang Heng’s story and an entity impersonates Zhang Heng, Bai Qing becomes trapped between fear, doubt, and the need to trust someone. She ultimately recognizes the imposter through the secret code she shares with Zhang Heng. 700 703 704

Aftermath and Reunion

Following the battle at the construction site, Bai Qing awakens at the police station and does not see Zhang Heng for three months. She remains affected by the events, often thinking of him and worrying about his disappearance. 713

When a masked enemy attacks her, Zhang Heng saves her by shooting the entity through the abnormality in its fourth ventricle. Bai Qing reunites with him, calls him her hero, and kisses him after learning that he may soon leave for a long time. 714

Later, after Zhang Heng becomes wanted by the police, Bai Qing focuses on her studies and rejects other suitors. She continues to believe that he saved the world, even when Chi Jia assumes this belief is a way of coping with trauma. 1464

During winter break, Bai Qing encounters Zhang Heng again while police monitor her. She follows his silent instructions, helps create a diversion at Jiayi Arcade, and reunites with him in secret. 1466

Notable Quotes

“You're my hero, even if only I in this world know it.” 714

“Sometimes, I really wondered if you'd go back to Krypton after saving the Earth.” 714

Trivia

• Bai Qing once planned a concert outing with Zhang Heng, Chi Jia, and Qin Zhen. 675
• She considers Zhang Heng a “Superman,” a description Chi Jia jokingly compares to Superman returning to Krypton. 713
• In a dream, Bai Qing claims to have spent about a month in a manor with Zhang Heng and several famous writers while helping him complete part of a novel. 1465