Li Mao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Mao (李卯)
Alias(es)	Bunny; V; Xuanyuan Feifei
Gender	Male Alpha
Affiliation	Golden Rose Bar; formerly Peace Dove; formerly connected to Qin Guanlan
Occupation/Role	Enforcer, underground boxer, assassin
Status	Alive; uses the legal identity Xuanyuan Feifei for protection 159 174
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background

Li Mao previously operated as V, an assassin within the Peace Dove organization. His stutter and aversion to speaking stem from abuse by Jonas, Peace Dove's leader. During an overseas mission, he accepted Qin Guanlan's offer to forge him a new identity in Willow City in exchange for stealing a business document; after staging his death, he named himself Li Mao and began living outside the organization. 153

At Golden Rose Bar, Li Mao became an underground fighter known for his looks and undefeated strength. He befriended the errand boy A-Qiang, taught him fighting techniques, and helped him rise among the bar's thugs. Li Mao later worked as a feared local enforcer, taking jobs for money and using either direct violence or humiliating blackmail to ruin opponents he could not confront openly. 21 104

Before the novel's central conflict, Li Mao had already shared a home with He Che for years. Though nominally He Che's landlord, he treated the younger man as family and supported his education and living expenses. 19

Brother Zhao's subordinate hires Li Mao to drug an Omega at the Green Woods Hotel for two thousand yuan. Li Mao infiltrates Wan Fuqi's room disguised as room service, uses a stun gun, restrains him, and attempts to force-feed him the drug. Wan Fuqi ultimately captures Li Mao and permanently marks him, beginning their volatile relationship. 1 2 4 7 12

Appearance

Li Mao is a striking, athletic Alpha with long golden-blond hair, often worn in a high ponytail. His looks frequently draw attention despite his rough clothes, smoking habit, and street-enforcer reputation. 13 70

• Long, flowing golden or pale-gold hair. 12 70 153
• Long, slightly upturned eyes with thin inner double eyelids; light-brown pupils. 13 63
• Smooth, boldly arched brows and a roguish but soft-featured expression. 13
• Muscular build; Wan Fuqi records his measurements as 108 cm chest, 69 cm waist, and 98 cm hips. 33
• Often wears dark fitted clothing, layered metal necklaces, and black jeans. 70
• Has a visible forehead scar after his fight with W. 153 159

Personality

Li Mao initially presents himself as a mercenary with “no principles,” willing to consider nearly any job if the payment is sufficient. Even so, he is cautious rather than blindly reckless: during the hotel assignment, he reduces the unknown drug dosage because he does not trust the client’s claims about its safety. 1 2

He is proud, combative, and deeply protective of his freedom. Wan Fuqi's mark and pheromonal control are especially intolerable to him because they compromise his autonomy; Li Mao repeatedly attempts to remove the mark, escape Wan Fuqi's surveillance, or turn the power dynamic back against him. 12 27 87 151

His stutter is a major vulnerability, particularly when he is angry, frightened, or under pressure. Li Mao responds badly to ridicule over it, but he also masks discomfort with sarcasm, crude jokes, and an irreverent sense of humor. 1 32 73 141

Despite his violent work, Li Mao is fiercely loyal to those he accepts as his own. He supports He Che through college, risks himself to protect Zhu Ying and Er-Er, and takes on Casper's challenge to keep He Che out of the underground ring. 19 93 104 106

Abilities & Skills

Hand-to-Hand Combat and Boxing

Li Mao is a former three-time boxing champion and a celebrated former fighter of Golden Rose Bar's underground arena. His style combines boxing fundamentals, close-quarters aggression, and opportunistic dirty fighting. 104 106

• Replaced He Che in a challenge match against Casper despite having been out of the ring for years. 106 107
• Adapted to Casper's illegal tactics by removing his gloves and fighting more aggressively. 108
• Defeated Casper after recovering from a knockout and continuing despite severe injuries. 109 110
• Overpowered or incapacitated individual thugs even when outnumbered. 93 95
• Fought W and four Peace Dove division members while badly wounded, killing the division members and defeating W. 153 154
• His body can fail under prolonged strain; stimulants, old injuries, and blood loss significantly reduce his speed and endurance. 107 108 154

Weapons and Assassination

Li Mao is proficient with weapons and favors a butterfly knife for close-range work. 87 117

• Used a stun gun, restraints, and improvised hotel-service cover during the operation against Wan Fuqi. 2 3
• Handles the butterfly knife “as though he knew it intimately” and selected it as the weapon he could use best. 87
• Used a handgun during his revenge against the men involved in Zhu Ying's death. 117 119
• Demonstrated precise knowledge of lethal targets, including the neck artery and brainstem. 153 154
• Used his diamond ring as an improvised weapon to defeat W. 154

Intimidation and Information Gathering

As an enforcer, Li Mao is skilled at turning an opponent's past into a weapon. 21

• Infiltrated a wedding-planning company for three months to publicly expose both newlyweds' infidelities during their ceremony. 21
• Uses threats, insults, and humiliation to destabilize stronger or better-connected opponents. 21 94
• Maintains composure when surrounded, often provoking enemies into revealing their intentions or making mistakes. 93 131

Alpha Physiology

Li Mao's Alpha instincts and pheromones are formidable, but his Enigma mark makes them a source of vulnerability as well as strength. 12 70

• Experiences strong marking urges during his approaching rut. 70
• Becomes increasingly dependent on Wan Fuqi's pheromones after being marked. 72 145
• His susceptible period can cause hypersomnia, impaired mobility, and dangerously overwhelming pheromone responses. 80 86
• Misused fifty suppressants in an attempt to survive his susceptible period without Wan Fuqi, causing him to collapse unconscious. 87 89
• His gland injury heightens his sensitivity to Alpha pheromones. 119

Equipment

• Butterfly knife — Li Mao's preferred close-combat weapon. 87 117
• Handgun — Purchased after arriving in Willow City because he feared being outnumbered. 117
• Stun gun — Used during the Green Woods Hotel operation. 2
• Cigarettes and lighters — His habitual means of calming himself when anxious, angry, or emotionally overwhelmed. 1 138 141
• Diamond ring — A ring from Wan Fuqi that Li Mao later uses during his fight with W. 64 154

Relationships

• Wan Fuqi — The Enigma Li Mao was hired to drug, who captured and permanently marked him. Their relationship begins in coercion and hostility, develops through repeated confrontations and mutual dependence, and ends with Li Mao accepting Wan Fuqi's proposal. 1 12 63 156 174
• He Che — Li Mao's adopted son and longtime roommate/tenant. Li Mao acts as a blunt but devoted guardian, funding He Che's education and risking his life to keep him out of the underground arena. 19 104 106
• A-Qiang — Li Mao's closest friend and Golden Rose Bar partner. A-Qiang began as Li Mao's admirer, received combat training from him, and remains loyal in fights and crises. 35 95 104
• Zhu Ying — A woman Li Mao protects from debt collectors and criminal rivals. Her death drives his brutal campaign of revenge against those responsible. 60 93 118 120
• Er-Er — A child Li Mao protects during the conflict surrounding Zhu Ying; he rushes her to the hospital when she becomes unresponsive. 95 98
• Qin Guanlan — The powerful figure who helped V become Li Mao, then tried to reclaim control over him through threats, contracts, and his knowledge of Li Mao's past. 153 133 136
• Ke Ting — Wan Fuqi's longtime assistant. Ke Ting helps manage Li Mao's protection and reveals the necessity of his new Xuanyuan Feifei identity. 141 159
• Casper — Li Mao's former rival, whose earlier victory ended Li Mao's boxing career. Li Mao later defeats him in a decisive rematch. 105 109 110
• W — A Peace Dove opponent who confronts Li Mao during his attempted escape; Li Mao defeats him in the underground parking garage. 153 154
• Jonas — Peace Dove's leader and Li Mao's former abuser, whose treatment of V contributed to Li Mao's trauma surrounding speech and pheromones. 153 159

Story Role / Major Arcs

Green Woods Hotel Incident

Li Mao accepts a paid job to drug Wan Fuqi, enters the hotel under false pretenses, and nearly completes the assignment. The operation reverses when Wan Fuqi reveals himself to be an Enigma, captures Li Mao, and permanently marks him. 1 2 7 12

Resistance to Wan Fuqi

Li Mao spends much of the early story trying to escape Wan Fuqi's control, remove his mark, and preserve his dignity. He agrees to be Wan Fuqi's boyfriend and driver for financial support, but initially treats the arrangement as another job rather than a relationship. 27 47 87

Protector of He Che and Zhu Ying

Li Mao's protective instincts become increasingly central as He Che seeks independence and Zhu Ying becomes entangled with violent debt collectors. He faces a faction at Zhu Ying's home, fights alongside A-Qiang, and later pursues revenge after Zhu Ying's death. 72 93 95 118

Return to the Underground Ring

When He Che enters a fixed challenge match against Casper, Li Mao takes his place. He injects himself with Alpha stimulants, suffers brutal injuries, and nevertheless defeats Casper to become the new champion of Golden Rose Underground Entertainment City. 106 107 109 110

Revenge and Defiance of Qin Guanlan

Li Mao kills the men involved in Zhu Ying's death and refuses to be quietly bought off by Zhang Yongming's settlement. Qin Guanlan attempts to force him back into service by exploiting his fear of Peace Dove and Jonas, but Wan Fuqi kills Qin before Li Mao must choose. 118 120 133 136

Escape, Peace Dove Attack, and New Identity

Li Mao disappears while shopping for wedding rings, intending to escape both Wan Fuqi and the organization. Peace Dove catches up with him in the mall parking garage; he defeats W but is critically injured. Wan Fuqi arranges life-saving surgery and the removal of Li Mao's permanent mark, then establishes Xuanyuan Feifei as a new legal identity to protect him from Peace Dove. 151 154 156 159

Reconciliation

Li Mao eventually returns because he still wants to be called Li Mao. When Wan Fuqi proposes with a thirty-three-carat diamond ring and frames marriage as a paid “job,” Li Mao accepts. 174

Notable Quotes

“If the money's... right, anything can be discussed.” 1

“Because I still like being called Li Mao, so I came back.” 174

Trivia

• Li Mao was born in the Year of the Rabbit; this is the origin of both his name and the nickname Bunny. 35
• “Mao” can also refer to the Mao hour, between five and seven in the morning, though Li Mao's own name was originally taken from the zodiac rabbit. 55 153
• He first gives Wan Fuqi the absurd false name Xuanyuan Feifei as a prank. The name later becomes his official legal identity for protection. 13 159
• Li Mao's preferred way to cope with difficult emotions is smoking. 1 141