Yan Jinyu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yan Jinyu (颜锦玉)
Alias(es)	Brother Yu; Human-Faced Yama; Jade-Faced Yama
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Yan Family; Yan Group; Marriage of the Elite; his newly established entertainment company
Occupation/Role	Yan Family illegitimate son and succession contender; businessman; dating-show guest; entertainment-company founder
Age	28 7
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Background

Yan Jinyu is one of the Yan Family’s illegitimate sons. He lived and studied abroad before turning twenty, then returned to acknowledge his ancestry and entered Yan Group as a junior employee. Although he was highly capable, he was treated as an outsider within the family. 27

He once held the Yan Group CEO position, but quietly relinquished it and left the country. Song Yichuan later learns that Yan Jinyu had been forced abroad after losing a struggle among the Yan Family’s sons; he endured three years overseas before returning to reclaim what belonged to him. 5

Before returning to China, Yan Jinyu awakened from a dream that revealed he was a powerful cannon-fodder character in a book. The dream showed him being discarded because his intelligence and competence overshadowed the male lead, prompting him to oppose the original plot rather than accept that fate. 11 19

Appearance

Yan Jinyu is a tall, strikingly handsome man whose reserved bearing and classical Chinese features make him stand out even among wealthy heirs. Song Yichuan considers him more attractive than anyone else on the program. 4

• Phoenix eyes, high nose bridge, thin lips, sharp jawline, and a long neck. 4
• Carries an austere, noble presence likened to that of an emperor. 4
• Has a lean, athletic build, including prominently defined abdominal muscles. 12
• His cold gaze and refined manner contribute to his “Yama” reputation. 42

Personality

Yan Jinyu is controlled, calculating, and intimidating in public. He speaks sparingly, tends to remain emotionally distant, and is known for ruthless decision-making in business. His family’s reputation for fearing him is strong enough that some elite figures would rather see another heir take power than face him as an opponent. 11 16

After awakening to his role in the novel, he becomes openly determined to seize control of his fate and undermine the male leads’ presumed destiny. He takes particular satisfaction in seeing Lu Chen embarrassed and refuses to remain a disposable supporting character. 19

Around Song Yichuan, Yan Jinyu is markedly more attentive and direct. He cooks for him, remembers his food preferences, offers protection, and repeatedly makes his interest clear—even when Song mistakes these actions for strategic alliance-building. 8 17 24 38

Abilities & Skills

Business Strategy

Yan Jinyu is an exceptionally capable businessman with a reputation for decisive and ruthless maneuvering.

• Formerly held the Yan Group CEO position before leaving the country. 5
• Identifies Yan Tiancheng’s paternity scandal as an opportunity to alter the Yan Family’s succession struggle. 14 15
• Secretly orders a DNA test to obtain proof that Yan Tiancheng is not Old Master Yan’s biological son. 15
• Establishes an entertainment company and competes directly with Fuji Group for Song Yichuan. 35

Athleticism

Yan Jinyu is physically fit and performs strongly in competitive activities.

• Teams with Song Yichuan to overwhelm Lu Chen and Fu Zhouchi in beach volleyball. 12 13
• Completes the swimming portion of a relay at high speed after catching Song Yichuan. 18
• Is a certified surfer, though he initially downplays his ability while offering to teach Song Yichuan. 25

Cooking and Attentiveness

Yan Jinyu regularly uses food to care for Song Yichuan.

• Cooks meals during the dating show, including breakfast and porridge. 9 10 24
• Gives Song Yichuan his own steak when the latter’s meal is delayed. 14
• Brings him lamb skewers after noticing his low mood. 20
• Has breakfast prepared and stored for him on the final day of filming. 38
• Anticipates Song Yichuan’s preferred dishes before he reaches for them. 33

Awareness of Song Yichuan’s Thoughts

As a major figure in the elite circle, Yan Jinyu can hear Song Yichuan’s inner thoughts.

• Uses Song’s thoughts to recognize Lu Chen’s hidden ambition and plans. 5 11
• Learns from Song’s gossip about Yan Tiancheng’s true parentage. 14
• Reacts privately to Song’s repeated framing of him as a “tool character” or “melon from the melon patch.” 13

Relationships

• Song Yichuan — Dating-show partner, ally, and the person Yan Jinyu openly pursues. They win competitions together, mutually choose one another in the show’s message segment, and grow closer through shared meals and family confrontations. 13 17 23 34
• Yan Qudong — Father. Their relationship is distant and distrustful; Yan Jinyu does not believe his father’s sudden attempts at warmth. 31 32
• Yan Tiancheng — Rival claimant to the Yan Family inheritance. Yan Jinyu obtains a DNA test to prove that Yan Tiancheng is not biologically related to Old Master Yan. 14 15
• Yan Siming — Younger brother. Siming resents and fears Yan Jinyu, while Yan Jinyu threatens him after his continued hostility. 26 50
• Fu Zhouchi — Business rival and rival for Song Yichuan’s attention. The two clash over recruiting Song and repeatedly confront each other during the dating show. 20 35
• Lu Chen — Opposes Yan Jinyu’s interests in both the dating show and the novel’s original plot. Yan Jinyu sees through Lu Chen’s ambition and openly questions his motives. 5 11
• Yan Quxue — Paternal aunt. Yan Jinyu supports Song Yichuan after the latter exposes her affair and financial deception. 31 32

Story Role / Major Arcs

*Marriage of the Elite*

Yan Jinyu joins the dating program as a temporary additional guest, immediately drawing attention from both contestants and viewers. He introduces himself jokingly as unemployed and claims that his hobbies are eating gossip and enjoying rumors. 4 7

He chooses Song Yichuan as his partner for the volleyball competition. Their coordination wins the match, and Yan Jinyu continues to press for mutual feelings rather than a merely strategic partnership. 12 13 17

Yan Jinyu and Song Yichuan later mutually select each other in the show’s heart-fluttering text segment. Their on-screen intimacy—including Yan Jinyu bringing him breakfast and wiping crumbs from his mouth—becomes a focus for viewers. 23 24

Yan Family Succession Conflict

After hearing Song Yichuan’s gossip about Yan Tiancheng’s birth, Yan Jinyu initiates a confidential DNA test to secure proof. 14 15

When the production films at the Yan residence, Yan Jinyu remains distant toward Yan Qudong but supports Song Yichuan throughout the family gathering. The exposure of Yan Tiancheng’s parentage and Yan Qudong’s scandals destabilizes the Yan Family’s existing hierarchy. 31 33 34

Entertainment-Industry Expansion

Yan Jinyu establishes an entertainment company and attempts to recruit Song Yichuan, directly competing with Fu Zhouchi’s Fuji Group. He frames the conflict as ordinary competition for talent rather than a personal attack. 35

He later appears around the production of Raging Sea Massacre, where Song Yichuan works as the second male lead. 41 42 45

Capital International School Filming

Yan Jinyu visits Capital International School while Song Yichuan works undercover as a substitute teacher. His appearance further unsettles Yan Siming, who already fears Song Yichuan’s gossip. 49

Yan Jinyu confronts Yan Siming directly after the younger boy insults him, threatening physical retaliation if Siming continues provoking him. 50

Trivia

• Yan Jinyu describes himself as liking “eating gossip and enjoying rumors,” despite his otherwise cold public image. 7
• Song Yichuan initially judges Yan Jinyu’s character largely by whether he provides food. 14
• He deliberately concealed his surfing certification so he could offer to teach Song Yichuan. 25
• He calls Song Yichuan “Chuanbao” in his thoughts. 34