Xie Ran

Biodata

Background

Xie Ran was abducted by traffickers at the age of three and was later reunited with the Xie Family. Before that reunion, he was raised by kind rural adoptive parents who encouraged his studies, did not make him perform hard labor, and did not obstruct his return to his birth family. He did not visit them after returning to the Xie Family 1 9.

As the Xie Family's recovered biological son, Xie Ran became the focus of extreme affection from his parents and brothers. He resented Xie Chen's existence as the adopted replacement and sought to force him out of the family, including deliberately falling down the stairs to frame him 1.

After entering the entertainment industry, Xie Ran requested resources that had been intended for Xie Chen. The Xie Family diverted advertisements, music opportunities, and dramas to him, then restricted Xie Chen's work and spread damaging rumors when Xie Ran failed to achieve comparable popularity 3.

Xie Ran built much of his public identity around an allegedly tragic childhood in the countryside, implying that his adoptive parents deprived him of food, education, warmth, and safety. Villagers later publicly refuted these claims, explaining that Old Yu and his wife supported his education and treated him well. When Xie Zhenting attempted to purchase the villagers' silence, Old Yu recorded the conversation rather than accept the bribe 90 96.

As the Xie Family's internal crisis deepened, Xie Ran learned that Xie Yongan had used Fortune Borrowing to siphon his luck for the family's benefit. Although horrified by the pain it caused, he chose to endure it in exchange for preserving his wealth and status. He subsequently accepted a Yin Talisman from Zhang Fang and pursued further occult methods against Xie Chen, unaware that the talisman would drain his lifespan and damage his soul 198 200 213 225.

Following the Xie Family's collapse, Xie Ran attempted to secure his future through a valuable jade pendant given to him by Xie Yongan. The pendant's curse and the accumulated backlash from the family's schemes contributed to his mental breakdown and institutionalization 250 270 295.

Appearance

Xie Ran is repeatedly described as thin and fragile-looking, an image he emphasizes when performing vulnerability before others 1 6.

• Paper-thin build 6
• Large, watery eyes frequently used to project innocence or distress 6 8
• Often presents himself with flushed cheeks, damp bangs, and a sincere expression 6
• Maintains an elegant, delicate public image despite struggling with physical labor 9 10
• Wears expensive, carefully selected clothing to reinforce his wealthy-young-master image, although such displays can clash with the charitable or humble persona he wishes to project 68

Personality

Xie Ran carefully cultivates a gentle, apologetic, and self-sacrificing image. He regularly presents himself as weak, traumatized, or unfairly targeted, particularly when cameras or family members are present 6 8 20. His pauses, tears, and deferential language are deliberate tools for directing sympathy toward himself and hostility toward Xie Chen 6 8.

Beneath this persona, he is jealous, status-conscious, and vindictive. He resents Xie Chen's ability, appearance, family ties, and growing connection with Huo Wenye; he ultimately admits that jealousy drove him to deliberately cause trouble 35 47 50. He also sees rural food and labor as beneath his standing, despite using his abduction history to market himself as resilient and familiar with hardship 9 37.

His dependence on familial protection is a defining weakness. Xie Ran repeatedly relies on Xie Jinran and the wider Xie Family to defend him, while reacting with panic or resentment when others refuse to accommodate him 19 20 50.

When his public identity is threatened, Xie Ran becomes increasingly desperate and cruel. He is willing to mistreat children, fabricate explanations, pursue curses against Xie Chen, and exploit even his own suffering if doing so might preserve his privilege 99 200 204. Though he gradually recognizes that the Xie Family regards him as expendable, he repeatedly chooses luxury and status over freedom, dignity, or genuine affection 173 198 200.

His emotional performances are not entirely false in their effect: once his protectors begin abandoning him and the consequences of Fortune Borrowing and the Yin Talisman become undeniable, his fear, paranoia, and despair become genuine 225 270.

Methods

Victim Persona

Xie Ran uses displays of fragility to secure sympathy, avoid responsibility, and cast opponents as aggressors.

• Frames Xie Chen as cruel after provoking or engineering confrontations 1 8
• Claims repeated illness, hunger, trauma, and physical weakness when faced with difficult tasks 20 30
• Exploits his childhood abduction to portray himself as a victim of rural hardship, despite his adoptive parents not forcing him to work 8 9
• Confesses jealousy in a tearful manner that quickly restores Xie Jinran's sympathy 50
• Threatens to leave the Xie Family and recasts himself as an unwanted countryside-raised outsider when Xie Jinran questions his manipulation 54
• Claims that his agent encouraged his false rural-trauma persona after the villagers expose him, allowing Xie Zhenting to redirect blame and protect him 96
• Relies on tears and personal-trauma rhetoric during his CCTV public-service-advertisement audition rather than delivering the material effectively 95

Manipulation of Others

Xie Ran identifies people likely to protect or accommodate him, then steers them into acting on his behalf.

• Uses Xie Jinran's protectiveness to turn him against Xie Chen and the production team 19 20
• Selected Wei Mingqi—whom he considered easier to offend—as the first guest to wake, then splashed him with water when he did not respond 13
• Attempts to pressure Xie Chen through public accusations of unfairness and moral failure 17 18
• Sends misleading photographs of Xie Chen and Huo Wenye to a reporter to incite online backlash 35
• Secretly tightens his grip on a child during the first-aid challenge, then portrays the child's resistance as a tantrum and later attempts to discredit the child before Director Li 99
• Uses vague insinuations about his relationship with Luo Mingyu and Li Sifan to encourage his assistant to spread rumors and generate publicity 266

Sabotage and Occult Schemes

As his conventional methods fail, Xie Ran escalates from reputational manipulation to direct attacks and supernatural plots.

• Hires men with nursing-home administrator Xie Weiquan to ambush Xie Chen, while secretly intending to record the assault for leverage 169
• Attempts to obtain Xie Chen's hair so that a Thai sorcerer can use it to harm or kill him 204
• Supports Zhang Fang's plan to use a Yin Talisman to prevent Xie Chen's recovery, despite the danger posed by occult retaliation 213
• Treats Huo Wenye as a potential stronger backer after losing influence within the Xie Family, despite Huo's repeated contempt for him 114 156

Limitations

His claimed resilience and competence repeatedly collapse when tested in the variety show's labor tasks.

• Could not control an ox cart despite claiming familiarity with farm work 9
• Vomited while collecting manure and refused to continue the task 9 10
• Could not drive a tractor, manually plow a field, cook, or explain proper seed depth 16 22 30 38
• His reckless planting endangered the wheat seeds by burying them too deeply 38 39
• Cannot solve even relatively basic calculation-based tasks and instead pressures others to complete them for him 128
• His false childhood narrative is undermined by the testimony of his adoptive parents and fellow villagers, making his public image increasingly untenable 90 96
• Fortune Borrowing causes severe headaches, physical collapse, and recurring illness, while the Yin Talisman further damages his lifespan and soul 197 198 225
• His attempts to retain the support of Xie Jinran, Xie Zhenting, Zhang Fang, and Xie Yongan fail as the family prioritizes self-preservation over him 221 225 250

Relationships

• Xie Chen — Adoptive brother and principal rival. Xie Ran sees him as a replacement who occupied his place in the Xie Family; he frames, provokes, and publicly undermines him, while resenting the family's remaining attachment to him 1 3 35 50. As Xie Chen's popularity, influence, and supernatural ability become undeniable, Xie Ran escalates to hired attackers, curse schemes, and attempts to use Xie Chen's hair against him 169 204.
• Xie Jinran — Older brother and most immediate protector on the show. Xie Ran's displays of pain, guilt, and helplessness repeatedly prompt Jinran to defend or assist him, even when evidence contradicts Xie Ran's account 19 20 30 50. Jinran eventually recognizes aspects of Xie Ran's manipulation and becomes emotionally detached after the Xie Family's collapse, refusing to rescue him from the consequences of the Yin Talisman 54 225 265.
• Xie Zhenting — Eldest brother. Zhenting aggressively protects Xie Ran's reputation, expects Xie Chen to accommodate him, and uses family influence to intervene in the program 9 14. He later helps conceal Xie Ran's false persona and attempts to silence Old Yu, but grows contemptuous and unwilling to protect Xie Ran once the family crisis threatens his own survival 96 221 225.
• Xie Yuchen — Second older brother and overseer of the Xie Family's entertainment operations. He personally promoted Xie Ran and participates in online campaigns against Xie Chen 7 11. He continues encouraging Xie Ran to maintain a kind public persona, but becomes distressed when their father reveals that Xie Ran's fortune has been sacrificed for the Xie Family 67 198.
• Xie Yongan and Zhang Fang — Biological parents who initially lavish affection on Xie Ran and immediately side with him against Xie Chen 1 4. Their protection proves conditional: Xie Yongan uses Xie Ran's fortune to stabilize the family business, while Zhang Fang gives him a Yin Talisman without warning him that it will harm his lifespan and soul 198 225.
• Huo Wenye — A figure Xie Ran hoped to approach through the variety show. Xie Ran becomes intensely jealous of Huo's attention toward Xie Chen, while Huo rejects Xie Ran's attempts at familiarity 20 35 47. Huo calls him “trash,” intervenes when he hurts a child, and repeatedly makes clear that his loyalty lies with Xie Chen 96 99 102.
• Rural adoptive parents — The couple who raised him before his reunion with the Xie Family. They treated him kindly and wished him well, but he never returned to visit them 9. After he publicly portrayed them as abusers, they and their fellow villagers defended the truth and resisted Xie Zhenting's attempted payoff 90 96 97.
• Wei Mingqi — Variety-show co-participant whom Xie Ran antagonizes by dumping water on him; Wei later retaliates and refuses to excuse his behavior 13 14.
• Li Sifan — Co-participant who openly identifies Xie Ran's tears and provocations as deliberate troublemaking 8.
• Qin Chuyu — Initially positioned as an ally and potential supporter for Xie Ran during later variety-show missions. Qin ultimately distances himself from Xie Ran, prioritizing a possible reconciliation with Xie Chen instead 128 156.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Framing Xie Chen and Securing the Family's Favor

Xie Ran deliberately falls down the stairs and allows Xie Chen to be blamed, relying on the Xie Family's bias to punish him. After Xie Chen rejects the family, Xie Ran continues to benefit from their efforts to restrict Xie Chen's career and protect his own position 1 3.

Joining the Variety Show

The Xie Family pressures the production's upper management into adding Xie Ran to the show. He arrives late with a carefully rehearsed apology, attempts to reconcile publicly with Xie Chen, and uses the livestream to frame himself as the injured party 6.

Collapse of the Rural-Hardship Image

Xie Ran tries to use his abduction history and claimed farming experience to contrast himself with Xie Chen. His inability to handle manure collection, an ox cart, tractor work, plowing, and sowing steadily causes viewers and fellow guests to doubt him 8 9 16 22 38.

Reliance on Xie Jinran

After Xie Ran's early failures, Xie Jinran enters the show to protect him. Xie Ran encourages Jinran's belief that Xie Chen and the production are mistreating him, but Jinran's attempts to intervene repeatedly worsen their standing with the guests and audience 19 20 23.

Escalating Jealousy of Xie Chen

Xie Ran becomes increasingly hostile as Xie Chen earns the guests' respect, gains public support, and draws Huo Wenye's attention. He leaks misleading photos of Xie Chen and Huo, urges Xie Jinran to release them, and later admits that jealousy motivated his deliberate sabotage 35 47 50.

Purchasing Continued Participation

Determined to remain close to Huo Wenye and regain relevance, Xie Ran purchases a guest position for the following season with a one-million-yuan Xie Group investment. His demand that the Xie Family remove Xie Chen from the show instead demonstrates both his jealousy and his inability to accept that the family no longer controls the program 60 61.

Loss of the CCTV Endorsement

Xie Ran expects to secure a CCTV public-service advertisement through his abduction narrative and the Xie Family's influence. Xie Chen overtakes him in the popularity vote and ultimately earns the endorsement through a more effective, accessible presentation, while Xie Ran's tearful audition and damaged reputation undermine his candidacy 86 91 95 97 98.

Exposure of the Adoptive-Parent Slander

After Xie Ran's claims of childhood abuse spread, villagers publicly defend Old Yu and his wife. Xie Ran attempts to blame his agent and manipulate Xie Zhenting into protecting him, but the recorded attempted bribe and Huo Wenye's involvement make suppression increasingly difficult 90 96 99 102.

Fortune Borrowing and Descent into Occult Schemes

Xie Ran discovers that Xie Yongan has borrowed his fortune to rescue the Xie Family's finances. Rather than reject the exploitation, he accepts the pain in exchange for continued privilege, then attempts to redirect his suffering onto Xie Chen through Thai black magic and a Yin Talisman 198 200 204 213. The talisman's hidden cost, combined with the backlash from his father's schemes, leaves him physically and mentally unstable 225 270.

Abandonment and Institutionalization

When Xie Yongan flees with the Xie Family's money, Xie Ran feigns loyalty long enough to obtain a valuable jade pendant as insurance. The pendant proves another source of danger rather than salvation; abandoned by his relatives and overwhelmed by supernatural backlash, Xie Ran suffers a breakdown and is confined to a psychiatric hospital 250 270. Xie Chen later informs him that Xie Yongan is dead and that no inheritance remains, destroying Xie Ran's remaining hope of regaining his former status 295.

Notable Quotes

“Brother Xie Chen, I never meant to take your place. Don't hate me so much...” 8

“Third Brother, I'm not good at cooking.” 30

“Is it because I took Brother Xie Chen's place? If so, I can give it back to him!” 46

“I'm the Xie Family's most favored young master!” 169

“As long as I can put him to death, I'll do anything!” 204

Trivia

• Xie Ran joined the variety show primarily to find an opportunity to get close to Huo Wenye, rather than out of interest in the program itself 35.
• His claim that he frequently performed farm labor conflicts with the account of his rural adoptive parents, who did not make him do hard work 9.
• He repeatedly uses the familial address “Brother Ye” for Huo Wenye, who explicitly tells him that it makes him sick 20.
• He paid one million yuan through Xie Group to secure a guest position in a subsequent season of the variety show 60.
• He was cast as the “green-tea” villain Wang Chen because Director Chen considered his understanding of the manipulative role unusually natural 266.
• The jade pendant he obtains from Xie Yongan is widely regarded in Beijing's elite circles as cursed 270.

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