Pei Heng

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Pei Heng (裴珩)
Alias(es)	President Pei; “big brother” (used by Shen Yan) 27 34
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Huancheng Group; dating-show cast
Occupation/Role	Chairman of Huancheng Group; substitute participant for Pei Ning 4
Status	Active
Age	30 4
First Appearance	Chapter 4

Background / History

Pei Heng is the chairman of Huancheng Group, described as Licheng’s richest company, and is treated as an imposing figure in the business world. He joins the dating show only because his younger brother, Pei Ning, is hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat shortly before filming; Pei Heng personally takes his place to honor Pei Ning’s contract. 4

He initially says that he knows Shen Yan only from online reports and that Shen differs from his reputation in person. However, Pei Heng’s knowledge of Shen’s childhood favorite, Orange-Petal Candy, and Shen’s recurring sense of familiarity around him suggest an undisclosed earlier connection. 16 42 43 44 After receiving disturbing photographs connected to Shen, Pei Heng orders an investigation into the residents of Maple Grove, a former marital home he has avoided since an earlier incident. 45

Appearance

Pei Heng is a tall, long-legged man with a lean but muscular build. He has peach-blossom eyes that can appear alluring yet restrained, and his imposing presence regularly intimidates staff and fellow guests. 13 21 26

• Tall enough for Shen Yan to stand on his shoulders during a challenge. 16
• Physically muscular despite appearing slim while dressed. 21
• Peach-blossom eyes; often wears an amused or unreadable expression. 13 23
• Considerably stronger than Shen Yan, whom he can restrain or carry with ease. 39 42 44

Personality

Pei Heng is blunt, self-assured, and highly intolerant of perceived manipulation. He refuses to indulge Xie Li’s attempts at familiarity or sympathy, and he responds to Lu Xingchuan’s hostility with cool sarcasm rather than appeasement. 18 26 41 44

Around Shen Yan, he is markedly playful, indulgent, and provocative. He uses shameless teasing, physical closeness, gifts, and exaggerated helplessness to attract Shen’s attention, while consistently defending him in public. 17 20 34 46 His apparently cold executive persona contrasts sharply with his willingness to sing, perform a duck walk, play games, and make a spectacle of himself on the show. 17 23

Abilities & Skills

Physical Ability

Pei Heng possesses exceptional strength, stamina, balance, and agility.

• Cleared a video-game section that Shen Yan had failed more than twenty times in a single attempt. 13
• Carried Shen Yan on his shoulders while following his directions to retrieve food from a high trellis. 16
• Outran other contestants during Ghost Tag and climbed a drainage pipe to reach the roof. 38 42
• Easily restrained Shen Yan during the tag game and broke locks and treasure chests open with an axe. 39 42 49 50
• Handled haunted-house actors without fear when no longer pretending to be scared, including tying a ghost’s tongue into a bow and shaking another actor until a key fell out. 48 49

Problem-Solving

Pei Heng approaches challenges through direct, unconventional solutions rather than following expected procedures.

• Identified the director disguised as a female ghost by recognizing his slippers. 49
• Deduced that three captured guests corresponded to three corpses and that three keys were required. 49
• Treats tools as solutions to obstacles, repeatedly using an axe instead of keys to open locks and chests. 49 50
• Quickly sees through insinuations against Shen Yan and demands that accusations of favoritism be supported by actual evidence. 16 18

Business Influence

As Huancheng Group’s chairman, Pei Heng has substantial social and professional influence.

• His status prevents Lu Xingchuan from forcibly reclaiming Shen Yan’s recorder. 13
• Reveals that Huancheng has an entertainment company and offers to connect Shen Yan with manager Zhao Sheng. 30
• Signals his readiness to retaliate against those targeting Shen Yan with the warning, “Winter has come.” 31

Equipment / Items

• Recorder — temporarily keeps Shen Yan’s recording of Lu Xingchuan’s incriminating statements inside his shirt, refusing Lu’s demands to return it. 13
• Game console — demonstrates his gaming skill by clearing Shen Yan’s difficult level. 13
• Axe — used throughout the haunted-house game to break locks and treasure chests. 48 49 50
• Orange-Petal Candy — gives this candy to Shen Yan; it triggers Shen’s fragmented childhood memories. 42 44
• Durian — secretly arranges for staff to buy one specifically for Shen Yan. 40 41

Relationships

• Shen Yan — His favored fellow participant and the focus of his protection, teasing, and increasingly overt affection. Pei Heng publicly chooses Shen Yan as his preferred person, calls him his date, and repeatedly prioritizes him over the show’s assigned pairings. 6 23 34 42 45
• Pei Ning — Younger brother. Pei Heng substitutes for him on the show after Pei Ning is hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. 4
• Xie Li — Openly distrustful of him. Pei Heng rejects Xie Li’s attempts at intimacy, refuses to share food with him, and ultimately removes him from his contacts after receiving the photographs of Shen Yan. 17 26 44
• Lu Xingchuan — Antagonistic rival. Pei Heng obstructs Lu’s attempts to reclaim the recorder, mocks his fixation on Shen Yan, and repeatedly exposes his jealousy and hypocrisy. 13 39 41 42
• Song Qianshan — A capable temporary ally during the haunted-house game; they cooperate efficiently while investigating clues and opening locked areas. 48 49 50
• Bai Jing — Fellow contestant who enthusiastically supports his closeness with Shen Yan and is trusted with information about his hidden task. 20 23 27

Story Role / Major Arcs

Substitute Guest

Pei Heng enters the show as Pei Ning’s replacement and immediately challenges Xie Li’s false accusation against Shen Yan. His refusal to indulge Xie Li’s tears establishes him as a disruptive, intimidating presence among the guests. 4

Alliance with Shen Yan

Pei Heng first aids Shen Yan by safeguarding Lu Xingchuan’s recorder, then develops a rapport with him through gaming, shared sarcasm, and the ingredient-gathering challenge. He defends Shen Yan’s contribution to the group and lets Shen rest while he cooks. 13 16 17 18

Publicly Flirtatious Partnership

During the hidden-task round, Pei Heng uses a fake injury to bargain for a kiss from Shen Yan, then openly calls Shen his date during the “wedding gift” punishment. He later admits to adding Shen on WeChat by unlocking Shen’s phone while he was asleep. 20 23

Rejection of Xie Li

Paired with Xie Li for a date, Pei Heng rejects the intimate address “Brother Pei Heng” and forcibly gives Xie Li his entire ice cream after interpreting Xie’s request for a taste as a boundary-crossing trick. He remains dismissive when Xie Li cries and runs away. 26 27

Ghost Tag and Escalating Intimacy

Pei Heng repeatedly hides, flees, and clings to Shen Yan during Ghost Tag, creating situations that provoke Lu Xingchuan’s jealousy. When made the ghost, he catches Shen Yan, kisses the tip of his nose, and says that he still wants to kiss him. 37 38 39 42

Maple Grove Investigation

After Xie Li delivers suspicious photographs depicting an injured Shen Yan, Pei Heng dismisses Xie Li, protects the images, and privately orders an investigation into Maple Grove. This marks a shift from his playful on-show behavior to a serious pursuit of the mystery surrounding Shen’s past. 44 45

Haunted-House Rescue Game

Although he repeatedly pretends to be terrified in order to cling to Shen Yan, Pei Heng proves highly capable once the others need help. He finds keys, breaks locks, identifies the disguised director, and willingly surrenders his in-game wealth to rescue his assigned lover. 46 48 49 50

Notable Quotes

“Then him. I like men, and I think he said that childless-death line pretty well.” 6

“Don't call me that. ‘Brother’ is a very intimate form of address to me. It's not something you can call me casually.” 26

“I'm scared selectively.” 48

“Why would you need a key to unlock it? Is it because you don't have the strength to use an axe?” 50

Trivia

• Pei Heng saves Shen Yan in his contacts as “Abandon,” while Shen Yan saves him as “Pure College Boy, Six Foot Two?” 22 23
• He accepts the punishment of doing a duck walk and singing “Bobo Chicken” without complaint, surprising Huancheng Group’s employees. 23
• He permits Shen Yan to call him “big brother,” despite rejecting the same form of address from Xie Li as overly intimate. 26 27 34
• His feigned cowardice in the haunted house is consistently used as an excuse to hold onto Shen Yan. 46 47 48