Gu Yifei

Biodata

Appearance

Gu Yifei is an exceptionally beautiful, fair-skinned young man whose appearance drives much of his popularity despite his poor musical reception. Shen Ranxin compares his looks to early-spring peach blossoms and jokingly wonders whether he is a succubus. 2 3

• Slightly messy orange or flaxen curls. 2 50
• Light pink-gleaming pupils and seductive peach-blossom eyes. 3
• A small mole beside his lips. 3
• Frequently described as delicate, refined, and catlike in mannerisms. 26 27
• Wore a pink princess dress and small crown during the fantasy role-play game. 50
• His pink princess costume makes him resemble a storybook princess so convincingly that almost no masculine traits are visible. 50

Personality

Gu Yifei is self-confident to the point of musical delusion. He sincerely considers himself a rising musical genius, dismissing criticism even after the other contestants describe his singing as unbearable. 3 10 He is also spoiled and high-maintenance, initially expecting Jiang Ye to dig and repeatedly redig his Paperbush planting hole for him. 12

Despite his pride, Gu is emotionally transparent and easily frightened. Shen Ranxin’s late-night retaliation and ominous joking leave him terrified enough to faint at the discovery of a buried jar. 10 12 13 He becomes visibly anxious when separated from Shen during their city task, but quickly softens when Shen returns with the promised ice cream. 27

Gu gradually becomes protective of Shen Ranxin. He openly chooses Shen’s Paperbush during the red-thread ceremony, worries about him during the haunted-house incident, and rejects Cheng Cheng’s attempts to direct his attention toward Lu Zhi. 17 40 50

His experience on the program gradually forces him to confront the limits of being indulged. Jealousy of Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng’s provocations lead him to damage Lu’s Paperbush, but Lu’s distress makes him recognize that sentimentally irreplaceable things cannot simply be compensated for with money. 76 After becoming lost and nearly drowning during the wilderness challenge, he is sternly told to become more responsible. 65 66 Before leaving the show, he begins to understand that affection cannot be secured through tears, charm, or acting spoiled. 77 80

Abilities & Skills

Singing

Gu is a professional singer who genuinely wants more people to hear his music, but his singing is widely regarded as painfully bad. 3

• Performs with an electric guitar and loudly sings late at night. 10
• Calls himself “Little Genius Chopin” despite confusing Chopin with electric guitar music and inventing a nonexistent work, Twelfth Night. 10
• His mall performance is so overwhelming that Shen turns it into an earplug-selling business. 26
• Limitation: His singing provokes blunt criticism from Shen and Lu, frightens listeners, and causes public earplug sales to surge. 3 26 27
• Was scheduled for a sponsored world-tour concert after leaving Instant Heartbeat, though Lu Zhi mockingly characterized the departure as his manager sending him for further training. 77 82

Public Appeal

Gu’s face and celebrity status attract substantial attention even when his music does not. 2

• His appearance had already made him popular and boosted song sales before the show. 2
• Fans surround him during the city task, forcing Shen to create a distraction and disguise him for escape. 27
• His public performance, combined with Shen’s earplug scheme, earns their team 39,300 yuan. 27
• His departure creates a difficult vacancy for the production team, as replacing him risks backlash from his substantial fanbase. 81

Equipment / Items

• Electric guitar — used during his late-night livestream performance. 10
• Red-thread ribbon — tied to Shen Ranxin’s Paperbush during the show’s pairing activity. 17
• Princess costume and magic wand — used in the “Princess Rescue Plan” role-play game. 50
• Food-supply box — carried while lost during the wilderness challenge; Gu refuses to discard it despite its weight because he fears the group will have no food. 65

Relationships

• Shen Ranxin — Initially antagonistic after Shen insults his singing and terrifies him during the villa’s nighttime disturbance. Gu later becomes attached to Shen after their city task, accepts his practical care, chooses his Paperbush, and openly declares that he treats Shen best. 3 10 17 27 50 His jealousy of Shen’s closeness with Lu Zhi contributes to his later wrongdoing, but he comes to recognize that Shen will not necessarily reciprocate his feelings before leaving for his concert. 76 77 80
• Lu Zhi — Rivals over proximity to Shen. Gu dislikes Lu’s possessiveness, while Lu repeatedly blocks him from approaching Shen and threatens him when he oversteps. 25 31 46 Their conflict intensifies when Gu helps damage and later pours hot water on Lu’s Paperbush out of jealousy. Gu eventually apologizes publicly and offers Lu all of his points in exchange for forgiveness. 76 80
• Cheng Cheng — Roommate and occasional accomplice; they secretly dig up Lu’s Paperbush together. Their relationship becomes strained when Cheng tries to steer Gu toward Lu Zhi, which Gu sharply rejects. 24 25 50 Cheng later exploits Gu’s insecurity by suggesting that Lu saved him only to avoid making Shen feel guilty, helping provoke Gu’s attack on Lu’s tree. 76
• Jiang Ye — Gu exploits Jiang’s politeness by making him dig multiple holes during the Paperbush task, though he later shows some awareness that he treated Jiang unfairly. 12 16 They clash during the fantasy game after Jiang deliberately shoots Gu in the forehead with a toy-gun “headshot,” and Jiang grows increasingly impatient with Gu’s immaturity during the wilderness arc. 51 66
• Fang Yu — Fang intervenes when Gu overworks Jiang Ye and later explains that Shen planted Gu’s tree in fertile soil as a lesson rather than an act of pure malice. 12 16 Fang repeatedly mediates Gu’s disputes with Jiang and comforts him after he realizes the harm he caused Lu’s Paperbush. 51 76
• Gu Yifei’s manager — Arranges his abrupt departure from the show to prepare for a sponsored world-tour concert and frames the opportunity as a way for Gu to gain enough standing to stand beside Shen in the future. 77 80

Story Role / Major Arcs

*Instant Heartbeat* introduction

Gu joins Instant Heartbeat to promote his music. His first on-camera song horrifies the cast, and Shen’s blunt criticism begins their hostile dynamic. Lu Zhi’s comparison of Gu’s song to a Qing-dynasty torture further humiliates him. 3

Conflict with Shen Ranxin

After Shen unplugs his speakers, Gu’s resentment intensifies. He chooses Shen during hide-and-seek mainly because he believes his own fans can defeat Shen’s nonexistent fanbase in online arguments. 4 5 Shen’s retaliation against Gu’s late-night guitar session leaves Gu frightened of him, and a later joke about a buried jar causes him to faint. 10 12 13

Shen eventually plants Gu’s Paperbush himself as partial compensation for frightening him and for Gu’s treatment of Jiang Ye. Gu remains defensive, but begins to recognize that Shen’s actions are not wholly malicious. 13 16

Red-thread ceremony

Gu unexpectedly ties his red string to Shen Ranxin’s Paperbush, helping turn Shen into the center of the show’s failed matchmaking event. 17 He later assists Cheng Cheng in digging up Lu Zhi’s Paperbush because he dislikes Lu’s constant clinginess toward Shen. 25

City task with Shen Ranxin

Paired with Shen for a city money-making task, Gu eagerly requests ice cream and agrees to sing in public after Shen promises him three large servings. 26 Shen sells earplugs to listeners, rescues Gu from an excited crowd, disguises him, and returns with the promised ice cream. 26 27

Their team earns 39,300 yuan; after the points are divided, Shen has enough points to last the remainder of the program. 27 Gu’s attitude toward Shen shifts decisively afterward, and he later defends Shen as someone capable of finding food even when the group is left without a proper meal. 29

Fantasy role-play game

Gu draws the princess role for the production team’s “Princess Rescue Plan.” 47 Wearing a pink princess dress, he asks Shen to capture him rather than Lu Zhi and links arms with Shen, only for Cheng Cheng to pull him away. 50 He rejects Cheng Cheng’s suggestion that he pursue Lu for industry connections and instead insists that he does not like Lu at all. 50

During the game, Lu repeatedly prevents Shen from capturing Gu, calls him a “pink flea,” and effortlessly repels Gu’s attempted retaliation. 51 Jiang Ye then deliberately shoots Gu in the forehead during the challenge, requiring Fang Yu to force an apology and mediate their dispute. 51

Wilderness disappearance

During the six-day wilderness challenge, Gu remains at camp with Cheng Cheng while the others search for food. 59 After the group raids the production team’s supplies, Gu becomes separated while carrying a heavy food box, loses his sense of direction, and faints after washing in a hot spring due to low blood sugar. 63 65

The Anomaly Management Center locates him after several hours of searching; he is rescued alive after nearly drowning in the hot spring. 64 65 Gu feels guilty when he believes Lu’s involvement with the Center was caused by rescuing him, but Shen reprimands him for his carelessness and nearly fatal behavior. 66

Paperbush incident and departure

Jealous of Lu Zhi’s closeness with Shen, Gu allows Cheng Cheng to persuade him that Lu did not genuinely care whether he lived or died. He retaliates by secretly pouring hot water on Lu’s Paperbush. 76 When Lu responds by pouring boiling water on the tree himself rather than replacing it, Gu realizes the tree matters because Shen planted it and breaks down in remorse. 76

Gu is subsequently called away from the suspended program to prepare for a sponsored world-tour concert. 77 He gives Shen an emotional, bickering farewell, asks Shen to remember him, and records an apology video for Lu in which he offers all his points and asks him to care for Gu’s own Paperbush. 80 Shen Qi later joins Instant Heartbeat as Gu’s replacement. 81 82

Notable Quotes

“Modesty aside, I am indeed the rising star of the music scene, known as Little Genius Chopin.” 10

“No one can stop my pursuit of art!” 10

“In this dating show, I'm the one who treats you best!” 50

“You have to think of me every day.” 80

Trivia

• Gu’s popularity is attributed more to his face than to his songs. 2
• Shen secretly wears earplugs during Gu’s mall performance, leading Gu to discover that Shen has not heard his praise at all. 27
• Gu finishes all three large servings of ice cream Shen buys for him. 27
• His fans repeatedly warn him that pursuing Shen is dangerous because of Shen’s complicated relationships with Cheng Cheng and Lu Zhi. 40
• He calls the dating show military training and threatens to report Director Chen to the “imperial court” over its exhausting tasks. 53
• During the wilderness challenge, he nearly drowns after fainting in a hot spring while lost. 65
• Lu later inherits responsibility for Gu’s Paperbush, which survives and begins producing new buds under his care. 80 109