Ling Wanqing

Biodata

Appearance

Ling Wanqing ordinarily conceals her looks with deliberately unattractive makeup. Once removed, the fake sallow complexion and large black mole at the left corner of her mouth vanish, revealing a striking young woman with fair skin and an elegant bearing 2.

• Slightly taller than Gu Lianyin, with an elegant, graceful gait 2.
• Delicate oval face, long fair neck, and soft pink-red lips 2.
• Often described as having a slim figure and long legs; she wears fitted clothing such as off-shoulder tops, tight jeans, and dresses when not disguised 2 22.
• Her school disguise includes an intentionally unattractive appearance and a fake mole, which leads classmates to nickname her “Big Mole Pig” 2 5.
• At Gu Lianyin's birthday dinner, she appears in a black spaghetti-strap dress with refined makeup, deliberately presenting her true beauty to test Lin Yuan 22.

Personality

Ling Wanqing is expressive, competitive, and fiercely protective of Gu Lianyin. Their disguise contest begins as a test of endurance, but Wanqing refuses to concede partly because the loser must pay for Michelin-starred dinners every night for half a month—a cost she considers ruinous to her savings 2.

Her confidence is badly shaken by the treatment she receives while disguised. Ostracized by classmates, denied a deskmate, and mocked as “Big Mole Pig,” she briefly considers dropping out before deciding to persist and eventually shock her bullies by revealing her real appearance 5 9.

Wanqing is also suspicious and pragmatic in matters involving Gu Lianyin. She initially assumes Lin Yuan exploited Lianyin after the million-yuan investment, threatens to report him when the account is nearly emptied, and later repeatedly devises tests to determine whether his feelings are sincere 10 20 38 40. Though her methods can be mischievous and intrusive, they stem from concern that her inexperienced friend will be deceived.

Background

Ling Wanqing and Gu Lianyin are close friends and roommates who agree to attend school in ugly disguises. Their wager requires the first person to stop pretending to be unattractive at school to treat the other to Michelin-starred dinners for half a month 2.

On her first day, Wanqing is rejected by her assigned deskmate and ignored by other boys. Later, several classmates bully her over her disguise; she returns home crying, having skipped meals and contemplated leaving school. Gu Lianyin persuades her not to surrender, and Wanqing resolves to continue the bet until she can reveal her true appearance on her own terms 2 5.

As Gu Lianyin grows closer to Lin Yuan, Wanqing becomes both her confidante and skeptic. She distrusts Lin Yuan's use of Lianyin's money, then changes her assessment after the Tianhua Biotech investment produces substantial returns. Seeing the profits, she invests more than 300,000 yuan of her own allowance under Lin Yuan's condition that she sell when Gu Lianyin does 10 11.

Relationships

• Gu Lianyin — Best friend and roommate. Wanqing supports her through school bullying, romantic uncertainty, and her fallout with Lin Yuan, but also teases her relentlessly and pushes her to test his intentions 5 17 38 40 48.
• Lin Yuan — Gu Lianyin's deskmate and eventual romantic interest. Wanqing initially suspects he wants Lianyin's money, then tests whether he can be distracted by Wanqing's beauty; his indifference unsettles her assumptions 9 20 22 24.
• Lin Qingyue — Wanqing is a devoted fan, but cannot attend Qingyue's concert because it conflicts with her grandfather's birthday celebration 24 33.
• Gu Lianyin's relatives — Wanqing views Lianyin's hostile relatives as capable of leaking private information or manipulating events against her friend 38 40.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ugly-disguise bet and school bullying

Wanqing enters school disguised alongside Gu Lianyin, intending to outlast her in their bet. Instead, she experiences severe appearance-based discrimination: her deskmate rejects her, classmates isolate her, and bullies give her a cruel nickname. Her humiliation reinforces her resentment toward a society that judges people by looks 2 5 9 17.

Investment in Tianhua Biotech

After witnessing Gu Lianyin's stock profits, Wanqing goes from warning Lianyin to sell to asking Lin Yuan for investment advice. She invests over 300,000 yuan but is explicitly told to follow Gu Lianyin's selling schedule and accept responsibility for any losses caused by ignoring that advice 11.

Testing Lin Yuan

Wanqing fears that Lin Yuan may be exploiting Gu Lianyin, whether for money, beauty, or information supplied by Lianyin's relatives. At Lianyin's birthday gathering, she appears in her true beauty to test whether he will abandon his attention toward Lianyin; he walks past her to comfort Lianyin instead 20 22 23.

She later helps construct increasingly elaborate tests, including a fake USB drive, anonymous threats, and a fabricated terminal-illness message. Lin Yuan's responses gradually convince both girls that he likely did not know about Lianyin's disguise beforehand 38 40.

Support during Lianyin's conflict with Lin Yuan

Wanqing secretly follows and records Gu Lianyin's date, expecting the pair's reunion to become a happy memory. When Lin Yuan instead condemns Lianyin's deception and leaves, Wanqing drives away onlookers to protect Lianyin's reputation, comforts her afterward, and seeks advice on how she might earn his forgiveness 47 48.

Trivia

• Ling Wanqing is financially cautious enough to regard the bet's Michelin-dinner penalty as a serious threat to her savings 2.
• She considers herself unable to compete with Gu Lianyin's family background, but refuses to lose to her in perseverance 2.
• Lin Yuan's lack of interest in Wanqing's beauty makes her question the importance of appearance and frustrates her expectation that boys will readily seek her attention 23 24.
• She is repeatedly prevented from joining Gu Lianyin and Lin Yuan's private outings, including Lianyin's date, though she attempts to observe from afar 24 46 47.