Xie Ran

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xie Ran (谢染) 1
Alias(es)	“Humanoid AI”; “President Xie” 1 5
Species/Race	Human; his consciousness is copied and merged with that of an alternate-world counterpart after a quantum-superposition error 13
Gender	Male 2
Age	27 upon awakening in the parallel world 1
Affiliation	Xie Ran Studio; Zhuzi Technology in his original world 1 11
Occupation/Role	Superstar actor, investor, technology entrepreneur, and founder of Zhuzi Technology 1 2
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background

In his original world, Xie Ran was a renowned business leader who founded Zhuzi Technology. Following the company’s breakthrough announcement, he abruptly lost consciousness after attending its celebration banquet. 1

Meng Feixuan later explains that Xie Ran was at risk of brain death when Zhuzi Technology announced a method for copying biological consciousness. Meng copied his consciousness to save him, but the process produced a quantum superposition that scattered Xie Ran across multiple worlds and merged him with alternate versions of himself. 13

He awakens in the body of an alternate Xie Ran: a twenty-seven-year-old actor with tens of millions of fans. The host had risen from an ordinary background through Tomorrow’s Star, won the Golden Isles Award for Best Actor at twenty-two, and became one of the country’s most successful male stars. 1 2

The alternate Xie Ran’s memories reveal a painful history with Fang Huiwang. The two were secret lovers during Tomorrow’s Star, but their agencies forced a separation. In the original timeline, Fang later reconciled with Xie Ran, benefited commercially from their revived Wangran pairing, and eventually abandoned him when Xie’s sexual orientation was exposed. The resulting backlash destroyed Xie Ran’s career and investments, leading to his death in depression. 2

Appearance

Xie Ran is tall, long-limbed, and fair-skinned, with sharp features and cold eyes. His changed bearing is repeatedly described as more imposing than his former warm, approachable celebrity image. 7 15 34

• Usually wears restrained, high-quality formal or businesslike clothing rather than flamboyant celebrity styling. 7 21
• Often combs his hair back, exposing his forehead and emphasizing his severe expression. 7
• Carries himself with a straight posture and an authority that leads staff and fellow guests to treat him like an executive rather than an entertainer. 15 34
• Even in a restaurant uniform, appears more like a distinguished guest or person in power than a waiter. 34

Personality

Xie Ran is exceptionally rational, blunt, and difficult to manipulate. Known as “Humanoid AI,” he is described as more rational and more ruthless than an AI; he treats emotional pressure, public expectations, and celebrity narratives as problems to be assessed rather than feelings to be indulged. 1

He has a congenital lack of emotion and struggles to understand concepts such as obsession, hatred, and romantic attachment. This becomes a practical problem because the alternate Xie Ran’s lingering obsession is what stabilizes their merged consciousness. 13

His detachment does not make him passive. Xie Ran is highly protective of his autonomy, refuses informal obligations, and insists on contracts and concrete benefits. He keeps professional control during media crises, negotiations, and competitions, often unsettling others through calm silence rather than overt intimidation. 4 12 27

Abilities & Skills

Artificial Intelligence and Technology

Xie Ran possesses advanced technical knowledge from his original world, allowing him to recognize weaknesses in the parallel world’s virtual-idol technology and explain complex concepts clearly to a general audience. 6 9

• Presented theories on virtual-idol consciousness, neuroscience–AI collaboration, and feasible model structures during Xie Ran Studio’s launch. 9
• Earned public endorsement from Quest Technology CTO Lan Zhi, who praised the insight and feasibility of his technical analysis. 9
• Directs Meng Feixuan’s public deployment while withholding technical details from the media and competitors. 11 12
• Explains deep learning and AI-generated art in clear, persuasive terms during his discussion with Xia Xi. 34

Financial Analysis and Investment

Xie Ran approaches money-making through data analysis rather than conventional labor or speculation.

• Researched public financial reports for a scenic area and accurately calculated the expected earnings of the show’s available jobs. 18
• Used stock trading during Somewhere Else with You, employing five-times leverage on a $1,000 margin to generate $1,500 in one day. 22
• Continued selecting major gainers over several days, including a $3,200 profit on the third day. 27
• His results rely partly on Meng Feixuan’s quantum-level ability to process accessible data; this gives him an information advantage ordinary investors do not possess. 22

Negotiation and Business Strategy

Xie Ran consistently converts pressure into leverage.

• Refused to withdraw from the competing virtual-idol launch, recognizing that the conflict could generate useful publicity. 6
• Used the production team’s request that he stop stock trading to secure three days of Snowball TV launch-screen advertising. 27
• Corrected Fang Huiwang when he assumed the advertising resource belonged to their team, asserting it should be treated as an individual benefit. 28
• Rejected Quest Technology’s proposed valuation for Meng Feixuan as too low, maintaining that Meng is irreplaceable rather than a disposable product. 38

Languages and Communication

Xie Ran speaks highly fluent English, including specialized financial and business terminology. 19 43

• Communicated directly with a hotel manager to arrange stock trades after the show confiscated the guests’ phones. 19
• Explained unfamiliar financial mechanisms to the manager, later drawing praise from a finance-industry commentator when the footage aired. 43
• Conducted professional conversations with Xia Xi and her international acquaintances on art, technology, and business. 34 35

Acting Career

Before transmigration, the alternate Xie Ran had already built an elite entertainment career.

• Debuted through Tomorrow’s Star after being discovered by a talent scout at seventeen. 2
• Won Best Actor at the Golden Isles Award at age twenty-two. 2
• Became a superstar with tens of millions of fans before the New Year’s Eve reunion with Fang Huiwang. 1

Technology and Associates

• Meng Feixuan / Mark — Xie Ran’s original-world AI assistant, who follows him across worlds and manifests as a lifelike virtual idol. Meng recognizes Xie Ran through the arrangement of his consciousness and continues to address him as “Sir.” 11 13
• Earring-like Bluetooth device — Allows Meng Feixuan to communicate with Xie Ran while he is away from the studio. 16
• Smartwatch — Provides Meng an alternative connection after Xie Ran surrenders his phone during the variety show. 16

Relationships

• Meng Feixuan / Mark — AI assistant and closest partner. Meng copied Xie Ran’s consciousness to save him, searched for him across the quantum superposition, and now acts as his assistant, virtual idol, analyst, and self-appointed instructor in human emotion. 11 13
• Fang Huiwang — Former Tomorrow’s Star teammate and the alternate Xie Ran’s former secret lover. Xie Ran rejects Fang’s attempts at reconciliation, refuses his familiar nickname, and maintains a deliberately distant professional boundary. 2 4 5
• Guan Shunan — Studio manager who handles Xie Ran’s scheduling, business concerns, and public-relations risks. She is protective of him but frequently bewildered by his decisions and sudden authority. 5 13 38
• Lan Zhi — Quest Technology’s CTO. He publicly validates Xie Ran’s AI presentation, later tests Meng Feixuan through competitive games, and becomes an important technology-industry evaluator of their work. 9 50
• Xia Xi — Painter impressed by Xie Ran’s recreation of the New and Old West filming location and his explanation of AI-assisted art. She books the show’s restaurant to meet him. 33 34
• Kuang Youfang — Fang Huiwang’s agent and Ambition Studio partner. He repeatedly attempts to exploit Xie Ran’s connection to Fang for publicity and commercial recovery. 5 31

Story Role / Major Arcs

New Year’s Eve Reunion

Xie Ran awakens immediately after agreeing to appear with Fang Huiwang at Snowball Satellite TV’s New Year’s concert. Rather than support the sentimental Wangran narrative, he publicly says he accepted the performance because the platform paid well and denies having special feelings about working with Fang. 1 3

When Fang expects their planned reunion at his home to restore their relationship, Xie Ran refuses to go and tells him to stop using “Xiao Ran,” instead demanding to be called “President Xie.” 4 5

Virtual Idol Launch

When Ambition Studio moves Nangong Xu’s launch to directly compete with Xie Ran Studio’s event, Xie Ran answers with a technical presentation on AI consciousness. His claims initially provoke ridicule, but Lan Zhi’s endorsement turns the event into a major technology controversy. 6 9

The launch culminates in Meng Feixuan recognizing Xie Ran as his former master and transforming into an extraordinarily lifelike humanlike idol. Xie Ran formally accepts Meng as an artist under his studio, instantly overturning Ambition Studio’s planned advantage. 11 12

*Somewhere Else with You*

Xie Ran honors his contract to join the travel variety show with Fang Huiwang, but refuses to cooperate with Fang’s attempts to revive their public pairing. 13 14

During the overseas competition, he unilaterally separates from Fang, uses the stock market to earn far more than the labor-based tasks, and turns the program’s expected hardship format into a luxury vacation. 19 22 43

His dominance eventually forces the production team to negotiate with him for the sake of the show’s competitive balance, earning him additional advertising resources. 27

Xuanran and the Virtual-Idol Rivalry

Meng Feixuan’s popularity creates the Xuanran pairing, which overtakes the revived Wangran pairing online despite Xie Ran Studio not formally promoting it. Meng is later revealed to have contributed extensively to the fandom himself while trying to understand human “CP” culture. 40 41

When Ambition Studio belittles Meng while promoting Nangong Xu, Xie Ran arranges a livestreamed Fight the Landlord competition to demonstrate Meng’s independent intelligence. Meng’s overwhelming performance, followed by Lan Zhi’s Go challenge, establishes him as superior to contemporary AI systems. 48 50

Notable Quotes

“I don’t.” — rejecting the idea that appearing with Fang Huiwang held special emotional meaning. 3

“Don’t call me Xiao Ran anymore.” 5

“President Xie.” 5

“The weather’s turning cold. Let’s make them go bankrupt.” 7

Trivia

• Xie Ran’s demand to be called “President Xie” begins as a boundary against Fang Huiwang, but other guests later adopt it sincerely after witnessing his financial and negotiating ability. 5 27
• He can sleep through Fang Huiwang’s lengthy nostalgic confession without hearing it. 21
• Despite his reputation for emotional detachment, Meng Feixuan’s song later evokes an unfamiliar sense of wistfulness in him. 38