Shi Zhongye

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Shi Zhongye (时仲野)
Alias(es)	Second Young Master; Director Shi
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Shi family; film-production crew
Occupation/Role	Film director and producer
First Appearance	28

Background

Shi Zhongye is Shi Bochuan’s second younger brother and Shi Jihan’s second older brother. He is the central figure of Burning Bones, an originally tragic romance in which he and Xiao Yuan fall in love but repeatedly refuse to communicate honestly, ultimately separating despite their attachment. 37

Invited to Shi Bochuan and Shen Qinghuai’s make-up wedding, Zhongye publicly refused to attend but secretly returned to City A, convinced that Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai were conspiring against the family. Finding his old room preserved initially unsettled him, though he quickly dismissed the gesture as another attempt to manipulate him. 28 29

His return was marked by Shi Jihan’s elaborate “welcome party,” which transformed the villa into a shrine to Zhongye’s own face: oversized posters, face-printed balloons, and a cake in his likeness. The humiliation drove him to order every mirror and reflective object removed from his room. 29

Appearance

Shi Zhongye is intensely concerned with his looks and has insured his face. His villa bathroom once contained the largest mirror in the house so that he could admire himself from every angle. 28 29

• His appearance is a major source of pride—and an easy target for Shi Jihan’s pranks.
• After the welcome-party humiliation, he could not bear to look at his own reflection. 29
• He later wore a full steel helmet at breakfast to protect his forehead from Shi Jihan’s repeated flicks. 37

Personality

Shi Zhongye is proud, vain, sharp-tongued, and easily provoked. He reacts strongly to insults involving his appearance, dignity, work, or relationship with Xiao Yuan; however, his dramatic anger is often undercut by the absurdity of the Shi household. 29 37

He is also suspicious and stubborn. Convinced that Shen Qinghuai had deceived Shi Bochuan, he eagerly pursued “evidence” from the anonymous Detective Old Wang despite Zhou Jingcheng’s warnings that the account might be scamming him. 32 33

Beneath the irritability, Zhongye is responsible and pragmatic. When his film loses investment, he reduces costs by casting inexpensive newcomers and reorganizing production rather than abandoning the project. He is also quick to exploit opportunities, approving Shi Jihan’s unusually cheap student recruits once he realizes they mainly want internship certification. 45 46

Abilities & Skills

Film Direction and Production Management

Shi Zhongye directs a low-budget film production and attempts to maintain standards through planning, budgeting, casting, and on-set supervision.

• Reorganized the project after its investment fell through and reduced casting costs by hiring unknown actors. 45
• Set the crew’s filming schedule and standards at the start of production. 49
• Remained responsible for the production even as Shi Jihan repeatedly altered scripts, spending, costumes, and scenes without permission. 52 53
• His control is limited by the crew’s growing willingness to follow Shi Jihan’s improvised direction instead. 52

Investigation

Zhongye persistently investigates people he suspects of wrongdoing, particularly Shen Qinghuai and the anonymous “Detective Old Wang.”

• Accepted fabricated photographs as proof that Shen Qinghuai had ulterior motives for marrying Shi Bochuan. 32
• Hired Detective Old Wang to collect supposed evidence of Shen Qinghuai’s incompetence and misuse of company resources. 33 34
• Successfully traced the video editor’s IP address, delivery box, and Room A02 address to identify Shi Jihan as Detective Old Wang. 51
• His conclusions are often undermined by Shi Jihan’s absurd evidence and his own readiness to believe the worst. 32 34

Equipment / Items

• Face-insurance policy — A symbol of Zhongye’s vanity and concern for his appearance. 28
• Steel helmet — Worn at breakfast to defend against Shi Jihan’s forehead flicks. 37
• Detective Old Wang reports — Paid “evidence” used in his investigation of Shen Qinghuai. 33 34

Relationships

• Shi Jihan — Younger brother and principal source of Zhongye’s headaches. Zhongye returns home determined to expose him, but Shi Jihan repeatedly exploits his temper, money, and gullibility for Malice Points. 29 34 51
• Shi Bochuan — Eldest brother. Zhongye is suspicious of Shi Bochuan’s marriage but remains involved in family affairs and later helps plan the make-up wedding. 28 50
• Shen Qinghuai — Brother-in-law whom Zhongye initially views as a gold-digger and possible fraud. His attempts to expose Shen repeatedly backfire. 32 33
• Xiao Yuan — Zhongye’s former first love and Burning Bones counterpart. He admits that he dated Xiao Yuan because he wanted “that face,” though their unresolved attachment continues to affect them both. 37 63
• Zhou Jingcheng — A close associate Zhongye treats as an external brain for family and business problems. Their relationship is marked by sarcastic exchanges, mutual irritation, and Zhou’s frequent refusal to take Zhongye’s crises seriously. 32 33 46
• Zhou Zeyang — Zhou Jingcheng’s younger brother and a member of Zhongye’s film crew. Zhongye is repeatedly forced to manage the consequences of Zeyang and Shi Jihan’s schemes. 45 46

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return to the Shi Family

• Secretly returns to City A after receiving the wedding invitation, suspecting Shi Jihan and Shen Qinghuai of plotting against the family. 28
• Endures Shi Jihan’s face-themed welcome party, culminating in his removal of all mirrors from his room. 29
• Becomes increasingly alienated when he discovers Zhou Jingcheng enjoying the celebration despite claiming to be busy. 29

Investigation of Shen Qinghuai

• Receives forged “intimate photos” and assumes they prove Shen Qinghuai deceived Shi Bochuan into marriage. 32
• Employs the anonymous Detective Old Wang, unknowingly paying Shi Jihan for fabricated evidence. 33 34
• Eventually traces Old Wang’s identity to Shi Jihan through the uploader’s IP address and delivery information. 51

Film Production

• Activates the Burning Bones storyline by seeking a script for his next production. 37
• Loses investment, cuts costs, and directs a production built around inexperienced actors and a severely restricted budget. 45
• Assigns Shi Jihan recruitment duties, only for him to recruit twenty eccentric students and exhaust the budget intended for thirty workers and a stage manager. 46 47
• Gradually loses control of the set as Shi Jihan’s chaotic rewrites and improvisations unexpectedly improve the crew’s performances. 52 53

Zhou Family Succession Scheme

• Becomes involved when Shi Jihan and Zhou Jingcheng attempt to portray Zhou Zeyang as a capable, ambitious successor in order to mislead Universe’s board. 97
• Watches Zeyang’s staged executive entrance, corporate speech, and cafeteria appearance collapse into increasingly obvious farce. 97

Trivia

• Zhongye considers Shen Qinghuai’s cooking merely “average” while repeatedly reaching for more. 33
• He once described himself as loving exercise after struggling up the villa stairs with two suitcases rather than using the nearby elevator. 29
• Shi Jihan’s pranks led Zhongye to jokingly conclude that he must have owed his younger brother a debt in a previous life. 51