Cheng Yang

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Cheng Yang (程洋)
Alias(es)	“Brother Yang,” an address used by Ning Shile 32
Gender	Male 5
Affiliation	Cheng Family 5
Occupation/Role	Young heir of the Cheng Family; skilled hacker 5 32
Status	Alive at his latest documented appearance 101
First Appearance	Cheng Corporation’s launch event 5

Background / History

Childhood with Ning Shile

Cheng Yang grew up alongside Ning Shile, attending the same elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. His teasing frequently irritated Ning: he splashed water on him, took his homework notebook, and demanded to be called “big brother” before returning it. He also hid Ning’s lunch box to make him fetch food and remain beside him while he ate 5 6 44.

Their history includes a much more serious incident. When Ning’s relatives accused him of pushing his grandmother down the stairs, Cheng Yang intervened and took him away from their mistreatment. Although Cheng Yang was only five or six at the time, he remembered Ning’s distress twenty years later and remained determined to uncover the truth 95 96.

Fate in the Original Novel

According to Ning Shile’s recollection of I Love You More Than Him, Cheng Yang attempted to expose his father’s abuse of his mother at a company launch. His father’s secretary betrayed the plan, allowing Cheng An to suppress the evidence, brutally beat his son, and send him abroad to fend for himself 5.

Overseas, Cheng Yang was supposed to study computer technology and encounter a highly skilled but unscrupulous hacker. After an evenly matched online confrontation, Cheng Yang would win and become a legend 45.

Launch Scandal and Hospitalization

At the Cheng Corporation launch, Cheng Yang prepared to replace the project presentation with surveillance footage documenting Cheng An’s violence and psychological abuse of his wife. Ning Shile, knowing that the original plan would fail, distracted Cheng An; Zheng Father also interrupted the secretary before she could reveal Cheng Yang’s intentions 5 6.

The secretary seized the USB drive and claimed to be pregnant with Cheng Yang’s child. He hesitated because exposing the family could harm the supposed child’s future, despite his desire to obtain justice for his mother. Ning’s thoughts revealed that the secretary had drugged Cheng Yang and deceived him into believing they had slept together; the pregnancy was actually Cheng An’s 6.

The abuse footage nevertheless played publicly. During the ensuing confrontation, Cheng Yang recognized the secretary’s deception and felt relieved: he had dated her out of responsibility, not attraction. Even after her betrayal, he ordered someone to call a doctor when he saw her bleeding 6 7.

Cheng An then attacked him in front of guests and reporters. Cheng Yang refused to dodge, mocked his father, and eventually collapsed. Zheng Ye stopped Cheng An from striking him with a chair, restrained the man, and waited for the police. Cheng Yang was taken to hospital 7 8.

Affection and Plans to Go Abroad

While hospitalized, Cheng Yang agreed to help Ning Shile take control of a website. His willingness to assist came with familiar teasing, which later included invoking the favor to make Ning fetch his dinner 32 44.

He gave Ning a small cat ornament that had reminded him of him. When Ning joked that keeping the ornament sounded like he had missed him, Cheng Yang quietly confirmed it 44.

Cheng Yang later announced that he was going abroad and asked whether Ning would miss him. Ning promised he would, but described his engagement to Zheng Ye as a stand-in arrangement with nothing between them. When Zheng arrived, Cheng Yang warned him to treat Ning well and demonstrated access to Zheng Corporation’s surveillance system. After they left, his lonely reflections framed his crush as an unspoken, solitary struggle 45.

After the World Restart

Following the world restart, Ning Shile and Cheng Yang were childhood acquaintances who had barely communicated recently. Their last conversation had been a birthday greeting a year earlier. Ning became concerned when Cheng Yang failed to answer a new message and went to the Cheng residence with Zheng Ye 87 92 93.

They found Cheng Yang chained beside his bed, handcuffed, and severely injured after his attempt to expose Cheng An had been thwarted. Ning unlocked his restraints and offered him a place to stay. Cheng Yang initially welcomed the rescue, but refused to leave when Cheng An produced a disk he needed to help someone he loved. He pushed Ning away and remained behind; Ning secretly left with a USB drive containing evidence against Cheng An 94.

Ning arranged for the abuse footage to be livestreamed. Police arrested Cheng An and found Cheng Yang beaten unconscious at home, treating the violence and unlawful confinement as attempted murder 95.

In hospital, Cheng Yang revealed that the disk contained surveillance footage of the incident involving Ning’s grandmother. Its damaged section had been deliberately corrupted. He had learned hacking to restore it and planned to seek an overseas contact who might help. When Ning asked whether he had a crush on him, Cheng Yang denied it with a strained smile 95 96.

Zheng Ye offered his overseas resources to locate the contact. With that assistance, Cheng Yang found the specialist and worked with him to restore the footage. He delivered it to Ning Grandfather as a birthday present; after viewing it, Grandfather became critically ill and later apologized to Ning for having wronged him 96 101.

Appearance

Cheng Yang is introduced as a young man seemingly around Ning Shile’s age. His disheveled black hair falls over his eyes during the launch confrontation 5 8.

• Habitual presentation: A deliberately rebellious, rakish pose and mocking smile that Ning finds irritating 6.
• Hospital clothing: Blue-and-white patient pajamas 44.
• Injuries after the restart: Cuts, cigarette burns, bleeding head wounds, and neck injuries from an iron chain; blows to his eyes leave his vision blurred 94.

Personality

Cheng Yang often disguises his desire for Ning’s attention as teasing or bossy demands. He enjoys provoking Ning’s temper, yet becomes vulnerable when asking whether Ning will miss him. His thoughtful gift and private loneliness expose feelings that his usual manner conceals 44 45.

He takes relationships and responsibility seriously. Believing he had slept with the secretary, he dated her despite not liking women. Her pregnancy claim made him weigh a supposed child’s welfare against justice for his mother, and he still sought medical help after discovering her deception 6 7.

His loyalty can become self-endangering. He remains under Cheng An’s control rather than abandon the evidence needed to clear Ning’s name. At the same time, he is ashamed of being seen injured and tries to hide his condition when Ning finds him chained up 94 95.

Abilities & Skills

Hacking and Network Access

• Agrees to Ning’s request to take control of a website, treating the task as manageable 32.
• Demonstrates access to Zheng Corporation’s surveillance system while warning Zheng Ye to protect Ning 45.
• Limit: Cannot independently locate his overseas contact through a closed forum where users employ virtual IP addresses; he accepts Zheng Ye’s help 96.

Surveillance Footage Restoration

• Learned hacking specifically to recover footage connected to Ning’s childhood accusation 96.
• Recognizes that the distortion in the recording was deliberate 96.
• Restores the footage with an overseas specialist, though the work requires considerable effort 101.

Equipment / Items

• Launch-event USB drive — Carries surveillance evidence of Cheng An abusing Cheng Yang’s mother; its contents are shown at the company presentation 5 6.
• Childhood surveillance disk — Contains deliberately corrupted footage of the incident involving Ning’s grandmother. Cheng An uses it to prevent Cheng Yang from leaving; its restoration becomes Cheng Yang’s central objective 94 96 101.
• Small cat ornament — Purchased because it reminded him of Ning Shile, then given to Ning during a hospital visit 44.

Relationships

• Ning Shile — Childhood companion and unrequited crush. Their antagonistic banter coexists with Cheng Yang’s enduring concern for Ning’s childhood trauma and efforts to clear his name 5 45 95 96.
• Cheng An — Father and abuser. Cheng Yang attempts to expose his crimes against his mother; Cheng An retaliates with violence, confinement, and control over evidence Cheng Yang needs 5 8 94 95.
• Cheng Yang’s mother — Deceased mother. Her abuse, psychological manipulation, and suicide motivate his attempt to expose Cheng An 5 6.
• Cheng An’s secretary — Former girlfriend who deceived him into believing they had slept together. She betrays his exposure plan and falsely claims that her pregnancy is his 6 7.
• Zheng Ye — Romantic rival and eventual collaborator. Cheng Yang warns him to treat Ning well, but later accepts his assistance in finding the specialist needed to restore Ning’s childhood footage 45 96 101.
• Overseas specialist — Forum contact whose expertise helps Cheng Yang recover the damaged surveillance recording 96 101.

Notable Quotes

“Treat Lele well, you hear me?” — Warning Zheng Ye before Ning leaves the hospital 45

“I care.” — Interrupting Ning Shile’s attempt to dismiss the pain of his childhood accusation 95

“Even if I can't, I'll find another way.” — Promising to keep trying to restore the footage that could clear Ning’s name 96