Qin Ci

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Qin Ci (秦辞) 14
Alias(es)	Young Master Qin; Karl, the name Lah uses for him in Hawaii 19 248
Gender	Male 19
Affiliation	Qin family; his racing team; his music ensemble, later disbanded 19 229 233
Occupation/Role	Wealthy Qin family heir, racing-team owner, music-ensemble founder, and café owner 19 169 230
Family	Son of Minister Qin; cousin of Lü Tianyi 237 240
Education	Completed a bachelor's degree overseas, taking two extra years to graduate 14
Status	In a mutually acknowledged romantic relationship with Xie Zhitan; marriage is discussed but not shown 252
First Appearance	Arrives at a private restaurant in a limited-edition Koenigsegg 14

Background / History

Qin Ci and Xie Zhitan were classmates throughout elementary and middle school, but barely interacted during their three middle-school years. Qin avoided studying, dreamed of becoming the Imperial Capital's crime boss, and had others do his homework. Outside class, he played basketball and performed on the violin 14 43 245.

His family sent him overseas after high school. While Qin took two additional years to complete his bachelor's degree, Xie finished his doctorate. Living in the same apartment building abroad brought them closer, and they returned to China at the same time. Qin continued an idle, wealthy lifestyle while Xie became a teacher at Imperial University 14 43.

The Qin family's influence comes from politics rather than dealings with the Xie family's businesses. As Minister Qin rises in rank, scrutiny of the family increases, and Qin Ci faces tighter restrictions—including bans on racing and extreme sports. His father also pressures him to start a company and later orders him abroad to avoid political fallout from a traffic incident 169 229 247.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and muscular, with a broad chest, strongly defined forearms, and eight-pack abs 156 243 244.
• Complexion: Bronze skin; his darker tan in Hawaii later makes him self-conscious about intimacy 230 249.
• Hands: Calloused palms, contrasted with Xie Zhitan's smoother hands 240.
• Clothing: Often wears casual, conspicuously masculine outfits, including a deep-V black shirt, loose cargo pants, and hoodies. He wears a suit at Hua Jian's recognition banquet but rolls up his sleeves before a confrontation 156 230 232.
• Childhood appearance: Just over 160 centimeters tall in his first year of middle school, with a boyish face and a cocky, toothy grin that Xie still recognizes in adulthood 241.

Personality

Qin Ci is profane, impulsive, and accustomed to being obeyed. He treats refusal as an affront to his status: when Xie declines to bend course requirements for Shu Yao, Qin demands an exception and later claims that friendship with him is a favor to the “insignificant” Xie family. His confrontations frequently involve threats, although he leaves the restaurant dispute without striking either Xie or Hua Jian 14 19.

His pride conceals acute insecurity about his intelligence and worth. Xie's calm responses often feel to him like condescension, and he repeatedly assumes that Xie regards him as a stupid, worthless rich kid. He counters those fears by emphasizing his appearance, athleticism, musical ability, and stamina 43 232 243 246.

Qin can be loyal and protective. He rewards Xue Pan for saving him, defends Hua Jian from malicious gossip, stays overnight to ensure an intoxicated Xie is safe, and fiercely rejects insults directed at Xie. He also opposes drug use and warns Jiang Yueming against becoming involved with it 21 156 191 192 231.

His attachment to Xie combines tenderness with possessiveness and repeated boundary violations. He apologizes when he recognizes a misunderstanding, avoids smoking because Xie dislikes the smell, and eagerly accepts household rules. Nevertheless, he also intrudes on Xie's work, pursues him after rejection, initiates unwanted physical contact, and threatens potential romantic rivals 171 232 240 241 243.

Abilities & Skills

Hearing Hua Jian's Thoughts

Qin Ci can hear Hua Jian's unspoken thoughts, giving him access to commentary Hua never intended to share 38 43 154.

• His attempt to hire Hua Jian is partly motivated by wanting to hear those thoughts more often; after abandoning the offer, he decides to visit UP instead 38.
• He reacts to Hua's silent insults and explicitly tells him to stop making snide remarks “in your head” 43 154.
• Hearing Hua's thoughts makes him feel unusually close to Hua despite their limited time together 190.
• Hua's observations about Qin's unrequited feelings for Xie can still wound him, even after he becomes accustomed to the inner commentary 229.
• The supplied passages establish this ability with Hua Jian, not unrestricted mind-reading 154 190.

Music

• Plays the violin, including performances during middle school 243 245.
• Plays the drums and uses his northern-suburbs villa for band rehearsals 230.
• Forms a music ensemble, but seeks Xie's financial advice and resists a recommendation to commission a risk assessment 169 170.

Driving and Racing

• Owns a racing team and regularly drives luxury sports cars 19 231.
• Participates in the South Mountain racing scene and plans further laps after having Hua tune his car 20 38.
• His driving can be reckless: Xie has to remind him of a sixty-kilometer-per-hour speed limit after he accelerates to one hundred 231.

Athletics and Aviation

• Plays basketball from middle school onward 241 245.
• Holds a pilot's license and describes his skiing ability as better than that of an average competitive skier 243.
• Enjoys surfing, sailing, rafting, skydiving, and other extreme sports 150 247 248.

Fighting and Investigative Resources

• His strength and readiness to fight intimidate the gossipers at Hua Jian's recognition banquet 156.
• Uses Jiang Yueming and other contacts to investigate Huo Bing and gather information about Hua Yingrou 154 156 230.
• Can summon prominent lawyer Dill Jones in Fog City and cover a restaurant's bills and medical expenses to contain a public confrontation 240.
• Carries a gun in Fog City; its visible presence helps deter would-be robbers while he walks home with Xie 241.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Limited-edition Koenigsegg — The car in which he arrives at his first restaurant meeting with Xie and Shu Yao 14.
• Limited-edition black sports car — A new model used to collect Xie from the airport; Xie later smashes its windshield and dents its hood 231 234.
• Yellow sports car — Used during his pursuit of Xie in Fog City 239 241.
• Handgun — Carried at his waist during the nighttime walk through Fog City 241.
• Northern-suburbs villa — Hosts musicians and band rehearsals; Xie Zhiyan later expresses interest in buying it after the orchestra disbands 169 230 233.
• Shengyuan Road café — Acquired before the New Year near Imperial University. Qin buys it for amusement and dislikes the extra customers Hua brings in 230.
• Private-jet access — Allows him to return abruptly from an overseas trip and later leave China on his father's orders 151 247.

Relationships

• Xie Zhitan — Childhood classmate, former overseas neighbor, and eventual romantic partner. Their relationship moves through estrangement, jealous pursuit, trial cohabitation, separation, and reconciliation. By their final exchange, both explicitly declare their love, and Xie offers marriage 14 243 244 252.
• Hua Jian — Initially an object of contempt and threats, later a source of valuable information, an ally, and a mediator with Xie. Qin hears his thoughts, tries to recruit him, and eventually defends him from gossip 19 38 154 156 190.
• Shu Yao — Early romantic interest whom Qin introduces to Xie. Qin later rejects his explanations about other men, tells him to stay away, and warns Chun Lin that Shu is dangerous 14 156 192.
• Jiang Yueming — Friend, assistant, investigator, and frequent target of Qin's insults. Jiang's father serves as Minister Qin's right-hand man; after his own funds are frozen, Jiang helps organize Qin's business venture 150 190 230.
• Minister Qin — Father whose political career restricts Qin's freedom. He pressures Qin to establish a company, confines him after a fight, and sends him overseas after the roadside collision 169 229 233 247.
• Lü Tianyi — Younger cousin who helps him rent the Fog City apartment and supplies updates about Xie's whereabouts. Qin scolds him harshly but also checks on his health and possible drug use 237 238 239.
• Huo Bing — Former middle-school classmate and rejected admirer. Huo's imitation of Xie and the bullying complaint become central to Qin and Xie's later conflict 232 240 245.
• Xue Pan — Saves Qin during the South Mountain incident and receives an offer of 200,000 yuan in gratitude 21.
• Bo Lin — Powerful figure Qin is wary of provoking. Bo later quietly helps create an opportunity for Qin and Xie to reconnect 23 38 43 247.
• Chun Lin — Antagonistic bargaining partner who exchanges information about Hua Yingrou for Qin's help investigating Shu Yao 192.
• Lah — Italian surfer and unwanted suitor in Hawaii. Qin repeatedly rejects his advances; Lah's pursuit helps provoke Xie's jealousy 248 249.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Shu Yao and the Break with Xie

• Qin introduces Shu Yao to Xie, orders spicy dishes without considering Xie's discomfort, and demands that Shu be admitted to Xie's course without fulfilling its academic requirements 14.
• Hua Jian's thoughts describe an original-plot outcome in which Qin reports Xie for seducing a student and costs him his job. This is foreknowledge, not an event established as having occurred in the current storyline 14.
• After Qin insults Hua at lunch, Xie rejects his claim to friendship and orders him out. Hua nevertheless exchanges contact details with Qin to gain access to his racing team 19.

South Mountain and Interest in Hua Jian

• Qin is injured during the South Mountain incident, rewards Xue Pan for saving him, and searches for the unidentified passenger who tuned his car and rode with him—unaware that the man is Hua 21.
• At UP, he seeks answers from Hua about their encounter, but Bo Lin redirects him 23.
• Qin offers Hua one million yuan per month to work for him, raising the offer to two million when refused. He abandons the plan after learning of Hua's connection with Bo. Hua then confronts Zhao Kai over secretly tampering with Qin's car and nearly killing him 38.

Repairing Contact and Shifting Loyalties

• Believing Cui Zhao may have hurt Xie, Qin rushes to investigate. Unable to contact Xie because he has been blocked, he later uses Dick Poulton's proposed visit as an excuse to seek him out 48 50.
• He warns Xie about Fu Ruan's powerful backing, apologizes for the restaurant incident, and persuades Xie to restore contact 90.
• Qin gathers information about Hua Yingrou for Xie, asks Hua to mediate when Xie avoids him, and delivers the file at Hua's recognition banquet. There, he also defends Hua from gossip and rejects Shu Yao's excuses 154 156.

The Ensemble and Growing Jealousy

• Under pressure from his father to start a company, Qin establishes a music ensemble and asks Xie for help. His confidence rests partly on being able to absorb any losses 169 170.
• Xie's request for pianist Zhang Xiaoran's contact details triggers Qin's jealousy. Xie subsequently explains that he suspects Zhang and wants him investigated and removed; Qin apologizes and offers to contact the ensemble director 170 171.
• Qin later accepts Chun Lin's bargain to investigate Shu Yao in exchange for information locating Hua Yingrou. After she is found, he abandons his Sea City plans to return with Xie 192 193.

Huo Bing and the Fog City Confrontation

• Qin investigates Huo Bing after an unexpected reunion. Huo offers school photographs of Xie, and Qin discovers that Xie is named in evidence connected to Huo's alleged middle-school bullying 230 232.
• A bar fight leaves Qin injured and confined at home. Meanwhile, Xie receives an anonymous complaint about his professional conduct and past bullying, and suspects Qin's involvement 233 234.
• Xie violently rejects Qin at a nightclub and damages his car. Qin does not retaliate against Xie; instead, he orders Jiang to capture Huo so the matter can be investigated 234 235.
• After Xie moves to Fog City, Qin rents the adjoining apartment. A jealous restaurant confrontation leads him to deny conspiring with Huo and explain that Huo had been imitating Xie to attract him 237 240.
• On their walk home, Qin again presses for restored contact. His coercive hallway advances culminate in a kiss, which Xie eventually returns after reversing their positions 241.

Trial Cohabitation and Separation

• After spending the night together, Qin declares himself Xie's boyfriend. Xie agrees to trial cohabitation, requiring Qin to be home by nine, avoid drunken returns, keep smoking and drinking out of the home, invite no guests, and leave his work uninterrupted 243.
• Repeated rejection leaves Qin feeling unwanted. He moves out, takes his passport, and blocks Xie; four months later, they encounter one another again in the Imperial Capital 244.
• Qin refuses Xie's attempts to talk at their school reunion. Following a collision caused by a drunk driver, he also rejects Xie's panicked offer of a relationship as pity, while admitting that he still likes him 245 246.
• A breath test establishes that Qin was sober. His father nevertheless sends him abroad over concerns about political fallout 247.

Hawaii Reconciliation

• Qin chooses Hawaii for surfing but finds his favorite activities increasingly unrewarding. Xie comes to find him, believes his explanation about Lah's unwanted pursuit, and apologizes for the drunk-driving accusation 248.
• Their reunion exposes Qin's fear of abandonment: believing Xie has left his suite, he breaks down, then clings to him when Xie returns with luggage 249.
• Qin finally declares his love and confronts Xie about the pain of being shut out after intimacy. Xie apologizes and begins expressing his own feelings openly 250 251.
• Xie subsequently asks them to be together, says he is willing to marry Qin, and returns Qin's declaration of love 252.

Notable Quotes

“Xie Zhitan, I do like you. I still do. But I haven't sunk so low that I need your charity.” 246

“He was just bad at studying. He just wasn't as smart as Xie Zhitan.”

Qin's self-assessment while struggling to understand Xie's apparent disdain 243.

Trivia

• “Fat Pancake” is Huo Bing's nickname, not Qin Ci's. Huo uses it to remind Qin who he is during their reunion 230.
• Qin saves Xie in his phone as “Academic God” and angrily retrieves the phone when Jiang declines Xie's call 150.
• Xie initially assumes Qin's overseas party companions are sexual partners. Later passages distinguish Qin's noisy social life from promiscuity, and Qin's only two sexual experiences before the Hawaii reunion are stated to have been with Xie 169 249.