He Zhen

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	He Zhen (贺镇)
Alias(es)	Zhen; “He-baby” in Yao Tao’s thoughts 3 15
Gender	Male
Affiliation	He family; university Class 7 12 29 37
Occupation/Role	Sophomore student; Class 7 representative/president; dorm-room leader; volunteer model for art students 1 12 33 37
Narrative Role	The devoted second male lead in the novel Yao Tao has read 19
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Background / History

He Zhen grew up with Wei Fang and Tang Zhao and was also close to Han Qinglu, Zeng Rou, and Zhao Yixiao’s circle. As a child, he followed Han Qinglu around and called the older members of their group “big brother” and “big sister.” His attachment to Fu Xin gradually displaced these friendships, leading him to cancel plans or leave whenever she contacted him 1 14 19 36.

Fu Xin saved He Zhen when they were young. He later regarded his longstanding devotion to her partly through that debt, although he comes to believe he has already repaid it; he notes that her family reached middle-class standing through the He family’s assistance. He confessed to her three times without receiving a clear acceptance, while she continued to describe them publicly as childhood friends 6 24 29.

During his sophomore year, He Zhen began hearing the thoughts of Yao Tao, a quiet classmate seated behind him to his left. Her first audible thought asked him to stop liking Fu Xin. Her references to characters, plot developments, and future tragedies eventually led him to consider that his world might be a book and that Yao Tao had transmigrated into it as a reader 1 19.

Appearance

• Handsome face and expressive smile: His looks attract admirers across campus. Zeng Rou describes his genuine smile as infectious but remarks that she has rarely seen it lately 7 15.
• Well-defined fingers: Yao Tao notices them when he moves to examine Fu Xin’s injured ankle 3.
• Strong hands: He catches Yao Tao around the waist and pulls her back before she falls 32.
• Visible embarrassment: His ears turn red in response to Yao Tao’s praise and romantic fantasies 15 22.
• Popular art model: He models for students repeatedly, including a free Arts Department portrait session 1 34 37.

Personality

He Zhen is courteous, restrained, and accustomed to keeping his feelings private. He usually responds with a gentle smile, even when uncomfortable. This polished manner can make him seem distant: Zhang Yuan initially considers his smile artificial, while Zeng Rou dislikes how his composure makes an angry person appear unreasonable 1 3 11 13.

His devotion to Fu Xin initially overrides his own needs. He waits for her before eating, excuses her unreliable plans, and repeatedly neglects friends to help her. As he recognizes this imbalance, he begins refusing requests and asserting that caring for someone does not obligate him to accept being their fallback 15 28 29 36.

Yao Tao brings out a more playful and visibly emotional side of him. Her thoughts irritate, embarrass, and amuse him; he teases her, notices her preferences, and becomes curious about her life beyond the quiet persona she presents. By Chapter 48, he realizes that he does not particularly prefer sweet, silent girls, contrary to Yao Tao’s assumptions 20 22 30 48.

His composure also becomes a practical strength. Under Auntie Liu’s persistent questioning, he states the facts without agitation, reassures Yao Tao, and supports calling the police rather than yielding to intimidation 45.

Abilities & Skills

Hearing Yao Tao’s Thoughts

He Zhen can hear Yao Tao’s inner voice even when she says nothing aloud. The ability first manifests during his sophomore year; its cause is not explained in the supplied chapters 1.

• Detects concealed feelings: Her attraction, jealousy, and deliberate performance of shyness are audible to him 11 15 42.
• Reveals personal preferences: He gives her dragon-fruit cake after hearing that she wants it, despite her spoken claim that she will eat anything 20.
• Provides possible foreknowledge: He hears warnings about Han Qinglu, Zeng Rou, and Wei Fang’s original-story futures 10 14 34.
• Works during sleep: He hears Yao Tao’s dreams and fantasies while she sleeps in his bedroom 25.
• Cannot be blocked by covering his ears: The thoughts are not ordinary speech 26.
• Does not provide complete or verified answers: Yao Tao changes subjects before explaining some warnings, and he seeks outside investigation because he cannot establish whether her claims are true 10 12 37.

Leadership and Organization

As Class 7’s representative, He Zhen manages activities and addresses disruptions without abandoning his responsibilities 10 12 42.

• Redirects the class outing from a barbecue to public-garden tree planting 10.
• Proposes rearranging planting partners when students abandon their work and helps organize the class back into productive activity 12 13.
• Separates Qin Zhen and Fu Xin when Qin’s grip hurts her, then orders their personal dispute away from Class 7’s entrance 42.

Basketball

He Zhen treats competition seriously rather than dismissing a match as a social formality 5.

• Accepts Qin Zhen’s challenge and insists that giving less than his best would disrespect his opponent 5.
• Plays Qin Zhen to a tie, despite Yao Tao expecting the original story’s male lead to win 5 7.

Caretaking

He Zhen responds patiently to Yao Tao’s intoxication and repeatedly prevents her from injuring herself 24 25.

• Covers her with his jacket, catches or cushions her when she stumbles, and calls Aunt Zhang for help 24.
• Gives her his bedroom, plans to sleep on the sofa, and checks on her through the night 25.
• Provides warm hangover soup and a sandwich the following morning 26.

Health and Dietary Preferences

• Stomach discomfort: He experiences recurring discomfort associated with irregular meals and waiting for Fu Xin. Han Qinglu notices him holding his stomach and arranges medicine through Cheng Yu 2 15.
• Spicy-food sensitivity: Yao Tao warns him that spicy dishes upset his stomach and prevents Fu Xin from giving him a spicy meatball 3 4.
• Durian pastries: His fondness for them is connected to a private childhood memory known only to him and his mother. Yao Tao’s knowledge of the preference initially unsettles him 2.
• Predicted illness: Yao Tao identifies his habits as foreshadowing a stomach perforation and later loss of part of his stomach in the original novel. These are warnings about that storyline, not confirmed events in the supplied chapters 2 9.

Items

• Yao Tao’s glittering hair clip: He keeps it in his pocket after her overnight stay. Touching it helps steady him during Fu Xin’s visit 28.
• Stomach medicine: Cheng Yu places medicine for digestion and stomach protection in his locker at Han Qinglu’s request 15.
• Jacket: He uses it to cover the sleeping Yao Tao during the journey to his apartment 24.

Relationships

• Yao Tao — Classmate whose thoughts he can hear. Initial discomfort with her fixation develops into curiosity, protectiveness, and suspected romantic attraction. Their campus pairing is called “He Tao,” but they are not officially together when the shipping thread appears 2 19 33 42.
• Fu Xin — Childhood friend and longtime unrequited love. He increasingly rejects her expectations of unconditional availability, although concern for her continues to complicate his attempts to move on 24 29 42 50.
• Wei Fang — Childhood friend and basketball companion. After hearing Yao Tao’s prediction of family betrayal and a disabling injury, He Zhen resolves to investigate 1 34.
• Tang Zhao — Childhood friend who bluntly urges him to find someone else and confront his excessive devotion to Fu Xin 1 7.
• Han Qinglu — Older childhood friend whom he once followed everywhere. She quietly watches over his health; realizing their estrangement encourages him to repair old bonds 14 15.
• Zeng Rou — Childhood friend who confronts him over abandoned plans. She accepts his apology and later enthusiastically encourages his connection with Yao Tao 13 14 17.
• Cheng Yu — Member of his longstanding circle and Han Qinglu’s partner. Her reciprocated romance with Han Qinglu helps him reassess his own one-sided attachment 15 20.
• Zhao Yixiao — Childhood-circle friend who mediates confrontations and explains He Zhen’s changed response to Fu Xin’s hospital request 13 19 20.
• Qin Zhen — Basketball opponent and rival for Fu Xin’s affection. Qin later mistakes He Zhen’s withdrawal for a strategy to win her back; He Zhen rejects that interpretation 5 7 42.
• Zhan Yan — Mother. She doubts that his interest in another girl represents a genuine departure from Fu Xin 24.
• He Sheng — Father. He dislikes his younger half-brother Zhao Xu but does not prevent He Zhen from maintaining contact with him 37.
• Zhao Xu — Paternal uncle and private investigator. He readily agrees to help, refuses payment, and returns He Zhen’s money with an additional eight hundred 37.
• Aunt Zhang — Caretaker since childhood, living next door to his apartment. She helps care for Yao Tao, encourages their connection, and defends him against Fu Xin’s accusations 24 25 29.
• Zhang Yuan and Ning Tianci — Roommates who notice his changing expressions and preoccupation with Yao Tao. Ning Tianci advises him to get to know her directly 11 33 37.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Questioning His Devotion

• Yao Tao’s commentary and his friends’ criticism make He Zhen question whether he habitually grants Fu Xin every wish 1 5.
• He refuses food from Fu Xin’s plate and leaves her in Qin Zhen’s care rather than automatically staying 5.
• After the basketball tie, he makes Fu Xin choose who will accompany her to the hospital. She leaves with Qin Zhen 7.
• He adds Yao Tao on WeChat himself and unpins Fu Xin’s chat as he begins doubting whether his attachment is truly love 9.

Changing the Outing and Repairing Friendships

• He avoids the anticipated romantic “battlefield” by steering Class 7 toward tree planting, then seeks Yao Tao’s company to learn more from her thoughts 9 10 11.
• Zeng Rou confronts him for leaving her and Han Qinglu in the rain. Hearing that her resentment could lead to a fatal confrontation in the original story, he apologizes and helps Yao Tao join their circle 14.
• During the ensuing gathering, he recognizes Yao Tao as a reader who knows his supposed role in a novel 19.
• He remains at the celebration after Fu Xin requests hospital companionship, arranging for her parents to go instead. He then states that Fu Xin is not—and will never be—his girlfriend 20 21.

Growing Attachment to Yao Tao

• He cares for Yao Tao after she becomes drunk and blocks Fu Xin following a flood of accusatory messages 23 24 25.
• During a cafeteria disturbance, he catches Yao Tao when Fu Xin nearly pulls her down. Photos of the rescue make “He Tao” the school forum’s leading topic 32 33.
• He becomes unsettled when Yao Tao declines a Friday invitation, while still denying to his roommates that he likes her 33.
• News that Zhong Shengtai’s group has taken Yao Tao away sends him rushing to find her. By Chapter 42, he privately thinks he probably likes her 39 42.

Investigating Warnings and Maintaining Boundaries

• He asks Zhao Xu to investigate after taking Yao Tao’s troubling claims seriously 34 37.
• He publicly denies romantic involvement with Fu Xin and rejects Qin Zhen’s accusation that his distance is a calculated courtship tactic 42.
• He calmly supports Yao Tao during questioning and challenges Zhong Wen to explain why he fears involving the police 45.
• When Fu Xin takes his bag, he unblocks her and searches for her despite his doubts. He finds her with Guan Xingchen and witnesses their kiss, prompting him to reassess her tears as a means of manipulating his care 50.

Notable Quotes

“I take every match seriously. Not giving it your all is disrespectful to your opponent.” 5

“Fu Xin, do I have no self-respect?” 28

“Don't make other people bear the consequences of your own mistakes.” 35

“Just tell them straight. We have nothing to fear even if the police come.” 45