Gu Shang

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Gu Shang (顾商)
Alias(es)	Mr. Gu; President Gu 5 25 30
Gender	Male
Age	27 16
Affiliation	Gu family; Gu Group, also called the Gu Corporation 1 6
Occupation/Role	Head of the Gu family; leader of the family businesses; founder of a publicly listed company 1 6
Spouse	Ji Mingzhu 11
Residence	Gu Residence, where he and Ji Mingzhu are usually the only family members living full-time 12
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 1; speaks by telephone in Chapter 3; appears in an office scene in Chapter 5 1 3 5

Background / History

Education and business career

Gu Shang became known as a “boy genius” in his teens and went abroad to study at an early age. Before inheriting the Gu family businesses, he founded a publicly listed company of his own. He also pursued his master’s and doctorate while managing the family business 6 16.

After taking over the Gu Corporation, he carried out a sweeping overhaul that threatened employees who had obtained positions through connections, including those in small subsidiaries. His authority within the family became absolute, and his methods earned him a ruthless reputation 1 6.

Despite his prominence, Gu Shang maintains a low public profile. He gives only basic interviews and avoids appearing in financial magazines 6.

Origins of the marriage

Gu Shang was personally raised by his grandfather, Gu Xuan, to become the family’s heir. As Gu Xuan’s health deteriorated, members of the extended family waited for an opportunity to claim his fortune, while Gu Shang’s immediate family continued seeking treatment for him 8 16.

After privately consulting a Taoist priest, Gu Xuan abruptly ordered Gu Shang to marry a child of the Ji family. Gu Shang accepted to fulfill his grandfather’s wish, regarding marriage as a matter of appearances and believing he would never fall in love 8.

The Ji family chose Ji Mingzhu as the substitute for their favored son, Ji Zhian, because they feared Gu Shang’s temperament. Cao Wanhua also tried to persuade Mingzhu to steal confidential Gu family information after the wedding, but he refused 1.

Appearance

Gu Shang is tall and broad-shouldered, with a muscular build and a stern, handsome face 5 7 18.

• Complexion: A healthy honey shade associated with regular exercise 5.
• Eyes: Sharp, faintly gray eyes, also described as narrow and phoenix-shaped 7 29 40.
• Features: Dark brows and sharply defined facial contours 5.
• Voice: Low and magnetic, with a faint metallic rasp 45.
• Clothing: Impeccably cut bespoke clothes; Chu He regularly designs his wardrobe 5 7.

Personality

Gu Shang is disciplined, controlling, and suspicious of motives he cannot verify. He dislikes interruptions to his planned work and wants to understand the thoughts of those around him. At the wedding, he deliberately tests Ji Mingzhu’s supposed aversion to marrying a man rather than accepting his affectionate behavior at face value 9 23.

His distrust is reinforced by repeated attempts to place ambitious potential lovers beside him. He finds affected sweetness, heavy perfume, and calculated flattery repellent. Mingzhu’s apparently natural warmth unsettles him precisely because he cannot identify the usual signs of calculation 14.

Gu Shang does not doubt that his family loves him, but wonders whether their treatment would change if he lost his strength or success. Consequently, he struggles to believe that an unrelated person might care for him without expecting payment or advantage 27.

Although merciless toward outsiders, he is indulgent toward the small circle he considers his own. His growing attachment to Mingzhu appears through practical care, jealousy, and awkward attempts at reassurance long before he acknowledges it openly 16 31 33 47.

Abilities & Skills

Business Management

Gu Shang established his own listed company before assuming control of the Gu family’s businesses 6.

• Conducted a rapid restructuring of the Gu Corporation and its subsidiaries 6.
• Holds decisive authority over company personnel and can demand work reports and performance records 30 31.
• Is described as commanding negotiations with exceptional composure 10.

Academic Aptitude

Gu Shang’s intellectual ability earned him recognition in his teens 6.

• Pursued master’s and doctoral studies alongside business management 16.
• Contrasts his ease with academic and professional demands with his inability to respond smoothly to Mingzhu’s affection 16.

Habits & Health

• Exercise: Trains regularly, plays golf in his free time, and undergoes routine medical checkups 23.
• Smoking and drinking: Rarely does either 23.
• Overwork: May work from morning until night on black coffee without eating, then require medicine when his empty stomach causes discomfort 23.
• Food preferences: Is particular about meals and may eat very little if the food does not suit him. He generally prefers meat to vegetables 23 29.
• Sleep: Has insomnia, sleeps lightly, and is known for morning irritability. After sharing a bed with Mingzhu, he unexpectedly sleeps through the night; his sleep continues improving as they grow closer 19 20 38.

Relationships

• Ji Mingzhu — Husband. Gu Shang initially treats him as a potentially calculating stranger, but gradually becomes protective and receptive to his care 16 27 32 47.
• Gu Xuan — Grandfather and former family head. Raised Gu Shang as his heir and arranged his marriage; Gu Shang accepts the union to fulfill his wish 8 16.
• Shen Yue Ru — Mother. Finds her adult son difficult to persuade and asks Mingzhu to encourage him to rest 20 22.
• Gu Ze — Father. Belongs to Gu Shang’s small trusted family circle; he remains largely silent during the tense breakfast after the wedding 16 20.
• Gu Yan — Younger brother. Looks up to Gu Shang and distrusts Mingzhu, believing he must protect his brother from manipulation. Gu Shang nevertheless rebukes him for antagonizing Mingzhu at breakfast 20 21 27.
• Chu He — Regular clothing designer and friend. Freely teases Gu Shang about Mingzhu and helps awaken his curiosity about his fiancé 5.
• Shan Ziyu — Friend and intermediary. Assists Mingzhu with buying clothes at Gu Shang’s request 3 5.
• Secretary Chen — Secretary. Investigates Mingzhu’s background, reports workplace mistreatment, and carries out Gu Shang’s personnel instructions 26 28 31.
• Uncle Chen — Household butler. Knows Gu Shang’s routines and health habits, and helps Mingzhu understand how to care for him 22 23.
• Ji Yonglin and Cao Wanhua — Parents-in-law. Gu Shang challenges their claims of parental affection after witnessing their threats toward Mingzhu 40 41.
• Ji Zhian — Brother-in-law. Initially fears Gu Shang, then becomes attracted to him and plots to replace Mingzhu or exploit the connection for family resources 3 40 42.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Engagement and Wedding

Before the wedding, Gu Shang sends Shan Ziyu to help Mingzhu buy clothes and personally asks Chu He to make his wardrobe. Reports from both men that Mingzhu differs from his reputation begin to interest him 3 5.

At the wedding, Gu Shang defends Mingzhu’s dignity and places a large, vivid pink diamond ring on his finger. He later feeds him strawberry cake as a test of his willingness to perform marital intimacy, only to be surprised by Mingzhu’s shy acceptance. His instinctive gesture of wiping cream from Mingzhu’s lips contradicts his insistence that he is unaffected 8 9 10.

Establishing Marital Boundaries

At the Gu Residence, Gu Shang’s distance leaves Mingzhu waiting alone and thirsty. When Mingzhu interrupts his meeting and cries after being questioned sharply, Gu Shang feels unexpected guilt and shows unusual patience 12 14.

In private, he promises not to do anything Mingzhu does not want. Mingzhu’s affectionate address of “Hubby” leaves him speechless, and their first night sharing a bed further unsettles his composure. He stops teasing when Mingzhu becomes uncomfortable 15 16 18.

The following morning, Gu Shang gives Mingzhu a black shopping card while telling himself that financial support is all he intends to provide. He later explicitly describes their marriage as a business arrangement: they should appear as a respectful couple publicly but otherwise relate more like colleagues 19 28.

The Homemade Lunch and Wang Chuan

When Mingzhu brings him a homemade meal, Gu Shang initially assumes he wants a reward. Mingzhu’s insistence that he only wants his husband to eat properly challenges that assumption 27.

After Secretary Chen reports Wang Chuan’s insults in the lobby, Gu Shang summons the manager and confronts him. He mockingly proposes six months of escort work—the occupation Wang had used to insult Mingzhu—as a condition for retaining his job. He subsequently requests Wang’s reports and performance records 28 30 31.

Gu Shang also finishes Mingzhu’s meal despite initially claiming to have no appetite. When Mingzhu becomes formal and withdrawn, he awkwardly praises the effort and encourages him to speak directly about future grievances 29 30 31.

Investigation, Sympathy, and Jealousy

Gu Shang’s background investigation began partly because he suspected Mingzhu might be a covert operative planted by the Ji family. The report instead reveals an abusive childhood, interrupted education, and years of exploited labor. A photograph of Mingzhu smiling while repairing a motorcycle moves him to painful sympathy 32 35.

Learning how much support Mingzhu received from friends then provokes jealousy. Gu Shang arranges small-group “Wealthy Wives’ Required Courses,” partly hoping to embarrass him, but limits the workload and allows future subjects to follow his interests. He later explains that independent skills could help Mingzhu defend his dignity when Gu Shang is absent 33 36.

Return to the Ji Family

Gu Shang reschedules his work to accompany Mingzhu on his post-wedding family visit and waits outside at Mingzhu’s request. After overhearing threats, he enters and rejects the family’s claim that they were merely pretending to frighten him. He also challenges their attempt to obtain Mingzhu’s wedding ring for an exhibition 37 38 40.

When Mingzhu returns the Ji family’s spending card and phone, Gu Shang supports his wish to attend classes. Afterward, he buys him a replacement phone matching his own model and sets it up for him 41 43.

Growing Domestic Attachment

Gu Shang increasingly struggles to dismiss Mingzhu’s affection as self-serving. After ending a shopping trip early as another test of obedience, he regrets the decision and is deeply unsettled by Mingzhu’s concern for his comfort 47.

By the later household scenes, he repeatedly checks his phone while waiting for Mingzhu to notice a bedroom surprise. His restlessness and affectionate teasing contrast with his earlier claim that the marriage would never involve anything beyond practical benefits 11 49 50.

Notable Quotes

“Of course. If you want something, eat it. You don't need to ask me.” 9

“This is only a business marriage. You understand that, don't you?” 28

“If something upsets you again, don't keep it to yourself. You can tell me directly.” 31