Shan Ye

Biodata

Background / History

Shan Ye began noticing that he was not attracted to girls in middle school and became certain of his attraction to men during college. He came out at eighteen, and his parents support him dating men. He usually lives with them, although they are sometimes away on business 31 49.

During college, Shan Ye roomed with Tan Yi’an. He rejected Tan Yi’an’s romantic advances because he was not his type, but they became close friends. After graduation, Shan Ye secured a recommendation for graduate study in China and stayed to work there, while Tan Yi’an pursued further studies abroad 11.

By the opening chapter, Shan Ye’s mother is actively arranging dates for him and complaining that he has never brought home a boyfriend. One date with a violin teacher fails because the man considers their Chinese zodiac signs incompatible. Shan Ye later politely rejects the man’s attempt to reconsider 1 2 3.

Appearance

Shan Ye is described as tall, handsome, and well-built, with an exceptionally fair, clear face and long eyelashes 7 9 11 18.

• Left-wrist scar: A childhood burn left a pale-pink scar resembling an iris. It grew larger as he grew up 23.
• Watch: He habitually covers the scar with a watch because he considers it ugly; Fan Jin’s compliment reassures him 23.
• Clothing: His wardrobe includes a pink sweater and other shirts and sweaters that brighten Fan Jin’s predominantly dark wardrobe 15 40.

Personality

Shan Ye is lively, talkative, and playful around people he trusts. He fills car rides with school anecdotes, trades teasing remarks with Tan Yi’an, and flirts openly with Fan Jin. Fan Jin’s grandmother praises his cheerful personality, although Yu Chuan observes that he often looks tense at work 6 15 18 24.

His confidence coexists with considerable romantic uncertainty. He worries that Fan Jin is already involved with Xu Jing, becomes discouraged by unanswered messages, and needs encouragement before pursuing him more boldly. Nevertheless, he remains selective: he dislikes casual pickups and is attracted to men who seem steady, clean-cut, comfortable to be around, and safe 6 11 27.

Shan Ye is persistent without always demanding immediate reciprocation. He accepts Fan Jin’s request for more time after hearing about his past and agrees not to rush their physical relationship. He also insists that Fan Jin speak when something is wrong, though jealousy later leads Shan Ye himself to withdraw and sulk 31 40 46 50.

Abilities & Skills

Teaching and Academic Work

Shan Ye is an experienced university lecturer whose conference contributions earn recognition from fellow educators 34.

• Participates confidently in discussions about teaching translation 34.
• Published a paper on translation theory in his university’s journal 34.
• Gives a workshop presentation in fluent, standard British English 34.
• Discusses British and American literary history with Yu Chuan 19.

Flower Arranging

Shan Ye learned flower arranging in college and retains enough skill to decorate Fan Jin’s café with roughly a dozen arrangements 7.

• Trims flowers, selects stems, and checks each arrangement from multiple angles 7.
• Receives compliments from Zhang Nan and café customers 7.
• Uses flowers both to improve the café’s décor and to create an opportunity to spend time with Fan Jin 6 7.

Coffee Making

Shan Ye begins learning under Fan Jin’s guidance after they become a couple 47.

• Initially overfills the portafilter, struggles with tamping, and produces excessively thick milk foam 47.
• Continues practicing after classes rather than giving up after his first unsuccessful drink 47 48.
• Eventually makes recognizable, though uneven, cat latte art; Fan Jin mistakes it for a tiger 48.

Cooking

Shan Ye has limited cooking experience and rarely cooks at home 23 31.

• Helps Fan Jin by washing vegetables, beating eggs, and preparing chives 23 31.
• Claims he can manage simple dishes, but his first attempt at washing vegetables leaves them mangled enough for Fan Jin to take over 23.

Equipment / Items

• Audi A6 — His newly purchased car is rear-ended by Fan Jin and subsequently repaired through insurance 1 8.
• Laptop and flash drive — Teaching tools. After losing his flash drive, he uses his laptop to run classroom slides; Fan Jin later returns the drive 11 13.
• Medical bandage — Given to him by Fan Jin after a rose thorn pricks his thumb. Rather than using it, he keeps it in a square tin as a memento 7 9.
• Ring — Deliberately left at Fan Jin’s home in Osmanthus City to arrange another meeting before his departure 25.
• Key to Fan Jin’s apartment — Gives him independent access to the home; he immediately sends Tan Yi’an a photograph to show it off 40.

Relationships

• Fan Jin — Boyfriend. Shan Ye is drawn to his reserved manner, voice, hands, and steadiness, and remains committed after learning about his traumatic past. Fan Jin is the only person Shan Ye says he has been romantically or sexually involved with 2 4 11 31 37 49.
• Mother Shan — Supportive mother and enthusiastic matchmaker. She approves of Fan Jin and later encourages Shan Ye to stay with him longer rather than hurry home 1 31 40.
• Father Shan — Shan Ye usually lives with him and Mother Shan. Shan Ye describes both parents as kind and supportive of his dating 31.
• Tan Yi’an — Former college roommate and close friend. A rejected suitor himself, he encourages Shan Ye’s pursuit of Fan Jin and offers advice on managing their exchanges 6 11 27.
• Yu Chuan — Colleague and romantic admirer. He offers to help Shan Ye pursue Fan Jin after recognizing his devotion, and later cares for him during a fever. Shan Ye keeps a respectful distance once his relationship with Fan Jin is established 20 29 44.
• Zhang Nan — Café employee and friendly acquaintance. He clarifies Yaoyao’s connection to Fan Jin, helps with the flower arrangements, and teases the couple about dating 4 7 47.
• Yaoyao — Xu Jing’s daughter. Shan Ye draws with her and promises to return to play; her calling Fan Jin “Daddy” initially causes him to misunderstand Fan Jin’s family situation 4 5.
• Xu Jing — Fan Jin’s close friend and Yaoyao’s father. Shan Ye initially suspects that the two men are a couple, but also helps Fan Jin carry the drunken Xu Jing home 6 13.
• Fan Jin’s grandmother — Welcomes Shan Ye into her home and likes his cheerful disposition. Her wish for Fan Jin to marry initially makes Shan Ye fear that he cannot provide the family she expects 22 23 24.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Meeting and Pursuing Fan Jin

• A rear-end collision leads Shan Ye to Fan Jin’s café, where an insurance discussion turns into immediate attraction 1 2.
• He returns repeatedly, grades assignments while watching Fan Jin work, obtains his phone number, and decorates the café with flowers 4 5 7.
• Seeing his crushed roses discarded leaves him hurt. Soon afterward, he mistakenly blocks Fan Jin’s unfamiliar text as unwanted contact 10 11.
• After waiting three hours outside Fan Jin’s home, he confesses that he is gay and likes him. Fan Jin rejects him but later allows him to stay overnight on the sofa 13 14.

Osmanthus City

• During a National Day trip with Yu Chuan, Shan Ye unexpectedly meets Fan Jin, who is visiting with his grandmother 17 20.
• He gains access to Fan Jin’s personal WeChat and visits the family home, where he learns more about Fan Jin’s bereavement and worries about his grandmother’s marriage expectations 22 23.
• In the kitchen, he answers Fan Jin’s claim to have nothing by telling him that Fan Jin is the only thing missing from his own life 23.
• He leaves his ring behind as an excuse for a final meeting, resulting in an early breakfast together before he returns to Muzhou 25.

Becoming Boyfriends

• Fan Jin returns early from Osmanthus City when Shan Ye develops a fever, then cooks for him and stays to care for him 29.
• After Fan Jin admits his feelings and reveals his painful past, Shan Ye reaffirms his love and agrees to wait. His mother subsequently meets Fan Jin and approves of him 30 31.
• Following a colleague dinner, Fan Jin takes Shan Ye home. They share their first kiss and formally become boyfriends 36 37.

Building a Shared Domestic Life

• Shan Ye begins staying regularly at Fan Jin’s apartment, receives a key, and gains space for his clothes and personal belongings 40.
• They initially agree to take intimacy slowly. When Shan Ye later mistakes Fan Jin’s reluctance to share a bed for rejection, they clarify the misunderstanding and become sexually intimate 40 41 42.
• Shan Ye wears Fan Jin’s old gray scarf to hide hickeys while teaching, then accidentally damages it in the wash 44 46.

The Scarf and Communication

• Unaware that the scarf was knitted by Fan Jin’s late mother, Shan Ye buys a dark-gray LV cashmere replacement and arranges for the original to be repaired 45.
• Fan Jin mistakes Shan Ye’s absence for abandonment. Shan Ye reveals that he stayed, comforts him, and asks him not to hide his feelings behind silence 46.
• After learning the scarf’s history, Shan Ye promises to buy him scarves every winter or learn to knit them himself 46.

Café Practice and Jealousy

• Shan Ye learns coffee making while continuing his teaching work and planning dates with Fan Jin 47 48.
• An encounter with Fan Jin’s former neighbor Zhou Min provokes jealousy over her past invitations and cooking. Fan Jin explains that he never recognized her interest 49 50.
• After Fan Jin apologizes, Shan Ye demands that he call him “baby” or “sweetheart” before he will forgive him 50.

Notable Quotes

“The only thing I’m missing is you.” 23

“Fan Jin, didn’t you say no one loves you? Then let me love you.” 31

“If I do something wrong again, tell me. Don’t bottle it up.” 46

Trivia

• His Chinese zodiac sign is the Dog—the reason his opening blind date initially rejects him 1 2.
• He smokes, but rarely swears 9 43.
• Despite appearing capable of drinking heavily, he has poor alcohol tolerance and becomes visibly drunk after only a few glasses of wine 36.