Cheng Yue

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Cheng Yue (程樾)
Alias(es)	Orange; Yueyue 63 81 117
Gender	Male 2
Height	186 cm 2
Sexual Orientation	Gay; realizes he is attracted to men during college 2
Affiliation	Cheng family, through the grandfather who raised him; formerly a residential property management security team 69 80 119
Occupation/Role	Former bar worker, takeout delivery worker, milk tea shop employee, and security guard; later prepares for the civil service exam and a job interview 4 30 80 82 122 126
Residence	Ji Huaijin’s villa in Capital City; retains his previous apartment lease after moving in 81
Status	Alive; Ji Huaijin accepts his proposal at Lin Shuyang’s wedding 126 139

Background / History

Childhood with Cheng Wenzhuo

Cheng Yue was an abandoned infant, not yet a month old, when scrap collector Cheng Wenzhuo found him on a rubbish heap and took him home. Unable to find someone to nurse him, Cheng Wenzhuo sold a cherished jade pendant to buy rice, which he ground into a paste to feed the child. Cheng Yue grew up calling him Grandpa and regarded him as his family, despite knowing they were not related by blood 69 70.

Their mountain-village household was poor, with meat usually reserved for New Year or village banquets. Cheng Yue began cooking and washing dishes at five or six to lighten his grandfather’s workload. He later helped the village banquet committee’s head cook, learning the techniques that became the basis of his cooking skills 38 70.

His upbringing also exposed him to gossip about being unwanted and ridicule over his grandfather’s occupation. Cheng Wenzhuo nevertheless tried to provide what he asked for, even enduring humiliation while collecting scrap to buy white sneakers for a school Children’s Day event. Cheng Yue later regretted never having thanked him properly 69 70.

College and Working Life

Cheng Yue moved to Capital City for university. A roommate’s teasing prompted him to recognize his attraction to men; attempts to meet potential partners initially discouraged him because the men he encountered quickly suggested casual sex. He eventually met Fang Zhiyou after intervening when Fang was being harassed at a bar 2.

During college, Cheng Yue balanced classes, part-time work, and an interest in dressing well. After frequent bar visits strained his budget, Sun Chong suggested that he work there. Cheng Yue accepted and learned DJing from other staff, eventually performing several popular sets 2 30.

His takeout delivery work later helped him secure a security position: property management employees already knew him as a reliable, helpful young man. He worked conscientiously and received a company-paid holiday in recognition of his popularity and his intervention against an aggressive dog. He eventually resigned to prepare for the civil service exam, with colleagues encouraging the outstanding graduate of a top-tier university to pursue a different career 4 51 80.

Returning Home and Reconnecting with the Cheng Family

When Cheng Yue returned to his childhood village, he found the courtyard overgrown and the house neglected. Cheng Wenzhuo had died there nine years earlier. The arrival of Cheng Wenzhuo’s younger sister, Cheng Wenqing, brought his grandfather’s previously unknown family history into Cheng Yue’s life 63 69.

Cheng Yue agreed to have his grandfather’s remains moved to the Cheng family’s ancestral burial grounds. With Ji Huaijin beside him, he finally expressed the grief and guilt he had held back since the death. He then defended his ownership of the courtyard against village officials, producing the agreement bearing the brigade’s seal; Ji Huaijin offered the support of his legal team 70 71.

Cheng Yue initially kept his distance from Cheng Wenqing and her family. He later accepted her invitation to call her “Grandma,” and she publicly supported his relationship with Ji Huaijin. She returned Cheng Wenzhuo’s recovered jade pendant and presented the assets that should have belonged to him as Cheng Yue’s inheritance, rejecting Cheng Yue’s objection that he was not a biological grandson 117 119 121.

Appearance

Cheng Yue is handsome, with striking features and a model-like build. His polished appearance and sense of dress attract considerable attention during college 2.

• Build: Broad shoulders, long legs, and a slim waist 2.
• Distinguishing mark: A small mole beneath the outer corner of one eye 2.
• Physique: Defined abdominal muscles 33.
• Grooming: Uses sheet masks and follows a skincare routine 12.

Personality

Cheng Yue is sociable, witty, and fond of good food, attractive clothes, and entertainment. His humor often takes the form of exaggerated complaints or teasing: he repeatedly blacklists Qi Su when irritated, then continues spending time with his old college friends 16 24 29 81.

Beneath that easygoing manner, he maintains firm personal boundaries. Cheng Yuxuan’s unsolicited investigation into his private information alienates him, and he refuses to continue a relationship merely to avoid awkwardness. He also rejects the idea of remaining in a romance dominated by love triangles and repeated misunderstandings 24 76.

His care for others is practical and attentive. He remembered Fang Zhiyou’s dislikes and respected his fear of pain, cooks for Ji Huaijin during hospitalization, and protects Fang Lele while insisting that being gay is neither disgusting nor wrongdoing. Insults about his family can provoke a much more reckless response than his usual manner suggests 7 39 52 96.

Even after moving in with Ji Huaijin, Cheng Yue retains a fallback: he keeps his old lease partly to avoid financial penalties and partly because a home paid for by his lover does not yet feel entirely secure 81.

Abilities & Skills

Cooking

Cheng Yue learns household cooking as a child and develops his skills further by assisting the village banquet committee’s head cook 38 70.

• Prepares pumpkin-and-millet congee and other everyday meals 6.
• Cooks soup and dishes to take to Ji Huaijin in hospital 38 39.
• Uses food as a form of care, including leaving breakfast for Fang Lele 129.

DJing

Cheng Yue learns DJing informally while working part-time at a bar. He picks it up well enough to perform sets that draw an enthusiastic audience 30.

• Learns from coworkers rather than through formal lessons 30.
• Combines bar work with his university schedule 30.

Social Resourcefulness

Cheng Yue is persuasive and understands the practical value of goodwill, even though he dislikes the obligations involved in exchanging favors 38 51.

• Builds a reputation during delivery work that helps him obtain his security job 4.
• Uses his contacts to secure an electronic access code for a military hospital building 39.
• Brings and distributes washed fruit when seeking assistance from office staff 51.

Physical Intervention

Cheng Yue has some fighting experience and reacts quickly when protecting others 92 130.

• Stops an aggressive dog from injuring someone 51.
• Uses a deft twisting movement to pull Fang Lele away from Chu Jiye 92.
• Slaps Chu Jiye’s reaching hand away and places himself in front of Fang Lele 130.
• Recognizes that physical ability alone cannot protect Fang Lele against Chu Jiye’s family influence 93.

Equipment / Items

• Cheng Wenzhuo’s jade pendant — Engraved with the character for “Zhuo.” Originally sold to feed Cheng Yue, it eventually helps Cheng Wenqing locate her brother and is returned to Cheng Yue 70 121.
• Matching luxury watch — One of two seven-figure watches purchased by Ji Huaijin, who fastens it onto Cheng Yue’s wrist 100.
• Black umbrella — Given to him by Ji Huaijin after the kitten rescue, with a reminder to use an umbrella when it rains 15.
• Courtyard ownership agreement — Establishes his claim to his grandfather’s home and remains legally binding after Cheng Wenzhuo’s death 68 71.
• Inheritance documents and property deeds — Presented by Cheng Wenqing as the assets Cheng Wenzhuo should have received 121.
• Exam-passing charm — Obtained at Green Mountain Temple after Ji Huaijin pays the novice Jingyu’s requested 199 yuan 123.

Relationships

• Ji Huaijin — Romantic partner who accepts Cheng Yue’s proposal. Their mistaken-room encounter develops into cohabitation, emotional trust, and an openly acknowledged relationship. Ji also helps with his exam preparation and supports him through family conflicts 3 71 81 109 122 126.
• Cheng Wenzhuo — The grandfather who found and raised him. Cheng Yue remembers his sacrifices with love, grief, and guilt over not having repaid him 69 70.
• Cheng Wenqing — Cheng Wenzhuo’s younger sister, whom Cheng Yue eventually calls Grandma. She recognizes him as family, supports his choice of partner, and restores his grandfather’s pendant and inheritance to him 117 119 121.
• Qi Su — College roommate and longtime friend. Frequently the target of Cheng Yue’s complaints and temporary blacklisting, but also someone who habitually makes sure he gets home after drinking 2 16 24 81.
• Fang Zhiyou — Former boyfriend. Cheng Yue ends their relationship after his betrayal and rejects his attempts to excuse it 7.
• Fang Lele — Aunt Fang’s son, treated as a younger brother rather than an outsider. Cheng Yue cares for him during illness, buys him clothes, and helps arrange protection from Chu Jiye 86 89 96.
• Aunt Fang — A village neighbor who helped care for him as a child and assisted with his grandfather’s burial and grave relocation. Cheng Yue brings her supplements and household supplies before leaving the village 72.
• Lin Shuyang — Friend who helps him during an earlier mix-up, later apologizes over an incident involving Su Xingchen, and asks him to serve as a groomsman 37 75 126.
• Zhao Li — Security-team coworker who shares meals with him and offers support during exhausting shifts 35 60.
• Cheng Yuxuan — An unsuccessful blind date and suitor. Cheng Yue refuses both further contact and a later gift of wine 23 24 35.
• Su Xingchen — Antagonistic rival who attacks Cheng Yue’s background and place in Ji Huaijin’s life. Cheng Yue answers his provocations directly rather than conceding inferiority 76 83 84 89.
• Chu Jiye — Repeated adversary whose treatment of Fang Lele prompts Cheng Yue to intervene and confront him 92 98 130.
• Ji Fengyao — Ji Huaijin’s uncle and the Ji family’s head, who shelters Fang Lele in Sucheng. Cheng Yue is grateful for his protection but intimidated by him when he later learns about his relationship with Fang Lele 96 113 139.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arc	Chapters	Key Events
Mistaken-room encounter	3 6 7	While drunk, Cheng Yue confuses room 1609 with 1906 and mistakes Ji Huaijin for an escort. He subsequently rejects Fang Zhiyou’s attempts to repair their relationship.
Growing attachment	15 23 27 39 45	The kitten rescue, Ji Huaijin’s care during Cheng Yue’s recovery, and Cheng Yue’s hospital visits gradually draw them together.
Confession and cohabitation	68 76 81 86	Ji Huaijin renews his request to date him. Cheng Yue later moves into the villa and reflects that his feelings may have begun in a single tender moment rather than growing gradually.
Protecting Fang Lele	86 92 96 130	Cheng Yue takes in the sick nineteen-year-old, intervenes against Chu Jiye, and helps arrange his move to Sucheng under Ji Fengyao’s protection.
Facing the Ji family	109 110 112 117 119	After Su Xingchen reveals their relationship, Cheng Yue accompanies Ji Huaijin to Sucheng. Ji Fengyao assists them, Cheng Wenqing speaks in their support, and Old Master Ji ends the family’s objections.
Wedding-themed photos and proposal	122 123 126	They take wedding-themed photographs and visit Green Mountain Temple. At Lin Shuyang’s wedding, Cheng Yue wins the bridal bouquet and throws it toward Ji Huaijin, who accepts his proposal with “I do.”
Fang Lele’s later relationship	139	Learning that Fang Lele is with Ji Fengyao, Cheng Yue flies to Sucheng intending to take him away, but retreats under Ji Fengyao’s intimidating gaze and wishes them well.

Notable Quotes

“Fang Zhiyou, we’re both adults. You have to face the consequences of what you’ve done. And could you stop treating me like an idiot?” 7

“We don’t steal or rob anyone. We don’t go around doing evil. We just happen to like people of the same sex.” 96

“Every day since I met you has filled me with joy.” 123

Trivia

• Despite regularly going out with friends, Cheng Yue has poor alcohol tolerance 52 81.
• He dislikes darkness and sleeps with a small lamp left on 12.
• He avoids checking his phone while eating with someone, considering it a matter of courtesy 12.
• He can fall asleep within seconds, an ability his friends envy 6.
• His company-paid seaside trip is his first holiday taken for pleasure; despite living in Capital City for years, he has not visited the Great Wall 51.