Ji Huaijin

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ji Huaijin (季淮堇)
Alias(es)	Professor Ji; Young Master Ji; A-Jin, used by his mother 10 11 116
Gender	Male
Origin	Jiangnan, southern China 18
Affiliation	Southern Ji Family; Kyoto University 18 103
Occupation/Role	Law professor; Kyoto University’s youngest professor; renowned Wall Street financial analyst; representative of the Ji Family’s new generation 82 103 116
Education	Attended high school and a renowned university in Capital City; admitted to a Harvard graduate program during his junior year; spent nine years studying abroad 18
Relationship Status	Accepts Cheng Yue’s marriage proposal 126

Background / History

Ji Huaijin belongs to a prestigious Jiangnan scholarly family whose roots are traced to the Tang dynasty. Although its members do not publicly occupy the center of national power, the Ji Family has influential branches throughout the country and generations of relatives in politics 11 18.

His parents’ attention shifted almost entirely to his sickly younger brother after the child’s birth. Ji Huaijin remembered losing not only their time but also the food and toys they once reserved for him. At ten, his grandfather noticed him standing apart from a family celebration and took responsibility for raising him. Several years later, concerned that his grandson was becoming increasingly withdrawn, Old Master Ji arranged a change of environment in Capital City 50 111 116.

Ji Huaijin attended high school and university in Capital City before earning admission to a Harvard graduate program through his outstanding grades. After nine years abroad, he returned to China and joined Kyoto University. By thirty, he had established his own career; he acknowledges that his family background discouraged others from obstructing him, but maintains that he built his accomplishments himself 5 18 78 109.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and elegant, with long legs and a lean, powerful waist; he and Cheng Yue are nearly the same height 9 16 27 49.
• Features: Cool, pale skin, dark eyes, a high nose, thin lips, and long eyelashes 20 32 65.
• Hands: Fair and slender, with faintly visible veins and fingertips that flush pink with exertion 39.
• Glasses: Frequently wears rimless glasses 5 27 47.
• Clothing: Usually favors crisply tailored suits, shirts, waistcoats, and dark colors. His wardrobe makes a beige lounge outfit conspicuous 5 20 24.
• Bearing: His refinement and learning give him an almost otherworldly presence, contrasted with his forceful behavior in private 3 24 40.

Personality

Ji Huaijin’s gentle manners and attractive smile conceal a reserved, emotionally detached temperament. Before meeting Cheng Yue, he showed little strong interest in anything beyond his studies and work. Admirers had pursued him since middle school, but their attention left him unmoved; his friends joked that he might become a monk 9 11.

He is calculating and difficult to unsettle. He often answers questions indirectly, controls the pace of conversations, and uses negotiation techniques to secure cooperation. His courtesy does not prevent sharp criticism: he condemns Lin Shuyang’s practice of testing unsuspecting romantic partners and challenges Chu Jiye and Su Xingchen over their lack of manners 5 19 24 77.

With Cheng Yue, he becomes teasing, affectionate, jealous, and possessive. He connects his desire for exclusive attention to the parental neglect he experienced as a child. His care can also be controlling: he insists on Cheng Yue’s recovery arrangements and repeatedly turns attempts to take the lead in their intimate relationship back to his own advantage 27 50 74 79. Beneath that confidence, he admits fearing that Cheng Yue might leave him 120.

His devotion to work comes at the expense of his health. He forgets meals, works through exhaustion, and continues using his laptop while hospitalized. Living together leads Cheng Yue to joke that work is Ji Huaijin’s real wife 39 40 99.

Abilities & Skills

Law and Teaching

Ji Huaijin is a law professor whose explanations of international cases make difficult course material engaging 10 103.

• Draws crowded classes through both his appearance and teaching ability 10.
• Directs students to email for academic questions rather than accepting personal WeChat requests 10.
• Offers Xue Baoyi legal assistance to protect her rights after Lin Shuyang causes her harm, despite his close bond with Lin 103.

Financial Analysis

His overseas reputation includes work as a renowned Wall Street financial analyst 116.

• Almost every investment project that passes through his hands is described as profitable 116.
• His relatives recognize his command of both business and politics, regarding him as too valuable a younger family member to lose 116.

Negotiation and Social Strategy

Ji Huaijin frequently participates in negotiations and applies that experience to personal interactions 5.

• Uses the door-in-the-face effect—following an unacceptable request with a smaller one—to persuade Cheng Yue to exchange contact information 5.
• Notices details such as cigarette brands and physical habits when assessing people; he recognizes traits associated with former soldiers despite never having served himself 11 26.
• Sends information about Su Xingchen’s life abroad and evidence of his father’s corruption to the Su Family’s political rivals 110.

Political Connections and Mentorship

As the Southern Ji Family’s representative, Ji Huaijin moves comfortably among senior officials and elite families 26 82 83.

• Uses his connections to assist Cheng Yue after an injury at the police station 26.
• Helps Cheng Yue obtain housing and Capital City household registration through proper channels, avoiding irregularities that could harm a future civil-service career 74.
• Arranges daily workbooks, one-on-one online classes, and two hours of personal evening tutoring for Cheng Yue 82.
• Introduces Cheng Yue to politically connected friends and brings him to Old General Chu’s birthday banquet to develop his own network 75 82.
• Intends to give Cheng Yue independent security and opportunities, rather than leave him wholly dependent on their relationship 74.

Traditional Accomplishments

• Years of literature and calligraphy contribute to his scholarly bearing 67.
• Brews tea with practiced skill; his grandfather praises him for retaining it after years abroad 111.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black Mercedes-Benz — His vehicle, notably involved in a rear-end collision after he learns Cheng Yue encountered Su Xingchen in his apartment 63.
• Blue Sky No. 1 apartment — His early residence and the place where Cheng Yue recuperates. He decides to abandon it after Su Xingchen gains access 26 27 62.
• Villas and overseas properties — Owns a suburban Capital City villa, a villa in Sucheng, and several properties abroad 74 109 122.
• Diamond waist chain — An expensive gift to Cheng Yue, who initially refuses it 50.
• Matching luxury watches — Purchases two seven-figure watches and fastens one on Cheng Yue’s wrist 100.
• Historical photographic record — Receives a journalist’s old record book as thanks for helping his son, then presents it to Old General Chu 85.

Relationships

• Cheng Yue — Romantic partner and eventual fiancé. Initial physical attraction develops into a determination to love, protect, and build a future with him 9 30 126.
• Lin Shuyang — Childhood companion whom he cherishes as a younger brother. Lin followed him for more than a decade before he went abroad; Ji later joins Lin’s wedding party in the role of his older brother 18 77 126.
• Old Master Ji — Grandfather who raised him and supported his move to Capital City. Their bond is strained by the family’s treatment of Cheng Yue; the grandfather eventually acknowledges their relationship 43 111 119.
• Ji Fengyao — Youngest uncle and current head of the Ji Family. He is deeply protective of Ji Huaijin and intervenes when the household mistreats Cheng Yue 43 96 111 112.
• Father Ji and Mother Ji — Parents from whom he is emotionally estranged. He confronts them over their neglect when they object to his relationship 50 116.
• Grandmother Ji — Rejects his relationship with Cheng Yue as a scandal and threatens to test Cheng Yue 116.
• Su Xingchen — Former classmate whose sustained pursuit briefly caught his attention. Su’s shift toward another target ended Ji’s interest; his later intrusion and disclosure of Ji’s relationship provoke rejection and retaliation 62 67 109 110.
• Tang Jiaran — Close friend from Capital City and a public servant. Ji introduces him to Cheng Yue as a potential source of support 18 75.
• Xi Ming — Friend familiar with his preferences, including his lack of interest in cigars 18 22.
• Zhao Jibai — Family elder addressed as “Uncle Bai,” who watched him grow up alongside Ji Fengyao and visits him in hospital 43.
• Chu Jiye — Member of the powerful Chu Family whose romantic entanglements and intrusions Ji criticizes. Ji refuses to let him trouble Cheng Yue unchecked 77 83 98.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Pursuing Cheng Yue

• Following their drunken encounter, Ji secures Cheng Yue’s contact information while Cheng is working security at Blue Sky No. 1 5.
• Arranges a house-call doctor when Cheng falls ill, personally sees him into bed, and applies ointment despite a heated misunderstanding 8 9 10.
• Brings desserts and dinner to Cheng’s workplace, gradually showing tenderness beneath his teasing 13.
• Takes the injured Cheng from the police station to his apartment for medical treatment and recovery 26 27.
• Recognizes that his attraction is no passing novelty and resolves to cherish Cheng 30.

Illness and Reciprocal Care

• Suffers stomach pain while continuing to flirt; Cheng brings medicine and cooks egg noodles for him 20 21.
• Is hospitalized with a gastric hemorrhage linked to overwork and missed meals. Cheng brings carefully prepared food, monitors his IV, and sees him unusually vulnerable in sleep 39 40.

Su Xingchen’s Return and Reconciliation

• Orders Su out after finding him inside his apartment, then decides to move rather than retain the compromised residence 62.
• Rear-ends another vehicle after learning Cheng saw Su there wearing his clothes 63.
• Reunites with Cheng in his home village and explains that Su was neither a cherished first love nor someone he still wanted 65 67.
• Encourages Cheng to leave the painful circumstances of his hometown and return to Capital City with him 71.

Building a Shared Life

• Helps Cheng secure an apartment and legitimate household registration, then persuades him to move into his villa 74.
• Supports Cheng’s civil-service preparation through structured study and introductions to influential acquaintances 75 82.
• Publicly includes Cheng in his social life and defends him against hostility from other elite families 76 83 84.

Confronting the Ji Family

• Takes Cheng to Sucheng after Su informs the family patriarch that Ji has a boyfriend 109.
• Attempts to leave the ancestral residence when Cheng is left unattended without even tea; Ji Fengyao intervenes over the household’s discourtesy 110 111.
• Introduces Cheng as his boyfriend and offers to have his own name removed from the family genealogy rather than abandon him 116.
• Receives his grandfather’s eventual acknowledgment of the relationship, although the confrontation leaves their bond wounded 119.

Proposal

• Returns to Capital City with Cheng, shares New Year’s Eve with him, and continues supporting his examination preparation 122.
• At Lin Shuyang’s wedding, catches the bridal bouquet Cheng throws toward him and answers “I do,” accepting Cheng’s proposal 126.

Notable Quotes

“I represent the Ji Family.” 82

“I’m serious about him. It has nothing to do with anything else.” 111

“In that case, strike my name from the family genealogy.” 116

“I do.” 126