Ji Fengyao

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ji Fengyao (季风遥)
Alias(es)	Third Young Master of the Ji Family; Mr. Ji; Secretary Ji; Uncle Ji 107 114 131
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ji Family 96
Occupation/Role	Head of the Ji Family; government official addressed as “Secretary Ji”; former military serviceman 96 107 114
Residence	Sucheng; maintains Sui Garden and a separate villa 98 128
Age	Five years older than Ji Huaijin; assumed leadership of the Ji Family at twenty-five 112 114
Partner	Fang Lele 139
Status	Alive at the end of the story 139
First Appearance	Mentioned by name 43; appears in person 97

Background / History

Ji Fengyao is Old Master Ji’s youngest son and has two older brothers. Born late in his father’s life, he is only five years older than his nephew, Ji Huaijin. At seven, he met Zhao Jibai in elementary school; the two became notorious childhood troublemakers, although they avoided bullying the weak and also enjoyed helping people 112 113 114.

He left the military at the height of his career and, after graduating, took control of the Ji Family at twenty-five. Ji Huaijin describes him as exceptionally gifted and suited to lead a family that forbids brothers from killing one another. Fengyao later explains that he chose family leadership over his passion for military service to secure freedom over his own future, rather than remain subject to other people’s decisions 113 114 137.

Appearance

Ji Fengyao is tall and powerfully built, with broad shoulders, long legs, fair skin, and sharply defined features 97 112 131.

• Eyes: Amber irises shaded by long lashes at his introduction; his gaze is frequently described as dark and unreadable 97 105 132.
• Clothing: Favors dark shirts, long coats, and navy trench coats; also wears a Zhongshan suit after work and formal clothing for important meetings 97 106 107 111 131.
• Bearing: Straight-backed and composed, projecting authority without needing to display anger 97 111.

Personality

Fengyao’s refined exterior conceals an impatient, forceful temperament. He usually speaks calmly, but treats his instructions as commands rather than requests. He is observant enough to notice Fang Lele’s smallest reactions and often uses silence or an unruffled stare to pressure him into compliance 98 105 108 138.

His relationship with Fang Lele combines material care and affection with coercive control. He funds Lele’s education and makes arrangements for his long-term security, while restricting his movement, communications, and finances. Disobedience can provoke severe punishment; Lele’s growing dependence does not eliminate his fear of Fengyao 106 133 134 135 137.

He is considerably warmer toward Ji Huaijin, whom he helped watch grow up. He teases his nephew, defends him against the family’s discourtesy, and accepts Cheng Yue as his boyfriend. Toward his own father, Fengyao is openly irreverent and refuses interference in his private life 43 111 112 114 137.

Abilities & Skills

Leadership and Political Influence

Fengyao leads the Ji Family and works among government officials who address him as “Secretary Ji” 96 107.

• His reputation makes Sucheng a viable refuge for Fang Lele: Ji Huaijin believes Chu Jiye would not dare cause trouble in front of him 96.
• His arrival at a Capital City gathering makes Chu Jiye wary enough to leave, despite Fengyao issuing no explicit threat 131.
• He directs emergency operations on the front line after a major fire breaks out in a neighboring city 138.
• When accused of abusing his authority for Lele, he maintains that the person concerned was punished under the law on clear evidence 137.

Observation and Psychological Pressure

He reads Fang Lele’s nervousness, resentment, and dependence through small changes in expression and movement 97 108 112 138.

• Uses repeated demands, controlled silence, and withdrawal of attention to reinforce obedience 105 106 131.
• Presents Lele publicly as a youngster from his family who needs discipline, concealing his possessive intentions behind an elder’s role 107.
• Threatens to send Lele away, prompting him to panic and beg not to be abandoned 135.

Tea Brewing

Fengyao teaches Fang Lele to brew tea and judges the result by its strength and brewing time 108.

• Guides Lele through preparing his first cup 108.
• After a year of practice, accepts Lele’s tea as neither too strong nor too weak 133.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black disciplinary ruler and rubber glove — Shown in his possession during a late-night call with Ji Huaijin 98.
• Tracker watch — Fastens it onto Fang Lele’s wrist; it is waterproof and may only be removed with his permission 133.
• Red badge — Wears it on his chest and pins it onto Lele before allowing him to visit Cheng Yue 112.
• Cigarettes and lighter — Regularly shown smoking, including during conversations with his nephew and Lele 98 102 114 131.
• Ming dynasty vase — Takes it from Old Master Ji, announcing that it will serve as a belated first-meeting gift for his “niece” 137.

Relationships

• Fang Lele — Initially shelters him from Chu Jiye, then becomes his controlling romantic partner. Provides education and financial security while demanding obedience; their relationship is explicitly affirmed on New Year’s Eve 96 133 137 139.
• Ji Huaijin — Nephew, only five years his junior. Fengyao helped watch him grow up and protects him and Cheng Yue from disrespect within the Ji Family 43 111 112 114.
• Old Master Ji — Father. Their disputes center on family conduct, Fengyao’s authority, and his refusal to abandon Lele or accept an arranged engagement 112 137.
• Zhao Jibai — Childhood friend and fellow troublemaker. Both watched Ji Huaijin grow up, and Zhao visits Huaijin in the hospital partly on Fengyao’s behalf 43 114.
• Cheng Yue — His nephew’s boyfriend and Lele’s protective older-brother figure. Cheng initially praises Fengyao’s care, but later tries to take Lele away after discovering their relationship; Fengyao’s intimidating presence makes him retreat 113 114 139.
• Chu Jiye — The threat from whom Lele originally needs protection. Chu is wary of Fengyao, whose influence prevents him from freely pursuing Lele in Sucheng 96 131.
• Ms. Chen — Member of the Sui Garden household who follows his instructions concerning Lele’s accommodation and alerts his assistant when Lele disappears 97 138.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Shelter in Sucheng

• Ji Huaijin arranges for Fang Lele to leave Capital City and stay under Fengyao’s protection. Fengyao provides transport and accommodation at Sui Garden, but his reserved reception leaves Lele frightened and uncertain 96 97.
• After Lele finds factory work and offers him an envelope containing twenty worn banknotes as rent, Fengyao arranges for him to return to school. He subsequently replaces school attendance with private lessons at home 102 103 106.
• Finding Lele crying in the courtyard, he demands an explanation and makes him promise to behave. An ensuing “obedience test” establishes that his care comes with strict, coercive expectations 105 106.
• He begins keeping Lele within sight during office work and social engagements, then teaches him tea brewing while drawing him into increasingly intimate contact 107 108.

Ji Family Intervention

• Fengyao confronts Uncle Kui after Cheng Yue is left unattended at the ancestral residence. He permits Huaijin and Cheng to leave, then tells Old Master Ji that the family’s rudeness drove them away 111 112.
• He promises to deal with the other relatives and encourages Huaijin to visit his grandfather again with Cheng Yue 114.
• Privately, Huaijin jokes that sending Lele to Sucheng may have given him a future “aunt.” Fengyao responds by promising generous red envelopes 114.

Escape and Tighter Restrictions

• Lele witnesses an apparently violent interrogation at Fengyao’s villa and becomes distressed. After Lele flees to Capital City, Fengyao appears at a gathering there and later summons him to his hotel to answer for running away 128 129 131.
• Fengyao confiscates Lele’s phone, confines him to the hotel, and fits him with a tracker watch. When the phone is returned, its linked bank cards have been removed, leaving scheduled pocket-money transfers 133.
• After another year of tutoring, Fengyao permits a visit to Lele’s mother but soon orders him back. Lele overstays; Fengyao later punishes him until he loses consciousness, then offers to take him to school the following morning 133 134.
• His control continues after Lele enters university: dormitory living is refused, and intimate grooming becomes another means of enforcing compliance 135.

Family Ultimatum and Relationship Confirmation

• Old Master Ji demands that Fengyao either send Lele away or become engaged to the Jin Family’s daughter. Fengyao refuses both choices and states that he has already secured Lele’s future, including provision for his own death 137.
• Believing Fengyao has a fiancée, Lele leaves Sui Garden. Fengyao is initially occupied directing firefighting operations, then finds him at a budget hotel and brings him back 138 139.
• Aunt Fang arrives at Sui Garden on New Year’s Eve. Fengyao assures Lele that there has never been a fiancée and never will be; Lele affirms their relationship and promises to care for him in old age 139.
• After Lele graduates, the couple brings Aunt Fang to Sucheng 139.

Notable Quotes

“Whatever it is, you cannot do it without my permission.” 133

“I took over the Ji Family at twenty-five and have come all this way. Do you think I did it just to keep being constrained by you or anyone else?” 137

“There never was, and there never will be.” — Reassuring Fang Lele that he has no fiancée 139