Zhang Jianmin

Biodata

Background / History

Before his diagnosis, Zhang Jianmin had spent his life meekly following the rules. Learning that he had terminal cancer and only a month to live left him despairing over the experiences he had denied himself. He resolved to enjoy his remaining time, beginning with a night of heavy drinking 7.

He was not an experienced gambler: the police later established that he had barely played cards socially and had joined the illegal game to experience gambling rather than to win money. His unusual circumstances contributed to their decision not to treat him as a gambling offender 13.

Appearance

• Square face: His most consistently noted identifying feature 11 28.
• Haggard expression and bloodshot eyes: Visible when he first approaches the gambling gathering after drinking heavily 11.
• Unsteady gait and strong smell of alcohol: Noted during his initial appearance and again when Yang Bowen identifies him at his residential complex 11 28.
• Pronounced dark circles and eye bags: By his visit to Xieyou Travel Agency, he looks thoroughly drained from his prolonged indulgence 43.

Personality

Zhang Jianmin’s terminal diagnosis overturns his formerly restrained behavior. He becomes impulsive and determined to try unfamiliar experiences, joining strangers at a gambling table despite Xue Mingjie’s warnings. His stated obsession is to “get his fill of fun before he dies” 7 11.

His indulgence does not dispel his despondency. Xia Xu finds him smoking dejectedly outside a KTV room, and the original synopsis describes him as unable to enjoy a financial windfall because of his impending death 12 29.

Later portions of the visible storyline suggest a more reflective and compassionate side. After Tibet, he begins coming to terms with death and notices ordinary pleasures such as moonlight. In the intended rooftop encounter, concern that Hong Bo might be suicidal leads him to approach the young man; he then considers helping Hong Bo fulfill his dream rather than wasting his remaining savings 49 50.

Abilities & Skills

Driving

His attribute panel records a one-star driving talent potential 11.

• No driving feat or advancement is documented in the supplied chapters.

Protagonist Fate

His protagonist designation allows Xia Xu to uncover portions of The Dying Man as relevant characters and events become accessible 12 32 33.

• Fortunate outcomes: The original storyline gives him an unlikely gambling windfall and a valuable discovery inside an otherwise ordinary Guanyin statue 12 33.
• Luck is not constant: The same synopsis has him lose his winnings and more than 100,000 yuan of personal savings in a later wager 12.
• Events can be diverted: Xia Xu’s police report prevents the initial gambling windfall, while his intervention takes the statue opportunity before Zhang arrives 12 33.
• No confirmed protective power: Xia Xu briefly treats Zhang’s surroundings as a possible refuge from the Hunter monster, but later acknowledges that this offered psychological comfort rather than reliable protection 30 43.

Relationships

• Xia Xu — Observes Zhang’s fate and uses its plot information to identify financial opportunities. His interventions divert the gambling, antique, and game-investment episodes 11 33 50.
• Yang Bowen — Tracks Zhang on Xia Xu’s behalf, locates his apartment, obtains his phone number, and arranges contact after his return from Tibet 23 25 28 30 49.
• Xue Mingjie — Fellow participant in the illegal card game; tries unsuccessfully to discourage Zhang from joining. Neither man is ultimately treated as a gambling offender 11 13.
• Yao Dawu — Organizer of the gambling gathering Zhang joins. In the original synopsis, Yao later harasses Zhang into another wager; in the altered events, the police arrest Yao’s group 11 12 13.

Story Role / Major Arcs

The visible synopsis describes Zhang’s intended storyline, but Xia Xu repeatedly intervenes before its opportunities reach him. Synopsis events therefore do not always represent events Zhang actually experiences 12 33 50.

Gambling Gathering

• Actual events: Zhang arrives drunk, places his bank card on the table, and insists on joining Yao Dawu and Xue Mingjie’s game. Xia Xu reports the gathering to the police 11.
• Aftermath: Zhang is taken to the police station and released without being treated as a gambling offender. Xia Xu receives a 56,000-yuan informant reward but loses track of him 12 13.
• Original storyline: Zhang wins several hundred thousand yuan, then loses those winnings and over 100,000 yuan of savings when Yao forces a rematch. Xia Xu’s report prevents the initial win 12.

Surveillance and KTV Indulgence

• Yang Bowen locates Zhang’s residential complex by questioning taxi drivers who collected passengers outside the police station, then confirms his exact address 25 28.
• Xia Xu finds Zhang at Golden Sun KTV, sitting outside a room with cigarettes and beer. Over the following two days, Zhang continues drinking and singing there 29 30.
• Xia Xu stays at a nearby hotel while attempting to avoid the suspected hunting grounds of the Hunter monster 30.

Guanyin Statue Opportunity

Tibet Journey

• Zhang visits Xieyou Travel Agency and subsequently travels to Tibet. Xia Xu declines to follow him, judging the trip too time-consuming and potentially unprofitable 43 49.
• The visible synopsis describes a dispute over compulsory accommodation and shopping, the tour group abandoning Zhang during a smoking stop, and his meeting a driver named Old Xu. Xia Xu does not obtain the detailed events of the journey 43 49.
• Yang Bowen contacts Zhang immediately after his return and brings him to a café so Xia Xu can inspect the next portion of his fate 49.

Rooftop Encounter and Hong Bo’s Game

• The next synopsis places Zhang on his building’s rooftop with less than a week left to live. There he encounters Hong Bo, a discouraged university student drinking beside the railing 49 50.
• Zhang’s intended role is to listen to Hong Bo’s difficulties and consider funding the unfinished game developed with his roommates 50.
• Xia Xu reaches Hong Bo first and offers a 500,000-yuan investment through Star Sea Venture Capital in exchange for 70% equity in the new company 50.
• Xia Xu predicts that Zhang’s intended ending involves recovery and wealth through helping Hong Bo. This remains a prediction, not a confirmed outcome 50.