Xiao Cheng

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood

Xiao Cheng grew up believing that Xiao Junyan and Sun Lan were his biological parents. Xiao Junyan came from a farming family and died when Xiao Cheng was eleven. Xiao Cheng describes Sun Lan as leaving to become Chu Luo’s father’s mistress on the day of the funeral. She subsequently ceased contacting him, and he began supporting himself by working in bars at thirteen, earning twenty yuan an hour 41 51 52 66.

After Xiao Cheng became successful in entertainment, Sun Lan contacted him to request opportunities for Chu Luo. Her later attempts to obtain money escalated into a lawsuit and a knife attack against Xiao Cheng 52 58 60.

First relationship and separation

At eighteen, Xiao Cheng attracted Jiang Chiyan’s attention through a film appearance lasting only five seconds, in which he outshone the established cast. Jiang Chiyan gave up a job paying ten million yuan annually, concealed his wealthy background, and became Xiao Cheng’s legal counsel 6 43.

Their first relationship lasted fewer than five days. Discovering Jiang Chiyan’s family status made Xiao Cheng fear that he had been treated as an entertainment-industry plaything. Jiang Yun also threatened to destroy Jiang Chiyan’s future and force him back into the family business unless Xiao Cheng withdrew. Xiao Cheng ended the relationship, and the two remained apart for six years 1 6 43.

Hidden parentage

Sun Jin became suspicious of Xiao Cheng’s origins after he saved her from chlorine gas poisoning. His resemblance to her husband prompted her to question whether the baby they had believed dead twenty-four years earlier had truly died. Xiao Cheng is subsequently identified as her and Wen Qipian’s biological son 66 96.

Appearance

• Bearing: Refined and scholarly, with a graceful, gentlemanly public manner 1 11.
• Eyes: Dark, phoenix-shaped eyes 61 68.
• Height: 185 cm 101.
• Build: A slender waist, defined abdominal muscles, and a visible V-line; he maintains his physique through long-term exercise 31 81.
• Waist measurement: Normally 63 cm, increasing to 66 cm while building muscle for Who Rules the Realm 87.
• Tattoo: A rose tattoo incorporating Jiang Chiyan’s initials, JCY, matching Jiang Chiyan’s rose motif 39.
• Voice: Described as lark-like; it is central to his singing career 22 87.

Personality

Xiao Cheng’s public composure contrasts with his shyness around Jiang Chiyan. He remains calm on international red carpets and under Jiang Yun’s scrutiny, but blushes easily when Jiang Chiyan flirts with him. Despite his awards and substantial earnings, he introduces himself modestly as a minor actor who occasionally writes songs 26 41 52 54.

His possessiveness stems from insecurity rather than confidence in his own desirability. He explicitly tells Jiang Chiyan that he distrusts himself, not his partner, and depends on Jiang Chiyan for a sense of security. Perceived romantic rivals can provoke intense jealousy—even a household robot’s attention to Jiang Chiyan irritates him 52 73.

He can be ruthless when protecting people he values. He attacks an obsessive fan whom he believes has injured Jiang Chiyan and threatens employees preparing to spread fabricated allegations about his studio. Conversely, he is attentive to Jiang Chiyan’s exhaustion, injuries, and professional ambitions 11 31 63 95.

His controlling behavior coexists with a stated respect for privacy. He refuses to obtain information about Jiang Chiyan’s private life through a household robot and later abandons an attempt to impose a relationship contract before Jiang Chiyan voluntarily signs it 84 94.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

A nine-time Best Actor winner, Xiao Cheng can convincingly embody sharply different characters, including an upright lawyer and a predatory professor in consecutive versions of the same audition 2 9 10.

• Prepared for Lawyer Storm by watching all 740 publicly available recordings of Jiang Chiyan’s court cases 9.
• Submitted a script containing legal corrections to director Liao Xian 9.
• Secured the role of Ji Zhanbei after overwhelming Yu Ci during their joint audition 9 13.
• Sometimes struggles to maintain a cold-blooded character opposite Jiang Chiyan because his real affection becomes too apparent 89 90.

Singing and songwriting

Xiao Cheng performs concerts, writes songs, and is described as a leading singer as well as an award-winning actor 7 41 87.

• Records “Proposal” and “Fish and Water” successfully in single takes after Jiang Chiyan helps him establish the appropriate emotional state 82.
• Announces new songs named after the couple’s Gunpowder Smoke pairing during a pre-wedding interview 103.

Writing

Xiao Cheng writes boys’ love fiction under the names Xiao Family Five Abysses and Season 86.

• Wrote a webnovel at twenty and sold its adaptation rights for more than three million yuan 15.
• Uses his relationship with Jiang Chiyan as material for his fiction 15 86.
• Publicly identifies himself as the original author of Who Rules the Realm, explaining that its two male leads are based on himself and Jiang Chiyan 86.

Hacking

Under the identity Kill, Xiao Cheng is a prominent dark-web hacker with contacts capable of assisting him outside his celebrity career 40 84.

• Accesses a restricted online network while preparing to rescue the detained Jiang Chiyan 40.
• Conceals his IP address and physical location and bypasses a firewall using a computer assembled from portable components 101.
• Uncovers evidence of Jiang Yun’s political corruption and uses it to bargain for the return of Jiang Chiyan’s Lawyer’s License 95.
• Affirms that he has never acted against Huaguo’s interests 68 72.

Medical practice

Xiao Cheng has worked as a doctor and possesses a medical license, which he publishes after being accused of practicing illegally 70 79.

• Treats wounds and provides ongoing care for Jiang Chiyan’s injuries 63 70 79.
• Adjusts Jiang Chiyan’s spine and neck, relieving chronic pain and dizziness 63.
• Treats Sun Jin’s chlorine gas poisoning; she later releases footage supporting him 66 79.

Martial arts and sword dance

Years of exercise and specialized training for action scenes give Xiao Cheng considerable strength and coordination 31.

• Demonstrates a sword dance with a twenty-jin, unsharpened sword, including an improvised one-handed handstand sequence 81.
• Coaches Jiang Yang on posture, wrist strength, and sword control 81.
• Fights back against Lu Shi during his kidnapping, although further drugs and hypnosis leave him needing rescue 91.
• Is ordinarily weaker than Jiang Chiyan in a direct physical contest 35.

Cooking

• Cooks for Jiang Chiyan and takes over domestic care when Jiang Chiyan is exhausted or unwell 20 71.
• Hosts cooking livestreams for his audience 103.

System and Health

Couple System

• Xiao Cheng and Jiang Chiyan possess linked Couple Systems 70.
• Xiao Cheng’s system uses a training value for Jiang Chiyan; reaching 100 would allow Xiao Cheng to imprison him 70.
• His system, Orange Oranges, can communicate directly with Jiang Chiyan and is questioned about Xiao Cheng’s experiences during their separation 100.
• Darkening or corruption values track his emotional condition rather than a demonstrated combat rank 57 68 100.

Blood-drinking condition

Xiao Cheng experiences agitation when he goes without fresh blood. His online contacts know about his urges to drink animal blood, and he later drinks Jiang Chiyan’s blood 40 42 63.

• After drinking blood, he can become unusually clingy, tearful, possessive, and childlike 42 87 88.
• He fears rejection and darkness during these episodes 87.
• He describes himself as a vampire and Jiang Chiyan as his hunter, but the condition is not established as a separate species 44.

Depression and treatment

• Jiang Chiyan explicitly acknowledges Xiao Cheng’s depression and attempts to reassure him through his fear of abandonment 102.
• Xiao Cheng deliberately injures his hand to match Jiang Chiyan’s injury, explaining that he intends to share every pain his partner suffers 61 70.
• Several months after registering their marriage, he attends his third hypnotherapy session; his symptoms have improved considerably 103.

Career and Works

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black handkerchief — Jiang Chiyan uses it to bandage Xiao Cheng’s hand at their reunion. Xiao Cheng preserves it and later uses it to wipe away tears at the hospital 2 3 60.
• Locked photo album — Stores photographs of Jiang Chiyan, which Xiao Cheng privately views and kisses 3.
• Computers and portable hardware — Used for his activities as Kill; a silver briefcase holds components he assembles into a working computer 40 101.
• Medical kit and scalpels — Used in treatment; scalpels also appear in confrontations involving threats to Jiang Chiyan 11 63.
• Handcuffs, chains, and shackles — Keeps a substantial collection and repeatedly uses restraints in his relationship with Jiang Chiyan 13 70 101.
• Matching silver body chains — A gift from Jiang Chiyan, engraved with his initials 86 87.
• Golden Wire Cage — Installed on the island as an additional means of preventing Jiang Chiyan’s escape 102.

Relationships

• Jiang Chiyan — First love, former boyfriend, and eventual husband. Their reconciliation centers on overcoming Xiao Cheng’s insecurity and defending one another against family pressure and public attacks 6 43 102.
• Lu Ting — Manager and protective professional ally. Handles publicity crises and promises to support him even when she mistakenly believes the illegal-medical-practice allegations 4 67.
• Xiao Wu — Assistant who manages practical arrangements, communicates with production staff, and drives Xiao Cheng and Jiang Chiyan to work 19 21 84.
• Xiao Junyan — Father who raised him; died when Xiao Cheng was eleven 41 66.
• Sun Lan / Xiao Mu — Mother who raised him. Abandons him, later demands help for Chu Luo, and eventually threatens him with a knife 51 52 60.
• Chu Luo — Presented as his younger brother through Sun Lan; Xiao Cheng’s refusal to excuse him becomes a point of conflict with her 51.
• Sun Jin and Wen Qipian — Biological parents. Sun Jin first suspects the connection after Xiao Cheng saves her life 66 96.
• Jiang Yun — Father-in-law. Initially engineers their separation and challenges Xiao Cheng’s suitability; later accepts the relationship, though further confrontations follow 43 72 95 102.
• Xiang Xinlan — Mother-in-law. Welcomes him as a son and gives him a red envelope containing a one-billion-yuan check 72.
• Jiang Shun — Jiang Chiyan’s elder brother. Recognizes the unresolved barrier between the couple and privately asks Xiao Cheng about it 27.
• Liao Xian — Director of Lawyer Storm, who recognizes Xiao Cheng as his ideal Ji Zhanbei 9.
• Song Qiao — Former co-star who pursues publicity and romantic proximity through scripted intimate scenes and manufactured dating rumors; Xiao Cheng rejects her advances 21 23.
• Lu Shi — Obsessive pursuer who attempts to discredit the couple, then kidnaps Xiao Cheng and uses drugs and hypnosis to control him 86 91.
• Baby — Pet kitten. Xiao Cheng refuses to leave Baby behind when moving into Jiang Chiyan’s home 57.
• Da Bai and Xiao Bai — Household robots involved in domestic care and birthday preparations; Da Bai also becomes an unlikely target of Xiao Cheng’s jealousy 71 73 95.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Reunion and concert sabotage

• Reunites with Jiang Chiyan at a reception six years after their breakup 1 2.
• Recognizes Jiang Chiyan’s anonymous Late Silence account through a distinctive typo and publicly supports its warning about his concert 3.
• Accidentally starts the “Jiang Chiyan’s wife” trending topic by posting from Jiang Chiyan’s phone 3 4.
• Proceeds with the concert to investigate possible sabotage. Both suspension cables snap, and Jiang Chiyan catches him 7.

Reconciliation and public scrutiny

• Learns that Jiang Chiyan continued longing for him throughout their separation, helping dismantle his belief that the earlier relationship was one-sided 27.
• Faces jealousy, intrusive publicity, and attempts to attach him romantically to other celebrities 20 23 31 52.
• Reveals his matching tattoo and later moves into Jiang Chiyan’s villa 39 57.
• Goes public with Jiang Chiyan; his alternate account, I Really Don’t Ship Gunpowder Smoke, is exposed 80 81.

Kill and medical-license revelations

• Resumes activity as Kill when Jiang Chiyan is detained through Chu Luo’s father’s influence 40.
• Is confronted by armed men seeking Kill; Jiang Chiyan cuffs them together and refuses to surrender him 68.
• Confirms his identity to Jiang Yun and pledges loyalty to both Huaguo and Jiang Chiyan 72.
• Defeats allegations of illegal medical practice by publishing his medical license 79.

Kidnapping and Jiang Chiyan’s career

• Is abducted by Lu Shi, resists his control, and is rescued from a laboratory before its self-destruction 91.
• Challenges the injustice surrounding Jiang Chiyan’s lost Lawyer’s License and investigates those responsible 84 90.
• Uses evidence against Jiang Yun to secure the license’s return, restoring Jiang Chiyan’s ability to pursue his profession 95.

Marriage and recovery

• During a severe deterioration, confines Jiang Chiyan on an island and attempts to control his daily life 100 101 102.
• Takes Jiang Chiyan abroad for marriage registration. Jiang Chiyan willingly consents and later presents their certificates when Jiang Yun arrives to arrest Xiao Cheng 102.
• Stands openly beside Jiang Chiyan and rejects the claim that either of them was forced into the relationship 102.
• Continues filming, wedding preparations, and hypnotherapy after marriage, with marked improvement in his symptoms 103.
• In the later side story, describes their relationship as a mutual bond that creates light for both of them, rather than one partner simply saving the other 122.

Notable Quotes

“The door I want to enter is Jiang Chiyan’s, not the Jiang Family’s.” 41

“It’s not really that I don’t trust you. I don’t trust myself.” 52

“There was no forcing. We were both reaching for each other.” 102

“We aren’t anyone’s light. It’s just that, through our days together, a chemical reaction took place, creating light that illuminated us both.” 122

Trivia

• His fans are called Oranges 84.
• He recognizes Jiang Chiyan’s writing because Jiang consistently confuses 曰 and 日 3.
• His first kiss was with Jiang Chiyan 23.
• He likes crab roe buns because Jiang Chiyan likes them 84.
• The villa access code 1023 commemorates Jiang Chiyan’s original confession on October 23 13.