Ji Cიცen

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and departure abroad

Ji Cიცen’s family had roots abroad and foreign ancestry several generations back. As a child, his delicate appearance and slightly long, wavy hair attracted unwanted attention at kindergarten. Other children repeatedly pulled his hair, while a teacher favored a wealthy bully and dismissed the mistreatment as affection 88.

Shen Yu stood up for him, with Yao Maolin also participating in a childhood “Hair Defense Battle.” Ji Cიცen later witnessed Shen Yu being carried away with a bloodied head, worsening the psychological harm caused by the bullying. His mother took him abroad, and his father abandoned his plan to remain in China to start a business. Ji Cიცen’s father and Shen Changgeng jointly pursued legal action; the teacher received a three-year prison sentence, while the child responsible escaped consequences 88 124.

Before leaving, Ji Cიცen visited a temple to pray for a sandalwood bracelet for the injured Shen Yu. His family’s hurried departure prevented him from delivering it. He kept the bracelet for years, eventually giving it to Shen Yu after their college entrance examinations 176.

Return to China

Ji Cიცen remained reluctant to become close to others during his years abroad. He eventually proposed returning to China specifically because someone had once defended him there. Reunited with Shen Yu in middle school, he became his deskmate, although Shen Yu initially did not remember their childhood connection 87 88 108.

After finding himself overshadowed by Shen Yu’s younger brothers and other friends, Ji Cიცen spent two weeks studying Shen Yu’s habits. He began deliberately showing weakness and seeking opportunities for closeness. Over three years, Shen Yu accepted him into his circle, but continued to regard him as an ordinary friend 89 108.

During a summer visit to his grandparents, hearing his family discuss his youngest uncle dating a man prompted Ji Cიცen to reconsider his own attachment. He stayed abroad for the entire summer while sorting out the possibility that his feelings for Shen Yu were romantic 108.

Appearance

• Childhood: Delicate, doll-like features and slightly curly hair frequently caused others to mistake him for a girl. Shen Yu remembered him as pretty, sweet, and willing to follow him around 88 129 140.
• Adolescence: His features became sharply defined, with finely drawn brows, narrow eyes, and a usually cold or indifferent expression. His gentleness was especially apparent around Shen Yu 129 140.
• Hair: His childhood curls became straight as he grew older, much to Shen Yu’s disappointment 179.
• Formal appearance: At his eighteenth-birthday banquet, a tailored suit emphasized his tall, straight posture and long, slender hands 161.

Personality

Ji Cიცen is outwardly aloof, disciplined, and composed. Few people besides Shen Yu readily draw his attention, and he maintains his composure even under Shen Jin’s scrutiny. Although he dislikes socializing, he recognizes its practical importance in business and accepts the need to build connections 104 120 157.

His behavior around Shen Yu is markedly more playful and calculating. He feigns dizziness, exaggerates illness, and adopts a wounded expression to draw out Shen Yu’s sympathy. His mother observes that Shen Yu is the person who brings out the childish side he otherwise keeps hidden 90 107 108.

His jealousy extends to both male and female admirers. Love letters, a boy’s confession, and even Shen Yu’s interest in another boy’s curls unsettle him. Nevertheless, his attachment also takes the form of sustained care: he supports Shen Yu’s ambitions, helps with schoolwork, and resolves to protect him from malicious gossip 104 105 125 164 179.

Abilities & Skills

Academic Ability

An outstanding student who earns an offer of guaranteed admission to A University through biology competition training 157.

• Tutors Shen Yu and helps organize his mathematical reasoning, offering encouragement as well as explanations 120 172.
• Joins biology competition classes after hearing Shen Yu repeatedly praise Shen Jin’s intelligence 135.
• Declines guaranteed admission because the offered major does not suit his plans; he has little interest in medicine or scientific research 157.

Business and Negotiation

Becomes involved in company affairs before adulthood and can negotiate contracts while still attending school 135 154.

• Balances company responsibilities with his studies 154 157.
• Proposes cooperation with the Shen family’s company, helping bring Ji Zheyue and Shen Changgeng into closer contact 173.
• Displays enough assurance beside his father that Shen Changgeng remarks on the younger generation’s capabilities 162.

Athletics

• Wins the school sports meet’s 1,500-meter race 101.
• Volunteers to replace Yang Ming in Class Seven’s relay after Yang injures his ankle 101.
• Can lift Shen Yu to give him a better view over a crowd 150.

Social Observation and Planning

Carefully observes people’s habits and uses that knowledge to influence situations 89.

• Recognizes that Shen Yu responds strongly to apparent vulnerability and adjusts his approach accordingly 90 92.
• Rearranges a cable-car queue so that he and Shen Yu can ride together rather than be separated 145.
• Uses tutoring and after-school waiting time to stay close to Shen Yu while Shen Jin attends additional competition classes 135.

Relationships

• Shen Yu — Childhood defender, longtime deskmate, and eventual boyfriend. Ji Cიცen calls him “Ah Yu” and formally asks him to be his partner only after Shen Yu reaches adulthood 88 91 184.
• Ji Zheyue — Father. Introduces him to company responsibilities, recognizes his interest in Shen Yu, and quietly supports his pursuit 157 160 173 182.
• Mother Ji — Mother. Notices his childhood distress and insists on taking him abroad. Later welcomes Shen Yu and warns her son not to tease him into leaving 88 108.
• Shen Jin — Shen Yu’s protective younger brother and Ji Cიცen’s most persistent opponent in the household. Despite distrusting his intentions, Shen Jin acknowledges that Shen Yu is safer with him around; by the ending, he no longer objects to their closeness 119 130 187.
• Shen Jun — Shen Yu’s other younger brother. Initially joins Shen Jin in watching Ji Cიცen, but later lets Shen Yu leave to meet him for their date 120 184.
• Yao Maolin — Childhood acquaintance who helped defend him at kindergarten. Their later friendship includes teasing, irritation, and competition for Shen Yu’s attention 89 93 124.
• Shen Changgeng — Shen Yu’s father. Initially welcomes him as a dependable companion, then grows wary once his romantic intentions become apparent. Ji Cიცen eventually promises him a lifelong commitment to Shen Yu 124 173 187.
• Jiang Minjie and Xu Shang — Classmates who observe his courtship. Xu Shang recognizes his maneuvering earlier, while Jiang Minjie takes longer to realize his affection is genuine 145 151 164.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Deskmates and the love letter

Ji Cიცen’s early attempts to regain Shen Yu’s attention rely on food, carefully timed helplessness, and small acts of consideration. Shen Yu responds by caring for him and promising to share half his candy 90.

Their first substantial disagreement concerns a girl’s love letter. Ji Cიცen becomes jealous, while Shen Yu mistakes his reaction for curiosity about girls. When Shen Yu later conceals a letter addressed to Ji Cიცen, Ji demands a love letter from him as compensation. After they reconcile, he folds it away and calls it the first love letter he has received 105 107 110.

Recognition and the class outing

Shen Yu gradually realizes that his deskmate’s attentiveness has romantic intent. Their class outing makes that closeness increasingly visible through shared accommodation, hand-holding, food, and Ji Cიცen’s efforts to arrange time alone together 129 143 145 151.

On a glass walkway, Shen Yu rushes to pull him away from what appears to be cracking glass, unaware that it is an attraction effect. Ji Cიცen comforts him and becomes genuinely anxious about his safety. Later, he reassures Shen Yu that he can always remain a child with him, while Shen Yu struggles with feeling ordinary beside his accomplished deskmate 150 154.

Coming of age and confession

At Ji Cიცen’s eighteenth-birthday banquet, Shen Yu presents him with flowers and celebrates his adulthood. Their intimacy intensifies Shen Jin’s suspicions, while Ji Cიცen continues helping Shen Yu through the final stretch of school 161 163 172.

At Shen Yu’s coming-of-age banquet, Ji Cიცen shields him from Yuan Ming’s attempted marriage alliance. Their joined hands become the basis of engagement rumors, but those rumors precede their actual relationship 181.

Ji Cიცen subsequently takes Shen Yu on a cinema date, nervously holds his hand, and formally asks him to become his boyfriend. Shen Yu immediately agrees 184.

Ending

After seeing a popular campus post about Shen Yu while overseas, Ji Cიცen changes his flight and returns early. He reunites with Shen Yu during university military training and reveals that he has promised Shen Changgeng to spend his life with him. Shen Yu’s brothers watch without interfering, and Shen Jun photographs the reunion 187.

Significant Items

• Shen Yu’s love letter — Obtained through his demand for “compensation” and kept as a memento after their reconciliation 107 110.
• Sandalwood prayer bracelet — Prayed for after Shen Yu’s kindergarten injury, preserved through their separation, and finally given to him as a graduation present 176.
• Birthday bouquet — Shen Yu’s personal gift for his eighteenth birthday; Ji Cიცen continues holding it while seeing the Shen family off 161 162.

Notable Quotes

“Someone stood up for me, so I came back for him.” 88

“It's only because he's so good-tempered that I can tease him.” 107

“With me, you can always be a kid.” 154