Ji Xiangchen

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and Family Estrangement

Ji Xiangchen lost his parents in a car accident while still a young child. His eldest brother, Ji Xiangnian, was eighteen when he assumed responsibility for both the family business and his younger siblings. Although Xiangnian provided generous material support, the household became emotionally distant, and the siblings stopped regularly gathering for meals 3 9 13.

Xiangchen frequently fought at school. His brother, occupied with conflicts over control of the family company, relied on strict discipline and physical punishment rather than patient guidance. After university, Xiangchen rejected Xiangnian’s plan for him to enter the company and pursued acting instead 83.

He also carried a belief that his own bad luck harmed others, blaming himself for his parents’ accident and for the suffering of a girl whose association with him attracted anti-fan harassment 17.

Acting Career

Despite his reputation as a privileged young master relying on family connections, Xiangchen describes his early career as a struggle against family opposition. Ji Xiangnian pressured his agency, while both Xiangnian and Xiangyi wanted him to leave entertainment for the family business. Over two years, he worked his way from extra roles to a third- or fourth-tier actor 25.

His opportunity in Great Chen Dynasty came after Director Wang noticed his acting and willingness to endure hardship in an earlier production. Wang invited him to audition, and Xiangchen earned the third male lead role through that audition 25.

Appearance

Ji Xiangchen is handsome and approximately six feet tall, with sharp facial contours and well-defined features. His usual expression and bearing make him appear cold and unapproachable 3.

• Build: Tall, lean, and muscular beneath his clothes 68.
• Everyday appearance: Introduced wearing workwear and a cap, with a youthful, college-student look 3.
• Historical-drama costume: Coarse linen clothing and a wig with tied-back hair give him a youthful, slightly roguish appearance in Great Chen Dynasty 27.

Personality

Xiangchen is hot-tempered, impulsive, and outwardly aloof. He is often quiet in ordinary conversation but reacts strongly to insults and unfair treatment. His explosive reputation is widely known among production staff, including an assistant who initially fears that he will charge into a fight 3 19 24.

Beneath that exterior, he is kindhearted and sensitive. His request that Fang Ning avoid him on set comes from fear that his reputation will damage her career, rather than dislike of her. He longs for a protective older-sister figure and privately recognizes Fang Ning as someone who fits that role 15 17 26.

He struggles to admit affection directly. After becoming distressed during Fang Ning’s fictional death scene, he denies caring about her even as his expression softens. His jealousy is similarly transparent: he becomes visibly unhappy when he thinks Fang Ning favors Ji Xiangyi, despite considering himself composed and difficult to read 28 75 76.

Abilities & Skills

Hearing Fang Ning’s Thoughts

Xiangchen can hear Fang Ning’s unspoken thoughts. Initially convinced that something is wrong with his brain, he summons the family doctor; after the examination finds no physical problem, he accepts the experience as a mind-reading ability 5.

• Hears private opinions that contradict Fang Ning’s spoken politeness 5 6.
• Recognizes that her confrontation with Zhou Li is intended to defend him 7.
• Continues hearing her thoughts during family interactions, including her unfavorable comparison of him with Ji Xiangyi 36.
• The demonstrated ability concerns Fang Ning’s thoughts; the passages do not establish that he can read other people’s minds 5 7 36.

Acting

Director Wang recognizes Xiangchen’s talent and perseverance before casting him in Great Chen Dynasty 25.

• Plays the third male lead, a member of the Zhao siblings alongside Fang Ning’s character 25 27.
• Completes the scene of his character’s sister dying in his arms in one take, earning the director’s praise for its emotional authenticity 27.
• Becomes so immersed in that scene that he remains distressed after filming and needs reassurance that Fang Ning is unharmed 27 28.

Fighting

• Has a history of school fights, but is overwhelmed when Zhou Lu and another man attack him together 31 83.
• Sustains extensive facial bruising and insists that fighting two opponents—not weakness—explains his defeat 31 35 36.

Relationships

• Fang Ning — Sister-in-law and an increasingly cherished source of familial support. Her willingness to defend him helps replace their initial mutual distance with sibling-like familiarity. He reciprocates through food deliveries and attention to her preferences, including ordering pastries she enjoyed on set 7 25 26 86.
• Ji Xiangnian — Eldest brother and former guardian. Xiangchen resents his controlling upbringing, insults, and opposition to his acting career. His hostility extends to refusing to let Fang Ning share his specially ordered pastries with Xiangnian 83 87.
• Ji Xiangyi — Twin sister, older by a few minutes. Their longstanding rivalry includes childhood retaliation, arguments over his career, and competition for Fang Ning’s attention. Xiangyi nevertheless brings legal assistance after his fight with Zhou Lu 26 35 70 76.
• Ji Xiangzhou — Younger brother. Their relationship is distant; Xiangzhou remembers that Xiangchen, like their other siblings, never attended his parent-teacher conferences. Fang Ning later brings them together for a late-night meal 40 68 71.
• Zhou Li — Manager whom Xiangchen trusted in the absence of warmth at home. Zhou Li psychologically manipulates him and sells recordings of his outbursts to paparazzi 6.
• Zhou Lu — Acting rival who accuses him of stealing a role. Their dispute escalates from slander to a physical fight involving a second attacker 25 31.
• Director Wang — Director who recognizes his ability, invites him to audition, and praises his emotional performance 25 27.
• Su Mo — A woman connected to a past public scandal involving him. She says her agency forced her to blame him publicly; he tells her he no longer holds it against her, but declines her invitation to eat together 68.
• Xia Qing — Tries to befriend him because of her interest in Ji Xiangnian. Xiangchen rejects her food gift and is suspicious of her connection to his brother 27 28.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Fang Ning’s Intervention

• Returns home angry after an on-set dispute and is so surprised by Fang Ning’s cheerful welcome that he initially assumes he has entered the wrong house 3.
• Discovers that he can hear her thoughts, including her disparaging assessment of his diet meals, which keeps him awake that night 5.
• Receives unexpected support when Fang Ning joins his hot-pot meal with Zhou Li, challenges the manager’s treatment of him, and advises him to fire Zhou Li 6 7.
• Warns Fang Ning to conceal their family relationship on set, hoping to protect her from the consequences of being associated with him 17.

*Great Chen Dynasty*

• Interrupts cast members gossiping about Fang Ning by deliberately dropping his insulated cup and criticizing their remarks 21 22.
• After hearing Fang Ning defend him against Zhou Lu, brings her takeout. He later directly challenges Zhou Lu’s role-stealing accusation and threatens legal action if the slander continues 24 25.
• Grows closer to Fang Ning through shared meals and their portrayal of siblings, culminating in his intense reaction to her character’s death 25 26 27 28.

Fight and Police-Station Dispute

• Is beaten by Zhou Lu and another man until Fang Ning intervenes with a beer bottle. Both she and Xiangchen end up at the police station 31.
• Calls Ji Xiangyi for help at Fang Ning’s urging. Xiangyi initially ignores his calls but answers Fang Ning and subsequently arrives with legal support 33 35.
• Undergoes a hospital check after the confrontation. Although he and Xiangyi continue arguing, both urge Fang Ning to remain for a thorough examination after she is struck in the head during their quarrel 36 37.

Family Gatherings and Later Responsibilities

• Accepts Fang Ning’s late-night barbecue invitation without knowing Ji Xiangyi and Ji Xiangzhou will also attend. The siblings trade insults, but Fang Ning keeps the meal relatively peaceful 67 68 70 71.
• Questions Fang Ning about defending Xiangyi and feels reassured after hearing that she intervened because Xiangyi was being harassed while alone 76.
• Eventually finds himself drawn into the family business after Xiangnian begins accompanying Fang Ning on film shoots. Xiangyi recruits him to help manage the added workload, and both repeatedly demand that their elder brother return 125.

Notable Quotes

“Some people's mouths stink so badly that my hand got angry listening to them.”
— Rebuking gossip about Fang Ning 22

“You have no evidence, so I'll let it go this time. But if I hear you spreading slander and rumors again, I'll have a lawyer sue you immediately.”
— Warning Zhou Lu 25

“Who cares about you? Don't make things up.”
— Denying his concern after Fang Ning’s death scene 28

Trivia

• Fang Ning’s early recollection of the original novel describes Xiangchen as a notorious star who eventually wins Best Actor. His later account of his present career instead identifies him as a third- or fourth-tier actor still working his way up 3 25.
• Although Fang Ning is younger than him, he privately wishes she could be his protective older sister; her actual position as his sister-in-law makes the idea feel even more confusing to him 4 26.