Ji Xiangzhou

Biodata

Background / History

Ji Xiangzhou is the youngest of the four Ji siblings. After their parents died in a car accident, the eighteen-year-old Ji Xiangnian took over the family business and fought their relatives for control. Although he provided materially for his younger siblings, he had little time to give them affection or attention 9.

In sixth grade, several boys tried to force Xiangzhou to do their shared cleaning duties alone. When he resisted, they attacked him, but his taekwondo training allowed him to defeat them. He remembers returning home dirty and receiving neither comfort nor concern from Ji Xiangnian, who later beat and scolded him in front of the other children's parents without first asking what had happened 59.

During middle school, Xiangzhou hoped that good grades would persuade his siblings to attend his parent-teacher meetings. Instead, assistants or the butler came in their place. By high school, he had stopped passing along most invitations and simply told his teacher that his guardians were unavailable 40.

Appearance

• Usually maintains an impassive face and cold gaze, even when frustrated or swearing during games 48 75.
• Has long, slender fingers 61.
• Bears enough resemblance to Ji Xiangyi for her company's receptionist to notice their similarity 64.

Personality

Xiangzhou is aloof, reserved, and protective of his independence. Having grown accustomed to little supervision, he dislikes interference in either his studies or personal life. He initially prepares to answer Fang Ning sharply if she tries to control him through her position as his sister-in-law 41.

His composure conceals a strong desire for dependable affection. He becomes disappointed when he briefly believes Fang Ning will treat him as Ji Xiangnian once did, then visibly brightens after she defends him. He also wants her attention without readily asking for it: during their barbecue meal, he silently indicates that he wants the same skewers she has given Ji Xiangyi 59 61 71.

He has little interest in inheriting the Ji family's fortune. Rather than pursue money, he wants a job he likes and a life spent doing things he enjoys. When his friends question Fang Ning's financial motives, he rejects the idea that her receiving a share of her husband's assets should concern him 61.

Despite denying that he is nosy, Xiangzhou enjoys gossip and watching his siblings quarrel. Zhao Fei recalls that classroom gossip could wake him from sleep, while Xiangzhou repeatedly positions himself to enjoy Ji Xiangyi and Ji Xiangchen's arguments 45 70.

Abilities & Skills

Hearing Fang Ning's Thoughts

Xiangzhou can hear Fang Ning's internal monologue even when she does not speak. He initially suspects hallucinations or a head injury before considering Ye Yang's suggestion that he has acquired mind-reading 49.

• Hears Fang Ning privately describe him as an unskilled but enthusiastic gamer going through an edgy phase 49.
• Has already undergone a CT scan showing no obvious brain damage when he investigates the voices 49.
• The documented ability concerns Fang Ning's thoughts; no ability to read other people's minds is established 49 58.

Academic Ability

Xiangzhou has an IQ of 150 and consistently exceptional academic results 39 49.

• Ranks among his school's top three students and earns nearly perfect examination scores 39 41.
• Completes a week's homework across six subjects in approximately fifty minutes 57.
• Works on a national mathematics competition problem even during his grandmother's visit 81.
• Says he has earned full marks on previous years' competition papers and expects direct admission to Tsinghua University if the upcoming competition goes as planned. Admission has not yet been confirmed 94.

Athletics & Combat

• Taekwondo: Trained for several years before the sixth-grade bullying incident; defeats several boys who attack him 59.
• Sprinting: Takes first place in the fifty-meter event at a provincial youth competition 57.
• Fighting: Ji Xiangnian remembers him repeatedly defeating other children while remaining unscathed himself, prompting complaints from their parents 122.

Gaming

Xiangzhou regularly plays Honor of Kings, but his enthusiasm greatly exceeds his skill 41 44.

• Suffers at least one hundred deaths across seven or eight rounds with Ye Yang and Zhao Fei 44.
• Later loses a match with zero kills and thirteen deaths, then asks Fang Ning to demonstrate her skills 122.
• Is impressed when she defeats three opponents to rescue a teammate and asks her to achieve a 13–0 score 123.

Relationships

• Fang Ning — Sister-in-law and increasingly trusted source of support. Her willingness to attend school meetings and defend him at the police station distinguishes her from his absent guardians. By the final supplied chapter, he openly seeks her help with gaming 40 60 126.
• Ji Xiangnian — Eldest brother and guardian. Xiangzhou resents his work-first priorities and past disciplinary treatment. Even when Xiangnian finally attends a school meeting, Xiangzhou chooses the seat beside Fang Ning and questions why he came 40 59 92.
• Ji Xiangyi — Older sister. Their similarly cold temperaments do not make them close; they usually avoid communicating and later argue over their respective closeness to Fang Ning 66 67.
• Ji Xiangchen — Older brother. Xiangzhou dismisses his acting work and joins the siblings' exchanges of insults, though they also unite in defending Fang Ning 40 70 81.
• Butler Li — A trusted elder whom Xiangzhou regards more warmly than most of his family. When the butler discusses declining health and retirement, Xiangzhou brings him water and quietly reassures him 47 57.
• Ye Yang — Friend, roommate, and gaming companion. Aware of Xiangzhou's difficulty finding a guardian, he arranges for his family to support him at the police station 40 60.
• Zhao Fei — Close friend and gaming companion. Joins Ye Yang in seeking family support for Xiangzhou during the police dispute 43 60.
• Old Madam Ji — Grandmother, who helped care for him after his parents' deaths. Although normally reluctant to answer her cutting remarks, he joins his siblings in defending Fang Ning against her 79 81.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Trivia

• Is afraid of supernatural phenomena, a fear Ye Yang mentions when Zhao Fei suggests that something unclean may have attached itself to him 49.
• Belongs to the WeChat group “No. 2 High School F3” with Ye Yang and Zhao Fei 49.
• Unlike Ji Xiangyi, is familiar with late-night food stalls and rinses the bowls and chopsticks with boiling water with practiced ease 69.