Qin An

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and Education

Qin An grew up in a teachers’ family, living in the Education Committee dormitory. His grandfather, Qin Jude, began teaching him Tang poetry at two and a half; by five, he could recite the entire Caigentan. His early education also included Song lyrics and Yuan verse 11 28.

During junior high, Qin An devoted much of his attention to entertaining Ye Zhulan, whom he had liked since their first year. His grades fell from eighth in his class to near the bottom. After his head teacher, Liao Yu, could no longer manage him, his father, Qin Huai, arranged his transfer from Class 68 to Class 69 and taught him personally 1.

Previous Life

Despite his poor junior-high results, Qin An eventually recovered academically. He attended the experimental classes at County No. 2 Middle School and scored above Peking University’s admission cutoff in the college entrance examination 5 36 46.

As an adult, he returned to his father’s private school to teach pottery and later took over the business. Together, he and his father expanded it to cover primary, junior-high, and senior-high education, serving more than five thousand students 18 24 46.

An Shui introduced him to her younger sister, whom he married; they had a daughter. Although his family life was happy, he continued dreaming about Ye Zhulan, who had disappeared from his life. Other lasting sorrows included his mother’s fatal illness and Sun Sun’s suicide 1 3 6 13 24.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and thin, with an energetic bearing 19.
• Face: Described as delicate-featured, with resolute, sharply defined facial contours 14 32.
• Growth: Has recently begun growing rapidly and is slightly taller than Ye Zhulan after the summer break 5.
• Clothing: Wears a plain dark-green military uniform in the opening scene 1.

Personality

Qin An combines an adult’s emotional experience with a schoolboy’s mischievous habits. He is shamelessly playful, enjoys showing off, and frequently answers awkward questions with jokes. His teasing can disarm adults who might otherwise question his unusual knowledge or maturity 26 49.

His second chance makes him more openly affectionate toward his family. He hugs his mother, wipes away her sweat, urges her to have medical checkups, and recognizes the care behind meals he once took for granted. He also becomes more conscious of the humiliation his poor reputation has caused his parents 6 11 13.

Protecting people from future harm is central to his decisions, but his methods can be coercive. He uses Liao Yu’s secret to bargain with her and arranges a severe beating for Tu Gang before the harassment of Li Xinlan can escalate. He considers preventing a possible tragedy more important than waiting for harm to occur 23 40.

His confidence does not make him indifferent to failure. His cousin’s death leaves him blaming himself despite his foreknowledge; An Shui’s consolation helps him turn away from dwelling on old pain and toward creating a happier future 47.

Abilities & Skills

Retained Memories

Qin An remembers people, events, cultural works, and professional experience from his previous life 17 20 24 46.

• Recognizes future opportunities and dangers, including the rise in Huanghuali timber prices and his cousin’s mining disaster 11 17 18.
• Uses remembered songs, games, and fiction in his renewed school life 7 20 26.
• His recall is imperfect: he initially struggles with school exercises and has forgotten much of his former marble-playing technique 4 5 7.
• Foreknowledge does not guarantee that he can prevent a death or correctly judge how events will unfold 12 47.

English, Calligraphy, and Writing

His English and handwriting repeatedly surprise classmates and teachers 3 9 45.

• Writes in multiple artistic styles of English handwriting 9.
• Composes English essays that his father frames and displays; Huang Yaohua later praises his writing as beyond his own level 13 45.
• Writes an English novella and asks An Shui to approach publishers, including Bloomsbury 27.
• Encodes “Ye Zhulan, I like you” in a poem 44.

Academic Knowledge

His retained education makes mathematics and English comparatively straightforward, while physics and chemistry require review rather than complete relearning 5 19.

• Creates a focused study plan for his assessment-test wager with Li Hao 19.
• Finishes the English examination in half an hour 33.
• Has difficulty recalling the prescribed answers required for history and politics examinations 39.
• His improved results, including perfect scores, earn Ye Zhulan’s praise and worry Liao Yu 44 45.

Slingshot Craftsmanship and Marksmanship

Qin An is an experienced slingshot maker who rebuilds his accuracy through frequent practice 17 30.

• Constructs a powerful eight-strand slingshot from a Huanghuali branch 18 19.
• Successfully hunts a pheasant more than twenty meters away 21.
• Shoots a beetle from its tether, astonishing Sun Pao 30.
• Cannot manufacture the compound design he initially sketches with his available capabilities, so he settles for a conventional slingshot 17.

Business and Social Strategy

His experience running a private school informs his understanding of education, money, and personal connections 18 46.

• Deduces Qin Xiangshan’s interest in County No. 2 Middle School from a dinner’s participants and introductions 45 46.
• Proposes a contract-based education arrangement that impresses Qin Xiangshan and Tang Qianxing 47 49.
• Secures help against Tu Gang by drawing on Tang Qianxing’s influence and Junzi’s support 36 40.
• Recognizes that his teenage body and limited access to social resources restrict what he can accomplish alone 17.

Practical and Recreational Skills

• Singing: Teaches Sun Sun the melody of “Lightly Painted Eyebrows” after writing its lyrics in her notebook 7 18.
• Art: Previously taught pottery, attends drawing lessons, and sketches a character remembered from Bleach 19 20 24.
• Repairs: Can repair household appliances when their circuit boards are not badly damaged 17.
• Video games: Clears Contra using two lives and finishes Super Mario with more than ten lives remaining 26.
• Hoop rolling: Performs backward movement, jumps, and spinning tricks that astonish Qin Xiaotian 48.
• Pool: Has played regularly at university and at his school’s faculty recreation center; favors nine-ball 42.

Equipment / Items

• Huanghuali slingshot — A U-shaped wooden frame fitted with eight strands of rubber tubing, a cowhide pouch, a nonslip cord grip, and protective electrical tape. Qin An carries it regularly 18 19 30.
• English novella manuscript — Entrusted to An Shui so she can help find a publisher 27.
• Bankbook — Opened in his name by An Shui for potential publication earnings; its presentation alerts his parents to the novel 37.

Relationships

Family

• Qin Huai — Father, Class 69 homeroom teacher, and English teacher. Takes responsibility for Qin An’s education after his transfer; Qin An increasingly appreciates his father’s efforts and pride in him 1 2 38.
• Li Qin — Mother. Her death following late-stage pancreatic cancer is a painful previous-life memory, making their renewed daily life especially precious to him 6 11.
• Qin Jude — Grandfather and early teacher. Qin An visits him at the ancestral home and tries to cheer him after the family’s bereavement 25 28 48.
• Older male cousin — An unnamed coal-mine owner whom Qin An regards as an older brother. Protected him during childhood but dies in a mine collapse despite Qin An’s foreknowledge 11 12 47.
• Qin Xiangshan — His father’s cousin, addressed as “Second Uncle.” Values Qin An’s intelligence and consults with him about education reform 27 46 47.
• Qin Xiaotian — Cousin and Qin Xiangshan’s son. Qin An repeatedly outclasses him at games and childhood pastimes; Qin Xiangshan eventually sends him to study alongside Qin An 25 26 47 48.

Friends and Romantic Connections

• Ye Zhulan — Childhood friend and longtime love. Qin An confesses soon after returning to his youth and actively pursues the closeness he lost in his previous life 1 5 21 44.
• Sun Sun — Deskmate and former source of emotional support. Remembering her eventual suicide, he seeks her friendship again and resolves to support her through future hardship 2 3.
• An Shui — His sister-in-law in his previous life and a deeply trusted companion. In the renewed timeline, she playfully agrees to be both his “big sister” and girlfriend, supports his writing, and consoles him after his cousin’s death 24 26 27 47.
• Li Xinlan — Neighbor whom he formerly bullied. He apologizes, protects her from Tu Gang, and gradually improves their relationship 14 36 49.
• Sun Pao — Childhood friend and fellow troublemaker. Shares Qin An’s interests in slingshots and games and frequently becomes the target of his pranks 11 18 30 39.

Allies and Rivals

• Liao Yu — Former homeroom teacher. Their antagonism encompasses his transfer, her opposition to his pursuit of Ye Zhulan, and his use of her secret as leverage 1 5 23.
• Li Hao — Academic rival who challenges Qin An’s ability and wagers over their placement-test results 9 16.
• Tang Qianxing — Local official who appreciates Qin An’s perceptiveness and education proposals; also helps connect him with protection for Li Xinlan 36 49.
• Junzi — Ally who helps him confront and beat Tu Gang 40 42.
• Tu Gang — Li Xinlan’s harasser and Qin An’s adversary. Qin An first bluffs him, then escalates to direct confrontation 14 31 40.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Returning to School

Qin An initially experiences his return as an unusually vivid memory of meeting Ye Zhulan after his transfer. Rather than quietly repeating his earlier life, he immediately tells her that he likes her. Settling into Class 69 also reunites him with Sun Sun and his still-young father, forcing him to adjust to school routines he has long forgotten 1 2 4 5.

Pursuing Ye Zhulan and Rebuilding Sun Sun’s Trust

His confession makes Ye Zhulan more self-conscious around him, disrupting their former easy familiarity. He nevertheless continues courting her through shared art lessons, private meals, and a mountain outing. On Daqing Mountain, she promises to let him kiss her if he scores higher than her on the entrance examinations 5 9 21 33.

With Sun Sun, he begins from distrust rather than immediate friendship. A handwritten friendship poem, shared lyrics, and singing lessons gradually soften their relationship. By his return after the family funeral, however, she is acting distant again, prompting him to question what has changed 3 7 18 50.

Challenging His Academic Reputation

Li Hao’s mockery leads Qin An to wager over who can achieve more top-three subject placements across seven subjects. Li Hao stakes his academic-monitor position and demands that Qin An leave the seat beside Sun Sun if he loses. Qin An prepares selectively, and his eventual strong results challenge both his classmates’ assumptions and Liao Yu’s low expectations 16 19 44 45.

Protecting Li Xinlan

After apologizing for his past bullying, Qin An intervenes when Tu Gang harasses Li Xinlan. He offers bicycle escorts, recruits outside help, and ultimately beats Tu Gang with Junzi’s assistance. He then seeks a settlement intended to prevent retaliation; by Chapter 49, Tu Gang has stopped bothering her 14 30 36 40 49.

Publication and Education Reform

Qin An entrusts An Shui with his English novella, gaining her enthusiastic promise to help publish it. At the same time, his observations of Qin Xiangshan’s dealings draw him into discussions about County No. 2 Middle School and contract-based education arrangements 27 37 45 47 49.

The Mining Disaster

Qin An remembers his cousin’s impending death but believes a planned trip to collect a new car may keep him away from the mine. The collapse still kills his cousin and several miners. After the seven-day funeral, An Shui helps him confront his guilt, and he resolves to pursue a happy future with the people he loves rather than remain trapped in his old regrets 11 12 47.