Ye Zhulan

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and school life

Ye Zhulan is the child of a teacher and began school early. During elementary school, she served as study representative for six years alongside class monitor Zhao Weiguo. By her third year of junior high, she belongs to Class 68 and has become especially close to Qin An 10 31.

Qin An begins liking her in their first year of junior high. They do homework together, quarrel, play, and chase each other through the school building. At the opening of the story, she regards him as her only genuine male friend and worries that his transfer to the neighboring Class 69 has upset him 1 3.

Although Qin An’s attempts to entertain her contribute to his falling grades, Ye Zhulan’s own results remain steady. Her mother tolerates their friendship because her schoolwork has not suffered, while Liao Yu repeatedly urges that she spend less time with him 1 18 23 44.

Original timeline

In Qin An’s original life, their mutual attraction remains unspoken until after the college entrance examinations. They attend the experimental class at County No. 2 Middle School together, but never establish a romantic relationship 2 34.

According to the account Qin An later presents to her as a “dream,” Ye Zhulan accepts a stranger’s confession on a bus during her first year of university. That relationship ends shortly after graduation. She then joins a patent agency in Shenzhen, eventually becomes its owner, and accumulates a net worth exceeding one hundred million 10.

As an adult, she appears on the covers of financial magazines. Qin An remembers a photograph of her stepping out of a sports car in a plain white dress, high heels, and dark glasses—a striking contrast to the unruly schoolgirl he knew 1.

She never marries. Qin An hears that she adopts a child whose name is something like Qin Siwei. Her life ends when she drives a Murciélago SV into a highway guardrail at three hundred kilometers per hour. Qin An withholds this ending when telling the thirteen-year-old Ye Zhulan his story 10.

Reborn timeline

Confession and marriage promise

Upon returning to his youth, Qin An immediately tells Ye Zhulan that he likes her. She is stunned: she already recognizes their mutual feelings, but has been reluctant to acknowledge them under the expectation that students should prioritize schoolwork. His repeated confessions leave her embarrassed and temporarily disrupt their formerly easy companionship 1 3 5.

They resume meeting at their secluded homework spot near the tea trees and agree to attend an extracurricular art class together. While holding her hand, Qin An tells her about two people bearing their names who never confess their feelings. Understanding that he fears the same outcome for them, Ye Zhulan promises to marry him when they grow up, provided they remain good friends. She nevertheless insists that they are too young for such talk and tells him not to repeat it 9 10.

Art class and Daqing Mountain

At Luo Bofu’s drawing class, Ye Zhulan objects to Qin An staring at a nude painting. Later, she catches him watching Sun Sun in the neighboring music classroom and comments on Sun Sun’s beauty and academic ability. When he asks whether she is jealous, she blushes and denies it 19 20.

During their outing to Daqing Mountain, she worries that Qin An’s grades will prevent them from attending the same high school. She offers him a challenge: if he scores higher than she does on the entrance examinations, she will let him kiss her. The two then retrieve a pheasant he shoots and roast it using supplies he prepared beforehand 21.

Examinations and growing closeness

Seated directly in front of Qin An during the examinations, Ye Zhulan worries about his academic bet with Li Hao. She lends him a pen and even offers to position her completed paper where he can see it. His teasing about possible rumors linking him with Sun Sun makes her uncomfortable, despite the pleasure she privately takes in being called Qin An’s partner herself 31 32.

During a lunch break, she shares her favorite Alaskan red shrimp with him. Their use of the same chopsticks becomes an embarrassing “indirect kiss.” When Qin An gives her an unattractive lump of homemade chocolate, she complains about its appearance but refuses to return it 33 34.

After learning about Qin An’s perfect scores and praised poem, Ye Zhulan celebrates his success. His improvement relieves her fear that they will be separated by their school results. She also discovers that the poem conceals “Ye Zhulan, I like you,” with the characters placed according to the numbers in her birthday. When he loudly declares that he will like her all his life, she hurriedly covers his mouth 44.

Appearance

Ye Zhulan is introduced as a thirteen-year-old with lively eyes, long eyelashes, a delicate nose, and rosy lips 1.

• Eyes: Slightly upturned at the corners and frequently described as expressive 1.
• Build: Slender and relatively tall among the girls in her class, though Qin An has recently grown a little taller than her 5 44.
• School-day clothing: Seen wearing white tennis shoes with butterfly-patterned socks, and later cloth shoes with pink-and-white socks 9 44.
• Adult appearance: In Qin An’s recollection, she wears a simple white long dress, high heels, and dark glasses, presenting a composed professional image 1.

Personality

Ye Zhulan is mischievous and energetic. She climbs and sits on brick walls without worrying about dirtying her clothes, plays roughly with Qin An, and joins him in antics conspicuous enough to disturb neighboring classrooms 1 3.

Her confidence in play contrasts with her embarrassment over romance. She understands that she and Qin An like each other, yet fears gossip and becomes flustered by direct declarations or physical affection. Even after promising to marry him, she maintains boundaries around what he may say to her 1 9 10 21.

She is sensitive to Qin An’s worries and protective of their future together. Her entrance-exam challenge gives his academic improvement a personal incentive, while her excitement over his results reflects both pride in him and relief that they may continue attending school together 21 44.

Her interests are not always lasting. Qin An remembers her youthful tendency to approach many things casually, including an enthusiasm for drawing that eventually fades; he believes this aspect of her personality changes after high school 20.

Abilities & Skills

Academic Ability

Ye Zhulan maintains good results through effective study methods rather than being portrayed as exceptionally gifted 23.

• Maintains a top-five position in her class despite frequently playing with Qin An 23.
• Is considered capable of reaching No. 1 High School’s admission cutoff if she makes a stronger effort 5 23.
• Has an overall examination score more than two hundred points above Qin An’s earlier result 32.

Drawing

She takes an interest in drawing and practices diligently during Luo Bofu’s introductory art lesson 20.

• Studies basic lines and pencil use 20.
• Her interest is temporary in Qin An’s recollection; no advanced drawing ability is established 20.

Business Career

In the original timeline, Ye Zhulan progresses from employee to owner of a Shenzhen patent agency 10.

• Builds a net worth exceeding one hundred million 10.
• Receives financial-magazine cover exposure as an adult 1.

Relationships

• Qin An — Close school friend and mutual romantic interest. Their original relationship remains unconfessed; his rebirth gives them an opportunity to acknowledge their feelings 1 2 10.
• Kuang Yongmei — Her mother. Initially disapproves of Qin An’s reputation for mischief but permits their friendship while Ye Zhulan’s grades remain stable 18.
• Unnamed father — Brings back the Alaskan red shrimp that her mother prepares and she later shares with Qin An 33.
• Liao Yu — Her teacher in Class 68. Encourages her academic prospects and warns her mother against allowing too much contact with Qin An 5 44.
• Sun Sun — Qin An’s new deskmate. Ye Zhulan recognizes her beauty and intelligence but feels uneasy about Qin An’s attention to her 20 32.
• Zhao Weiguo — Elementary-school classmate and admirer. He regards their long acquaintance as a special bond and resents her intimacy with Qin An 31 34.
• Zhu Qinghe — Another schoolmate who has feelings for her and reacts negatively to her closeness with Qin An 32.

Notable Quotes

“Actually, I've thought about it. If we stay good friends like this, I'll marry you when we grow up...” 10

“If you score higher than me on the entrance exams, I'll let you kiss me... otherwise, you're not even allowed to think about it...” 21