He Jianing

Biodata

Background

Career and Public Image

He Jianing presented himself as an entertainer returning after several years abroad. He cultivated an image as Fu Yunxi’s unforgettable first love, although he avoided explicitly confirming a romantic relationship. Their participation in Heartbeat Time Difference was intended to promote their pairing ahead of a drama they were scheduled to film together 3 7 37.

Promoting the pairing was written into He Jianing’s contract. The publicity plan called for another promotional push after filming ended and the drama aired roughly six months later 7 12.

His supposed years abroad were later exposed as a cover for a relationship with a married entertainment-industry figure. After his downfall, He Jianing privately planned to repeat the strategy: pretend to go abroad, wait for public attention to fade, and return to the industry 74 89.

Original Novel Trajectory

In the story Xie Lin read upon awakening, Fu Yunxi and He Jianing eventually developed genuine feelings while filming their drama, and Fu Yunxi marked him. This was the original plot rather than the outcome of the altered timeline; Xie Lin later observed that their relationship had diverged sharply from what he remembered 7 37.

Appearance

• Youthful-looking face: His fans defended his youthful appearance, while critics mocked his habitual pouting and lip-biting 9.
• Carefully managed expressions: He frequently adopted a closed-lipped smile, lowered his head bashfully, or reddened his eyes to appear hurt 4 5 18.
• Prosthetic nose: He clutched his painful, displaced prosthetic nose after a door was shut in his face 69.
• Appearance after his downfall: While hiding in a rented room, he lost over ten pounds, developed sunken eyes and prominent cheekbones, and left his hair unkempt. Deep facial scratches became infected despite basic treatment at a small clinic 89.

Personality

He Jianing carefully maintains a gentle, harmless, and understanding persona, particularly in front of livestream cameras. His tearful apologies and apparent concern often conceal anger or contempt: while publicly thanking Fu Yunxi for appreciating his care, he privately feels disgusted by Fu’s injured appearance 18 66.

He is strongly attracted to wealth and influence. Upon learning that Lu Ye chairs Dingchi Group, he immediately considers Fu Yunxi’s status as a film emperor insignificant by comparison. He later turns his attention toward Jin Tiancheng as another potentially advantageous partner 4 58 65.

His jealousy of Xie Lin becomes more important to him than his own success. During the wilderness competition, he deliberately undermines the Blue Team because he would rather lose than let Xie Lin win. As his reputation collapses, he continues blaming Xie Lin for his circumstances and ultimately demands his death 52 54 89.

Abilities & Skills

Dance

• Performs a dance beginning with a standing vertical split during the show’s talent segment 73.
• Earns enthusiastic audience praise and Fu Yunxi’s applause; even after their pairing deteriorates, Fu still considers him a good dancer 73.

Publicity and Image Management

• Cultivates the image of Fu Yunxi’s unattainable first love while retaining the ability to deny that they are romantically involved 37.
• Uses soft speech, visible distress, and apparent self-effacement to solicit sympathy from viewers and other contestants 5 22 55.
• Coordinates with his manager to purchase a trending topic attacking Xie Lin after the talent performances 73.

Omega Physiology

• Is an S-rank Omega who experiences heats requiring suppressants 5 13.
• Obtains information about Lu Ye’s approaching rut while planning to pursue him 13.
• Experiences an unexpectedly early heat at the island manor; Xie Lin administers suppressant injections after the other guests evacuate 13.

Limitations

• Fabricated musical credentials: His musical persona is false, and he cannot complete a task requiring him to play a tune on a leaf 20.
• Limited cooking ability: He admits he cannot cook or wash vegetables, despite briefly allowing Fu Yunxi to believe he helped prepare a meal 35.
• Poor tolerance for thrill rides: He becomes nauseated after a giant pendulum ride and collapses after riding a drop tower 36.

Relationships

• Xie Lin — Rival and eventual target of attempted murder. He resents Xie Lin’s connections to Fu Yunxi and Lu Ye, repeatedly tries to discredit him, and ultimately drives a car at him 8 38 89 110.
• Fu Yunxi — Co-star and promotional partner in the “Xi Paper Wraps Ning” pairing. Fu initially defends and grows fond of him, but becomes suspicious after He Jianing sabotages him during multiple activities. He Jianing privately dismisses Fu as weak and prefers more influential partners 5 7 52 58 65 66.
• Lu Ye — Pursued for his wealth, status, and Alpha rank. Lu repeatedly rejects his advances and discards his love letter 4 13 35.
• Yu Zhiwei — Fellow contestant whom he increasingly targets. After she shuts him out of the kitchen, he asks his influential contact to retaliate against her 54 69 70.
• Yue Lan — Openly skeptical of his behavior. She challenges his insinuations about Xie Lin and Lu Ye and refuses to indulge his attempts to obtain sympathy or resources 5 20 55.
• Wu Xinyou — Fellow contestant whom he tries to humiliate by grabbing his waistband during a fall. The attempt instead leads to Jin Tiancheng catching Wu and sustaining injuries 66 67.
• Jin Tiancheng — A prospective partner He Jianing hopes to attract. Jin exposes his role in releasing the pigs and later rejects his claim that the incident involving Wu Xinyou was accidental 58 63 65 68.
• Unnamed entertainment-industry patron — Married lover whom He Jianing calls “Daddy” and relies on for influence. Qin Zheng and Zhan Ying force the man to maintain contact with him and supply information 70 74.
• Wu Meibing — Offers to help him take revenge after his departure from the show. Xie Lin later suspects her involvement in the vehicular attack, but the provided account does not establish her exact role 89 110.
• Parents — Blame Xie Lin and the hospital after his death. His mother later attacks Xie Lin with what appears to be sulfuric acid 110 181.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival and Pursuit of Lu Ye

He Jianing enters Heartbeat Time Difference with an existing fanbase and a promotional connection to Fu Yunxi. Meeting Lu Ye immediately changes his priorities: he tries to ingratiate himself with Dingchi Group’s chairman, only to be ignored and rebuffed 4 5.

He then helps isolate Xie Lin by falsely telling Lu Ye that the director has summoned him to the deck. Fu Yunxi uses the opportunity to enter Xie Lin’s room and attempt to mark him, but Xie Lin fights him off 10.

At the island manor, He Jianing’s heat begins earlier than he expected. His private thoughts reveal that he had originally intended to set up Fu Yunxi before switching his attention to Lu Ye. Xie Lin gives him suppressants and warns him not to pursue Lu again 13.

Dating-Show Setbacks

Wilderness Competition and Sabotage

During the Blue Team’s wilderness competition, He Jianing resents the growing admiration for Xie Lin. Lu Ye eventually hangs him beside Fu Yunxi as bait for Red Team members after becoming irritated by his comments 45 48.

He later deliberately causes Fu Yunxi’s elimination, hoping to weaken their own team enough to make Xie Lin lose. Xie Lin notices his satisfaction and eliminates him in turn. Drone footage confirms the sabotage and is replayed for viewers 52.

Afterward, He Jianing prepares mushroom dishes for dinner. He and four other contestants are hospitalized with mushroom poisoning; the director discovers that the local identification of the mushrooms had been unreliable 55.

Further Exposure and Departure

He Jianing opens a pigpen gate, leading to Fu Yunxi’s uncontrolled ride on a pig. When confronted, he calls it an accident and tries to shift responsibility to Xie Lin by blaming his poor sleep 62 63.

During a later activity, he uses a fall to reach for Wu Xinyou’s waistband, intending to humiliate him on camera. Jin Tiancheng catches Wu and is injured. Xie Lin demands a replay, exposing He Jianing’s actions, and Jin refuses to accept his subsequent apology as proof of an accident 66 67 68.

At the Taoist temple, revelations about his fabricated overseas history, married patron, and simultaneous relationships spread through the livestream comments. He leaves the show following the scandal 74.

Revenge Attempt and Death

His agency demands substantial damages for breach of contract. Unable to pay, He Jianing hides in a rented room. His patron’s wife locates him and attacks him, leaving deep scratches that become infected after limited medical treatment 89.

Wu Meibing contacts him with an offer of revenge, and he states that he wants Xie Lin dead. He subsequently waits outside the Jiang family’s property and deliberately accelerates toward Xie Lin. Surveillance footage records the attempted murder; He Jianing crashes and dies in hospital 89 110.

His parents accuse the hospital and Xie Lin of causing his death. His mother later attacks Xie Lin after his whereabouts are inadvertently exposed online, extending the consequences of He Jianing’s death well beyond his own storyline 110 181.

Notable Quotes

“Hello, everyone, I'm back! I hope you still remember me!” 4

“Actually, I knew long ago that Yunxi was engaged. How could I possibly do anything to ruin someone else's relationship?” 37

“I want him dead!” — His answer to Wu Meibing’s offer of revenge against Xie Lin 89

Trivia

• Red roses are his favorite flowers 13.
• At the Taoist temple, he repeatedly draws the worst possible fortune until he exhausts every worst-fortune stick in the container 74.
• Xie Lin uses He Jianing’s name while posing as a lost Blue Team celebrity to approach a group of kidnappers 50.