Xu Shi

Biodata

Background / History

Real-world childhood

The Xu family adopted Xu Shi from an orphanage when they had no children. After his adoptive mother became pregnant and gave birth to Xu Xingqi, their attention shifted away from him. By seven, Xu Shi feared being abandoned again and spent frightening nights alone during Hong Kong City's prolonged thunderstorms 104.

To comfort himself, he imagined an older, taller companion who would hold him, read stories, and remain beside him unconditionally. After learning to write, he named this companion Xie Yanci. At his elite school, classmates mocked Xu Shi for his attachment to someone they could not see 104.

During high school, Xu Shi witnessed Xia Shian forcibly kissing another boy. When he returned for his dropped art book, the boy accused Xu Shi instead. The incident exposed his sexual orientation without his consent and made him a target of bullying, while Xia Shian retained his popularity 112.

Xu Shi also survived a fire at the Xu family home that left scars on his back. He remembered Xie Yanci rescuing him but later struggled to determine whether that rescue had been real. At twenty-five, he covered the remaining marks with a rose tattoo 110 123.

Treatment and authorship

At university, Xu Shi began receiving therapy and taking medication because he had difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality. As he became occupied with part-time work, postgraduate entrance examinations, and internship preparations, Xie Yanci gradually disappeared from his life 104.

At twenty-six, Xu Shi began serializing Six Mere Roots!, writing both himself and Xie Yanci into the story. Readers suspected that the exceptionally privileged, top-tier Alpha was a hidden sixth romantic lead, but Xie Yanci was already married. Xu Shi's preferential treatment of him—and reduced attention to Xia Shian—provoked criticism from readers 104.

Although doctors regarded Xie Yanci as a factor in his psychological difficulties, Xu Shi understood him as the emotional support that had kept him alive through childhood neglect, bullying, and prolonged loneliness 104.

Novel-world counterpart

Within Six Mere Roots!, Xu Shi's mother and Xie Yanci's mother were close friends who arranged a childhood betrothal. When Xu Shi was sixteen, his mother developed terminal cancer and his father brought his mistress, Lin Yuxiang, and her son into the family home 28.

Before dying, Xu Shi's mother asked Xie Yanci to protect him until he turned twenty-five. Xie Yanci agreed, subsequently paying his living expenses and returning to the country when he needed help. By the opening storyline, the two had been married for five years, but their relationship was governed by a business-marriage agreement and little communication 1 16 28 41.

Appearance

• Build: Approximately six feet tall, with a slender figure and long fingers 5 33.
• Face: Striking features, a high nose, thin lips, and an often feline or languid expression. His appearance leads entertainment-industry figures to consider him naturally suited to villain roles 5.
• Eyes: Described as round and almond-shaped when startled, and as alluring, slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes elsewhere 3 32 60.
• Hair: Normally short and tousled; his waist-length black hair during auditions and filming is a wig 32 60.
• Glasses and piercing: In the real-world storyline, he wears black-rimmed glasses and a black stud in his right ear 111.
• Tattoo: A vivid red rose on his back, acquired at twenty-five to conceal fire scars 123.

Personality

Xu Shi is mischievous, outspoken, and openly appreciative of handsome men and luxury. Initially convinced that he is a short-lived fictional villain, he treats embarrassment as somebody else's problem and resolves to enjoy himself before his expected death. His private thoughts are considerably less restrained than his spoken words 1 2 8.

His bravado conceals a strong desire to be chosen and protected. Xie Yanci's practical assistance reassures him, but explanations centered on family reputation leave him hurt and angry. Having received little affirmation growing up, he is especially sensitive to rejection and reluctant to expose how much he wants affection 41 43 142 147.

His apparent lack of ambition changes across the story. He initially considers abandoning acting because marriage has already made him wealthy, but later auditions in an effort to escape his assigned supporting role. In the real world, he insists that recognition as a designer should come through proper evaluation rather than executive favoritism 4 30 122.

Xu Shi is kinder than his “vicious cannon fodder” label suggests. He reassures Xiao Chi over a minor mistake instead of punishing him and risks serious injury to save Wen Yu. He nevertheless enjoys provoking enemies and using Xie Yanci's backing against people who mistreat him 8 43 97.

Abilities & Skills

Fashion Design

Xu Shi's real-world design work becomes central to the exposure of Xia Shian's plagiarism and his own professional recognition 127 154.

• Refuses an immediate designer appointment without a properly evaluated piece of work 122.
• Receives official acknowledgment, through a verdict and statements from Liva and HKU, that Xia Shian's celebrated design was stolen from him 154.
• Later earns managerial praise for his sales and handles President Xie's custom suit order 187.
• Leaves Liva and declines Xie Yanci's invitation to return 178.

Acting

In the novel world, Xu Shi works as a minor actor associated with villainous supporting roles 4 5.

• Studies acting lessons and builds an audition performance from gestures and mannerisms observed in Xie Yanci 30.
• Auditions to challenge the expectation that he must always make way for Wen Yu 30.
• Joins Song Zhixing's New Life as a supporting actor, while Wen Yu retains the lead 52 55.
• Has clear limitations: Song Zhixing considers his audition affected and judges Wen Yu the stronger actor 31.

Writing and Character Creation

Xu Shi is the original author of Six Mere Roots!, rather than merely a reader who entered it 104.

• Uses real people's names and appearances as inspiration; the fictional Xia Shian has a markedly different personality from his real-world model 111.
• Creates Xie Yanci around his own preferences in appearance, temperament, intelligence, and status 134 153.
• Initially lacks access to this knowledge because his memories of his previous life are missing 2 104.

Involuntary Thought Leakage

Xie Yanci can hear Xu Shi's unspoken thoughts, including remarks that contradict what he says aloud 1 43 123.

• Exposes Xu Shi's attraction, grievances, and private wishes to Xie Yanci 1 43.
• Continues after their real-world reunion 123 153.
• Is not presented as a technique Xu Shi consciously activates; he frequently does not realize that Xie Yanci has heard him 1 123.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Wedding ring — Finds his supposedly discarded ring hidden in a wardrobe box, despite not understanding how he knew where to look. He continues wearing a wedding ring after returning to the real world 16 110.
• Liva sapphire tiara — A gift from Xie Yanci, offered as an apology for exceeding their once-a-month intimacy agreement 16.
• Diamond necklaces — Xie Yanci gives him a handmade diamond necklace for his novel-world birthday; a later necklace becomes something he proudly wears to work before revealing their relationship to Gu Shixu 83 172 173.
• Xie Yanci art book — A treasured object he carried around school; retrieving it brought him back to the scene of the false accusation against him 112.
• Fir cologne — Worn in the real world and associated with Xie Yanci, who likes the same scent 110 113.
• Watch-linked phone app — Allows him to check Xie Yanci's location 173.

Relationships

• Xie Yanci — Childhood emotional anchor, fictional creation, husband, and later real-world partner. Their relationship develops from an emotionally distant arranged marriage into mutual affection, separation, reunion, and a deliberately private romance 1 104 120 163.
• Xu Xingqi — Younger brother and one of the few family members whose kindness Xu Shi values. Xu Shi remains attached to him despite their family history, but later recognizes his romantic intentions and establishes boundaries 42 147 154.
• Xu Yu — Coworker and close friend. They tease one another, endure workplace reprimands together, and discuss Xu Shi's romantic prospects; she actively supports his relationship with Xie Yanci 108 109 147.
• Zhou An — Supportive colleague and romantic admirer who brings medicine, comforts him, and offers a possible new career opportunity. Xu Shi eventually tells him directly that he and Xie Yanci are together 113 120 178.
• Xiao Chi — Assistant during the acting storyline. Handles Xu Shi's schedule, helps during publicity crises, and contacts Secretary Zhou when Xu Shi enters the hostile Xu household 4 44 100.
• Xia Shian — Initially Xu Shi's favorite fictional romantic candidate. His real-world counterpart is a former classmate involved in Xu Shi's bullying, a coercive superior, and the plagiarist who stole his design 5 112 116 154.
• Wen Yu — Protagonist of Six Mere Roots! and fellow actor. Xu Shi fears being displaced by him but nevertheless saves him from falling lighting equipment 1 52 97.
• Lin Yuxiang — Stepmother in the novel world and adoptive mother in the real world. Their relationship involves hostility, coercion, and Xu Shi's eventual insistence on cutting ties 41 42 111 140.
• Song Zhixing — Director in the novel world and a figure involved with Liva in the real world. Casts Xu Shi in New Life and helps investigate Xia Shian's stolen designs 55 127.
• Gu Shixu — Provocative workplace acquaintance whom Xu Shi enjoys needling. After learning that Xie Yanci is Xu Shi's boyfriend, he asks Xu Shi to put in a good word for him 158 173.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Apparent Transmigration and Marriage

• Awakens believing that he has died and entered Six Mere Roots! as its doomed, malicious supporting character, without remembering that he wrote the novel 1 2 104.
• Assumes Xie Yanci will eventually become Wen Yu's partner and sees divorce as a possible way to avoid his scripted death 1 8.
• Gradually becomes attached to the husband he initially treats as a source of money and physical attraction 41 43 80 83.

Challenging His Assigned Role

• Auditions in an attempt to prove that the story can change for him, rather than always favoring Wen Yu 30.
• Confronts Lin Yuxiang over attacks on his reputation and experiences Xie Yanci openly taking his side 41 42 43.
• Enters divorce proceedings, but a cooling-off period leaves the marriage temporarily intact. Xie Yanci later announces a five-month trip to France 89 92.
• Suffers a serious shoulder injury while pushing Wen Yu away from falling lighting equipment 97.

Return to the Real World

• Awakens in Hong Kong City on November 7, 2026, and remembers his authorship, adoption, treatment, and long history with Xie Yanci 104.
• Works at Liva while enduring pressure from his adoptive family and Xia Shian. Accepting Xia Shian's assistant position leaves him feeling that he has betrayed his former ideals 113 116.
• Learns that Xie Yanci's written ending has changed to “To be continued,” then encounters him as Liva's visiting top executive 120.

Reclaiming His Work and Personal Life

• Examines evidence of Xia Shian's plagiarism and receives official recognition that the stolen design was his 127 154.
• Rejects the Xu family's continuing claims over him, citing an agreed thirty-million settlement as the end of his obligations 140.
• Faces Xia Shian's attempted attack after the investigation; bodyguards restrain Xia Shian, and Xie Yanci intervenes 150.
• Begins dating Xie Yanci privately, later identifying him as his boyfriend to Gu Shixu and confirming their relationship to Zhou An 163 173 178.
• Continues his design career in the married-life extras while asking his assistant to keep his relationship private at work 187.

Notable Quotes

“Thank you. I know I'm beautiful.” 123

“But you're the only one I've ever kissed.” 157

“I have nothing to do with the Xu family anymore. You said yourself that thirty million would settle all of it.” 140