Huo Xingye

Biodata

Background / History

Huo Family

Huo Xingye is the son of his father's legitimate wife and the younger paternal half-brother of Huo Zhiqing. His father supported his ambitions and respected his choices, but continued supporting his childhood sweetheart and their son outside the marriage. His parents' relationship began with a pheromone-related loss of control and became a marriage sustained by family interests rather than mutual love 58 88 157.

When Huo Xingye was twenty-one, his mother underwent surgery to remove her mating mark, lost her gland, and severed her ties with the Huo Family. She asked him not to visit again because seeing him reminded her of her unhappy marriage. He understood her desire for freedom but struggled with guilt over the role his existence had played in keeping his parents together 88.

His grandfather openly favors him despite his decision to pursue acting rather than family business. Huo Zhiqing resents that preference and regards a possible marriage between Huo Xingye and the Gu Family's Omega as a threat to his own position 58 130.

Online Friendship with Nan Zhou

Nearly three years before the dating-show events, Huo Xingye became interested in a WeChat contact's recovery from a serious leg injury. The contact, known as TA, posted daily rehabilitation updates with an optimism that drew him in. After an unusually late update and a difficult rehabilitation session, Huo Xingye reached out; the conversation became the beginning of their closer connection 88.

He developed feelings through their correspondence and wrote lyrics for Nan Zhou's songs without initially knowing his secondary sex. Their online relationship lasted roughly three years 48.

For their planned meeting at MOSAKA Cafe, Huo Xingye took a midnight flight to M City, arranged a trunk full of imported roses, and arrived an hour early. He waited from one in the afternoon until the cafe closed at eleven. Missing an important charity gala to attend the meeting brought him public criticism 130 131.

During this broader period, he also rejected a proposed marriage alliance with the Gu Family. He did not know that its purpose was to treat Nan Zhou's damaged gland, and only later learned that the proposed partner was Nan Zhou 58 113.

Appearance

Huo Xingye has deep black eyes, thick black hair, sharply defined features, and a tall, muscular build. His imposing appearance is frequently contrasted with the tenderness he shows Nan Zhou 7 8 11 66.

• Height: Taller than Lu Zhou, who is described as six feet tall; no exact measurement is given 8.
• Build: Broad shoulders and back, a narrow waist, defined chest and abdominal muscles, and long, powerful legs 16 66.
• Clothing: Appears in tailored cashmere coats, turtlenecks, suits, and a fitted waistcoat for his bar assignment 7 17 26.
• Voice: Low and resonant; becomes notably cold when he intervenes to protect Nan Zhou's privacy 11 17.
• Pheromone scent: A warm forest campfire, as identified by Nan Zhou and confirmed by Huo Xingye 70.

Personality

Huo Xingye is outwardly refined and courteous but maintains a firm distance from most people. His apparent approachability does not translate into easy intimacy, a boundary still evident after his marriage 101 173. On set, however, he is patient with colleagues: when a male lead struggles through a scene, he encourages him and helps him work through the performance 66.

With Nan Zhou, he is attentive, domestic, and openly indulgent. He cooks, handles chores, gives carefully chosen gifts, and takes Nan Zhou's illnesses seriously 11 16 46 75. His protectiveness can also become forceful: during Nan Zhou's fever, he deliberately uses Alpha pheromones to make him obey instructions and lie down 38.

His devotion has a possessive side. He hires a private investigator to watch Nan Zhou, becomes intensely jealous of perceived rivals, and privately acknowledges that his tenderness is intended to win Nan Zhou entirely for himself 24 59 89. He wants a lasting romantic relationship rather than a purely physical arrangement 58.

His mother's experience makes permanent marking especially fraught for him. Although he longs for a lifelong future with Nan Zhou, he fears the consequences of binding him through a mark 147 150. As their relationship develops, he recognizes that Nan Zhou has often been the one to take emotional risks and resolves to become more proactive himself 116.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

• The youngest Best Actor in film history, a major box-office draw, and a prominent figure in fashion 7.
• Portrays markedly different roles, including a mob boss and an authoritative police figure 33 66.
• Delivers a complex mystery-film performance whose emotional and behavioral details distinguish the character sharply from his everyday self 94.
• Helps a struggling scene partner relax and complete a difficult take 66.

Alpha Physiology and Pheromones

• Possesses a powerful presence capable of unsettling a Beta even without releasing pheromones 8.
• Uses soothing pheromones to help Nan Zhou sleep and deliberately releases them to exert pressure when Nan Zhou is ill 24 38.
• His marking is associated with improvements in Nan Zhou's health; after a later temporary mark, Nan Zhou reports that his injured right leg no longer hurts in rainy weather 76 129.
• A doctor identifies permanent marking by a high-ranking Alpha as a possible way to protect Nan Zhou's damaged gland, though Huo Xingye remains concerned about its risks 76 150.
• Can be affected by rut and uses suppressants when necessary, including before entering the pheromone disturbance at M Group 56 66.
• Discusses the possibility that unusually high compatibility caused a synchronized response between his approaching rut and Nan Zhou's first differentiation; this remains a medical possibility rather than a confirmed explanation 151.

Strength and Physical Conditioning

• Stops Nan Zhou's swinging spiked club with one hand 56.
• Breaks an Anti-bite Ring barehanded without being in rut; his assistant describes such strength as rare among Alphas 57.
• Performs an unsupported handstand with ease 90.
• Completes ten push-ups with Nan Zhou sitting on his back, then performs pull-ups while supporting Nan Zhou's weight 91.

Domestic and Creative Skills

• Cooking: Prepares seafood, Crab Roe Noodles, and other meals with practiced ease 15 16 150.
• Bartending: Mixes drinks so skillfully that the experienced bartender assigned to train him is surprised 17.
• Lyric writing: Writes lyrics for Nan Zhou's music; they later jointly write the lyrics to “Illusory Moon” 48 173.
• Fishing: Enjoys deep-sea fishing and has the patience to wait for hours 48.
• Craftwork: Makes a cat lantern during his first Mid-Autumn Festival after marriage 173.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black trench coat — Lent to Nan Zhou, who finds its lingering scent comforting; later uses his coat to shelter Nan Zhou from rain 8 33.
• Alpha suppressants — Keeps doses in his vehicle and injects himself before entering M Group to find Nan Zhou 56.
• Puppy-shaped earmuffs — A gift from Nan Zhou, given in thanks for his own presents 15.
• Electric guitar — Gives one to Nan Zhou before joining the other dating-show guests 8.
• Vinyl record — His Christmas gift to Nan Zhou, who later frames it in his new apartment 46 53.

Relationships

• Nan Zhou — Online confidant, first love, boyfriend, and eventual husband. Huo Xingye accepts him regardless of secondary sex or origin, affirming that the person before him matters more than whether he comes from another world 48 59 113 131 173.
• Xie Yan — Close friend and confidant who teases him about his devotion, knows about the online relationship, and urges him to reveal his identity to Nan Zhou 20 48.
• Luo Nan — Professional aide who handles arrangements involving Nan Zhou's manager, publicity, and a magazine shoot 24 57 101.
• Huo Old Master — Grandfather who favors him and gives him a place beside himself at his birthday banquet 58.
• Huo Zhiqing — Older paternal half-brother and family rival; attempts to undermine his relationship by presenting his feelings for his online first love as evidence of another romantic attachment 58 130 157.
• Mother — Her departure from the Huo Family leaves him with guilt and shapes his reluctance to impose a lifelong mark on Nan Zhou 88 147.
• Father — Supportive of his dreams but responsible for a deeply unhappy marriage and an ongoing relationship outside it 88.
• Gu Zheng — Nan Zhou's older brother. Huo Xingye challenges his claims of concern and promises to support Nan Zhou if Gu Zheng tries to force him home 85 88.
• Lu Zhou — Nan Zhou's former bandmate and a source of jealousy; Huo Xingye pointedly identifies him by that former connection and rebukes him while defending Nan Zhou 8 15 48.
• Idol — Abandoned black Shiba Inu puppy taken in by Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye 140.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dating-Show Debut

Huo Xingye makes his variety-show debut on the dating program, startling guests who never expected a star of his stature to participate. His familiarity with Nan Zhou immediately provokes speculation, while his fanbase substantially increases attention to the livestream 7 8 14.

Their assigned life together reveals his domestic side through shopping, cooking, chores, and work at Soul Bar. He eventually states outright that he joined because he wanted to see Nan Zhou, rejecting the suggestion that anyone else was responsible 11 16 17 35.

Protecting Nan Zhou

After learning of pheromone chaos at M Group, Huo Xingye obtains access through his investigator, takes a suppressant, and enters the building to retrieve Nan Zhou. He then waits until Nan Zhou can be collected safely 56 57.

A subsequent severe allergic reaction leads him to obtain Nan Zhou's medical records and stay beside him through treatment. Learning that Nan Zhou's gland lacks normal pheromone protection forces him to confront both the potential benefits of marking and his own fears about permanent bonds 75 76.

Becoming a Couple

Following a yacht outing and an on-camera kiss, Nan Zhou asks Huo Xingye whether he wants to be his boyfriend. Their relationship is later explicitly confirmed, and Nan Zhou moves into Huo Xingye's West City home 98 108 113.

Questions about Huo Xingye's first love ultimately reveal that Nan Zhou himself is the person from the online relationship. Huo Xingye accepts the extraordinary circumstances behind their connection and assures him that his existence is real 130 131.

Finale and Future Together

After discussing his family history with Nan Zhou, Huo Xingye independently chooses MOSAKA Cafe for the show's final compatibility test. Nan Zhou chooses the same location, and they reunite there 147.

At home, Nan Zhou asks for a permanent future together despite Huo Xingye's concern about the danger marking could pose to his damaged gland 150. By the Mid-Autumn extra, they are married. Nan Zhou visits him on location in K City, where they make lanterns and share their jointly written song, “Illusory Moon” 173.

Notable Quotes

“I wanted to see him, so I came. It had nothing to do with anyone else.” 35

“I like him. It has nothing to do with his gender. Whether he's an Alpha, a Beta, or an Omega who's lost his gland, it makes no difference to me.” 59

“You're important to me. Your health is vitally important to me. I can't bear that risk.” 75

“There's just one thing I can be certain of. Your existence is real. Your arrival in my life is a one-of-a-kind gift from heaven.” 131

Trivia

• His birthday, his first kiss with Nan Zhou, and his first marking of Nan Zhou all fall on December 11 59 70.
• Fans call their pairing Xingzhou 41.
• He replaces the show's planned chess-and-walk date with sea fishing, offering to provide the boat himself 95.
• When assigned Shakespeare's Sonnet 18, he instead recites a poem about the intimacy of holding a sleeping lover 121.
• He jokingly stops a near-kiss because their newly adopted puppy, Idol, is a minor 140.