Gu Zheng

Biodata

Background

Family and upbringing

Gu Zheng is the eldest child of Gu Jinchao and Nan Yuan. His sister, Gu Ying, is five years younger, while his younger brother, Nan Zhou—whom he calls “Xiao Bao”—is nine years younger. Growing up, he felt that his parents’ devotion to one another left little affection for him 89 146.

When Gu Zheng was twenty, fifteen-year-old Gu Ying differentiated into an Alpha and left home with visitors accompanied by military-looking escorts. Her subsequent absence deepened his attachment to Nan Zhou. He hoped his youngest sibling would become a gentle Omega rather than another difficult Alpha, but Nan Zhou’s eventual Omega differentiation did not bring the closeness he imagined 89.

Nan Zhou instead became determined to leave home for Lu Zhou, threatening to cut ties if the family interfered. Gu Zheng feared losing another sibling and struggled to understand his brother’s rejection of the family 87 89.

Leadership of GY Group

Gu Zheng succeeded Gu Jinchao as president of GY Group, a major company with businesses across numerous industries. Several veteran executives initially resisted his authority, but he overcame them through exhaustive preparation, relentless questioning, and meetings that could continue into the early morning 82 162.

His employees ultimately recognize him as a highly capable workaholic with good character. When a director sexually exploited an Omega intern, Gu Zheng dismissed him despite other executives’ attempts to protect the man 162.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, upright, and well-proportioned; Wen Yu admires his figure 86 170.
• Face: Handsome, with a naturally authoritative expression even when he is not angry 80.
• Glasses: Wears gold-rimmed glasses and frequently adjusts them while speaking 160 166.
• Clothing: Favors polished business attire, including tailored suits, waistcoats, and shirts 166 170.
• Pheromones: Wen Yu experiences his scent as pleasant, warm, and relaxing 160.

Personality

Gu Zheng presents himself as stern, restrained, and difficult to approach. Gu Tang regards him almost as an elder, while employees fear becoming the target of his lengthy lectures. Beneath that formal exterior, he is exceptionally talkative, emotionally expressive, and easily drawn into exaggerated complaints about being neglected 79 126 162.

His attachment to Nan Zhou combines genuine affection with possessiveness. He worries about his brother’s food, safety, and emotional well-being, but also places an informant at his side and withholds industry support in the hope that criticism will drive him home. Huo Xingye challenges the gap between Gu Zheng’s claims of unconditional love and his absence when Nan Zhou most needed help 85 87 89 145.

Despite his professional confidence, Gu Zheng is inexperienced and easily flustered in romance. Wen Yu’s teasing repeatedly makes him blush or lose his composure. He values fidelity for himself without demanding that a prospective partner have remained sexually inexperienced before meeting him; his stated requirement is exclusivity once they are together 160 166.

His care for Wen Yu becomes notably patient. He refuses to treat help as a debt to be repaid through intimacy, waits for Wen Yu to disclose his past voluntarily, and listens without interruption when he finally does 170.

Abilities & Skills

Business Management and Memory

Gu Zheng’s professional strength rests on keen business instincts, a powerful memory, and detailed knowledge of the people he negotiates with 162.

• Researches resistant executives thoroughly enough to recount their histories from elementary-school graduation onward 162.
• Maintains exhausting discussions without losing energy; one meeting lasts until four or five in the morning 162.
• Recites company financial reports from memory while trying to resist Wen Yu’s pheromones 160.

Persuasion and Verbal Pressure

His seemingly endless speech is an effective business weapon, not merely a family annoyance 162.

• Overwhelms opponents with sustained arguments that leave few opportunities to interrupt 162.
• Delivers a half-hour denunciation of the director who exploited an intern without repeating himself 162.
• Verbally dismantles President Qin’s attempts to shame Wen Yu while physically keeping Wen Yu behind him 169.

Languages and Music

• Italian: Converses fluently with a brand’s regional director 163.
• Violin: Plays reasonably well, though his deliberate intrusion into Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye’s piano duet disrupts rather than complements their performance 83.

Resources and Possessions

• GY Group’s legal and publicity resources: The company gathers evidence and prepares legal action against rumors about Gu Zheng and Nan Zhou 100.
• Personal bodyguards: Subdue President Qin’s men and handle the aftermath of Wen Yu’s confrontation with him 169.
• Downtown apartment: Owns a luxurious, full-floor apartment overlooking the city. He prepares its furnishings, guest-room clothing, toiletries, and slippers with Wen Yu in mind 170 171.

Relationships

• Nan Zhou — Younger biological brother. Gu Zheng wants him home and distrusts his romantic choices, while Nan Zhou punctures his authoritative manner with relentless teasing. Their estrangement gradually gives way to renewed family contact 86 87 100 101 126.
• Wen Yu — Boyfriend and first sexual partner. Gu Zheng initially struggles with Wen Yu’s refusal to treat their intimacy as a commitment, then pursues him openly and supports him through confronting his past 162 166 169 171.
• Gu Jinchao — Father, predecessor at GY Group, and a board member. He urges Gu Zheng to stop working during family time and eventually encourages him to marry and move out 144 162.
• Nan Yuan — Dad. Affectionately calls him “Da Bao” and worries that his continued single life will leave him lonely 144.
• Gu Ying — Younger sister. Her scientific focus and prolonged absence from home contribute to Gu Zheng’s sense of family isolation 89 146.
• Huo Xingye — Nan Zhou’s partner. Gu Zheng initially accuses him of seeking the Gu fortune, but later encourages marking as a possible treatment for Nan Zhou’s gland problem 84 85 126.
• Gu Tang — Distant relative who addresses him as “cousin.” Gu Tang is not actually his paternal cousin; the closer connection belongs to Gu Tang’s older maternal cousin 79.
• Hao Jia — Informant placed beside Nan Zhou. Hao Jia eventually challenges Gu Zheng’s interference and tells him that Nan Zhou has long known about the arrangement 89.
• Grace — Assistant who manages practical arrangements, accompanies him on business travel, and facilitates meetings with Wen Yu 162 166.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Interfering with Nan Zhou’s Dating Show

Gu Zheng enters You Make My Heart Flutter as a limited-stint guest after watching its livestream. His apparent attention to Gu Tang initially obscures his real concern for Nan Zhou. He takes Gu Tang to the building where Nan Zhou and Huo Xingye are shooting, then insists on following them to the rooftop studio 79 80 82 87.

His attempts to disrupt the pair include directing Gu Tang to join them and inserting a violin performance into their piano duet. Later, at Soul Bar, he confronts Huo Xingye over the marriage alliance the Huo actor previously rejected and accuses him of pursuing Nan Zhou for money 83 84.

Gu Zheng finally identifies himself directly as Nan Zhou’s brother during an emotional confrontation. Nan Zhou refuses to let that relationship give him control over his love life, and Hao Jia subsequently forces Gu Zheng to confront the fact that Xiao Bao is an adult entitled to make his own choices 86 87 89.

Public Disclosure and Family Reconciliation

Rumors cast Gu Zheng as Nan Zhou’s financial backer after viewers misinterpret his interference. GY Group responds by publicly confirming that they are biological brothers sharing both parents and announcing preparations for legal action against malicious allegations 98 99 100.

Nan Zhou later promises to come home for a meal. Gu Zheng prepares his favorite dishes and, despite his earlier outrage over Huo Xingye’s intimacy with him, raises marking as a possible way to address his damaged gland 101 126.

After Nan Zhou’s hospitalization, Gu Zheng brings him home ahead of their parents’ return from Antarctica. Family conversations then turn the teasing back on Gu Zheng, exposing his feelings for Wen Yu and prompting his parents to encourage him to find a partner 143 144.

Pursuing Wen Yu

Gu Zheng first gives Wen Yu a fluffy green hat while searching for Nan Zhou during the show. Later chapters revisit the beginnings of their romance: when pheromones affect them near his car, Gu Zheng tries to provide suppressants and preserve distance, but Wen Yu kisses him and asks to be marked 93 160.

After three days together, Wen Yu leaves eight hundred yuan and a note reading “Thanks for having me.” Gu Zheng is devastated by the implication that their intimacy meant nothing lasting. His jealousy intensifies when he watches Lu Zhou call Wen Yu “baby” on a livestream, and he orders Grace to undermine Lu Zhou’s remaining endorsements 162.

His eventual confession emphasizes affection rather than obligation. He tells Wen Yu that he wants him healthy and safe even if they never become partners, accepts that Wen Yu’s past belongs to him, and promises to continue pursuing him until he agrees 166.

Supporting Wen Yu Against President Qin

When Wen Yu confronts President Qin, Gu Zheng arrives to support him, shields him from threats, and agrees to take responsibility for what follows. After Wen Yu beats Qin unconscious, Gu Zheng stops him before the violence becomes fatal, cleans his hands, and takes him away 168 169.

At his apartment, Gu Zheng listens to Wen Yu’s account of his childhood trauma. He repeatedly reassures him, “It wasn’t your fault”—132 times, by Wen Yu’s count. Wen Yu subsequently accepts him as his boyfriend 170 171.

Gu Zheng then adds Wen Yu to the family group and accompanies him to visit Wen Wan with lawyers and a psychologist. When Wen Yu introduces him to friends from the Orphanage as his boyfriend, he gives each of them 9,999 yuan and offers his support as part of Wen Yu’s extended family 172.

Alternate-Timeline Dream

In Nan Zhou’s dream of a timeline where he did not transmigrate, Gu Zheng proposes a marriage alliance with Huo Xingye to help his damaged gland. Nan Zhou refuses. Gu Zheng later sees him off to resume his overseas studies and arranges security at Gu Jinchao’s instruction 153 154.

Notable Quotes

“I’ll keep pursuing you until you say yes. No matter how long it takes.” 166

“It wasn’t your fault.” 170

“But things are different now. I have you.” 172

Trivia

• Gu Zheng has red-green color deficiency, not complete red-green color blindness. GY Group appends that correction to its public response to the rumors about him and Nan Zhou 87 100.
• His relentless lecturing earns repeated comparisons to Tang Sanzang and the tightening-headband spell, both within the family and in descriptions of his business tactics 154 157 162 172.
• Wen Yu rejects his attempt to describe their relationship as marriage: “I only said you were my boyfriend. I never agreed to marry you” 171.