Gu Nian'an

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and earlier lives

Gu Nian'an initially understands his memories as belonging to two different people. In the life he remembers before apparently entering a novel, he studied piano, competed, and suffered abuse from his mother. When his grades declined under the pressure of practice and competitions, she blamed his kitten and fatally injured it despite his pleas. He later developed advanced stomach cancer and spent his final days in hospital reading novels 1 2 16 41.

The childhood he initially attributes to the body's “original owner” was spent largely in an orphanage. A kindhearted person brought him there on a snowy day while he had a high fever; his memories of his parents were missing. He remained at the orphanage until eighteen, helped with cooking, and worked part-time in kitchens 5 63.

At Lanyang High School, classmates ostracized and assaulted him. After being locked in a classroom, he jumped from upstairs, broke his leg, and was not found until the following morning. Alumni later revealed that influential families shielded his tormentors, while the school punished him and forced him to apologize. He eventually dropped out 55 56.

Contract marriage and apparent transmigration

Fu Xiuyuan originally selected Gu Nian'an as a contract spouse to satisfy a will requiring him to marry before inheriting a ten-percent shareholding. Gu Nian'an accepted an offer of thirty million for three years. Their relationship was distant, and Fu Xiuyuan later suspected him of administering drugs at a family banquet 1 12.

After awakening in Fu Xiuyuan's home, Gu Nian'an believes he has entered The Fu Family's Stormy Rise, a novel he read in hospital. Its protagonist is Fu Xiuyuan, while a supporting character shares his own name. Receiving the supposed original owner's memories causes severe head pain and a collapse 1 2 84.

He initially intends to finish the marriage contract, take the money, and leave the novel's plot behind. However, his changed personality and the red mole beside his eye make Fu Xiuyuan suspect that something has happened to him. Gu Nian'an denies responsibility for the drugging, and Fu Xiuyuan's reinvestigation eventually clears him 2 21.

*Leisurely Little House* and rising popularity

Before the story opens, Gu Nian'an had entered an idol competition after being discovered by a talent scout. His appearance won him fans, but poor performance skills and scandals left him known as a talentless pretty face with a bad attitude. He inherits a commitment to the thirty-day lifestyle show Leisurely Little House and attends despite wanting little involvement in entertainment 3.

His cooking, quiet manners, and attentiveness to other guests change viewers' opinions. His friendship with former teammate Yu Songqing becomes especially influential: he remembers Yu's liking for sweets, brings him food, and reassures him when he struggles to express concern. After Gu Nian'an collapses and develops a fever, footage of him calling Ji Baiwei “Mom” further draws public sympathy 4 6 11.

By the end of filming, he has more than three million Weibo followers. He also brings home the production team's kitten, which Fu Xiuyuan welcomes with an elaborately furnished cat room. Despite his popularity, Gu Nian'an declines acting offers, prompting Jubao to threaten him with a five-million breach-of-contract penalty 18 19.

With Fu Xiuyuan's help, he transfers to Baiyu Entertainment. He agrees to continue working partly to fulfill the original owner's wish of finding his mother, while asking not to receive acting work because he believes he cannot act 20 34.

Growing attachment and renewed harassment

Gu Nian'an gradually stops treating Fu Xiuyuan as merely a fictional protagonist. During a snowy night together, he recognizes that the loneliness described briefly in the novel represents real suffering and promises to keep him company for their remaining three years 33.

His growing love is complicated by guilt: he believes he is occupying another person's body and has no right to use it to pursue Fu Xiuyuan. He also repeatedly interprets Fu Xiuyuan's affection as contractual responsibility rather than love 40 41 51.

During Leisurely Little House 2, former classmates publish accusations against him, triggering another wave of harassment. Alumni testimonies expose the school bullying behind those claims. Although Fu Xiuyuan offers support, Gu Nian'an chooses to finish filming, and the other guests become more protective after learning about his old injuries 54 55 56 58.

Kidnapping and recovery of his identity

Li Zhuwan helps trap Gu Nian'an in a private room, where hired men incapacitate him and take him to an abandoned building. Their instructions are to hold him for three days and record videos. Gu Nian'an persuades Du Zhongyuan to untie his hands for a meal; after recognizing him, Du realizes that the employer's description of a wealthy young master was false 71.

While fleeing, Gu Nian'an falls into a concealed pond. Unable to swim, he begins drowning and recalls an earlier childhood incident involving water. The experience unlocks further memories, and he subsequently understands that he is both himself and the person he had called the “original owner” 72 74 85.

He and Fu Xiuyuan grow closer and move into a heavily secured manor. Nevertheless, the intertwining memories of his lives leave him increasingly unable to distinguish dreams from reality 74 77.

*In the Name of Love* and the Pillar cycle

Gu Nian'an takes the role of Gu An in In the Name of Love. The character's experiences reproduce his remembered previous life, making filming deeply distressing. Acting opposite Zhao Ying, who plays Gu An's mother, intensifies his sense of familiarity and grief 83 85 88.

After a collapse and hospital examination, he tells Fu Xiuyuan about his memories and his belief that their world was a book. He later explains that the drowning restored his identity as both versions of Gu Nian'an, but that his knowledge of the book's later events has disappeared 84 85.

Following another crisis, Yu Meng's dissipation releases memories of far more than two lives. Gu Nian'an remembers serving as a world's Pillar, repeatedly dying and reviving while supplying energy to a consciousness. His deaths included cancer, drowning, and other accidents; he also witnesses the suffering of other Pillars and Fu Xiuyuan's repeated deaths 101 103.

His support for Yu Songqing continues beyond their variety-show friendship. He investigates Yu's family history with Fu Xiuyuan's help, and Yu later publicly thanks him at a concert. Their farewell marks the end of the cycle that had trapped them 109 119.

Family reunion, the Star Sea, and wedding

Li Mochen investigates Gu Nian'an's origins and arranges a banquet to confirm a butterfly-shaped birthmark on his lower back. A paternity report subsequently establishes the family connection he had long sought. Ji Baiwei is later identified as his mother 125 126 127 155.

When the Fu family's will becomes public, Gu Nian'an defends Fu Xiuyuan against claims that their marriage is exploitative. Fu Xiuyuan responds publicly that both the will and their love are real 131 132.

Gu Nian'an is later struck by a speeding car after pushing Ji Baiwei out of its path. His consciousness awakens in the Star Sea, where he remembers willingly becoming a cornerstone to sustain the world because his loved ones live there. Shang Zelan reveals that she had become its first cornerstone in Fu Xiuyuan's place and sends him back with a message of love for her son 142 145.

He returns with star-filled blue eyes and hair turning white. Later, he assures Zhao Ying that he has recovered from the accident, appears with Fu Xiuyuan on a husbands' variety show, and celebrates their wedding on the Fu family's private island. Ji Baiwei escorts him into the ceremony, while Renata carries the rings in a basket 146 151 157 171.

Appearance

• Build and complexion: A slender young man with fair skin, delicate features, and bright red lips 1 37.
• Hair: Initially black and slightly curly, falling softly beside his ears; turns snow-white after his return from the Star Sea 1 20 146.
• Eyes: Initially black, with an affectionate-looking gaze; later become deep blue and appear filled with stars 20 146.
• Red mole: Located at the corner of his eye. It matches his remembered appearance but was absent from the person Fu Xiuyuan originally married 2.
• Birthmark: A small red butterfly on his lower back, used to confirm his family identity 89 126.

Personality

Gu Nian'an is gentle and observant, often expressing affection through practical care. He remembers others' food preferences, notices discomfort, and adjusts his cooking accordingly. Yun Bingxia particularly remembers him preparing brown-sugar eggs for her during her period, while Fu Xiuyuan praises his habit of remembering small personal details 11 47 157.

His kindness coexists with deep insecurity. He worries about burdening others, feels undeserving of love, and initially views his new life as something stolen from another person. Even after developing feelings for Fu Xiuyuan, he questions whether he has the right to accept affection 20 40 41 58.

He can remain composed under hostility without offering easy forgiveness. At the class reunion, he refuses to consider himself entitled to forgive classmates on the supposed original owner's behalf. His protectiveness becomes more direct when Fu Xiuyuan is attacked online and when he physically saves Ji Baiwei from an oncoming car 43 131 142.

He dislikes the entertainment industry's attention and pressure rather than seeking fame for its own sake. Nevertheless, he values the friendships it brings him and carefully keeps and reads his fans' letters 19 62.

Abilities & Skills

Piano

An accomplished pianist with competitive experience in his remembered earlier life 16 82.

• Tied for first place with musical prodigy Wen Chen, leading to a friendship centered on competitions and piano 82.
• Performs professionally enough that the film crew does not need the double originally considered for his piano scenes 91 92.
• His playing captivates both staff and Mu Chen during filming 91.

Cooking and Caregiving

A capable cook who prepares meals for fellow guests and accommodates their preferences 4 47.

• Describes learning through orphanage kitchen work and part-time kitchen jobs 5.
• Brings Yu Songqing bread and milk and remembers his preference for sweet drinks 6 11.
• Cares for Lin Xianyu through a fever, earning his sincere gratitude 54.

Acting

His most notable role is Gu An in In the Name of Love, a character whose life mirrors his own earlier experiences 85 161.

• Initially declines acting work because he believes he lacks the necessary skill 19 20.
• Draws on personal memories for Gu An's illness and final scenes 94.
• Later declines further roles, explaining that his connection with Gu An was a special case he cannot reproduce 161.

Knowledge of the Novel and Past Lives

Initially uses his memory of The Fu Family's Stormy Rise to understand the people around him 2 33 84.

• Knows personal details about Fu Xiuyuan and Yu Songqing that influence how he treats them 6 11 33.
• Encounters events and relationships absent from his remembered plot 13 31 32.
• Loses his recollection of the book's later events after recovering his current-life memories 85.
• Eventually remembers repeated reincarnations as a Pillar, rather than only the two lives he first recognized 103.

Health and Vulnerabilities

Equipment / Items

• Marriage rings — Fu Xiuyuan commissions designs from Song Yuan and lets Gu Nian'an choose. Gu Nian'an later clutches his ring while grieving their separation in the Star Sea 36 145.
• Sapphire ear stud — An expensive accessory he describes as a friend's gift; it attracts questions from Yun Bingxia and speculation online 51 52.
• Fan letters — Keeps every letter received from supporters and says he has read each carefully 62.

Relationships

• Fu Xiuyuan — Contract husband who becomes his loved partner. Their initial suspicion gives way to mutual dependence, public commitment, and an island wedding 2 21 85 131 171.
• Ji Baiwei — Fellow variety-show guest, maternal source of comfort, and ultimately his mother. He saves her from a speeding car; she later escorts him at his wedding 11 142 155 171.
• Yu Songqing — Former talent-show teammate and close friend. Gu Nian'an's attentiveness helps bridge their earlier distance, and he later assists with Yu's family troubles. Yu accepts his own unspoken love while affirming their lasting friendship 6 11 109 119.
• Mu Chen / Yan Chen — Actor, colleague, and the older orphanage boy Gu Nian'an called “big brother.” As children, Yan Chen helped him obtain food when he was too young to compete with the others 82 97.
• Yun Bingxia — Variety-show friend who openly challenges his feelings of inferiority and encourages him to face his emotions 47 48.
• Ji Yaozhi — Fellow guest who exchanges contact details with him after filming and remains part of his circle of friends 18 51.
• Lin Xianyu — Fellow guest whom he nurses through a fever. Lin later shows concern for his old leg injury 54 58.
• Zhao Ying — Plays his mother in In the Name of Love. Their scenes evoke unusual familiarity in both of them; Gu Nian'an later visits her bookstore and is moved to tears by her care 83 88 151.
• Li Manwen — His original manager, who handles his early variety-show participation and informs him of his sudden popularity 3 18.
• Shang Zelan — Fu Xiuyuan's mother and the world's first cornerstone. Comforts Gu Nian'an in the Star Sea and sends him back to her son 145.
• Renata — The production team's kitten, adopted by Gu Nian'an and raised with Fu Xiuyuan. Its name means “rebirth”; it carries their wedding rings 18 75 171.
• Li Zhuwan — Acquaintance introduced as Fu Xiuyuan's childhood friend who later participates in Gu Nian'an's kidnapping 37 71.
• Du Zhongyuan — One of his captors. Recognizing Gu Nian'an and their similar orphan backgrounds makes him question the employer's story 71.

Notable Quotes

“I'm Gu Nian'an, and I'm also 'Gu Nian'an.'” 85

“I won't. I love you.” 85

“Mr. Fu treats me very well. He isn't using me the way you claim. Stop maliciously speculating about, attacking, and hurting my partner.” 131

“I'm incredibly happy with him.” 157