Zhou Zhichu

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and School Years

Zhou Zhichu came from an ordinary family. After his parents suffered an accident, he lived with his grandmother, who became his only remaining relative. He learned to cook while caring for her 91 99 176.

He attended the same high school as Chi Shuran and Song Wenjing. As class monitor, he was assigned to tutor Chi Shuran because of her grades. He liked her first but considered their backgrounds too different to pursue her: to him, she seemed like a princess, while he had little to offer. Chi Shuran recognized his feelings and brought them into the open, beginning their relationship 89 91.

They dated for over a year before Chi Shuran requested a breakup at graduation, saying she wanted to explore the world. Although hurt, Zhou Zhichu accepted because he believed she deserved a better life than he could provide 91.

Entering the Entertainment Industry

Shortly after the breakup, Brother Li approached Zhou Zhichu with a business card. He told him that Chi Shuran had entered the entertainment industry and suggested that becoming an actor would let him see her frequently. Zhou Zhichu immediately agreed, without considering whether the offer might be a scam 89 91 92.

A drama he appeared in became a major hit early in his career. He subsequently won a best actor award and built a following of tens of millions, improving his grandmother’s circumstances along the way 95 110.

Despite joining the industry because of Chi Shuran, he avoided contacting her. He feared that she would interpret his presence as pestering and come to dislike him 92.

Appearance

• Good-looking: Brother Li admits that Zhou Zhichu’s looks were what initially prompted him to offer his business card 89.
• Corrective eyewear: He has worn glasses for years, though viewers note that he generally wears contact lenses by the time of the variety show 95.
• Expressive reactions: He blushes readily around Chi Shuran, sometimes turning red from his neck to his earlobes. When smiling at her, his eyes are described as crescent-shaped 90 94.

Personality

Zhou Zhichu is shy, easygoing, and particularly self-conscious around Chi Shuran. She recognizes his temperament as resembling his grandmother’s. His nervousness often appears as stammering, lowered eyes, flushed cheeks, or an inability to initiate conversation 89 90 99 170.

His insecurity is closely tied to their different backgrounds. Even after becoming successful, he repeatedly assumes that he is unworthy of her or that approaching her will be unwelcome. This caution causes misunderstandings: Chi Shuran initially mistakes his embarrassment for reluctance to be linked with her publicly 90 91 97.

He is trusting and literal-minded, accepting Brother Li’s recruitment pitch immediately and struggling to understand viewers’ suggestive jokes. However, he is not entirely oblivious: he recognizes the danger in some of Fu Yanci’s romantic advice and learns to watch for verbal traps during interviews and livestreams 91 99 106 107.

His gentleness does not prevent him from setting boundaries. He threatens legal action against people attacking Chi Shuran, and an industry anecdote describes him forcibly ejecting two people who secretly entered his hotel room 95 139.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

Zhou Zhichu develops from a newcomer with a hit drama into a best actor award winner 95 110.

• Has enough professional standing that the variety-show director is cautious about offending him 139.
• Is willing to speak bluntly during filming despite his bashful off-camera manner 139.

Cooking and Baking

He learned cooking through caring for his grandmother and regularly helps feed the variety-show cast 98 99.

• Prepares steamed buns, noodles, crayfish, and assorted meat and vegetable dishes 98 102 114.
• Confidently tells the others to choose vegetables they want because he can cook them all 102.
• Learns to make presentable cakes after a month of practice with Chi Shuran 110.
• Mixes dipping sauces to suit Chi Shuran’s tastes, particularly her preference for sour flavors 125.
• Can use a wood-fired stove, although lighting one takes effort after years without practice 98.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Joining the Variety Show

Zhou Zhichu first appears watching the cast’s livestream. Brother Li scolds him for trending again, but he resumes watching once his manager leaves 44.

He later joins the village episode as its mystery guest. Fu Yanci encounters him but does not complete the discovery; after consulting the director, Zhou Zhichu changes hiding places and runs into Chi An. His immediate nervousness around Chi An and Chi Shuran makes their shared history difficult to conceal 88 89.

Assigned to share a bamboo house with Fu Yanci, he admits that Chi Shuran dumped him. Headlines sensationalize his references to a “wife,” including a false suggestion that Fu Yanci is his spouse, leaving Brother Li to handle the resulting publicity 89.

Pursuing Chi Shuran Again

After watching Zhou Zhichu’s awkward attempts at courtship, Chi An privately questions him about his high-school relationship. Zhou Zhichu explains the breakup and his reasons for becoming an actor. When Chi An asks whether he would be willing to marry into the Chi Family, he immediately agrees 91 92.

Fu Yanci becomes his self-appointed courtship mentor. Zhou Zhichu follows his examples earnestly, but copying him does not reliably work: an attempt to take over Chi Shuran’s weaving so she can rest instead makes her think he is stealing her work 90 91 109.

He also agrees to keep Fu Yanci occupied for an hour in exchange for Chi An’s future help with Chi Shuran. He accomplishes this by persuading Fu Yanci to teach him more courtship methods, leading to a livestream filled with absurd viewer suggestions 103 104.

Clearing the Misunderstandings

Chi Shuran’s rejection of a loquat he offers her reveals that she believes he has treated her as someone unwanted. With the others’ intervention, they finally discuss the incidents behind her anger 94 96 97.

During the dispute, Zhou Zhichu explicitly tells viewers not to attack Chi Shuran and warns that offensive accounts may face bans and legal notices 95.

Once the misunderstandings are addressed, he tells her that he has always liked her. He later repeats his confession beneath the fireworks at Chi An and Fu Yanci’s banquet, asking her to give him a chance. Chi Shuran explicitly identifies him as her boyfriend during a subsequent family video call 110 170 175.

Later Career and Family

Zhou Zhichu signs on as a regular guest for the director’s next livestreamed variety show, Time Boils Rain 139.

His introduction to Chi Ye becomes embarrassing when he mistakes the video call for a wealthy-family romance plot. Convinced that Chi Shuran’s grandfather intends to separate them, he declares that even a five-million check will not make him leave her. Chi Shuran discovers that Fu Yanci recommended the novels behind his assumptions 176.

Chi An proposes holding both couples’ weddings in Z Country partly because Zhou Zhichu’s grandmother is frail. He also designates Chi Shuran’s eldest son as the Chi Family’s future heir 176.

In the extras, Zhou Zhichu and Chi Shuran have two kindergarten-aged children, Chi Yue and Zhou Wanyu. When the couple films out of town for approximately half a month, they entrust the children to Chi An and Fu Yanci 196.

Relationships

• Chi Shuran — His high-school sweetheart and later partner. He remembers her favorite cakes, adjusts sauces to her preferences, and remains devoted to her throughout their separation 91 125 170 176.
• Grandmother — Raised him after his parents’ accident. Caring for her taught him to cook, and his acting success allows him to improve her life 91 99 110.
• Brother Li — His manager and recruiter. Frequently handles the fallout from Zhou Zhichu’s public remarks and is exasperated by his lovesickness 44 89.
• Chi An — Chi Shuran’s elder brother. Initially intimidates him, then helps expose the misunderstandings preventing their reconciliation 88 91 110.
• Fu Yanci — Variety-show roommate and self-appointed romantic mentor. His advice alternately encourages Zhou Zhichu and causes trouble 89 103 109 176.
• Song Wenjing — High-school friend who encourages his pursuit of Chi Shuran and helps explain their past to the others 89 97.
• Ren Anwen — Helps create opportunities for him and Chi Shuran to communicate, including defusing the weaving incident and urging them to speak privately 109 110.
• Chi Yue and Zhou Wanyu — His children with Chi Shuran 196.
• Crown Prince — Dog he looks after at Chi Shuran’s home. He later brings over his own two cats as playmates 116 117 142.

Notable Quotes

“I liked her first, but I didn't dare pursue her. Shu Ran seemed like a princess.” 91

“Whether you're my fan or not, if you say anything too offensive, I'll have your account banned outright. My legal team will send out legal notices afterward.” 95

“Of course I remember the things you like.” 170

Trivia

• He is afraid of snakes; during his arrival, he clings to Chi An and is pulled away by a jealous Fu Yanci 89.
• When an interviewer asks whether his long-worn glasses have special meaning, he answers, “Blindness. Wouldn't I be blind without my glasses?” 95.
• He owns two large cats and lives close enough to Chi Shuran’s home to fetch them in roughly half an hour 142.