Li Shu

Biodata

Background / History

Life before transmigration

Li Shu comes from a close-knit family whose finances improved substantially after receiving compensation for a demolished home. Despite that windfall, his parents remained careful with money rather than spending extravagantly. He remembers ordinary family routines fondly, including his mother’s cooking and his father’s fish 4 26 48.

In his original world, Li Shu is a sports student. His family includes his mother, Ms. Su, his father, and an elder brother; Song Shiran is his college roommate and travel companion 139 143 150.

The original Li Shu

The person whose identity he occupies is the Li Family’s youngest son and Li Qinshi’s younger brother. At ten, the original Li Shu chased his mother’s departing car after she divorced his unfaithful father. Chen Yannan found him injured, treated his scraped legs, and promised to protect him—an encounter that became central to his attachment to Chen 1 2.

The original Li Shu later changed his university plans to pursue Chen Yannan, entering A University’s finance department despite his enthusiasm for sports. His eldest brother objected not to the change itself, but to his willingness to reshape his future around a man. The resulting dispute left him estranged from his family 3.

The transmigrator inherits some of the original owner’s emotional responses: merely hearing Chen Yannan’s voice triggers tears and a vivid childhood memory. Their preferences and abilities are not identical, however; differences involving food and surfing eventually help Pei Song'an recognize the substitution 1 62 92.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, lean, and muscular, with a narrow waist and well-proportioned physique 7 92 100.
• Face: Clean-cut, handsome features with a youthful, fresh appearance 4.
• Eyes: Brownish, almond-shaped eyes, frequently bright with amusement 1 40.
• Skin: Fair and delicate, remaining relatively untanned despite his outdoor interests 27.
• Notable contrast: Pei Song'an notices that the current Li Shu habitually smiles, whereas photographs of the original owner show a quieter expression with a trace of obsession 40.

Personality

Li Shu is energetic, adventurous, and quick to act. Even after being attacked, he recounts his attempts to fight back with pride rather than treating the incident solely as a reason to withdraw from danger. Pei Song'an recognizes that he has a strong sense of danger, but also an appetite for unusual experiences 25 26.

He is direct about both affection and irritation. He dislikes evasive conversation, openly challenges Xue Chen’s hostility, and eventually tells Chen Yannan that nobody will wait for him forever. His clear sense of responsibility also keeps him from blaming Pei Song'an for violence committed by other people 17 26 34.

His kindness repeatedly overrides caution. He intervenes for strangers, cares for Zhaocai, and readily befriends a hungry child. This warmth is not entirely indiscriminate: Pei Song'an describes him as having clear likes, dislikes, and personal rules, rather than simply being uncontrollable 22 82 135.

Despite his boldness elsewhere, Li Shu is inexperienced in romance and easily embarrassed by intimacy. His early reluctance to commit also stems from expecting to return home, where he believes Pei Song'an cannot exist. He generally handles uncertainty by taking matters one step at a time 11 48 68.

He is conscientious about money that is not his. While living under the original owner’s identity, he feels guilty spending the Li Family’s resources and avoids buying clothes with either their money or Pei Song'an’s 5 59.

Abilities & Skills

System-assisted danger warnings

Li Shu receives information from a system about threats surrounding Pei Song'an and uses it to intervene in dangerous situations 4 31 46.

• Initially explains his foreknowledge as dreams rather than revealing the system 4.
• Can receive warnings about possible collateral injury, not only deliberate attacks against Pei Song'an 31.
• Does not know the novel firsthand; he has never read the book described by the system 48.
• Cannot freely disclose future events. When he tries to state an upcoming threat directly, he becomes unable to finish the warning 41.
• The system promises his return home and a reward of one hundred million yuan for completing the mission; he later receives the money 4 140.

Athletics and outdoor activities

Li Shu’s physical fitness supports both his recreational interests and his repeated escapes from danger 25 43 92.

• Running and agility: Sprints away from attackers, twists out of a grab, and reaches a police station after a prolonged chase 25 43.
• Surfing: Demonstrates a professional-looking stance that Pei Song'an knows the original Li Shu did not possess 92.
• Hiking: Enjoys mountain outings and is readily persuaded to join one when the activity is mentioned 46.
• Swimming limitation: Describes his dog paddle as sufficient for himself, but not for rescuing another person 92.

Improvised self-defense

Li Shu relies on quick reactions and whatever is available rather than established fighting expertise 25.

• Uses a water bottle against pursuers and forces a dead bug into one attacker’s mouth to create an opening 25.
• Tries to escape toward populated areas rather than remain isolated 25.
• Punches Xie Jin after their confrontation about the novel’s ending 117.
• Has only been in a handful of fights and cannot overpower the two men who assault him 25.

Relationships

• Pei Song'an — Boyfriend and the subject of his protection mission. Their accidental first encounter develops into mutual attachment; Pei protects him, tutors him in English, and supports his wish to study what he likes. They remain together after returning to the real world 1 46 142 147.
• Chen Yannan — The original owner’s childhood protector and unrequited love. Li Shu declares that he no longer likes him and later rejects his expectation that he will keep waiting. Chen eventually recognizes his own feelings, but Li Shu has already grown close to Pei Song'an 1 4 34 44.
• Li Qinshi — Elder brother of the original owner. Initially estranged over Li Shu’s educational choices, he reconciles with him and agrees not to interfere in his relationship, while warning him about the risks attached to Pei Song'an 3 58 130.
• Cheng Zhen — Dormmate, confidant, and frequent teasing partner in the book world. He initially mistakes Li Shu’s closeness to Pei for an attempt to make Chen jealous; the two later help a girl escape street punks together 4 82.
• Zhaocai — Puppy Li Shu cares for and regularly takes out. Zhaocai follows his scent after his assault and helps Pei Song'an find him 22 26.
• Shen Muwen — Pei Song'an’s younger brother, whom Li Shu distrusts after hearing how he deliberately framed Pei as a child. Li Shu nevertheless later advocates cooperation between the brothers 22 75.
• Xue Chen — Chen Yannan’s partner and a recurring antagonist. Pei identifies him as responsible for the intimidation behind Li Shu’s assault; Xue also publicly accuses Li Shu of jealousy and exploiting powerful backers 28 52.
• Xie Jin — Acquaintance whose interest in Li Shu alarms Pei Song'an. His assertion that the novel’s ending cannot change leads to a confrontation in which Li Shu punches him 110 115 117.
• Song Shiran — College roommate and travel companion in the real world, present when Li Shu awakens after returning. Li Shu notices that his personality resembles Cheng Zhen’s 139.
• Ms. Su — His mother in the real world. Her cooking and familiar scolding are recurring objects of his homesickness; she is deeply concerned when he explains his sudden fortune 22 48 150.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival and the protection mission

Li Shu awakens inside the novel during an intimate encounter with Pei Song'an. A system error announces that he has drugged the novel’s powerful male lead and unsuccessfully tried to remove his trousers. A phone conversation simultaneously exposes Chen Yannan’s rejection of the original owner’s feelings 1.

After surviving the initial danger with Pei, Li Shu conceals his source of information by claiming to dream about future threats. Pei orders an investigation into him and the Li Family. Li Shu, meanwhile, tells Cheng Zhen that he is finished liking Chen Yannan 4.

Breaking with Chen Yannan

Pei warns Li Shu that Chen’s dependence on the Xue Family’s business support makes him expendable. When Li Shu considers cutting Chen off, Pei offers the Pei Family’s protection 17.

After two hired men assault Li Shu, Zhaocai leads Pei and his companions to him. A doctor finds superficial bruising, and Pei takes responsibility for his care. Li Shu later rejects Chen’s criticism of Pei and promises to remain on Pei’s side 25 26 34.

From mission partner to boyfriend

Li Shu repeatedly places himself in danger to protect Pei, including leading men targeting Pei toward the police. Pei’s care and increasingly open pursuit complicate Li Shu’s original plan to complete the mission and leave 44 48.

The question of his motives becomes unavoidable after Cheng Qi tells Pei that their world is a novel. Pei confronts Li Shu while feverish, but responds to his attempted apology with a kiss and reassurance. Their subsequent conversations establish mutual affection, although Li Shu still needs Cheng Zhen’s help to interpret whether that means they are dating 79 80 82.

Exposure of his identity

At a water park, Pei observes Li Shu surfing and reflects on the discrepancies between him and the original owner. He then asks about Li Shu’s birthday and reveals that he has suspected something was wrong since their earliest days together 92 93.

Confirmation intensifies Pei’s fear that mission completion will take Li Shu away. Li Shu likewise struggles with loving someone while expecting their time together to end 68 94.

Xie Jin later claims that the written ending requires Pei to gain everything but remain unmarried. Li Shu’s confrontation with him exposes how strongly the prospect of separation affects both partners 115 117.

Return to the real world

The system announces that time passes differently outside the book and that the plot will enter correction mode after Li Shu leaves. He awakens beside a lake with Song Shiran, returning to the trip he remembers from his original life 139.

Li Shu initially searches unsuccessfully for Pei before deciding to trust his instruction to wait. He discovers that the promised hundred-million-yuan reward is real. Pei has also returned to the real world and faces his own difficulties locating Li Shu 140.

By the main-story ending, they are reunited. Pei explains that his earlier restraint came from uncertainty over whether he could leave with Li Shu. They become intimate and exchange declarations of love 142.

Extra chapters

Li Shu introduces Pei to his classmates as his boyfriend, pays for their college dining-hall meal, and goes stargazing with him and Zhaocai. Later, he brings Pei home to meet his family 147 150.

Notable Quotes

“No one is going to stay in the same place waiting for you forever. And neither will I.”
— To Chen Yannan 34

“I’m a strong, mighty man, not anyone’s.”
— Rejecting Pei Song'an’s possessive claim 31

“Lucky you ran into me. I won’t stoop to your level. Hmph.”
— Reassuring Pei Song'an after an argument 117

“The whole point of my existence is to get Pei Song'an safely to the end!”
— To Li Qinshi 130

Trivia

• His favorite pajamas feature a white, line-drawn puppy with its tongue out and black trim at the collar and cuffs 82.
• He collects small outdoor finds and childhood keepsakes, including unusual stones, sticks, a toy watch, and a plastic car 25 148 150.
• The system confirms that he passed CET-4 in the book world; after returning to his own life, he still has to study for the real-world exam 137 150.
• He talks in his sleep, sometimes revealing his homesickness through requests for his mother’s cooking and reminders about money left in his pockets 22.