Yuan Zizhen

Biodata

Background / History

Rural upbringing and entertainment career

Yuan Zizhen grew up working in the fields with his parents. He hated the combination of sweat, dirt, and exhausting agricultural labor, and vowed to leave the countryside and never return to that life. Becoming a celebrity and marrying into wealth were therefore significant achievements to him; being made to harvest vegetables for a reality-show task revived his resentment 118.

He worked as an actor at the same company as Wei Zisu. By their early confrontations, Yuan had two assistants and openly mocked Wei for receiving less support from their management 13 14.

Affair with Sun Liang

Yuan became Sun Liang’s secret lover while Sun was engaged to Wei Zisu. He deliberately allowed Wei to discover a photograph of them kissing, helping bring about the engagement’s collapse. Although Sun Liang continued to regard him as innocent, Yuan privately considered him a wealthy fool whom he could manipulate into marriage 1 7.

After the breakup, Sun Liang stayed at Yuan’s home but repeatedly postponed discussing marriage or making their relationship public. Yuan maintained an obedient, affectionate manner in front of him while privately resenting his reluctance 7 14.

When Yuan taunted Wei on set, Wei published the affair photograph alongside an unfiltered picture of Yuan angrily pointing at him. Yuan threw his phone and attempted to strike Wei with an umbrella, but Wei held him off with a prop sword. The resulting backlash prompted Sun Liang and his mother to plan a public announcement falsely claiming that the relationship had begun after the broken engagement 14 17.

Securing the marriage

Yuan was engaged to Sun Liang by the time an infertility misunderstanding threatened their relationship. The misunderstanding originated with Yin Zhengchuan giving Yuan’s phone number to infertility hospitals after discovering that Yuan had someone spying on him and Wei 23 26.

Wei then sent Yuan a recording in which Sun Liang admitted the affair, described their engagement as “retribution,” and asked Wei to become his lover. Enraged, Yuan wrecked the kitchen and threw his soup pot into the toilet 26.

Yuan subsequently staged a suicide attempt using a shallow wrist cut and fake blood. Sun Liang accepted his performance, blamed Wei for the crisis, and promised to marry him once his health was cleared. Later tests disproved Sun Liang’s infertility suspicions, and the two married before their reality-show appearance 29 41 52.

Reality-show controversies

Yuan joined Still in Love with Sun Liang, hoping to present their marriage favorably. Instead, repeated confrontations with Wei Zisu and Yin Zhengchuan undermined his carefully maintained image 41 51 54.

Pregnancy and business ambitions

Following his loss of fans, Yuan proposed leaving the entertainment industry and asked Sun Liang for two companies to practice managing. He wanted assets and authority of his own rather than a comfortable life dependent entirely on his husband 114.

Yuan then revealed that he suspected he was pregnant. Sun Liang agreed to support his management studies and promised him a company if the pregnancy was confirmed. Later chapters establish that Yuan was expecting a child 115 167 184.

His management efforts went poorly. Sun Liang confronted him for dismissing a company’s top salesperson and technical department manager, then ordered him to stop interfering in the businesses 154.

Cooperation with Sun Zhe

Concerned that neither marriage nor a child would guarantee his financial security, Yuan answered a message from someone calling himself “Mr. Jin.” The contact proved to be Sun Zhe, who offered to use his allies on the Sun family board to strip Sun Liang of power and transfer shares to Yuan 167.

In exchange, Sun Zhe wanted Yuan’s cooperation against Yin Corporation. Sun Zhe had allied with the Kang family and intended to ruin the Yin family, separate Wei from Yin Zhengchuan, and reclaim Gu Ziran 167.

Yuan later continued meeting Sun Zhe while concealing the visits from Sun Liang. During the prepared-meal deaths investigation, Sun Zhe urged Yuan to take responsibility as part of a plan to gain power within the Sun clan and shift blame toward Yin Corporation. Yuan became increasingly confident that he would soon hold real authority over his husband 187.

Exposure and divorce

When Sun Liang confronted him, Yuan first tried tears and a threat to hurt himself, then pretended to have stomach pains. Neither tactic stopped the questioning. Sun Liang threatened to divorce him after the baby’s birth unless he confessed 189 190.

Yuan finally agreed to tell the truth and led Sun Liang and police officers to Sun Zhe’s basement meeting place 190.

By the later variety-show extras, the marriage had ended. Sun Liang publicly attributed the divorce to Yuan’s financial misconduct, the loss of their baby, and conflict with Sun Liang’s mother; these explanations are presented as Sun Liang’s account 215.

Appearance

• Delicate appearance: Described as outwardly delicate; he cultivates a sweet, well-behaved presentation in public 53 190.
• Cosmetic surgery: Has had his nose surgically altered, a fact Yin Zhengchuan uses to mock him 19.
• Self-described refinement: Claims that his gentle looks suit empresses and aristocratic princes rather than commoners or rural characters. This is his own assessment during a show exercise, not an objective limit on his casting 54.

Personality

Yuan’s gentle public image is a deliberate performance. Before marrying Sun Liang, he suppresses his anger and presents himself as virtuous, obedient, and easily hurt. His assistants experience a different side: he treats requests as orders, and disobedience brings harsh treatment 7 18.

Wealth and security take priority over his assessment of Sun Liang’s character. Even after recognizing that Sun lies to him, Yuan considers the relationship worthwhile because Sun has money. Later, he seeks company management and shares because he knows that marriage alone leaves him financially vulnerable 29 114 167.

His rivalry with Wei is driven by comparison. He initially celebrates the belief that Wei has married an ordinary vegetable farmer, then breaks down upon discovering that Yin Zhengchuan is wealthier than expected. Wei’s subsequent popularity and affectionate marriage remain particular sources of bitterness 18 66 67 184.

Abilities & Skills

Acting and emotional manipulation

Yuan applies his acting skills to personal relationships as well as his career 7 187.

• Uses tears, affectionate behavior, and apparent vulnerability to win Sun Liang’s sympathy 7 82.
• Stages a medical crisis to obtain a promise of marriage 29.
• Creates a plausible shopping-accident story to conceal a visit to Sun Zhe’s hideout 187.
• Loses this leverage once Sun Liang recognizes his performances and refuses to interrupt his questioning 189 190.

Domestic and agricultural experience

• Cooking: Makes soup for Sun Liang and is acknowledged by him as capable of cooking, despite resisting a village-kitchen task because it conflicts with his pampered public image 7 26 67.
• Farm work: Has practical experience from childhood and harvests Shanghai bok choy during filming, though he strongly dislikes returning to agricultural labor 118.

Limitations

• Academics: Had poor grades from childhood and struggles with middle-school mathematics, relying on Shen Huaiqing to solve enough problems for their task 59.
• Business management: Dismisses key employees and is subsequently barred by Sun Liang from interfering in the companies 154.
• Physical confrontation: His attempts to attack Wei Zisu are easily stopped with a prop sword 14.

Relationships

• Sun Liang — Former lover, fiancé, and husband. Yuan engineers their marriage and later seeks independent control of Sun family assets; their relationship ends in divorce 7 29 167 215.
• Wei Zisu — Fellow actor and principal rival. Yuan helps end Wei’s engagement, repeatedly provokes him, and resents his later professional and marital success 1 14 184.
• Yin Zhengchuan — Wei’s husband and frequent opponent. Yin exposes Yuan’s spying arrangement, retaliates with nuisance calls, and repeatedly punctures his gentle persona on camera 19 23 51 54.
• Sun Zhe — Former brother-in-law and conspiratorial ally. Offers Yuan shares and influence in exchange for assistance against Yin Corporation; Yuan ultimately leads police to their meeting place 167 190.
• Liu Fan — Reality-show director. Yuan blames him for humiliating tasks and later attempts to frame possible assignments as personal retaliation 98 118.
• Xiao Zhu — Assistant. Must carry out Yuan’s demands despite anticipating criticism from the director and harsher treatment from Yuan if he refuses 18.
• Xiao Pan — Informant who sends Yuan private information about Wei and Yin. Yin discovers their messages and has him removed from the set 18 23.

Notable Quotes

“Sooner or later, I'll marry into the Sun family!” 7

“How about giving me two companies to practice with first? I promise I'll show you results!” 114