Gu Yanzhou

Biodata

Background / History

Relationship with Xie Ran

Gu Yanzhou pursued Xie Ran while she was at university, arranging flowers and balloons outside her dormitory and publicly promising to love only her. They dated for years and became engaged. He also knew her younger brother, Xie Yuan, as the boy next door whom he had watched grow up 6 64.

Although attracted to Xie Ran’s brilliance, Gu Yanzhou resented being considered inferior to her and coming after her brothers and work in her priorities. After falling for Su Wanyue, he blamed Xie Ran’s accomplishments, busy schedule, and unwillingness to marry him for his infidelity. Xie Ran rejected that explanation, pointing out that her priorities had existed before their relationship 64.

Hospital Confrontation

When Xie Yuan revived in the hospital, Gu Yanzhou accused him rather than holding Su Wanyue responsible for the traffic accident. Xie Yuan retaliated by slapping him and putting a trash can over his head. Under threat of police involvement, Gu Yanzhou transferred ten million yuan as compensation on Su Wanyue’s behalf 1.

This encounter established their continuing conflict: Gu Yanzhou repeatedly defended Su Wanyue, while Xie Yuan openly challenged both her conduct and Gu Yanzhou’s treatment of his sister 1 8.

Dating Show

Gu Yanzhou joined the dating show declaring that he had come to pursue “true love.” Xie Yuan immediately exposed that he was participating while already engaged. Gu Yanzhou defended himself by claiming that the person who was not loved was the third party 3.

He and Su Wanyue remained a pair during the show’s partner reselection. When Wang Zihua also offered her a rose, she chose Gu Yanzhou, who responded by declaring that she would only ever be his girlfriend. Later, his formal request for her to become his girlfriend ended with Su Wanyue saying she would wait until he had resolved his engagement 43 59.

His rivalry with Xie Yuan extended into the show’s challenges:

• Orphanage volunteering: He suspected Xie Yuan had manipulated the children’s wishes. Xiaomai contradicted him, and Gu Yanzhou apologized after Xie Yuan intervened 53.
• Partner identification: He accused Xie Yuan of cheating after Xie Yuan recognized Mu Ze by scent. He could not disprove Xie Yuan’s explanation and ultimately avoided a fight 58.
• Obstacle course: He failed while following Su Wanyue’s directions, then failed a second attempt after claiming the obstacles were simple enough to remember 84 85 86.

Broken Engagement and Renewed Pursuit

Xie Ran formally ended their engagement despite Gu Yanzhou’s initial refusal and his argument that their families’ business cooperation depended on it. After she left, he acknowledged to Su Wanyue that the engagement was over 64.

He nevertheless tried to regain access to Xie Ran’s life. He approached her after a blind date, interfered with another prospective match, and sent flowers to her office every day. Xie Ran repeatedly told him that her affairs were no longer his business 87 94 102.

At Old Master Gu’s birthday banquet, the breakup became a public family dispute. Old Master Gu rejected Su Wanyue as a prospective member of the family and later confronted Gu Yanzhou about pursuing Xie Ran while claiming to love Su Wanyue 104 105 106.

Schemes Against the Xie Family

Gu Yanzhou initially asked his father, Gu Dewang, to stop a paid-troll campaign against Xie Yuan, fearing that it would further alienate Xie Ran. His resistance weakened when Gu Dewang argued that destroying the Xie Family would make her dependent on him. He tacitly accepted the scheme while asking his father not to go too far 113.

After Xie Ran blocked his number, Gu Yanzhou expressed the belief that she would return once the Xie Family was gone. Meanwhile, the Wicked System warned that he still retained enough of his original male-lead advantage for stolen Xie confidential information to threaten the family’s survival 139 140.

Engagement to Su Wanyue

Su Wanyue’s pregnancy became a major factor in negotiations with the Gu Family. Gu Yanzhou hoped to raise his first child himself, while Old Master Gu imposed conditions on the relationship. The couple later held an engagement banquet 109 152 154.

During that banquet, Gu Yanzhou followed Xie Ran into the garden and tried to speak with her alone. He attacked Feng Leyao when Feng blocked him, accused Xie Ran of having an affair, and attempted to grab her before Xie Yuan intervened. Xie Ran again rejected him and left 156 157.

Afterward, his behavior toward Su Wanyue became noticeably colder. Old Master Gu ordered him to concentrate on company affairs and instructed Su Wanyue to avoid unnecessary public appearances during her pregnancy 160.

Arrest and Collapse

When Su Wanyue was hospitalized during a police operation, Gu Yanzhou threatened the officers and tried to seek intervention through the police chief. His shouting and resistance led officers to restrain him and confiscate his phone 166 167 168.

During questioning, he learned that Su Wanyue had transported a considerable quantity of drugs. Police found no evidence linking him to that offense, but another group of officers then arrested him over stolen trade secrets, citing statements from Xia Yunrou and Cui Chengyou. Public reporting of the scandal drove Gu Corporation’s stock to its daily lower limit 170.

Yang Lianting visited him but refused to arrange his release, telling him to bear the consequences of his actions. The Gu Family later secured temporary bail so he could attend Old Master Gu’s funeral. Afterward, his mother revealed that Old Master Gu had died following the shock of accidentally learning about his arrest 173 178 179.

Gu Yanzhou made one final plea for Xie Ran to take him back, but she refused. Gu Corporation subsequently entered bankruptcy liquidation, and news reports stated that both he and Su Wanyue faced more than ten years in prison 180.

Final Meeting with Xie Yuan

Gu Yanzhou later told Xie Yuan that he had been dreaming of a different course of events. He admitted that he had wronged the Xie siblings both in those dreams and in reality, and claimed that another chance would make him treat Xie Ran properly 181.

Xie Yuan rejected the claim, arguing that Gu Yanzhou’s admiration for Xie Ran had always coexisted with resentment of her superiority. He left without offering forgiveness, while Gu Yanzhou remained preoccupied with the brighter future he believed he could have had 181.

Personality

Gu Yanzhou presents his relationship with Su Wanyue as a defense of sincere love, even while engaged to someone else. He repeatedly treats criticism of her as an attack on himself and invokes his position as Xie Yuan’s future brother-in-law to demand obedience. His protectiveness is selective: at the orphanage, he privately dismisses Xiaomai as an orphan with limited horizons after the child contradicts his suspicions 3 8 23 26 53.

His attachment to Xie Ran combines admiration, insecurity, and possessiveness. He resents her success, questions why she was not jealous, and continues pursuing her after repeated refusals. That possessiveness eventually makes him receptive to a plan to destroy her family so she will need him 64 102 113 140.

Su Wanyue’s praise, tears, and apparent dependence frequently soften his anger or restore his confidence. By contrast, confrontation with Xie Yuan exposes the limits of his bravado: he sometimes retreats to avoid another beating and becomes visibly frightened when subjected to Xie Yuan’s killing intent 14 23 84 85 152 157.

Abilities & Resources

Academic Ability

Gu Yanzhou demonstrates genuine competence when helping children with schoolwork 54.

• Su Wanyue identifies him as attending a prestigious university 54.
• He explains a problem clearly enough for Xiao Miao to understand after Su Wanyue’s repeated explanations fail 54.

Financial and Corporate Influence

His position gives him access to substantial money and entertainment-industry investment opportunities 1 73 88.

• Pays ten million yuan on Su Wanyue’s behalf after the hospital confrontation 1.
• Tries to influence casting for The Emperor’s Scheme in Su Wanyue’s favor, but encounters opposition from Xie Yuan and the other investors 73.
• Offers to cover Su Wanyue’s shortfall toward a fifty-million-yuan payment demanded through Xie Yuan’s lawyers 88.
• Promises to invest in a production for Su Wanyue after her livestream attracts criticism 156.

Limitations

• Combat: His attempts to use force repeatedly fail against Xie Yuan and Mu Ze 8 63 157.
• Cooking: Initially has no experience preparing ingredients and needs Su Wanyue to teach him to peel a potato 14.
• Health: Has stomach trouble and normally drinks hot porridge in the morning to ease it 24.

Relationships

• Xie Ran — Former girlfriend and fiancée. She ends their engagement over his infidelity and disrespect, then repeatedly refuses his attempts to reconcile 64 94 157 180.
• Su Wanyue — Romantic partner and later fiancée, pregnant with his child. He finances and defends her, remaining convinced of her innocence until police disclose her drug trafficking 88 109 154 170.
• Xie Yuan — Longtime acquaintance and his former fiancée’s younger brother. Their relationship becomes openly hostile after Xie Yuan’s revival; Xie Yuan ultimately rejects his apology and claims of reform 1 6 181.
• Gu Dewang — Father and corporate superior. Persuades him to accept a scheme against the Xie Family; their relationship deteriorates into accusations after Old Master Gu’s death 113 179.
• Yang Lianting — Mother. Refuses to bail him out and eventually condemns him as fundamentally selfish 173 179.
• Old Master Gu — Grandfather, who doted on him from childhood but opposed his choice of Su Wanyue. Dies after learning of his arrest 67 177 179.
• Mu Ze — Xie Yuan’s partner and a rival investor. Gu Yanzhou initially considers him unworthy of Xie Yuan and is shocked to learn that he is Mu Group’s CEO 24 73.
• Feng Leyao — Xie Ran’s later romantic prospect. Blocks Gu Yanzhou’s unwanted approaches and becomes a target of his jealousy and aggression 154 156 157 180.

Notable Quotes

“The one who isn't loved is the third party! I just want to be with the person I love!” 3

“Once the Xie family is gone, Xie Ran, you'll come back to me.” 140

“Whether in my dreams or in reality, it was all my fault.” 181