Song Zhiyan

Biodata

Academic Development

Background / History

Family and Childhood

Song Zhiyan comes from a wealthy family whose fortune originated in demolition compensation. He is a third-generation beneficiary and initially sees little financial reason to work hard: his family has enough money to support a lifetime of idleness 2.

He grew up with Gu Wang and Shen Zhao. Song and Shen are also neighbors, allowing Shen’s father to collect both boys from school. Although wealthy, Song acknowledges that his family cannot afford a villa in Gu Wang’s neighborhood 2 7 19.

Original Novel Timeline

In the original novel’s plot, Song remains loyal to Gu Wang and suffers retaliation from Jiang Chi by association. The Song family falls, and Song eventually works as a parcel courier. Jiang Chi continues making life difficult for him even after that decline 2 22.

His loyalty survives those circumstances. He retrieves Shen Zhao after Jiang Chi’s men attack him, and he continues prioritizing Gu Wang despite learning to economize in poverty 8 106.

Song’s pursuit of Meng Ou is unsuccessful in that timeline. She becomes a university professor and marries a research-institute department head, while Song continues sending her anonymous birthday bouquets even when he is impoverished 7 103.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and solidly built; he is ten centimeters taller than the 175 cm Shen Zhao 16 34.
• Features: Handsome, with sharply defined features and a sunny overall impression 5 80 102.
• Complexion: Wheat-colored skin 24.
• Photographs: Not photogenic despite his looks; his eyes and mouth tend to look crooked in still pictures 5.
• Clothing: Usually wears his school uniform casually. When presenting flowers to Meng Ou, he carefully zips it up and appears unusually solemn 13.

Personality

Song is loud, profane, playful, and quick to fight. Early on, he openly questions why Gu Wang would talk through a dispute when fighting could settle it. His quarrels with Shen Zhao frequently become wrestling matches, though he can also feign innocence when an authority figure approaches 3 4 68.

Beneath that bravado, he is kind and softhearted. His desire to improve is not limited to winning Meng Ou over: he fears becoming unable to help Gu Wang or being dismissed as a bad influence on him. Gu Wang reassures him that their friendship does not depend on being “good enough,” but Song still wants to keep pace 11 80.

His emotional awareness is uneven. He thinks carefully about whether He Qinghuan’s feelings for Gu Wang are sincere, yet repeatedly misses Meng Ou’s jealousy and distress. His pride can make matters worse: when she approaches him during an argument, he refuses to back down because he believes she is deliberately provoking him 43 54 95.

Abilities & Skills

Fighting and Physical Agility

Song is described as the fiercest fighter among himself, Gu Wang, and Shen Zhao, but he is far from invulnerable 4.

• Vaults smoothly over a classroom desk to confront Jiang Chi 2.
• Uses a broom and kicks while fighting the boys who knock Shen Zhao unconscious at an internet café 4.
• Usually overpowers Shen Zhao during their play-fights unless he deliberately goes easy on him 34.
• Sustains injuries repeatedly; during the confrontation with Du Zhou’s group, superior numbers and clubs leave him badly battered 39.

Gaming

Song is skilled enough to carry Shen Zhao, whose gaming ability is much weaker. During an overnight internet-café session, Song handles the actual competition while Shen largely cheers him on 28.

Academic Strengths and Weaknesses

Song develops strong science results but remains severely unbalanced across subjects 62.

• Strongest area: Science subjects, which account for much of his improved examination performance 62.
• Weakest area: Humanities, especially Chinese reading comprehension and interpreting an author’s emotions 50.
• Support: Gu Wang tutors him, while He Qinghuan also helps him and Gu Wang finish homework 8 38.

Relationships

• Gu Wang — Childhood friend, confidant, and tutor. Song initially urges him to abandon his unrewarded pursuit of He Qinghuan. As Gu Wang improves academically, Song becomes afraid of falling behind and being unable to support him. Gu Wang instead promises that they can work hard together 1 8 11.

• Shen Zhao — Childhood friend and neighbor. Their affection is expressed through insults, roughhousing, and exaggerated familial jokes. Song calls them “comrades in arms” when Li Shuya comments on their constant hugging. For Shen’s birthday, he arranges in advance to buy limited-edition collaboration shoes 7 19 38.

• Meng Ou — Romantic interest and eventual prospective girlfriend. Song’s devotion motivates his academic efforts, but his insensitivity and her tendency to conceal her troubles create repeated misunderstandings. After learning more about her family circumstances, he flies to her city to see her. He later visits roughly every two months, and she agrees to date him if he enters B University 7 105 107.

• He Qinghuan — Class monitor whom Song initially distrusts because of his treatment of Gu Wang. His opinion improves after He Qinghuan fights alongside them and accepts blame before Li Shuya. Song nevertheless continues questioning whether his pursuit of Gu Wang is sincere 10 41 43.

• Jiang Chi — Adversary. Song punches him after he insults Shen Zhao, helps Gu Wang arrange retaliation after an assault, and later celebrates news that Jiang Chi has fractured his leg 3 15 16 48.

• Mei Li — Acquaintance who attempts to pursue him. Song refuses Gu Wang’s offer of an introduction and rejects her direct request to date. Their teasing physical interaction nevertheless provokes a jealous reaction from Meng Ou that Song fails to recognize 50 54.

• Li Shuya — Teacher who disciplines him for fighting. When he tries to slip back into class while being punished in the corridor, she catches him and extends the punishment through the next period 41.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Fights and Gu Wang’s Intervention

Song’s readiness to defend his friends repeatedly brings the trio into trouble. He punches Jiang Chi during a classroom confrontation, then calls Gu Wang for help when a gaming dispute at an internet café becomes a fight. After Shen Zhao is struck unconscious with a brick-filled schoolbag, Song attacks the opposing group with a broom. The police take the students to the station, where Song’s self-criticism consists only of “I was wrong” 3 4.

When Jiang Chi later has Gu Wang beaten, Song helps contact people for Gu Wang’s retaliation. During the confrontation, he insists that Gu Wang has already abandoned his pursuit of He Qinghuan and demands that Jiang Chi leave him alone 15 16.

Pursuit of Meng Ou

Song first tries to win Meng Ou over through earnest but awkward gestures. He presents her with pink roses, only to learn that she prefers red ones. Later, he helps her across a flooded path by letting her stand on his sneakers, becoming visibly flustered by their closeness 13 70.

Their relationship deteriorates after an argument over his insistence on walking her home. Song interprets her subsequent behavior as unreasonable hostility, while Meng Ou eventually moves to the farthest corner of the classroom and stops speaking to him 92 95 102.

Gu Wang later explains Meng Ou’s family circumstances and clarifies that the boy Song resented her for defending is her paternal uncle’s son. Song realizes how badly he has misunderstood her and immediately books a flight to her city. By the final-year motivational assembly, their relationship has recovered enough for her to make dating conditional on his admission to B University 105 107.

Graduation

At the end of high school, Song appears cheerful about leaving. He regards his bond with Gu Wang and Shen Zhao as permanent and has already agreed to meet Meng Ou at university. His father collects him at the school gates 110.

Notable Quotes

“Wangwang, what do you mean by this? Why talk when you can settle it with a fight?” 3

“I know, but I still don't want to fall too far behind you. If you run into trouble someday and I can't help at all, I...” 11

“Wangwang, if you really still like him, we won't stop you. But you have to love yourself a little more.” 32

Trivia

• Song, Gu Wang, and Shen Zhao share a group chat called The Rich Guys You Can’t Have 2.
• He loves sneakers and hires someone to queue for a limited-edition release intended as Shen Zhao’s birthday present 38.
• His extravagant sports-meet cheer describes Gu Wang as a “South Sea Pearl,” a “rare diamond,” and a boy whose sweat carries an enchanting fragrance. Shen Zhao reads the edited version aloud 46 47.
• For Gu Wang’s birthday, he transfers 9,999 rather than attending the party because he has gone to see Meng Ou 105.