Gu Bai

Biodata

Background / History

Previous Life

Gu Bai came from a wealthy family and took over its businesses, eventually earning a place on the rich list. His success left little room for enjoyment: relatives depended on his work, leisure was treated as wasted time, and even illness did not excuse him from his responsibilities. He recalls working 356 days a year, including through a 38°C fever 2 3 4 260.

His parents, who had genuinely loved him, died during his childhood. Later birthdays became opportunities for relatives to cultivate business connections rather than occasions centered on him. He remained single until his death in a car accident 1 11 273.

Transmigration and Withdrawal from the Gu Family

Gu Bai awakened in the body of a young man with the same name, a minor cannon-fodder character in a novel about a wealthy family’s inheritance struggle. The original owner had crashed his car after hearing that his father, Gu Haisheng, had disappeared at sea. Gu Bai received his memories but remembered little of the novel itself, which he had not finished reading 1 23.

The original owner was the third of four paternal half-siblings and the son of Gu Haisheng’s second wife. His mother, a painter from a scholarly family, lived in Australia. Overshadowed by his older siblings and neglected within the household, he had little influence at Gu Corporation 2 6 27.

Unwilling to repeat his previous life, Gu Bai left the family home with Mocha and asked only for his rightful share. He received eighty million, intended to remove him from the inheritance contest, and spent several days enjoying a family-owned five-star hotel before renting a spacious apartment chosen partly for Mocha’s comfort 2 3 5.

Inheritance and Contract Marriage

Gu Haisheng unexpectedly returned at his own funeral, revealing that his apparent death had been part of a scheme. He subsequently designated Gu Bai to inherit his shares, provoking Gu Jiazi and Gu Ruilin. Gu Bai recognized that his father was using him to restrain their ambitions rather than genuinely preparing him as a successor 8 9 10.

The Gu and Chu families then arranged a marriage alliance. Gu Bai and Chu Zeshen agreed to cooperate for one year, with Chu Zeshen joining Gu Bai’s household registration. Their arrangement offered Gu Bai inheritance rights, financial benefits, and a refuge from the Gu household; each also helped the other handle troublesome relatives 1 14 23 30 31.

Gu Bai settled into the Chu household with Mocha and increasingly preferred it to his own family home. Elder Chu welcomed him, while Chu Zeshen accommodated his habits and shared responsibility for Mocha’s care 24 28 45 77.

Developing Feelings for Chu Zeshen

Gu Bai initially interpreted Chu Zeshen’s attentiveness as fulfillment of their agreement. Even after Chu Zeshen rescued him from the deep end of a swimming pool and cared for him through a fever, he continued to view their relationship through the contract 56 57 58.

Their closeness grew through shared leisure, a calligraphy lesson, and increasingly comfortable physical affection. Before the families’ cooperation banquet, they exchanged wedding rings; Gu Haisheng publicly announced their marriage at the event 79 80 134 177 181.

When Chu Zeshen explicitly confessed his feelings, Gu Bai admitted that he had been avoiding him but agreed to give him one chance to pursue him. Their registered marriage then developed into an openly affectionate romantic relationship. On his twenty-third birthday, Gu Bai told Chu Zeshen that he loved him most 203 206 207 271.

Family Schemes and Return to Work

Gu Yi warned Gu Bai that Gu Ruilin had planted someone near him and Chu Zeshen. Gu Bai concluded that his siblings intended to undermine the marriage, his strongest protection in the inheritance dispute 149 150 152.

At a Gu Corporation banquet, Gu Bai surprised Gu Jiazi with his polished handling of the guests. He then pretended to be drunk, recognized that the honey water brought to him was likely drugged, poured it into a plant, and contacted Chu Zeshen. While feigning unconsciousness, he overheard Gu Ruilin and Jiang Yi discussing a scheme to deprive him of his inheritance rights 238 239.

Afterward, Gu Bai told Chu Zeshen that he did not want to see Gu Ruilin or Jiang Yi again. He later explained to Gu Haisheng that he and Chu Zeshen had handled the matter themselves because his father would not have dealt seriously with the perpetrators 249 264.

Despite his desire to retire, Gu Bai eventually began work as Gu Corporation’s executive president, assisted by Assistant Liu. He retained his business competence but resisted a rigid schedule, using flexible hours, early departures, and visits to Chu Zeshen’s office to preserve time for rest 258 259 260 270 283.

Appearance

• Build and features: Tall and slender, with fair skin and cool, aloof features. His waist is narrow enough that Chu Zeshen imagines encircling it with both hands 2 11 82.
• Expression: Often expressionless, giving acquaintances the impression of an icy or difficult-to-approach personality 66.
• Clothing: Commonly wears relaxed clothing or pajamas at home. An all-black outfit and leather bracelet make him resemble an art student; formal clothing and swept-up hair give him a composed, clean-cut appearance 11 20 66.
• Public presence: His appearance and bearing hold their own beside Chu Zeshen’s rather than being overshadowed 187.

Personality

Gu Bai’s apparent laziness is a deliberate rejection of his former work-centered life. He values comfort, autonomy, and financial security over authority, wanting enough wealth to enjoy himself without becoming responsible for everyone around him. He is content to claim what belongs to him without competing for more 2 3 11 226.

His indifference should not be mistaken for helplessness. He understands family power struggles, recognizes attempts to manipulate him, and sometimes cultivates an image of incompetence or arrogance to make opponents lower their guard. Chu Zeshen comes to recognize that Gu Bai could compete with his siblings effectively—he simply usually cannot be bothered 12 181 226.

Gu Bai is calm and dryly humorous, answering relatives’ pressure with blunt remarks or calculated needling. He generally avoids provoking people first, but he does not accept being controlled. In business, his preference for avoiding drawn-out personal entanglements produces a decisive style that others compare to Chu Zeshen’s 2 31 92 226 283.

He is affectionate toward Mocha and increasingly playful with Chu Zeshen, though romantic attention can leave him flustered. His enjoyment of solitude coexists with a growing willingness to rely on someone who cares for him without demanding constant work in return 11 134 198 203 260.

Abilities & Skills

Business and Financial Management

Gu Bai retains the experience of running a major business group, despite presenting himself as an inexperienced literature graduate 3 27.

• Notices errors in Chu Zeshen’s final proposal while moving documents off the sofa 96.
• Identifies financial management as one of his strengths when taking his father’s examinations 252.
• Becomes engrossed in reviewing company documents on his first day as executive president 258.
• Handles corporate decisions firmly while minimizing unnecessary interpersonal obligations 283.

Social Judgment and Counter-Deception

Gu Bai draws on his previous experience with wealthy-family politics rather than detailed foreknowledge of the novel 2 23.

• Recognizes the strategic purpose behind marriage alliances and inheritance arrangements 10 12 221.
• Identifies an attempt to damage his marriage as an attack on his position within the Gu Family 152.
• Navigates banquet introductions with practiced manners, contrary to his siblings’ expectations 238.
• Feigns drunkenness, avoids a suspected drugged drink, and listens to the conspirators without revealing that he is awake 238 239.

Fishing and Gaming

Gu Bai excels at activities that genuinely interest him. Chu Zeshen specifically notices his aptitude for fishing and games 49.

• Fishing: A favorite hobby from his previous life; he baits and casts with practiced ease 4.
• Gaming: Takes up games after transmigration and makes them a regular part of his leisure routine 11.
• Limitation: His enthusiasm for water activities does not extend to swimming ability; he cannot swim and requires rescue after entering the pool’s deep end 55 56.

Practical and Pet-Care Skills

• Tie-tying: Years of wearing business suits make the movements instinctive; he also ties Chu Zeshen’s tie 82 207.
• Dog care: Plans housing and outings around Mocha, shares grooming duties with Chu Zeshen, and learns feeding techniques through observation 4 5 45 141.
• Training limits: Mocha’s foundational training predates the transmigration and was arranged by the original owner, who hired a professional trainer 272.

Equipment / Items

• Wedding ring — Exchanged with Chu Zeshen before the cooperation banquet. An industry insider estimates the pair of rings to be worth over a million 177 187.
• Custom necklace — Designed by Chu Zeshen and given to Gu Bai for his twenty-third birthday 271.
• Game console and controllers — Central to his home entertainment; he specifically asks to bring the console when staying at the Chu Family Old Residence 11 168.
• Fishing equipment — Used for recreational sea fishing 4.

Relationships

• Chu Zeshen — Husband and eventual romantic partner. Their contractual alliance becomes a relationship built around mutual protection, domestic companionship, and affection 14 31 203 271.
• Mocha — Border collie and closest companion after transmigration. His familiar presence helps Gu Bai feel grounded in the new world 1 2.
• Gu Haisheng — Father of the original owner. Grants Gu Bai inheritance rights and later arranges his entry into management, but loses Gu Bai’s trust through his unwillingness to deal decisively with family wrongdoing 10 258 264.
• Gu Jiazi — Older half-sister and inheritance rival. Maintains a caring public manner while working against his position; Gu Bai later identifies her involvement in the banquet scheme 2 238 264.
• Gu Ruilin — Older half-brother and inheritance rival. Attempts to undermine Gu Bai’s marriage and inheritance rights; is later transferred to an overseas branch 152 239 250.
• Gu Yi — Younger half-sister. Initially dismissive of him, she apologizes for accepting others’ gossip and privately warns him about Gu Ruilin’s plans 6 149 150.
• Zhao Xinran — Stepmother in the Gu household. Tries to enforce household authority over him, but finds that he no longer responds with the original owner’s submission 6 88.
• Elder Chu — Grandfather-in-law. Welcomes Gu Bai, accommodates his preferences, and urges Chu Zeshen to support him against the Gu Family 16 77 226.
• Uncle Li — Household caretaker who looks after Gu Bai’s meals and daily comfort. Also helps distract the Gu Family’s butler during an examination 119 251.
• Xie Wen and Lu Shengfan — Friends in Chu Zeshen’s circle who share meals, trips, and leisure activities with him. Gu Bai also helps care for Xie Wen’s dog, Brandy 26 41 56 271.
• Assistant Liu — Assistant assigned by Gu Haisheng to support Gu Bai’s work at Gu Corporation; later helps cover his afternoon visits to Chu Zeshen’s office 258 270.
• Jiang Yi — Acquaintance involved in Gu Ruilin’s attempt to disrupt the marriage. Gu Bai ultimately asks that he be kept away 239 249.

Preferences

• Food: Prefers sweet-and-sour flavors and sweet treats; dislikes greasy dishes 26 77.
• Alcohol: Enjoys drinking alone and develops a preference for the Chu Family’s wine cellar. His capacity for alcohol attracts notice at a banquet, though he prefers to stop before drinking becomes uncomfortable 11 85.
• Leisure: Favors sleeping in, soft sofas, comics, games, fishing, and quiet time at home 11 30 49 73 80.
• Home: Wants ample space for Mocha, a front lawn, and ideally a backyard fishpond 5 6 12.

Notable Quotes

“Give me the share I'm entitled to. Divide the rest between yourselves. I don't want anything extra, just what belongs to me.” 2

“Hello, Mocha. Let's get acquainted again. I'm Gu Bai.” 2

“Someone supports me. If you don't want to work, you can find someone to support you too.” 198