Chu Yannan

Biodata

Background / History

Chu Yannan grew up in the wealthy Chu Family as Chu Yanqing’s younger brother. His parents repeatedly expected Yanqing to accommodate him. In one childhood incident, Yannan demanded a competition trophy belonging to Yanqing and threw a tantrum when refused. Chi Ye intervened by beating him, establishing a pattern of stopping Yannan whenever he tried to take his brother’s belongings 37.

The Chu and Liu families were longtime friends of equal standing in S City. Before Liu Muyan was three or four, Yannan announced that he wanted to marry her when they grew up, prompting their families to arrange a childhood betrothal. The two subsequently grew up and attended school together, while their families’ business cooperation strengthened 18.

Yannan later publicly denied having romantic feelings for Muyan, saying he regarded her only as a younger sister. His outburst encouraged rumors that she was using her family’s influence to force an unwanted marriage, although she did not love him either 18 27.

Appearance

• Face: Sharp, clearly defined jawline and a profile An Qian finds resolute 5.
• Complexion: Fair skin, against which Shen Zhiyi’s slap leaves a conspicuous red handprint 36.
• Family resemblance: His brow and eyes resemble Chu Yanqing’s 26.
• Campus reputation: Widely recognized as S University’s campus heartthrob; his appearance attracts excited attention in class 5 18.
• Height: Slightly shorter than Chi Ye 37.

Personality

Yannan is proud, impulsive, and accustomed to receiving preferential treatment. He frequently interprets opposition as an attack on his freedom rather than a response to his behavior. Even after Muyan slaps and berates him, he assumes she is trying a new way to attract his attention. At the company, repeated comparisons with Yanqing offend him, but he remains convinced that his rejected decisions are correct 26 37 68.

His affection for An Qian brings out both consideration and poor judgment. After rescuing her, he notices her urgency to visit her mother and lets her leave without pressing for the promised meal. Later, however, he repeatedly assumes that Muyan is bullying her without establishing what happened. He idealizes An Qian’s kindness and contrasts her favorably with wealthy young women from his own social circle 5 36 45 46.

He takes his longstanding bond with Muyan for granted. Only when she publicly ends their friendship does he seriously question whether his arrogance and rejection of their betrothal have permanently changed their relationship 47 48.

Abilities & Skills

Combat Training

• Rescues An Qian by returning with a stick, fighting off the men threatening her, and leading her to safety 5.
• Has taken combat, taekwondo, and boxing lessons 37.
• Despite that training, cannot defeat Chi Ye and remains visibly afraid of him 37 38.

Business Education and Management

• Studies finance at S University 5.
• Is required to learn the Chu Group’s operations after Chu Yanqing steps down 62.
• Struggles with management: employees reject his proposals by citing Yanqing’s earlier decisions and proven results 68.
• Reassigns document handling to Special Assistant Gao after a dispute involving An Qian and Shan Yirou, frustrating Gao with the additional errand work 69.

Relationships

• An Qian — Romantic partner. Their relationship begins with his rescue of her and develops through campus encounters. He later brings her into the Chu Group as his secretary, despite his parents’ objections and her difficulty with the work 5 18 68.
• Liu Muyan — Childhood friend and former betrothed. He repeatedly mistakes her objections for unrequited love. She eventually ends both their expected marriage and their friendship, leaving him shocked by the loss 18 26 47 48.
• Chu Yanqing — Older brother. Yannan benefits from his labor and their parents’ favoritism, then struggles after Yanqing leaves the family company. By the supermarket outing, he is trying to persuade his brother to return 36 37 53 68 84.
• Ling Shuang and Father Chu — Parents. They punish his public rejection of Muyan by freezing his cards, but later defend him and ask Yanqing to smooth over the banquet scandal 25 52.
• Chi Ye — His brother’s friend and a longstanding source of fear. Chi Ye disciplines him for taking Yanqing’s belongings as a child and later warns him against provoking Shen Zhiyi 37 38 46.
• Shen Zhiyi — Muyan’s friend and a recurring opponent in his romantic disputes. She confronts and strikes him, but he later helps her shop and agrees to look after her at Chi Ye’s request 36 46 83 84.
• Shan Yirou — A longtime admirer who joins the Chu Group to get closer to him. He sides with An Qian in their conflicts and promises to remove Shan once the company’s collaboration with her family ends 69 71 72.
• Special Assistant Gao — Employee tasked with investigating a disputed document and subsequently handling document deliveries 69.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rescue and Campus Romance

• Yannan encounters An Qian while taking a shortcut to the hospital and saves her from men in an alley. They exchange contact information, and she agrees to treat him to a meal 5.
• Their increasingly frequent campus encounters lead to them sitting together in a shared general course. A photograph spreads across S University’s forum, prompting discussion of their compatibility and his existing betrothal 18.
• After Muyan calls to reprimand him, An Qian offers reassurance. He treats her ordinary concern as evidence that she is uniquely understanding 19.

Rejection of the Childhood Betrothal

• At a family dinner, Yannan abruptly announces that he will not marry Muyan, mistakenly assuming her happy conversation concerns their engagement. His parents scold him, freeze his cards, and force an apology 25.
• In the greenhouse afterward, he asks Muyan to explain his refusal to their families. She slaps him and condemns his arrogance and dependence on Yanqing’s earnings 26.
• Muyan subsequently tells her parents that she does not want the marriage; they support her decision 27.
• During a later confrontation, she demands that Yannan settle their families’ arrangement before pursuing An Qian publicly. When he shields An Qian from her, Shen Zhiyi slaps him 36.
• Chi Ye arrives, painfully lowers Yannan’s pointing hand, and warns him not to threaten Shen Zhiyi. Yanqing then takes Yannan and Muyan away to address the dispute privately 38.

Chu Yanqing’s Birthday Banquet

• Yannan brings An Qian to his brother’s birthday banquet, believing his family will accept his choice once they meet her. He introduces her to his friends and has the desserts gathered at her table 45.
• When a dispute develops, he accuses Muyan of bullying An Qian. Shen Zhiyi intervenes, and he immediately retreats into an apology, remembering Chi Ye’s earlier warning and beating 46.
• Shen Zhiyi orders the disputed cakes eaten and reinforces the demand by slamming a thick wooden stick against the table. Yannan sits down with An Qian and complies 47.
• Muyan publicly declares that she will never be with him and ends their childhood friendship. Her seriousness devastates him; he continues eating despite feeling sick 47 48.
• Yanqing ends the banquet and promises Muyan that Yannan will apologize 49.

Family Rupture and Company Troubles

• After the banquet, Yannan kneels while his parents defend him and urge Yanqing to arrange apologies. Their concern for Yannan’s reputation deepens Yanqing’s disappointment 52.
• Yanqing resigns from the family company, demands the betrothal’s dissolution, punches Yannan, and warns him against pestering Muyan 53.
• The Chu Group falls into chaos after Yanqing’s departure and barely stabilizes under Father Chu. Yannan is made to attend the company and learn firsthand about his brother’s responsibilities 62.
• He insists on employing An Qian as his secretary, threatening not to manage the company otherwise. Her mistakes and employees’ unfavorable comparisons with Yanqing compound his frustration 68.
• Shan Yirou’s arrival creates further conflict. At a restaurant, Yannan throws water at her after she splashes An Qian with Shen Zhiyi’s drinks; Shen Zhiyi retaliates by drenching all three with grape drinks 69 72.
• During that encounter, he tries to speak with Muyan about the families cutting off contact, but she refuses 72.

Later Encounters and the Romance Script

• Yannan and An Qian block Shen Zhiyi’s doorway with a repetitive argument about trust. She slaps both and tells them to move; afterward, they accompany her grocery shopping 83.
• Chi Ye privately asks Yannan to ensure that Shen Zhiyi neither carries heavy purchases nor pays. Yannan refuses the offered money but agrees to watch over her 84.
• Their recurring jealousy disputes are eventually identified as manifestations of a melodramatic romance script. Shen Zhiyi’s intervention temporarily brings them out of it, but the same pattern resumes later 89.

Narrative Characteristics

• Original male lead: Shen Zhiyi recognizes Yannan and An Qian as the original story’s central couple, still following its romance plot while other characters’ lives diverge from their written roles 36 46.
• Unusual presentation: Their first appearance together to Shen Zhiyi seems conspicuously illuminated. Ye Nianliu later remarks that the pair appear to have a “filter,” with something flashing before her eyes when she sees them 36 49.
• Script-bound behavior: Chi Ye eventually understands their repeated irrational disputes as compulsory plot enactments and regards their situation as somewhat pitiful, rather than merely foolish 89.