Chang Liao

Biodata

Background / History

Family and business

Chang Liao owns a diversified company whose main business is entertainment. His interests extend into other ventures, and his social circle includes people from many industries 8.

When Chang Yu wanted to start his own business during university, Chang Liao regarded it as a worthwhile opportunity to gain experience, despite knowing how difficult entrepreneurship could be. Chang Yu ultimately built a successful company independent of his father’s business 5 17.

Chang Liao and Liao Mei adopted Chang Yiyuan after receiving a substantial payment from the Liao family. Chang Liao understood that the child’s mother was Liao Mei’s mother, but was falsely told that his father was Liao Mei’s paternal uncle. He therefore believed Chang Yiyuan had no blood connection to the Chang family 17.

Zhang Yao’s exposure

After Chang Yu exposed Zhang Yao’s infidelity, Chang Liao severed all business dealings with her family. He was angry about her cheating but expressed no objection to Chang Yu being gay. Unlike Liao Mei, he did not consider grandchildren a condition for Chang Yu inheriting the family business 8.

Southern vacation and prolonged absence

Chang Liao called Chang Yu claiming to feel unwell and left the company in his care. When Chang Yu rushed home to check on him, he discovered that his father had already traveled south. Chang Liao explained that the northern spring cold had made his knees ache and that he had gone somewhere warmer 28.

During the trip, Chang Liao fainted and was taken to a hospital by members of the Li family. Their assistance drew Chang Yu into a visit to the family, where Mrs. Li attempted to use the incident to pressure him over his conflict with Li Yong 35. The collapse was later described as a low-blood-sugar episode, but Chang Liao continued claiming he had not recovered and left Chang Yu managing the company 41.

His absence also indirectly embroiled Chang Yu in Ni Lejia’s scandal. During police questioning, Chang Yu learned that Ni Lejia resented Chang Liao for withholding opportunities and concluded that Ni had targeted him because his father was unavailable 58.

Chang Yiyuan’s inheritance scheme

After Chang Liao stopped answering calls, Chang Yu checked his travel records and discovered that he had gone abroad. Chang Yu followed him to Country M, where Chang Yiyuan was also staying nearby and complaining that Chang Liao intended to exclude him from the family assets 58 61.

Chang Liao revealed that he had noticed unexplained deposits in Chang Yiyuan’s account while the latter was in college. He also suspected Chang Yiyuan had arranged his collapse in the south to seize his company’s assets. He intended to leave his estate to Chang Yu, not Chang Yiyuan; Chang Yu, however, declined and told him to preserve his assets for retirement 62 63.

The dispute escalated when Chang Yiyuan openly identified his biological father as Chang Liao’s fourth eldest uncle—the elder brother of Chang Liao’s father. Furious that his own uncle had allowed him to raise the child under false pretenses, Chang Liao demanded an immediate return home 64.

Although initially eager to confront the family alone, he decided to wait for Chang Yu after being reminded that the scandal had become public. On their return, relatives challenged Chang Liao over the exposure, and he pushed Chang Yu forward to deflect their anger 65 66.

Chang Liao demanded reimbursement for raising Chang Yiyuan, but stopped pressing his uncle after learning that the man’s wife had died following the revelation. He also abandoned any demand for money from his mother-in-law and instead confronted Chang Yiyuan about his dangerous associates and attempt to bring him down 67.

Company cleanup

Chang Liao investigated Yan Yuan, whom he regarded as a traitor, and asked Chang Yu to expose his misconduct. Chang Yu ignored the request rather than act as an unlimited source of information 68.

After Chang Yiyuan’s arrest and Yan Yuan’s illness, Chang Liao credited his son’s supposed extraordinary abilities with bringing down his enemies. He planned to have Chang Yu inspect employees for disloyalty during a company overhaul. His own reputation had suffered during his absence, including a trending topic calling him incompetent 70.

Supporting Chang Yu’s relationship

Chang Liao temporarily took charge of company affairs so Chang Yu could accompany Yan Junye during rehabilitation, returning the favor for Chang Yu’s earlier management of his business 86.

When Chang Yu announced his intention to marry Yan Junye and transfer his assets to him, Chang Liao questioned the lack of legal recognition and warned him to retain money for old age. Nevertheless, he helped secure Liao Mei’s acceptance by claiming that Chang Yu had already determined Yan Junye would bring prosperity to both his husband and the family 90.

He later visited Chang Yu in the hospital with Liao Mei. Seeing Yan Junye feeding and caring for their son, the couple felt unnecessary and left the two alone 141.

Personality

Chang Liao reacts strongly to deception and perceived wrongdoing, including within his own family. Chang Yu repeatedly anticipates that he will refuse to overlook misconduct, a judgment borne out by his response to Zhang Yao’s cheating and Chang Yiyuan’s concealed parentage 8 17 62 64.

He is more accepting of Chang Yu’s sexuality than Liao Mei, but often redirects practical burdens onto his son. His prolonged vacation leaves Chang Yu handling company affairs, and he later tries to use his son’s reputation as an all-knowing “master” to resolve personnel problems 8 28 41 68 70.

His anger has limits. Although he returns home prepared to fight his uncle, news of a death in the family makes him abandon that approach. He also shows practical ingenuity when persuading Liao Mei to accept Yan Junye through an appeal to family prosperity 67 90.

Relationships

• Chang Yu — Biological son and intended heir. They trade responsibility for company management, while Chang Liao increasingly relies on Chang Yu’s reputation for uncovering secrets 28 62 70 86.
• Liao Mei — Wife and fellow adoptive parent of Chang Yiyuan. She conceals part of Yiyuan’s parentage from him; Chang Liao later persuades her to accept Chang Yu’s relationship with Yan Junye 17 90.
• Chang Yiyuan — Adopted son whose biological father is Chang Liao’s fourth eldest uncle. Chang Liao suspects him of engineering his collapse and refuses to give him a share of his estate 62 64.
• Fourth eldest uncle — Chang Yiyuan’s biological father. Chang Liao confronts him over the concealed parentage and the cost of raising his child 64 67.
• Yan Junye / Xiaotu — Chang Yu’s partner, whom Chang Liao first knows as the golden retriever Xiaotu. He cannot understand Xiaotu’s speech, but recognizes when the dog is angry with him and accuses Chang Yu of spoiling him 65 90.
• Yan Yuan — Company figure Chang Liao identifies as a traitor and investigates before seeking Chang Yu’s help in exposing him 68.

Notable Quotes

“Remember to take good care of my company, or you’ll lose your strongest source of support.” 28

“You’re feeding such expensive foie gras to a dog? Are you planning to let your dog inherit half my fortune too?” 62