Ji Shang

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and inheritance

After Ji Shang’s parents divorced, his mother left him with Ji Dongsheng. She interpreted his outwardly calm response to the separation as heartlessness. Unsure how to comfort or raise him, Ji Dongsheng entrusted his upbringing and education to his grandfather 92.

Before appointing him heir, his grandfather required him to make his own way. Ji Shang founded a business, took it public, and eventually merged it into the Ji Group. His grandfather selected him to inherit the family fortune and manage the company because of his abilities; other family members held shares and received dividends 8 93.

Leadership of the Ji Group

Ji Shang shifted the family business away from its traditional emphasis on real estate toward emerging industries. A major success was the financial software developed and maintained by You Zhi, which captured sixty percent of its market within five years of launch 26.

He initially honored his grandfather’s instruction to help the Zhou family, whose business relationship with the Ji family stretched back generations. His willingness to purchase their land ended when he discovered that they intended to exploit that loyalty and undermine the Ji Group 2.

Appearance

• Height: Appears to be over 185 centimeters tall and stands roughly half a head taller than An Yubei 5.
• Eyes: Amber 5.
• Build: Tall and powerfully built, with long legs and muscles developed through years of exercise 13 30.
• Distinguishing features: Defined collarbones and a prominent Adam’s apple that repeatedly attracts An Yubei’s attention 22 39 49.
• Voice and scent: Has a low, gentle bass voice and a familiar woody-incense scent 21 83.

Personality

Ji Shang is decisive, exacting, and accustomed to authority. He imposes enough household rules that Ji Dongsheng compares them to a criminal code, and his father often behaves as though Ji Shang is the parent rather than the son. He also has little patience for Ji Dongsheng’s romantic judgment, preferring to let him learn from losses after repeated warnings fail 3 15 30.

With An Yubei, he becomes markedly indulgent. He abandons an attempt to recruit An into the company when An says he only wants an idle life, instead promising to support him. He also repeats dramatic romance-novel lines he finds embarrassing simply because An enjoys them 3 21 33.

His affection is strongly possessive. He treats Lu Jinsheng as a romantic threat, secretly interferes with An’s contacts, and uses jealousy to draw An closer. This behavior causes conflict: after blocking Lu and spanking An in anger, he apologizes and promises not to touch An’s belongings without permission 24 30 32 71. His disregard for boundaries nevertheless recurs, including continuing an intimate encounter despite An’s requests to stop 90.

Despite his business confidence, he becomes anxious and indecisive when afraid of losing An. He seeks his father’s advice on reconciliation and hesitates over a jealousy scheme because he does not want to hurt An 30 31 73.

Abilities & Skills

Mind Reading

Ji Shang can hear An Yubei’s unspoken thoughts following the car accident. He conceals this ability from An until Chapter 88 1 88.

• Practical uses: Detecting concealed concerns, anticipating requests, and obtaining leads that can be independently investigated 1 22 88.
• Documented scope: The demonstrated ability concerns An Yubei’s thoughts; the passages do not establish that Ji Shang can read everyone’s mind 1 88.
• Limitation: Hearing An’s innocent thoughts can intensify Ji Shang’s own emotional frustration rather than help him 39.
• Loss of ability: Its disappearance follows their night together, but no mechanism is explained 90.

Business Strategy and Negotiation

Ji Shang combines independent entrepreneurial experience with strategic judgment and access to the Ji Group’s resources 26 93.

• Conditional sponsorship: Offers to fund Lu Jinsheng’s education, living expenses, and his mother’s hospitalization in return for ten years of work after graduation 8 9.
• Reading opponents: Correctly explains why Lu Jinsheng knowingly exposes himself to an allergy scheme—to turn the incident decisively against Lu Jincheng 89.
• Financial leverage: Uses the family’s bank to freeze Ji Dongsheng’s account after his father interferes in his relationship with An 34.

Physical Strength and Protection

• Regular exercise gives him a substantial physical advantage over Ji Dongsheng 30.
• Frequently carries An Yubei and positions himself beneath him when they are trapped in a coffin to avoid crushing him 32 39 67.
• Dislocates Lu Jincheng’s arm and forces him to apologize after he mistreats An 88.
• Weakness: Afraid of heights; checks his amusement-park safety belt three times before checking An’s 35.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Relationships

• An Yubei — Initially his fiancée, later his romantic partner. An regards him as a source of security, while Ji Shang ultimately chooses their relationship over his claim to the Ji family fortune 8 20 93.
• Ji Dongsheng — His father. Their relationship mixes reversed household authority, arguments, and mutual misunderstanding. Ji Dongsheng’s suspicion of Ji Shang’s emotional coldness leads him to oppose the romance and test his sincerity 15 23 92 93.
• Paternal grandfather — Raised him, tested his independence, and selected him as heir for his demonstrated ability 8 92 93.
• Lu Jinsheng — Sponsored student and romantic rival. They clash over An but also recognize each other’s business insight 8 28 29.
• Zhao Ze — His assistant; investigates financial wrongdoing, locates An, and carries out Ji Shang’s instructions concerning threats against him 1 12.
• Lin Qian — Childhood friend who helps select An’s gift and agrees to pretend to date Ji Shang in exchange for discounted land 71.
• You Zhi — Developer behind the Ji Group’s successful financial software. Ji Shang also becomes jealous after An accompanies him to a couples’ restaurant 26 46.
• Lu Jincheng — An antagonist whom Ji Shang targets after attacks and mistreatment involving An and Lu Jinsheng 12 88.

Possessions and Gifts

• Apartment near An Yubei’s university — Bought specifically to be closer to An; its entryway includes star decorations chosen because An likes stars 67 90.
• Hand-drawn wristwatch — An draws it directly on his wrist. Ji Shang preserves the drawing, flaunts it to Lu Jinsheng and Ji Dongsheng, and values it above an actual watch 53 54.
• Recorded confession — Persuades An to record himself saying, “Dear Ji Shang, I love you,” in exchange for sharing his bed 49.
• Red-diamond brooch — A gift he selects for An after shopping with Lin Qian 71.

Notable Quotes

“Leave anything dangerous to me. No matter how many thorns lie ahead, I’ll clear them away for you.” 12

“I’ll respect you, Xiao Bei. I won’t touch your things without permission, and I certainly won’t spank your bottom.” 32

“Dad, do you think I only have everything I have today because I relied on the Ji family?” 93

Trivia

• In the original novel known to An Yubei, Ji Shang has no romance storyline, the Ji family goes bankrupt and exits the story, and An is eventually sent away to herd sheep. The transmigrated An’s relationship with him departs sharply from that outcome 22 39.
• Although he generally dislikes drinking and social engagements, he drinks heavily when convinced that An wants to move away 32.