Shi Wei

Biodata

Background

Shi Wei was an actor in his previous life. His exploitative company controlled his personal life so closely that he had never had a boyfriend, even for publicity. He transmigrates into an entertainment-industry novel, taking over a little-known celebrity with the same name and a face almost identical to his own 1 2.

The original Shi Wei was Xu Xirui’s younger cousin. After his parents died, he lived unhappily with the Xu family, whose elders despised him. Xu Xirui repeatedly framed him, reinforcing the family’s view that he brought misfortune. Xu He eventually sent him back to the Shi family 2 66.

Two years before the transmigration, the original owner slept with Ji Hanchuan and subsequently married him. According to the system’s account of the original plot, his jealousy toward Xu Xirui would provoke Ji Hanchuan’s retaliation. An accident while fleeing would leave him cognitively impaired, followed by confinement and an early death in a psychiatric hospital. This is the fate Shi Wei initially believes he must escape—not an outcome that has already occurred 1.

Appearance

• Face: Resembles his previous-life appearance, but with finer features and none of the fatigue caused by late-night filming 2.
• Eyes and hair: Clear eyes beneath long, curling lashes; soft black hair 1 2.
• Complexion: Fair, fine skin and full pink lips 2.
• Build: Tall and slender, with long legs, smooth body lines, and a supple waist rather than bulky muscles 1 40 59.
• Role-specific styling: For Xia Chi, his bangs are trimmed to his eyebrows, giving his quiet expression a brooding quality. The stylist also asks him to lose weight for the character 75 76.

Personality

Shi Wei is irreverent, theatrical, and exceptionally confident in his looks and acting. He answers praise with mock humility, turns confrontations into jokes, and frequently provokes people who expect obedience. His outwardly sweet declarations to Ji Hanchuan initially conceal sarcastic thoughts and an urgent desire for divorce 1 2 59 127.

His apparent shamelessness does not eliminate embarrassment. His ears redden during his first attempt at playing the devoted spouse, and later romantic exchanges leave him flustered despite his bold language. Zhuo Xiao describes him as a goofball who is actually shy; Shi Wei jokingly characterizes himself as someone who forces sociability in public and reviews his behavior afterward 1 107 138.

He resists coercion, including demands for apologies, sexual exploitation, and threats to his career. Although he enjoys retaliating against people who target him, he also becomes protective of Ji Hanchuan, his manager, and his production colleagues. He ultimately helps bring Xu Xirui to safety despite their long antagonism 3 114 115 152 198.

Food is a persistent priority. He buys snacks by the cartful, is devastated when told to diet, and attacks a corn-picking task with extraordinary urgency to earn refreshments 40 75 103.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

Shi Wei retains professional experience from his previous life and can move quickly between contrasting emotional states 1 10 11.

• Emotional range: His auditions convey menace, grief, seductiveness, and conflicted attachment strongly enough to immerse observers in the scene 10 11 63.
• Rapid transitions: He can abandon an intense performance almost instantly, surprising people still affected by it 11 64.
• Preparation: He reads source material and draws on his understanding of the character during auditions 64.
• Development through coaching: Ji Hanchuan helps him overcome an instinctive retreat during confrontational scenes. Zhang Zixiang subsequently praises his improved performance 17 20.
• Continued training: Song Nian challenges his interpretation of the Madman protagonist and later notices that he enters character faster than before 175 182.

Weapon and Action Performance

• Sword flourishes: Improvises a sword-style routine with a kitchen knife; Ji Hanchuan compliments the flourish despite the inappropriate weapon 3.
• Whip handling: Attributes his familiarity with whips to his previous life. A martial arts instructor praises his movements during preparation for Liang Fang’s prison scene 35.
• Controlled stage combat: Uses an unsharpened prop sword to frighten his audition partners while stopping short of contact 63 64.
• Physical self-defense: Strikes Vice President Li during the bar incident and punches Ou Wen after being grabbed unexpectedly 115 127.
• Limits: His action skills do not make him an experienced rider. He needs help mounting a horse and develops severe leg weakness after galloping 132 133.

Publicity and Counter-Schemes

Shi Wei treats hostile publicity as something he can manipulate rather than merely endure 3 152.

• Hires paid online trolls to spread negative rumors about himself, initially hoping to worsen Ji Hanchuan’s opinion of him 3.
• Commissions an absurd story about having two babies in three years to distract fans upset by a casting decision 69.
• Uses a livestreamed charity discussion to set up a damaging phone call involving Xu Xirui 109.
• Coordinates the release of news about his own troubles while redirecting attention toward his company’s top star 152.
• Accepts the risk of a public low point as part of his planned comeback 153.

Practical Skills

• Cooking: Prepares an elaborate breakfast, cooks home-style dishes for Song Nian, and plans a steak dinner for Ji Hanchuan 3 147 175.
• Farmwork: Picks corn efficiently because he previously played a farmer’s son 103.
• Travel resourcefulness: Finds free accommodation through a backpacking website when the variety-show group needs somewhere to stay 51.
• Advertising performance: Impresses a jeans-ad director with his posing and ability to convey both desire and innocence 40.
• Singing limitation: Although the original celebrity debuted on a singing-and-dancing show, Shi Wei’s singing leaves listeners bewildered rather than impressed 114.

Acting Career

Story Role / Major Arcs

Transmigration and the Divorce Plan

Shi Wei awakens while kissing Ji Hanchuan and learns about the original owner’s disastrous future. The system presents divorce and an enormous settlement as a route to freedom, but forbids him from initiating divorce or breaking his “deeply in love” persona. He therefore exaggerates his devotion while trying to make himself intolerable 1 2.

The plan has a hidden flaw: Ji Hanchuan can hear his thoughts. Shi Wei’s affectionate dialogue repeatedly clashes with the insults and schemes Ji hears underneath it. A proposed divorce does not proceed, and Ji later establishes ground rules because they cannot currently separate 1 2 8 12.

Establishing Himself as an Actor

Shi Wei uses the Calming the Wind and Waves audition to challenge expectations that he is merely a scandal-ridden celebrity. His performance unsettles Xu Xirui and earns the creative team’s attention. Zhang Zixiang then directs him to spend time with Ji Hanchuan so he can hold his own while playing his enemy 10 11 15.

Their enforced proximity develops beyond rehearsal. Ji Hanchuan nurses him through a fever, while Shi Wei later buys ointment for the marks left by their whip scene 25 36.

Variety Shows and Casting Conflict

During Traveling with You, Chen Yutong suggests that Shi Wei took or concealed missing money. Ji Hanchuan supplies an alibi, and staff searches uncover nothing. Shi Wei subsequently solves the group’s immediate accommodation problem 51.

His audition for Tang Qing is disrupted by a sudden facial rash and a hidden livestream. Rather than withdraw, he asks Xu Xirui to perform opposite him and delivers a forceful scene. He later declines the production after Luo Sixi approaches him for another project 62 63 67.

On a later variety-show appearance, Shi Wei exploits a live phone call to expose allegations against Xu Xirui. The caller accuses Xu of promising sexual favors for a role, leaving him scrambling to end the broadcast 109.

*Just Like You* and Growing Attachment

As Xia Chi, Shi Wei works closely with Ji Hanchuan and Zhuo Xiao. His scenes earn Luo Sixi’s praise, while his off-camera relationship with Ji gradually becomes harder to dismiss as mere performance. Away from the set, he begins wondering whether he misses Ji Hanchuan 75 81 113 141.

Ou Wen’s hostility becomes another obstacle. Shi Wei refuses the investor’s threats, defends his casting, and later rejects his gifts when that hostility turns into unwanted pursuit 127 128 142 143.

The System’s Clarification and Xu Family Coercion

Shi Wei eventually questions whether Ji Hanchuan’s apparent attraction will damage the novel’s plot. The system reveals that there was never a compulsory divorce mission, that remaining married does not itself mean death, and that it knows of no world-collapse rule. Shi Wei immediately admits that he does not want divorce and prepares a decorated villa and dinner for Ji Hanchuan 147.

Before that evening can proceed, Xu He and Xu Xirui attempt to force him to secure Ou Wen’s agreement to a business proposal. They offer compromising recordings in exchange. Shi Wei refuses, but a driver drugs him, and Xu Xirui prepares to exploit his incapacitated state. Ji Hanchuan retrieves him and takes him for treatment 148 149 150.

After waking, Shi Wei asks Ji Hanchuan to trust his counterplan. He deliberately allows damaging publicity to spread while preparing to redirect it, even withholding details from Ma Xianbei because he doubts the manager can convincingly conceal the scheme 152 153.

Marriage and Career Independence

Shi Wei and Ji Hanchuan become mutually committed rather than merely married in name. Shi nevertheless argues against an immediate public announcement: he wants audiences to recognize him as an actor, not define every achievement through Ji Hanchuan’s fame 164 165.

They disclose their marriage to Ma Xianbei while considering company offers. Ji Hanchuan rejects five contracts because of restrictive terms or unsuitable career plans, emphasizing Shi Wei’s need for freedom to choose acting work 165.

*Madman* and the Rooftop Frame-Up

Song Nian’s script criticism and demanding instruction become part of Shi Wei’s preparation for Madman. On set, Pang Sheng deliberately pressures him during a scene out of resentment and loyalty to Xu Xirui 175 182.

During a rooftop fight with Xu Xirui, a railing gives way and Xu falls. When crew members accuse Shi Wei of pushing him, he calls the police and tells Ma Xianbei to preserve the evidence. He subsequently cooperates with questioning 190 191.

Shi Wei, Ji Hanchuan, and their companions later help bring Xu Xirui to safety. After proper treatment, Xu wakes and publicly reveals that his fall was arranged to frame them. Public sentiment turns supportive, and Shi Wei and Ji Hanchuan receive Best Actor nominations 198.

Relationships

• Ji Hanchuan — Husband, acting mentor, and eventual mutual romantic partner. Shi Wei initially tries to provoke him into divorce; later he actively protects their relationship while insisting on a separate professional identity 1 17 147 152 165.
• Ma Xianbei — Manager, addressed as “Brother Bei.” Their relationship combines constant bickering with genuine loyalty. Ma defends him against exploitation and fears for his career, while Shi Wei recognizes the pressure placed on Ma’s family 16 114 115 153 155 156.
• Xu Xirui — Older cousin and principal rival. Xu repeatedly manipulates others against him and participates in his drugging and attempted exploitation. Shi Wei nevertheless helps secure his safety before Xu publicly clears his name 2 19 149 198.
• Xu He — Grandfather. Neglected the original owner, treats family resources as leverage, and attempts to use compromising material to force Shi Wei’s cooperation 66 148 167.
• Zhuo Xiao — Close friend and Just Like You co-star. Supports Shi Wei but frequently misunderstands his relationship with Ji Hanchuan 75 81 107 120 127.
• Song Nian — Mother-in-law and demanding acting adviser. Shi Wei is intimidated by her judgment but also challenges her attempts to dictate Ji Hanchuan’s romantic choices 175 181 182.
• Zhang Zixiang — Director who appreciates Shi Wei’s ideas and arranges his rehearsals with Ji Hanchuan 12 15 20.
• Luo Sixi — Director of Just Like You. Recognizes his acting ability, casts him as Xia Chi, and refuses to let Ou Wen’s unwanted gifts disrupt filming 67 75 81 143.
• Ou Wen — Investor whose threats turn into unwanted romantic pursuit. Shi Wei rejects both his attempts to remove him from the production and his later gifts 127 142 143.
• System — Explains the novel’s original plot and enforces the devoted-spouse persona. Its incomplete guidance contributes to Shi Wei’s mistaken belief that divorce is mandatory 1 3 54 147.