Chen Zhenzhen

Biodata

Background

Chen Zhenzhen received frequent compliments on her looks as a child. Boys brought her sweets or tugged her braids for attention in elementary school, and she received several love letters soon after entering middle school 17.

She became close to Zhang Zhaomu during middle school. Initially intrigued by his ability to enjoy himself despite spending much of his time alone, she came to admire his imagination, humor, and resilience. They spent their free time gaming, reading webnovels, and wandering around their county town at night 2 17.

Under Zhang Zhaomu’s influence, she gradually abandoned the skirts and carefully chosen outfits she once enjoyed in favor of loose, casual clothing. By their second year of high school, walking home together after evening self-study had become an established routine 2 10 14.

Appearance

Chen Zhenzhen has a small face, delicate features, and particularly large eyes; her original hairstyle conceals much of her face 2.

• Facial features: A dainty nose and lips, pointed chin, and large eyes with sharply defined black and white 2.
• Original hairstyle: Thick, straight bangs and jaw-length black hair, repeatedly compared to a helmet 2 10.
• Original clothing: An oversized plain black T-shirt and bulky cargo capris. She also adopts Zhang Zhaomu’s former hunched posture 2 17.
• Makeover hairstyle: Airier bangs and two playful buns, exposing her forehead, eyebrows, and facial contours 16.
• Makeover clothing: A cream-white blouse, dark green high-waisted pleated miniskirt, and round-toed sandals selected by Zhang Zhaomu 13 16.
• Later style: A fitted-waist, vintage pastoral tea dress borrowed from her older cousin and chosen by her mother 28.

Personality

Chen Zhenzhen is playful, outspoken, and comfortable trading insults with Zhang Zhaomu. Their familiarity allows her to dispense with politeness, challenge his boasting, and retaliate against his pranks. When uncertainty threatens their friendship, she prefers confronting him directly to leaving the issue unresolved 2 17 44 45.

Although outwardly carefree, she becomes self-conscious when her makeover attracts public attention. She likes her new appearance but dislikes being stared at, photographed without permission, or persistently pursued. Zhang Zhaomu’s encouragement helps her enter her classroom despite her anxiety 16 18 20 22.

She deeply values the ordinary time they spend together. Her first concern about their changing appearances—and later the possibility of romance—is whether they can preserve the ease of their friendship. Even while denying romantic feelings, she feels jealousy and disappointment that complicate her insistence that they are only friends 14 17 20 42 45 46.

Abilities & Skills

Academic Ability

Chen Zhenzhen consistently ranks among the school’s top twenty students despite devoting substantial free time to leisure 2.

• Studies in Science Class One and completes demanding placement tests 13.
• Zhang Zhaomu believes she might contend for Tsinghua University or Peking University if she applied herself more seriously; this is his assessment, not an achieved result 2.

Gaming

Gaming is one of her principal shared interests with Zhang Zhaomu 2 31.

• Prefers the mid-lane role and wants to play Ahri rather than support 31.
• Regularly loses to Zhang Zhaomu, although she rejects his description of her as a novice 2 31.
• Joins him for extended internet-café sessions, including a weekend spent gaming in a private room 14 31.

Relationships

• Zhang Zhaomu — Best friend since middle school and frequent gaming partner. She calls him “Zhang Zaowan,” while he calls her “Chen Zhen.” Their makeover experiment introduces attraction, embarrassment, and misunderstandings into a bond both initially describe as brotherhood; they are not established as a couple in the supplied chapters 2 16 42 45 46.
• Wang Qianzi — Deskmate and enthusiastic gossip who repeatedly questions whether her friendship with Zhang Zhaomu is platonic. Despite the teasing, she notices Chen Zhenzhen’s distress and offers companionship after Zhang leaves school without her 13 15 20 44.
• Mother — Initially believes “Zhang Zaowan” is her daughter’s female friend because Zhang uses a voice changer to cover their overnight gaming trips. She welcomes Chen Zhenzhen’s new style and gives her 2,000 yuan for clothes 14 28.
• Duan Chan’er — An acquaintance introduced through Zhang Zhaomu. Their introduction embarrasses Chen Zhenzhen because Duan overhears her saying Xiang Qing is prettier; Duan later praises Chen Zhenzhen’s makeover 11 25.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Reunion and Makeover Proposal

• After summer vacation, Chen Zhenzhen is startled by Zhang Zhaomu’s polished appearance and newly courteous behavior. She considers the changes positive but finds them unfamiliar 1 2.
• Zhang chooses her as the first demonstration of his proposed image-consultation business. She objects to his assumption that she has agreed, but eventually orders the clothing he recommends 9 10 14.
• Nervous about returning to skirts after years of casual dress, she privately buys safety shorts as well 14.

Makeover and School Attention

• At Zhang’s apartment, she allows him to cut her hair and arrange it into twin buns. His attention makes her newly conscious of physical contact that previously felt ordinary 16.
• She emerges in the new outfit, only for Zhang to stare and take a photograph despite her protests. She refuses his insistence that white stockings are essential to the look 16 17.
• After encouragement from Zhang, she wears the outfit outside and returns to class. Wang Qianzi initially fails to recognize her, then enthusiastically praises the transformation 18 20.
• Her makeover brings Zhang paying clients, while she faces exhausting attention from boys bringing gifts, sending letters, and seeking introductions 21 22.
• Unable to recreate the buns herself, she returns to Zhang for instruction. Her mother supports the change and helps her expand her wardrobe 28.

Friendship and Romantic Misunderstanding

• Zhang’s unusually persistent teasing—including grabbing her hair buns—leads to an argument and a demand for retaliation 39 40 41.
• She interprets his distracted behavior and glances as romantic interest. Unaware that he is struggling with his [Cat] persona, she becomes anxious about how dating might change their friendship 42.
• When he leaves school without waiting for her, she assumes he has mistaken her awkwardness for rejection. She goes to his apartment determined to clear things up and prepared to agree to date him 44.
• Zhang initially insists they are only “bros,” leaving her unexpectedly disappointed. His subsequent claim that he likes her fails to convince her 45 46.
• She unlocks his phone and threatens to call her mother to force an honest explanation. After he admits to staring at her and having inappropriate thoughts, she leaves embarrassed and decides not to speak to him for one day. Zhang instead believes she can no longer accept him 46.

Notable Quotes

“I don't see him as a man, and he doesn't see me as a woman, so your statement doesn't apply.” 15

“Isn't it just dating? … As if anyone's scared! Fine, let's date!” 44

Trivia

• Despite Zhang Zhaomu’s repeated Wing Chun and martial-arts jokes, the supplied chapters do not establish that Chen Zhenzhen has martial-arts training 2 40 41.
• She knows Zhang’s password habits well enough to unlock his phone, defeating his assumption that its passcode will stop her 46.
• She particularly likes fish head with chopped chilies and declares that she wants two portions next time 20.