Gu Chengyuan

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and separation from Shao Chongsi

As a child, Gu Chengyuan became lost and met Shao Chongsi, nicknamed Little Persimmon, who helped him find his mother. The boys became close friends, with Gu Chengyuan—Little Orange—regularly taking his homework to the Shao home. He preferred visiting Shao Chongsi because his own home felt cold and his mother would dictate their activities 527.

When they were nine, Shao Chongsi fell into a pool. Gu Chengyuan jumped into the freezing water, brought him ashore, and called for an adult. He subsequently suffered a high fever. Lan Qing concealed his role in the rescue and cut off contact between the boys; Yunxi tacitly accepted credit, while Shao Chongsi eventually believed Little Orange had drowned 279 527.

Lan Qing controlled Gu Chengyuan’s meals, schooling, phone privacy, and money. He had no pocket money even for small purchases during school outings, and a driver collected him immediately after school. Gu Kai later acknowledged that he had prioritized indulging his wife over protecting their son 217 222 224.

Acting career and independent wealth

Gu Chengyuan entered entertainment to escape his mother’s control rather than from love of acting. He nevertheless wanted achievements to show for choosing that path. His career also offered a way for Shao Chongsi to find him without Gu Chengyuan openly defying the family’s prohibition against revealing his childhood identity 217 366 527.

He became a film emperor with a strong professional reputation. During the backlash against him, detractors struggled to find faults in his acting or appearance; he was known for respecting senior and junior colleagues and had no scandals since his debut 222.

Outside acting, his investments grew more than a hundredfold, including overseas restaurants and supermarket chains. He later planned to finish his last production, stop acting, and return to inherit the family business; the provided account establishes this as a plan rather than a completed retirement 222 366.

Appearance

• Face: High nose bridge, handsome features, and bone structure described as particularly suited to the camera 343.
• Eyes: Expressive, affectionate phoenix eyes with naturally reddish-brown eyelashes—his most distinctive features 217 343.
• Build: Slender beside Shao Chongsi, whose arms are noticeably thicker. Shao Chongsi recalls that Little Orange was never especially fond of exercise 331 353.
• Height concealment: Wore five-centimeter insoles because his mother considered him short. Poorly fitting combat boots and the insoles contributed to his feet being rubbed raw during a show task 211.
• Notable clothing: Wears a burgundy haute couture suit that emphasizes his aristocratic appearance 507.

Personality

Gu Chengyuan is proud, image-conscious, and easily provoked early in the dating show. He assumes Chi Yining’s former devotion will remain available whenever he wants it, then becomes jealous when Chi instead gravitates toward Yan Guiyun. He repeatedly interprets indifference as concealed attachment and other guests’ teasing as jealousy of his appeal 52 53 58 105.

His professional caution is partly defensive: he worries that even refusing a restaurant owner’s dinner invitation could give rivals material for a smear campaign. Beneath his public courtesy, he feels trapped by both his career and his mother’s expectations 36 71 217.

He gradually becomes more self-critical, recognizing that his initial pursuit of Chi Yining came from possessiveness rather than love. He also begins rejecting his agency’s fixation on popularity and accepts the consequences of revealing his real height 157 217 222.

With Shao Chongsi, his sharp tongue coexists with considerable softness. He complains about Shao’s clinginess but provides food, blankets, reassurance, and eventually affection. Shao Chongsi’s distress repeatedly breaks through his resistance 190 312 486 527.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

• Holds the title of film emperor, with his acting remaining difficult to criticize even during a public backlash 222.
• Uses his professional composure to maintain a convincing flirtatious performance while teasing Shao Chongsi in disguise 446.
• Seeks inspiration from ordinary life, including a visit to a farmers’ market 343.

Business and Investment

• Builds an investment portfolio worth over a hundred times its original value, including overseas restaurant and supermarket businesses 222.
• Evaluates whether the Gu Family could benefit from the government-supported Li Group New Energy project 331.
• Develops businesses that Shao Chongsi believes could eventually rival the Gu Family’s main branch 366.

Cooking

• Makes sandwiches and breakfasts for fellow guests and grills skewers during his conversation with Shao Chongsi 42 190 217.
• His cooking ability does not translate into restaurant-service experience: a two-hour waiting shift leaves him exhausted after repeated order and delivery mistakes 35.

Physical Training

• Has systematic martial arts training for action scenes, though he describes the work as exhausting and credits martial arts choreographers for arranging fights 366.
• Swam well enough as a child to rescue Shao Chongsi from a pool 527.
• Claims he could have killed the assassin who threatened him, but Shao Chongsi intervenes before that claim is tested 485 486.

Drawing and Games

• Produces recognizable sketches during a drawing-and-guessing task, earning 600 points with Shao Chongsi for ten correct answers 45.
• Plays conventional table tennis, but Bai Chongxuan’s unpredictable shots overwhelm him during a combined table-tennis and idiom-chain match 89.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Original Novel

• Before transmigration changes events, Chi Yining repeatedly declares his love for Gu Chengyuan. In the original plot, Gu gets together with the protagonist shou, while Chi’s attacks on that protagonist eventually lead to imprisonment 1.
• The transmigrated Chi suspects that Gu’s silence about the original owner’s pursuit allowed him to profit from the publicity. This is initially Chi’s interpretation, not an established confession of motive by Gu 13.

*Love Competition*

Reunion and Romance with Shao Chongsi

Shao Chongsi initially struggles to connect the adult Gu Chengyuan with Little Orange. Gu’s advertised height does not match the young man he remembers, and his public manner seems false. Removing Gu’s shoes after he gets drunk resolves the height discrepancy; files and childhood photographs later establish the truth about the rescue 200 527.

For his part, Gu Chengyuan had already visited Shao Chongsi’s company hoping to be recognized. Shao’s failure to notice him left him hurt and angry. Once the truth emerges, Shao apologizes, confronts Yunxi’s appropriation of the rescue, and persistently pursues Gu 290 527.

Relationships

• Shao Chongsi — Childhood best friend, rescued drowning victim, and eventual husband. Their relationship is delayed by family interference, mistaken identity, and Gu’s hurt over not being recognized 279 486 527.
• Chi Yining — The original owner publicly pursued Gu for roughly two years. Gu later pursues the transmigrated Chi unsuccessfully before blessing his marriage to Yan Guiyun 72 225 474.
• Yan Guiyun — Rival for Chi Yining’s attention. Yan repeatedly blocks Gu’s advances and provokes his jealousy; Gu eventually acknowledges his commitment to Chi 73 81 102 474.
• Lan Qing — Controlling mother who separated him from Shao Chongsi. Gu nevertheless feels grateful because she nearly died giving birth to him, insisted he be saved, and quietly supported his acting career 279 366 527.
• Gu Kai — Father who admits that indulging Lan Qing caused him to neglect his responsibilities toward their son 224.
• Chen Shiyu — Longtime fan and fellow guest. Chen has admired him since age fifteen and becomes distressed during the height controversy; Gu later thanks him personally 222 225.
• Yunxi — Shao Chongsi’s ex-boyfriend and Gu’s prospective co-star. He accepted credit for Gu’s childhood rescue, a deception Shao later uncovers 264 279 290.
• Zhao Wen — Manager whose demand that Gu recover Chi’s affection for publicity helps trigger Gu’s rejection of his agency’s advice 157.

Notable Quotes

“I've gradually realized that what I feel for Chi Yining isn't love at all. I just suddenly wasn't used to it... It was also that despicable possessiveness inside me.” 217

“Then I wish you a lifetime together, growing old side by side!” — To Yan Guiyun 474

“Stop climbing onto the balcony all the time. The passcode is your birthday.” — To Shao Chongsi 498