Hu Bing

Biodata

Background / History

Family and life with An Yan

Hu Bing comes from a family involved in import-export business. His older brother, Hu Yi, manages the family group, allowing Hu Bing to concentrate on figure skating rather than immediately taking responsibility for the business 345 376.

Three years before the events recalled in his extra chapter, Hu Bing leaves home after an argument over Hu Yi’s incessant supervision. He arrives at An Yan’s house soaked by the rain, hoping to find somewhere to stay. An Yan contacts his father, takes care of him, and offers a long-term arrangement as roommates. Their families are old friends, and Hu Bing accepts the chance to gain some personal space without cutting ties with his brother 530.

School and skating initially keep him away from home for much of the day. After he twists his ankle, An Yan carries him and looks after him during his recovery. Hu Bing eventually develops romantic feelings, but suppresses them after repeatedly seeing An Yan surrounded by girls and concluding that his senior must be straight 530.

Entering the dating show

Hu Bing’s parents want him to appear on the dating show to increase his exposure and popularity; finding a partner is not his original purpose. He privately feels that more attention only increases the expectation that he must win awards at every competition 22.

On arrival, he meets Chen Shiyu at the airport and has lunch with him before they reach the villa. His first interaction with Wang Xinyang is courteous but reserved 8.

He becomes fascinated by Chi Yining’s appearance and unexpectedly quiet personality. Although he considers Jia Mingchuan compatible with him, he finds mysterious, interesting people more compelling. His attraction to Chi Yining gradually turns the publicity appearance into a genuine attempt at courtship 21 22 38.

Pursuing Chi Yining

Hu Bing struggles to approach Chi Yining because Yan Guiyun is almost constantly nearby. He hopes that strong challenge results will earn him a chance to choose Chi Yining for a date, and later openly tells Wang Xinyang that they are romantic rivals 59 70 78.

Despite his enthusiastic private thoughts, his actual approach is usually restrained. He introduces himself quietly, sends a polite message, and worries that acting too familiar will make Chi Yining dislike him. Chi Yining eventually considers him a decent, quiet person who generally respects boundaries 48 73 82 197.

Hu Bing invites Chi Yining to a figure-skating competition in the Capital. Chi Yining agrees on the condition that he can bring someone; ultimately, the entire dating-show cast attends. Their shared bouquet, assembled from a flower chosen by each person, deeply moves Hu Bing 202 284 285 286.

Retirement and studies

Hu Bing continues training throughout filming, travelling to a real-ice rink whenever the schedule permits. At the National Figure Skating Championships in the Capital Gymnasium, he performs to “Forgotten Winter,” landing every jump shown cleanly 284 285.

Afterward, Chi Yining recognizes his exhaustion and reminds him that his life belongs to him. Hu Bing begins seriously considering whether he can stop skating and asks An Yan whether his parents would agree 286.

An Yan later secures their approval, with the condition that Hu Bing learn two foreign languages. Hu Bing accepts, noting that the languages are relevant to the family business and that Hu Yi already manages the group. An Yan tutors him in one language, while Chi Yining takes the other 345 346.

Hu Bing passes every subject in his subsequent exams. By the time he attends university military training, he explicitly describes himself as retired and asks his classmate Bo Anbai to treat him like an ordinary person rather than a celebrity 486 511.

Recognizing his feelings for An Yan

An Yan’s arrival on the dating show makes Hu Bing more cheerful and less guarded. Hu Bing remains uncertain about his senior’s sexuality, however, and initially fails to understand the romantic intent behind his attention 269 308 345 358.

After An Yan reveals that he is not straight, Hu Bing becomes awkward around him and asks Chi Yining for advice through a transparent “I have a friend” story. Chi Yining’s questions about missing someone, wanting to share experiences, and anticipating physical closeness make Hu Bing recognize that he has fallen for An Yan 423 424.

His attempts to pursue An Yan are complicated by another misunderstanding: he mistakes An Yan and Hu Yi’s arguments and frequent calls for evidence of a romance. He drinks heavily and seeks comfort from Chi Yining. An Yan subsequently explains the situation, leaving Hu Bing embarrassed by his suspicions 486 487.

On the dating show’s final day, Hu Bing and An Yan confess almost simultaneously, both saying that they have wanted to be together for a long time. Hu Bing later learns that the women surrounding An Yan were actresses hired by Hu Yi to mislead him 496.

A year after the show, Hu Bing suggests marriage. An Yan proposes that they marry the following month, on Hu Bing’s twentieth birthday, and the extra chapter ends with them as newlyweds 530.

Appearance

• Features: Fair skin, delicate facial features, thick long eyelashes, and clear almond-shaped eyes 47 286 348.
• Bearing: Often described as noble-looking, with a youthful face that can also show the strain of his demanding career 47 140.
• On the ice: His elegant presentation earns comparisons to a little prince, sharply contrasting with his goofy behavior around Chi Yining 285.
• Later appearance: University military training tans him noticeably darker than his usual rink-trained complexion 508 511.

Personality

Hu Bing is observant and harder to manipulate than his age might suggest. He recognizes evasiveness in Jia Mingchuan’s account of joining the show and refuses to be pushed into telling Chi Yining to seek psychiatric help. He also appreciates that Jia Mingchuan does not simply follow public opinion about Chi Yining 22 38.

He enjoys teasing others and watching amusing situations unfold. He laughs at Jia Mingchuan’s unwanted matchmaking encounters and deliberately avoids revealing Li Qingmi and Chen Shiyu’s neighborhood connection because he finds the prospect of their eventual discovery entertaining 34 528.

His romantic confidence is much greater in thought than in action. He openly acknowledges his attraction when challenged, yet becomes nervous over small exchanges and worries about burdening the person he likes. During tutoring, he insists on visiting Chi Yining rather than making Chi Yining come to him 48 78 347.

Although he dreams of a relaxed life, he is accustomed to demanding training and takes his studies seriously once he commits to them. His wish to retire is tied to exhaustion and a desire for autonomy, not an inability to endure hard work 286 345 486.

Abilities & Skills

Figure Skating

• Begins competing at thirteen and becomes a famous, award-winning athlete 12.
• Maintains regular training alongside the dating show’s filming schedule 284.
• Combines clean landings with expressive choreography in his “Forgotten Winter” performance 285.

Drawing and Costume Design

• Designs his own competition costumes from the beginning of his competitive career, according to his fans 47.
• Draws a recognizable, lifelike dragon in thirty seconds during a guessing challenge 47.
• Sustains rapid drawing throughout the twenty-minute round while Li Qingmi guesses his prompts 47.

Games and Competitive Challenges

Limits

• No martial-arts training: Admits that he does not know martial arts after being eliminated through repeated encounters with Yan Guiyun 209.
• Fishing: Initially cannot work out how to handle the net, leaving Chi Yining to secure and lower it 107.
• Cooking: His joint cooking assignment with Li Qingmi produces a disastrous dinner, prompting Yan Guiyun to order restaurant food for the group 148.

Equipment / Items

• Self-designed skating costumes — Creates a costume for each competition from the start of his competitive career 47.
• Game watch — Receives a map-enabled watch with communication functions during “Who Is the Hunter,” allowing him to speak with teammate Chi Yining 193 197.
• Throwing axe — Uses the challenge’s prop weapon to eliminate Bai Chongxuan 197.
• Gold chain — Receives it in the Ice Pool Team’s overdue champion prize package; Jia Mingchuan jokingly names him “Boss Hu” 228.

Relationships

• An Yan — Childhood acquaintance, senior, longtime roommate, and eventual husband. An Yan supports his retirement and studies; the extra chapter reveals that he is also Hu Bing’s fan leader and attends every competition 345 530.
• Hu Yi — Older brother whose controlling attention drives Hu Bing to move out. Hu Yi initially opposes his dating-show participation and secretly influences its questions and competitive format to discourage romantic attachments 377 530.
• Parents — Encourage his television exposure and later approve his retirement on the condition that he study two foreign languages 22 345.
• Chi Yining — Initial crush who becomes a friend, tutor, and romantic adviser. Hu Bing eventually concludes that his supposed love was primarily attraction to Chi Yining’s looks 346 423 424 520.
• Yan Guiyun — Initially his principal obstacle in pursuing Chi Yining. Hu Bing later accepts that Yan Guiyun and Chi Yining suit each other 38 347.
• Jia Mingchuan — Fellow contestant and Hu Yi’s former classmate, who has known Hu Bing since childhood. Their easy rapport leads livestream viewers to pair them romantically 22 238.
• Li Qingmi — Effective partner in the drawing game but an unsuccessful partner in the kitchen. Hu Bing later hosts his surprise birthday celebration 47 148 253.
• Bo Anbai — University classmate who befriends him during military training; Hu Bing initially suspects romantic interest before understanding that Bo Anbai wants companionship 511.

Notable Quotes

“I’m young, but I’m not stupid.” 38

“I’ve already retired. If I stop appearing in public, who’s going to remember me? Just treat me like an ordinary person.” 511

“Not anymore. I thought it was love, but it turned out I just liked his good looks.”
— On his former attraction to Chi Yining 520