Jia Mingchuan

Biodata

Appearance

Jia Mingchuan has a tall, straight, slender build and a refined, gentlemanly appearance 11 69.

• Hair: Medium-length, straight black hair, sometimes tucked behind his ears 11 69.
• Face: Monolidded eyes, a straight nose, and slightly full lips whose naturally upturned corners make him look gentle even without smiling 11 370.
• Clothing: Commonly wears a white shirt with rolled sleeves, black dress pants, and black skate shoes 69.
• Family resemblance: Bears a strong resemblance to his grandfather, Old Master Jia 503.

Personality

Jia Mingchuan is gentle, courteous, and unhurried in speech. Even when angry or heartbroken, he rarely loses his temper; instead, he speaks more slowly. His easygoing nature makes him popular with the other guests, and he helps the production crew with cameras and logistics when needed 11 356 364.

His mild appearance conceals a strong competitive streak. Before joining the show, he tried activities he thought the production might use. During the combat game, his determination to win—and give his grandfather something to boast about—led him to reveal fighting skills he had previously kept hidden 22 195.

In romance, he is devoted but unusually restrained. After discovering Su Ziqian’s identity, he becomes quieter and more self-conscious around him. He waits for explicit agreement to become a couple rather than treating their physical affection as sufficient confirmation. Once that uncertainty is resolved, he becomes much more openly affectionate and assertive 399 400 454 473.

His concern for others can also lead him to overinterpret their behavior. He repeatedly mistakes Chi Yining’s personality change for possible depression and seeks support for that theory from other guests. When the subject resurfaces later, he is embarrassed to admit that he helped start the rumor 99 520.

History

School Years and First Love

During secondary school, Jia Mingchuan was a top student and school heartthrob whose parents’ frequent arguments had made him increasingly withdrawn. After his mother moved out, he wandered into Heavenly Heart Park on a snowy day, where Su Ziqian accidentally collided with him. Su Ziqian, whom he came to know as Xiao Feiqi, offered to keep him company. They played Aeroplane chess, visited an arcade and bowling alley, and exchanged contact information 529.

Jia Mingchuan waited for further contact, but Su Ziqian did not call until summer vacation, explaining that he had been occupied with studying. They then began keeping in touch. By that time, Jia Mingchuan’s parents had reconciled 529.

After high school, Jia Mingchuan received a love letter from the boy he liked and intended to begin a relationship with him. Their planned meeting collapsed because Su Ziqian saw a curly-haired boy apparently embracing Jia Mingchuan and took it as evidence that he already had someone else. In reality, the boy had fallen against Jia Mingchuan while claiming to slip. Unaware of the misunderstanding, Jia Mingchuan waited at their meeting place until the shopping mall closed and repeatedly tried to call Su Ziqian 322 358 363.

Su Ziqian subsequently went abroad. Their separation lasted eight years, during which Jia Mingchuan traveled the world taking photographs partly in the hope of finding him 324 363 364.

Joining the Dating Show

Jia Mingchuan introduced himself to the cast as a professional photographer. Although he told Hu Bing that he had joined to find a partner, his original reason was his parents’ wish to increase his exposure and popularity. He privately associated greater attention with pressure to keep winning awards 11 22.

His apparently mild presence repeatedly surprised the other contestants: he excelled at drawing interpretation, gaming, and a combined table-tennis and idiom-chain contest. Between activities, he continued pursuing photography, including filming a coastal sunrise and visiting Zhongmen Island’s Misty Forest 46 69 84 88 140.

Concerned about Chi Yining’s changed behavior, Jia Mingchuan arranged a magazine-cover shoot as a way to observe him directly. When Chi Yining became unreachable amid online controversy, he canceled the session rather than pressing him to attend. His belief that Chi Yining was depressed remained an assumption, not a confirmed diagnosis 99 124.

Rediscovering Su Ziqian

Jia Mingchuan initially treated Su Ziqian as a former classmate without recognizing him as Xiao Feiqi. He chose him as a teammate and later tried to get to know him better. When repeated knocking brought no answer, he worried that something had happened, jumped across the two-meter gap between their balconies, and entered through an unlocked window. Finding the room empty, he regretted the intrusion; Chai Yi caught him returning to his own balcony 270 315.

After Jia Mingchuan described his lost love, Chi Yining suggested drawing a portrait. The sketch led Chi Yining to identify Su Ziqian, whose changed height, hairstyle, glasses, and former use of colored contacts explained why Jia Mingchuan had not recognized him. Yan Guiyun, who had deliberately brought Su Ziqian onto the show, told Jia Mingchuan that the person he wanted was already beside him 322 324.

Ruan Dongchen and Yan Guiyun eventually confirmed the connection directly. On learning why Su Ziqian had left, Jia Mingchuan confronted the old misunderstanding and brought down the Huang Corporation associated with the curly-haired boy’s family 354 358 364.

He then explained that he had never encouraged the boy’s advances and revealed the real purpose behind his years of photographic travel. Seeing him cry, Su Ziqian kissed him and called his first kiss an apology gift 364.

Courtship and Marriage

Despite their reconciliation, Jia Mingchuan struggled to take the initiative. He thanked Yan Guiyun for helping reunite them, but admitted that he was still afraid to pursue the relationship openly. Yan Guiyun urged him to act and threatened to invite Su Ziqian’s overseas admirers onto the show if he continued hesitating 369.

Their relationship became official only after Jia Mingchuan explained that he was waiting for Su Ziqian to agree to be with him. Su Ziqian consented, and Jia Mingchuan immediately asked to photograph him in ethnic clothing. They also discussed sharing ordinary routines such as buying flowers, running in the morning, and making breakfast 454 455.

After the show, Jia Mingchuan divided his time between Su Ziqian, family business, and occasional photography. They worked quietly together in the study, and he cared for Su Ziqian when he fell asleep over lesson preparation. Chi Yining later reported that an attempted scam had prompted Jia Mingchuan to leave professional photography and concentrate on being CEO 501 522.

Long after the dating show ended, the couple registered their marriage. They discussed a wedding and honeymoon, adjusting their plans around work and Su Ziqian’s teaching schedule 529.

Abilities & Skills

Photography and Visual Art

Jia Mingchuan is an internationally recognized photographer with numerous signature works and multiple international awards dating back to the age of sixteen 46.

• Drawing interpretation: Recognizes Bai Chongxuan’s drawings regardless of how abstract they are; their team answers twenty-five questions correctly for 1,500 points 46.
• Portrait sketching: Produces a rough portrait of Xiao Feiqi from memory, allowing Chi Yining to recognize Su Ziqian 324.
• Exhibition work: Organizes a photography exhibition that he later attends with Su Ziqian 400 454.

Sculpting and Carving

Carving is described as his forte, with photography characterized as a side occupation in comparison. He knows both sculpting and carving and tends to develop his hobbies to a high level 459.

• Handles carving tools confidently and warns Su Ziqian away from sharp blades out of concern for his hands 460.
• Admits that computers are not his strength, despite joking that he would become a hacker if he understood them 459.

Gaming

His gaming ability contrasts sharply with his quiet, gentlemanly presentation 69.

• Has multiple national-ranking badges on his gaming account 69.
• Scores 15,000 game points in twenty-five minutes, converting to 1,500 dating-show points and temporarily taking the lead 69.
• Overtakes Bai Chongxuan for second place during the Minesweeper free-for-all, prompting Chi Yining to target his score 155.

Sports and Combat

Jia Mingchuan demonstrates coordination, quick reactions, and knife-handling skills during the show’s contests 88 195 205.

• Table tennis and idioms: Defeats Li Qingmi while simultaneously maintaining an idiom chain, repeatedly placing shots in difficult corners 88.
• Knife combat: Uses rapid attacks, blocks, and feints, but loses his duel with Chi Yining in under two minutes 205 206.
• Electric-bike instruction: Teaches Li Qingmi to ride, then accompanies him into town on the back seat 257.

Equipment & Items

• Camera equipment — Used for professional work, travel photography, and filming scenery during the show 76 84 140.
• Fierce Tiger Knife / Tiger Fang knife — His weapon during the staged combat game; the passages use both names for it 195 205 206.
• GoPro — Clipped to his collar by staff to record his viewpoint during a supermarket trip with Chi Yining and Yan Guiyun 344.
• Carving knives — Tools used for his carving work, which he keeps Su Ziqian from handling out of concern for injury 459 460.

Relationships

• Su Ziqian / Xiao Feiqi — First love and eventual husband. Their eight-year separation stems from a misunderstood encounter; their reunion reveals that Jia Mingchuan’s worldwide travels had also been a search for him 358 364 529.
• Yan Guiyun — Childhood acquaintance connected through their grandfathers’ friendship, rather than an initially close friend. Engineers Jia Mingchuan’s reunion with Su Ziqian and asks for a large wedding red envelope in return 343 369.
• Chi Yining — Fellow guest whose changed behavior draws his concern. Helps identify the person in his portrait; later, Jia Mingchuan becomes jealous of the easy understanding between Chi Yining and Su Ziqian 99 324 494.
• Hu Yi — School deskmate and classmate. Teases the normally punctual Jia Mingchuan after his first outing with Su Ziqian makes him late 529.
• Hu Bing — Hu Yi’s younger brother, whom Jia Mingchuan has known since childhood; a frequent conversation partner on the show 38 238.
• Wang Xinyang — Knows Jia Mingchuan’s childhood and exchanges teasing threats with him about exposing embarrassing stories; his combat-game teammate 194 195.
• Bai Chongxuan — Successful drawing-game partner and casual gaming companion 46 54.
• Li Qingmi — Fellow guest, occasional teammate, and recipient of his electric-bike lessons. Challenges his assumptions about Chi Yining’s mental health 76 99 257.
• Old Master Jia — Grandfather. Jia Mingchuan wants to win competitions partly so that he can boast to Old Master Yan 195.

Notable Quotes

“Steal him away when no one’s looking.”
— His answer to competing for someone who does not yet have a boyfriend 63

“You haven’t agreed to be with me yet.”
— Explaining his restraint to Su Ziqian 454

“I want every second of yours too. Everything you mentioned is something I can easily do. You can ask more of me, much more...”
— Responding to Su Ziqian’s wishes for their life together 455