Mu Yao

Biodata

Background / History

Childhood and Playboy Reputation

Mu Yao grew up with parents who were occupied with their business and a poorly attentive nanny. He described himself as overweight, tearful, and largely left to care for himself. Other children excluded him, and classmates moved their desks away from him in disgust 137.

His first close friend appeared to accept him regardless of his appearance. Mu Yao later discovered that the friendship was an attempt to influence a business deal with his parents; behind his back, the boy mocked his weight, looks, and smell. Mu Yao internalized the belief that unattractive people did not deserve kindness and worked obsessively to improve his appearance 137.

By his introduction, he was notorious in wealthy circles for extravagant spending, numerous partners, and generous breakup payments. He later told Xie Ji that his reputation for promiscuity was misleading: he dated attractive people to look at them, did not sleep with them, and ended relationships once his interest faded. According to Mu Yao, rumors about his sexual performance and subsequent attempts to silence his former partners helped create his public image 5 137.

*Young Field*

Mu Yao chose to appear on Young Field rather than spend two months as his family company’s general manager. The production assigned him an enormous fishpond, whose cleaning and foul smell tested his fastidious habits 9 24 38.

During the journey to the island, Xie Ji secretly used Rosemary, designating Shang Yan as its user and Mu Yao as its target. The item left Mu Yao weak, flushed, and overwhelmed by Shang Yan’s scent. When he grabbed Shang Yan and lunged at him, Shang Yan kicked him into the sea. The production team dispatched rescuers, while the livestream incident generated trending topics and a “YaoYan” pairing among viewers 6.

Mu Yao’s interest in Xie Ji developed over breakfast: watching Xie Ji eat made the otherwise unappealing meal enjoyable. His flirtation immediately brought him into conflict with Ji Shi. Later, he cornered Xie Ji over a bite mark on his shoulder, only to be rebuffed for his possessive behavior 18 19 33.

When the production stopped supplying meals, Mu Yao called his mother to quit. Seeing Xie Ji changed his mind; he claimed he could not abandon his fish, then described Xie Ji as “a little mermaid glittering with gold” 38.

He initially opposed keeping Xie Ji’s rescued puppies because they were dirty and smelled bad. After reluctantly agreeing, he helped bathe them and softened when A-Qiang rubbed against his palm. By the later barbecue gathering, he comfortably held the dogs despite his former aversion to dirt. Director He also noted that Mu Yao had remained single throughout the two-month production 47 52 85 97.

Academy and Confession

At the academy, Mu Yao gave Xie Ji expensive energy-core cuff links and invited him to his department party as his dance partner. During the gathering, he confronted a red-haired guest who had antagonized them, dismissing the man’s claim that the Mu family’s business depended on his father 135 136.

After an awkward attempt to dance with Xie Ji, Mu Yao confessed his feelings and explained the childhood experiences behind his fixation on beauty. Xie Ji rejected a romantic relationship but explicitly offered friendship, telling him that he had never considered him “dirty” and that beauty was not a prerequisite for being loved 137 138.

Mu Yao remained hurt and jealous of Lu Xunji, but still tried to put his jacket over the intoxicated Xie Ji when Lu Xunji arrived to take him home 138.

Front-Line Mission and Death

Mu Yao followed his friends to the front and reunited with Xie Ji among broken-down mechas. Together with Zhuang Huan, they persuaded Xie Ji to obtain a mecha from Lu Xunji for a mission to find Ji Shi and investigate a possible way to stop the black hole 153.

Piloting N709, Mu Yao followed Xie Ji’s astrolabe-guided directions through a monster tide. The black hole’s magnetic field overwhelmed the mecha, causing a crash and extensive internal damage. The group nevertheless reached an enormous glowing tree and recovered Ji Shi from a safety capsule 154.

A fragment from the crash had penetrated Mu Yao’s lower back. He concealed the injury because he did not want Xie Ji to worry, then urged him to take Ji Shi home. Xie Ji’s healing ointment could not close the wound while the fragment remained embedded, and removing it risked uncontrollable bleeding. Mu Yao died after expressing his feelings and wishing the Empire and his loved ones well 154.

Appearance

• Adult appearance: Handsome, with a beaming smile and an initially harmless-looking demeanor 5 90.
• Childhood appearance: Described by Mu Yao himself as overweight and untidy before he deliberately lost weight and improved his looks 137.
• Scent: Xie Ji finds his fragrance overpowering during their changing-room confrontation; at the academy party, it is described as faint and tart 33 137.
• Grooming: Initially insists on cleaning up before appearing before others, but eventually abandons that routine under the fishpond’s workload 84.

Personality

Mu Yao presents himself as rakish, teasing, and difficult to embarrass. His flirtation is persistent, while his exchanges with Ji Shi and Lu Xunji frequently turn sharp and competitive. Shang Yan considers him someone who usually takes relationships lightly, making his jealousy over Xie Ji notably unusual 19 34 37.

His fixation on beauty is rooted in childhood rejection rather than simple vanity. He equates attractiveness with deserving affection, a belief challenged first by Xie Ji’s love for the scruffy puppies and later by Xie Ji’s insistence that friendship does not depend on his looks or sexual reputation 52 137 138.

Despite his playboy image, Shang Yan regards him as reliable in serious matters. His final mission demonstrates both loyalty and recklessness: he helps rescue a romantic rival, hides a life-threatening injury, and places Ji Shi’s return above his own survival 6 153 154.

Abilities & Skills

Mecha Maintenance

A top student from the repair department, Mu Yao checks N709’s exterior before launch and confirms that it is undamaged and ready to fly 153.

• Attempts to restart the gravity system during the black hole incident 154.
• Recognizes that the mecha’s uncontrolled descent is caused by the black hole’s magnetic field rather than ordinary piloting failure 154.

Mecha Piloting

Mu Yao pilots N709 through the monster tide while Xie Ji supplies navigation commands 154.

• Operates the protective shield and particle cannons while performing rapid evasive maneuvers 154.
• Knows the controls well enough to respond immediately to most of Xie Ji’s increasingly rapid instructions 154.
• Occasionally reacts too slowly, allowing monsters to damage the mecha; he cannot prevent the magnetic field from dragging it into a crash 154.

System Affection Record

These values track Mu Yao’s feelings toward Xie Ji, not a cultivation rank or combat level.

Equipment / Items

• Mecha N709 — Borrowed from Lu Xunji for the mission undertaken by Mu Yao, Xie Ji, and Zhuang Huan. Equipped with a protective shield, particle cannons, and a gravity system 153 154.
• Energy-core cuff links — Given to Xie Ji before inviting him to the department party. The cores are described as far more expensive than diamonds and capable of powering mechas 135.
• Roses — Repeated courtship gifts for Xie Ji. His first comes from Lu Xunji’s planting; he later gives Xie Ji a rose purchased for twenty production points 34 62.

Relationships

• Xie Ji — Friend and unrequited love interest. Mu Yao calls him “Little Cake” and “little mermaid”; Xie Ji rejects romance but affirms that he genuinely wants his friendship 37 38 138.
• Lu Xunji — Romantic rival and later the commander who authorizes their rescue mecha. Their early hostility includes an argument over a rose Mu Yao picked from Lu Xunji’s planting 34 153.
• Ji Shi — Frequent sparring partner and rival for Xie Ji’s attention. Despite their antagonism, Mu Yao pilots the mission to recover him and asks Xie Ji to bring him home 19 46 153 154.
• Shang Yan — Childhood acquaintance who understands the difference between Mu Yao’s frivolous reputation and his conduct in serious situations. He also intervenes when Mu Yao’s arguments with Ji Shi escalate 6 37.
• Zhuang Huan — Companion on the black hole expedition. Relies on Mu Yao’s technical background while criticizing his piloting during their dangerous approach 153 154.
• A-Qiang and A-Gang — Puppies he initially rejects but comes to handle affectionately. A-Qiang’s response during bathing helps challenge his assumption that only beautiful things deserve affection 47 52 85.
• Parents — Wealthy businesspeople whose absence shaped his childhood. They later express willingness to accept a male or female partner if Mu Yao will settle down 90 137.

Notable Quotes

“A little mermaid glittering with gold.” 38

“I'm already this good-looking. Why can't I get you to like me?” 138

“Mm, being a hero actually feels pretty good sometimes. Like now.” 154

“Xie Ji, take Ji Shi back.” 154