Xie Zhuzhou

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Life in Great Yan

Xie Zhuzhou grew up as the sickly son of a concubine in the Marquis of Zhenbei’s household. His birth mother died early, and he lived largely forgotten in a remote courtyard, attended by a few servants and supported by a monthly allowance. Although the principal wife did not mistreat him, his isolation left him accustomed to enduring illness alone. He died after catching a chill at twenty 1 9 237.

Despite his poor health, he acquired martial knowledge. A martial arts instructor taught him Meditation, and he paid five hundred taels for the instructor’s prized fist techniques. His original body could not put that training to effective use 43 55.

The side stories reveal that his birth mother had been the master of Netherworld Valley and had passed a secret art to him as an infant. The modern original owner, after awakening in Xie Zhuzhou’s former body, learns that its apparent weakness concealed excessive power. Xie Zhuzhou later also learns that he was actually a prince 279 310.

Transmigration and the Original Owner

After death, Xie Zhuzhou awakened in a modern body bearing his exact name, with the original owner’s memories and knowledge of a novel about real and fake young masters. His new identity belonged to an unnamed extra who should have died before Wen Nan joined a dating show 1.

The original owner survived in Great Yan rather than disappearing. Through a ritual performed by the state preceptor, the two eventually meet in a shared dream and exchange accounts of their new lives. Xie Zhuzhou agrees to care for Ji Wuqiu and Xie Guanxia, while asking the original owner to look after the marquis’s household 310.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and slender, with broad but unbulky shoulders, a straight back, and long legs 1 37.
• Face: Exceptionally handsome, with peach-blossom eyes, a finely shaped nose, and long, slightly curled eyelashes 26 37.
• Hair and hands: Short black hair and long, delicate hands 1 9.
• Everyday clothing: Initially favors unobtrusive black, gray, and white outfits, often using a baseball cap or mask to conceal his face 1 2 34.
• Formal clothing: Light-colored couture emphasizes his cool, noble bearing; his habitual silence makes him seem difficult to approach 26 37.
• Physique: Despite his extraordinary strength, he says he does not have abdominal muscles 231.

Personality

Xie Zhuzhou values comfort, privacy, and freedom from unnecessary work. He treats the dating-show villa as convenient accommodation, avoids cameras and chores, and initially participates only because he refuses to pay the breach-of-contract penalty. His apparent arrogance often conceals a much simpler desire to be left alone 1 3 34 55.

His intimidating public image is partly deliberate. He welcomes being labeled a bully because fear discourages interference, and he would rather be considered dangerous than sickly or cowardly. Nevertheless, he privately acknowledges his timidity, remains frightened of ghosts, and sometimes startles before remembering how powerful he has become 32 101 187 316.

Beneath his cutting remarks, he is calculating and highly defensive. He prepares concealed weapons, uses public displays of force as deterrents, and considers the consequences of retaliation rather than fighting indiscriminately. He stops short of inflicting further injuries on Zhu Shan because of the risk of exceeding lawful self-defense 21 107 173.

His gentleness is selective but unmistakable around Chu Yanzhang. He is protective, jealous, and possessive, yet attentive to Chu’s security and comfort. He explicitly resolves never to cheat, while his growing relationships gradually make him less closed off toward the outside world 169 210 221 258 310.

Abilities & Skills

Meditation and Internal Energy

• Practices the basic cultivation method taught by his former martial arts instructor 43.
• Strengthens his modern body through sustained cultivation, opening all its meridians 55.
• Uses internal energy to resist winter cold by directing warmth outward from his dantian 64.

Martial Arts and Strength

• Uses fist techniques based on redirecting force—described as “four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds” 55.
• Catches and cracks Master Elder Ji’s golden-thread nanmu cane with one hand 74 75.
• Smashes through haunted-house obstacles, including a coffin lid and a fake train door 101.
• Kicks a falling chandelier into a wall before it can strike him 137.
• Defeats more than a dozen attackers in under three minutes using precise strikes with a spiked club 173.
• Recognizes that Gong Yue’s real combat experience places him above his previous opponents 244.

Lightness Skill and Perception

• Climbs trees rapidly and uses overhead positions to ambush opponents 195.
• Detects nearby living creatures through his bodily senses, allowing him to intercept a venomous snake approaching Zhan Tongfei 195.
• Notices concealed enemies but sometimes withholds that knowledge to avoid revealing too much 212.
• His perception is not continuously active: he is surprised by a stranger when he forgets to use it 316.

Weapons and Marksmanship

• Disarms a knife-wielding birthday-banquet attacker and throws him more than ten meters 83.
• Disrupts an attempted throat-slashing attack by flicking a snowball into a skateboard’s wheels 93.
• Scores headshots with the island game’s weapons and pins a snake to a tree with a thrown dagger 195.
• Combines speed, painful strikes, and accurate shooting to dominate opponents in the island competition 220.

Art, Appraisal, and Study

• Uses the original owner’s memories to complete carving assignments, though his initial carving ability falls short of his predecessor’s 8 9.
• Practices painting while presenting his traditional Chinese painting knowledge as self-taught 36.
• Combines knowledge from his previous life with specialized reading to search Antique Street for valuable objects; his finds later go to auction 40 45.
• Sells paintings through Sheng Wanqing’s exhibition, including two secretly purchased by Chu Yanzhang 145.
• Reaches tenth place overall at school by the main story’s ending 278.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Carving toolbox — Contains exquisite carving knives and protective gloves 8.
• Golden-Hooped Rod Branch Rod — A wooden staff carved for homework; formally named the “Sea-Calming Divine Needle Branch Needle” 8 9.
• Crescent-shaped iron weapon — A lightweight concealed weapon prepared for close combat and reserved for emergencies 21.
• Anesthetic-coated steel needles — Additional concealed weapons he plans to prepare against possible Ji Family threats 21.
• Diamond-studded spiked club — Used against Zhu Shan and his attackers 173.
• Dagger — Carried during the island event; used for nighttime investigation and against a venomous snake 187 195.
• Pepper spray and toy folding knife — Used during his fight with Gong Yue inside a car 244.
• Rare Chinese painting book — A gift from Sheng Wanqing 145.

Wealth

Relationships

• Chu Yanzhang — Husband and the first friend he considers entirely separate from the original owner’s life. Their relationship begins with practical kindness and protection; Chu later accepts his transmigration confession without hesitation 16 29 43 311 318.
• Ji Wuqiu — Father of his modern body. Offers money and career opportunities, defends him during family disputes, and helps pursue revenge after Ji Wangyun’s injury 36 44 122 230.
• Xie Guanxia — Mother of the original owner. Xie Zhuzhou recounts their time together during the shared dream and promises to care for her 310.
• Ji Wangchen — Eldest brother. Initially warns him about the dangers of returning home, later supports him financially and monitors his studies and safety 21 36 45.
• Ji Wangyun — Second brother. Initially overwhelms him with persistent messages, but becomes a trusted ally in mischief; his deliberate car accident draws Xie Zhuzhou into the investigation of the Jin Family’s agents 14 101 162 173.
• Ji Wangyan — Third brother. Teases him with ghost scares and manages his wardrobe, much to Xie Zhuzhou’s regret 101 109.
• Master Elder Ji — Grandfather of his modern body. Their relationship involves attempted coercion and repeated confrontations, although the elder eventually blesses his engagement 21 74 122 258.
• Ji Wuwei — Youngest uncle and an antagonist. Schemes against him, sends attackers, and repeatedly pays compensation after his plans fail 86 96 109 130.
• Li Yankai — Roommate, classmate, and gossip companion. Remains friendly despite Xie Zhuzhou’s campus reputation and is later exasperated by his unexpectedly high exam ranking 11 63 278.
• An Xinian, Qin Fang, and Ling Zhenyang — The original owner’s three romantic pursuits, not relationships the transmigrated Xie Zhuzhou wishes to continue. Their renewed interest becomes a persistent nuisance 20 37 41 311.
• Xue Lang — The original owner’s childhood neighbor and brief first love. Xie Zhuzhou mistakes him for a rival for Chu Yanzhang before learning that they are biological brothers 182 209 273.
• Xiao Nan — Assistant, driver, and bodyguard whose protection comes through Ji Wangchen 34 40 45.
• Sheng Wanqing — Supports his painting sales and welcomes both him and Chu Yanzhang at her exhibition 145.
• Wen Ruohuai — Fellow dating-show guest who plots to exploit rumors against him. Xie Zhuzhou’s public rejection of his sympathy-seeking helps collapse his cultivated image 34 55 72.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Reluctant *Love 5* Guest

Xie Zhuzhou enters the show intending to remain a background extra. He covers his room’s camera, poses as accompanying staff, and avoids romantic participation. These efforts backfire: his relaxed lifestyle attracts viewers, and Director Wang increases his screen time 1 3 17 21.

His rejection of the original owner’s former pursuits produces much of the show’s interpersonal conflict. On the final day, the partner-snatching activity instead becomes a display of his strength, with multiple guests sent flying. The later edited broadcast exposes his face and university identity to a wider audience 41 54 76 77 93.

Ji Family Conflicts

Initially convinced that his relatives may threaten him over inheritance, Xie Zhuzhou declares that he does not intend to compete for the family business. As his brothers protect him, he gradually accepts their affection, while his disputes with the extended family escalate into attacks and demands for compensation 13 21 32 43 130.

He survives assassination attempts at his birthday banquet and during a cruise, then turns his attention to corruption and hostile agents within the family’s business sphere. His interrogation of Zhu Shan exposes the Jin Family’s role in targeting both him and Ji Wangyun 83 106 109 137 173.

Sunset Island Competition

Xie Zhuzhou joins the island livestream alongside Chu Yanzhang and several people connected to the original owner. His martial abilities become impossible for viewers to dismiss as he climbs trees, eliminates opponents, protects companions, and navigates the shrinking safe zone. He defeats Ling Zhenyang in the final match 182 195 212 220 221.

Engagement and Later Life

After initially mistaking his affection for close friendship, Xie Zhuzhou recognizes his feelings for Chu Yanzhang and considers confessing. He later accepts marriage on the condition that they become engaged first rather than rush the wedding 63 149 254.

The engagement receives Master Elder Ji’s blessing. In the side stories, Xie Zhuzhou prepares for his wedding, reveals his ancient origins to Chu, and appears as his husband during a true-love-testing game 258 310 311 318.

Notable Quotes

“My name’s Xie Zhuzhou. Zhu as in vying for supremacy in the Central Plains, and Zhou as in cycles repeating.” 16

“No need to thank me. We just swapped souls. I’m grateful to you too, for not leaving me with an empty house and nothing else.” 310

“I’m also a ghost who borrowed a corpse to return to life. Aren’t you scared?” 311