Ling Zhenyang

Biodata

Background / History

Ling Zhenyang belongs to the Ling Family’s City A branch. His ancestors had been local tyrants in a neighboring city before an unspecified incident prompted the branch to relocate and gradually rebuild its influence 37.

Before Xie Zhuzhou’s transmigration, the body’s original owner pursued Ling Zhenyang as one of his three romantic interests, described as his “third fish.” Ling was considered the most unpredictable of the three. On one occasion, he made the original owner climb halfway up a mountain on foot at night to deliver his favorite late-night snack 37.

His relationship with his older brother, Ling Zhenhe, is openly hostile. Zhenhe orders him around, calls him a “bastard,” and insults his mother. Ling Zhenyang responds with cold mockery rather than brotherly concern 59 60 62.

Personality

Ling Zhenyang describes himself as ill-tempered, selfish, gloomy, cold, and inconsiderate. He initially takes Xie Zhuzhou’s attention for granted, treating him coldly and failing to ask after him when he is ill. Only after that attention shifts to Chu Yanzhang does he recognize his attachment and regret his neglect 85.

His jealousy is possessive and confrontational. He warns An Xinian away from Xie Zhuzhou, resents Chu Yanzhang’s intimacy with him, and uses the Sunset Island competition to target his romantic rivals. He eventually admits to himself that his arrogance and dismissiveness drove Xie Zhuzhou away, but still seeks to make trouble for the other men 37 182 216 219.

Despite his volatility, he can exercise restraint. He suppresses the urge to strike his assistant while trying to control his temper, and later swallows his anger when Chu Yanzhang confronts him with his past treatment of Xie Zhuzhou 160 258. His distrust also extends to temporary allies: during the island game, he openly questions whether An Xinian and the others will betray him 206.

Abilities & Skills

Race Car Driving

• A famous race car driver, though the supplied chapters do not document particular races, titles, or victories 37.

Marksmanship

• Accurate against moving targets, making other contestants reluctant to leave his line of fire 207.
• Locates Jiang Wenming by his voice and eliminates him with a headshot during the Sunset Island game 207.
• Uses a single-shot sniper rifle, but finds it poorly suited to eliminating several nearby opponents or fighting in the final circle 206 221.
• Ultimately cannot counter Xie Zhuzhou’s speed: Xie evades his shot, disarms him, and eliminates him at close range 221.

Competitive Tactics

• Uses gunfire and a grenade threat to force opponents out of cover during his confrontation with Zhan Tongfei 207.
• Questions the reliability of information offered by an eliminated contestant, warning that it could lead into a trap 207.
• Coordinates with Group D teammates Feng Liran and Zhan Youlin to attack An Xinian and Qin Fang after Xie Zhuzhou leaves 216.

Equipment / Items

• Single-shot sniper rifle — His principal documented weapon in the Sunset Island shooting game 206 221.
• Game grenade — Used against opponents; Xie Zhuzhou evades one during their final confrontation 207 221.
• Flashlight — Gives it to Qin Fang during their nighttime search, although its battery is nearly depleted 208.
• Camera drone — Flies it into the Sheng Family estate after being unable to enter himself. Xie Zhuzhou destroys it with a thrown object 115.

Relationships

• Xie Zhuzhou — The original owner formerly pursued him. Ling Zhenyang becomes increasingly attached after the transmigrated Xie stops seeking his attention, but his attempts to regain that closeness fail. By Xie’s wedding, he has been blocked and deleted 37 85 312.
• Chu Yanzhang — His principal romantic rival. Ling regards Chu’s obedient manner as an act, calls him “green tea,” and repeatedly tries to separate him from Xie Zhuzhou. Chu counters by highlighting Ling’s previous mistreatment of Xie 87 160 182 257 258.
• Ling Zhenhe — Older brother. Their relationship combines family hostility, insults, and mutual resentment. Ling warns him not to harm Xie Zhuzhou, then shows little sympathy when Zhenhe’s scheme leaves him hospitalized 58 59 62.
• An Xinian — Romantic rival and unreliable temporary ally. Their island cooperation ends in accusations, gunfire, and retaliation after An abandons Ling and Qin Fang during a nighttime search 37 207 208 209.
• Qin Fang — Romantic rival and occasional ally. Their disputes produce false rumors about hygiene, hair loss, and age, followed by a televised chase that exposes Qin’s Ultraman boxers 206 216 219.
• Feng Liran and Zhan Youlin — Group D teammates in the Sunset Island competition 216.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Return at the Sheng Family Banquet

Ling Zhenyang encounters Xie Zhuzhou and An Xinian on a terrace at the Sheng Family patriarch’s birthday banquet. Xie leaves rather than engage with either man. Ling nevertheless claims that he and Xie are “closer than friends” and warns An to stay away 37.

Polo Match and Family Fallout

During a polo match, Ling becomes absorbed in watching Xie Zhuzhou’s confident play, a sharp contrast to the timid attention he remembers receiving. When Ling Zhenhe orders someone to injure Xie, Ling Zhenyang warns his brother not to touch him 59.

Zhenhe ignores the warning and sabotages Xie’s horse. Xie escapes, while Zhenhe is thrown from his own mount. The resulting dispute costs Zhenhe his assets and his position as Ling Group vice president 60 61 62.

When Ling Zhenyang visits the hospital with supplements, Zhenhe accuses him of conspiring with Xie. Ling answers by saying that a psychiatric hospital will be his brother’s final home, then reminds him that he had been warned 62.

Jealousy over Chu Yanzhang

At Xie Zhuzhou’s birthday banquet, Ling realizes how deeply he resents the concern Xie now shows Chu Yanzhang. He regrets his earlier indifference, but his attempt to speak privately with Xie is interrupted when Xie rushes to defend Chu from harassment 85 86.

His later efforts include flying a drone into the Sheng estate and trying to investigate the buyer of the Yu Family estate. After losing the opportunity to buy that property, he signs up for Sunset Island, expecting Chu’s apparent frailty to prevent him from participating. He hopes the trip will give him two days and one night to finish his interrupted conversation with Xie 115 160.

Sunset Island Competition

Chu Yanzhang’s arrival ruins Ling’s expectation of private time with Xie. When Ling accuses Chu of clinging to him, Xie defends Chu; later, Xie describes Ling as “someone unimportant.” Ling angrily invokes the original owner’s nighttime snack delivery as evidence of their former closeness 182 183 184.

During the shooting game, Ling joins An Xinian and Qin Fang in searching for Xie. Their alliance breaks down after An leaves them behind and Qin’s poor navigation gets them lost. A confrontation at Xie’s campsite collapses his tent, prompting Xie and Chu to tie the troublemakers to a tree until morning 207 208 209.

Ling subsequently turns on his romantic rivals with his Group D teammates. His pursuit of An and Qin devolves into slipping on moss, pulling down Qin’s trousers, and fleeing geese 216 219. He survives to face Xie as the last remaining opponent, but is disarmed and eliminated in their final exchange 221.

Engagement and Wedding

Ling attends Xie Zhuzhou and Chu Yanzhang’s engagement banquet with An Xinian and Qin Fang. Resentful of the match, he warns Chu that an engagement does not guarantee future happiness. Chu’s reply leaves him unable to defend his own past conduct toward Xie 257 258.

After the wedding, Ling drinks with the other rejected suitors at a quiet bar. By then, Xie has blocked and deleted all three. Ling is also told that his earlier prediction has come true: his brother has been sent to a psychiatric hospital 312.

Notable Quotes

“A word of advice: stay away from him.” 37

“I told you not to touch him. Why wouldn’t you listen?” 62

“I hope you can still smile so happily in the future.” 257

Trivia

• He fears geese. Being chased by them while staying at his maternal grandmother’s home left him with a lasting childhood fear 219.
• His assistant anticipates his temper. The assistant has his window replaced with extra-strength tempered glass, which withstands an ashtray Ling throws at it 160.
• The hygiene accusation is fabricated. Qin Fang invents the claim that Ling does not wash his hands, falsely attributing it to Zhan Tongfei. Ling later retaliates with similarly false claims about Qin’s baldness and age 206 216.