Shen Yuzhou

Biodata

Background / History

Shen Yuzhou entered the entertainment industry as a boy-band member. His group disbanded the year before the story began, after which he launched a solo career and released a well-performing single. At twenty-two, he was already a popular idol, known for his good looks, clean-cut smile, and striking stage presence 1.

He grew up close to Pei Yubai and spent considerable time at the Pei family estate. Pei Yubai remembers his childhood pretend-play performances, while Shen Yuzhou knows the estate’s grounds well enough to guide the other guests around them 98 172.

Appearance

• Build: Small-framed and slim, with a narrow waist and little extra flesh on his cheeks 138.
• Expression: Known for a fresh, clean smile that contrasts with his more alluring stage image 1.
• Hair: Initially sports newly dyed light-brown hair; by the fourth installment, he has dyed it back to black 3 129.
• Weight management: Appears thinner when returning for the fourth installment, with the narration suggesting preparations for a recently completed performance as the reason 129.

Notable Outfits

Personality

Shen Yuzhou is loud, sociable, and persistently talkative. His private chatterbox personality contrasts with his polished idol image; livestream viewers call him a “human megaphone.” Even after trying to remain quiet on the bus, he lasts only ten minutes before starting another conversation 1 3 4.

He is playful and resilient, readily joining activities even when he lacks the necessary skill. After losing two hundred yuan to a fraudulent fortune-teller, he mourns the money for roughly a second before enthusiastically resuming his temple tour. Cheng Yanqiu openly envies how quickly he recovers from disappointment 154.

Although usually outgoing, he initially finds Qiguan Yuan difficult to approach. He blushes and becomes speechless at their first meeting, worries that asking about his silver hair would be rude, and later describes the encounter as feeling as though they occupied different worlds 8 12 135.

His enthusiasm for snacks frequently conflicts with his idol’s diet. His assistant struggles to restrain him, while Pei Yubai and his manager are among the few people who can keep him in check. He also takes his appearance seriously: Shen Lingyi’s observation that he has become tanned leaves him distraught 138 170.

Abilities & Skills

Stage Performance and Acting

• Established a successful solo career after his group disbanded; his debut description emphasizes his natural suitability for entertainment work and strong stage appeal 1.
• Acts out prompts for Cheng Yanqiu and Lin Yanru during the Miao-language guessing game. Their team answers six of ten questions correctly within three minutes 42.
• Struggles with scripted acting during the web-drama shoot, repeatedly forgetting even a short passage of dialogue 98.
• Receives practical acting advice from Pei Yubai, who criticizes his failure to convey the danger of entering a forbidden secret realm 98.

Board and Card Games

• Five-in-a-row: Knows the rules and teaches them to Qiguan Yuan, but loses their match in under two minutes despite relying on a supposedly unbeatable online formation 13.
• Go: Initially cannot play. Later takes lessons from Song Zhuangyi and receives help from Qiguan Yuan when his stones are nearly surrounded 13 114 116.
• Fight the Landlord: Frequently organizes games, though his shuffling and dealing are clumsy. He calls himself an amateur 47 60.

Practical Tasks and Crafts

• Mushroom gathering: Claims to have learned identification from books, but seeks confirmation before collecting mushrooms that Ji Shiyu identifies as edible saffron milk caps 6.
• Cooking: Repeatedly struggles with basic preparation. Ji Shiyu removes him from the kitchen after watching him cut potatoes into uneven pieces 32 47 68.
• Batik: Has difficulty controlling the wax knife and eventually settles for writing a crooked “Shen” on his cloth 66.
• Wine and festival food: Learns to prepare wine-herb rice for fermentation under Qiguan Yuan’s guidance and makes zongzi for the first time 132 134.

Familiarity with Horses

• Knows the Pei estate’s riding grounds from childhood visits 172.
• Claims that no one except him dares ride a particular bad-tempered chestnut thoroughbred 172.

Relationships

• Pei Yubai — Cousin and longtime companion, addressed as “Brother Pei.” Their closeness is apparent from their teasing at the first gathering. Shen Yuzhou tolerates his sharp tongue and later seeks his acting advice 3 80 87 98.
• Shen Lingyi — Aunt. He becomes noticeably more formal in her presence, and she checks whether he has troubled the crew while arranging his favorite dishes at the estate 87 170.
• Cheng Yanqiu — Close friend and frequent activity partner. They exchange teasing remarks, share a boat, and discuss whether he genuinely wants a relationship. She also warns him about Huiyuan’s fraudulent divination 66 81 130 138 153.
• Qiguan Yuan — Initially an intimidating stranger, later affectionately addressed as “Brother Yuan.” Qiguan Yuan guides him out of the forest, helps him with Go, and teaches practical tasks. Shen Yuzhou becomes fascinated by his swordsmanship and supernatural red cord 8 116 120 132 167.
• Ji Shiyu — Fellow guest whom he calls “Brother Ji.” Ji Shiyu confirms his mushroom finds and cooks for the group, but repeatedly ejects him from the kitchen when his attempts to help become disruptive 6 35 47 68.
• Lu Zhao — Mistaken for an inexperienced fellow single. Shen Yuzhou rejects his matchmaking offer and confidently concludes that Lu Zhao is too overworked and romantically inexperienced to advise others 158.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Notable Quotes

“Stop laughing, Sister Cheng. I didn't even last two minutes.” 13

“I can't even film a travel show without getting stuffed full of dog food. My life is so hard. Everywhere I go, everyone's paired up. I can't even find an ally.” 158

“Brother Yuan, does your red cord usually glow like that? Doesn't it burn your wrist when you keep it in your sleeve? Do you have any other magical treasures?” 167