Luo Lianqing

Biodata

Background / History

After her parents divorced, Luo Lianqing went abroad with her mother, who had custody of her. She attended high school and university overseas, studying at girls’ schools because her mother opposed her interacting with men. She later described herself as unhappy abroad and said she did not have a good relationship with either parent 25 29 43.

Her mother taught her that men approached her because of her appearance and invariably had ulterior motives. An unspecified lesson imposed by her mother left her unable to become close to men for a long time. Although she eventually rejected that belief, the reaction had become habitual; she underwent lengthy treatment and improved, but still had very few friends of the opposite sex 20.

Her father built a substantial business importing and exporting adult products. At her mother’s urging, Luo Lianqing switched from art and design to business administration for graduate school, with the possibility of inheriting the business. She also undertook product-design work for her father, but had not produced anything that satisfied him. Her purchases of adult products were intended to help her understand the merchandise rather than for personal use 17 48.

By the events surrounding her reunion with Wen Ce after his absence, she had been back in China for over a year. She lived across the hall from him and worked as his class’s temporary counselor while attending graduate school 4 5 36.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, with a slender waist, a curvy figure, and notably long, fair legs 2 6 10 27.
• Facial features: Almond-shaped eyes, long eyelashes, and soft pink lips 10 18 26.
• Professional clothing: Wears fitted dress pants or skirts with heels. Other teachers encouraged her to wear heels to appear more authoritative 5 40.
• Casual clothing: Favors loungewear and white sneakers at home or while shopping nearby; she also wears short skirts and sometimes ties her hair in a high ponytail 8 10 16.
• Styling: Her loose hair and makeup-free appearance make her look fresher and more innocent than her polished campus presentation 8.

Personality

Luo Lianqing presents herself as friendly, composed, and approachable. As a counselor, she tolerates light teasing but asks students not to take jokes too far. Her outward calm can conceal intense embarrassment: when she discovers that Wen Ce is her student, only her trembling hand betrays her internal panic 5 6.

Despite having many admirers, she maintains clear boundaries and rejects unwanted advances without encouraging false hope. Wen Ce particularly values her sincerity: after realizing she had given him cookies intended for Egg Yolk, she bakes a replacement batch and apologizes even though he has not demanded one 16 22.

Her sociable manner masks a much smaller circle of genuine friends. Miaomiao compares her to a snail carrying its shell, and Luo Lianqing herself regards friendship as precious. She can be playful and deliberately teasing with someone she trusts, but her developing feelings for Wen Ce make her unusually sensitive to his opinion, uncertain about her attractiveness, and easily flustered by affectionate gestures 13 25 27 28 50.

She also asserts her independence from her upbringing. When Wen Ce asks about her mother’s restrictions on dating, she answers that she is now an adult with the right to make her own decisions 29.

Abilities & Skills

Art and Design

Her undergraduate training is in art and design, and she continues to accept freelance graphics work 11 46.

• Revises and delivers graphics files for clients from her home studio 46 47.
• Has attempted adult-product designs for her father’s business, though none have met his expectations 48.

Baking

Luo Lianqing bakes cookies, including treats intended for Egg Yolk 11 14.

• Initially gives Wen Ce cookies made for the cat while trying to cover an awkward WeChat interaction 11 14.
• Later prepares a fresh batch specifically to accompany her apology 16.

Sanda

She states that she has trained in sanda when Wen Ce questions the safety of inviting someone into her apartment 12.

• No fight or practical demonstration of her training appears in the supplied passages.
• Wen Ce cautions that this training would not necessarily protect her from someone intent on harming her 12.

Domestic Limitations

• Cannot cook and struggles to identify many vegetables at the supermarket 29.
• While studying abroad, contributed extra money toward food so that a Chinese roommate could cook 29.
• Nevertheless offers to wash dishes and help prepare meals rather than simply wait to be served 29 45 46.

Relationships

• Wen Ce — Her neighbor across the hall, university junior, student, and romantic interest. His discretion and resemblance to a childhood friend help her trust him; she says she lowers her guard especially around him. Their attraction is mutual, but the supplied passages do not establish an official relationship 20 43 46 50.
• Miaomiao — Her best friend and principal confidante. Luo Lianqing turns to her after embarrassing encounters and for advice about pursuing Wen Ce; Miaomiao encourages greater physical closeness and recognizes his interest in her 2 28 32.
• Egg Yolk — Her Ragdoll cat and daily companion. She treats the cat like a person, including arguing and sulking with it, and becomes jealous of the attention it receives from Wen Ce 12 31 49 50.
• Alice — A friend living abroad, named alongside Miaomiao and Wen Ce as part of her small circle of friends 50.
• Zhou Chi — A persistent, unwanted suitor. She repeatedly rejects him, explicitly says he is not her type, and considers his suggestive behavior at the basketball court sexual harassment 22 34.
• Unnamed childhood playmate — A girl whom she remembers as resembling Wen Ce. She wonders whether the girl could be his sister, but he says he is an only child; the connection remains unresolved in the supplied passages 14 20 25.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Embarrassing Encounters and the Counselor Reveal

• First encounter: Wen Ce startles her at a twenty-four-hour shop, causing her to flee without her purchase. She later calls Miaomiao at two in the morning, convinced that he thinks she is a pervert 2.
• Neighbor discovery: Wen Ce returns a package he collected and opened by mistake. Learning that the same man lives across the hall compounds her embarrassment 4.
• Counselor reveal: She introduces herself as both the class’s senior and its temporary counselor, then recognizes Wen Ce among the students. Her attempt to explain their earlier encounters leaves them talking past each other 5 6.
• A more playful footing: After overhearing Wen Ce claim that he likes her, she teases him about her legs and proposes that neither bring up the other’s embarrassing incidents again 9 10.

Cookies, Misunderstandings, and Friendship

• An accidental WeChat nudge leads her to offer Wen Ce cookies. Egg Yolk’s unusual friendliness persuades him to enter her apartment, making him its first male visitor 11 12.
• After seeing Zhao Li lean against Wen Ce, she mistakenly concludes that the two men are a couple. Wen Ce later clarifies that he likes women 13 18.
• Over dinner, she explains her family business and the reason for her purchases. They agree to become friends after clarifying that his earlier comments did not amount to a confession 17 18.
• She asks him to complete an intimate questionnaire, then explains her difficulty trusting men and why he feels different to her 19 20.

Recognizing Her Feelings

• During an outing, she becomes distressed at the possibility that Wen Ce might return to Yue City. His promise to stay because she wants him to makes her question whether her feelings exceed friendship 25.
• A cinema visit, repeated hand contact, and his gentle touch on her face and hair help her recognize her attraction 26.
• His firm denial that they are dating hurts her. She confides in Miaomiao that she has fallen for someone who does not like her, mistakenly believing he prefers another physical type 27 28.
• Following Miaomiao’s advice, she initiates more contact. She also tells Wen Ce that her distress outside the cinema concerned his denial, not jealousy over Zhou Chi 30 31 32.

Separation and Reunion

• Wen Ce requests a week’s leave for an out-of-province trip. His formal address of “teacher” makes her feel distant from him, and his unanswered messages leave her increasingly worried 33.
• While he is away, she again rejects Zhou Chi and defends Wen Ce when Zhou Chi calls him quiet and uncommunicative 34.
• After nine days apart, she and Wen Ce exchange delighted looks at a class meeting. Their renewed closeness continues as he reassures her that he has no interest in pursuing Qin Yanran 36 40.

Tentative Courtship

• At the wet market, Luo Lianqing turns Wen Ce’s hold on her wrist into hand-holding. When he shields her from a passing tricycle, his lips accidentally brush her forehead, and she briefly embraces him 42.
• She tells him that only someone very important may know her past, then asks whether he wants to know—an indirect invitation that prompts him to plan a confession 43.
• Purple lilacs become her favorite flowers after she associates them with their shared feelings. She also allows him to call her “Luoluo,” finding unexpected tenderness in the familiar nickname 44 45.
• A computer virus interrupts their movie plans. She asks Wen Ce for help despite the explicit images on-screen, and his repair work impresses her 46 47 48.
• They return to his apartment to watch a film. When she competes with Egg Yolk for his attention, Wen Ce reassures her that he favors her; she privately worries that her habit of arguing with the cat might seem childish to him 49 50.

Notable Quotes

“That's my business. I'm grown up now, after all. I have the right to make my own decisions. … I'm free.” 29

“For some reason, I just have my guard down more around you. Only you.” 20

“Someone would have to be very, very important to know about my past.” 43