He Cheng

Biodata

Background / History

Trainee Years and Rise to Fame

He Cheng met Yang Manhui while shooting a commercial, when she was a film academy student and he was a trainee practicing dance. They began dating before either became famous. Early in their relationship, he once traveled across more than half of Hua Country to see her after she complained about exhausting filming work 19.

After Yang Manhui gained recognition through a famous director’s film, He Cheng became increasingly insecure and critical. To help his career, she secured him a place on Fruit Video’s talent competition by conceding an additional ten percent in her management contract. He gained popularity through a heavily marketed pairing with the leading contestant, who shared his dormitory, and debuted in a temporary idol group 19.

After the group disbanded, He Cheng transitioned into acting. Yang Manhui repeatedly introduced him to film and television opportunities, sometimes sacrificing her own prospects. A successful costume romance helped establish him, but he gradually stopped thanking her and complained that his projects lacked the prestige of hers 16 17 20.

Yan Haoqian, president of Star Universe Film and Television, was another important supporter. He canvassed votes during He Cheng’s survival-show days, helped him obtain opportunities afterward, and backed his dramas and concerts through the company 28.

Secret Relationship and Affair

He Cheng persuaded Yang Manhui to keep their relationship private, arguing that remaining publicly single would protect his popularity and career opportunities. When she joined Kunlun Duel for a cameo to support him, he worried about exposure rather than welcoming her 17.

Meanwhile, he grew close to his assistant, Meng Xiaoya, who was disguising herself as a man while substituting for her injured brother. She knew his phone password and had moved into his private living space, despite his usual refusal to let unfamiliar people intrude there. When Yang Manhui questioned their intimacy, He Cheng accused her of interfering with his work and being unreasonably jealous of a man 16 17 22.

Livestream Exposure

After hearing Ye Jin’s inner voice describe the affair, Yang Manhui hired a private detective. The investigation confirmed Meng Xiaoya’s identity and supplied intimate photographs and videos of the pair 23.

During her wrap celebration, Yang Manhui livestreamed a visit to He Cheng’s RV, arranging for his driver to open the door. Viewers saw He Cheng kissing Meng Xiaoya. Unaware that their conversation was still being broadcast, he admitted that he had fallen in love with someone else and had wronged Yang Manhui 23 24 25.

Once he understood the consequences, He Cheng shifted from shouting at Yang Manhui to begging her to spare his career. She refused. Advertisers terminated contracts, some companies sued him, fans abandoned him, and most of his team resigned. His agency prepared to shelve him 25 26.

Failed Comeback and Arrest

He Cheng blamed Meng Xiaoya for his downfall and sought powerful backing rather than withdrawing from entertainment. Star Universe Film and Television pushed to retain him as Kunlun Duel’s lead, while Ye Jin and Huo Yun made his replacement a condition of Cloud Brocade Entertainment’s investment. Fruit Video’s Xu Yan also favored avoiding him 27 28 29 32.

An explicit video subsequently surfaced showing He Cheng with two older men, one resembling Yan Haoqian. Meng Xiaoya had copied the footage while He Cheng was off guard and supplied it to a gossip account. Authorities arrested He Cheng and the other two participants on charges including drug use; his accounts, fan spaces, and works were removed, and his name became a banned search term 33 34.

Appearance

• Good-looking: His appearance was a significant part of his appeal to fans and contributed to Meng Xiaoya’s initial attraction to him 23 27.
• Idealized public image: Fans praised his refined, gentlemanly bearing, an image sharply contradicted by his furious expression during the livestream scandal 25.

Personality

He Cheng is quick-tempered, proud, and highly sensitive to perceived humiliation. He resents being reminded of Yang Manhui’s contributions, insisting that he obtained opportunities through his own ability. His jealousy of her more prestigious career turns her continued assistance into another source of dissatisfaction 18 19 20.

He can restrain himself when the consequences are clear. Meng Xiaoya persuades him not to antagonize Ye Jin by reminding him of her powerful backing, and he suppresses his anger to keep filming. After the livestream exposure, he abruptly abandons his protective stance toward Meng Xiaoya and appeals to Yang Manhui’s lingering affection 18 20 26.

When his career collapses, he refuses to accept responsibility. He accuses Meng Xiaoya of seducing him and even imagines that someone sent her to destroy him. His overriding concern is preserving his status rather than repairing the harm he caused 27.

Abilities & Skills

Idol Training and Publicity

• Trained in dance before entering a survival competition 19.
• Built a substantial fandom through the competition and a marketed pairing with another contestant 19.
• Cultivated a career-focused public persona that concealed his romantic relationships 24.

Acting

• Successfully transitioned from idol work into leading roles, including a hit costume romance 16 20.
• Had a poor critical record: none of his productions scored above seven, and only his first drama reached a passing score 18.
• Struggled to separate personal resentment from performance. During scenes opposite Ye Jin and Yang Manhui, his hostile expressions prompted repeated corrections from the director 20.

Relationships

• Yang Manhui — Former girlfriend and a major supporter of his career. She helped him enter a talent competition and obtain acting work, then exposed his affair after investigating Ye Jin’s warnings 19 23 25.
• Meng Xiaoya / Xiao Meng — Assistant and affair partner. He initially valued her companionship, but blamed her when his career collapsed. She later leaked the video that preceded his arrest 18 27 34.
• Ye Jin — Kunlun Duel co-star and outspoken critic. Her inner voice alerted Yang Manhui to his betrayal; as an investor, she later insisted that he be replaced 17 18 29.
• Yan Haoqian — Influential fan and longtime industry backer whose company attempted to preserve He Cheng’s leading role after the cheating scandal 28.
• Zhou Yue — Actor chosen to replace him in Kunlun Duel. Star Universe retaliated by commissioning online attacks against Zhou Yue 33.

Story Role

Original Novel: *The Film Emperor’s Little Sweet Wife*

He Cheng is the male lead of the embedded novel The Film Emperor’s Little Sweet Wife, whose plot Ye Jin accesses through the system’s library 17.

• He and Meng Xiaoya fall in love while she works as his assistant in male disguise 17.
• He treats emotional withdrawal from Yang Manhui as a breakup, then uses public-opinion manipulation to portray her as a rejected pursuer when she retaliates 17 18.
• Yang Manhui loses work and endorsements, develops depression, and dies by suicide 17.
• He Cheng and Meng Xiaoya receive a happy ending and announce their marriage at an awards ceremony 17.

Changed Storyline and Aftermath

• Yang Manhui’s ability to hear Ye Jin’s thoughts allows her to investigate before He Cheng can carry out the original plot against her 17 18 23.
• His downfall halts Kunlun Duel and creates the investment opportunity pursued by Ye Jin and Huo Yun’s newly established company 27 28.
• His arrest ends the dispute over retaining him, allowing filming to resume without him 34.
• Some remaining fans attack Kunlun Duel when it premieres, contributing to the hostile reception surrounding its launch 58.