Chu Chen

Biodata

Background

Chu Chen grew up as a wealthy young master, protected by his parents and older sister, Chu Yu. Both siblings received a strict elite education covering academic subjects and practical life skills, including cooking. Despite frequently complaining that his parents favor his sister, he recognizes that they love him and treat the siblings equally on major matters 18 125.

His monthly allowance is 100,000 yuan. He obtains additional money from his parents to purchase Chu Yu’s handbag gifts, but resents the contrast between his allowance and her unrestricted spending. At this point, he is still attending school rather than preparing to take immediate control of the family business 66 69 83.

Appearance

• Build: Tall and straight-backed, with sturdy arms 5 20.
• Face and hair: Handsome, with wispy bangs and a cool, stern expression in amusement-park photographs 31.
• Casual style: Wears short-sleeved jackets, T-shirts, shorts, and simple shirts; his relaxed appearance attracts livestream viewers 9 20 31.
• Formal wardrobe: Carefully selects haute couture suits before filming, despite denying that he is excited about the show 5.
• Photographic presence: His irritated, cold expression during the GI Magazine shoot earns enthusiastic praise from the photographer 56.

Personality

Chu Chen is proud, hotheaded, and quick to retaliate when teased. He initially refuses to join Chu Yu’s reality show, then secretly spends an afternoon selecting outfits after signing the contract. His competitiveness also appears in smaller disputes: during a card game, he deliberately uses a joker bomb against his own teammate—Chu Yu—to avenge her usual treatment of him 3 5 16.

His defiant manner conceals considerable affection for his sister. Although ordinarily reluctant to ask others for favors, he recruits friends to support her magazine sales. As he learns how much responsibility she has shouldered for him, he begins studying seriously and volunteering to help with company problems 58 144 186 187.

His bravado does not extend to frightening attractions. He screams on the drop tower, refuses to enter a haunted-house tunnel first, and hides behind Chu Yu when confronted by a female ghost. Since childhood, he has particularly feared spiders, cockroaches, and centipedes 25 28 33 36.

Abilities & Skills

Gaming

• Wins a computer match before asking a friend to support the magazine release; that friend remarks that his skills have improved dramatically 58.
• Regularly carries Lu Haoming and other friends through late-night gaming sessions 85.
• Has concealed his late-night play from Chu Yu, only for Lu Haoming to reveal it while trying to praise him 85.

Social Connections and Resourcefulness

• Mobilizes a group of wealthy young acquaintances when he cannot pitch his camping tent 79 81 83.
• Uses his friendships to promote the GI Magazine issue because its sales matter to Chu Yu, even though he has no entertainment-industry career of his own 58.
• His island request attracts more help than intended: several visitors are interested in courting his sister, creating a commotion rather than simply assisting the campsite 81 83.

Observation and Improvisation

• Deduces that Chu Yu and Gu Jinhuai have an undisclosed relationship by connecting Gu’s confession, his assistance at the shareholders’ meeting, and their private conversation 156.
• Recognizes that Chu Yu’s habit of carrying motion-sickness medicine indicates she still cares about Gu Jinhuai 159.
• Uses an apparent request for chess instruction to occupy Huang Yinian, then switches to direct questioning when Huang tries to make a phone call 189.

Cooking and Practical Training

• Receives childhood instruction sufficient for preparing several Western, Italian, and Chinese dishes 18.
• Helps Chu Yu prepare breakfast, though his assigned task is scrubbing cookware 20.
• Nevertheless makes a serious mistake when preparing pumpkin porridge for her, confusing salt with sugar 132.
• Struggles with tent assembly during the wilderness episode and ultimately seeks outside assistance 79 81.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Joining *Sisters and Brothers Charge Ahead*

• Chu Yu and Zhang Yue coax him into signing the show’s contract. He leaves angrily after realizing he has been maneuvered into agreeing, but subsequently prepares his wardrobe in private 5.
• During the initial interview, he responds coldly to the crew. Chu Yu blocks the camera and takes over the questions to protect him 6.
• Her intervention is informed by her dream of a disastrous outcome: in that version of events, his angry defense of her is maliciously edited into footage portraying him as abusive toward staff 7.

Gift Exchange and Amusement-Park Episodes

• Purchases a collection of Hermès handbags for Chu Yu rather than a single bag, anticipating her exacting tastes 10 13 14.
• Also gives An Yu a schoolbag, An Ya and Wen Zhixin matching bracelets, and Wen Tianqi a watch. His generosity becomes a trending topic and sharply boosts the show’s popularity 14.
• His terror on the drop tower contrasts with Chu Yu’s enthusiasm. The resulting #Chu Yu and Her Hapless Little Brother# topic exceeds one hundred million views 25.
• Becomes suspicious of Gu Jinhuai’s attention toward his sister and physically positions himself between them. Nevertheless, concern about leaving them together helps persuade him to follow them through the haunted-house tunnel 31 34.

Magazine Work and Wilderness Camping

• Agrees to the GI Magazine shoot after negotiating a split of its 1.5-million-yuan fee. During filming, the siblings compete for the camera’s attention, and their argument produces photographs the photographer particularly likes 52 56.
• Draws a green label for the island episode and is paired with Gu Jinhuai rather than Chu Yu 73.
• Calls for help after repeated tent-building failures. Lu Haoming and other wealthy young men arrive, pitch tents, and then overwhelm Chu Yu with attention; Chu Chen apologizes to the director for the disruption 79 81 83.
• Takes Lu Haoming wakesurfing with him, only for Lu to lose his footing and pull them both into the sea 93.
• Entrusts his Wish Coins to Gu Jinhuai during the stock-market version of Monopoly and asks him not to take first place 100.

Family Crisis and Growing Responsibility

• Learns that his father is seriously ill and his parents have gone abroad for treatment. Stunned by the disclosure, he accompanies Chu Yu to an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, where she asks him simply to support her 125.
• Co-hosts a sales livestream with Chu Yu and later participates in the show’s final business-opening theme 135 138 175.
• Asks whether he should choose humanities or science for his second year of high school, worrying about the family company. Chu Yu tells him to follow his interests; he responds by beginning an intensive review of his schoolwork 144.
• Volunteers to watch over company affairs and stall Huang Yinian during the processing-plant crisis. Despite being intimidated, he prevents Huang from making a call until Chu Yu tells him she is nearly back at the offices 186 187 189.

Chu Yu and Gu Jinhuai’s Relationship

• Learns that the two previously dated after interrupting their private conversation and pressing Chu Yu for an explanation 156 157.
• Questions Gu Jinhuai about their breakup and helps expose a contradiction: each former partner believes the other initiated it 159 171.
• Tries to bring them together for Chu Yu’s happiness, but remains fiercely protective and confronts Gu about a subsequent late-night visit. Chu Yu eventually tells him to stay out of their relationship 173 174 175.
• Following news of the marriage alliance, joins Lu Haoming in blocking Gu Jinhuai’s entrance to the Chu villa and testing his knowledge of Chu Yu’s interests 200 201.
• At the family lunch, responds to Gu serving Chu Yu boneless fish by joining Lu Haoming in piling more food into her bowl 203.

Relationships

• Chu Yu — Older sister and variety-show partner. Their constant insults and competitive antics coexist with mutual protection; his growing awareness of her burdens motivates him to study and contribute to the family’s affairs 6 58 125 144.
• Chu Tingnian and Fang Lanzhi — Parents. He complains about their apparent preference for Chu Yu but knows they love him; discovering his father’s illness disrupts his previously sheltered life 66 125 203.
• Gu Jinhuai — His sister’s former boyfriend and later marriage-alliance partner. Chu Chen alternates between suspicion, confrontation, teasing, and attempts to help reconcile the couple 49 156 162 171 174 201.
• Lu Haoming — Gaming friend and island helper. Lu accidentally exposes his late-night gaming, supports his decision to study, and later joins him in testing Gu Jinhuai 85 144 201.
• Wen Zhixin — Fellow guest whom he openly dislikes. He refuses the Wen siblings’ dinner after becoming impatient with her behavior toward Chu Yu 18.
• Huang Yinian — Chu Group shareholder whom he confronts during the processing-plant investigation, refusing to be dismissed merely because he is underage 189.

Notable Quotes

“Are these bags enough? If not, I’ll take you shopping for more.” 14

“Tell me. My sister’s such a great person. Why did you break up with her?” 159

“This matter has a major impact on the Chu Group. Reasonable suspicion is necessary.” 189