Jiang Zao

Biodata

Background / History

Jiang Zao is her parents’ only daughter. Her parents previously operated shops and stalls in Li City, but increasing competition and their advancing age led them to sell their businesses and retire to their hometown, Xin City. Jiang Zao remained in Li City to pursue her career 32.

In high school, Jiang Zao shared a desk with Ming Yu and sat near Chen Lüli. Her friendship with Ming Yu allowed her to introduce Lin Yu into their circle. Jiang Zao and Lin Yu later entered Huaqing, where gatherings with their former schoolmates helped maintain the group’s friendships 1.

As a livestreamer, Jiang Zao works at least ten hours a day, either continuously or across several sessions. When her career begins gaining traction, she feels unable to take leave during high-traffic periods because of competition and pressure from her company. She rents near the office rather than in Lin Yu’s residential complex to shorten her commute 6 9.

Her limited holiday leave usually means bringing her parents to Li City for the New Year. When the friends’ annual gathering is canceled, she instead plans to visit them in Xin City. During that visit, relatives’ questions about marriage prompt her parents to begin arranging blind dates, encouraging her to return to Li City 32 38.

Appearance

• Long legs: Noted while she relaxes at Lin Yu’s café 6.
• Heavy makeup: Wears conspicuously heavy makeup after livestreaming; after one exhausting night, it appears pale and begins coming off 12 24.
• Visible fatigue: Develops severe dark circles during periods of extended streaming 6.
• Clothing: Wears a cropped leather jacket and jeans to a dinner with friends 26.

Personality

Jiang Zao is outspoken, affectionate, and playful. She hugs Lin Yu, links arms with her, and seeks her company when work leaves her exhausted. Rather than resting alone at home, she prefers visiting Lin Yu’s café, where conversation and the garden help her unwind. Her banter with Jiang Yan’an frequently turns into mock arguments 6 14 41.

She is fiercely protective of Lin Yu. After learning about Li Yin’s betrayal, she condemns him without hesitation and reassures Lin Yu that a better relationship awaits her. Although she initially assumes Chen Lüli and Ming Yu belong together, she reconsiders after noticing his tenderness toward Lin Yu and promises to support her friend 6 24 26 28.

Jiang Zao openly wants to earn enough money to spend freely on cars, bags, and a home. She believes in rewarding herself for her work, even taking out a loan for a long-desired Maserati. Her enthusiasm for luxury coexists with smaller acts of consideration: she quietly pays for bread and coffee at Lin Yu’s shop rather than simply accepting them 16 28 34.

Skills

Livestreaming

• Maintains a demanding streaming schedule, including late-night broadcasts and additional hours when necessary 6 12 28.
• Redecorates her apartment specifically to create a better livestreaming backdrop 43.
• Her schedule can interfere with sleep and personal commitments; an extended broadcast makes her two hours late to feed Xiao Diu 6 12.

Mahjong and Social Games

• Played mahjong with Lin Yu during university as a way to relax 15.
• Participates in the group’s paper-strip penalty games, though she cannot readily beat Chen Lüli 15.
• Joins the drinking-card game Coward at Nine Harmony Residence and shares a tied round with Lin Yu 38 39.

Possessions

• Diamond-studded Maserati — A newly purchased car financed with a loan; she had coveted it for a long time 16 23.
• Rented apartment — Located near her company for convenience, though its poor soundproofing allows her to hear her neighbor coughing and moving furniture 9.
• High-Hanging Moon plants — Temporarily kept by Lin Yu during Jiang Zao’s redecoration, then arranged on wooden shelves beside her apartment’s floor-to-ceiling windows 43 50.
• Handbag paid for by Chen Lüli — Purchased during a shopping trip with Lin Yu and charged to his account 50.

Relationships

• Lin Yu — Longtime school friend and closest companion. Jiang Zao brought her into Ming Yu and Chen Lüli’s circle, regularly stays overnight at her home, and keeps pajamas there 1 24.
• Chen Lüli — Former classmate and longtime friend. She admires his looks but finds him cold, distant, and occasionally cutting. Despite their years of acquaintance, their private messages are infrequent 1 12 24.
• Ming Yu — Former high-school deskmate and friend. Jiang Zao admires her beauty and picks her up when she returns from abroad 1 6 26.
• Jiang Yan’an — Longtime friend and frequent sparring partner in conversation. They tease each other over Lin Yu, work, games, and New Year red envelopes 14 15 35.
• Jiang Yingshan — An acquaintance she first hears about through the group’s conversations, then meets at dinner. Their exchanges quickly become teasing and informal 6 26 28.
• Xiao Diu — Chen Lüli’s cat, whom she occasionally helps care for. She wants a cat herself but cannot manage keeping one 12 45.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Lin Yu’s Relationship with Li Yin

• At the café, Jiang Zao tells Chen Lüli that Lin Yu is no longer single and shows him Li Yin’s photograph. She initially considers Li Yin handsome and well suited to Lin Yu 1.
• She enthusiastically announces Lin Yu’s first date in the friends’ group chat 5.
• After receiving photographs from a business banquet, she forwards them to Lin Yu and directly questions Li Yin’s relationship with his boss 20.
• Following the breakup, she comforts Lin Yu and angrily denounces Li Yin’s infidelity 24 26.

Noticing Chen Lüli’s Feelings

• Jiang Zao goes to Threshold to meet Lin Yu after her livestream, only to find her asleep in Chen Lüli’s arms. She drives them home in his car and notices that his care for Lin Yu is unusually intimate 22 23.
• She stays overnight to look after Lin Yu. Chen Lüli later questions why she is sharing Lin Yu’s bed and how often she sleeps over 24.
• Remembering his behavior, she stops herself from making her usual suggestion about Ming Yu and Chen Lüli becoming a couple. She later asks Lin Yu whether their conversations involved more than Li Yin and assures her of her support 26 28.
• She sends Lin Yu an old university photograph of Chen Lüli carrying her to the infirmary after an ankle injury 29.

New Year Gathering and Shopping Trip

• At Nine Harmony Residence, Jiang Zao informs Lin Yu’s mother that Lin Yu will stay overnight, as Chen Lüli requests 39.
• The next morning, she calls at Lin Yu’s bedroom door to check on her. Before leaving, she notices the marks on Lin Yu’s neck and covers them with concealer while Lin Yu claims they are mosquito bites 41 42.
• After completing her apartment redecoration, she goes shopping with Lin Yu. Chen Lüli pays for their bags and arranges dinner; Jiang Zao is surprised by the suggestion that he has invited both women to a movie 50.