Lin Jiandu
I'm an NPC at an Elite Academy
- Original Name:
- 林间渡 (lín jiān dù)
- Gender:
- Masculine
- Kind:
- Character
- Scope:
- Novel-specific
- Status:
- Active
- Source:
- AI
- Occurrences:
- 222
- Chapters:
- 23
- Context Up To:
- Ch. 50
- Wiki Model:
- GPT-6.1 Sol
- Updated:
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Lin Jiandu (林间渡) |
| Alias(es) | Xiao Jian — used by Huo Jinran and members of the Sheng family 21 37 |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | Sixteen or seventeen 20 |
| Affiliation | Kanlitel Academy; Sheng family 21 37 |
| Occupation/Role | Special-admission student; protagonist of Zifeiliyu’s Does a Heartthrob Have to Work Hard Too?, the third novel revealed to Cen Xia 10 21 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 2, “Heartthrob?” 2 |
Background / History
Lin Jiandu is an illegitimate son of the Sheng family and the younger half brother of Sheng Heyi. Despite his family connections, he entered Kanlitel through special admission on the strength of his excellent grades. He met Huo Jinran the year before the restaurant gathering with Cen Xia 21 22 37.
His position within the Sheng household is uncomfortable. At a family dinner, his biological father appears only briefly before leaving him with Sheng Heyi and Sheng Yi’an. Lin Jiandu regards himself as the unwelcome illegitimate son and recognizes that even the servants treat Sheng Heyi as the family’s future heir. He finds the household’s strict silence at meals oppressive and would rather eat cafeteria food with Cen Xia 37.
Appearance
- Build: Tall, long-legged, and slender; approximately Cen Xia’s height. Cen Xia considers him too thin and lacking muscle 19 20 21.
- Face and eyes: Fair skin, long eyelashes, and clear amber eyes frequently compared to a deer’s 2 5 10.
- Hair: Naturally curly strands around his forehead 5.
- Voice: Soft, gentle enunciation, with words flowing together in a way Cen Xia finds particularly captivating 6.
- Glasses: His appearance without glasses surprises classmates who had previously considered him dull-looking 2.
- School reputation: Ranked second in a school beauty contest, seventy-three votes behind Yan Wuping and more than two hundred ahead of third place 6.
Personality
Lin Jiandu presents himself as shy, fragile, and harmless, often using hesitant speech, lowered lashes, tears, and reassuring smiles. This manner conceals a colder, more calculating side. During Ling Xian’s harassment, his tearful expression abruptly becomes expressionless and chilly; Cen Xia later recognizes that his “pitiful yet strong” persona is partly an act 10 11.
He is capable of maintaining affectionate behavior while privately resenting someone. With Huo Jinran, he answers obediently and voices mild reproach even as he grows intensely irritated. He hesitates to reject Huo outright because Huo remains useful to him 21 22.
His attachment to Cen Xia is unusually enthusiastic and physically affectionate. He seeks hugs, holds Cen Xia around the waist, shares mundane details of his day, and becomes jealous after seeing him carry another friend. By the Sheng family dinner, even Cen Xia brushing him off seems endearing to him, and he privately wonders whether Cen Xia is a gift sent especially for him 19 20 37.
His consideration is not limited to winning affection. Early in their acquaintance, he tells Ling Xian not to bully other students, returns Cen Xia’s borrowed textbook, and apologizes. After Cen Xia collapses, he stays overnight and brings him a home-cooked meal 3 11.
Abilities & Skills
Academic Ability
- Earned special admission to Kanlitel through excellent grades 21.
Social Influence
- Attracts considerable attention from classmates, forum users, and influential admirers 2 22.
- Uses an innocent, vulnerable manner while concealing displeasure or assessing another person’s usefulness 21 22.
- Knows someone in the Disciplinary Group who enables him and Cen Xia to leave campus for dinner 20.
- His popularity does not prevent coercion: he repeatedly struggles to escape Ling Xian’s unwanted advances 9 10 19.
Cooking and Painting
- Cooks and reheats a meal for Cen Xia during his infirmary stay 11.
- Takes oil painting as his specialty class and sends Cen Xia a photograph of a sunset landscape painting 20.
Items
- Kitten plushie — A white kitten with a black patch on its head, given to him by Cen Xia. He becomes attached to it immediately and keeps it on the chair beside him during their meal 19 20.
Relationships
- Cen Xia — Friend and the focus of his growing affection. Lin Jiandu calls him his best friend at school, seeks his company, and increasingly values their ordinary time together over attention from his admirers 20 21 22 37.
- Ling Xian — An unwanted pursuer in the events Cen Xia witnesses. Lin Jiandu avoids him, rejects his teasing, and seeks Cen Xia’s help when Ling Xian restrains or harasses him. This differs from the receptive behavior depicted in the original embedded novel 3 5 10 11 19.
- Huo Jinran — An admirer who calls him Xiao Jian and displays intense attachment and jealousy. Lin Jiandu privately finds him irritating but considers him useful. In the original novel, Huo falls in love at first sight and asks Pei Huaiyi to look after him 15 21 22.
- Pei Huaiyi — Huo Jinran’s brother and one of Lin Jiandu’s original-novel love interests. A deleted forum post claims that Pei is pursuing him; Cen Xia’s recollection of the original novel describes Pei eventually becoming attracted to him 3 15.
- Chi Zhao — Disciplinary Group leader and another original-novel love interest. At their restaurant encounter, he openly scrutinizes Lin Jiandu and recognizes that his beauty rivals Yan Wuping’s 15 22.
- Sheng Heyi — Elder half brother and the family’s expected heir. Lin Jiandu resents his privileged upbringing, finds his composure pretentious, and takes private pleasure in seeing rain disturb his immaculate appearance 37.
- Sheng Yi’an — A member of the Sheng household who insists on sitting beside him at dinner. Lin Jiandu privately considers him foolish 37.
Story Role / Major Arcs
| Arc | Chapters | Role and developments |
|---|---|---|
| Campus attention | 2 3 6 | His glasses-free appearance attracts a crowd and a photo-filled personal forum thread. Gossip links him to Pei Huaiyi, while the school beauty poll places him second. |
| The third novel revealed | 9 10 11 | Cen Xia finds Ling Xian restraining an unwilling Lin Jiandu. Despite the World Will’s painful interference, Cen Xia returns to help and collapses. His subsequent dream reveals Lin Jiandu’s original novel; the real encounter has already diverged from its script. |
| Friendship after the infirmary | 11 13 | Lin Jiandu stays beside Cen Xia, cooks for him, handles a call from Ding Yiheng, and asks for leave on Cen Xia’s behalf. The two formally exchange names, and Lin Jiandu continues checking on his health afterward. |
| Classroom escape and shared nap | 19 20 | Cen Xia’s return for a forgotten book interrupts another encounter with Ling Xian. Lin Jiandu leaves with him, receives comfort and a plushie, then shares his bed for a lunchtime nap. Their messaging becomes more frequent afterward. |
| Dinner and “elopement” | 20 21 22 23 | Lin Jiandu takes Cen Xia to Private Banquet, where Huo Jinran, Chi Zhao, and Pei Huaiyi join them. Cen Xia helps him leave despite Huo’s requests to stay. Lin Jiandu likens their hand-in-hand departure to eloping. He also agrees to Cen Xia’s proposal to eat more and exercise. |
| The Sheng family dinner | 37 | After seeing forum photographs, he calls to check whether Cen Xia has been hurt and complains that Cen Xia has never carried him. Back at the family table, his concealed resentment contrasts with the happiness he associates with Cen Xia. |
Notable Quotes
“Lin as in woods, Jian as in the human world, and Du as in ferry crossing.” 11
“When you took my hand and walked ahead, didn’t it feel like you and I were eloping?” 22
“Or is he a gift sent especially for me?”
— Thinking about Cen Xia during the Sheng family dinner 37