Min Xinrou

Biodata

Background / History

Family and Education

Min Xinrou came from an ordinary Chaoshan family and traveled roughly a thousand miles from home to attend university. Her father's illness exhausted the family's finances, and his death left her and her mother with substantial debt. When she confides in Wu Chen, her father has been dead for a little over a month, and she frequently breaks into uncontrollable tears 23.

Her student number begins with 2005, unlike the 2006 numbers of her current classmates, because she repeated her second year. Wu Chen does not remember why she repeated it. She supports herself through cafeteria work-study employment and a weekend job 22 42.

Dormitory Bullying

During their second year, Yang Yuanjing falsely accused Min Xinrou of stealing and enlisted their other two roommates in ostracizing her. Although Min Xinrou was cleared, the hostility continued. Yang Yuanjing also deliberately poured traditional Chinese medicine over her laptop, disabling part of its keyboard 24 31 32.

Counselor Zhang Wei failed to address the damaged computer or the bullying. Wu Chen later confronts the counselor over this inaction and favoritism 37.

Seeking Her Father's Voice

In Wu Chen's artificial intelligence class, Min Xinrou listens closely and stays afterward to review her notes. When he invites her to ask a question, she asks whether AI could bring someone back to life inside a computer 22.

Wu Chen explains that even a perfect replica would not truly be the deceased person. Over dinner at QZ Cafeteria, she reveals that she hopes to recreate her father's voice and smiling face. After listening to a saved QQ voice message, Wu Chen offers to build software capable of reproducing her father's voice with adjustable tone and emotion. He makes the offer free on the condition that she eat properly every day 23.

Wu Chen begins researching a speech-emotion synthesis model for her, but temporarily sets it aside to resolve production-line problems. Min Xinrou independently reads about AI and looks up his university profile to understand his research areas. After receiving 400 yuan in work-study wages, she hopes to repay his kindness by buying him a cafeteria meal, but becomes too embarrassed to ask when Jiang Nan is present 29 31 32.

Cafeteria Attack and Disciplinary Hearing

Yang Yuanjing and the other roommates publicly spread rumors that Min Xinrou has an improper relationship with Wu Chen. Min Xinrou confronts them because she cannot tolerate his reputation being damaged for helping her. Under continued provocation, she shoves Yang Yuanjing, who falls and overturns a trash can onto herself 31 32.

Yang Yuanjing retaliates by lunging at Min Xinrou's neck with a steel chopstick. Min Xinrou freezes in fear, worrying that she might be expelled, but Wu Chen intercepts the attack. Jiang Nan comforts her while Wu Chen publicly denies the relationship allegations 32 33.

At the disciplinary meeting, Wang Hongfa interrupts Min Xinrou's testimony and attempts to minimize the attack. When Yang Yuanjing falsely accuses Wu Chen of sexual harassment, Min Xinrou rises to defend him out of trust, though he stops her from speaking 34 35.

After Yang Yuanjing's accusation is exposed, Wu Chen demands her expulsion, an apology, and compensation for Min Xinrou's computer. Encouraged by him, Min Xinrou accepts the apology but insists on repayment. Wang Hongfa promises compensation within three days; the expulsion request requires a university-level decision 37.

Moving into Her Own Room

Still frightened by Yang Yuanjing's threatening look after the meeting, Min Xinrou waits outside rather than returning to the dormitory. Jiang Nan and Wu Chen take her to a Chaoshan beef hot pot restaurant, where she gradually relaxes 41.

Jiang Nan proposes that she move out, and Wu Chen secures Wang Hongfa's agreement to process the withdrawal. Jiang Nan then finds a room through a landlord she knows 42.

Jiang Nan helps transport her belongings while Wu Chen cleans the room. Min Xinrou owns so little that everything fits into one car trip. Once settled, she regards the rented room as a world of her own, free from her roommates' insults and the fear that they will damage her possessions 42.

Appearance

• Face: Oval, with delicate brows, a high, finely shaped nose bridge, and clearly defined lips 22.
• Eyes: Peach-blossom eyes with slightly upturned outer corners; her gaze is described as shy and tender rather than flirtatious 22 41.
• Complexion: Naturally cool and pale 22.
• Build: Slender, with delicate fingers 23 41.
• Overall impression: Wu Chen compares her unadorned beauty to a pristine ink-wash painting. Her appearance remains memorable enough for him to recognize her from his previous life 22.

Personality

Min Xinrou is reserved, sensitive, and deeply self-conscious in conversation. She speaks slowly and softly with a Chaoshan accent, often stammers around teachers, and apologizes even when she has done nothing wrong. She envies the ease with which Wu Chen and Jiang Nan converse, but fears that her own words are dull and uninteresting 22 23 33.

She is diligent and grateful: she reviews notes after class, pursues unfamiliar AI concepts independently, and wants to treat Wu Chen after receiving her wages. Her timidity does not prevent her from defending someone she trusts. She confronts the cafeteria rumors to protect Wu Chen, and later takes a small but significant step toward asserting herself by demanding compensation despite fearing retaliation 22 31 32 37.

Abilities & Skills

Software Engineering Studies

• Continues working through algorithm exercises after most classmates have stopped studying 31.
• Independently researches artificial intelligence following Wu Chen's explanation of its future applications 31.
• Still needs guidance with unfamiliar material; no completed AI model of her own is documented 31.

Independent Living

• Can cook and do laundry, which she cites when assuring Wu Chen that she can live alone 42.
• Plans to cover rent through her work-study earnings and weekend employment without disrupting her studies 42.

Equipment / Items

• White Lenovo ThinkPad X61 — A thin, lightweight laptop with part of its keyboard rendered unusable by spilled traditional Chinese medicine. Wu Chen considers it somewhat underpowered for software development 22 24.
• Small external keyboard — Used in place of the laptop's damaged keys 22.
• Knockoff mobile phone — Contains the QQ chat history preserving her father's voice messages, which Wu Chen listens to when assessing how to recreate his voice 23.

Relationships

• Wu Chen — Her AI teacher and protector. He offers the voice-recreation software, intervenes in the attack, and advocates for compensation. Their alleged romantic relationship is a rumor; Jiang Nan believes Min Xinrou has not even considered dating 23 32 37 38.
• Jiang Nan — A supportive teacher who comforts her, finds her housing, advances the initial rental payment, and helps her move 33 41 42.
• Her father — Deceased. Her longing to hear him again motivates her interest in AI voice recreation 23.
• Her mother — Left with family debt after her husband's illness and death 23.
• Yang Yuanjing — Her roommate and principal bully, responsible for the theft accusation, damaged laptop, relationship rumors, and steel-chopstick attack 24 31 32.
• Wang Hongfa — A dean who minimizes Yang Yuanjing's conduct during the hearing, but later agrees to compensation and processes Min Xinrou's dormitory withdrawal 34 37 42.

Notable Quotes

“Sir, do you think it's possible to use artificial intelligence technology to bring a person back to life inside a computer?” 22

“I... I accept her apology, but... but she still has to pay for my computer!” 37