LayarHijau.com – Previously, LayarHijau once noted the similarities between actor Chen Zheyuan’s personal life and his character Duan Jiaxu in the drama Hidden Love. In that story, Duan Jiaxu goes through a lonely and painful adolescence. Chen’s heartfelt performance in that role touched many viewers and earned him a wave of new fans.
In Hidden Love, Duan Jiaxu’s life falls apart while he’s still in high school: his father kills someone in a drunk driving accident, then falls into a coma while trying to avoid responsibility. Not long after, his mother passes away from illness. Branded the son of a criminal and suddenly orphaned, Duan Jiaxu is left to shoulder his family’s debts. He juggles multiple part-time jobs while attending university, trying to stay afloat all alone.
But after reading the novel The First Frost and watching the drama adaptation, many fans began to realize that Chen Zheyuan’s real-life story actually mirrors the female lead Wen Yifan even more closely.
Wen Yifan’s life is riddled with tragedy. After losing her father in high school, she is sent to live with various relatives. One of them is her aunt, whose her younger brother attempts to assault her. While fleeing from the situation, Wen Yifan falls from a balcony, ending her dreams of becoming a ballerina. To make matters worse, her own mother chooses to side with her stepfather instead of protecting her. These deep betrayals shape Wen Yifan into a guarded, wary, and emotionally scarred young woman.
Strikingly, Chen Zheyuan has faced similar emotional wounds in his real life. In the 2024 variety show Travel Any Door, Chen appeared alongside actress Guli Nazha. During a casual conversation, Nazha remarked that he looked like an only child. Chen replied, “No, I have two younger sisters,” explaining that his father had them while Chen was in high school and college—after remarrying.
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| Source: Weibo |
That simple statement led viewers to revisit Chen’s personal history. Born on October 29, 1996, in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, Chen comes from a family originally from Chaoshan (father) and Hubei (mother). His parents divorced when he was very young, and he was sent to live with his grandparents in rural Hubei. Like many other left-behind children in China, Chen grew up with little direct support from either parent.
He has openly admitted that his childhood was far from joyful. “If I had to describe my childhood, I was a chubby little boy,” he once said. Though now praised for his looks and charisma, Chen confessed he used to be shy and self-conscious: “I was quite timid, honestly.”
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| Source: Sohu |
He continued, “Kids raised by grandparents tend to be more withdrawn than those raised by their parents.”
“Sometimes when I think back on that time, I genuinely feel sorry for my younger self,” he added.
“Teenage years are confusing for anyone, but for a child with low self-esteem, it’s even easier to be led down a negative path.”
This emotional void extended to his relationship with his father. In one candid interview, Chen said, “I’m not the type of person who really needs a father’s affection.”
He elaborated, “Even before my two younger sisters were born, my father never made me feel that kind of connection.”
He also revealed his confusion and sadness when his father chose to start a new family: “Back then, I couldn’t understand why my father wanted to have two more kids. It felt like he had completely given up on me.”
Perhaps the most heartbreaking moment came when his father once told him, “I love you too,” to which Chen could only respond, “Really?”
That brief, hesitant reply exposed a lifetime of unresolved pain.
Even now, Chen’s relationship with his family remains distant. Little is known publicly about his mother’s current situation, and his interactions with his father seem polite but cold. On one show, he shared that when he once greeted his father warmly, all he got in return was a simple “Thank you”—devoid of any emotional warmth. It was yet another glimpse into a father-son relationship defined more by distance than affection.
With all this in mind, it’s no wonder many believe that Wen Yifan, with her childhood abandonment, emotional wounds, and struggle to believe in love, reflects Chen Zheyuan more accurately than any other role he’s played.
While his role as Duan Jiaxu left deep impression to many viewers, maybe he isn’t just acting—he’s drawing from the real, painful memories of a life he once lived.