Xiao Man is the antagonist of the novel within the novel, and also Shu Yuan's biological son. He was born when the original host was nineteen and left with a rural family after his mother gave birth. He was sold off multiple times, passed from household to household, and forced into a child husband arrangement. He became crippled after injuring his leg during an escape attempt from human traffickers on the Spring Equinox, with no medical treatment available. He endured endless beatings and abuse, which twisted his heart dark. His lifelong wish was to find his parents and understand why they had abandoned him. When he discovered his mother had forsaken him to become someone else's stepmother, his darkness deepened along with hatred for his father. Years later, he became a successful writer, screenwriter, and director, making a film based on his life story that became a massive box office hit. However, the public realized the abandoning father in the film was Dr. Chen, ruining the father's reputation. Before his transformation into darkness, Xiao Man was lonely and rootless, still hoping his mother would come for him.
