Jian Yi (见一; Chinese: Jiàn Yī) is a character in the 19 Days manhua. He is a loud, boisterous individual who is constantly adding light and humor to even dire situations, despite his not-so-happy background. Yi has been friends with Zhan Zheng Xi since childhood and continues to want to stick around him.
Description[]
Jian Yi's notable features are his pale skin, pale gold eyes, and light ash blond hair. He is also noted to be very handsome by Zhan Zheng Xi and He Tian. He also has good skin, that was noticed by She Li. People are always touching his hair, saying that it is very soft and it makes them feel calmer and happier.
He has been best friends with Zhan Zheng Xi since childhood finding great pleasure in annoying him. He goes to the same middle school as Zhan Zheng Xi, Mo Guan Shan, and He Tian and later the same high school. He intends to go to the same university as Zhan Zheng Xi.
Plot[]
Jian Yi is very loud, caring, obnoxious and has a weird of being friends with people he didn't get along with once before (probably for the sake of one of his friends). One rival was Xiao Hui, the school girl who had a crush on Zheng Xi; she was an unwanted romantic foil, but he immediately came to her aid when an unknown party posted her love letter to Zheng Xi on the school bulletin board to humiliate her. Even though he and Guan Shan exchanged fists at school, he was adamant about preventing Guan Shan from dropping out of school, and later helped clear Guan Shan’s name (along with Zheng Xi and Xiao Hui) for taking the blame for a crime he didn't commit. As other characters frequently point out, Jian Yi can be very childish and not so bright; the first time he met Zhan Zi Qian, his initial thought was that Zheng Xi had a sex change and despite not being very bright, he offers to let Zheng Xi copy his homework. Jian Yi also has a habit of hiding his true feelings; he never wants people to know when he is hurt or struggling because he doesn’t want to be a bother or to worry them. He often tries to keep up the façade of being perfectly fine by having a smile on his face or trying to exaggerate his bubbly personality; however, very often Zheng Xi can see right through it and know that something is wrong. This is displayed through moments such as when he tries to hide his intense jealousy over Xiao Hui who tries to pursue Zheng Xi, is lonely and emotional over not having a normal happy family life, when he gets nearly kidnapped, and when he gets taken away and shot at (by some unknown older male) a few days later. Despite his need to constantly touch Zheng Xi inappropriately, it takes him a really long time before he starts to question his feelings and sexuality, not even thinking about it until Zheng Xi asked him if he liked men. Jian Yi is also very handsome as noted by Zheng Xi and He Tian.
Childhood[]
Jian Yi grew up in a terrible childhood; his father was not present and his mother when he was just a baby for reasons that are still unknown. As a result, his mother had to try and take care of him by herself; however, she did not provide him with the attention a typical child would need from a parent. For most of his childhood, he was actually taken care of by a nanny since his mother was never around.
Jian Yi young art by Old Xian.
It is assumed she was never around because of work but it is unknown what type of job she has. Jian Yi constantly had this fear of his mother abandoning him, getting paranoid from things such as his mother taking too long to buy him candy - he feared she would never come back. He was also bullied very often, both verbally and physically - other children calling him names and throwing objects at him. From this, Jian Yi became very depressed and it isn’t until he meets Zheng Xi at school where things begin to change. When Zheng Xi entered his life, he was the first person to show Jian Yi what concern, care, attention, friendship, and love truly means. Whenever Jian Yi cried or felt lonely, Zheng Xi would grasp his hand, keep him company, and reassure with comforting words. When he finds out Jian Yi’s mother isn’t around very often and that his father abandoned him, he holds his hand and tells him “It’s okay. I’m here. I have super powers. I’ll send you strength.. you have to hold tight”. Zheng Xi would also defend him from bullies that wanted to hurt him; for example when Jian Yi lets this fear of being beat up by a classmate known, Zheng Xi then pinky swears to Jian Yi that “Until you are strong enough.. I will protect you. It’s a promise”; a promise which he takes very seriously even to when they’re older. Although his mother’s job is unknown, Jian Yi’s father is assumed to be in some underhanded line of work (most likely the mafia), as he seems to have several thugs under his employment. After his father abandoning him, it is assumed that the parents divorced as they seem to be in some sort of custody battle over him. As a result from his rough childhood, Jian Yi seems to have gained abandonment issues, constantly fearing that the people he loves and cares about will leave him one day. As he grows older, he begins to have recurring nightmares about his father who tries to kidnap him several times and his mother, who he is the spitting image of, seems to show strong regret with how she handled taking care of him when he was younger.
Relationships[]
One of many Jian Yi greetings to Zhen Xi at the station.
Jian Yi constantly shows affection or tries to kiss Zheng Xi whenever he can get away with it, and is very persistent despite knowing that some of his attempts will be retaliated with a punch. However, he is not eager to ruin his friendship so he passes off his flirtations as jokes. His teasing in public often causes Zheng Xi great embarrassment in a "it's not what it looks like" kind of way, making them popular with the fujoshis at school. Even though he comes off as a pervert, he has loved Zhan Zheng Xi since they were small children, whom is the only person he has ever had any romantic or sexual feelings for. With the exception of Zheng Xi - when other men, such as She Li or He Tian, flirt with and try to pursue him, he is greatly annoyed by it, constantly showing a face of disgust.
Jian Yi cries in his struggle to understand his feelings.
Zheng Xi reassuring Jian Yi that he is not abnormal.
Jian Yi has a hard time coming to terms with feelings for Zheng Xi. Although he realizes that he loves Zheng Xi as more than a friend should, he is petrified of destroying their friendship if he makes his feelings known. He struggles with coming to accept his sexuality for Zheng Xi, afraid of what it could mean. When Zheng Xi questions him repeatedly, (after their kiss) about what he’s thinking, trying to get him to talk since he is confused about Jian Yi’s feelings for him, Jian Yi tries to avoid answering by brushing it off as nothing or walking away.
Later though, he tells Zheng Xi “if its all because of you.. then what should I do” showing that he didn’t know how to particularly share his struggles about his feelings with his best friend, when his best friend was the prime subject of his struggling emotions in question. When he gets called abnormal for being too close with Zheng Xi by Xiao Hui, he explodes, screaming for her to shut up; and although he passes it off later as if it doesn’t bother him, it is eventually shown, when he is in a drunken emotional state, that her words affected him terribly when he starts sobbing to Zheng Xi, asking him “am.. I .. abnormal?” to which Zheng Xi quickly tells him “no” and tries to comfort him as best as he can.
Later that same night, after being nearly kidnapped by unknown men, (seemingly in the mafia) under the orders of his father, Zheng Xi confesses that he wishes “to be a grown up faster.. become stronger so that [he] can protect [him]”; this confession causes Jian Yi to become a little more comfortable with himself and his feelings as he becomes even more flirty than before - wrapping his arms around Zheng Xi’s neck the next day at school and even poking fun at Zheng Xi blushing when mentioning the statement he made the night before. Later he tries to open up to He Tian and seek advice on what to do, telling him that he is confused about himself recently to which He Tian, knowing that Jian Yi was talking about Zheng Xi, tells him its natural to want to be closer to the person you like. And later, when Jian Yi officially, directly confesses and Zheng Xi accepts his feelings with a kiss to the forehead, he becomes a bit more confident/comfortable in coming to terms with his sexuality/feelings for him, as shown when the next day he was gladly willing to tell anyone in earshot, even a young child that he is “his man” and that they are on a date together at the park. With this, they seem to be dating in later chapters.
One day, a worried Jian Yi decides to head over to Mo Guan Shan’s house to keep him company, with Zhan Zheng Xi following; when arriving Jian Yi selflessly decides to give Mo Guan Shan the bag with a large sum of money that he had originally received from Brother Qiu in order to take care of himself while his mother was away for a while. When Mo Guan Shan asks where he received the money, Jian Yi opts not to tell him so that he doesn’t worry about it, joking that it came falling from the sky; however, Mo Guan Shan doesn’t end up accepting the money because of his pride much to Jian Yi’s disappointment.
Later that day, Jian Yi and Zhan Zheng Xi run into Xiao Hui while out shopping together. Jian Yi offers for her to join them out to eat and Xiao Hui, not wanting to disturb them, hesitantly agrees. When the three of them find a place to eat, Jian Yi ends up leaving Xiao Hui and Zhan Zheng Xi alone for a moment when he offers to get up and grab her a drink. After Jian Yi is gone, Xiao-Hui nervously asks Zhan Zheng Xi if he likes someone and in tears but with a smile, asks if it is Jian Yi. Zhan Zheng Xi, showing a rare grin, admits that he does like Jian Yi and says “he is very important. he is someone who cannot be replaced”. After this, Jian Yi comes back and they all continue shopping together. After trying on a shirt, Jian Yi drags Zhan Zheng Xi over the hair product section and the moment between them suddenly becomes intimate: Jian Yi suggests for some gel to be put into Zhan Zheng Xi’s hair and ends up grooming it a bit, they silently stare at each other, and he tells him he looks very handsome that way. Unknown to them, Xiao-Hui watches from behind a wall, not wanting to intrude on a moment that felt private to them; Xiao-Hui ends up excitedly freaking out over their moment together, becoming extremely flustered, showing that after Zhan Zheng Xi’s confession to her, she has finally understood and come to accept that Zheng Xi would have no eyes for anyone but Jian Yi, and finally fully supports their relationship - unlike how she was at the beginning, where she was jealous of Jian Yi and would lash out at him.
Name[]
- 见一 (Pīnyīn: Jiàn Yī)
- His Chinese fan nickname 賤賤 is pronounced Jian Jian, translating to "cheap cheap."
- His name hanzi is read as "Kenichi" in Japanese and "Gyeon-il" in Korean.
- His name hanzi translates to "sight/to see" or literally “see one”.
- His surname is Jian, which can be seen when He Cheng calls Jian Yi's father and the caller id says "Mr Jian". Yi is his given name.
Trivia & Speculation[]
- His mother has the exact same features as him.
- He is the only boy of the main four who looks noticeably older in high school chapters.
- His father's face has yet to be shown, but he appears to have silver or ash blonde hair.
- He has recurring nightmares about his father, despite claiming to have never met him.
- His father attempted to kidnap him once, then had his men rescue him from a third party kidnapper.
- Old Xian drew an interesting sketch of a naked Jian Yi holding a knife and covered with blood, being embraced by his father. This illustration is hard to interpret, but in the early 4koma chapters, Jian Yi shows up at Zhan Zheng Xi's apartment covered in blood and bruises in his high school uniform before telling Zhan Zheng Xi he'd been kidnapped.
- Jian Yi's father is most likely a mafia boss, a corporate CEO, or a politician.
- Zheng Xi said Jian Yi disappeared the second day of high school. Jian Yi tells him a story about his father's men dragging him off and dumping him on an island. Jian Yi is kidnapped and disappears in Jr. High, meaning he might get kidnapped again soon.
- He was kidnapped on Zi Qian’s birthday & rescued by Brother Qiu on his mother's order. He Cheng previously tried to kidnap Jian Yi on Jian Yi’s father’s orders a few days before for unknown reasons.
- He was very popular in middle school with both boys and girls.
- Zheng Xi's sister, Zi Qian, can't stand him.
- He's very slovenly, even at other people's houses.
- He provides the bulk of the humour for the series.
- People are always patting his hair because it's very soft.
- He frequently touches and ruffles his love interest's hair.
- Takes really long showers and baths.
- He unconsciously touches Zhan Zheng Xi's ear when they sleep together a lot.
- He's surprisingly strong for a skinny guy. He has been shown several times lifting or carrying Zheng Xi with ease. Despite this, it is always Jian Yi who needs to be protected or rescued.
- Has a bad habit of scratching his balls when other people are around.
- He's terrified of bugs and cannot move in their presence.
- Has bad luck with animals.
- He has abandonment issues due to his parents, which is why he's so clingy and affectionate.
- She Li admires his soft nice skin.
- In the future, he works with Zheng Xi at Mosspaca Cafe, where he wears a maid uniform.
- He picks up smoking cigarettes in the future.
- In official illustrations of the boys in a band, Zhan Zheng Xi and Jian Yi are shown to be wearing matching couple rings on their wedding ring fingers (the ring finger of the left hand).
- In the band illustrations, he's shown to be a guitarist like He Tian.
- Jian yi is shown to be the singer of the band.
- In chapter 209, the hanzi on the back of his shirt has a similar pronunciation to the Chinese slang word for "bottom," leading many Chinese fans to believe this was a hint from Old Xian.
- Drools in his sleep.
- He often dreams about his romantic relationship with Zheng Xi.
- His hair and skin are very soft.
Quotes[]
- "No matter what.. you are my best friend." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi
- I remember back then, no one would play with me. I was always alone. - Jian Yi thoughts on his childhood
- "I want to have friends, even if its just one." - young Jian Yi
- "Your love letter. I can help you give it to him.. my condition is: don't come close to him in the near future." - Jian Yi to Xiao Hui
- "Hearing a guy say 'looks pretty good' is a little gross.." - Jian Yi to He Tian after he compliments his looks
- "My heart is suddenly beating so fast..." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi after he carries him
- I'm grateful for knowing you. - Jian Yi thoughts about Zhan Zheng Xi
- "Is that what you think this is?" - Jian Yi's reply to Zhan Zheng Xi after he asks him if he likes men.
- "In the future we must go to the same high school! The same university! and work at the same place~~" - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi
- "Am I abnormal?" - an emotionally drunk Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi
- "Still so hot!!" - Jian Yi about Zhan Zheng Xi in a Valentine's Special chapter
- "Zhan Xixi, did you level up? So handsome...." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi
- "I like you so much I'm going to explode. Whether it was before or in the future.. only you." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi
- "Are you having a physical response? Let me feel." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi, in a morning where Zheng Xi says he has to 'recover'.
- "I'm his man." - Jian Yi about Zhan Zheng Xi
- "Big brother [referring to himself] and his man [Zhan Zheng Xi] are in the park on a date.." - Jian Yi to a young girl at a park
- "I really want to kiss you right now." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi in a Christmas Special chapter
- "You look very handsome like this." - Jian Yi to Zhan Zheng Xi after he grooms and styles his hair while out shopping together
Gallery & Media[]
