He stopped schooling at an early age to support his family as a pier labourer and then an employee in Huang Kunshan's timber factory.
Founded Tiancheng Enterprise with Lizhu in Episode 33 in a timber factory as General Manager and subsequently Chairman before expanding into shipping, healthcare, construction, real estate and electronics over the next few decades.
Previously faced a business crisis after Kunshan and Dazhong cheated Tiancheng Enterprise funds and causing Lizhu to be jailed.
Founded Tianzhu Hospital in Episode 127 and became its Chairman cum interim CEO in order to fulfil Lizhu's wishes.
In the finale, Shengtian had successfully fought brain cancer and in the end, both he and Lizhu travelled around the world by boat.
Regretted her actions after losing Lizhu and Tianzhu when Suling gave birth to Yuting and tried to get mother and son back into the Wang family.
He lost the takeover of the Cai's bank shares through a gambling set-up by Du Wenjie and Anlun in episode 370.
She was knocked down by a car in episode 20 arranged by Lin Tonghai's men in order to stop the wedding between her and Dazhong.
Founded Tianma Enterprise in episode 204 with electronics as its core business together with his original investment firm, construction, property development and law firms as subsidiaries and had it listed on the stock exchange in episode 240, earning him the nickname of "Taiwan's King of Stocks".
He survived a gunshot during a temple procession and his factory was set on fire by Cai Jinpao's men in episode 3.
He went bankrupt after losing the competition with Cai Jinpao for the election into Chiayi City Council as a councilor in episode 56.
He was jailed for the third time for 12 years in episode 213 for shooting Xiaozhen in an attempt to seek revenge on Cai Jinpao.
Su Yuehong's sister Former bar hostess of Xiao Nan Guo's pub Owner of a flower store In episode 44, she and Quanshui settled their conditions.
Introduced heart medicine sold by Dazhong's pharmaceutical firm that caused serious side effects in patients His unethical medical practices were exposed in episode 196.
Original major shareholder of an urban planning project in Chiayi before passing his shares to Dazhong after going bankrupt.
Forced Dazhong to marry Suling and lied to Tianyou and Liqing that Xiuhui is their biological daughter in order to cheat the Lais' assets.
Inherited Tonghai's shares in the urban planning project Former chairman of Chiayi's Credit Union and had his position replaced by Cai Jinpao after he misappropriated the Credit Union funds to make up for the losses incurred in the stock market while at the same time, giving up the shares of the urban planning project to Shengtian.He married Suling in episode 36 and was later divorced in episode 77.
Returned to Japan in episode 207 after futile attempts in investigating Dazhong's death, not knowing that Suling was the mastermind.
Chairman of Chiayi's Credit Union and subsequently transformed it into a bank with business interests in a sand and gravel quarry and contractor firm.
He was sentenced to death and subsequently life imprisonment on appeal in episode 214 for claiming numerous lives and lost his legislator position.
Suffers from serious liver problems but kept in the dark from Yuehong; eventually turns cirrhosis and liver cancer when Yuehong locked him up and made him drink excessively, failing to resist alcoholism (episodes 261-262) He kicked away Suling's inhaler when she suffered an asthma attack, causing her death in episode 286.
Had someone to impersonate a police officer and shot Shengzhi to death in episode 342 and indirectly caused the divorce between Shengtian and Lizhu.
In episode 523, during his son's wedding, he left the site to rescue Shengtian from Wu Pinde's custody and ended up getting shot.
Secretly assisted Buffalo in drug trafficking when the latter needed money to restore the funds he embezzled from Lei Guang's businesses, and later worked with Buffalo resulting in the stabbing Lei Guang's back with a knife in episode 422 Bought over 10% shares of Tiancheng Enterprises from He Peiqi in episode 425 through Li Jiajia, thus replacing He Peiqi as Tiancheng Enterprises' board member.
Sent the photos of Wenbing and Zhiying's adultery to the magazine publisher without Anlun's knowledge, in a bit to reduce Aiyu's popularity at the ballot Set up a trap for Aiyu to make her liable to him in debts, captured her while she attempt to flee and forced her to give her construction and quarry business to him in episodes 491-492Through Wu Pinde, he discovered that He Peiqi and Nie Chaofeng planned to betray him, and he knocked Nie Chaofeng unconscious (but failed to kill him) in episode 493.
Later in the episode, while waiting for Yu Guangrong, he was subjected to a series of torment and battering from Quanshui, Tianzhu, Wenbing and Lei Guang's men.
When Zhiying appeared during the confrontation, he held her hostage and used it to his advantage to shoot Quanshui in his leg and Wenbing multiple times.
The series received very good critical response and viewership in other countries too and as of 2009 being shown in Singapore's MediaCorp Channel 8 (in weekday one hour series from June 9, 2006 to October 23, 2009, 4.30–5.30 pm, becoming the longest running drama on Channel 8 in 46 years) rerunning in the pre-dawn hours from Tuesdays to Saturdays 4.00–6.00 am from January 7, 2009 to September 9, 2010, and the third time from 4 October 2010 from Mondays to Thursdays at 10.00 am – 12.00 noon and ended in 2012.
The Vietnamese dub "Tình Đầu Khó Phai" was broadcast on THVL Channel and is streamable on YouTube with a total of 767 episodes.
As of June 2011[update], the show airs in Taiwan, country of origin of the drama every weeknight at prime time (20:00) with episodes which have ranged in length from 135 to 150 minutes including commercial advertisements.