Kriti Mehrotra
Netflix’s ‘The Boyfriend’ season 2 star Puyang Wei, AKA Huwei or HuChan, is arguably the perfect blend of academic and athletic. He is not only a multilingual Thai native with dreams of becoming a doctor one day, but also a Judo star, possibly on his way to the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. Throughout his time on the show, he left a lasting impression on the minds of both the other cast members and the audience, thanks to the combination of his stoic appearance and lovable personality.
Despite Some Reservations, Huwei Remains Close to His Family
Although a native of Thailand, Huwei reportedly spent his formative years in China before relocating to Japan with his loving family at the age of 7, around 2005. He has since credited his mother, sister, and grandmother for shaping him into the empathetic, strong young man he is today, even though they don’t always see eye to eye on everything. The 27-year-old (born August 1998) stated early in the show that he never “came out” to them due to concerns about their views on family, the future, and more.
“I haven’t come out and told them straight up because I don’t really like using the word ‘gay,'” Huwei candidly stated on the show. “But my mom is always telling me that she is expecting to have 5 grandchildren. Every time she says that, I tell her to stop it — I tell her I am not into women… It’s possible she might not have taken what I said seriously. If I told her properly, she might be able to accept it. But then again, she might not accept it.” It was admittedly really hard for him to come to terms with his sexuality, and it took him a lot of work over the years, but he has since gotten comfortable with who he really is.
Therefore, when Huwei realized he had feelings for someone and that their connection could be moving towards a real relationship, he decided to come out to his mother while on a short visit home. As per his account, she initially cried and asked him if he could “fix it,” but concluded the conversation with something along the lines of, “no matter what, you’ll always be my son.” In other words, he and his mother continue to share a close bond, which has seemingly only gotten stronger since they lost his sister to cancer in October 2020 and his grandmother in 2025. It seems like they have turned the pain of their loss into motivation to maintain their remaining relationships, all the while keeping their memories alive in their hearts.
Huwei Continues to Pursue His Academic and Athletic Ambitions
It was in Japan that Huwei developed a passion for knowledge as well as sports, resulting in him honing his multilingual skills while also learning the unarmed modern martial art of Judo. He can speak just a little bit of Thai and is learling Malay, but is fluent in Chinese, English, and Japanese. He even took a two-day English course at Lewis & Clark College in July 2015 to refresh his memory. It’s hence no surprise that he once served as a translator at the airport.
Huwei’s focus upon graduating from high school, though, was to completely immerse himself in Judo as a Thai athlete while also pursuing further studies in his base of Japan. He reportedly enrolled in university for his Bachelor’s degree around the same time he was traveling across the globe to participate in various competitions in the late 2010s, which helped him gain significant experience. The 2018 Asia Open bronze medalist genuinely hoped to make the Thai National Team for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, yet an injury to the knee shattered his dreams. Huwei returned to the sport as soon as he could with the ambition of making it to the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, but again, an injury while he was training in China changed everything.
That’s when the brainiac, who was already pursuing a Master’s degree in International Relations from Ritsumeikan University’s Ibaraki Campus, devoted all his energy to his studies. He even developed a particular interest in Anthropology and Gender Theory, so upon graduating in 2024, he decided to continue down the path he was on by enrolling in the Ph.D program at Kobe University. He was accepted without any issues, so he is currently researching queer family formations in Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan, all the while also thriving as a Judo athlete. He is a proud member of the Thai National Team, a hopeful for the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Olympics, and he most recently secured the Silver Medal at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, held in Thailand.
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Huwei Seamlessly Balances His Life Between Study, Training, and Global Travel
After two injuries, extensive rehabilitation, and unwavering perseverance, Huwei is back to juggling his ambitions, doctoral studies, as well as personal relationships. Therefore, at the age of 27, it appears as if the Hyōgo, Japan, resident is currently splitting his time between different parts of the world to focus on everything almost equally. While Japan is his base, he frequently travels to China for training sessions or to meet relatives, and he also visits places such as Thailand and the Philippines for various competitions. However, whenever he is not busy with Judo, it seems like he is either studying, relaxing in the company of loved ones, or exploring the local attractions of wherever he is across the globe. We should even mention that he visited Kuwait for the 2025 International Outdoor Sports and Activities Expo.
