Scene discussion: Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing in a Dixing bedroom

[trobadora]

Location of scene: episode 23, 5:26 - 6:42 and 7:48 - 9:15

Context: Shen Wei has used the Sundial to heal Zhao Yunlan's eyes. The Master of the Merit Brush has sent a threatening letter, and Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are going to Dixing to research the Merit Brush. Da Qing, having just had some flashbacks about Ye Zun, is not about to let Zhao Yunlan go anywhere with Shen Wei alone. (Who says cats can't be protective? :D)

In Dixing, our heroes discover the archive is closed until the new Dijun takes the throne, and they decide to stay in Dixing for the night. Somewhere in the middle of this, the designated successor to the Dijun is replaced when An Bai offers to sacrifice himself to save his friends and thereby draws the Dijun's attention. (But that's a discussion for another day ...)



( on to our scene )

Questions:

• What do you think Shen Wei said when he left Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing? Why did he decide to leave them on their own in Dixing? Given that in the next scene we see Shen Wei talking to Ye Zun, he may just have wanted to keep them away from that, because you know (and Shen Wei knows, too) that Zhao Yunlan would have insisted on coming along. *g* But did he really expect them to stay in their room and not get up to anything?


• Most surprisingly, while Da Qing gets around and ends up confronting Shen Wei (the pinky promise scene! :D), Zhao Yunlan does in fact seem to have stayed out of trouble that night! Why? (Has anyone written a missing scene about that? If not, why not? :p)


• In this Dixing bedroom, there is only one bed! Do you think a) that means people assume things about Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing from the way they have no boundaries with each other, b) it's meant as a slight against the visitors from Haixing, or c) they understand that Da Qing, being a cat, doesn't need a separate bed?


• What do you think is on Dixing radio? (And does the barkeep eventually end up running a pirate station?)


• Do you think Da Qing explained anything about his Ye Zun flashback in between the two halves of the scene, or is what we see everything that happened?


• What does Zhao Yunlan think about Da Qing's suddenly recovered memories making him suspicious about Shen Wei? And given that Da Qing was worried Zhao Yunlan wouldn't believe him, how do you think Zhao Yunlan would have reacted if Da Qing had told him about it straight away?


• When did Zhao Yunlan arrive at this philosophy about Shen Wei's secrets? Some time after he was nearly climbing the walls trying to get Shen Wei to admit to being the Black-Cloaked Envoy, clearly, but apart from that?


• Within less than an episode of this, Zhao Yunlan discovers Shen Wei in the kitchen with a knife and realises Shen Wei hurt himself healing Zhao Yunlan's eyes. That cuts short the "I'll just wait until he says something himself" by making it clear to Zhao Yunlan that Shen Wei will never "suffer so much he tells [him] about it himself" (he might tell for other reasons, but not because he's sharing his pain!), and leads to Shen Wei promising that Zhao Yunlan will eventually know the truth, achieving a new/different equilibrium. If not for this, how long do you think Zhao Yunlan would have managed to be patient?


• How delightful is protective!Da Qing? ❤❤❤

Come talk about this delightful scene! And if you have fic or art recs related to them, that would be fantastic! :D