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sid_guardian2021-04-25 09:18 pm
trickytricky) wrote in sid_guardian2021-04-25 09:18 pm
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Focus on: Jiajia prevents her grandfather's ultimatum to Shen Wei from ep. 17
Location of scene: Episode 17, 37:03-39:35
Following Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan’s return from Dixing, Shen Wei is confronted by the Chancellor of Dragon City University and told that he must choose between his position as a professor or his role as a consultant with the SID; he cannot keep both. Just as Shen Wei is beginning to tender his resignation, Jiajia bursts in to interrupt, revealing her relationship as the granddaughter of the Chancellor. She convinces her grandfather to withdraw his ultimatum, who ends up leaving the decision of whether he can truly balance both roles up to Shen Wei, while Jiajia later tries to encourage Shen Wei to remain with the university.
Our scene begins with the standard DCU location/orientation sign zoom-in (I’m including this picture deliberately… someone pointed out to me today that whoever made this sign forgot to capitalize ‘city’ in it, and now I CANNOT UNSEE IT. So. Y’all can enjoy that with me, I suppose).
Related Fanworks and Recs
I’m not aware of any fanworks that really center on this scene in particular, but I will happily rec the delightful fic: The unofficial newsletter of Dragon City University (BioEng Dept) by frith_in_thorns, a series of short stories featuring Jiajia-related hijinks at the University!
Following Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan’s return from Dixing, Shen Wei is confronted by the Chancellor of Dragon City University and told that he must choose between his position as a professor or his role as a consultant with the SID; he cannot keep both. Just as Shen Wei is beginning to tender his resignation, Jiajia bursts in to interrupt, revealing her relationship as the granddaughter of the Chancellor. She convinces her grandfather to withdraw his ultimatum, who ends up leaving the decision of whether he can truly balance both roles up to Shen Wei, while Jiajia later tries to encourage Shen Wei to remain with the university.
Our scene begins with the standard DCU location/orientation sign zoom-in (I’m including this picture deliberately… someone pointed out to me today that whoever made this sign forgot to capitalize ‘city’ in it, and now I CANNOT UNSEE IT. So. Y’all can enjoy that with me, I suppose).
The Chancellor of the university has summoned Shen Wei to a very civilized meeting over tea. He gets a delightfully ambiguous answer when he inquires about whether there have been any new developments in Shen Wei’s life recently (apparently, his teaching is ‘even more energetic’ than usual lately).
(Oh, Shen Wei. I love you very, very much. Never Stop Being a Delightful Matryoshka Doll of Mysteries.)
The Chancellor cuts to the chase pretty quickly, pulling out a folder he got from ‘above’ (presumably official government channels), and sounding pretty frustrated about learning of Shen Wei’s decision to join a ‘classified department’ through this report (Shen Wei's position as a consultant for the SID is definitely official and on the books if it’s being routed around like this).
When it comes down to it, when forced to choose, Shen Wei is beginning to speak up to respond to the Chancellor’s ultimatum of choosing only one position to commit his full effort towards, when our stalwart hero, Jiajia, charges onto the scene!
She’s so distraught and distracted by what she heard Professor Shen begin to say that she blurts out ‘Grandfather!’ when interrupting the conversation. Shen Wei’s literal double-take as he registers the unexpected revelation of a blood-relationship between the two of them is absolutely precious.
Seriously, just look at that adorable surprised face! PRECIOUS!
Jiajia metaphorically rakes her grandfather over the coals for what she overheard, pointing out what everyone apparently knows… that Professor Shen is one of the most skilled teachers on campus and is universally loved by his students. The Chancellor almost immediately relents in the face of her fervent protests. At this point, my personal take is that he’s seizing on this as an excuse to save a little face while backing down from his previous demand. When he presented the choice, he probably expected that Shen Wei would have agreed to drop the consultancy gig, but once it became clear that it was either take Shen Wei with divided attention and multiple commitments, or lose him entirely, he realized he’d rather keep him despite divided loyalties than lose him from the university entirely.
This little conversation between Jiajia and Shen Wei in the immediate wake of the office scene slays me every time.
Shen Wei can be so unbearably soft and fond with his students (even though I tend to think he’s also probably pretty firm when it comes to his expectations for academic effort and performance), and that genuine care he feels is on full display here.
(Oh, Shen Wei. I love you very, very much. Never Stop Being a Delightful Matryoshka Doll of Mysteries.)
The Chancellor cuts to the chase pretty quickly, pulling out a folder he got from ‘above’ (presumably official government channels), and sounding pretty frustrated about learning of Shen Wei’s decision to join a ‘classified department’ through this report (Shen Wei's position as a consultant for the SID is definitely official and on the books if it’s being routed around like this).
Shen Wei tries to reassure him that his classified consultancy work for the government is only ‘casual’, and won’t interfere with his university responsibilities… but the Chancellor doesn’t want a half-committed professor. His going-in inflexibility here is actually pretty reasonable when one considers the context that (1) He apparently had to find out about one of his professor's moonlighting with another major employment gig via government reports rather than from the employee himself, and (2) Apparently Professor Zhou and Professor Ouyang just recently decided to entirely jump ship from the university to do the same. It must have been a pretty significant blow to the department to lose those two already, and now he’s seeing Shen Wei attempting to slide one foot out the door as well… on the face of it, not a good look at all!
She’s so distraught and distracted by what she heard Professor Shen begin to say that she blurts out ‘Grandfather!’ when interrupting the conversation. Shen Wei’s literal double-take as he registers the unexpected revelation of a blood-relationship between the two of them is absolutely precious.
Seriously, just look at that adorable surprised face! PRECIOUS!
Jiajia metaphorically rakes her grandfather over the coals for what she overheard, pointing out what everyone apparently knows… that Professor Shen is one of the most skilled teachers on campus and is universally loved by his students. The Chancellor almost immediately relents in the face of her fervent protests. At this point, my personal take is that he’s seizing on this as an excuse to save a little face while backing down from his previous demand. When he presented the choice, he probably expected that Shen Wei would have agreed to drop the consultancy gig, but once it became clear that it was either take Shen Wei with divided attention and multiple commitments, or lose him entirely, he realized he’d rather keep him despite divided loyalties than lose him from the university entirely.
This little conversation between Jiajia and Shen Wei in the immediate wake of the office scene slays me every time.
Shen Wei can be so unbearably soft and fond with his students (even though I tend to think he’s also probably pretty firm when it comes to his expectations for academic effort and performance), and that genuine care he feels is on full display here.
I do find it interesting, and think it was probably a deliberate choice by the writers, that Jiajia frames her argument that Shen Wei should continue both consulting for the SID and teaching at the university as a ‘win-win’ for all involved. It’s a bit of a rhyme/echo to Zhao Yunlan’s common refrain of always trying to find a path that all good-faith parties can find some benefit from, rather than approaching a situation with only one’s personal benefit in mind.
At the end of this scene, and even overlapping immediately into the next…
...Shen Wei is pensive, distracted, clearly troubled by the increasingly difficult balancing act his life has become with all of the plates he’s working so hard to keep spinning at once, even after he's left the university and arrived at the SID. He shakes it off when prompted, but these interactions were clearly significant ones for Shen Wei, even if on the face of it they just resulted in him remaining in his previous status quo.
...Shen Wei is pensive, distracted, clearly troubled by the increasingly difficult balancing act his life has become with all of the plates he’s working so hard to keep spinning at once, even after he's left the university and arrived at the SID. He shakes it off when prompted, but these interactions were clearly significant ones for Shen Wei, even if on the face of it they just resulted in him remaining in his previous status quo.
Zooming out (admittedly by a lot) from this small, almost-insignificant-in-the-larger-scheme-of-things scene, but I see Shen Wei’s hesitation here, the long, troubled pauses his character takes when considering his choices, his priorities, even this relatively early in the show, as being precursors for the audience’s understanding of one of the show’s strongest overall themes: Why bother choosing to strive to do Good things?
Why bother trying to do the right thing; why bother prioritizing kindness, compassion, respect for others despite differences; why bother striving for forgiveness and understanding over actively embracing spite and cruelty in the face of suffering and setbacks life will throw in your path; why bother risking your own comfort and safety to defend those too weak to fight back against those who use violent oppression to impose their will?
Why bother with those things when the small differences and little amounts of progress you can make so often seem futile in the face of an indifferent universe, when your efforts are often scorned or misunderstood, when doing the right thing and taking a stand against oppression results in no tangible benefits or rewards… in fact, often results in the opposite. Why bother choosing Good, with prioritizing others over yourself, when sometimes you will get nothing out of it but pain and loss?
In this scene, Shen Wei is clearly suffering a pretty significant hurt at the thought of losing his position at the university, his place as a teacher and his connection to the students he cares so deeply about… he doesn’t want to lose those things. He wants to hold onto them, to keep pursuing this aspect of his life that has brought him a great deal of personal happiness. When it was a straight-forward choice presented to him, that almost made it easier; his priority was clear and he paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, but never hesitated in starting to resign from his position in favor of his work with the SID.
When Jiajia interjected and put the choice back in his hands, that’s when the conflict becomes clear; can he truly do justice to all of his roles and responsibilities if his focus is divided? If yes, if there’s truly a ‘win-win’ to be found and he can keep it all exquisitely balanced… well and good. But if not… if things go off the rails, which events more and more seem careening towards even by this point in the show… he has enough self-knowledge to understand already that he’ll choose to give this part of his life up that has brought him joy in a moment, if it means he’ll be there to stand in front of someone who needs protecting from someone who intends them harm.
When push comes to shove, Shen Wei will always choose the good of others over entrenching his own interests (above everything else, I feel that it’s this aspect of his character that makes him and Zhao Yunlan true soul-matches).
This handful of scenes embody the kind of foreshadowing this show really excels at. Shen Wei knows there are going to be hard choices ahead. Unavoidable ones. Difficult choices that might not have a ‘good’ option to choose between. That will require sacrifices to be made. As much as one might hope for it, strive for it, sometimes a ‘win-win’ just isn’t possible. If he gets that call, he already knows how he’s going to answer, as painful as it might end up being.
This is why I truly, deeply love this show. Because Guardian says that making the right choice despite hardship and difficulty is still worth it.
That choosing goodness despite scorn and adversity is its own reward.
Even when it only leads to personal suffering or results in failure in what we were trying to accomplish, it still intrinsically matters how we choose to live our lives.
The effort matters. The choice matters. And it is a choice. One that often in life, as in this show, is the harder, less rewarding one.
Shen Wei will always make the choice of selflessness over selfishness, and it wouldn’t be such a meaningful thing if we never saw him struggle over it. The fact that it’s hard, that it hurts, but that he still musters the willpower to choose the right thing over and over again, is what makes his story such a powerful one.
Related Fanworks and Recs
I’m not aware of any fanworks that really center on this scene in particular, but I will happily rec the delightful fic: The unofficial newsletter of Dragon City University (BioEng Dept) by frith_in_thorns, a series of short stories featuring Jiajia-related hijinks at the University!
A few questions to ponder and/or spark discussion… if you have alternate questions of your own or just think of something worth calling out in the scene that I glossed over, please chime in!
- Do you think the Chancellor would have followed through on his ultimatum if Jiajia hadn’t interrupted? Or would he have compromised his stance after all once Shen Wei made his determination to keep working for the SID absolutely clear and allowed him to keep on teaching?
- I know I babbled a whole diatribe up there about how I think these scenes connect to one of the show’s overall thematic messages, but what are your thoughts about what was going through Shen Wei’s mind when he’s looking troubled and lost in thought at the end of his conversation with Jiajia and later in Zhao Yunlan’s office?
- Not so much directly related to the scene directly, but does anyone have any fun conjecture/head-canons to share about how/why Shen Wei ended up affiliated with the University to begin with? His power of ‘learning’ is an obvious tie-in, but there were infinite paths he could have chosen to learn about and integrate into Haixing society when he first came up… why do you think he ended up going with this one?
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whoever made this sign forgot to capitalize ‘city’ in it, and now I CANNOT UNSEE IT.
I KNOW ME TOO! It bugs me every single time.
There are a lot of bureaucrats in this show, now that I think about it, on a spectrum from the Regent (pretty evil, or at least willing to do evil stuff in his own interest) to Vice-Minister Guo, essentially a good guy. The Chancellor doesn't come off too badly in comparison, and you make a great point about his valid reasons for being concerned.
(It bugs me that Shen Wei the pristine fashion plate is wearing this semi-athletic-wear thing for this rather formal work meeting--maybe he figured the Chancellor wasn't worth collar pins and sleeve garters?)
Shen Wei's honest-to-God double take at Jiajia's revelation is hilarious, and their walk-and-talk is adorable, especially the way Jiajia is not one bit fazed by being half his size. Such a sweet moment. (Also, if I remember correctly it's Jiajia who corrects his spelling in...episode 21?...when he's teaching a class with 90% of his mind on Zhao Yunlan's blindness; her fondness for him does not mean she's going to give him a break on upholding the high standards she expects of him.)
Your analysis of Shen Wei's inner struggle in/around this scene is terrific (and painful ;( ). I couldn't choose a particular line to quote but it's all on target. I was thinking about your question on why Shen Wei might have ended up as a university professor--in some ways it must have seemed like the ideal career for his Haixing identity. His power of learning to begin with, and he obviously likes learning, acquiring knowledge on a fairly wide range of random topics, especially scientific ones (and bears). Teaching/mentoring also seems really important to him, judging from Li Qian, Jiajia here, the Ye Huo-related conversations about education, even the way he is with Xiao Guo (maybe a little bit related to all the big-brothering he didn't get to do?). And he uses the content of his specific field to bring Dixing to the attention of Haixing in an objective, scientific way, maybe with hopes (if he had had more years as a professor...) to take academic/scientific steps toward integrating Dixing and Haixing more closely.
Sorry to ramble on at length; thank you for the great post!
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And, god, right, that outfit!!?? I thought about commenting on that adorable sporty-striped, faux-casual shirt matched with the 'athletic'(??), elastic-waisted trousers seeming to be really out of place for a meeting with the boss, because, YES, it struck me as a bit of an odd choice for Shen Wei having a meeting in that setting as well. Maybe they were going for him being called in for an informal meeting on his down time with that look? Trying to suggest that the relationship between him and the Chancellor is comfortable enough that Shen Wei can relax a bit with his clothing choices even when called in for a sit-down with his professional superior? I dunno, much fun speculation could be had!
Yessss, well caught! It was indeed Jiajia who corrected his spelling when he was distracted in episode 21:
(AND it was Jiajia who helped him out of the bushes in episode 2) XD
(AND she was one of the students attending his lecture in episode 1 [sitting right next to her Hanga caves field-trip-buddy!] and among the students in the classroom in episode 25... I adore her; she is EVERYWHERE in ALL the best ways.)
Ahhhhhhhhh, I love *all* of your points about Shen Wei's choice to become a student and eventually a professor on Haixing so much. Just...HIM.
Please, feel free to ramble at length any time, your comment was great. 💚
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Fabulous writeup, thanks so much! I'm writing an AU where that scene will feature in a different context, and I will revisit this. Also I love the emphasis you put on the philosophy/attitude behind SW's deliberations. It strikes me as very much the heart of the show, and I love how it's called back later when Ye Zun impersonates Shen Wei, and Zhao Yunlan picks up on Ye Zun's selfishness that is such a strong contrast to Shen Wei's selflessness.
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Ha! I was happily mostly oblivious to that until you pointed it out! *squinches up eyes* Maybe he had a non-teaching day and was just on campus to do some grading/office work when he was called into the meeting?
I wonder if she feels responsible for his maintaining his teaching standards, since she convinced him to stay? *g*
And I love your ramble, especially this:
As Zhao Yunlan likes to say, win-win! ♥ ♥ ♥
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yeah, I was saying in a comment above that I think Jiajia has strong ideas about How Things Should Be at the university and is effective at making them happen! ;)
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I don't think it's a deliberate choice on Shen Wei's part - I always thought his clothes make this look like a very informal, maybe even spontaneous meeting.
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As for how Shen Wei ended up at the university... I personally like to think that (quite aside from how his learning powers tie in) he always aspired to a scholarly role even when young, and for the longest time that just wasn't possible because of the war etc. The closest analogue he could find in modern Haixing could easily have been academia. And then of course the show adds the biological engineering component to it - if Shen Wei wants to study the difference between Haixingren and Dixingren in order to dispel falsehoods, help people control their powers, slowly integrate the idea of Dixingren into Haixingren consciousnesses etc (? I can't remember if he ever states why exactly he studies what he studies), he would really only have the option of academia or privately funded labs, and the latter might require much more of a transparent agenda/a marketable end goal.
I really liked this write-up, it's so very on point and I always enjoy reading about Shen Wei and his student/university position. Thank you for sharing it with us!
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The itty-bitty little hints of 'normal person' POV of Shen Wei we do get are such a tease... you're 100% right, the show really doesn't give us that, and oh man, would I be so pleased for more! All the little university interactions we get are pure Gold, from his interactions with Li Qian and all that it implies, to his going out 'drinking' with his mentor Professor Zhou and getting fondly chided for his failure to 'improve' his alcohol tolerance at all over time (🤣 🤣 🤣), to how he maintained his friendship with Doctor Cheng even long after they were no longer students together... Such fascinating little glimpses of what must be a really rich life for him in his identity as a 'civilian'! I mean, I get why the show didn't spend much time on those aspects of his life; it really wouldn't have served much purpose for the story/plot, and the narrative would have gotten bogged down pretty fast if they'd invested too much time into those kinds of details, but still... I crave more!
Oh gosh, THANK YOU for putting the idea of lil' bby!Shen Wei aspiring to become a scholar as a tyke back in YOHE; that is utterly adorable, and I now fully subscribe to this notion. I do also really like the idea that he picked his specific field to "study the difference between Haixingren and Dixingren in order to dispel falsehoods, help people control their powers, slowly integrate the idea of Dixingren into Haixingren consciousnesses etc"; definitely a motivation supported by that first lecture speech he gives in the classroom.
I appreciate the kind words; thank *you* for chiming in with a comment!
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Thinking about bby!Shen Wei mostly hurts (in a good way, but still - sometimes I just want to pick up the whole Guardian world, shake it and go 'you ruined a perfectly good innocent sweetheart, look at him, you gave him anxiety about so many things!') so I'm glad to have a couple of happier headcanons about that time as well. And Shen Wei really does give off a scholar vibe, even in those early scenes when he's talking to Kunlun.
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And the field trip during the Hanga Arc! (Was the car breakdown deliberate because he sensed Zhao Yunlan following and wanted an opportunity to try and send him back? And if not and the SID hadn't happened by, what would he have done??)
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Ah, maybe the answer to "What was bb!Envoy going to say he'd do if he had a choice, if Kunlun hadn't cut him off?" Aww!
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I suspect that as soon as Zhao Yunlan informed Minister Gao that he'd recruited Shen Wei, it was official. (And Minister Gao knows that Shen Wei has powers from the wedding -- would he have included that in the file?)
I agree with this. The Chancellor is obviously competing with top secret government departments for quality scientists -- and here he has one who's actually skilled at teaching too, about to walk out the door. Poor him!
That's such a good point! The show is so good at showing multiple angles/perspectives on choices. And maybe it's that framing by Jiajia that lets Shen Wei decide to try to do both, even though a) it will definitely put a lot of pressure on his time and attention, and b) it maybe risks an adversary finding out and revealing his Dixing identity publicly at the university, or drawing more violence there and endangering students. (That shot of Ye Zun walking through the classroom later on is chilling, in that context.)
Yes! I love that Shen Wei has this life, this passion for his work and that he takes it so seriously and it brings him so much pleasure. It makes him much more interesting and complex than he'd be without it, and it makes this choice so meaningful. For all that Zhao Yunlan later reassures him he's not just a knife, he's spent a good decade or more building up a non-knife-y life!
I also really like how, you know, earlier on when Zhao Yunlan kept trying to recruit Shen Wei, and Shen Wei turned him down over and over, it was easy to read that as being about Shen Wei's keeping his secrets and not wanting to reveal himself to Zhao Yunlan. But this conversation with the Chancellor makes it very clear that Shen Wei knew his academic career was on the line, as soon as any formal arrangement was put in place.
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and b) it maybe risks an adversary finding out and revealing his Dixing identity publicly at the university, or drawing more violence there and endangering students. (That shot of Ye Zun walking through the classroom later on is chilling, in that context.)
Ummmmmmmmmmmm... 😬
Doing research for updating Jiajia's character wiki (inspired by working on this scene post!), I found a clip of a deleted scene that circles back around to this in the most heart-breaking way... that I hadn't, until this comment, fully internalized all of the angles of heart-break involved. 😭😭😭 Jiajia wiki (Warning: Do Not watch the deleted scene unless you're ready for some Sad.)
he's spent a good decade or more building up a non-knife-y life
Yes, very much this! I don't think Shen Wei needs Zhao Yunlan for anything so basic as to 'teach him how to care about people', or to make genuine connections, or to build a full, rich life for himself... the glimpses we get of Shen Wei's life outside his role as the Envoy really seems like he's got a pretty solid handle on that stuff without needing anyone else as a crutch for that. But, I do think it's beautiful how Zhao Yunlan is there to remind him of his 'humanity' (for lack of a better word) when everything is dark and hurting and his power/responsibility seems determined to swallow him whole, to break through that compartmentalization that Shen Wei cultivates so carefully and make sure he understands there's someone who loves and embraces and understands every element of him in a way that no one else ever has.
But this conversation with the Chancellor makes it very clear that Shen Wei knew his academic career was on the line, as soon as any formal arrangement was put in place.
Ahhhhh, one of the many, many, many Fics-I-Will-Probably-Never-Actually-Write involves a scene coda immediately following the bit in episode 14 where Zhao Yunlan finally corners Shen Wei into admitting (out loud) he's the Envoy and talks him into agreeing to consult for the SID... and there's this whole angsty misunderstanding where Shen Wei is just operating under the assumption that the reveal/recruitment means he's going to have to give up his position as a professor now that his BCE-identity is compromised and his Shen Wei-identity will be folded under the SID... like he just assumes those are intrinsically linked, one means losing the other, so that was part of why he was trying so hard to keep everything together. And when Zhao Yunlan realizes what Shen Wei thinks he's asking him to sacrifice by insisting he formally joins the SID, he's appalled and falls all over himself to assure Shen Wei that wasn't what he meant, as far as he's concerned of course Shen Wei should be able to keep both, etc etc etc... [and, aawwww, now that I've done this scene analysis, and remembered this ultimatum and the absolutely torn face Shen Wei makes considering all the implications in the wake of it, that lil dialogue coda would hit totally differently 😭]
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Is that explicitly stated in canon? I keep seeing people assuming it, but I don't see why Zhao Xinci would have known, and I definitely think if he had known, he'd have made sure the subsequent SID chiefs were aware of it. (His warning Zhao Yunlan off Shen Wei and his caginess about Shen Wei in general could easily be put down to Minister Gao telling him about the new consultant with amazing powers at the SID.)
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I love Jiajia, I wish I knew the actress’s name. She's adorable. (And I can't get over how absolutely tiny she is next to Shen Wei!) And I love Shen Wei's interactions with his students, and how much he cares about them, how clearly he enjoys being a teacher.
Never Stop Being a Delightful Matryoshka Doll of Mysteries.
♥ ♥ ♥
His going-in inflexibility here is actually pretty reasonable when one considers the context that (1) He apparently had to find out about one of his professor's moonlighting with another major employment gig via government reports rather than from the employee himself, and (2) Apparently Professor Zhou and Professor Ouyang just recently decided to entirely jump ship from the university to do the same.
Yeah, that's a very good point! And I think you're completely right, he thought that if push came to shove, Shen Wei would choose the university. I wish we'd got to see his reaction when Shen Wei doesn’t, but Jiajia comes to save the day before it gets to that, and he gets the chance to gracefully reverse course. I don’t know if he'd have retracted his ultimatum otherwise – I feel I don't know enough about his personality to judge that - but I'm sure he’d have wished he'd never made it.
precursors for the audience’s understanding of one of the show’s strongest overall themes: Why bother choosing to strive to do Good things?
This whole section is fantastic, thank you for writing it!
he has enough self-knowledge to understand already that he’ll choose to give this part of his life up that has brought him joy in a moment, if it means he’ll be there to stand in front of someone who needs protecting from someone who intends them harm.
When push comes to shove, Shen Wei will always choose the good of others over entrenching his own interests (above everything else, I feel that it’s this aspect of his character that makes him and Zhao Yunlan true soul-matches).
Yes, this! I love that so much about both of them, and it's why they understand each other so well despite their very different personalities.
what are your thoughts about what was going through Shen Wei’s mind when he’s looking troubled and lost in thought at the end of his conversation with Jiajia and later in Zhao Yunlan’s office?
Up until he met Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei kept his Envoy duties and his Haixing life very separate, and now that’s no longer the case. And he's still getting used to any overlap between his identities being known by anyone at all. I think it's everything you say about there perhaps not being a "win-win" option, but it's also just him being unused to navigating a space where parts of both identities overlap. Especially while still keeping them separate at the same time! It has to be so weird for him.
does anyone have any fun conjecture/head-canons to share about how/why Shen Wei ended up affiliated with the University to begin with?
My headcanon is that when he came to Haixing twenty or so years ago and made an effort to catch up with the modern world, what really caught his attention was using modern science to understand his own people better – Dixingren biology and evolution, the mechanisms of Dixing powers and how to use them, demythologising the "monstrous", how to help people like Wang Yike with unpleasant/unwanted powers, etc. And he didn't realise how much he'd love teaching until it happened.
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Oh, that's such a good point. ♥
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She is so tiny, it is great!
it's why they understand each other so well despite their very different personalities.
Frankly I absolutely adore this aspect of their relationship dynamic. On the very shallow surface, at first glance, it seems like a bog-standard 'opposites attract' kind of thing. Shen Wei is quiet and reserved and polite-to-a-fault and is a geeky scientist/academic and the ultimate introvert! Zhao Yunlan is loud and shameless and rides a motorcycle and works in law enforcement and is an extroverted people-person! But at their core they are made of the same Stuff. And as much as they want the best for each other, they also want their other-half to be the best version of themselves they can be, and will push and support each other to get there together.
I love your thoughts here on how troubled he would probably be about these very different aspects of his life beginning to bleed over into one another... I can totally see him being lost in thought about that in these moments and fully buy he would be making those kinds of *serious faces* as he pondered it. Shen Wei has some serious compartmentalization going on in his life (which, to be clear, I'm not condemning...I think he's been handling things quite well and has been able to comfortably balance everything in a pretty healthy way so far), but now that things are beginning to slide off the rails, and he's having to navigate spaces and relationships that he'd kept in neat boxes before... yeah, that must be difficult, and, like you say, weird!
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THIS!!!!!
They're very opposite in the way they present! But they're so completely in synch underneath! ♥ ♥ ♥
And I love what you say about them wanting each other to be the best they can be - I love that so much about them, and it's why Zhao Yunlan completely understands and agrees with the choices Shen Wei makes at the end, no matter how much it hurts both of them and how much he hates that.
(I do think that underneath, actually Zhao Yunlan is an introvert himself and the apparent extroversion is at least in part his version of a mask ...)
Shen Wei has some serious compartmentalization going on in his life (which, to be clear, I'm not condemning...I think he's been handling things quite well and has been able to comfortably balance everything in a pretty healthy way so far)
Yes! That's pretty much exactly how I think about it. e's been doing great! And now that things are changing, he has to adjust, but he manages that pretty well too. If he'd survived, I'd have loved to see how he'd deal with everything afterwards, with everyone now knowing about Dixingren ...
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Do you think the Chancellor would have followed through on his ultimatum if Jiajia hadn’t interrupted?
At first I thought yes because sometimes I take things too literally and at face value. But after a few repeat watches, I think the Chancellor was bluffing and didn't anticipate Shen Wei deciding to resign on the spot. Work politics can be tricky, and if everyone isn't on board with the song and dance, matters become confusing and unproductive. Shen Wei is so focused on his own priorities that he probably took the Chancellor's words as law rather than an invitation to negotiating a more agreeable arrangement at DCU. (Though I may be projecting my own dislike of communication that is not plain and clear.)
So thank you, Jiajia, for saving Shen Wei from a potentially embarrassing misunderstanding at best or losing a job he loves at worst.
[...] what are your thoughts about what was going through Shen Wei’s mind when he’s looking troubled and lost in thought at the end of his conversation with Jiajia and later in Zhao Yunlan’s office?
He could be unnerved about the exchange since he was put in a position to possibly give up one of two things he really cares about. Shen Wei loves being a professor cultivating young, curious minds. It's one of the few things he freely chose for himself because it lined up with his interests and talents. He's bound to his Envoy role and to Zhao Yunlan out of a sense of self-sacrificial duty that is ingrained in his bones. Because no one really challenged him to occasionally help himself so he can serve without burning out, Shen Wei always discards the option that serves his own interests (even when it's perfectly reasonable and morally acceptable). Part of him will always feel tempted to be selfish, but he always chooses to be selfless, even if it pains him.
The real tragedy is that he doesn't look for a "third option" where everyone wins, because he's never been encouraged to do so or he never learned how to.
[...] does anyone have any fun conjecture/head-canons to share about how/why Shen Wei ended up affiliated with the University to begin with?
Thanks to the fanfic 10/10 Would Marry, I believe Shen Wei loved academia so much that he decided to stay at DCU for all his degrees and earned his professorship because the university valued his mind and his research interests. And as others have stated, bioengineering allows him to study the genetics of Haixingren and Dixingren to better understand the similarities and differences and dispel myths. (My WIP post-canon fic has Shen Wei's research and the Inspectorate's experiments leave an impact on the world's understanding of the relationship between light and dark energy in gene expression and heredity.)
I wish there was a scene where Shen Wei geeks out about his research with Zhao Yunlan. He can frame it as an extension of his desire to forge stronger connections between Hiaxingren, Dixingren, and Yashou that he's having much more success with since the Envoy is just a figurehead who can't fix Dixing's corrupt institutions. Zhao Yunlan doesn't need to understand half of what he says; he's just happy Shen Wei's so excited to have found his true calling on his own terms.