Focus on: Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei talk in front of the kidnappers' place, episode 18

[sakana17]

Location of scene: Episode 18, 31:56-35:20 and 37:50-41:39 (they are also in 37:08-37:19 talking to Yehuo)

For this post, I used the English subtitles QCed by solo and the Chinese transcript from 鸢野飞 on bilibili. [Note: I have only minimal Chinese from 2 years of Mandarin classes in college a while back.]

Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei have caught Yehuo and take the Jeep to the building where Yehuo and his buddies have been living(?). (I assume they've been living there because of the beds.) Zhao Yunlan parks behind the car Lin Jing and Da Qing had taken. Zhao Yunlan runs up to check the car but no one's inside. He looks up at the building and tells Shen Wei that Da Qing and Lin Jing must've fallen into a trap.



Zhao Yunlan gets a phone call that seems to be from Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi, who discovered two dead bodies in the locker room at the underground fight club. While Zhao Yunlan is on the phone, Shen Wei seems to sense something and looks at the building. When Zhao Yunlan gets off the phone, he asks Shen Wei, "What's up?" and Shen Wei tells him he has a feeling/hunch.



Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei look at each other.



Then two of the kidnappers come out onto a balcony/rooftop of the building and shout down at Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei to release Yehuo and prepare a getaway car or they will kill the three hostages (Da Qing, Lin Jing, and Bo Bi). Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei turn in tandem to look at the kidnappers.





Zhao Yunlan says, "I knew it," and exchanges a look with Shen Wei. He calls to the kidnappers that young guys like them should be in school right now.



There's a brief cut to Da Qing and Lin Jing inside the kidnappers' lair. Their wrists are tied. Lin Jing asks Da Qing to help him get something out of his pocket. Then we cut back to Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei talking to the kidnappers.

Shen Wei: 古人云，有教无类。可惜呀。
"古人云" (gǔ rén yún) can mean "the ancients said"
"有教无类" (yǒu jiào wú lèi) is a saying. The literal meaning seems like "education has no class distinction," and "education for everyone" gets the meaning across.
"可惜呀" (kě xí ya) can mean "unfortunately" or "what a pity"

Zhao Yunlan reacts to this and trolls him with, "The great Professor Shen is feeling compassion? Last time when I went to Dixing, I was told the place doesn't even have a regular formal school."





Shen Wei looks at Zhao Yunlan and replies that he made many proposals, but the situation in Dixing is complicated, and they were not approved.

Zhao Yunlan gestures at him and tells Shen Wei it's because Shen Wei doesn't put himself in the shoes of the decision makers. (那是因为你没有想过人家在做决定的时候在想什么, which Google translates as "that's because you haven't thought about what people are thinking when they make a decision"). Then he says, "Next time, I'll come along to handle your PR."







Shen Wei reacts. "Next time? Last time you went to Dixing, you had serious adverse reactions. You cannot go there again if it's not necessary."







There's another cut back to Da Qing and Lin Jing with Lin Jing's device that lets him hear sound from a thousand meters away, then we resume with Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei.

Zhao Yunlan: "If it's not necessary? So I still have a chance to go." He grins.



Shen Wei: "You cannot go."

Zhao Yunlan: "Can too."



Shen Wei: "I said you can't, so you can't."

One of the kidnappers interrupts them at this point and asks if they are even listening to him. Zhao Yunlan tells him they're not trying to ignore him, but they have to consider the request, then he suggests they listen to Yehuo. He opens the door of Jeep and Yehuo gets out. The kidnappers are surprised and ask if he's okay. Yehuo tells them not to be idiots, says he did wrong and will be taken for punishment. He tells the kidnappers to release the hostages. The kidnappers don't believe it. They think Yehuo is a captive who can't speak his mind.



Yehuo apologizes to Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei, saying, "I didn't educate them well." He asks that Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei forgive them. Zhao Yunlan says they can do that, but they want to know what Yehuo's relationship with them is. The kidnappers shout that Yehuo is their savior.

Then we get the flashback about Yehuo saving the young guys in the fight club and he explains it to Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. Shen Wei realizes the case is related to Zhu Jiu after all. In the kidnappers' lair, Lin Jing, Da Qing, and Bo Bi are listening with Lin Jing's invention. Yehuo again asks for the kidnappers to be forgiven, and says he knows he has to be taken back. The kidnappers get upset and say they have an advantage because they have the hostages.

Zhao Yunlan: "What did I just tell you? I said you should go back to school and study hard! Did you really think we were unprepared and just talking nonsense to stall for time?"

Right then, the kidnappers' attentions are drawn back to the building. Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng have arrived to save the hostages. Zhao Yunlan asks Yehuo if there's anything else he wants to say. Yehuo says that the Black-Cloaked Envoy's enforcement is known to be strict and impartial. Behind Shen Wei's back, Zhao Yunlan reacts cutely to this.





Yehuo says he knows he can't escape this time.

Zhao Yunlan (again making a cute face at Shen Wei's back): 诶~那可说不好啊。之前有一个叫郑意的… (éi~ Nà kě shuō bu hǎo a. Zhī qián yǒu yī gè jiào Zhèng Yì de...)
The fansubs have "Well, I wouldn't say that. There was that case involving--" but 之前有一个叫郑意的… mentions Zheng Yi, so he's specifically referring to the Zheng Yi and Tan Xiao case from episodes 12-14.



Shen Wei is being more serious. "Dixing rules are Dixing rules."



He tells Yehuo he could've lived in Haixing in secret, but he used his power and exposed himself to save those kids from the fight club. Because Yehuo used his power to protect people, not harm them, Shen Wei can show extrajudicial mercy.



Zhao Yunlan looks pleased (and maybe smug because he knew Shen Wei would be merciful to Yehuo).



Shen Wei is afraid that Zhu Jiu will find Yehuo if he stays in Dragon City, so he must leave. Yehuo asks what about the kidnappers. Zhao Yunlan says they can find a place for them to settle. Chu Shuzhi and the others arrive, and Zhao Yunlan tells Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng to take Yehuo and the others out of Dragon City to find a safe place. He warns them there will be no end-of-year bonus if they mess it up, and smiles like he's having fun trolling his team.

Chu Shuzhi gives Yehuo the champion's belt and tells him he deserves it more. Yehuo tells Chu Shuzhi he envies him because he has a good life here. Chu Shuzhi agrees, except that his boss is a smug bastard.

Zhao Yunlan calls out Lao Chu and tells him to take Bo Bi away, too.



The scene ends with Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng heading off with Yehuo, Bo Bi, and the two kidnappers.

This is one of my favorite WeiLan scenes, because I love their bantering/bickering/trolling here. It's got a bratty Zhao Yunlan dynamic, but it's balanced by Shen Wei trolling him right back. He lays down the law: "I say you can't go to Dixing anymore, so you can't," and although Shen Wei must have enough physical power to prevent Zhao Yunlan from going to Dixing again, if Zhao Yunlan wants to go back, Shen Wei will reluctantly let him (as later events in the series prove).

I love their couple vibe here, and I love that they are working together. Whatever the reason for their bantering conversation--if it was to stall for time--they're doing it for the same purpose, and they both remain aware of the situation. It feels extemporaneous.

I also like that when Zhao Yunlan seems on the verge of taking the couple vibe too far and speaking for the Black-Cloaked Envoy about showing mercy to Yehuo, Shen Wei makes the boundary clear. But he does show mercy and explains why, and I love Zhao Yunlan's reaction because he approves and because he guessed/knew Shen Wei would do so. They are on the same page here, which I enjoy watching so much.

Their body language with each other is relaxed (in Shen Wei's case, less tense, I guess 😄). Zhao Yunlan throughout the scene is slouchy, gesturing, smiling. But he listens seriously to Yehuo, and to me it seems like Zhao Yunlan is performing his nonchalant act.

Zhao Yunlan's scolding of the kidnappers about being in school sort of reminded me of Zhao Yunlan in episode 4 telling Lin Yusen to graduate and come back to the SID. Zhao Yunlan worried about the kids of today?!

There is the fascinating worldbuilding tidbit that Shen Wei tried to get schools in Dixing but his proposals were turned down!

What do you think Yehuo told Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan on the way? They don't seem surprised at the situation, and they don't act as if they believe that the kidnappers will follow through on their threats. Why?

Do you accept Shen Wei's account of why there are no schools in Dixing? If so, who rejected his proposals and why?

Were there schools in pre-meteorite ancient times that Shen Wei remembers? Or did he get the idea for schools while being on Haixing as the Black-Cloaked Envoy?

Do you think Zhao Yunlan's "unprepared and just talking nonsense to stall for time" is true? Or was it a way of defusing the situation? Or getting a read on the kidnappers? All of the above?

Come discuss this scene! Thoughts, theories, ideas, plot bunnies, squee, fanwork recs... Anything related to this scene welcome!

Comments

[trobadora]

Zhao Yunlan gestures at him and tells Shen Wei it's because Shen Wei doesn't put himself in the shoes of the decision makers. (…) Then he says, "Next time, I'll come along to handle your PR."

Zhao Yunlan is being pretty flippant here, partly on purpose because they’re trolling the kidnappers, but also partly because he still doesn't really get Dixing. And yet I always wonder how much he really does believe what he’s saying ...

Shen Wei: "You cannot go."
Zhao Yunlan: "Can too."
Shen Wei: "I said you can't, so you can't."

I really love their banter, but I also love that it's literally true: if Shen Wei doesn't agree, Zhao Yunlan can't go. And Zhao Yunlan is totally undaunted by that, but also, Shen Wei is willing to say no if there's not a good reason. Now, what counts as a good-enough reason is obviously highly changeable, but still – unlike some, I don't think Shen Wei can't/won't say no to Zhao Yunlan. And conversely, Zhao Yunlan is brattily insisting here, but when Shen Wei later goes to Dixing alone – the first time he gets captured - he tells Zhao Yunlan to wait until he has word from him, and Zhao Yunlan does, even though he's fretting and clearly doesn't want to sit there doing nothing.

he's specifically referring to the Zheng Yi and Tan Xiao case from episodes 12-14

Oooh! I didn't remember that at all! I love the specific callback to the Zheng Yi case. It clearly mattered a lot to Zhao Yunlan back when it happened, seeing the truth of the Envoy's mercy after the Envoy had just officially taken Zheng Yi away, so this is great both from a continuity POV and on the characterisation front.

Because Yehuo used his power to protect people, not harm them, Shen Wei can show extrajudicial mercy.

He doesn't say extrajudicial, though, does he? In fact, he starts with "Dixing has its own rules", which both serves as a rebuke to Zhao Yunlan and as a reminder what role he's speaking in. I mean, the Zheng Yi case was obviously him doing one thing officially and then unofficially letting Zheng Yi off the hook, but here, it sounds to me like he's talking within the boundaries of what he's allowed to judge in his role as Envoy.

Btw, what I find interesting is that they never talk about the kidnappers when it comes to taking Dixingren back to Dixing, just about Ye Huo himself, so are they all human? There's a scene earlier this episode when they’re following Ye Huo's motorbike and lose him, so they use the black energy detector, and there’s one source that's Ye Huo's and another at the house where the kidnappers are – doesn't that suggest at least some of the boys are Dixingren as well? Am I missing something else?

This is one of my favorite WeiLan scenes, because I love their bantering/bickering/trolling here. It's got a bratty Zhao Yunlan dynamic, but it's balanced by Shen Wei trolling him right back.

They're so in synch! And their bantering is so comfortable and familiar! I love it. :D

I also like that when Zhao Yunlan seems on the verge of taking the couple vibe too far and speaking for the Black-Cloaked Envoy about showing mercy to Yehuo, Shen Wei makes the boundary clear.

YES. This is so important to me. Zhao Yunlan has a tendency to talk over Shen Wei when it comes to Dixing matters that I find a bit uncomfortable at times, but Shen Wei does put a stop to it when it goes too far, and Zhao Yunlan does listen to him.

But he does show mercy and explains why, and I love Zhao Yunlan's reaction because he approves and because he guessed/knew Shen Wei would do so. They are on the same page here, which I enjoy watching so much.

All of this! ♥ ♥ ♥

What do you think Yehuo told Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan on the way? They don't seem surprised at the situation, and they don't act as if they believe that the kidnappers will follow through on their threats. Why?

I think he must have told them enough about the young men he's been protecting – trying to defend them/protect them even now, from the SID/the Envoy – that they could be reasonably sure they weren’t an actual threat. Or they'd have approached the situation very differently. Instead they were more interested in getting them to listen and cooperate rather than capturing them.

Do you accept Shen Wei's account of why there are no schools in Dixing? If so, who rejected his proposals and why?

The Regent, presumably? He seems to be in charge of Dixing internal matters. The Envoy seems to be mainly responsible for law enforcement/judgment, and I assume he doesn't really have a say on other subjects. He even had to intercede with the Regent when it came to showing mercy to the Shadow Man, so he’s not in charge of sentencing either, though he does seem to have some power there.

Were there schools in pre-meteorite ancient times that Shen Wei remembers? Or did he get the idea for schools while being on Haixing as the Black-Cloaked Envoy?

I think probably not. Haixing presumably also had no schools back then. So Shen Wei got the idea from modern-day Haixing.

Do you think Zhao Yunlan's "unprepared and just talking nonsense to stall for time" is true? Or was it a way of defusing the situation? Or getting a read on the kidnappers? All of the above?

I think it was partly stalling for time (because they knew Lao-Chu and Xiao-Guo were on their way), but also, defusing the situation and getting the kidnappers to cooperate, because they didn't actually want to arrest them – they clearly haven’t talked about it before, but I think they were on the same page about that regardless.

[dorinda]

I will say that for all Zhao Yunlan doesn't really get Dixing, he's actually completely correct about Hei Pao Shi's PR problem! Later in the show, a lot of the trouble comes from the garbled whisper networks about him in Dixing-- 'I heard the Envoy is a traitor', 'it was the Envoy who got us stuck down here', 'oh this guy is actually the Envoy, burning the treaty', etc. If only he could have better and more accurate/responsive information channels!

[trobadora]

He definitely has a PR problem, but a Haixingren getting involved in it would probably lead to even more problems on the "he's in league with Haixing and doesn't really care about us" front ...

[china_shop]

I mean, I think Zhao Yunlan has a point in that out of his and Shen Wei's respective politicking styles, Shen Wei seems more likely to me to come at things straight-on and butt heads, which would just make the Regent dig his heels in to preserve his own standing, whereas Zhao Yunlan is more likely to come up with sly/manipulative manoeuvres. So Zhao Yunlan's observing and then privately giving Shen Wei advice and helping him counter-scheme might help? And then Shen Wei's principles and understanding of Dixing and its laws could temper those schemes?

Also, while I'm here:

so they use the black energy detector, and there’s one source that's Ye Huo's and another at the house where the kidnappers are – doesn't that suggest at least some of the boys are Dixingren as well? Am I missing something else?

Could it be Da Qing? I assumed all Ye Huo's followers were humans, or wouldn't Shen Wei have had to take the Dixingren away somewhere?

[trobadora]

Zhao Yunlan giving advice definitely would be likely to help, agreed! If he'd said "I'm going to help you solve your PR problem" I would have had no objections. *g*

Could it be Da Qing? I assumed all Ye Huo's followers were humans, or wouldn't Shen Wei have had to take the Dixingren away somewhere?

Da Qing isn't there, though? At that point, the SID members haven't found the place yet - they discover the two black energy signatures, and SW and ZYL take off after the one (Ye Huo), while Lin Jing and Da Qing take off after the other (which leads them to the house, where they get captured).

And yeah, that's my question exactly! He let Ye Huo off the hook, so he might have let them off the hook too, but at least it should have come up ...

[china_shop]

Da Qing isn't there, though? At that point, the SID members haven't found the place yet - they discover the two black energy signatures, and SW and ZYL take off after the one (Ye Huo), while Lin Jing and Da Qing take off after the other (which leads them to the house, where they get captured).

Oh, right. Then I've got nothing.

[sakana17]

He doesn't say extrajudicial, though, does he?

"Extrajudicial mercy" is from the fansubs QCed by solo. The file I have is dated August 2019; maybe the fansubs have been changed since then. I didn't check to see what Amazon or Viki used. FWIW, the Chinese is 我可以法外开恩。(Wǒ kě yǐ fǎ wài kāi'ēn), which Google translates as "I can do it outside the law" or "I can do something outside the law." 法 means law or rule. Maybe it's more like "I can bend the rules"?

Haixing presumably also had no schools back then. So Shen Wei got the idea from modern-day Haixing.

Oh, actually I meant modern Haixing in my question, but now that I look at it, I see how that's not clear since he was Black-Cloaked Envoy on Haixing in both ancient and modern times. Ugh, I apologize for my stupidity!

[trobadora]

No, you're right, I have no idea how I missed the actual line when I was talking about the meaning of the line ... It does seem to mean literally extrajudicial mercy. Sorry! Hm, then how does that go together with Shen Wei starting out invoking Dixing's rules? Maybe he means he doesn't need to invoke the law? I wish I understood more Chinese!

And no worries, it should have been clear from context. I don't seem to have been very awake writing my comment yesterday!