Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are at one table with Lang-ge and the head of the village; the rest of the SID (minus Wang Zheng and Sang Zan) and Shen Wei's students, Jiajia and xiao-Quan, are at the other table.
I didn't consciously remember this hierarchical distribution, but of course it makes sense.
Shen Wei sips his water and resolutely doesn't intervene, but I think this is when he starts planning to.
He's definitely planning something! Maybe at this point it's just "if he doesn't stop, I need to interfere", but he's paying very close attention to Zhao Yunlan. (No surprise there.)
Unverified, but I found a few websites (like this one) that say toasting or clinking glasses with water is considered bad luck.
Oh, interesting! Though I have to say I never actually questioned Shen Wei snatching Zhao Yunlan's bowl for the toast - it made intuitive sense to me! Which now makes me wonder about the unconscious drinking culture assumptions behind that ... I don't think toasting with water would be considered unlucky here so much as just ... not done? You grab some alcohol for toasting, even if you only take a sip yourself. Not that I have vast experience with toasts, so that may be a very very limited local custom, or it may be very common, and I couldn't tell the difference. *g*
I love how Shen Wei ends up not with his face on the table, but conveniently cushioned by his forearm. It only makes sense, since he must have known he'd pass out. :D
the culmination of a mini-character-arc that's about more than just the Envoy identity reveal
You lay that all out so well - yes, it all comes together beautifully into a coherent arc!
He doesn't reproach Zhao Yunlan for not taking better care of himself or embarrass him by mentioning his stomach condition, and he doesn't undo any of the relationship-building work Zhao Yunlan has done. Instead, Shen Wei uses the custom of offering toasts to appropriate Zhao Yunlan's bowl and drink it himself. This protects Zhao Yunlan twice: 1) it saves him from that particular drink, and 2) Shen Wei must know he'll immediately fall unconscious, giving Zhao Yunlan an excuse to leave the table.
YES to all this! :D
I remember back in 2018 or so (relatively early after I'd watched the drama, anyway), I read a post which sort of scolded Shen Wei for a poorly planned intervention - taking Zhao Yunlan's drink on impulse without considering that he'd pass out right after. And I don't know if that's a thing that perhaps applies in the novel, but it certainly doesn't here - I can't see it that way at all. He clearly knows what he's doing! He's thinking about it in advance, not just reacting emotionally! Giving Zhao Yunlan an excuse to leave is crucial, so passing out is part of the plan! (Oh, Shen Wei, self-sacrificial plans all the way down. *g*)
(Apologies for indignant exclamation marks three years after the fact, LOL.)
It's a very deliberate way of protecting Zhao Yunlan and letting Zhao Yunlan take care of him, levelling the playing field between them...
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! That's why it's so great! ♥
He's probably done more for Zhao Yunlan than anyone but Da Qing. But I think it's this selfless, thoughtful, slightly dorkily enacted move that tips Zhao Yunlan into deciding he can trust Shen Wei (and in my preferred reading of the next scene, into admitting to himself that he's in love).
I love that interpretation! I totally agree that, while the Envoy reveal sort of overshadows it, it's this self-sacrificial play that has a huge part in convincing Zhao Yunlan he can trust Shen Wei.
Do you think Zhao Yunlan being relatively young for a leadership role feeds in to his determination to keep up with the drinking? Or is it just who he is, good at the social side of things and networking while neglecting his own well-being?
I'm not sure his age has much to do with it, so much as his personal issues - his pride and his need to prove himself competent and his Zhao Xinci issues. He mellows a lot over the next year or so (the space until the end of the drama), but it's not about growing older; it's about being in a situation, with people (with Shen Wei), who allow him to feel more secure in himself and have less need to maintain a front out of sheer self-defence ...
Do Jiajia and xiao-Quan make a fuss about their professor falling unconscious, or are they too busy partying?
I can't imagine them just ignoring it while Zhao Yunlan lugs an unconscious Shen Wei back inside! Maybe it's Jiajia who goes for the IV? And not that it matters, but it occurs to me that this incident is not likely to make the students think well of the company Shen Wei is keeping. *g*
Also, if it's Zhao Yunlan carrying Shen Wei, it has to be piggyback; no way could he manage any other way. (Now, Shen Wei totally could pull off a princess carry ... In fact, I feel deprived that we never got to see that. :p)
no subject
I didn't consciously remember this hierarchical distribution, but of course it makes sense.
Shen Wei sips his water and resolutely doesn't intervene, but I think this is when he starts planning to.
He's definitely planning something! Maybe at this point it's just "if he doesn't stop, I need to interfere", but he's paying very close attention to Zhao Yunlan. (No surprise there.)
Unverified, but I found a few websites (like this one) that say toasting or clinking glasses with water is considered bad luck.
Oh, interesting! Though I have to say I never actually questioned Shen Wei snatching Zhao Yunlan's bowl for the toast - it made intuitive sense to me! Which now makes me wonder about the unconscious drinking culture assumptions behind that ... I don't think toasting with water would be considered unlucky here so much as just ... not done? You grab some alcohol for toasting, even if you only take a sip yourself. Not that I have vast experience with toasts, so that may be a very very limited local custom, or it may be very common, and I couldn't tell the difference. *g*
I love how Shen Wei ends up not with his face on the table, but conveniently cushioned by his forearm. It only makes sense, since he must have known he'd pass out. :D
the culmination of a mini-character-arc that's about more than just the Envoy identity reveal
You lay that all out so well - yes, it all comes together beautifully into a coherent arc!
He doesn't reproach Zhao Yunlan for not taking better care of himself or embarrass him by mentioning his stomach condition, and he doesn't undo any of the relationship-building work Zhao Yunlan has done. Instead, Shen Wei uses the custom of offering toasts to appropriate Zhao Yunlan's bowl and drink it himself. This protects Zhao Yunlan twice: 1) it saves him from that particular drink, and 2) Shen Wei must know he'll immediately fall unconscious, giving Zhao Yunlan an excuse to leave the table.
YES to all this! :D
I remember back in 2018 or so (relatively early after I'd watched the drama, anyway), I read a post which sort of scolded Shen Wei for a poorly planned intervention - taking Zhao Yunlan's drink on impulse without considering that he'd pass out right after. And I don't know if that's a thing that perhaps applies in the novel, but it certainly doesn't here - I can't see it that way at all. He clearly knows what he's doing! He's thinking about it in advance, not just reacting emotionally! Giving Zhao Yunlan an excuse to leave is crucial, so passing out is part of the plan! (Oh, Shen Wei, self-sacrificial plans all the way down. *g*)
(Apologies for indignant exclamation marks three years after the fact, LOL.)
It's a very deliberate way of protecting Zhao Yunlan and letting Zhao Yunlan take care of him, levelling the playing field between them...
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! That's why it's so great! ♥
He's probably done more for Zhao Yunlan than anyone but Da Qing. But I think it's this selfless, thoughtful, slightly dorkily enacted move that tips Zhao Yunlan into deciding he can trust Shen Wei (and in my preferred reading of the next scene, into admitting to himself that he's in love).
I love that interpretation! I totally agree that, while the Envoy reveal sort of overshadows it, it's this self-sacrificial play that has a huge part in convincing Zhao Yunlan he can trust Shen Wei.
Do you think Zhao Yunlan being relatively young for a leadership role feeds in to his determination to keep up with the drinking? Or is it just who he is, good at the social side of things and networking while neglecting his own well-being?
I'm not sure his age has much to do with it, so much as his personal issues - his pride and his need to prove himself competent and his Zhao Xinci issues. He mellows a lot over the next year or so (the space until the end of the drama), but it's not about growing older; it's about being in a situation, with people (with Shen Wei), who allow him to feel more secure in himself and have less need to maintain a front out of sheer self-defence ...
Do Jiajia and xiao-Quan make a fuss about their professor falling unconscious, or are they too busy partying?
I can't imagine them just ignoring it while Zhao Yunlan lugs an unconscious Shen Wei back inside! Maybe it's Jiajia who goes for the IV? And not that it matters, but it occurs to me that this incident is not likely to make the students think well of the company Shen Wei is keeping. *g*
Also, if it's Zhao Yunlan carrying Shen Wei, it has to be piggyback; no way could he manage any other way. (Now, Shen Wei totally could pull off a princess carry ... In fact, I feel deprived that we never got to see that. :p)