Ahh thank you so much for this comment!! I love that you responded to so many parts of the post! <3
Maybe "chasing him"?
Ooh I like that!
Also, similar to what we were saying about Zhu Hong, Da Qing's response is kinda off here too. Like literally he is being, Oooh Yunlan just got a call from a GIRL! As if they are in middle school or something xD To me it only seems to make sense if he is trying to provoke Zhu Hong on purpose here, but then again Zhu Hong's response seems to confirm this means something...
Actually here's a new thought — do you think Da Qing already knows that Zhao Yunlan is planning the book con at this point, and that's why he is so sure this is gossip worthy?
I'm not sure here whether she's saying it's not strange that it's a girl (implying he's been interested in women in the past, and therefore she herself has a chance), or it's not strange that the woman has called him (implying he's attractive/worth chasing, and her own feelings are justified). What do you think?
Good point! I hadn't thought that it was referring to him being interested in women — I had kinda just taken for granted that the entire SID knew about his sexuality already. I've always thought it meant that there was always people chasing after him, so it isn't surprising to see that there's one more.
This makes me wonder how much Da Qing knows (or has deduced) about ZYL's feelings, intentions and scheme. Maybe Da Qing was there when ZYL cleared the appointment with Minister Gao?
Yeah this is an odd one, since in the next scene it sounds like ZYL is telling DQ about recruiting SW for the first time?
Would "obsessing" fit?
Hmm 惦记 is a softer feeling than obsessing. It doesn't have to be romantic either. It speaks to a level of care, and I would say even longing in a sense.
But at the same time, I think this is probably as indiscreet as Da Qing gets about Zhao Yunlan. I doubt there's any "he brought someone home last night" kind of talk. (Now I'm wondering whether the rest of the team know about the state of ZYL's apartment, ha!)
Yes I agree! I think Da Qing is similar to ZYL in the way that he appears really nonchalant but does put care into things (although more so for ZYL on the latter point, I think). But I do think DQ would absolutely complain to the SID about ZYL being a slob xD
I really like the ambiguity around ZYL's romantic history in the drama. I started off following the fannish trend of making him experienced (as per the novel) in fic, but I do like mixing it up a bit, and I've written fic where he's a virgin. I can totally buy either reading of him. I think his saying in episode 40 that he's stayed single for 20 years (implied: so he won't leave a grieving family behind when he inevitably dies on the job) explains why he might have abstained from relationships, or why he might just have avoided serious ones. :-)
I think he also has core feelings of worthlessness in interpersonal relationships, stemming from what happened with his mother and his father being who he is, and that is A LOT for anyone else to deal with.
Yes I also like the fact that we have room to play around with his romantic history. I find experienced and shamelessly flirty ZYL VERY fun to write, but I also like exploring the opposite as well. (Or well, I think he flirts a lot either way, but it depends if he does it with genuine intent or not.)
The idea of him avoiding relationships because he thinks he's going to die on the job is interesting. When I watched the scene, I had thought he was just being his usual glib self and playing off the risk as not that significant, but now that I think about it I can see this too. It matches, too, with what he tells Zhu Hong about not having expected things to end well for him since he took over as SID chief. Given what Zhao Xinci's SID job did to his parents, I can absolutely see him thinking this way. (Which brings to question why he became SID chief in the first place, and whether it was a position he applied for or if he was picked for it.)
The way that I read ZYL is that his lack of success with serious relationships was not really his choice. I felt like there was a kind of resignation when he talks about himself not being made for love that suggests he may have tried but it never worked out (probably because of the ton of emotional baggage, poor boy) — although you could definitely interpret that a number of different ways.
As for his feelings for Shen Wei, I think at this point he's very much enjoying the flirtation and pursuit, and he doesn't realise how serious it is for him until he strikes out with the books -- at which point it hits him in a sickening oh crap! moment, and he goes and makes himself sick to try to climb back into denial. *pets him*
OH! I had never thought of drinking himself to being sick as being a reaction to the failure with the books. I like this idea. I think of him waking up the next morning to find SW has been there as an "aha" moment, and I think this makes that even more fun — he gets himself drunk to hide from his feelings, only for it to lead him directly back to SW and more feelings.
Edit: Oops I meant to respond to this too, not sure how I missed it when writing the post.
Can I ask what the exception is? (Is it her reaction to the phone call at the start of this scene, or something else I'm not thinking of right now?) No worries if you'd rather not say.
It's the scene in the car where SW and ZYL says that she's still immature. There is no basis for that? What's the immaturity — that she likes someone who doesn't like her back? I love weilan of course, but is waiting for someone for 10,000 years and stalking your romantic interest more mature?
no subject
Maybe "chasing him"?
Ooh I like that!
Also, similar to what we were saying about Zhu Hong, Da Qing's response is kinda off here too. Like literally he is being, Oooh Yunlan just got a call from a GIRL! As if they are in middle school or something xD To me it only seems to make sense if he is trying to provoke Zhu Hong on purpose here, but then again Zhu Hong's response seems to confirm this means something...
Actually here's a new thought — do you think Da Qing already knows that Zhao Yunlan is planning the book con at this point, and that's why he is so sure this is gossip worthy?
I'm not sure here whether she's saying it's not strange that it's a girl (implying he's been interested in women in the past, and therefore she herself has a chance), or it's not strange that the woman has called him (implying he's attractive/worth chasing, and her own feelings are justified). What do you think?
Good point! I hadn't thought that it was referring to him being interested in women — I had kinda just taken for granted that the entire SID knew about his sexuality already. I've always thought it meant that there was always people chasing after him, so it isn't surprising to see that there's one more.
This makes me wonder how much Da Qing knows (or has deduced) about ZYL's feelings, intentions and scheme. Maybe Da Qing was there when ZYL cleared the appointment with Minister Gao?
Yeah this is an odd one, since in the next scene it sounds like ZYL is telling DQ about recruiting SW for the first time?
Would "obsessing" fit?
Hmm 惦记 is a softer feeling than obsessing. It doesn't have to be romantic either. It speaks to a level of care, and I would say even longing in a sense.
But at the same time, I think this is probably as indiscreet as Da Qing gets about Zhao Yunlan. I doubt there's any "he brought someone home last night" kind of talk. (Now I'm wondering whether the rest of the team know about the state of ZYL's apartment, ha!)
Yes I agree! I think Da Qing is similar to ZYL in the way that he appears really nonchalant but does put care into things (although more so for ZYL on the latter point, I think). But I do think DQ would absolutely complain to the SID about ZYL being a slob xD
I really like the ambiguity around ZYL's romantic history in the drama. I started off following the fannish trend of making him experienced (as per the novel) in fic, but I do like mixing it up a bit, and I've written fic where he's a virgin. I can totally buy either reading of him. I think his saying in episode 40 that he's stayed single for 20 years (implied: so he won't leave a grieving family behind when he inevitably dies on the job) explains why he might have abstained from relationships, or why he might just have avoided serious ones. :-)
I think he also has core feelings of worthlessness in interpersonal relationships, stemming from what happened with his mother and his father being who he is, and that is A LOT for anyone else to deal with.
Yes I also like the fact that we have room to play around with his romantic history. I find experienced and shamelessly flirty ZYL VERY fun to write, but I also like exploring the opposite as well. (Or well, I think he flirts a lot either way, but it depends if he does it with genuine intent or not.)
The idea of him avoiding relationships because he thinks he's going to die on the job is interesting. When I watched the scene, I had thought he was just being his usual glib self and playing off the risk as not that significant, but now that I think about it I can see this too. It matches, too, with what he tells Zhu Hong about not having expected things to end well for him since he took over as SID chief. Given what Zhao Xinci's SID job did to his parents, I can absolutely see him thinking this way. (Which brings to question why he became SID chief in the first place, and whether it was a position he applied for or if he was picked for it.)
The way that I read ZYL is that his lack of success with serious relationships was not really his choice. I felt like there was a kind of resignation when he talks about himself not being made for love that suggests he may have tried but it never worked out (probably because of the ton of emotional baggage, poor boy) — although you could definitely interpret that a number of different ways.
As for his feelings for Shen Wei, I think at this point he's very much enjoying the flirtation and pursuit, and he doesn't realise how serious it is for him until he strikes out with the books -- at which point it hits him in a sickening oh crap! moment, and he goes and makes himself sick to try to climb back into denial. *pets him*
OH! I had never thought of drinking himself to being sick as being a reaction to the failure with the books. I like this idea. I think of him waking up the next morning to find SW has been there as an "aha" moment, and I think this makes that even more fun — he gets himself drunk to hide from his feelings, only for it to lead him directly back to SW and more feelings.
Edit: Oops I meant to respond to this too, not sure how I missed it when writing the post.
Can I ask what the exception is? (Is it her reaction to the phone call at the start of this scene, or something else I'm not thinking of right now?) No worries if you'd rather not say.
It's the scene in the car where SW and ZYL says that she's still immature. There is no basis for that? What's the immaturity — that she likes someone who doesn't like her back? I love weilan of course, but is waiting for someone for 10,000 years and stalking your romantic interest more mature?