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sid_guardian2022-08-20 10:16 am
china_shop) wrote in sid_guardian2022-08-20 10:16 am
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Ep 6: Shen Wei and the chancellor talk about Li Qian, and Zhao Yunlan shows up
This post covers two small adjoining scenes: Shen Wei reproaching the university chancellor for letting Li Qian drop out, and Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan walking the hallways together directly afterwards.
This scene begins with the chancellor turned away from Shen Wei, despite their being mid-conversation. It's a far cry from the polite discussion over tea cups near the start of the previous episode.
Chancellor: Li Qian wanted to quit school. It was her own will.
休学是李茜同学她自己的意思
She completed all the papers to leave school.
休学手续也是她自己办的
Clearly the chancellor didn't notify Shen Wei before allowing the paperwork to be processed, and for some reason, Li Qian didn't discuss it with Shen Wei either.
Shen Wei: How could you let a student fill out papers to quit school?
你怎么能让学生自己办理退学呢
Shen Wei is standing formally, hands folded in front of him, presumably having barged in to protest as soon as he heard the news. (Which explains the lack of tea.) And now he's scolding the chancellor, his boss and apparent senior. The shot switches to close-up, and we see Shen Wei's frustration as he looks away to huff slightly and switches tactics, trying to appeal to the chancellor's reasonableness.
Shen Wei (cont.): Li Qian has a special family situation. We should contact her parents first, take into consideration her emotions, and then —
李茜的家里情况比较特殊 我们因该先联系一下她的家长 照顾一下她的情绪 然后我们再去
Chancellor: (adjusts his glasses while Shen Wei is speaking, avoiding his gaze, then interrupts) I know what you mean. Li Qian's situation is indeed special.
我明白 李茜这个事件 是有些情况
Shen Wei falls silent.
Zhao Yunlan arrives outside the office, but neither Shen Wei nor the chancellor seem to notice.
Chancellor (cont): But I think that with her present situation, it's not suitable for her to continue studying.
但是我感觉就她目前的状况 他不适合再继续学习
(The original subs translate this as “she is not suitable for studying.” Google translate gives me “But I don't think she's fit to continue studying in her current state.” Anyone have an opinion on this line? How much is he casting aspersions on her?)
Shen Wei: *is quiet for six seconds, reacting and adjusting to defeat*
Shen Wei: (in a politer tone of voice) Principal, I'll get going. *bows*
校长 我先走了
There are various ways you could interpret this scene. Maybe it doesn't have any deeper meaning beyond what's in the fairly innocuous dialogue. But personally, I'm inclined to read it as the chancellor implying he encouraged Li Qian to leave — or at least, didn't dissuade her — because of her being a person of interest in a SID case (“Li Qian's situation is indeed special”) and, by extension, because of her brush with dark energy and Dixingren.
We know the chancellor has form in this area. He asked Shen Wei to move out of the teachers' dorms because of his perceived association with the SID. And if I'm right, this scene would work as foreshadowing for their next meeting, after Shen Wei officially becomes a consultant for the SID.
Anyway, I feel like there's an implicit “be careful” in this conversation, and a resistance to the presence of strange/special goings on, and it's that which silences Shen Wei and causes him to retreat, first into silence, then politeness, and then by physically leaving.
I think this screencap beautifully encapsulates Shen Wei's dilemma — caught equidistant between the chancellor of the resolutely respectable university, on the one hand, and Zhao Yunlan chief of the SID, skulking outside, on the other.
Shen Wei emerges from the chancellor's office, sees Zhao Yunlan there without much apparent surprise, and they start walking together.
Shen Wei: Li Qian's family had problems a long time ago. I am her teacher, but I didn't notice any problem beforehand.
李茜的家里早就出了问题 我却没能发现自己学上的不对
Given we literally saw him sit down with Li Qian in episode 1 and ask how she was doing, I feel like there has to be more to this than he's saying. Does he mean even earlier?
Zhao Yunlan: (puts his hand on Shen Wei's shoulder) Your shoulders aren't broader than the ocean, so why are you trying to bear everything yourself?
你这肩也没比海还宽啊 什么都往上扛
Shen Wei: If a student is undisciplined, it's the teacher's fault.
教不严师之惰
(Does anyone have any insight into this phrase? Google isn't giving me anything, and the Yabla dictionary doesn't have it as an idiom, but the translated elements there suggest it's more like “if the teacher isn't strict, their students are lazy”? I'm not sure how this relates to Li Qian, since she was far from lazy or undisciplined! So could it perhaps be an idiom to the effect of “the buck stops here [with the teacher]”?)
Zhao Yunlan: (lets go of Shen Wei's shoulder)
Shen Wei (cont): If only I discovered it earlier, I... (breaks off) Never mind.
如果我能早一点发现的话 我 算了 不说了
I think this is the nub of it. I think Shen Wei is reproaching himself for not noticing the Longevity Dial sooner. It was right under his nose, a burden to Li Qian, quite possibly compromising her life force, and definitely putting her in danger, and he of all people never noticed! But he can't say that to Zhao Yunlan, because why would an ordinary Haixingren professor have recognised one of the Hallows?
Zhao Yunlan, meanwhile, notices that Shen Wei cuts himself off, but he doesn't push it.
Zhao Yunlan: It must be such a pleasure to be your student. How is Li Qian right now?
能做你的学生 可真的是幸福啊 李茜现在怎么样了
Shen Wei: She is resting at home. With these kinds of things happening, no one could be all right in a short period of time.
发生这样的事情 在短期之内 任谁都无法释怀吧 她现在在家休养呢
Zhao Yunlan: It is good for her to be alone for a while. I hope that she will make it through. I'll go visit her after she has calmed down.
一个人静静也挺好的 真希望他可以早日振作起来 等她心理平复一些之后呢 我再去看她
Shen Wei: (nods and turns to him) Let's hope that no one will bother her for this period of time.
希望在这段时间里不会才有人去打扰她
Zhao Yunlan: Mm. (nods)
Shen Wei: (checks his watch) I have a class. I have to go now.
我要去上课了 我先走了
Zhao Yunlan: Okay.
好
Zhao Yunlan: (watches him leave)
Thoughts and questions
Thoughts, reactions, fanwork recs (anything involving the chancellor?), or anything else related to this scene welcome!
Context
The last time Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan saw each other, before this scene, was when Zhao Yunlan consulted Shen Wei about the Mirror Girl case (when Shen Wei says “[This is] the first time that you think this case is not related to me and are coming to see me for an information consultation”). That consultation is cosy and warm. But since then Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing have searched Shen Wei's flat and found the SID file, and Zhao Yunlan has sent a query to the Dixing archives and the thank-you spy banner to Shen Wei. His suspicions are running high, and Shen Wei knows about the flat-searching, so he must be aware of that.The scene with the chancellor
This is the second of three conversations between Shen Wei and the chancellor. The first is in ep 5, when the chancellor suggests Shen Wei should move out of the teachers' dorms. The third is in ep 17, when he tries to make Shen Wei choose between professoring and consulting for the SID.This scene begins with the chancellor turned away from Shen Wei, despite their being mid-conversation. It's a far cry from the polite discussion over tea cups near the start of the previous episode.
Chancellor: Li Qian wanted to quit school. It was her own will.
休学是李茜同学她自己的意思
She completed all the papers to leave school.
休学手续也是她自己办的
Clearly the chancellor didn't notify Shen Wei before allowing the paperwork to be processed, and for some reason, Li Qian didn't discuss it with Shen Wei either.
Shen Wei: How could you let a student fill out papers to quit school?
你怎么能让学生自己办理退学呢
Shen Wei is standing formally, hands folded in front of him, presumably having barged in to protest as soon as he heard the news. (Which explains the lack of tea.) And now he's scolding the chancellor, his boss and apparent senior. The shot switches to close-up, and we see Shen Wei's frustration as he looks away to huff slightly and switches tactics, trying to appeal to the chancellor's reasonableness.
Shen Wei (cont.): Li Qian has a special family situation. We should contact her parents first, take into consideration her emotions, and then —
李茜的家里情况比较特殊 我们因该先联系一下她的家长 照顾一下她的情绪 然后我们再去
Chancellor: (adjusts his glasses while Shen Wei is speaking, avoiding his gaze, then interrupts) I know what you mean. Li Qian's situation is indeed special.
我明白 李茜这个事件 是有些情况
Shen Wei falls silent.
Zhao Yunlan arrives outside the office, but neither Shen Wei nor the chancellor seem to notice.
Chancellor (cont): But I think that with her present situation, it's not suitable for her to continue studying.
但是我感觉就她目前的状况 他不适合再继续学习
(The original subs translate this as “she is not suitable for studying.” Google translate gives me “But I don't think she's fit to continue studying in her current state.” Anyone have an opinion on this line? How much is he casting aspersions on her?)
Shen Wei: *is quiet for six seconds, reacting and adjusting to defeat*
Shen Wei: (in a politer tone of voice) Principal, I'll get going. *bows*
校长 我先走了
There are various ways you could interpret this scene. Maybe it doesn't have any deeper meaning beyond what's in the fairly innocuous dialogue. But personally, I'm inclined to read it as the chancellor implying he encouraged Li Qian to leave — or at least, didn't dissuade her — because of her being a person of interest in a SID case (“Li Qian's situation is indeed special”) and, by extension, because of her brush with dark energy and Dixingren.
We know the chancellor has form in this area. He asked Shen Wei to move out of the teachers' dorms because of his perceived association with the SID. And if I'm right, this scene would work as foreshadowing for their next meeting, after Shen Wei officially becomes a consultant for the SID.
Anyway, I feel like there's an implicit “be careful” in this conversation, and a resistance to the presence of strange/special goings on, and it's that which silences Shen Wei and causes him to retreat, first into silence, then politeness, and then by physically leaving.
I think this screencap beautifully encapsulates Shen Wei's dilemma — caught equidistant between the chancellor of the resolutely respectable university, on the one hand, and Zhao Yunlan chief of the SID, skulking outside, on the other.
The scene in the hallway
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan walk the university hallways together, continuing the conversation. Shen Wei seems to assume Zhao Yunlan has context — or he's too upset to care that his concerns might not make any sense if Zhao Yunlan didn't overhear the meeting. This is an unusually serious scene for them, almost sombre. Zhao Yunlan makes a couple of half-hearted attempts at compliments/flirting, but neither of them are really in the mood.Shen Wei emerges from the chancellor's office, sees Zhao Yunlan there without much apparent surprise, and they start walking together.
Shen Wei: Li Qian's family had problems a long time ago. I am her teacher, but I didn't notice any problem beforehand.
李茜的家里早就出了问题 我却没能发现自己学上的不对
Given we literally saw him sit down with Li Qian in episode 1 and ask how she was doing, I feel like there has to be more to this than he's saying. Does he mean even earlier?
Zhao Yunlan: (puts his hand on Shen Wei's shoulder) Your shoulders aren't broader than the ocean, so why are you trying to bear everything yourself?
你这肩也没比海还宽啊 什么都往上扛
Shen Wei: If a student is undisciplined, it's the teacher's fault.
教不严师之惰
(Does anyone have any insight into this phrase? Google isn't giving me anything, and the Yabla dictionary doesn't have it as an idiom, but the translated elements there suggest it's more like “if the teacher isn't strict, their students are lazy”? I'm not sure how this relates to Li Qian, since she was far from lazy or undisciplined! So could it perhaps be an idiom to the effect of “the buck stops here [with the teacher]”?)
Zhao Yunlan: (lets go of Shen Wei's shoulder)
Shen Wei (cont): If only I discovered it earlier, I... (breaks off) Never mind.
如果我能早一点发现的话 我 算了 不说了
I think this is the nub of it. I think Shen Wei is reproaching himself for not noticing the Longevity Dial sooner. It was right under his nose, a burden to Li Qian, quite possibly compromising her life force, and definitely putting her in danger, and he of all people never noticed! But he can't say that to Zhao Yunlan, because why would an ordinary Haixingren professor have recognised one of the Hallows?
Zhao Yunlan, meanwhile, notices that Shen Wei cuts himself off, but he doesn't push it.
Zhao Yunlan: It must be such a pleasure to be your student. How is Li Qian right now?
能做你的学生 可真的是幸福啊 李茜现在怎么样了
Shen Wei: She is resting at home. With these kinds of things happening, no one could be all right in a short period of time.
发生这样的事情 在短期之内 任谁都无法释怀吧 她现在在家休养呢
Zhao Yunlan: It is good for her to be alone for a while. I hope that she will make it through. I'll go visit her after she has calmed down.
一个人静静也挺好的 真希望他可以早日振作起来 等她心理平复一些之后呢 我再去看她
Shen Wei: (nods and turns to him) Let's hope that no one will bother her for this period of time.
希望在这段时间里不会才有人去打扰她
Zhao Yunlan: Mm. (nods)
Shen Wei: (checks his watch) I have a class. I have to go now.
我要去上课了 我先走了
Zhao Yunlan: Okay.
好
Zhao Yunlan: (watches him leave)
Thoughts and questions
- How do you think Shen Wei found out Li Qian had dropped out? He tells Zhao Yunlan how she's doing — did he visit her? Did one of the other students tell him? Did the chancellor notify him after the fact, perhaps in writing?
- Did Li Qian really want to quit university? Do you think the chancellor might have used Shen Wei's position and reputation as leverage, and that's why she didn't consult her professor before dropping out? (This is pure speculation on my part.)
- What is the chancellor's agenda during this scene with Shen Wei? How much is he prejudiced against strange goings on (not wholly unreasonably, given the body count), and how much does he just object to one of his junior professors bursting in to reprimand him?
- Why does Shen Wei stop arguing with the chancellor? Does he realise it's pointless, recognise that his own position is potentially at risk, or both? Or something else?
- How much did Zhao Yunlan pick up of their meeting, and what did he make of it? Why is he even there? (Oh! Maybe he showed up to speak on Li Qian's behalf, but realised while listening in that the SID's support would do Li Qian more harm than good?)
- Shen Wei talks about contacting Li Qian's parents, but the doctor at the hospital (episode 2) didn't seem to think she had other family. Thoughts?
- When Shen Wei says, "Li Qian's family had problems a long time ago," is he referring to her grandmother's near-death experience a year ago, when Li Qian saved her with the Dial, or do you think it's something else?
- Do you have any thoughts or feelings about the chancellor overall? (I feel like his job is to protect the reputation of the university, and there have been a lot of Unexplained Incidents involving the murders of multiple students lately. And the SID is hanging around a lot. So it's natural for his response to be to try and remove any trace of potential trouble from his campus. I don't agree with his decisions, but I can see why he's making them. It's the kind of role that invites conservatism.) (Speaking of which, I wonder if this is what Zhao Yunlan was thinking of during the conversation outside Ye Huo's house in ep 18, when he says Shen Wei's proposals for a school in Dixing were rejected because Shen Wei doesn't put himself in the shoes of the decisionmakers. Does he think in the above scene that Shen Wei could have made a better case for Li Qian, taking into account the chancellor's concerns?)
- Shen Wei goes slightly “innocent wide-eyed professor” at the end of his conversation with Zhao Yunlan. By hoping “no one will bother her,” does he mean Dixingren, or people generally, or is this his way of saying “please be gentle with her; no interrogations!”?
Thoughts, reactions, fanwork recs (anything involving the chancellor?), or anything else related to this scene welcome!
no subject
Clearly the chancellor didn't notify Shen Wei before allowing the paperwork to be processed, and for some reason, Li Qian didn't discuss it with Shen Wei either.
I think Li Qian at this point is essentially in hiding, emotionally speaking, and doesn't feel like she has spoons to discuss things with Professor Shen - in part probably becasue doesn't want to burden him with her problems, and is worried about disappointing him.
But personally, I'm inclined to read it as the chancellor implying he encouraged Li Qian to leave — or at least, didn't dissuade her — because of her being a person of interest in a SID case (“Li Qian's situation is indeed special”) and, by extension, because of her brush with dark energy and Dixingren.
Yeah, that makes perfect sense to me, in the context of the rest of the chancellor's behaviour, and I read it as foreshadowing too.
Anyway, I feel like there's an implicit “be careful” in this conversation
I don't think he's consciously trying to warn Shen Wei away? He probably thinks Shen Wei will see things his way if he just thinks about it. (Just like I don't think he ever expected Shen Wei to actually resign from the university when presented with the choice to either quit the SID or the university.) But Shen Wei definitely recognises he's not going to get anywhere with this right now.
I think this screencap beautifully encapsulates Shen Wei's dilemma — caught equidistant between the chancellor of the resolutely respectable university, on the one hand, and Zhao Yunlan chief of the SID, skulking outside, on the other.
Yes, that's a really well constructed shot!
Does anyone have any insight into this phrase? Google isn't giving me anything, and the Yabla dictionary doesn't have it as an idiom, but the translated elements there suggest it's more like “if the teacher isn't strict, their students are lazy”?
No, it's more like "if the teaching isn't strict, the teacher is lazy".
教不严师之惰 does seem to be a quote and an established expression. Here is a question/answer about it.
How do you think Shen Wei found out Li Qian had dropped out? He tells Zhao Yunlan how she's doing — did he visit her? Did one of the other students tell him? Did the chancellor notify him after the fact, perhaps in writing?
I think he's been visiting her, but she didn't tell him, and he found out from some piece of administrative paperwork, which then immediately sent him to the chancellor.
Did Li Qian really want to quit university? Do you think the chancellor might have used Shen Wei's position and reputation as leverage, and that's why she didn't consult her professor before dropping out? (This is pure speculation on my part.)
I think she needed a break, and didn't have the energy/nerves to negotiate it, so it was easier to drop out. And the chancellor at the very least failed her by not helping her, because he did want to be rid of her. Because problems, especially visible problems, and ESPECIALLY especially problems related to weird stuff like the SID's investigations, are something he wants to push out of sight. (And out of mind.) Bad image, you know.
What is the chancellor's agenda during this scene with Shen Wei? How much is he prejudiced against strange goings on (not wholly unreasonably, given the body count), and how much does he just object to one of his junior professors bursting in to reprimand him?
I think he thinks Shen Wei is being overly emotional and unreasonable, and he'll surely see reason once the chancellor tells him to!
Why does Shen Wei stop arguing with the chancellor? Does he realise it's pointless, recognise that his own position is potentially at risk, or both? Or something else?
IMO he recognises he's not getting anywhere right now, and since the paperwork is a done deal and the chancellor is not budging, he'll need to talk to Li Qian first to see how he can help her.
How much did Zhao Yunlan pick up of their meeting, and what did he make of it? Why is he even there? (Oh! Maybe he showed up to speak on Li Qian's behalf, but realised while listening in that the SID's support would do Li Qian more harm than good?)
I think he heard enough to understand what's going on. But I can't see why he'd be there for Li Qian; it would be pretty weird if he knew about her leaving before Shen Wei did? Not sure why he's there, but maybe he was just visiting to try and poke at Shen Wei's secrets a bit more.
Shen Wei talks about contacting Li Qian's parents, but the doctor at the hospital (episode 2) didn't seem to think she had other family. Thoughts?
The Chinese actually says 家长, which is head of household or guardian, not parents. Not sure who that might be.
When Shen Wei says, "Li Qian's family had problems a long time ago," is he referring to her grandmother's near-death experience a year ago, when Li Qian saved her with the Dial, or do you think it's something else?
Yeah, I think it's about Li Qian's use of the Sundial and everything that followed.
(I think what the Chinese actually says is that her family already had problems earlier (i.e. that they didn't start just recently with the Dixingren attack); there's nothing about "a long time ago" in the Chinese. And Shen Wei did notice she had problems, but he seems to be blaming himself for not picking up on them earlier. After all they found out she used the Sundial a year ago, and I didn't get the impression from episode 1 that he'd been trying to get her to open up for very long.)
I feel like his job is to protect the reputation of the university, and there have been a lot of Unexplained Incidents involving the murders of multiple students lately. And the SID is hanging around a lot. So it's natural for his response to be to try and remove any trace of potential trouble from his campus. I don't agree with his decisions, but I can see why he's making them.
Yeah. He's clearly failing his students if this is his general approach to problems, but it's very consistent with his role. A pretty common failure, probably.
Does he think in the above scene that Shen Wei could have made a better case for Li Qian, taking into account the chancellor's concerns?
I don't think so, in this case? I mean, I don't see what Shen Wei could have said or done that might actually have changed the chancellor's mind here.
By hoping “no one will bother her,” does he mean Dixingren, or people generally, or is this his way of saying “please be gentle with her; no interrogations!”?
Yeah, that's how I read it - it was a warning for Zhao Yunlan, since Zhao Yunaln mentioned visiting her.
no subject
但是我感觉就她目前的状况 他不适合再继续学习
(The original subs translate this as “she is not suitable for studying.” Google translate gives me “But I don't think she's fit to continue studying in her current state.” Anyone have an opinion on this line? How much is he casting aspersions on her?)
I think the Google translate version is probably right, and he doesn't outright cast aspersions on her. But "her current state" covers a lot, you know? It's a more subtle insinuation, I think.
no subject
Poor Li Qian...
no subject
I think Li Qian at this point is essentially in hiding, emotionally speaking, and doesn't feel like she has spoons to discuss things with Professor Shen - in part probably because doesn't want to burden him with her problems, and is worried about disappointing him.
Yeah, agreed. I was wondering if she might have turned to him for advice if she hadn't felt that would disadvantage him in some way, though. As the (possibly) sole remaining adult in her life. Maybe she picked up on the chancellor's "the SID is disreputable" vibe and had heard through the grapevine that Shen Wei has been seen around campus with Zhao Yunlan, and that made it a difficult subject to bring up?
Yeah, that makes perfect sense to me, in the context of the rest of the chancellor's behaviour, and I read it as foreshadowing too.
\o/ (And also /o\. Poor Li Qing!)
I don't think he's consciously trying to warn Shen Wei away? He probably thinks Shen Wei will see things his way if he just thinks about it.
Maybe, although he must be able to tell that Shen Wei is one of those "fervently concerned for their students to the point of coddling" kind of professors, especially about his favourites. But also, the chancellor doesn't have to intend it that way for that to be what Shen Wei hears, right? It makes it pretty clear that association with the SID/Dixing-y things is disadvantageous...
No, it's more like "if the teaching isn't strict, the teacher is lazy".
Ah, okay. So a kind of "teaching is a big responsibility, and I've fallen down on it"? Thanks! (I looked at that quora page, but the first answer was someone using google translate, and I missed the second. Doh!)
I think she needed a break, and didn't have the energy/nerves to negotiate it, so it was easier to drop out.
*nodnod* *wonders where the counselling services are, maybe they don't have those*
I think she needed a break, and didn't have the energy/nerves to negotiate it, so it was easier to drop out. And the chancellor at the very least failed her by not helping her, because he did want to be rid of her. Because problems, especially visible problems, and ESPECIALLY especially problems related to weird stuff like the SID's investigations, are something he wants to push out of sight. (And out of mind.) Bad image, you know.
Yes, that.
IMO he recognises he's not getting anywhere right now, and since the paperwork is a done deal and the chancellor is not budging, he'll need to talk to Li Qian first to see how he can help her.
This makes me wonder how much he was involved in her starting to work at the lab with Prof Zhou... Might he have mentioned her familiarity with the Dial? Or did Prof Ouyang hear from Lin Jing? (Or both?)
But I can't see why he'd be there for Li Qian; it would be pretty weird if he knew about her leaving before Shen Wei did? Not sure why he's there, but maybe he was just visiting to try and poke at Shen Wei's secrets a bit more.
He's at the chancellor's office rather than Shen Wei's, though. Maybe Changcheng told him? Or he happened to call Shen Wei just as Shen Wei found out? Idk. Maybe it's just one of those tv conflation of events for dramatic convenience...
I think what the Chinese actually says is that her family already had problems earlier (i.e. that they didn't start just recently with the Dixingren attack); there's nothing about "a long time ago" in the Chinese. And Shen Wei did notice she had problems, but he seems to be blaming himself for not picking up on them earlier.
Ahhh, that makes sense. Thanks! And yeah, presumably it was a gradual slide into not-coping for Li Qian, and Shen Wei just assumed it was the usual pressures of university work or something, until it was too late... :-(
I mean, I don't see what Shen Wei could have said or done that might actually have changed the chancellor's mind here.
He could have said, "None of this was Li Qian's fault. She was an innocent bystander (an ordinary girl and a promising scientist) who got caught up in a terrible tragedy." Like, he doesn't do anything to address the chancellor's underlying concern, maybe because that would mean acknowledging it and implicitly agreeing that the SID and ~strange goings on~ are acceptable reasons to jettison someone. (It still wouldn't have worked, because he would have come at it head-on instead of finding a way for the chancellor to easily change his mind without losing face. But he could have tried...)
Yeah, that's how I read it - it was a warning for Zhao Yunlan, since Zhao Yunaln mentioned visiting her.
Do you think he's asking Zhao Yunlan to stay away, though, or just go easy?
no subject
I think she would have, in a while, but perhaps not just yet. She's in a pretty bad place, and reaching out can be hard.
But also, the chancellor doesn't have to intend it that way for that to be what Shen Wei hears, right? It makes it pretty clear that association with the SID/Dixing-y things is disadvantageous...
Yes, 100% agreed - that is absolutely what Shen Wei hears, regardless of the chancellor's own thoughts (or lack thereof) on the matter.
So a kind of "teaching is a big responsibility, and I've fallen down on it"?
That's how I'm reading it!
This makes me wonder how much he was involved in her starting to work at the lab with Prof Zhou... Might he have mentioned her familiarity with the Dial? Or did Prof Ouyang hear from Lin Jing? (Or both?)
I don't think he was involved in that at all, or would have wanted her there if he'd known about it. They presumably knew about her interaction with the Sundial through either Lin Jing or official SID reports that they had access to through the Ministry. And originally they only called her in to examine her for aftereffects/question her on the sundial, didn't they?
He's at the chancellor's office rather than Shen Wei's, though. Maybe Changcheng told him?
Xiao-Guo also has no reason to know - how does he come in?! I think it's more likely that he went to Shen Wei's office, didn't find Shen Wei, and then heard from a student that Shen Wei had gone to see the chancellor.
And yeah, presumably it was a gradual slide into not-coping for Li Qian, and Shen Wei just assumed it was the usual pressures of university work or something, until it was too late... :-(
Yeah, that was my impression.
He could have said, "None of this was Li Qian's fault. She was an innocent bystander (an ordinary girl and a promising scientist) who got caught up in a terrible tragedy."
Yeah, but I don't see what good that would have done. The chancellor isn't interested in whether she's at fault or no, he's interested in getting rid of the complication she represents. IMO Shen Wei recognises that, which is why he doesn't bother trying to argue on that front ...
Do you think he's asking Zhao Yunlan to stay away, though, or just go easy?
I think he was asking him to stay away, since the SID had no real need to interview her again at that point.
no subject
Hm, I felt like, by the time her case had closed, she'd got some closure and healing. Her grandmother had absolved her and protected her, and she's got rid of the Sundial. I feel like she's past the bad place, and into "rebuilding"? But who knows -- we don't see.
And originally they only called her in to examine her for aftereffects/question her on the sundial, didn't they?
Yes, you're right. I guess it makes sense for Lin Jing to secretly tell Prof Ouyang about the Sundial, while simultaneously handwaving it to the Xingdu Bureau, as represented by ZXC.
Xiao-Guo also has no reason to know - how does he come in?!
Sorry! I've adopted
Yeah, but I don't see what good that would have done. The chancellor isn't interested in whether she's at fault or no, he's interested in getting rid of the complication she represents.
Do we know that for sure? Maybe he's open to, idk, appeals for justice? (I mean, I think you're right, but it's pretty bleak if Shen Wei believes that of his employer. /o\)
I think he was asking him to stay away, since the SID had no real need to interview her again at that point.
I don't think ZYL was proposing an official SID visit, though...?