GUARDIAN REWATCH – Episode 9

[china_shop]

Beginning of episode: the Sundial activates, and Lin Jing traces the resonance to the mountains in the Northwest.
Ending of episode: Wang Zheng goes to Sang Zan's pillar and has upsetting flashbacks

Important scenes/developments:

• Zhao Yunlan tells Guo Changcheng to find Wang Zheng a life-sized doll to inhabit, and he buys a sex doll, to Lin Jing, Da Qing and Zhu Hong's hilarity; Zhao Yunlan is not amused
• Roadtrips! The SID set off in two cars. Shen Wei sets off with Jiajia and Xiao Quan.
• Team Shen Wei break down, and Team SID fix their car and insist on joining forces.
• Zhu Hong and Lin Jing gossip about Shen Wei, and her crush on Zhao Yunlan becomes increasingly obvious.
• Zhao Yunlan uses Shen Wei as a travel pillow.
• Zhu Jiu assembles two armies: youchu and ghost soldiers.
• Zhao Yunlan gives Shen Wei his jacket.
• The mountain village is spooky in a variety of ways.
• Wang Zheng recounts "rumours" of the Hanga tribe and its slavery practices.
• One fake ghost soldier attack (actually villagers), and one real ghost soldier attack.
• Zhao Yunlan has gun flashbacks, and Zhu Hong shoots instead.
• Wang Zheng drugs everyone and slips away at night to go into the mountain, where she finds Sang Zan's pillar and has disturbing flashbacks about being accused of witchcraft and brutally executed.

Thoughts

• Lin Jing to ZYL: [The Longevity Dial] keeps slumbering, except for the time you touch it.
  me: *shaking Lin Jing by the collar* DON'T TELL HIM THAT! YOU'RE JUST ENCOURAGING HIM!!!


• The doll: what does Zhao Yunlan think Changcheng is buying? Later when the others are giggling over it, I love a) how cross Zhao Yunlan gets ♥, and b) how Zhu Hong switches sides as soon as she notices Wang Zheng is upset (and then is protective for the rest of the episode, I'm guessing because she feels guilty about her role in that incident).


• Shen Wei with a fringe/bangs. Post-shower? Trying Zhao Yunlan's hairstyle on for size?
  
  
  
  (Oh, hey, there's a platform/seating area in his flat I've never noticed before.)


• Zhu Hong tries hypnotism on some poor unsuspecting sex-doll delivery guy, continuing the hypnosis mini-arc Shen Wei started in the interrogation scene in ep 4.


• Jiajia! She mentions her roommates. I wonder if that's a dorm thing, or if she's flatting now she's a grad student.


• Zhu Hong calls Zhao Yunlan a ghost killer (or whatever the appropriate translation is) while Wang Zheng is right there!


• Car configurations:
  1st leg: car 1: Zhao Yunlan (driving), Da Qing (passenger seat), Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong in the back; car 2: Chu Shuzhi (driving), Lin Jing (passenger seat), Guo Changcheng and a paper bag in the back; car 3: Xiao Quan (driving?), Shen Wei (passenger seat?), Jiajia in the back (?).
  2nd leg (post breakdown): car 1: Lin Jing (driving), Zhu Hong (passenger seat), Wang Zheng and Guo Changcheng in the back; car 3: Zhao Yunlan (driving), Shen Wei (passenger seat), Jiajia and Xiao Quan in the back; car 2: Chu Shuzhi (driving?), Da Qing (passenger seat?) <--- do they talk, or does Da Qing nap the whole way?
  3rd leg (post checkpoint): car 3: Lin Jing (driving), Jiajia (passenger seat), Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan and a pillow in the back. (Poor Xiao Quan is off with the others. That guy is not having a good trip!


• So yeah, I think Xiao Quan's trip goes: yay, I get to drive and impress my favourite professor and Jiajia! Oh no, breakdown. Maybe I can fix it? Ugh, okay, this tall guy can probably fix it better. What, why is Professor Shen's friend dissing my driving skills? That sucks! ... Now he's kicked me out of the car altogether? Who even are these people? They're so weird! I was looking forward to hanging out with Professor Shen and Jiajia! *grump*


• I love everything about the breakdown scene, especially the "travellers helping each other" vibe, and Zhao Yunlan trying to take charge. But my favourite thing will always and forever be Shen Wei's reaction to Jiajia cheerfully spilling all their plans.
  
  
  
  He soooo wants to facepalm, but that would be too revealing. :D :D :D :D :D (I've flailed about this before.)
  
  Also, Zhao Yunlan thinks threatening Lin Jing's bonus is cute and clever. He has no shame about doing it in front of Shen Wei et al.


• Also, you can see the bump of Shen Wei's pendant through his wonderfully soft-looking top. ♥!!!
  
  


• Also, the way he smiles when he introduces Zhao Yunlan as his friend to Jiajia.
  
  
  
  Unlike the introduction to Zhang Ruonan in ep 3, this time it feels true! ♥


• When Shen Wei gives Zhao Yunlan the water bottle, their fingers touch.
  
  
  
  Contrast with the liniment scene in ep 7, where Zhao Yunlan took the bottle carefully without making contact. ♥


• Zhao Yunlan keeps trying to set himself up as a protector (if it's dangerous, how can I let you go alone?; here, I'm an experienced driver, I'll take the wheel; you're cold, take my jacket, no one gives me orders) -- compensating for Shen Wei seeing his disaster personal life?


• Zhu Hong and Lin Jing gossip about Shen Wei, and when Lin Jing mentions Professor Ouyang, he looks decidedly shifty.


• Staffing this checkpoint must be the most boring job in the world. I wonder how Shen Wei planned to get through if he hadn't run into Zhao Yunlan? For that matter, I love that Zhao Yunlan is casually smuggling an academic and some grad students on a field trip into an area that's under a state of emergency.


• Ahh, the travel pillow scene!!
  
  
  
  Shen Wei looks concerned by Zhao Yunlan's sneezing. (It has to be Hallows-related, right?) Meanwhile, honorary Cat Yashou Zhao Yunlan has clearly cat-adopted Shen Wei. :D :D :D


• Lin Jing tells ghosts stories, and Jiajia hides behind Shen Wei, aww!
  
  
  
  Zhao Yunlan tells Lin Jing off. Shen Wei explains "ghost soldiers" with science.
  Shen Wei: But the one we saw just now is definitely no ghost soldier. 可是，绝对不是我们刚才看到的那些东西
  Zhao Yunlan: Neither a human nor a ghost. Only one answer is left.
  不是人 又不是鬼那只有一种可能
  (Does he mean a Dixingren? Or other creatures?)


• In wideshot, the village looks very strange and cool.
  
  
  
  There are lots of lights, a river running through the middle, and only one bridge.


• Changcheng continues his bird-spotting (after the magpie in ep 5) by noticing an "obituary notice bird". (Is it Ya Qing? If so, Zhu Hong doesn't react.) I love that Chu Shuzhi is the one to identify it. Did he look up wildlife as part of his pre-trip research, or does he just know a lot about birds?


• In the finding a skull scene...
  
  
  
  Shen Wei covers Jiajia's face so she won't be frightened, aww.
  
  
  
  Then they go into the (unstaffed) hotel.


• Wang Zheng tells "rumours" of the Hanga tribe. Everyone listens seriously. Zhu Hong is still looking after her. Zhao Yunlan says, "Okay, these are old traditions. It has nothing to do with us." 行了 这都是几百年前的老传统了 跟咱们也没什么关系 Cue shouting outside and the villagers trying to scare them off because of the recent murder (committed by Zhu Jiu in ep 8). Zhao Yunlan thoughtfully checks the soil at the murder scene, hee. Zhu Hong is so distracted by her crush.


• Zhu Jiu talking to his ghost army. I don't understand how they work, why they start or stop glowing or what that means. Anyone?


• Lin Jing, being a hero, tells Shen Wei to protect Wang Zheng and the students, then goes outside. Shen Wei must not think it's too dangerous, because he accepts this assignment. (He wants to talk to Wang Zheng in private.)


• Zhao Yunlan has gun flashbacks, and Zhu Hong grabs it and shoots it instead. (I checked TVTropes for the "kill one and they're all defeated" trope, but I couldn't find it. Anyone?)
  Zhu Hong: When did the Zhao Yunlan who doesn't fear anything lose the courage to even fire a gun? 天不怕地不怕的赵云澜 什么时候连枪的胆子 都没有了
  Zhao Yunlan: I promise this is the last time. 下不为例


• Shen Wei puts the students to sleep so he can question Wang Zheng about the Hanga.


• Zhu Jiu: Wang Zheng, come to me. I have a huge present for you. 汪徵啊汪徵 你快来啊我给你备了一份大礼
  me: That is the creepiest thing you could have said. /o\


• Wang Zheng goes to the mountain. "I know that a sinner must return to the place where she committed her sin." 我知道有罪之人最终要回到她犯错误的地方 But her flashbacks are to her own execution.

Discussion starters:

• What do you especially like about this episode? Favourite line of dialogue? Favourite character reaction? (I know -- there's too much to choose from.)


• Given Shen Wei's "magical sixth sense" and the way he always seems to know more than anyone else, and Zhao Yunlan's not believing in coincidences, do you think Zhao Yunlan suspects/guesses that Shen Wei is after the Awl? If so, what do you think he makes of that?


• Chu Shuzhi can drive! I need to know everything about this: when did he learn? who taught him? did he have to sit a regular driving test, and how much did he frighten his tester? does he like driving? does he ever get tempted to use his dark energy cords to yank other cars out of the way? SO MANY QUESTIONS! Please feel free to speculate in comments!


• Why does Wang Zheng look like herself in the car, rather than like the doll? Does a car count as indoors?


• When Zhu Jiu radicalises the youchu (how sentient are they, anyway?), then says, "Everything is well prepared. Just waiting for you to come and die." 炉火已经架好了就等米下锅了 is he talking to the Envoy, the SID, Wang Zheng? Everyone? Does he really hope/expect to kill them? Also, why is Zhu Jiu so confident the youchu won't turn on him?


• When Shen Wei goes to scout, Zhao Yunlan tells Jiajia to stay in the car. "You just woke up and you're already exposing yourself to the wind? In this place, catching a cold is a serious business." 同学 你就别去了你这刚睡醒下去吹风 在这个地方感冒可不是闹着玩的 Is he sincere, or does he just want a moment alone with Shen Wei?


• After the skull-finding scene, Chu Shuzhi walks off purposefully, without a word. Is he scouting, looking for a bathroom, fed up with everyone, or something else?


• Does Zhu Hong really think Zhao Yunlan doesn't fear anything? Is that a rumour he started about himself, or is it something she assumes based on his casual, detached manner, eg, when he quipped at the Shadow Man in ep 1? Does Zhao Yunlan (try to) believe it about himself?


• Why does Wang Zheng feel guilty? Is it by association with her father, the patriarch, or being part of a society of enslavers, or is there more to it? (This might be a question for the next few episodes, actually...)


• Best car combo? And who does Xiao Quan end up riding with?

Let’s talk about episode 9!
Come and talk about this episode – anything from favourite scenes or lines of dialogue to notes/questions about continuity or translation, most gorgeous (or angsty) smile, or anything else that strikes your fancy! And share links to your own and/or others’ episode-related meta, picspams, and fanworks, new or old!

Comments

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Please reply to this comment with links to:

• any other episode reactions or related meta
• fanworks, picspams, squee, etc, relating to episode 9 generally or to specific scenes, characters, or events in this episode

Link to your own works and/or others'. Help us build as comprehensive a collection of links as possible!

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Meta
extrapenguin's Episode by Episode: 09
sakana17's rewatch notes for episode 9
shadaras's episode notes (includes comparison with novel)
me flailing about the car breakdown and Zhao Yunlan's attempts to interrogate Shen Wei by proxy (tl;dr, Zhao Yunlan wins two rounds out of three, but still somehow loses overall)
A Guardian poll with some ep-9-specific questions

My fic
your doors are made for thieves like me -- At the hotel in the mountains, Zhao Yunlan's not ready to sleep.
Da Qing and the Little Hungry Ghosts -- The night they arrive in the mountains, Da Qing goes in search of mice and meets some hungry ghost children instead.
to recognise the heart in every person that you see -- Zhu Hong & Wang Zheng friendship fic that starts with a missing scene dressing up the sex doll and continues in ep 11.

[trobadora]

We have one scene discussion from ep 9:

ZYL (and gang) help repair SW's (and gang) Car, hosted by awanderingcoyote

[laireshi]

I love that post-shower look on Shen Wei! And that whole episode, of course. It's one of my favourites.

[china_shop]

I barely recognise him like that. *g*

Such a good ep! :D :D :D

[autodach]

I feel bad for the students in this arc. They just want to go to the mountains with Prof. Shen and end up constantly attacked, mind-wiped and tranquilized.


Why does Wang Zheng look like herself in the car, rather than like the doll? Does a car count as indoors?

At first I thought it was because the car counts as Not Outside in a spiritual sense, but since an umbrella can also be used to shield her this doesn’t work. It can’t be about sunlight either because the car has windows. I can’t think of any explanation that’s consistent with both the umbrella and the car.


When Shen Wei goes to scout, Zhao Yunlan tells Jiajia to stay in the car. "You just woke up and you're already exposing yourself to the wind? In this place, catching a cold is a serious business." 同学 你就别去了你这刚睡醒下去吹风 在这个地方感冒可不是闹着玩的 Is he sincere, or does he just want a moment alone with Shen Wei?

My money is on the latter. I mean he probably doesn’t wish any ill on Jiajia, but he’s also not her parent. He wants get Shen Wei alone.


Zhao Yunlan keeps trying to set himself up as a protector

He totally does! Gonna admit I’m weak for it, especially the jacket thing XD
I love gentlemanly Zhao Yunlan♥


I checked TVTropes for the "kill one and they're all defeated" trope, but I couldn't find it. Anyone?

One-Hit Polykill?

[china_shop]

I feel bad for the students in this arc. They just want to go to the mountains with Prof. Shen and end up constantly attacked, mind-wiped and tranquilized.

And they don't get to do any science! I wonder if Shen Wei adds a sleep power to the drugging to make sure they don't wake up and wander off while he's out Envoying. I also wonder if they ever tell anyone that a member of the SID drugged them on their field trip... I can't imagine Jiajia's chancellor grandfather would be impressed in either of his roles!

Actually, hm, do we know for sure that they come straight back to the city after? Maybe they stay a few more days and do their science on Sang Zan's wrecked and empty pillar...

At first I thought it was because the car counts as Not Outside in a spiritual sense, but since an umbrella can also be used to shield her this doesn’t work.

Maybe? I think the umbrella scene was at night, so that might not have been effective during the day, and maybe the car counts as inside during the day? Or maybe it's just TV-convenience? Idk!

My money is on the latter. I mean he probably doesn’t wish any ill on Jiajia, but he’s also not her parent. He wants get Shen Wei alone.

Agreed! :D And yeah, I really love Zhao Yunlan being protective, too (and trying to regain his footing after the whole book scam/stomach issues/disaster flat trifecta). *hearts him so much*

One-Hit Polykill?

I looked at that, but it's for killing a bunch of people directly with one bullet, I think. I was trying to find a horror/scifi trope where if you kill one instance of a monster/alien/whatever, the others die or vanish, wherever they are. (Pretty sure it happens in the first Avengers movie, and maybe season 3 of Stranger Things -- those are the examples that come to mind. But there are so many tropes listed for the Avengers that I couldn't read through them all. *g*)

[trobadora]

*shaking Lin Jing by the collar* DON'T TELL HIM THAT! YOU'RE JUST ENCOURAGING HIM!!!

Haha, so true! And look what he does next, he grabs the thin and CARRIES IT AROUND ON HIS BODY for several whole episodes! No wonder he gets a cold again.

(I love that this time the drama hangs a lantern on the repeat colds, making it clear there really IS something going on.)

The doll: what does Zhao Yunlan think Changcheng is buying?

Yeah, I can never quite make up my mind what the hell is going on in Zhao Yunlan's head here. Does he know? How can he not know? What was he thinking? His frustrated anger when he sees the actual doll is so instant, it makes it look like he didn't expect it, but then during the phone call with Xiao-Guo, how can he not have realised where this is going? Maybe he just wasn't thinking at all, and now half his frustration is actually at himself for not realising earlier.

Poor Wang Zheng, either way! But also, poor Xiao-Guo - ZYL's impatience pushes Xiao-Guo into ordering quickly; ZYL totally set them up for this, even if he didn't mean to.

how Zhu Hong switches sides as soon as she notices Wang Zheng is upset (and then is protective for the rest of the episode, I'm guessing because she feels guilty about her role in that incident).

Yeah, she's initially finding it hilarious and treating it as a great joke, and then switches sides very rapidly! She completely doesn't seem to have realised it would have any impact on Wang Zheng at first.

Zhu Hong tries hypnotism on some poor unsuspecting sex-doll delivery guy, continuing the hypnosis mini-arc Shen Wei started in the interrogation scene in ep 4.

Yeah, there's a nice little arc going on, I really like that!

Zhu Hong calls Zhao Yunlan a ghost killer (or whatever the appropriate translation is) while Wang Zheng is right there!

But she's totally isn't a ghost! *g*

(The whole nickname thing eludes me, tbh.)

Car configurations:
1st leg: car 1: Zhao Yunlan (driving), Da Qing (passenger seat), Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong in the back; car 2: Chu Shuzhi (driving), Lin Jing (passenger seat), Guo Changcheng and a paper bag in the back; car 3: Xiao Quan (driving?), Shen Wei (passenger seat?), Jiajia in the back (?).
2nd leg (post breakdown): car 1: Lin Jing (driving), Zhu Hong (passenger seat), Wang Zheng and Guo Changcheng in the back; car 3: Zhao Yunlan (driving), Shen Wei (passenger seat), Jiajia and Xiao Quan in the back; car 2: Chu Shuzhi (driving?), Da Qing (passenger seat?) <--- do they talk, or does Da Qing nap the whole way?
3rd leg (post checkpoint): car 3: Lin Jing (driving), Jiajia (passenger seat), Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan and a pillow in the back. (Poor Xiao Quan is off with the others. That guy is not having a good trip!)

Hee! Great minds think alike, I was paying extra attention to that this time round, too. Love that they keep switching things. And I never noticed before that Lao-Chu and Da Qing get a car all to themselves for at least one leg. I would love to hear what those two have to say to each other, if Da Qing didn't nap through it all.

And yeah, poor Xiao-Quan, indeed! Heh, someone should write fic about this whole road trip from his POV. *g*

Also, you can see the bump of Shen Wei's pendant through his wonderfully soft-looking top. ♥!!!

This is one of my favourite unremarked-on little details! :D

Zhao Yunlan keeps trying to set himself up as a protector (if it's dangerous, how can I let you go alone?; here, I'm an experienced driver, I'll take the wheel; you're cold, take my jacket, no one gives me orders) -- compensating for Shen Wei seeing his disaster personal life?

I mean, he probably thinks he had one big success in his Impress Shen Wei campaign, and that was protecting Shen Wei from the mugging. So he tries to inhabit that role, in the hopes of more success. But of course Shen Wei wants to protect him just as much. *g*

(It's hilarious to consider what's going on in Zhao Yunlan's mind when he realises Shen Wei never needed protecting during the mugging either!)

I wonder how Shen Wei planned to get through if he hadn't run into Zhao Yunlan? For that matter, I love that Zhao Yunlan is casually smuggling an academic and some grad students on a field trip into an area that's under a state of emergency.

Hee! For what it's worth, I always assumed Shen Wei had his own arrangements made through the university, but it would likely not have gone as smoothly/quickly, and he was happy to let ZYL cut through the bureaucracy for him.

But from ZYL's POV, he never even considers whether he should be taking Shen Wei and the students with him; he just does.

Meanwhile, honorary Cat Yashou Zhao Yunlan has clearly cat-adopted Shen Wei. :D :D :D

Yes! :D

And I love that after the unconscious-sleeping-on-shoulder, we now get a very deliberate awake version where Zhao Yunlan actively chooses his pillow. :D

(And I think that active choice is actually part of why Shen Wei, this time round, is much less hesitant to let him.)

Zhao Yunlan: Neither a human nor a ghost. Only one answer is left.
不是人 又不是鬼那只有一种可能<
(Does he mean a Dixingren? Or other creatures?)

For what it's worth, he doesn't say "human", he says "person". But I'm not sure what he means either.

In wideshot, the village looks very strange and cool.

Yeah, I'd totally forgotten about this shot! It looks so pretty.

(Is it Ya Qing? If so, Zhu Hong doesn't react.)

I assume it is Ya Qing. Do we have any evidence that Yashou can recognise other Yashou at a distance? I didn't think they could.

Zhu Jiu talking to his ghost army. I don't understand how they work, why they start or stop glowing or what that means. Anyone?

In that scene, it looks to me like they get glowy when they get worked up, but I don't think that holds throughout the episode. Not sure it means much, tbh. Just visual shorthand to make clear what kind of being they are.

What do you especially like about this episode? Favourite line of dialogue? Favourite character reaction? (I know -- there's too much to choose from.)

Favourite bit: Shen Wei shutting down Zhao Yunlan's questioning in the car, when Zhao Yunlan keeps trying to get things out of Jiajia. He actually gets a bit snippy/pointed! Like you said in the linked post, Zhao Yunlan wins two rounds and still manages to lose overall. *g*

(ZYL is being friendly at the students for a purpose, and they don't even have any idea he's not just being nice to them. I think Shen Wei probably dislikes that enough on its own, never mind whatever it is about the trip that he doesn't want to talk about.)

But seriously, Zhao Yunlan's expressions in that scene are great. That little smile/grin when he realises what Shen Wei just did! The two of them throwing each other meaningful looks! Zhao Yunlan's laugh! And then he starts looking serious as he thinks about it all. Very suspicious! But he doesn't try to pump Jiajia again after
that, so he accepts the line Shen Wei is drawing.

Given Shen Wei's "magical sixth sense" and the way he always seems to know more than anyone else, and Zhao Yunlan's not believing in coincidences, do you think Zhao Yunlan suspects/guesses that Shen Wei is after the Awl? If so, what do you think he makes of that?

Very good question! I think he wants to trust Shen Wei and believe that even if he is after the Awl, it's for a good reason. (Which it is!) But it's all very suspicious.

(Btw, I had forgotten that ZYL repeats Shen Wei's "magical sixth sense" nonsense back at him here, to make his own point! Hee!)

Why does Wang Zheng look like herself in the car, rather than like the doll? Does a car count as indoors?

My current theory is that it's not about inside/outside - it's direct sunlight that's detrimental to her. So through a window doesn't count.

(Da Qing says in episode 8 that energy bodies can't bear light; the subtitles say sunlight; the original just says light. It's not really clear whether the scene is set in the day or night, but since we see Wang Zheng outside at night later, it may be meant to be day. In which case the umbrella shielding her from the sunlight would fit.)

When Zhu Jiu radicalises the youchu (how sentient are they, anyway?), then says, "Everything is well prepared. Just waiting for you to come and die." 炉火已经架好了就等米下锅了 is he talking to the Envoy, the SID, Wang Zheng? Everyone? Does he really hope/expect to kill them? Also, why is Zhu Jiu so confident the youchu won't turn on him?

I would really like to know if anyone has a good theory about the youchu!

Regarding what Zhu Jiu says here, he says something like, "the stove is ready; just waiting for the rice to cook" - not sure how to properly translate it. But I don't see where the English subs get the dying from. He's just waiting for his plans to come to fruition.

Is he sincere, or does he just want a moment alone with Shen Wei?

I think he's 100% not sincere, and he just wants her to stay out of the way. Not just because he wants a moment with Shen Wei, but also because he wants to investigate things in peace.

After the skull-finding scene, Chu Shuzhi walks off purposefully, without a word. Is he scouting, looking for a bathroom, fed up with everyone, or something else?

Huh. *rewatches* Just a moment before that, Zhao Yunlan gives Lao-Chu a look, and Lao-Chu gives a minuscule nod. So I assume ZYL already thinks the whole village is weird and suspicious, and is sending Chu Shuzhi to check out the hotel before everyone else enters.

Best car combo? And who does Xiao Quan end up riding with?

Da Qing and Lao-Chu, hands down. Come to think of it, we don't have a lot if interaction between these two - I'd love to see more! :D

Adding something from the discord chat:

Given that Shen Wei is a professor of bioengineering, and Zhang Ruonan (who I assume is the "retired Zhang-laoshi" whose students Shen Wei says in episode 8 he's taking) was in the same field - what exactly are they meant to be researching in that remote village? The trip must have been set up before the earthquake if it was originally Zhang Ruonan's, but they're heading right for the epicenter, and Shen Wei later tells Wang Zheng that they're here because of the totem that was uncovered by the earthquake. How does all of that go together? And does any research actually happen? *g*

In the chat, amedia suggested that they might be looking for signs of genetic drift on any remaining DNA, and satsuma said they might be looking for bone fragments, and otherwise just gathering data for others. Myro also suggested that given the interaction of black energy and science, science in this universe might have taken a different trajectory - and that's some fascinating worldbuilding potential! Maybe bioengineering looks different in their world than it does in ours? *g*

Thoughts?

[china_shop]

Maybe he just wasn't thinking at all, and now half his frustration is actually at himself for not realising earlier.

That works for me!

Yeah, she's initially finding it hilarious and treating it as a great joke, and then switches sides very rapidly! She completely doesn't seem to have realised it would have any impact on Wang Zheng at first.

I thought she might have changed sides because of Zhao Yunlan's anger, but it's Changcheng's apology to Wang Zheng that catches her attention and makes her realise Wang Zheng is upset.

(The whole nickname thing eludes me, tbh.)

Ha, yeah, it seems derogatory and overblown and scandalous, all at once. I'm sure Zhu Hong uses it deliberately to Shen Wei in ep 7 when delivering the laptop (to assert her own familiarity, and possibly put Shen Wei off by making Zhao Yunlan seem disreputable?). I guess it's like Dead Cat.

And I never noticed before that Lao-Chu and Da Qing get a car all to themselves for at least one leg. I would love to hear what those two have to say to each other, if Da Qing didn't nap through it all.

RIGHT? I want, like, ten minutes of their side-adventures! *g*

And yeah, poor Xiao-Quan, indeed! Heh, someone should write fic about this whole road trip from his POV. *g*

It's actually already vaguely on my list. *g*

I mean, he probably thinks he had one big success in his Impress Shen Wei campaign, and that was protecting Shen Wei from the mugging. So he tries to inhabit that role, in the hopes of more success.

I think he's also desperately trying to regain ground after the disasters of last episode. Like, "fine, now you know what a mess I am personally, but I'm still competent in my areas!"

For what it's worth, I always assumed Shen Wei had his own arrangements made through the university, but it would likely not have gone as smoothly/quickly, and he was happy to let ZYL cut through the bureaucracy for him.

I feel like, you know, once the state of emergency has been declared, the field trip should've been cancelled. You'd think the university would want to avoid liability. And it's not like their cover-story research was time-sensitive or anything, as far as we know.

But from ZYL's POV, he never even considers whether he should be taking Shen Wei and the students with him; he just does.

He's got them under his wing and right where he can keep an eye on Shen Wei.

And I love that after the unconscious-sleeping-on-shoulder, we now get a very deliberate awake version where Zhao Yunlan actively chooses his pillow. :D

Oh yes. Lovely!

I assume it is Ya Qing. Do we have any evidence that Yashou can recognise other Yashou at a distance? I didn't think they could.

But someone does say it's a crow, and you'd think she'd at least react, wondering if it was one of her relatives? I'm not sure what the point would be of having Ya Qing there, given she never appears/intervenes. I think it might just be an ominous bird to add to the general spooky air of the village, myself.

ZYL is being friendly at the students for a purpose, and they don't even have any idea he's not just being nice to them. I think Shen Wei probably dislikes that enough on its own, never mind whatever it is about the trip that he doesn't want to talk about.

I think ZYL is being friendly and getting info from Jiajia. He is, in general, a casually friendly person, and while I do think the banter with Jiajia over the water bottle was calculated, I don't think all of it is. (But I do tend to read him more generously than you do, I think, eg, re the book con.)

I think he wants to trust Shen Wei and believe that even if he is after the Awl, it's for a good reason. (Which it is!) But it's all very suspicious.

Right? Because what could that reason be?

My current theory is that it's not about inside/outside - it's direct sunlight that's detrimental to her. So through a window doesn't count.

That makes sense! (Though re the umbrella, I thought they found her at night and were protecting her from moonlight. The sky in the background is dark, in the flashbacks.)

Regarding what Zhu Jiu says here, he says something like, "the stove is ready; just waiting for the rice to cook" - not sure how to properly translate it. But I don't see where the English subs get the dying from. He's just waiting for his plans to come to fruition.

Maybe in that expression the person he's addressing takes the role of the rice?

Just a moment before that, Zhao Yunlan gives Lao-Chu a look, and Lao-Chu gives a minuscule nod. So I assume ZYL already thinks the whole village is weird and suspicious, and is sending Chu Shuzhi to check out the hotel before everyone else enters.

Oh, I missed that. Nice! I love how well they've come to work together.

Da Qing and Lao-Chu, hands down. Come to think of it, we don't have a lot if interaction between these two - I'd love to see more! :D

Yesss! They're such a great odd couple, Da Qing all casual and relaxed, and Chui Shuzhi all gruff and bundled up. ♥!

I have no thoughts about the field trip or Haixing science being different, but those are great speculations! Thanks for bringing them over. :D

[china_shop]

It occurred to me this morning to check the Korean subs on some of these scenes, to see what politeness levels they're using. (I think they're fansubs, but still interesting.)

Politeness/formality levels go like this:

ep 8
Book con: both using polite register
Gutter/disaster flat: both using polite register
Morning after: both using polite register

ep 9
Car breakdown: both start out using polite register. Shen Wei is also polite to the students, but Zhao Yunlan isn't (ie, is treating them as younger, the same way he treats Changcheng). After Jiajia reveals they're going to the northwest, when speaking to each other Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei both switch to informal/casual/intimate speech. All their undertone conversation continues like that.
Coat-giving scene: still in informal/casual/intimate speech. (I think they'll probably stay like that now? But I'll keep an eye out in ep 10.)

[trobadora]

Oooh thank you for sharing!

After Jiajia reveals they're going to the northwest, when speaking to each other Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei both switch to informal/casual/intimate speech.

This is a fascinating point to make the switch! That is such a difficult decision when you have to introduce levels of formality that simply aren't present in the original, and I wish I could ask the subtitlers what made them choose this moment!

[bethctg]

So cool! Thank you for this.

[bethctg]

I loved pretty much all of this one. And if I had more time I would find a screenshot of Shen Wei pushing up his glasses (in that cute way of his) while he's riding in the car with Zhao Yunlan. He uses his whole hand!! <3

[china_shop]

Isn't it wonderful? :D :D :D

You mean like this?



(Stealth facepalm? *g*)

[trobadora]

Hee! I love that Shen Wei has a characteristic way of pushing up his glasses. :D

[bladedweapons]

Hi, ok made it! So I got a bit confused by the threads so I thought this started out with the list of all of them, but possibly these were ones in a side thread (????) Anyway just going to put it all here anyway :sob:

EDIT: Ok so I just added this bit because this whole thing got very rambly and then the one main thing I *actually* wanted to say ended up at the very end, so I am pasting it here at the top instead/too: Re: science in this universe:

if the central difference with this world is that you have mental powers that can act on the physical world, then you have a much more direct connection between biology, physics, engineering, and anthropology as disciplines, and so there are probably ways in which these things could plausibly all exist within both this research trip and SW's interests.

(Uh, more or less on how I got to that point down below, but it is so disorganized)

Ok other stuff/the original things I wanted to respond to:

(I still don't understand the mechanics of his scheming and how he knew so much more about Wang Zheng than anyone else.)

Definitely interested in this! I hadn’t paid a ton of attention to the plotting, but yeah - for something that happened 100 years ago and the only survivor (well, sort of) has amnesia…very curious!!

I think he was just going to put them to sleep somewhere safe and come back for them later.

Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense. (I realize I rarely attempt to keep ALL the plot pieces SW is juggling here in mind - i.e. taking the students is for Prof. Zhang, right?, but he has been looking for the awl on his own anyway…)

Hm. Okay so. Shen Wei - is in bioengineering, but it is not even a secret that he is focused on Dixingren and dark energy. I guess if going strictly, he was taking the students for the other professor, and we don’t know the specialty, then. (I forget, is it decided whether the other professor was episode 3’s Professor Zhang? I mostly just don’t even like thinking about that episode, so I am happy to also ignore than and have the specialty/purpose of the fieldtrip just be “probably still in the same department as SW”). (Coming back to this later, brb)

“There's no "But professor, I MUST do this research, regardless of the danger! How else am I going to finish my dissertation!” (from riventhorn)

I think I decided, with this, that it is likely that it is not a specific student’s dissertation or thesis project, it is either a group/lab project (possibly more likely, since STEM departments do a lot more collaboration than humanities ones, and are often working on one big grant project with the professor as head PI), or else it is general enrichment research trip/class (often these work by, say, someone getting a grant and designing a combo class + research trip out of it). (Apropos of nothing, I spent 12 years in grad school and I NEVER got to go on one of these because there was one the year before I joined and the next one wasn’t for like 9 years, at which point nobody thought to invite me! I am still annoyed…) But anyway, I almost think I like lab / group project trip more, for reasons I’ll get into down below…

…and then at this point I realized I maybe wasn’t in the main thread anymore(?), so went back and clicked on the link from discord again and found (?) it I think so then continuing comments from that one -

 I also wonder if they ever tell anyone that a member of the SID drugged them on their field trip…

I definitely bet that will be something that SW makes them forget about after the fact. We see him whammy them once, but I bet he goes and does it again after the whole trip is over, cleaning up anything that will leave awkward questions.

Maybe they stay a few more days and do their science on Sang Zan's wrecked and empty pillar…

I can't remember if we get timeline information that would allow this (like how soon after they go back), but you would think the pillar would be an interesting subject for research!! It did have the symbol on its surface, which they claimed to have been interested in...

I kind of love how protective of Wang Zheng she gets. I think it is extremely reasonable for Wang Zheng to be upset about the prospect of having to rely on that body after they’ve all been laughing about it, but she wouldn’t say so herself, so I am glad Zhu Hong does. (Also am now reminded of the bit at the end where GCC is journalling and talking about how Lin Jing hid the doll away and how GCC got part of his salary docked as punishment and how he still thinks it is quite a nice doll - so I guess despite all that, GCC *still* didn’t understand that it was a sex doll??)

The “ghost killer” nicknamed for ZYL - I don’t even know what to make of that, as far as coming up with explanations that do not include it being a callback to the book. I like it! But I don’t understand it… It didn't occur to me that it might be intended to be insulting, but I think I just don't have the context to know that...

And yeah, poor Xiao-Quan, indeed! Heh, someone should write fic about this whole road trip from his POV. *g*

Oh gosh, I love outsider pov, I am…kind of tempted. Though also might be tempted to do it with the book version instead…both would be really fun.

(It's hilarious to consider what's going on in Zhao Yunlan's mind when he realises Shen Wei never needed protecting during the mugging either!)

I love considering this - ZYL having these realizations. And can’t help but think of the - still totally applicable despite being from the book - line that I adore after the (novel) reveal: “Zhao Yunlan has never been more deeply and soberly aware of the sad fact that he’s a moron. He decides to shut up, lie on his side, close his eyes and pretend to sleep.”

I would really like to know if anyone has a good theory about the youchu!

Not really a full theory, but it is interesting that it is Da Qing who happens to bring them up the first time, during the endless bears scene a couple episodes ago. So that could suggest something that he had forgotten but randomly remembered? Although that is more in answer to why do youchu exist at all than it is to specifically what their & ZJ’s deal with them is in this episode…which I do not have an answer to.

In the chat, amedia suggested that they might be looking for signs of genetic drift on any remaining DNA, and satsuma said they might be looking for bone fragments, and otherwise just gathering data for others. Myro also suggested that given the interaction of black energy and science, science in this universe might have taken a different trajectory - and that's some fascinating worldbuilding potential! Maybe bioengineering looks different in their world than it does in ours? *g*

Yesss! (ok coming back to this)

I feel like, you know, once the state of emergency has been declared, the field trip should've been cancelled. You'd think the university would want to avoid liability. And it's not like their cover-story research was time-sensitive or anything, as far as we know.

Definitely. The budgetary limitations the show had make it kind of easy to forget that there was supposed to have been a natural disaster…

Another thought: When that second earthquake/aftershock happens when they are already there, doesn’t SW say something about dark energy being involved? Given that, and the fact that Dixing is supposed to be literally underground, I could see how you could have some kind of set of connected research interests that involved bioengineering, cultural stuff, and geological stuff…definitely this is going beyond what is actually *in* the episode, but…

ok so.
-Shen Wei affiliations/research interests (of varying levels of publicly known): “biology/ bioengineering,” genetics, dark energy, dixingren

-Professor Zhang: supposed to be in same department? Or something? Biology, in some form or another, I guess we don’t know.

-Interest in and knowledge about the Hanga totem thing. (The specifics of which: it was just the design of the mask, right? There was no power in it, within the flashbacks, was there?)

I think my thought about a different trajectory for science is because, if you have the existence of dark energy and mental powers that can act on the physical world, then you already have - even if dixingren are not attested - something that doesn't exist in our universe: a direct link between physics and engineering and cognitive stuff and biology. Ahh, I am bad at explaining this...

To connect the Hanga stuff to the bioengineering stuff: Okay so jumping to some things from other episodes briefly: SW's opening scene he is giving a lecture about, basically, the possibility of powers resulting from an evolutionary process existing, even if not widely known. Then, in his conversations with Professor Ouyang (ep. 1), Ouyang is like "this already exists, it is not just theoretical, do you want to join our top secret lab"

So perhaps the "public" face of SW's research is that they don't reveal dixing publicly (or at least not what it really is), but they are undertaking searches based on the existence of dark energy. So perhaps archaeological searches fall within range, especially given that the Hanga did possess the awl (though that should be hallows energy not dark energy...hmm).

Ok I think I have managed to confuse myself but I took a long time with it so am going to just smash post instead of deleting it (yikes, it makes me so nervous posting here, I feel like I should make it more polished/organized....), but I think the tl;dr I was trying to go for was: if the central difference with this world is that you have mental powers that can act on the physical world, then you have a much more direct connection between biology, physics, engineering, and anthropology as disciplines, and so there are probably ways in which these things could plausibly all exist within both this research trip and SW's interests.

[china_shop]

Ooh, this is such a great comment -- thank you so much for making it!! (It's late here, so I'm going to have to come back tomorrow to reply properly, but your reasoning about Haixing science is very cool!)

[trobadora]

Yay, so glad you made it here, this is a fabulous comment with lots of great thoughts!

if the central difference with this world is that you have mental powers that can act on the physical world, then you have a much more direct connection between biology, physics, engineering, and anthropology as disciplines, and so there are probably ways in which these things could plausibly all exist within both this research trip and SW's interests.

That is an EXCELLENT point. If mental powers exist, operating - as we know - via black energy, and they're (as Shen Wei's research and the opening narration indicate) caused by genetic mutation, but technology of the Lin Jing kind can also work on and with black energy (see the SID's shield, the detector, etc.), then biology/physicy/engineering are already changed to a large degree. And since we know Shen Wei researches mutations, evidence of previous mutations and associated powers would play a part there, which plays into anthropology, surely ...

When that second earthquake/aftershock happens when they are already there, doesn’t SW say something about dark energy being involved? Given that, and the fact that Dixing is supposed to be literally underground, I could see how you could have some kind of set of connected research interests that involved bioengineering, cultural stuff, and geological stuff…definitely this is going beyond what is actually *in* the episode, but…

That's really fascinating - you're right, there are a lot of possible connections to make! The area doesn't seem to be known for earthquakes either. And come to think of it, given that the entire Hanga tribe was destroyed/ghostified, everyone seems to know an awful lot about them (though that's more in episode 10 than 9). Maybe the Awl being there has caused other events that have drawn previous interest there? *ponders*

I mean, in many fictional universes (such as the MCU), artifacts of power associated with real-world legends are actually a thing that exists, and this might be similar/related? Speaking of:

Interest in and knowledge about the Hanga totem thing. (The specifics of which: it was just the design of the mask, right? There was no power in it, within the flashbacks, was there?)

No power that I'm aware of. But I wonder if that symbol turned up previously in other research, associated with powers/mutations, so that's the interest?

So perhaps the "public" face of SW's research is that they don't reveal dixing publicly (or at least not what it really is), but they are undertaking searches based on the existence of dark energy. So perhaps archaeological searches fall within range, especially given that the Hanga did possess the awl (though that should be hallows energy not dark energy...hmm).

I'm not sure if they officially know that dark energy exists - Shen Wei and Professor Ouyang obviously do, but the rest of the bioengineering department may only know about mutations and mutant powers, not black energy specifically. Which also means they wouldn't distinguish between Dixing powers (black energy), Hallows powers (meteor metal) or some other possible causes.

(I realize I rarely attempt to keep ALL the plot pieces SW is juggling here in mind - i.e. taking the students is for Prof. Zhang, right?, but he has been looking for the awl on his own anyway…)

Yeah, I think he wouldn't have gone there with the students if the trip hadn't already been planned - he'd just have gone alone. Which makes this a weird coincidence!

I guess if going strictly, he was taking the students for the other professor, and we don’t know the specialty, then. (I forget, is it decided whether the other professor was episode 3’s Professor Zhang?

He says it's for "the retired Zhang-laoshi", which yeah, does seem to indicate Zhang Ruonan. But regardless of who it is, I don't think he'd have been able to just take over a field trip from a completely different department. And Jiajia is definitely his student.

I think I decided, with this, that it is likely that it is not a specific student’s dissertation or thesis project, it is either a group/lab project (possibly more likely, since STEM departments do a lot more collaboration than humanities ones, and are often working on one big grant project with the professor as head PI), or else it is general enrichment research trip/class (often these work by, say, someone getting a grant and designing a combo class + research trip out of it).

Yeah, a group/lab project would make sense to me!

I definitely bet that will be something that SW makes them forget about after the fact. We see him whammy them once, but I bet he goes and does it again after the whole trip is over, cleaning up anything that will leave awkward questions.

We see him put them to sleep - so do you think he has memory-altering or memory-deleting powers? He says that as a joke threat to ZYL once, and I think not everyone takes it seriously, but I've always liked the idea that yes, he absolutely could if he wanted to. ♥

I can't remember if we get timeline information that would allow this (like how soon after they go back), but you would think the pillar would be an interesting subject for research!! It did have the symbol on its surface, which they claimed to have been interested in...

Yeah, they really should be researching! But like someone said somewhere above, when Shen Wei wakes up, he tells the students they're going back. I really wonder what they're thinking about all this!

Also am now reminded of the bit at the end where GCC is journalling and talking about how Lin Jing hid the doll away and how GCC got part of his salary docked as punishment and how he still thinks it is quite a nice doll - so I guess despite all that, GCC *still* didn’t understand that it was a sex doll??

Oof, yeah, I forgot about that! Sometimes Xiao-Guo's naivety really is a bit over the top.

Oh gosh, I love outsider pov, I am…kind of tempted. Though also might be tempted to do it with the book version instead…both would be really fun.

Oooh, that would be very cool! Both would be fascinating to compare, even for someone like me who knows nothing about the book version. *g*

I love considering this - ZYL having these realizations. And can’t help but think of the - still totally applicable despite being from the book - line that I adore after the (novel) reveal: “Zhao Yunlan has never been more deeply and soberly aware of the sad fact that he’s a moron. He decides to shut up, lie on his side, close his eyes and pretend to sleep.”

Hahaha, good strategy, ZYL!

Not really a full theory, but it is interesting that it is Da Qing who happens to bring them up the first time, during the endless bears scene a couple episodes ago. So that could suggest something that he had forgotten but randomly remembered?

Oh, very good point! Yeah, if he's bringing them up he must have had prior experience. Maybe he was around for some youchu-related backstory!

So I got a bit confused by the threads so I thought this started out with the list of all of them, but possibly these were ones in a side thread (????) Anyway just going to put it all here anyway :sob:

♥ ♥ ♥

Let me know if I can help with figuring things out?

(Sorry if this is stuff you already know, but if you're not very familiar with DW, there's the main post, and then the top-level comments each branch off from that like a tree diagram. And you can reply to each one - the difference is, if you reply to the main post, the original poster gets a notification, and if you reply to a comment, the original poster AND the commenter get notifications ...)

[china_shop]

So I got a bit confused by the threads so I thought this started out with the list of all of them, but possibly these were ones in a side thread (????)

We tend to start the comments with links to other posts/meta/fic/stuff on the same subject. Kind of an index of related things. It's not officially connected to this post or the comments here, and there's zero expectation that people will click through or read everything/anything! And now I can totally see how confusing it must be. Sorry! *g*

if the central difference with this world is that you have mental powers that can act on the physical world, then you have a much more direct connection between biology, physics, engineering, and anthropology as disciplines, and so there are probably ways in which these things could plausibly all exist within both this research trip and SW's interests.

That is so cool! (In terms of authorial/TPTB intent, I wonder how much we're supposed to think about the effects of the existence of Dixing powers on people's worldviews and the flow-on effects from that. It's so hard to tell!)

Definitely interested in this! I hadn’t paid a ton of attention to the plotting, but yeah - for something that happened 100 years ago and the only survivor (well, sort of) has amnesia…very curious!!

Yeah. Otoh, as Trobadora (I think?) suggested above, the fact that she's an energy being might in itself point to the Awl being involved. And if Zhu Hong has gossiped about the SID members among the Yashou tribes, Ya Qing might have enough information about her origins to pass on to Zhu Jiu. Presumably his initial trip to Sang Zan's pillar was to get the design to trigger her memories, to draw the SID (and the Envoy) there to break open the pillar?

Shen Wei - is in bioengineering, but it is not even a secret that he is focused on Dixingren and dark energy.

Maybe not secret-secret, but I feel like that aspect probably isn't widely known. Officially just mutations, I think? Professor Ouyang could have more details from Professor Zhou... (I wonder how much the university chancellor knows...)

it is either a group/lab project (possibly more likely, since STEM departments do a lot more collaboration than humanities ones, and are often working on one big grant project with the professor as head PI)

That makes a lot of sense! Headcanon adopted. :D

I definitely bet that will be something that SW makes them forget about after the fact. We see him whammy them once, but I bet he goes and does it again after the whole trip is over, cleaning up anything that will leave awkward questions.

*squirms* I personally don't like non-con mindwipes unless they're super-super-necessary. People deserve to know what happened to them! Maybe he could say there was something in the water, without directly blaming Wang Zheng?

I can't remember if we get timeline information that would allow this (like how soon after they go back), but you would think the pillar would be an interesting subject for research!!

Alas, I think Shen Wei tells Jiajia to get ready to go back, after he wakes up and reads the note.

I kind of love how protective of Wang Zheng she gets. I think it is extremely reasonable for Wang Zheng to be upset about the prospect of having to rely on that body after they’ve all been laughing about it, but she wouldn’t say so herself, so I am glad Zhu Hong does.

Yes, exactly. I think Wang Zheng is tougher than she seems on the surface, but even so, all that snickering -- on top of the doll itself -- can't have been pleasant. /o\ I'm glad Zhao Yunlan and Zhu Hong react the way they do, and that Changcheng apologises.

and how he still thinks it is quite a nice doll - so I guess despite all that, GCC *still* didn’t understand that it was a sex doll??

Hm, maybe he did but still managed to see it as more than that? Once it's covered up, the original purpose is kind of irrelevant, as far as he's concerned -- or not its defining feature, anyway? (There's probably something thematic in that, come to think of it. *g*)

Oh gosh, I love outsider pov, I am…kind of tempted. Though also might be tempted to do it with the book version instead…both would be really fun.

There's a Writing Excuses homework exercise where they say to write your favourite character as an antagonist, and I immediately thought of writing about Zhao Yunlan from poor disgruntled Xiao Quan's POV. *ggg* (Do it!!)

I love considering this - ZYL having these realizations. And can’t help but think of the - still totally applicable despite being from the book - line that I adore after the (novel) reveal: “Zhao Yunlan has never been more deeply and soberly aware of the sad fact that he’s a moron. He decides to shut up, lie on his side, close his eyes and pretend to sleep.”

Ahahaha, that's amazing! Thanks for that! (I'm another one who hasn't read the novel.)

When that second earthquake/aftershock happens when they are already there, doesn’t SW say something about dark energy being involved?

Yes, which always makes me go, nooo, aftershocks are completely normal after a big earthquake!! LOL. (I live in the Shaky Isles.)

-Professor Zhang: supposed to be in same department? Or something? Biology, in some form or another, I guess we don’t know.

The class she was teaching was Engineering 4, but that doesn't give us any clues as to what kind of engineering...

it was just the design of the mask, right? There was no power in it, within the flashbacks, was there?

I never read the masks as having special powers. I think they were just an individuality-suppressing tactic.

So perhaps the "public" face of SW's research is that they don't reveal dixing publicly (or at least not what it really is), but they are undertaking searches based on the existence of dark energy.

AND

if the central difference with this world is that you have mental powers that can act on the physical world, then you have a much more direct connection between biology, physics, engineering, and anthropology as disciplines, and so there are probably ways in which these things could plausibly all exist within both this research trip and SW's interests.

Again, this is really cool, and I've never seen it framed or thought about like this before. Thanks again (so much!) for posting and laying it out like this! :D :D :D

[yaaurens]

I *just* realized how very un-buttoned Shen Wei's shirt is in the post-shower(?) scene. Goodness.

(I have no big thinky thoughts, I am now utterly distracted by the pendant cord visible in that screenshot.)(And definitely not the skin behind it, nope.)

[china_shop]

I *just* realized how very un-buttoned Shen Wei's shirt is in the post-shower(?) scene. Goodness.

Ha, I never noticed that. Wow, you're not wrong! :D :D :D Good catch with the glimpse of pendant, too!

[trobadora]

OMG, wow, the pendant cord!!!! Thank you for pointing that out! ♥ ♥ ♥

[elenothar]

Favourite bit in this episode: quite hard to choose, but for me it has to be Shen Wei's aborted panic grab for the car handle when Zhao Yunlan makes himself comfortable on him - makes me grin every time. Runner ups are the entire jacket exchange scene and all the Shen Wei and Jiajia interactions (shielding her eyes! her clutching his arm in fright!)

Not a car combo we got, but I'd have quite enjoyed a research nerds car with the students, Shen Wei and Lin Jing. Maybe Zhao Yunlan as well, having to listen to them go on and on about various research theories etc. I would also have enjoyed a cat & adopted persons pile car with Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing and Shen Wei. (I keep forgetting Da Qing is even on this trip, he just sort of... disappears and does very little over these eps)

[china_shop]

but for me it has to be Shen Wei's aborted panic grab for the car handle when Zhao Yunlan makes himself comfortable on him

Haha, yes. That's fantastic. :D

Not a car combo we got, but I'd have quite enjoyed a research nerds car with the students, Shen Wei and Lin Jing.

Ooh, that would have been fascinating. I wonder how much Lin Jing would have felt free to talk about his research, especially in front of the students.

I would also have enjoyed a cat & adopted persons pile car with Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing and Shen Wei.

Yesss. Although they'd all be so busy sprawling on each other, they might need someone else to drive. ;-)

[trobadora]

Oh, yeah, his brief startle reaction is great! :D

And I would be so here for the research nerd car! Without Zhao Yunlan in it, because I in his absence Lin Jing might feel freer to talk, and get carried away without anyone to pull him back. :D