china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote in [community profile] sid_guardian 2023-04-20 10:09 pm (UTC)

Yes, the dynamic is completely different! And that's partly because the situation is different, and partly because their relationship has changed, and I was wondering which of those was more responsible for Shen Wei confronting Zhao Yunlan.

Oh, I just thought: maybe Shen Wei asks after Zhao Yunlan's reaction to make up for the stiffness and non-chattiness at the hospital when he took Tan Xiao away? Maybe it's a public(!) concession that they need to work more closely as SID chief and Envoy, as well as (potentially, at this stage) as Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei?

IMO he believes, in that moment, that the Envoy has made the decision to take Zheng Yi to Dixing and won't be swayed on it, so there's no point in arguing.

Huh, I've always read it as his respecting the Envoy's authority and giving him space to make his own judgements, but rewatching, I do see what you mean. (I think it's telling that Xiao Guo has already objected, and Lao Chu shut him down, so the Envoy has already expressed his resolve and the reason for it.) It's when the Envoy asks what he's thinking that Zhao Yunlan restrains himself and chooses to trust/not step on the Envoy's toes. I got the order of things wrong. :-)

But we never see anything like this happen with Shen Wei anywhere else that I remember.

Or with Zheng Yi, though. And I don't think we ever seen Shen Wei take anyone anyone else so gently, especially when someone else is clinging to them. Oh... *checks* it's a bit like the effect that knocks the kidnapper away from ZYL in ep 25, which ZYL identifies as Shen Wei's protection, I think?

He really wants to have Shen Wei with him, as close as possible, and he wants to convince Shen Wei to agree to that. And when Shen Wei initially doesn't agree, he just becomes more determined to convince him it's a good idea (because he is convinced that it is, for both of them!).

Yeah, maybe. This is making me think that Zhao Yunlan's motives evolve as he gets to know Shen Wei better. To start with, I think the element of protection is much stronger (he first asks after the mugging scene). As well as liking working together, he suspects Shen Wei is Dixingren, and he really wants an excuse not to hand him over to the Envoy, right? And then the closer they get, the more it becomes about family/togetherness/wanting? I mean, it's basically making their relationship official (is it too much of a stretch to make the analogy with marriage? *g*).

Aaand now I'm wondering whether one reason for Shen Wei's refusal is because if his Dixingrenness became known, Zhao Yunlan would inevitably have to report such a hire to the Envoy, and that would be yet another layer of awkward lies and bordering-on-farce that Shen Wei doesn't want to face.

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