china_shop: Lao-Chu dressed all in black, giving a thumbs up, against a purple background. (Guardian - CSZ thumbs up)
The Gauche in the Machine ([personal profile] china_shop) wrote in [community profile] sid_guardian2023-11-11 12:49 pm

Picspam: Chu Shuzhi &/ Zhao Yunlan (early drama episodes)

Hi, my initial plan was to picspam Chu Shuzhi smiling at Zhao Yunlan. Of course, I took way too many screencaps, so please congratulate me on whittling them down and not including every single scene where the two of them appear together (just most of them). *g*

Naturally, I immediately extended my brief when I began scanning the episodes and saw this.

Chu Shuzhi sitting, looking around because Zhao Yunlan's hand is on his shoulder.

Episode 4, interview scene. Zhao Yunlan interrupts Chu Shuzhi's interviewing of Shen Wei with a casual hand on Chu Shuzhi's shoulder. At this point, I think the only other person who's touched Lao Chu is Guo Changcheng when he's freaking out. I doubt Zhao Yunlan makes a habit of it, either.

Shortly thereafter, on the SID mezzanine, Chu Shuzhi and Zhao Yunlan talk about the case. Chu Shuzhi has unilaterally sent his doll to tail Lin Yusen, and Zhao Yunlan sees Chu Shuzhi's ear twitching and catches on immediately.

Wide shot of the SID mezzanine, looking up at Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi, at angles to each other, both with their hands spread on the railing. Chu Shuzhi looking intently at Zhao Yunlan, who is mostly offscreen.


There are mutual compliments:
ZYL: Not bad, Lao Chu. Sending a puppet to shadow him. You even picked up remote monitoring.
CSZ: Casting a long line to catch the big fish, you taught me that.

Again, outside my brief, but I do enjoy them working so well together at the end of episode 4, during fake Zhang Danni's poisonous-gas temper tantrum.

Night time: Zhao Yunlan in the lead, Chu Shuzhi behind him, each of them looking different ways off screen. Chu Shuzhi is overcome with poisonous gas, and Zhao Yunlan holds him up.

Chu Shuzhi and Zhao Yunlan look at each other worriedly as they realise Chu Shuzhi's powers have been put out of commission by the poisonous gas.


Not pictured: after Zhao Yunlan starts negotiations with fake Zhang Danni, he sends a sly, silent glance to Chu Shuzhi, signalling that Chu Shuzhi should pull Da Qing out of the danger zone. Chu Shuzhi immediately gets the message.

Episode 5 has this wonderful exchange outside the residence where Butler Wu works.

Chu Shuzhi with his arms folded, looks amusedly at Zhao Yunlan. Changcheng is standing next to him, speaking wide-eyed. They're outside, with a leafy backdrop.

Chu Shuzhi smirks, while Changcheng looks slightly chastened. Zhao Yunlan points an accusatory finger at Chu Shuzhi.

Chu Shuzhi grins at Zhao Yunlan, and even Changcheng is smiling. We can see Zhao Yunlan's and Wu Tian'en's backs.


GCC: Chief Zhao, you're amazing. You can see her face from so far away?
ZYL: If you were the chief, you'd be able to see it, too
CSZ: This is the instinct of a beast.
ZYL: Lao Chu, you little... You've changed.
CSZ: *smirks*

I love that Chu Shuzhi has opened up and joined the team enough to tease Zhao Yunlan like this. It's so playful, especially in the middle of a case! And it feels like a real shift from the first couple of episodes, building on what's come before.

Honorary inclusion: at the start of episode 6, when they're interviewing Ji Xiaobai about his missing Weiwei, Zhao Yunlan stomps on Da Qing's foot for being tactless, and Chu Shuzhi looks away, presumably so he won't laugh.

Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan confer over some papers, while Chu Shuzhi looks away, past the camera, his face washed out by the light, and his eyebrows slightly raised.


Not pictured: in episode 5, in the mirror dimension, when Dixingren!Weiwei appears, Zhao Yunlan puts a restraining hand on Chu Shuzhi's shoulder.

Gratuitous cap just because Chu Shuzhi is pretty. This is from episode 7, when the rest of the team minus Zhao Yunlan are talking about web comics.

Chu Shuzhi sitting at this desk with his feet up, a book in his lap, looking up. His eyelashes!


Still in episode 7, Zhao Yunlan and the team watch the CCTV footage of the mugging. When Zhao Yunlan gets flustered about being caught on tape with Shen Wei, Chu Shuzhi raises his eyebrows and gives a sceptical, "Ahh." Hee!

Chu Shuzhi raises his eyebrows and smirks slightly, while Guo Changcheng at his side looks chastened.

Chu Shuzhi says 'ahhh' and Guo Changcheng looks down at the footage.


Episode 7, at the hospital. This one is a bit of a stretch because Chu Shuzhi is probably following Lin Jing's explanation rather than looking at Zhao Yunlan, but he is looking across rather than up, and it looks so speculative. If I were vidding... (Also, it made me wonder: what if the entire SID team (minus Da Qing) had crushes on Zhao Yunlan, each in their own way, before Shen Wei arrived on the scene. *g*)

Chu Shuzhi leaning against a white background, looking very dramatic and eyeing something speculatively. Zhao Yunlan, fully clothed, lying on a hospital bed in the middle of an investigation, and staring up at the ceiling.


Episode 7 at the web novelist Lai Su's place. I just thought these shots of them working together were pretty.

Close up of Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi, both looking serious, about to enter a secret room.

Zhao Yunlan leads the way into a secret room, with Chu Shuzhi at his shoulder. In the background between them, we can see Guo Changcheng out of focus. Chu Shuzhi looks seriously at Zhao Yunlan, against a backdrop of bookshelf.


Not pictured because it happens too quickly: in ep 9, when they're outside the SID preparing to leave for their trip to the mountains, Zhao Yunlan tosses Chu Shuzhi some car keys with zero warning, and Chu Shuzhi catches them effortlessly and without fuss. *hearts*

When they stop to rest on their way to the Hanga caves, in ep 10, Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi's both sprawl on a big rock. (Chu Shuzhi often sits with his feet up at the SID, too. I wonder how differently he'd have sat if Shen Wei had been there openly as the Envoy earlier on; how much has he adopted the habits and postures of those around him *koff*ZhaoYunlan*koff*?)

Outside on a rocky slope, Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi sit sprawled and bent-kneed on a large rock, while Guo Changcheng stands in front of them.

Zhao Yunlan looks down at Chu Shuzhi. Chu Shuzhi looks seriously up at Zhao Yunlan.


Honorary inclusion: this is Chu Shuzhi grinning and giving Guo Changcheng a thumbs up for zapping Zhao Yunlan with his fear stick. LOL!

Chu Shuzhi grinning and giving a thumbs up, against a rocky cliff-face background.


Finally, in the Hanga caves in ep 11, Chu Shuzhi smiles at Zhao Yunlan's having appointed Sang Zan as the SID's new librarian. Aww!

In the dark of the Hanga caves, Chu Shuzhi gives a soft smile.


I'm stopping here, because over the few episodes after the Hanga arc, the dynamic changes; instead of Zhao Yunlan working with Chu Shuzhi and the others so much, the focus shifts heavily to the Envoy reveal (as is only right and proper!). We get Zhao Yunlan being "kidnapped" by Zhu Jiu and then, increasingly, partnering with Shen Wei. And whereas at the end of episode 5, Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi worked together to test Xiao Guo's tailing skills (and Zhao Yunlan says it's the seventh time he's failed, lol), from here on out, Chu Shuzhi's partnership with Guo Changcheng starts to solidify.
mergatrude: Zhao Yunlan offering a lollipop (Guardian - ZYL - have a lollipop)

[personal profile] mergatrude 2023-11-11 07:20 am (UTC)(link)
So pretty! Thank you for this. It made for a satisfying (and calorie-free) dessert. ♡♡♡