Picspam: Zhao Yunlan's lollipops!

[china_shop]

Ha, okay, this started out as a picspam of "Zhao Yunlan with lollipop" but quickly turned into a research project. I was curious whether there were particular contexts in which Zhao Yunlan was more likely to be eating a lollipop. I haven't found an answer -- sometimes he has whole conversations with one jammed in his cheek like a chipmunk; sometimes he takes it out to be respectful or to use as a pointer or a prop. I think in the confrontation with Shen Wei at the wedding, he might deliberately put one in his mouth so he can speak with his mouth full, because he wants to be rude, but maybe he just has low blood sugar? Idk! He's less likely to be eating one in a serious context, but there are exceptions. If you can see a pattern (or series of patterns -- there's definitely a run in eps 6, 8 & 11 of "eating lollipops while contemplating Shen Wei"), please do say!!

Also, this got so long I had to cut some. (I know, I know, it's still really long.) The full list of lollipops, according to my skim through all the episodes, is included at the end of this post. :-)

Complete list of lollipops, as far as I could make out while fast-forwarding through the show.

Timestamps are approximate.

• Ep 1.
  • 8:31 inappropriate lollipop behaviour when Changcheng starts at the SID
  • 14:30 examining Lu Ruomei's murder scene with Da Qing (not actually eating it; using it as measuring device, and throwing it at Da Qing)
  • 18:41 interviewing Li Qian at the university, and crossing blades with Shen Wei
  • 25:29 theorising on the couch at the SID
  • 29:23 motorbike stakeout at uni and "Do you really think Dixingren are so different from us?" convo with Shen Wei
• Ep 2. 33.21 Li Yufen's funeral, under the tree
• Ep 3. 38:51 start of the face-stealer case, talking to Lin Jing at the car, night
• Ep 4. --
• Ep 5.
  • 19:45 theorising with the SID team
  • 39:20 teaching Changcheng surveillance with Lao Chu
• Ep 6.
  • 10:58 Shen Wei's office - unwraps and eats (I haven't noted every time he's unwrapped one on screen)
  • 26:12 talking to the real Weiwei, and telling Ji Xiaobai that his fiancée won't come back
  • 31:35 at the flat with Da Qing, talking about Shen Wei ("you used to say you'd arrest every Dixingren you saw" convo)
• Ep 7. --
• Ep 8. 9:25 in the street with Da Qing and some old books, rhapsodising about Shen Wei
• Eps 9 & 10. --
• Ep 11. 31:51 in his office, figuring Shen Wei out (actually an empty lollipop stalk)
• Ep 12.
  • 30:45 not eating one, but offers one to Zheng Yi
  • 31:45 with Lin Jing in lab, figuring out Tan Xiao isn't Dixingren; Zhu Hong is unconscious on the experiment bed in front of them
• Ep 13. 11:38 living room post-wedding disaster, "You're not even making up excuses now?" scene
• Ep 14.
  • 8:02 Shen Wei's flat, post-Zheng Yi "unless you can wipe my memory," "who says I can't?" scene
  • 21:35 flashback to the sane scene; Zhao Yunlan puts the lollipop down to formally address Shen Wei
• Ep 15.
  • 8:59 eating one while visiting Cong Bo
  • 11:30 offering a lollipop to Cong Bo
  • 25:02 the Regent visits the SID; Zhao Yunlan sits on the couch and watches him be creepy at Wang Zheng
• Eps 16 to 20. --
• Ep 21.
  • 21:41 doesn't eat one, but blindly gropes for lollipops in flat and drops them on the floor (to Shen Wei's exasperation)
  • 29:52 offers one to Ying Chun
• Ep 22. --
• Ep 23.
  • 5:30 in a Dixing bedroom with Da Qing
  • 27:45 in his office at the SID with Shen Wei, after An Bai's inauguration
  • 31:02 at the flat, Zhao Yunlan on bed, opens lollipop and eats it; cont. to Shen Wei cooking with weird energy barrier scene (pre-kitchen knife scene)
• Ep 24.
  • 9:20 in the SID lab, giving Lin Jing gaming assignment
  • 41:04 at the SID, post-game chatting, and throughout the subsequent interview of taxi driver (lollipop has green stem)
• Ep 25. 24:00 doesn't eat one, but leaves one wrapped on ground as clue when he's kidnapped; Guo Changcheng tosses it
• Ep 26. 34:20 outside SID, laughing at Da Qing re Da Ji; green stem
• Eps 27 to 29. --
• Ep 30. not eating, but offers one to lab tech
• Ep 31. 12:00 in the street, night, confrontation with Zhu Hong
• Ep 32. --
• Ep 33.
  • 17:22 upstairs at SID, crying with Chu Shuzhi about Xiao Guo's presumed death
  • 23:20 his office with Da Qing; Shen Wei's letter comes, and ZYL gives lollipop to Da Qing
• Ep 34. 39:02 YOHE with Shen Wei, the ur-lollipop
• Eps 35 & 36. --
• Ep 37. 31:20 flashback to Ma Gui's YOHE science experiment and hopeless crush
• Eps 38 to 40. none, though I feel like the pendant has lollipop overtones, at the Lantern lighting.

Comments

[laireshi]

I was not ready for that scene with bb!SW *cries* (Also I was right. I do want a lollipop now.)

[china_shop]

I couldn't leave it out -- it's the ur-lollipop, as far as Shen Wei is concerned! *g*

*hugs and sends you a huge pile of them*

[trobadora]

the ur-lollipop

Hee! It existed before lollipops did, even! :D

[china_shop]

Ha, true! :D :D :D

[donutsweeper]

What an excellent collection of screenshots.

Whoever decided to switch Zhao Yunlan smoking habit for a lollipop dependency was utterly brilliant.

[amedia]

Right? It's like taking advantage of one censorship issue (no smoking) to thwart another (no gay romance).

[china_shop]

Thank you! And obviously I 1000% agree. :D (Though it always makes me worry for the state of his teeth.)

[trepkos]

I was just thinking the same.

[china_shop]

I bet his dentist nags him all the time. *g*

[amedia]

Ooh, I just discovered the hover-text. Lasciviously, indeed! :-D

[china_shop]

Yay! :D (I was so sure I'd replied to this already! Idk what happened. *confused face*)

So lascivious! *g*

[maggie33]

I have to say that 'Zhao Yunlan and his lollipops' is the great subject for a picspam. So thank you, really. *stares for a long time* :DDD

[china_shop]

So glad you enjoyed them!! :D It was very hard to weed them down from 267 screencaps to just 38! /dork ;-)

[lil_1337]

Gotta love a man who knows how to use a lollipop to his advantage.

[china_shop]

That oral fixation... :D :D :D :D :D

[lil_1337]

and causing one in Shen Wei too.

[china_shop]

Just a mild case of total obsession. :D

[lunarriviera]

magnificent work! the "zyl throws his head back and looks at the ceiling whilst making an exasperated face" one made me startle-laugh aloud; he is ten thousand percent DONE with lying shen wei who lies (and who isn't done lying yet).

[china_shop]

Thank you! :D And haha, yeah, Zhao Yunlan's all, "I already know, why the hell won't you just SAY it???" and Shen Wei's like, "I would much prefer we both pretended you hadn't found out." *pets them both*

[sakana17]

This is a wonderful picspam! So many favorites here. <3

I remember the first time I watched the series how delightfully unexpected it was that Zhao Yunlan had lollipops. It's so endearing. And THEN when the time travel happens and at the end, the lollipops turn out to be relevant to the plot! AAAHHH! So, so good.

[china_shop]

Thank you! It was hard to whittle it down. I made dozens of others (including a couple of delightful bleps), but I figured this many was plenty. *g*

I remember the first time I watched the series how delightfully unexpected it was that Zhao Yunlan had lollipops. It's so endearing. And THEN when the time travel happens and at the end, the lollipops turn out to be relevant to the plot! AAAHHH! So, so good.

Yes yes yes to all of that! I immediately loved his weirdo ways (so different from any other Asian drama lead I've seen), and the lollipops were a big part of that -- and then, like you say, they turned out to be plot-relevant and so ROMANTIC! :DDDDD

*stares at your icon and melts*

[trobadora]

the lollipops turn out to be relevant to the plot!

Yes! That is the best! I love it so much, the lollipop wrapper is such a brilliant idea. Perfection. :D

[autodach]

Great concept for a picspam! Thank you❤

I was curious whether there were particular contexts in which Zhao Yunlan was more likely to be eating a lollipop

Since Zhao Yunlan says he eats lollipops because he wants something in his mouth, it makes sense he would need them more around Shen Wei. I couldn’t find real evidence for this theory though ;)

[china_shop]

So glad you enjoyed it! :D

Since Zhao Yunlan says he eats lollipops because he wants something in his mouth, it makes sense he would need them more around Shen Wei.

And when thinking about Shen Wei. And while in the same physical dimension as Shen Wei (and while wishing he was in the same physical dimension)... :D :D :D

Yeah, I couldn't find any clear patterns... which means I can keep being random when writing fic, too. :D

[trobadora]

Since Zhao Yunlan says he eats lollipops because he wants something in his mouth, it makes sense he would need them more around Shen Wei.

♥ ♥ ♥

[trobadora]

This is a glorious post, and a glorious research project! I really appreciate the full list of lollipops. :D

(Sorry for taking so long to catch up on commenting!)

I was curious whether there were particular contexts in which Zhao Yunlan was more likely to be eating a lollipop. I haven't found an answer -- sometimes he has whole conversations with one jammed in his cheek like a chipmunk; sometimes he takes it out to be respectful or to use as a pointer or a prop. I think in the confrontation with Shen Wei at the wedding, he might deliberately put one in his mouth so he can speak with his mouth full, because he wants to be rude, but maybe he just has low blood sugar? Idk! He's less likely to be eating one in a serious context, but there are exceptions. If you can see a pattern (or series of patterns -- there's definitely a run in eps 6, 8 & 11 of "eating lollipops while contemplating Shen Wei"), please do say!!

I'm not sure how well it holds up, but I always thought there were two main kinds of lollipop moments – the provocation lollipops, where he deliberately uses it to shape his image and get under people's skin (which would include flirting), and the embarrassment lollipops, where he's using them as a prop to brush past an awkward moment, or when he doesn't know what to say. Looking through your post and your list, I totally forgot about a third kind – the contemplative or comfort lollipop, when he's using them as a sort of fidget toy, often but not always when he's alone (to soothe himself?). *g* But you're right, it's not easy to really define a pattern ...

(I think in the wedding scene, it may be multiple different things at once? He's definitely being rude on purpose, trying to push Shen Wei, but maybe he's also using the lollipop as a comfort, because it's not a fun conversation to be having ...)

These are all fantastic caps you chose! Though my favourite is the one where you can see the cherry lollipop inside his mouth while he's grinning at Shen Wei. (Or at least I assume it's cherry; the green-stemmed ones are always cherry in my experience.) I have a particular fondness in general for moments when the lollipop is visible inside his open mouth. :D

[china_shop]

This is a glorious post, and a glorious research project! I really appreciate the full list of lollipops. :D

Yay! Thank you. :D :D :D

I always thought there were two main kinds of lollipop moments – the provocation lollipops, where he deliberately uses it to shape his image and get under people's skin (which would include flirting), and the embarrassment lollipops, where he's using them as a prop to brush past an awkward moment, or when he doesn't know what to say.

Oh, that makes sense. And then, as you say, the contemplative ones. He definitely eats them a lot when he's on his own, especially to start with. (And the fidget toy analogy is bang on.)

but maybe he's also using the lollipop as a comfort, because it's not a fun conversation to be having ...

Ohhh, interesting. Maybe! I hadn't really thought about how uncomfortable that must be for him -- he's so much on the offensive, and it's very easy to focus on Shen Wei's discomfort.

Though my favourite is the one where you can see the cherry lollipop inside his mouth while he's grinning at Shen Wei. (Or at least I assume it's cherry; the green-stemmed ones are always cherry in my experience.)

So flirty!! (I was wondering if it was cola flavoured...) Absolutely agree re the appeal of the visible-in-mouth lollipops. :D

[trobadora]

I hadn't really thought about how uncomfortable that must be for him -- he's so much on the offensive, and it's very easy to focus on Shen Wei's discomfort.

Yeah, and ZYL is the one who's making things uncomfortable for Shen Wei by constantly pushing - but I think it's not just frustration he feels at Shen Wei's refusal to admit to anything; he's very uncomfortable with the situation, and pushing is how he attempts to deal with that. *pets them both*

I was wondering if it was cola flavoured...

It looks red, though?

[china_shop]

he's very uncomfortable with the situation, and pushing is how he attempts to deal with that.

What aspects in particular do you think are making him uncomfortable? Pressing the Envoy for answers? The conflict between his feelings and his thoughts? Or something else?

It looks red, though?

Cola-flavoured is dark red/reddish brown, isn't it?

[trobadora]

He very badly wants to be on the same page as Shen Wei (and he's so gleefully happy when he finally gets there!) - at this point in time, I think it makes him uncomfortable that they're not because he can't understand why, and it frustrates him but also makes him worry about the status of their relationship and what Shen Wei actually wants from him, which plays to his insecurities.

In my experience cola-flavoured things aren't reddish, but a) idk about elsewhere, and b) who knows if we're even seeing the colour the same way! *g*)