sid_guardian | Meta: the bond between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan

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Meta: the bond between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan

Ep 27. Zhao Yunlan spies on Shen Wei's meeting with Zhao Xinci.

Ep 27. Shen Wei finds Zhao Yunlan waiting for him.

When I was making screencaps for my Zhao Xinci and Gao Jingfeng meta, it occurred to me that while Shen Wei is having tea with Zhao Xinci, Zhao Yunlan is lurking in the doorway watching, but Shen Wei seems wholly unaware of his presence -- and when he comes outside, he's surprised to find Zhao Yunlan waiting.

But there are other times when Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan seem to be able to sense each other, or they have an unexplained or semi-explained bond.

Episodes 1 & 2.

Of course Shen Wei recognises Zhao Yunlan on campus when they first meet, but Zhao Yunlan seems to recognise Shen Wei on some level, too. In episode 1, he says, "Every time I see you, Professor Shen, I have this feeling like we have known each other from a long time ago." That could be a line in response to Shen Wei's strange intensity, of course, except that in episode 2, Zhao Yunlan muses to himself, "Shen Wei. Where have I seen you before?"

Episode 15.

Shen Wei appears every time Zhao Yunlan activates the Hallows (and sometimes just before he does) to either save him, scold him, or both. Of course, this might be more a reaction to the Hallows than to Zhao Yunlan -- what do you think?

When Kong Jing kidnaps Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Yunlan seems to have some kind of dark-energy protection(?), which he identifies with Shen Wei.

I think Shen Wei, chained to the pillar, senses Zhao Yunlan sometimes? But I can't remember specifics; I might have made that up.

Episode 40.

Shen Wei manages to send his pendant through the barrier between life and death to Zhao Yunlan, and of course, they find each other in the afterlife.

What else am I forgetting?

Do you think their bond is objectively real? I don't just mean emotionally -- I mean how much of this is Fate, how much is explained by the Dial Exchange or the Hallows, how much is it a soul bond? Has Shen Wei put a dark-energy tracker on Zhao Yunlan, to help keep him safe? Any thoughts? Any related fanworks?

(Note: episode numbers for the screencaps are in the alt text. :-)

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Oh this is an interesting idea/meta. There definitely seems to be something between the two of them because, you're right, there seemed to be some sort of recognition that Zhao Yunlan felt when he met Shen Wei on campus in the first episode when there really shouldn't have been because while Shen Wei had met him, Zhao Yunlan hadn't met Shen Wei yet.

I need to rewatch to see how Shen Wei reacted to his first meeting of Zhao Yunlan back in ye olden days, was the look more of surprise of the fact he was saved/the fact it was by a gun, something he'd never seen before, or was it because on some level he recognized Zhao Yunlan like Zhao Yunlan had recognized him in e1?

(Time travel makes these kind of discussions confusing, I hope that made sense)

there seemed to be some sort of recognition that Zhao Yunlan felt when he met Shen Wei on campus in the first episode when there really shouldn't have been

Yes, exactly. I suspect some of it was a deliberate misdirect by the show, leading us to think Zhao Yunlan might be a reincarnation who's forgotten Shen Wei (I think that's how it goes in the novel?) -- but there has to be a drama-consistent in-universe explanation too!

I have seen it suggested before that the Hallows might have affected Zhao Yunlan up and down the timeline (temporal dysfunction!), so he's vaguely remembering things that haven't happened yet...

I didn't feel like YOHE Shen Wei had that same recognition; I think he was swept off his feet by Kunlun's fond familiarity, but that that was all in Kunlun's behaviour. I'd be very curious to know if other people see it differently. :-)

(Time travel makes these kind of discussions confusing, I hope that made sense)

So confusing, but yes, you made perfect sense. <3

Oh, yeah, I could definitely see the show going for a deliberate misdirect re: the e1 campus first meeting but I like the idea it's some vague Hallows timeline/soul effecting/handwavey something or other.

Me too! Or... maybe Zhao Yunlan met the Envoy when he was young enough to be unrecognisable, and the similarity is subconsciously nagging at him? :-)

I've never been entirely clear with how long Shen Wei had been working as the Envoy considering e1 appears to be the first time he's seeing Zhao Yunlan in the current era. It's entirely possible he'd previously worked with Zhao Xinci and they'd crossed paths then, but I don't know if Zhao Yunlan would really have been young enough to be unrecognizable?

I think he's working as the Envoy from the time he returns to Haixing, 30ish years ago, but not always allied with the SID -- which oh, wouldn't have existed for some of that time anyway. Here's a timeline of the SID by

rheasilvia. I don't think it's stated in canon, but it seems likely Shen Wei would have tried working with the SID, found Zhao Xinci's hardline attitudes untenable, and distanced himself. I guess the question is how visibly "Kunlun" was 12yo Zhao Yunlan? :-)

Edited 2024-03-03 03:34 (UTC)

TY for linking to the timeline. I guess the thing I've always been a bit confused about was that Zhao Yunlan's been in charge for several years now but just hadn't ever had to deal with the Envoy before e1, which seems a little, idk, convenient and odd to me.

*nodnod* That's why I think it's likely the Envoy distanced himself from the SID during Zhao Xinci's time (and placed Chu Shuzhi there, so he has someone who can report back). Also, I think the episode 1 case is the first big case the SID has faced during Zhao Yunlan's tenure, so there's been no need for the Envoy to make his presence felt.

P.S. Re the link, you're very welcome! It's a great resource. :-)

Edited 2024-03-03 04:19 (UTC)

I guess I can see that. As befitting his position, he *knows* about the envoy and whatnot and I suppose they might not bothered to do a 'passing of the torch, here meet the new guy' kind of thing when he took over the position so if there hadn't really been a reason to call for him then they might not have met.

(I still think it's a bit of a reach but one of those eh, I'll just accept it and not think about it too hard kind of things)

Yeah, I imagine Zhao Yunlan's briefing/handover included lots of dire warnings about how aloof and easy to offend the Envoy was (as per Zhao Xinci's experience), so he wasn't in any hurry to push for contact. And Shen Wei was busy with his studies, maybe even studying overseas, since things were so quiet in Dragon City and Chu Shuzhi was there to safeguard matters? :-)

I imagine Zhao Yunlan's briefing/handover included lots of dire warnings about how aloof and easy to offend the Envoy was

Hee! :D

I don't think Shen Wei would have gone to study overseas if it would have cut him off from access to Dixing, so do you think he's capable of portalling intercontinentally?

Yeah, it definitely needs some explaining! But my interpretation is that Shen Wei found working with Zhao Xinci unpleasant enough that he gradually stepped back further and further to avoid interacting with the SID, until just around the time Zhao Yunlan took over, he finally sent in Chu Shuzhi to act as his proxy. Chu Shuzhi is pretty powerful, and since there don't seem to have been any truly big cases lately, he could detain any Dixingren culprits and deliver them to the Envoy without the Envoy having to meet anyone else.

Yeah, that's how I see it too. :-)

We do know for a fact that Shen Wei was already in the present time over 20 years ago, because Wu Tian'en knew him then, before he became a butler. My personal headcanon is that Shen Wei woke up around the time Zhao Yunlan was born. *g*

I didn't feel like YOHE Shen Wei had that same recognition; I think he was swept off his feet by Kunlun's fond familiarity, but that that was all in Kunlun's behaviour.

Yeah, that's exactly how I see it, too.

Good idea for a discussion! This is very interesting to think about ❤

Shen Wei appears every time Zhao Yunlan activates the Hallows (and sometimes just before he does) to either save him, scold him, or both. Of course, this might be more a reaction to the Hallows than to Zhao Yunlan -- what do you think?

My theory is that Shen Wei put some kind of Zhao Yunlan alert on the hallows after he touched them one time too many.
And maybe he also put the protection against Kong Jing in place while he was at it.

I think Shen Wei, chained to the pillar, senses Zhao Yunlan sometimes? But I can't remember specifics; I might have made that up.

He does! When Zhao Yunlan is in Zhu Hong’s dream, Shen Wei can sense his distress and shouts “Where is he?!” at Ye Zun. It’s in episode 31 at 29:16.

Do you think their bond is objectively real?

In-universe I don’t think it’s anything other than the hallows/emotions/picking up on the person you just met already knowing you.
But there is also a meta aspect to it. Similar to when Zhao Yunlan says “we could be characters in a book”, which almost breaks the fourth wall. It’s a little joke for the audience.
I think these instances of unexplained connection are like that – communicating to the audience that these characters are meant for each other, that they will find each other in every timeline (and every time you watch the show :D), like soulmates.

This is very interesting to think about ❤

Yay! ♥

My theory is that Shen Wei put some kind of Zhao Yunlan alert on the hallows after he touched them one time too many.

Hee! Or many he can just sense when the Hallows are starting to react to anyone? He could have learned that in YOHE. Though he didn't notice Li Qian saving her grandmother...

And maybe he also put the protection against Kong Jing in place while he was at it.

I kind of assumed that was a product of the Dial exchange. If he can put protections on people, shouldn't he have included the whole SID?

He does! When Zhao Yunlan is in Zhu Hong’s dream, Shen Wei can sense his distress and shouts “Where is he?!” at Ye Zun. It’s in episode 31 at 29:16.

Ah, awesome! Thanks so much for that! I wonder if it's Zhao Yunlan's distress, or the fact that Zhao Yunlan is in the dream, ie, has stopped existing in the regular world. That would make sense of the "Where is he?!"?

I think these instances of unexplained connection are like that – communicating to the audience that these characters are meant for each other, that they will find each other in every timeline (and every time you watch the show :D), like soulmates.

*nodnod* That definitely works for me for some of it, like Zhao Yunlan's feeling of recognition and maybe Shen Wei protecting him from the Hallows. I'm not so sure about things like the Kong Jing scene, because that had a dark energy effect attached. Hm, maybe there's two separate categories of things going on here...

If he can put protections on people, shouldn't he have included the whole SID?

You're right. It could be too taxing at scale? Byproduct of the sundial exchange works too, though Zhao Yunlan seems to assume it was deliberate as he never asks about it iirc.
Man there really is a lot that comes down to "the hallows do weird, plot-convenient things" isn't there XD

I wonder if it's Zhao Yunlan's distress, or the fact that Zhao Yunlan is in the dream

Oh good point! I hadn't considered that but it makes sense.

I'm not so sure about things like the Kong Jing scene, because that had a dark energy effect attached. Hm, maybe there's two separate categories of things going on here...

Yes I was thinking more of unexplained emotions like "where have we met before" and such here. Repelling Kong Jing happens physically and requires some kind of explanation. Not that the show gives us that XD

It could be too taxing at scale?

True, and where would he stop? Li Qian, Jiajia...

Man there really is a lot that comes down to "the hallows do weird, plot-convenient things" isn't there XD

They're the masterminds behind the timeloop, too! I go back and forth on how sentient/intentional they are, versus how much they're working to some kind of internal rule set.

Yes I was thinking more of unexplained emotions like "where have we met before" and such here.

Yeah, that makes sense. It does give us this lovely sense of "mysteriously made for each other", even before we know what's going on with the timeloop. :D

Though he didn't notice Li Qian saving her grandmother...

Yeah, that's a very good point!

Zhao Yunlan is in the dream, ie, has stopped existing in the regular world

Shen Wei says "he's in trouble" after Zhu Hong attacks him with her powers in her dream, and talks about his body suddenly being unstable, so he seems to be able to sense him somehow - it's not that he's disappeared from his awareness.

But there is also a meta aspect to it. Similar to when Zhao Yunlan says “we could be characters in a book”, which almost breaks the fourth wall. It’s a little joke for the audience.
I think these instances of unexplained connection are like that – communicating to the audience that these characters are meant for each other, that they will find each other in every timeline (and every time you watch the show :D), like soulmates.

♥ ♥ ♥

I really love how you put this.

💜

This is such a great idea for a post! Sorry it took me so long to come back to it. ♥

Zhao Yunlan seems to recognise Shen Wei on some level, too.

My theory (as you know) is that it's their knowing each other echoing forward in time thanks to the Hallows and the time loop, so Zhao Yunlan catches an echo of something that hasn't happened yet.

Shen Wei appears every time Zhao Yunlan activates the Hallows (and sometimes just before he does)

Yeah, I think this is more due to the Hallows than Zhao Yunlan – he picks up on when the Hallows respond to Zhao Yunlan. Another example is in episode 20, when Shen Wei is outside the Inspectorate and suddenly picks up on something, then quickly zooms away to come to Zhao Yunlan's rescue. The moment he suddenly notices seems to be when Zhao Yunlan uses the Sundial to defend himself against Ye Zun.

When Kong Jing kidnaps Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Yunlan seems to have some kind of dark-energy protection(?), which he identifies with Shen Wei.

I always assumed this had something to do with the energy exchange. If he got white energy from Zhao Yunlan, then it would make sense Zhao Yunlan got black energy from him.

I think Shen Wei, chained to the pillar, senses Zhao Yunlan sometimes?

Like

autodach says above, when Zhao Yunlan is in Zhu Hong's dream and Shen Wei is in Dixing tied to the pillar, he suddenly reacts to Zhao Yunlan being in danger – he notices he's in trouble and that his body is unstable, and then shouts "where is he" (after which Ye Zun taunts him about it).

So there are three possibilities, I think; (1) he's been consistently aware of Zhao Yunlan on some level and that awareness has changed, or (2) Zhao Yunlan being in danger alerted him somehow and communicated some details about his condition, or (3) Shen Wei was actively seeking out Zhao Yunlan with one of his powers, and it just happened to be in this moment, which alerted him to his condition.

Shen Wei manages to send his pendant through the barrier between life and death to Zhao Yunlan, and of course, they find each other in the afterlife.

SO MUCH LOVE. :D :D :D

What else am I forgetting?

In episode 38, when Ye Zun has Shen Wei captive in the palace, he tells Shen Wei Zhao Yunlan is on the way to Dixing. (Unclear if he can sense that himself, or if he has other intel.) And then a bit later, Shen Wei whispers Zhao Yunlan's name while seemingly mentally absent – it looks to me like he's mentally searching for him, confirming what Ye Zun told him.

Do you think their bond is objectively real? I don't just mean emotionally -- I mean how much of this is Fate, how much is explained by the Dial Exchange or the Hallows, how much is it a soul bond?

I think the time-looped bond between the two of them, and their entangled energies from the exchange with the Sundial account for it all, but what it amounts to is something indistinguishable from a soul bond? Their emotional bond self-creates itself through the time loop and is complicated and heightened by that, and the energy exchange via the Sundial contributes creates an additional energy bond, and it leaves them so entangled with each other, they remain connected no matter what, dead or alive.

Has Shen Wei put a dark-energy tracker on Zhao Yunlan, to help keep him safe?

Possibly! Since, as you say, there are provably instances where Shen Wei isn’t aware of Zhao Yunlan’s presence, maybe it's a tracker he has to actively ping, not one that he's constantly aware of? So if he doesn't search for him, he won't notice.

Edited 2024-03-10 17:35 (UTC)

Hiiiii! I'm so sorry, I lost this comment in my endless sea of tabs. /o\

Glad you liked the post!

My theory (as you know) is that it's their knowing each other echoing forward in time thanks to the Hallows and the time loop, so Zhao Yunlan catches an echo of something that hasn't happened yet.

*nodnod* Though he has barely been exposed to the Hallows at that point, and hadn't at all when he first met Shen Wei, right? But maybe the Hallows are just that powerful. :-)

Another example is in episode 20, when Shen Wei is outside the Inspectorate and suddenly picks up on something, then quickly zooms away to come to Zhao Yunlan's rescue. The moment he suddenly notices seems to be when Zhao Yunlan uses the Sundial to defend himself against Ye Zun.

Oh, yes, excellent point! And agreed, that must have been him feeling the Dial activate.

I always assumed this had something to do with the energy exchange. If he got white energy from Zhao Yunlan, then it would make sense Zhao Yunlan got black energy from him.

I always assumed it was energy-exchange related, too. But if Zhao Yunlan received black energy, shouldn't he feel some discomfort at the "unnatural" mixing of energies, too? Or does it only cause Shen Wei discomfort because he's so aware of his own energy structure? Do Haixingren have energy structures -- they must do, if Zhao Yunlan's is corrupted, right?

I don't think that it necessarily follows from the exchange that Zhao Yunlan must have received dark energy, just because Shen Wei got light. The whole point of the exchange was to heal ZYL's corruption, so Shen Wei could have been exerting himself to extract that dark energy (and incidentally got some light energy along with the dark at the same time)? Idk. It's possible the thing with Kong Jing was unrelated -- some kind of protection power that Shen Wei put on Zhao Yunlan? (Sorry, I don't mean to be contrary! Just thinking it out.)

So there are three possibilities, I think; [...] (3) Shen Wei was actively seeking out Zhao Yunlan with one of his powers, and it just happened to be in this moment, which alerted him to his condition.

I'm most inclined towards that one, actually. (And wow, the idea that Shen Wei can sense Zhao Yunlan at such a distance (across dimensions?)!!) But yeah, all of those scenarios would work. :-)

In episode 38, when Ye Zun has Shen Wei captive in the palace, he tells Shen Wei Zhao Yunlan is on the way to Dixing. (Unclear if he can sense that himself, or if he has other intel.) And then a bit later, Shen Wei whispers Zhao Yunlan's name while seemingly mentally absent – it looks to me like he's mentally searching for him, confirming what Ye Zun told him.

Oh, yes, excellent point! Thanks for adding that! <3

but what it amounts to is something indistinguishable from a soul bond?

Oh, yes. I love that. This is what a soul bond is! <3 <3 <3 :D

No worries! ♥

Though he has barely been exposed to the Hallows at that point, and hadn't at all when he first met Shen Wei, right? But maybe the Hallows are just that powerful. :-)

He hasn't in his timeline, but he has in the Hallows' timeline, and they do what they want. *g*

I always assumed it was energy-exchange related, too. But if Zhao Yunlan received black energy, shouldn't he feel some discomfort at the "unnatural" mixing of energies, too? Or does it only cause Shen Wei discomfort because he's so aware of his own energy structure? Do Haixingren have energy structures -- they must do, if Zhao Yunlan's is corrupted, right?

Since the black energy is rising up to protect him, I wonder if Shen Wei did something to mitigate its effect on Zhao Yunlan, so it'd get used up rather than mingling with his white energy.

(Yeah, I'm pretty sure they have analogous energy structures, which is also why the serum can activate white energy powers for them.)

I don't think that it necessarily follows from the exchange that Zhao Yunlan must have received dark energy, just because Shen Wei got light.

Yeah, no, it doesn't necessarily follow, it's just my headcanon for where the black energy in that Kong Jing scene came from. It could be some other protective measure! But then why doesn't that happen at other points? (Lateron, Shen Wei is weakened, but earlier in the drama? He worries a lot about Zhao Yunlan's safety ...)

I'm most inclined towards that one, actually. (And wow, the idea that Shen Wei can sense Zhao Yunlan at such a distance (across dimensions?)!!) But yeah, all of those scenarios would work. :-)

Yeah, it does make sense! And given that Chu Shuzhi can sense his puppet across the same distance (when he's in Haixing and Guo Changcheng with the puppet is in Dixing), that sensing ability may not even be that out there?

Oh, yes. I love that. This is what a soul bond is! <3 <3 <3 :D

♥ ♥ ♥ indeed! :D

♥ ♥ ♥

He hasn't in his timeline, but he has in the Hallows' timeline, and they do what they want. *g*

LOL, they really do!

Since the black energy is rising up to protect him, I wonder if Shen Wei did something to mitigate its effect on Zhao Yunlan, so it'd get used up rather than mingling with his white energy.

I'm not sure he could? He's very powerful, but he himself says no one understands or can control the Hallows. Maybe he tries to do that after the fact, though, hm.

And given that Chu Shuzhi can sense his puppet across the same distance (when he's in Haixing and Guo Changcheng with the puppet is in Dixing), that sensing ability may not even be that out there?

Ooh, excellent point! Maybe it's like quantum entanglement or something.

I'm not sure he could? He's very powerful, but he himself says no one understands or can control the Hallows. Maybe he tries to do that after the fact, though, hm.

Yeah, I didn't mean that he changed the Hallows' effect, but that he did something to the black energy left behind in Zhao Yunlan afterwards.

*nodnod* That makes sense!

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Meta: the bond between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan

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