POLL / PICSPAM: how many times? (Zhao Yunlan & Shen Wei in episodes 1/2)

[trobadora]

All right, let's start this off with a poll - don't look under the cut (or beneath the poll) before voting:

Poll #31407

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 16

View Respondents

During episodes 1 & 2 (the Li Qian case), how many separate times does Zhao Yunlan encounter Shen Wei?

View Answers

fewer than 6 times
3 (18.8%)

6 times
2 (12.5%)

7 times
4 (25.0%)

8 times
3 (18.8%)

9 times
1 (6.2%)

10 times
2 (12.5%)

11 times
0 (0.0%)

12 times
0 (0.0%)

13 times
0 (0.0%)

more than 13 times
1 (6.2%)

Fun fact: it's definitely more than I thought!

I did some canon revision while I was writing my 520 Day fic, which is set after episode 2, and started numbering the encounters for no particular reason. It turns out that over the course of these two episodes, Zhao Yunlan encounters Professor Shen in eight separate instances! And on top of that, there are three separate encounters with the Black-Cloaked Envoy. (And one brief flashback to "Kunlun" and the young Envoy, which I'm not counting. *g*) No wonder Zhao Yunlan will soon be talking about Shen Wei suddenly being everywhere!

(As Da Qing explains to Zhao Yunlan in episode 6, "In this world, two people can have been very close by but have never seen each other before. But maybe from that day on, the two of them will meet every day. Destiny is unpredictable." *g*)

(Only three of these encounters are planned, btw - Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan arrive on the rooftop together to confront Li Qian; the scene at Li Yufen's grave with everyone there has obviously been arranged; and at the end, Zhao Yunlan summons the Envoy.)

Anyway, have some screencaps! (As usual, click for full-size versions.)

First Professor Shen encounter: Shen Wei sees Zhao Yunlan in a window, pets Zhao Yunlan's cat, and shakes his hand. (Shen Wei forgets to let go. Zhao Yunlan forgets to take his hand back after Shen Wei does let go. :p)







Second Professor Shen encounter: Shen Wei comes to fetch Li Qian, who is being questioned by Zhao Yunlan, and makes himself more suspicious by being so calm.







Third Professor Shen encounter: Shen Wei intercepts Zhao Yunlan, who's observing Li Qian. Shen Wei admits to knowing about the SID and pushes Zhao Yunlan about his views on Dixingren; Zhao Yunlan claims a feeling of familiarity with Shen Wei.







First Envoy encounter: the Black-Cloaked Envoy arrives on the roof; Zhao Yunlan is passive-aggressive until Xiao-Guo speaks out of turn, then tries to smooth things over and gives us our first "Hei-laoge". :D







Fourth Professor Shen encounter: Shen Wei, who let himself be thrown off the roof when he noticed the SID arriving, now comes out of the bushes and waves at Zhao Yunlan, who is justifiably suspicious.





Fifth Professor Shen encounter: this one's an extended sequence. It starts with Zhao Yunlan slipping while trying to save Li Qian from falling off the roof; Shen Wei arrives in time so they can pull Li Qian up together. From there, they take Li Qian to the hospital, talk to the doctor, then have a delightful cat-and-mouse conversation in the corridor that ends with Zhao Yunlan inviting Shen Wei to a meal after the case is over and Shen Wei countering that no, it should be his treat. ♥ ♥ ♥











Sixth Professor Shen encounter: after Gao Tianyu attacks Li Qian's hospital room and is stopped by Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan finds Shen Wei there pretending to have been knocked to the floor.





Seventh Professor Shen encounter: another extended sequence. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan arrive on the rooftop together to confront Li Qian; Zhao Yunlan accuses her of killing her grandma; Li Qian falsely confesses, and they take her away in the car but are stopped by Gao Tianyu's next attack. Gao Tianyu's telekinesis stops Shen Wei from getting out of the car until he's been defeated by the spirit of Li Qian's grandma coming from the Longevity Dial.











Second Envoy encounter: a brief interruption in the previous scene, during which Shen Wei (supposedly still inside the car) appears as the Envoy and takes Gao Tianyu away.





Eighth Professor Shen encounter: at Li Yufen's grave, Shen Wei again asks Zhao Yunlan leading questions about about why these Dixingren attackers have suddenly appeared.





Third Envoy encounter: Zhao Yunlan summons the Envoy to the SID, and they talk about the Sundial. Zhao Yunlan thinks the Envoy is meddling upstairs when he asks about Li Qian.








Questions:

• How close were you to guessing the actual number of encounters? Were you in the right approximate region, or completely off? Are you surprised to hear the actual numbers?


• Which of these encounters is your favourite? Can you even choose? (It's hard! I know! But if I absolutely had to, right now I'd pick the cat-and-mouse game in the hospital corridor. Possibly because it's been on my mind a lot, writing my 520 Day fic. *g*)


• Do you think Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei actually went out for a meal after this case? Has anyone written fic about it? (In the scene, it's mostly both of them signalling their interest/suspicion won't stop with the end of this case, but that won't prevent us - or them - from taking it literally too, right? *g*)


• When Zhao Yunlan accuses Li Qian on the rooftop, Shen Wei is clearly taken aback - but since they arrive together, Zhao Yunlan must have told him something about his intentions. Any thoughts about what?


• Finally, a random thing I somehow never quite registered before: during the scene at Li Yufen's grave, Shen Wei says there were no further incidents after Li Yufen's funeral, which means this scene isn't her funeral, and some time must have passed. So what exactly is this graveside gathering? Does anyone know what it might be?

Comments

[china_shop]

Great post!! :-)

I forgot the cemetery scene and misremembered the hospital attacker scene and the car scene being connected, and I counted one differently (I didn't count the second Envoy encounter as a separate thing, since from SW's pov, it's all one thing), but I still can't make the numbers add up. I really should have written my guesses down. ;-p

If I had to pick, probably Zhao Yunlan being a brat to the Envoy on the roof. But it's impossible to pick. That "Do you really thing Dixingren are so different?" conversation is so important and great.

Do you think Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei actually went out for a meal after this case?

I actually hope not, because if they did, we absolutely should have seen it for narrative arc reasons! I think probably case events overtook the opportunity.

which means this scene isn't her funeral, and some time must have passed.

Oh good point! The ground at the grave doesn't look disturbed, either. Huh.

[trobadora]

Glad you enjoyed it! :D

I counted one differently (I didn't count the second Envoy encounter as a separate thing, since from SW's pov, it's all one thing)

Yeah, that's why I had it as "number of times Zhao Yunlan encounters Shen Wei", because from Zhao Yunlan's side it's two separate encounters. From Shen Wei's side, I'd also only count it once!

but I still can't make the numbers add up. I really should have written my guesses down. ;-p

LOL! That would have been fun, anyway. *g*

If I had to pick, probably Zhao Yunlan being a brat to the Envoy on the roof. But it's impossible to pick. That "Do you really thing Dixingren are so different?" conversation is so important and great.

The rooftop Envoy scene is so good! And so is that conversation you mention! They're all so good, I'd probably pick a different favourite every week or so. *g*

I actually hope not, because if they did, we absolutely should have seen it for narrative arc reasons! I think probably case events overtook the opportunity.

Yeah, agreed that we should have seen it if it had happened! Every interaction they have, in these early days, is so important for moving their arc along. But of course I still want canon divergence fic where it does happen. *g*

The ground at the grave doesn't look disturbed, either. Huh.

Yeah, it doesn't look like a fresh grave! I can't believe none of this really registered before.

[china_shop]

Yeah, that's why I had it as "number of times Zhao Yunlan encounters Shen Wei", because from Zhao Yunlan's side it's two separate encounters.

Ah, reading comprehension fail. *facepalm*

They're all so good, I'd probably pick a different favourite every week or so. *g*

Yes, their chemistry is so Instant Zing! :D :D :D

Yeah, it doesn't look like a fresh grave! I can't believe none of this really registered before.

They're all behaving like it's a funeral -- that's probably why.

[trobadora]

Yes, their chemistry is so Instant Zing! :D :D :D

It really, really is. SO GOOD, it keeps delighting me all over again every time. :D

[donutsweeper]

Oh I was close, I guessed 7, I forgot about that second envoy encounter.

I love your screengrabs, you got so many great zhao yunlan faces!!

[trobadora]

Yay! Glad you enjoyed it, I tried to catch a few shots that aren't just the most often screencapped and giffed ones. :)

[mumblemumble]

I literally had no idea, I just picked 10 because it was a nice round number. :-D Such a delightful and helpful post, thank you for the write-up and the pics!

If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be the very first encounter, just because it's so iconic and introduces the characters and their weirdness about each other so well. I also love Yunlan's jaunty wave in the third Envoy encounter. He's such a little shit. <3 Also, Shen Wei's "ow, my back" grimace-smiles, he's such a little shit in very different ways. He generally smiles a lot in these pics, that's so interesting! Just happy to be around not!Kunlun, putting on his little show.

I sort of wrote a fic about the date that wasn't: when the lights go up and the music stops (2,575 words, canon aftermath shenanigans, rated a happy G).

[trobadora]

Hee! Glad you enjoyed this, and you're an excellent guesser. :D

100% agreed about their weirdness about each other, that's really right there from the beginning, and I adore it. But I also love Shen Wei's super-dramatic Envoy entrances, and just, EVERYTHING. *g*

I'm really fascinated by Shen Wei's smiles in these episodes too, they're such a deliberate performance even though he IS happy to have Kunlun back at last.

And thank you for the link, that's a fantastic concept and a great story!

[autodach]

How close were you to guessing the actual number of encounters?

I severely underestimated the number of encounters!
I forgot about the hospital and the graveyard, and didn't count Shen Wei and the Envoy separately, so I counted only 7.
Can't say I'm surprised, though - there's so much going on in these early episodes!


Which of these encounters is your favourite?

Both of Heipaoshi's dramatic entrances on the roof and the SID ♥️


Do you think Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei actually went out for a meal after this case?

I don't think it's intended/canon, but in my heart they did XD


This is a super fun poll! ♥️♥️♥️

[trobadora]

Hee! I underestimated it too, but thinking aout it afterwards, it does make sense. These two are so front-and-centre, and them meeting again and again IS a plot point, after all. ♥

Shen Wei deciding to make super-dramatic entrances TWICE (even though his short appearance in between proves that it's not at all necessary) is such a choice! I love that for him. :D

I don't think it's intended/canon, but in my heart they did XD

Hee! Yeah, agreed, it would have changed things if it had happened, but I would so love to see it.

Glad you enjoyed the poll!

[autodach]

I love that for him. :D

Me too! Unnecessary drama is best drama ❤❤❤