Meta: Shen Wei in episode 8: Leaving and Staying

[china_shop]

I usually think of the failed book con in episode 8 from Zhao Yunlan’s pov; it’s shot that way, after all. But I wanted to take a look at it and its flow-on effects from Shen Wei’s pov. In particular, I'm interested in the pov of a Shen Wei who is aware that Zhao Yunlan will one day be Kunlun.

Note that I’ve posted before about the book con, melinoel616 posted about the taxi scene, marycrawford did Shen Wei tucking Zhao Yunlan into bed and dealing with his disaster apartment, and trobadora did the morning after. I strongly recommend checking out these posts, if you haven't. They’re all fantastic!

1. Context: the end of episode 7
The last we see of Shen Wei before the book con is when he and Zhao Yunlan are talking in Shen Wei's office, after the web novelist case. This is the late-night chat where Zhao Yunlan's views are softening. They laugh together at the thought of being characters in someone else's story, and then Zhao Yunlan expresses pity and regret for the web novelist's fate.



Shen Wei says, "I never would've thought that you would say those words to me today. And I, even more, wouldn't have expected, that you would one day empathize with the helplessness of the Dixing people." He obviously feels this very deeply.

A beat passes. Zhao Yunlan makes a joke of it.

Shen Wei ducks his head and gives a polite, disappointed laugh. I think he's still happy to have Zhao Yunlan there, for them to be in accord generally, but it hurts that Zhao Yunlan is unable to be as sincere and intimate as Kunlun was. Maybe Shen Wei regrets letting his guard down.


2. The book con
For some reason, the book con takes place outside, in public. Maybe they ran into each other as Shen Wei was leaving the building. Maybe Zhao Yunlan sent Da Qing inside to fetch Shen Wei. Regardless, Zhao Yunlan opens the suitcase like a peddler displaying his wares.



Shen Wei starts off standing. He must immediately recognise the books, right? He bends down and picks one up.

Zhao Yunlan spouts nonsense.



Shen Wei keeps his head lowered, examining the book in his hand. He must be so disappointed again! It would be one thing for Zhao Yunlan to bring him a gift of old books, even if they're accidentally the ones Shen Wei donated. But the story about them being family heirlooms undermines any potential sweetness or thoughtfulness in the gift, and puts Shen Wei in a terribly awkward position.

He’s in love with who Zhao Yunlan will become. He wants to stay close to him in the meantime. He's moved in across the hall!

Then Zhao Yunlan's lie ascends to the next level with his reverent "My grandpa... can finally rest in peace." At that point, Shen Wei can't possibly let the deception stand, or find a polite way to let Zhao Yunlan off the hook. He doesn't want a relationship built on bullshit. This can’t be who Kunlun really is.



He points out his mark in the book, and says, "I wonder which student is your so-called grandfather?"



Zhao Yunlan stammers, and Shen Wei gets up and walks away without a word.

3. The Envoy asks the SID for assistance



Shortly after the book con, the Envoy appears at the SID, seeking their help in finding Ding Dun. This is urgent and important business, but we haven't seen anything that explains why the Envoy decided to reach out now, today. I wonder if Shen Wei turns to the SID partly to give Zhao Yunlan a chance to show off his detective skills (even if to the Envoy instead of Shen Wei) and regain some face. Otherwise, it's an uncharacteristic request for the Envoy to make, an admittance of his own limitations.

Is he disappointed or relieved that Zhao Yunlan isn't there? Does he connect the absence to Zhao Yunlan's earlier humiliation?

4. Disaster!Zhao Yunlan
The whole gastritis/taxi/disaster-flat/morning-after sequence. Shen Wei finds Zhao Yunlan in distress, takes him home and cares for him, despite the fiasco with the old books, and despite the horrific state of his flat. Shen Wei puts him to bed and brings him medicine and braves the chaos to clean up.

He could have left after that. He's rescued Zhao Yunlan from spending the night in the gutter. He's sanitised his living environment. (He's conveniently intercepted the message from the Dixing archives.) He could have strategically positioned the congee on the bedside table and avoided any awkward questions about why he's gone to these lengths for someone who screwed up so badly. But he stays, inserting himself into the intimacy of waking up, and I think it's so he can re-establish their respective footings in their relationship.



In their morning-after conversation, Shen Wei:

• justifies his cleaning by saying it’s in repayment for the rescue from muggers, a weak excuse that neatly erases the book con and Zhao Yunlan’s illness from the narrative of their relationship
• bluntly refuses another recruitment effort, without giving any excuse
• expresses concern for Zhao Yunlan’s health, makes a standing offer of breakfast(!!), and lightly reproaches him for not taking better care of himself (“I don’t want to find you in the gutter again.”)
• volunteers the information that he’s going out of town (possible subtext: if we don’t run into each other for a few days, it’s not that I’m avoiding you)
• warns Zhao Yunlan not to leave the city, and attributes the warning to precognition (with a smirk), despite having hard evidence now that Zhao Yunlan suspects him of being Dixingren
• with that smirk, also clearly indicates that he’s lying/keeping secrets, thus demonstrating the kinds of lying he deems acceptable. Note that he didn’t offer a lie as a reason not to join the SID.

Thoughts & questions

1. My point in talking about the morning-after scene, despite trobadora already having covered this ground so awesomely a few years ago, is that I think it’s key that Shen Wei sticks around for it, and the reason it matters is that the gastritis sequence is kind of maybe a do-over for the failed book con. Like the book con, it starts in public with Zhao Yunlan crouched/sitting, and Shen Wei standing. Like the book con, Shen Wei crouches to speak to him. But this time, Zhao Yunlan is literally incapable of putting up a front. He tries to wave Shen Wei off, but he can’t summon any jokes or stupid lies. And when his disaster self is exposed, both in the street and at the flat, this time Shen Wei doesn’t walk away. He literally rolls up his sleeves and gets to work cleaning. In fact, he stays right up until Zhao Yunlan makes a hasty exit of his own.


2. Actually, perhaps part of Shen Wei's journey in the taxi ride is accepting that Zhao Yunlan isn't Kunlun yet. That he's young and does stupid things, and he's vulnerable. Is that where Shen Wei shifts focus from the past to the present?


3. Zhao Yunlan lost so much face with the book con, what would have been the state of their relationship going forward if Shen Wei hadn’t stayed at the flat after cleaning? The Envoy turning up at the SID to find Zhao Yunlan absent feels like a pre-emptive answer to that question, a vivid illustration — particularly since they don’t find Ding Dun until it's too late, ie, the outcome of Zhao Yunlan's absence is failure.


4. Complete aside: Lao Chu receives Ding Dun’s "wanted" photo on his phone. Where did the photo come from? Does the Dixing prisoner processing office have cameras?


5. What does it mean to Shen Wei that Zhao Yunlan, suspecting Shen Wei of being Dixingren to the point that he’s actually queried the Dixing archives on the subject (but not informed the Envoy), is still trying to recruit him? Is this a hint of his intrinsic Kunlun-ness? Are they having a second, unspoken conversation that goes, “Let me officially take you under my wing; I can protect you.” “I won’t accept your protection.”?


6. Does Shen Wei have any other reactions to the Dixing archive query? Does it make him resolve to guard his secrets more closely, or prompt him to open up more? Does it change how he feels about Zhao Yunlan and/or the attempted gift of the books? What does he think tipped Zhao Yunlan off?
   
   Aside: The reply from the archives is also a reminder that the Regent can’t be trusted to be discreet, which is presumably part of why Shen Wei crackles with anger in episode 15.


7. Poll #31774 Leaving and Staying

   Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 8

   
   

   View Respondents

   
   

   What do you think Shen Wei feels as he walks away from the failed book con? (Tick all that apply.)

   View Answers
   

   disappointed
   7 (87.5%)

   exasperated / impatient with Zhao Yunlan’s nonsense
   6 (75.0%)

   offended / affronted
   1 (12.5%)

   hurt/stung that Zhao Yunlan would lie like that
   2 (25.0%)

   desperate to see the "real" Kunlun again
   5 (62.5%)

   merciful (ie, at least he's not staying to witness Zhao Yunlan's humiliation)
   1 (12.5%)

   "can this really be Kunlun?"
   2 (25.0%)

   disapproving / "this is unworthy of both of us"
   6 (75.0%)

   "oh my god, he's so young; he's behaving like a failing student"
   3 (37.5%)

   other.
   0 (0.0%)

   Why does Shen Wei stay till morning? (Tick all that apply.)

   View Answers
   

   to see how Zhao Yunlan reacts to the cleaning
   0 (0.0%)

   to justify the cleaning
   2 (25.0%)

   to make sure Zhao Yunlan eats his breakfast
   8 (100.0%)

   to tease Zhao Yunlan
   3 (37.5%)

   to make sure Zhao Yunlan knows Shen Wei still likes him
   6 (75.0%)

   to warn Zhao Yunlan not to leave the city
   4 (50.0%)

   to watch Zhao Yunlan sleep
   7 (87.5%)

   he got caught up in a good book
   0 (0.0%)

   he was chatting with the goldfish (Yashou) and lost track of time
   1 (12.5%)

   other
   0 (0.0%)

Comments

[autodach]

I think he's still happy to have Zhao Yunlan there, for them to be in accord generally, but it hurts that Zhao Yunlan is unable to be as sincere and intimate as Kunlun was

Aaah how painful a thought! To have Kunlun right there, yet not. Shen Wei is for sure disappointed, but probably not surprised at this point in time – he knows Zhao Yunlan has some way to go before he truly is Kunlun.


Then Zhao Yunlan's lie ascends to the next level with his reverent "My grandpa... can finally rest in peace."

In this scene I want to shout shup up at Zhao Yunlan so bad. If he just kept his mouth shut and didn’t insist on the BS story, he’d be completely fine. He himself was cheated, it’s not his fault! But he is clinically unable to shut up.
I wonder if the book thief was ever punished?

Side note for novel/drama comparison: I believe the drama kind of had its hand forced here, because the whole book gifting is taken directly from the novel – and so it has to go wrong somehow, because

novel spoiler

novel!Shen Wei ultimately rejects the gift. The reason he gives is that he isn’t romantically interested (bold lie, as usual) and doesn’t want to lead Zhao Yunlan on, a reasoning drama!Shen Wei cannot use. So they made Zhao Yunlan mess up instead XD

Shen Wei puts him to bed and brings him medicine and braves the chaos to clean up. […]makes a standing offer of breakfast(!!)

Zhao Yunlan is truly the luckiest disaster man alive.


Actually, perhaps part of Shen Wei's journey in the taxi ride is accepting that Zhao Yunlan isn't Kunlun yet

Ooh, great idea!


Are they having a second, unspoken conversation that goes, “Let me officially take you under my wing; I can protect you.” “I won’t accept your protection.”?

Can Zhao Yunlan offer Shen Wei protection? He would have to hope to convince Heipaoshi, wouldn’t he?

[china_shop]

Aaah how painful a thought! To have Kunlun right there, yet not. Shen Wei is for sure disappointed, but probably not surprised at this point in time – he knows Zhao Yunlan has some way to go before he truly is Kunlun.

Yeah, but the two steps forward (him saying the right things) and then one step back (laughing it off as a joke) has to be pretty hard to take. *pets Shen Wei*

If he just kept his mouth shut and didn’t insist on the BS story, he’d be completely fine. He himself was cheated, it’s not his fault!

Yeah, though he already lied on the phone earlier: "Didn't you post a notice in your school's board about collecting old books? You are so lucky as I have some in my home!" (Viki subs). But he could talk his way out of that one much more easily...

But he is clinically unable to shut up.

LOL!

I wonder if the book thief was ever punished?

I wonder that every time I watch this scene! I suspect not. She probably goes on to be a criminal mastermind. *g*

Thanks so much for the novel notes! That's a good point about it having to go wrong. And I think it's completely in character at this point for Zhao Yunlan to totally fail his sincerity roll.

Can Zhao Yunlan offer Shen Wei protection? He would have to hope to convince Heipaoshi, wouldn’t he?

He would, but he has Chu Shuzhi as precedent, and I think he hopes that "There's an increase in cases, and we need Shen Wei's expertise" would be a pretty easy sell. I think he's avoiding telling the Envoy about Shen Wei until Shen Wei has agreed to join the SID, for this reason. What do you think?

[autodach]

I think he's avoiding telling the Envoy about Shen Wei until Shen Wei has agreed to join the SID, for this reason.

Yes, I also think he wants to keep things quiet until Shen Wei has agreed, and maybe also sus out his Dixingren power.

It's still quite the risk he's taking considering it's not him who will pay the price if he miscalculated, but Shen Wei. What if Shen Wei's power is dangerous and Heipaoshi won't let him stay? Or if he's just not feeling very merciful that day?

Don't get me wrong, I love that he places this much trust in Heipaoshi's goodwill. But it is risky objectively.

[china_shop]

It's still quite the risk he's taking considering it's not him who will pay the price if he miscalculated, but Shen Wei.

That's true, and that might well be why Zhao Yunlan thinks Shen Wei is refusing. But the Envoy agreed in episode 6, after the Mirror Girl plot, that only Dixingren criminals needed to be shipped back to Dixing, so maybe Zhao Yunlan thinks it's a safe bet. I mean, you can't argue that Shen Wei isn't living an upright and respectable life, you know?

[autodach]

Shen Wei is a model citizen indeed! And Zhao Yunlan probably thinks his power is cleaning or something like that XD

[china_shop]

LOL! :-)