Poll: Suspicious Professor Shen (dramaverse)

[china_shop]

Some discussion on the novel readalong post made me think about the Longevity Dial arc in the drama, how determined Shen Wei is to catch Zhao Yunlan's attention... and how much he inadvertently keeps arousing Zhao Yunlan's, er, investigative instincts. :D So... a poll!

Poll #32598 Suspicious Professor Shen

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 25

View Respondents

What's the most suspicious thing Professor Shen does in eps 1 to 9?

View Answers

mentioning Dixingren to the chief of the SID... and knowing about the SID
12 (48.0%)

surviving the fall off the biology department roof
16 (64.0%)

surviving Wang Yike's attack
6 (24.0%)

healing the cut on his arm
4 (16.0%)

being caught at the fake face-stealer crime scene
5 (20.0%)

having a dossier on the SID
8 (32.0%)

not having a cellphone
3 (12.0%)

being unfeasibly good-looking
8 (32.0%)

other
3 (12.0%)

Comments

[trobadora]

For "other", moving in across the hall from Zhao Yunlan!

[china_shop]

Ooh, yes. Good one! What on earth was ZYL supposed to make of that? :-)

[trobadora]

Really it's all a big huge tangle of (delightful) suspiciousness! But that one has to stand out.

[china_shop]

It's only one step away from showing up on ZYL's doorstep and announcing he's moving in, really. (Something that ZYL would be shameless enough to do, but Shen Wei is too polite for -- and also, it would complicate his secret-keeping.) (And also, there's the problem of early-canon!ZYL's ~issues~...)

[trobadora]

Yes, all of that! I love it so much, OMG. Honestly I think out of all the changes they made from novel to drama - and I love so many of them - this is unquestionably the best one: the way Shen Wei is not at all trying to avoid Zhao Yunlan in any way, shape or form, but instead pushes himself into his life and his awareness at every possible opportunity. :D

[china_shop]

It's so good!

novel spoiler

They kept the energy corruption plot point, but made Shen Wei the cure instead of the cause.

[trobadora]

Doesn't the novel also has Shen Wei curing Zhao Yunlan at his own cost? I may be misremembering. But true, the energy corruption plot is a very different thing, and I really love that the drama did away with Shen Wei being in any way, shape or form bad for Zhao Yunlan! ♥ ♥ ♥

[china_shop]

Oh, yeah, you're right, he does, but it's gross and I'd erased it from my mind. ;-p

Plus, the Dial Exchange is so very very good!

[trobadora]

Everything about the Dial exchange is amazing. :D

[facethestrange]

"but it's gross and I'd erased it from my mind. ;-p"

Bwah, such a valid reaction. :D I actually like the gross factor of a lot of things in the novel watch me be weird about wrist-biting when the re-read gets to that, but everything else about this (and a lot of other things) the drama did infinitely better. *nods*

[trobadora]

You know, I don't remember much from the first time I tried to read the novel, but I do remember the wrist-biting and I'm totally here for that.

(IIRC it wasn't as good as the wrist-biting in Faraway Wanderers - priest has favourite tropes, heh! - but it was still very good. :D)

100% agreed about the things the drama did better, though!

[facethestrange]

Oooooh. *EYEING FARAWAY WANDERERS* I had no idea. *eyes it some more* I've been lowkey meaning to read it, but tbh I'm in my "no one looks like Bai Yu = I'm not interested" era, lol, but then again who's gonna stop me from picturing whoever I want. :D The Guardian novel descriptions sure didn't. :D

[trobadora]

Faraway Wanderers is great! And so is Word of Honor, the drama adaptation. Both very much recommended!

Fair enough about Bai Yu, though. Have you watched some of his other stuff?

[facethestrange]

Yeah, new dramas gonna need to wait until some unspecified time when I don't just want to stare at the Guardian cast 24/7 and absolutely nothing else will do. :D :D (Z1L very, very much too, hah, Bai Yu is just my original reason for all of this.) Books on the other hand... :D

I haven't watched anything in full because nothing seems to be my genre much? Guardian was not my genre either, watch this statement change in 3, 2, 1... But I have watched just about everything in bits and pieces. :D

[trobadora]

Guardian lives in my head basically ALL the time, so I feel you! :D

What's your genre, usually, if you don't mind saying?

[facethestrange]

Psychological horror, basically? Childhood trauma, gore, hallucinations, dream logic. Like Yellowjackets or Higurashi When They Cry. That's the usual, but for the last 2-3 months my brain is entirely made of Guardian and I love it this way. :D

[trobadora]

Oh, yeah, that's very not like Guardian! I'm so glad you found your way here anyway. ♥

[facethestrange]

Hah, yes, and no one is more glad than me. :D :D I haven't been this in love with one singular fandom in at least a decade, possibly two decades (depending on the exact criteria, lol). And I just absolutely love when "this is not really my thing in theory" becomes "this is SO MY THING in practice". :D

[china_shop]

Ha, I don't remember the wrist-biting at all...

[facethestrange]

It's brief and probably pretty unremarkable unless it hits you somewhere in the id. xD

[facethestrange]

"It's only one step away from showing up on ZYL's doorstep and announcing he's moving in, really."

Which ZYL would be like "yep, sounds good, you can do that". So that he can investigate him better, of course. :D

[trobadora]

"investigate" :D :D :D

[facethestrange]

[trobadora]

EXACTLY LIKE THAT. ♥ ♥ ♥

[china_shop]

LOLOL! :D :D :D

[sakana17]

All of the above! :D

[china_shop]

Hee! Yes. He really makes no attempt to keep his distance, despite his secrets. :D :D :D

[donutsweeper]

So hard too choose, it's basically all of the above. The fall was ridiculous, knowing about the SID should have been a red flag, and for other as trobadora mentioned the moving across the hall thing was so suspicious. The man was not trying to hide, not at all.

[china_shop]

Not trying to hide at all! And yet, he's kind to his students and helpful with investigations, and he fusses over ZYL's health, so ZYL can be fairly sure he means no harm, which does help to balance things out. :D :D :D

[facethestrange]

I wish I could vote for being good-looking because I'm cackling at it even being an option, but I feel like, ZYL being ZYL, it's the one thing that makes him not suspicious. xD (Along with cooking for him and tucking him in, I guess. :D)

[china_shop]

Hee! *points to icon*

[marycrawford]

Bwee, I DID vote for the unreasonable good looks because I loved that option, but you're right! I love how Zhao Yunlan is generally okay with almost every suspicious thing Shen Wei does, except for the really outrageous ones, and one of my favorites is the interrogation scene in episode 4.

Shen Wei wipes the floor with all of his interrogators, devastating them in different ways, not giving an inch, acting suspicious as all hell, and Zhao Yunlan is just like "...neat". And then, of course, he comes in and gets an honest answer to his one sincere question.

[facethestrange]

Zhao Yunlan does have a bit of a problem with 'suspicious af vs. I want to get in his pants', lol. Or what would be a problem if it was anyone other than Shen Wei. In this case the latter happens to be the correct choice. :D

Also, tbh, Shen Wei: *does anything at all*, Zhao Yunlan: "Neat." :D

[trobadora]

would be a problem if it was anyone other than Shen Wei

This goes for so much about them, both ways! One of the best things about them. :D

[trobadora]

Ooooh yeah! The interrogation scene is one of my favourites in the entire drama. I love it to pieces, the way Shen Wei demolishes the SID in the calmest possible way, and that smirk of his, OMG! *fans self* I can't blame ZYL for being into it at all.

And then, of course, he comes in and gets an honest answer to his one sincere question.

And he BELIEVES the honest answer, too! So, so good. :D

[marycrawford]

OMG! *fans self*

You said it. Shen Wei's so badass in this scene and I am so into it. That smirk <3

[trobadora]

and I am so into it

SO MUCH! :D

[china_shop]

Shen Wei wipes the floor with all of his interrogators, devastating them in different ways, not giving an inch, acting suspicious as all hell, and Zhao Yunlan is just like "...neat". And then, of course, he comes in and gets an honest answer to his one sincere question.

SO GOOD! (Oh, no, I do not have time to rewatch that right now! *eyes self sternly* :D)