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sid_guardian2025-03-08 03:30 pm
facethestrange) wrote in sid_guardian2025-03-08 03:30 pm
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Guardian Readalong: Vol. 2, Chapters 5 & 6
Hi, and welcome to this week's installment of the Guardian novel readalong! ♡
Here are last week's chapters, and you can find all previous discussions on the schedule post (vol. 1 part 1, vol. 1 part 2, vol. 2), or via the !readalong tag.
This week's chapters:
- Chapter 5: Zhao Yunlan brings Shen Wei with him to the hospital. Guo Changcheng sees a ghost of a legless man outside the window, which turns out to be a reflection of what happened in the past. Zhao Yunlan explains talismans to Guo Changcheng and uses one to open GCC's third eye. Guo Changcheng accidentally kills a ghost tormenting one of the victims and cures her. The victim is a mundanely terrrible person, and Shen Wei stops Zhao Yunlan from punishing her too much when he erases her memories. The legless ghost is targetting humans who didn't directly wrong him, so SID has the authority to deal with him.
- Chapter 6: Despite the team's confusion, Zhao Yunlan wants Shen Wei to stay at the scene. Everyone gets a task and they set out to lure and trap the ghost. Shen Wei volunteers to participate in setting the trap, and knows a lot more about it than anyone expected him to know. Zhao Yunlan admits that Shen Wei is not an ordinary human, but doesn't reveal his identity.
The corresponding chapters in the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation are 51, 52 and 53.
Excerpts:
1) The ghost that Guo Changcheng sees
As he scrambled out of their way, Guo Changcheng happened to catch a glimpse of someone outside the window—the sixth-floor window!
What he was seeing was clearly impossible. Every instinct Guo Changcheng possessed told him that something was off; his pulse raced. But human nature being what it was, fear robbed him of the ability to look away.
It was a man outside the window: skinny and hunched, wearing a ragged knit hat that revealed frostbitten ears and a shock of white hair. He was bundled in a large cotton jacket…and he was floating in midair, entirely lacking his legs!
Guo Changcheng could see that the man’s legs had been chopped off just below the pelvic joint. The hacked stumps were plainly visible, with short lengths of bone jutting out from the rotting, bloody flesh. Blood seeped inside the building through the window frame, dripping and pooling on the floor. It seemed as though the bleeding would never stop.
Yet not a single passing doctor or nurse noticed a thing. It was like no one could see the man silently staring into the inpatient area.
Half of his face was caked with dirt and blood. His eyes bugged out as if he were a terrifying wax figure. He just kept staring coldly at all the people coming and going, one corner of his cracked lips tugging upward. His expression was indescribably resentful.
2) Shen Wei explains Guo Changcheng's ability to see reflections of the past
After a sweeping glance at Guo Changcheng, who was standing a bit away from them, Zhao Yunlan briefly summarized what he’d been told.
Shen Wei listened, then thought for a moment before answering seriously. “His third eye hasn’t been opened, but there’s something quite unusual about him. I feel as though he’s able to see echoes of the past through reflective surfaces.”
Zhao Yunlan’s eyebrow shot up. “What do you mean?”
“Think back to when we first met at Dragon City University, when I suddenly arrived and interrupted your investigation,” Shen Wei said. “The night before, when I heard that an accident had taken place at the school, I suspected it might have something to do with the escaped Hunger Ghost. I sent a puppet to investigate the victim’s dorm room. The puppet left before daybreak, but later, when this young man climbed into the window, a fascinating connection sprang to life between him and my puppet. I felt him looking through the glass and seeing my puppet climbing out the window the previous night. That’s why I came. At the time, I didn’t realize you were there.”
To be precise, he’d been unaware because the shit-stirring Chaos King of the Gui had purposefully interfered with his ability to sense Zhao Yunlan’s location.
When Guo Changcheng had written his report about the incident, he had mentioned seeing a skull in the window, and something about there being a person cloaked in black in the skull’s eyes. But since most of the report had been useless bullshit, Zhao Yunlan had dismissed it and used the paper as a coaster.
“So you think there may actually have been some legless person—or ghost—peeping through this window?” Zhao Yunlan asked. “Not now, maybe at some point last night or even before?”
“Mm-hmm. Didn’t you say that the two new poisoning victims were sent here at midnight? If I’d hurt someone, I might also want to come and see for myself exactly what happened to them.”
3) Guo Changcheng accidentally cures the victim
Zhao Yunlan slapped the yellow paper talisman down onto her, causing a massive ball of black gas to spew from her body. It shot up like a menacing geyser, only to be knocked partway back when it hit the ceiling. A contorted face took shape in midair, mouth wide open as it howled hysterically at them.
It all happened in a flash. One moment Zhao Yunlan had been delivering a lecture on theory and now they were in a haunted house. Guo Changcheng screamed and bolted for the door. But Director Zhao, as though he had eyes in the back of his head, dragged Guo Changcheng back by the collar.
Keeping a firm hand on Guo Changcheng, Zhao Yunlan studied the black mist. “Weird,” he murmured. “Why is there so much resentment?”
“Ghost!” yelped Guo Changcheng. “Ghost, ghost, ghost!”
Zhao Yunlan snorted. “Like you’ve never seen a ghost before? Why would I have ordered you to join me if I wasn’t expecting any?”
A powerful bolt of electricity burst from Guo Changcheng’s pocket. With the wisdom of experience, Zhao Yunlan immediately let go and backed out of the way. The black shadow hanging in the air met the same fate as the huge knife in the Hanga tribe’s secret tunnel.
“We hadn’t asked it anything yet! No one told you to kill it!” Zhao Yunlan slapped the back of Guo Changcheng’s head.
Guo Changcheng was on the brink of tears. “I-I’m scared…”
“Can’t you hold it in for a while?” Zhao Yunlan demanded.
From day one, Guo Changcheng had both feared and respected his boss. Even if Zhao Yunlan unleashed a toxic fart, he would treat it as a divine utterance and think the boss had made an excellent point. So upon hearing this, Guo Changcheng made an immediate attempt to obediently contain his terror.
He tried until his face was beet red, but he couldn’t stop trembling with fear. Voice thin as a mosquito’s buzz, he said, “I…really can’t hold it in.”
The pointed side-eye Zhao Yunlan gave him lasted until Guo Changcheng was shaking badly enough that there was a real risk of another 10,000-volt discharge. And then, unexpectedly, his heartless boss laughed. “You sure do keep things interesting.”
Guo Changcheng only blinked. It seemed like a strange compliment.
“Don’t bully him,” scolded Shen Wei.
Meanwhile, the stricken woman finally managed to do more than gawk at them. Moving with great difficulty, she knelt on the bed and bowed to Guo Changcheng. “Thank you, Immortal. Thank you, young Immortal!”
4) Zhao Yunlan is very discreet (sarcasm) and also very discreet (no sarcasm)
The hospital hallways were always full of people. Between being tall, full of physical grace, and an overall hottie, Zhao Yunlan generally drew attention to begin with, but publicly touching and grabbing hold of another man quickly drew curious stares from all around.
Shen Wei swiftly assessed the situation. “We’re in public,” he said softly. “Have some discretion, please.”
Zhao Yunlan responded by turning to glare at the onlookers. “What are you looking at?” he asked, unfazed. “Never seen a couple of hot gay guys before?”
Shen Wei and Zhu Hong were both stunned speechless for a moment, and then they spoke almost at the same time. “It’s not appropriate for me to be here while you work,” Shen Wei said.
More quietly, Zhu Hong said, “That’s right, Director Zhao. Our internal regulations…”
“I’m the one who set the regulations,” Zhao Yunlan interrupted her. “If I’m unhappy with them, I can change them any time I want. Besides, what they say is that we need to keep outsiders from witnessing or participating in our investigations. He’s not an outsider.”
Shen Wei froze, momentarily sure that Zhao Yunlan was about to reveal his identity. But instead, Zhao Yunlan lowered his voice so that he sounded like an annoying brat. “He’s not an outsider— he’s my partner.”
Dumbfounded, Zhu Hong turned away and looked blankly out the window. She had the feeling that she’d just seen the lord of incompetence claim his throne.
5) Lin Jing baits Shen Wei, and Shen Wei knows too much
Silently, Lin Jing looked at Zhao Yunlan and then at the bottle in his own hand. Realizing that he was being baited into becoming a tank to pull aggro, he said, “You did this on purpose.”
Zhao Yunlan didn’t bat an eye. “Yeah, and?”
Lin Jing swept his eyes over the others. The black cat wore a crafty sneer, and everyone else’s expression was unsympathetic and indifferent. He let himself wallow in sorrow for a moment before wheeling around and flinging himself at Shen Wei, who was leaning unobtrusively against the wall. “My liege wishes to sacrifice this humble monk before the flag of battle!” he cried. “Noble consort, I beg you, intercede on my behalf!”
Shen Wei didn’t have the first clue how to respond. As the Soul-Executing Emissary, he was accustomed to people reacting to him like rats spotting a cat. Having never been on the receiving end of teasing like this, he was at a complete loss. He turned to Zhao Yunlan as though asking for help.
Zhao Yunlan, on the other hand, was delighted by this high-quality display of ass-kissing. He averted his eyes, showing no interest in intervening.
After considering his options, Shen Wei held out his hand for the bottle. “I’ll go in your place, then.”
He hadn’t even finished speaking before an ominous stare pierced Lin Jing’s spine. Even if Lin Jing had been ten times braver, he wouldn’t have dared use the “noble consort” as bait.
The fake monk managed a dry chuckle and tucked the bottle into his own breast pocket. “Amitabha. Our duty is to encourage goodness, eradicate evil, and protect people’s lives and possessions. How could I foist this honorable and arduous calling off on someone else? Off I go!” With those words, he darted off at the speed of light.
“Then how can I help?” Shen Wei asked.
Zhao Yunlan replied, “I know a restaurant a bit south of here that’s pretty good. Come eat with me.”
Once again, Shen Wei had no idea how to react.
Zhu Hong ground her teeth. “I’m angry, but I have to bite my tongue.”
Chu Shuzhi fixed his eyes on the ground. “Yup, biting my tongue.”
Daqing simply meowed.
Shen-laoshi, however, had a conscience. “We can’t do that. How about this: you stay here and give orders, and I’ll go hold the Gate of Life for you. Then, if need be, I can assist.”
Everyone went dead silent at his words. Zhu Hong’s brow furrowed, and Chu Shuzhi’s face turned pensive. But Guo Changcheng, the only one confused, piped up. “What’s a Gate of Life?”
Chu Shuzhi ignored the question. Expression serious, he asked, “How did Shen-laoshi know what kind of array I’ll be putting down?”
“Two layers with four gates each, anything that enters is unable to exit. I could extrapolate as much from seeing the places Yunlan pointed out just now for monitoring. However, if the violent spirit’s resentment is too thick and heavy, he could tear through the temporary net. At that point, if the Gate of Life becomes a Gate of Death, it’ll be hard to control. I’ll guard the eye of the array just in case.”
Chu Shuzhi looked him up and down. “Shen-laoshi knows all of this even though you’re just a university professor?”
Questions:
How did you like Zhao Yunlan finally training the newbie, and Guo Changcheng's accidental moment of badassery? Do you approve of Zhao Yunlan punishing the woman? How would you react when you're doing super secret stuff and your boss suddenly brings an apparent outsider to work? And, of course, did these chapters give you any new Weilan feelings? ♡
You can answer as many or as few questions as you like, or just comment without answering any of them at all! And if you see this post and you're not actually reading the novel: Hi there, I always want to know what you think about any of this with limited context. :D
And here is the schedule, and that's where you can sign up to host a post.
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I don’t have much to contribute this time, but I just love this whole bit. Shen Wei is so unprepared for the teasing XD
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Guo Changcheng was frozen to the point that his tongue was stiff. “D-D-D-D-Director Zhao.” A trail of snot crept down his face. He sniffled it back up, which did nothing to improve his image, and sneaked a confused glance at Shen Wei."
These are literally the opening lines and I'm already quoting, lol, I just love Xiao Guo sfm, this overeager, adorable ball of anxiety, omg. ♡♡♡
Also, is this different in the original version? Because the summary I use to find out the chapter equivalents says this instead: "Guo Changcheng rushes to the hospital early and ends up waiting in the cold for almost three hours before Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei arrive. Zhao Yunlan doesn't blink an eye, used to his strange behavior, but Shen Wei is concerned about Guo Changcheng.", and wow, three hours very different than half an hour, and also Shen Wei being worried about GCC sounds adorable? :D (I can see some other things being different too, but I just feel for Xiao Guo here, lol, so I got stuck on this. xD)
GCC terrified out of his mind when he sees the ghost is also so precious. *CUDDLES HIM* And I love that Zhao Yunlan believes him, even if this is the reason, lol. "Nothing of what he knew about Guo Changcheng suggested that the little dumbass had the intellect and balls to successfully lie to his boss’s face, so he probably wasn’t bullshitting."
"Bitingly cold northwest winds surged inside, but that was all. He felt nothing but the chill.
A nurse rushed over. “Excuse me, sir, but can you close the window? If you want some fresh air, please go outside. We have patients here who need to stay warm.”
Zhao Yunlan quickly closed the window and turned to her with an apologetic smile. The young nurse, confronted with a high-caliber hottie, flushed red. Muttering a half-serious complaint under her breath, she scurried away."
This is so funny to me. :D :D
"At some point, Shen Wei had come up beside him. With a small cough, he deliberately positioned himself between Zhao Yunlan and the retreating young woman, who was sneaking a peek back at him. Zhao Yunlan glanced at him with a hint of a smile. He gave Shen Wei’s scarf a tug and leaned in close. Lips almost brushing Shen Wei’s ear, voice pitched so no one else could hear, he asked, “Did you catch a cold? What are you coughing for?”
Shen Wei took an alarmed step back. If he’d been wearing a long robe, he probably would have gathered his sleeves, lowered his head, and said, “Two men mustn’t openly touch in broad daylight.”
Zhao Yunlan couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
The tips of Shen Wei’s ears reddened, and he abruptly changed the subject.
Soft Weilan, SO SOFT. ♡♡♡ And kinda funny too. :D I love the whisper in the ear so much, ahhh. ♡♡♡
"When Guo Changcheng had written his report about the incident, he had mentioned seeing a skull in the window, and something about there being a person cloaked in black in the skull’s eyes. But since most of the report had been useless bullshit, Zhao Yunlan had dismissed it and used the paper as a coaster."
This is so mean. xD And funny. AND MEAN. *shaking my head at ZYL* xD
"Zhao Yunlan smirked. “You? Hurt someone? You can’t even kiss except in secret.”
Shen Wei was far too much of a gentleman to bear even whispering to each other about such intimate things in public. His ears felt as if they were on fire. In a slightly louder whisper, he scolded, “Don’t talk nonsense!”
Zhao Yunlan shut his mouth but not his eyes. As the saying went, beauties had bright eyes, and those eyes could speak volumes. Director Zhao’s eyes went a step further and conveyed pure lechery. Shen Wei, unable to endure that gaze languidly caressing him from head to toe, turned and escaped to the patients’ room."
Asdfghfdjsklhjkl, Zhao Yunlan's absolutely shameless gaze yes please. :D :D
I also love that it's so obvious to him that the Emissary is not capable of hurting someone that he can even joke about it, AW.
"Unbelievably, this unpredictable boss was settling in to deliver a leisurely lecture while the victim cried out like a pig at slaughter. Guo Changcheng lacked the mental strength for it. With more than half of his attention taken by the screaming woman, it made him feel particularly restless."
Poor Xiao Guo omg, what the hell Zhao Yunlan?? xD
"Completely unprepared, Guo Changcheng felt an indescribable iciness from the talisman. There was somehow a weight to it, piercing him like a sharp knife. His vision blurred and the world changed right before his eyes…but in a way he couldn’t quite identify."
This is such a cool description!
"Guo Changcheng was silent, unable to imagine how hearing that might have made the woman on the bed feel."
Xiao Guo is a treasure, my smol bb! ♡ She's an asshole and he already kinda knows that (just without any details yet), and yet he really cares about her, aw.
The whole part about GCC curing her is SO FUNNY, I already quoted all of as an excerpt and I still feel tempted to quote more, lmao, the banter is so witty and I just love everything about it to pieces. :D
"One moment Zhao Yunlan had been delivering a lecture on theory and now they were in a haunted house. Guo Changcheng screamed and bolted for the door."
"Like you’ve never seen a ghost before? Why would I have ordered you to join me if I wasn’t expecting any?"
"A powerful bolt of electricity burst from Guo Changcheng’s pocket. With the wisdom of experience, Zhao Yunlan immediately let go and backed out of the way."
"Even if Zhao Yunlan unleashed a toxic fart, he would treat it as a divine utterance and think the boss had made an excellent point."
Lololol. And how Shen Wei's only line during this scene is "Don’t bully him." :D A+++ humor.
Zhao Yunlan really hates people who harm animals, and I know it's a theme, but it's just a really good theme!
“The hot policemen who came by this afternoon were following normal procedure. They asked about the person selling the poisoned oranges, and while they were at it, they educated certain citizens a little…”
He had to add the 'hot', didn't he. xD
"As soon as he was out of the room, Zhao Yunlan snapped straight back into training Guo Changcheng."
He's so eager to train GCC, aw, Da Qing doesn't have to be exasperated about that anymore. :D
"Guo Changcheng’s pen flew furiously as he scribbled in his little notebook. Zhao Yunlan slowed his speech and let him catch up a bit before continuing."
And he's really nice about it, AWW.
"Guo Changcheng subconsciously patted the jacket pocket holding his stun baton. The corner of Zhao Yunlan’s lips twitched."
Heeee. I love them!
"Shen Wei swiftly assessed the situation. “We’re in public,” he said softly. “Have some discretion, please.”
Zhao Yunlan responded by turning to glare at the onlookers. “What are you looking at?” he asked, unfazed. “Never seen a couple of hot gay guys before?”
His discretion! xD *DED*
"Shen Wei froze, momentarily sure that Zhao Yunlan was about to reveal his identity. But instead, Zhao Yunlan lowered his voice so that he sounded like an annoying brat. “He’s not an outsider— he’s my partner.”"
Being an annoying ass to protect Shen Wei, on the other hand... ♡♡♡!
"Daqing and Lin Jing had been busy whispering to each other. “Look at Shen-laoshi’s wrist,” Lin Jing was saying. “You can see a glimpse of gauze. Our boss is such a beast.”
Daqing’s eyes went incredibly wide, and his imagination had just started to run wild when he suddenly heard his name. Every molecule of his fat started quivering."
These gossiping dorks, BWAH, I love them so much. :D :D
(Also Shen Wei is still wearing the gauze when I'm sure he has healed a long time ago, hmm.)
"In the simplest terms possible, Chu Shuzhi explained it to the rookie who didn’t understand shit. “Violent spirits are all born from resentment. Picture the spirit like the body of an octopus. It reaches out and curses other people with that resentment, which then acts like the octopus’s arms—the spirit can feel each of those people through it.”
Guo Changcheng had been trailing around after Zhao Yunlan for some time by then and hadn’t yet had a chance to eat supper. Thanks to Chu Shuzhi’s explanation, he couldn’t help thinking about takoyaki. His mouth watered and his stomach rumbled noticeably.
This bizarre reaction wasn’t at all what Chu Shuzhi had expected."
I adore them both, and how GCC is apparently not all that terrified when he's sufficiently hungry. xD
"Daqing stood up on a chair by the window on his hind legs to watch as Shen Wei walked out of the hospital and unerringly took his position on the Gate of Life. As though feeling the cat’s gaze, Shen Wei looked up and smiled at him."
This is weirdly adorable, AW!!
"She could even tease and laugh at their boss, or go as far as writing smutty scenarios about him on Weibo."
ZHU HONG THE FANFICTION QUEEN. :D
“I want to respect Shen Wei’s wishes,” he explained, “so I really can’t say much. But there’s no need to be concerned about him, so don’t worry. Just treat him exactly like you’d treat me.”
♡♡♡!
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In both the RainbowSe7en translation and the traditional Chinese version I have, it is “almost three hours”, so yes, it is different.
ZHU HONG THE FANFICTION QUEEN. :D
She is one of us!
“I want to respect Shen Wei’s wishes,” he explained
Hell yes, respect his wishes! XD
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Oh, thanks! Damn, that's a long-ass time to stand in the cold. I guess the official translation wanted to be nicer to Xiao Guo, and I don't blame it. xD
"She is one of us!"
And she's even an RPFer, bwah. :D And RPFer of her own boss, hmmmm oh well, GOOD FOR HER. xD
"Hell yes, respect his wishes! XD"
I kinda highkey love how Shen Wei's wishes about his identity are rigorously respected by ZYL, but his wishes about no PDA are just like "nahhhhhh, not those". xD SMH. ♡
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Yep! I quoted it in my comment below, but there's both more GCC, and he's waiting much longer.
I also love that it's so obvious to him that the Emissary is not capable of hurting someone that he can even joke about it, AW.
I do love that he's 100% certain about what kind of person SW is!
These gossiping dorks, BWAH, I love them so much. :D :D
The gossiping is lots of fun! But why do you think they're so ready to believe ZYL hurt SW? I keep stumbling over that.
(Also Shen Wei is still wearing the gauze when I'm sure he has healed a long time ago, hmm.)
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, this is an excellent point! :D :D :D
This is weirdly adorable, AW!!
RIGHT???? ♥
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I read it as tying into the whole danmei conviction that gay sex has to be rough and dominating, and the assumption (possibly put about by ZYL) that ZYL tops.
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Thank youuu, and I'll get to the quotes a bit later, but damn, POOR GCC.
"The gossiping is lots of fun! But why do you think they're so ready to believe ZYL hurt SW? I keep stumbling over that."
It's on the wrist, so I mostly just thought 'handcuffs mishap', but also rough sex in general, yep. I don't think anyone thinks he hurt him intentionally. (And I'm very glad that the part where Zhu Hong actually thought that a few chapters back was removed.)
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Oh yeah, that's such a good point. And it's a good character trait for a person, but it also makes sense for a mountain god. *hearts*
He had to add the 'hot', didn't he. xD
He can't help himself!
(Also Shen Wei is still wearing the gauze when I'm sure he has healed a long time ago, hmm.)
Haha, such a good point. He's probably treating it like a bracelet/love token at this point. A memento of ZYL's tender care.
ZHU HONG THE FANFICTION QUEEN. :D
Hee! (I got it wrong! I wrote a fic where Wang Zheng was the one writing Weilan RPS. *g*)
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Zhao Yunlan is very discreet (sarcasm) and also very discreet (no sarcasm)
LOL! Perfect description. :D
These are not my favourite chapters, I'm afraid. But I do have positive notes as well!
Nothing of what he knew about Guo Changcheng suggested that the little dumbass had the intellect and balls to successfully lie to his boss's face, so he probably wasn't bullshitting.
At least he's learned something since he dismissed GCC's report of his previous ghostly sighting? I mean this:
When Guo Changcheng had written his report about the incident, he had mentioned seeing a skull in the window, and something about there being a person cloaked in black in the skull's eyes. But since most of the report had been useless bullshit, Zhao Yunlan had dismissed it and used the paper as a coaster.
Seriously, ZYL, pay better attention to clues! (I feel drama!ZYL would have caught on that GCC had actually seen something relevant.) But I do appreciate very much that we finally get an explanation what was going on with GCC's weird skull sighting.
"Two men mustn't openly touch in broad daylight."
I appreciate the footnote here: A play on a common saying, "There cannot be direct contact between men and women," which refers to strict rules from a bygone era regarding bodily contact between unmarried men and women. - which makes it sound less like SW is being homophobic, and more like he's just very old-fashioned.
To be precise, he'd been unaware because the shit-stirring Chaos King of the Gui had purposefully interfered with his ability to sense Zhao Yunlan's location.
Ha! I love that he literally has ZYL radar. :D
Zhao Yunlan shut his mouth but not his eyes. As the saying went, beauties had bright eyes, and those eyes could speak volumes. Director Zhao's eyes went a step further and conveyed pure lechery.
Hee! :D
Unbelievably, this unpredictable boss was settling in to deliver a leisurely lecture while the victim cried out like a pig at slaughter.
:( :( :(
I do love that ZYL actually does some teaching, and that SW gets in on it as well, explaining things to GCC! But I just find this incredibly unpleasant. This woman is a bigoted arse, but it's not about her, it's what it says about ZYL and the SID, and the Emissary, and the worldbuilding overall. All of which are made more unpleasant to me by things like that. Same with what ZYL does to her when he hypnotises her - abusing his powers. Doesn't matter that she deserves a bit of a comeuppance, ZYL comes off pretty badly to me here, revelling in this petty punishment.
And speaking of unpleasant worldbuilding:
but once a person crosses the threshold of yin and yang, the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth is as natural as night and day
So, so much DNW. :(
"What are you looking at?" Zhao Yunlan pushed his head back. "He's the real master. It just took me a while to recognize what was right in front of me."
A shame that we don't get GCC actually reacting to that!
With the wisdom of experience, Zhao Yunlan immediately let go and backed out of the way.
LOLOLOL!
Shen Wei swiftly assessed the situation. "We're in public," he said softly. "Have some discretion, please."
Zhao Yunlan responded by turning to glare at the onlookers. "What are you looking at?" he asked, unfazed. "Never seen a couple of hot gay guys before?"
ZYL's line is great, but I really don't like him running roughshod over SW's sensibilities like that. *sighs* It's one thing to say stuff like that in front of the SID, but in front of strangers at the hospital? NOPE.
"He's not an outsider- he's my partner."
This, on the other hand - excellent! :D
(In the fan translation, it's "my wife", which I don't like in English, though it works great in Chinese because ZYL is punning - 外人 "outsider" is literally "outside person", and 内人, inside person, is a euphemism for wife.)
She had the feeling that she'd just seen the lord of incompetence claim his throne.
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean ...
Realizing that he was being baited into becoming a tank to pull aggro
And one more line I wish I had an explanation for.
Shen-laoshi, however, had a conscience. "We can't do that. How about this: you stay here and give orders, and I'll go hold the Gate of Life for you. Then, if need be, I can assist."
I do find it delightful that SW has 100% stopped even trying to pretend he's not an expert in front of the SID. And that he calls him "Yunlan" in front of everyone now!
"To be honest, yes, there's a story behind it all." Zhao Yunlan chose his words carefully. "But I don't think he'd want anyone else to know, so I'm afraid I can't say more than that right now."
And this is really nice, too!
With the three of them grilling him, it was as if Zhao Yunlan had found a sugar daddy, not a partner.
♥ ♥ ♥
Also, I love CSZ wanting to talk to SW about arrays! And DQ being worried about him! Great stuff. :D
Zhao Yunlan noticed the subtle hostility radiating from her, but that didn't strike him as strange. Zhu Hong had always been careful and meticulous, and he'd brought Shen Wei, a complete stranger, into their little circle without warning or explanation. Of course she'd be uneasy.
Is that supposed to mean he's completely oblivious to her feelings?! WTF?
Version differences:
We already start out with a difference - 99% of this bit isn't in the official translation:
A small difference - the second paragraph here is missing in the official translation:
And this is also missing - I was glad to see in the fan translation that they didn't forget about the other victims:
And another bit missing - a shame, because I love it when the narrative makes fun of ZYL:
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I guess it depends exactly how much OTT flailing the clues are buried in? That was GCC's first day, and he had no idea what was going on, right?
which makes it sound less like SW is being homophobic, and more like he's just very old-fashioned.
Yes, I liked that too. And I mean, there's still at least some disapproval or lack of social acceptability around PDAs, from what I can tell? (I remember reading something about Chinese couples tagging along with international tours, pretending to be foreigners so they can get away with PDAs in public.) So it might be conservative as well as old-fashioned?
This woman is a bigoted arse, but it's not about her, it's what it says about ZYL and the SID, and the Emissary, and the worldbuilding overall. All of which are made more unpleasant to me by things like that. Same with what ZYL does to her when he hypnotises her - abusing his powers.
Yeah, they're all totally lacking in empathy in this scene. I expect GCC is trustingly following ZYL's lead, but there's no excuse for the others. Idek.
So, so much DNW. :(
*loves on the drama some more for fixing that, with Shen Wei forgiving and reconciling with Ye Zun in the afterlife* <333
ZYL's line is great, but I really don't like him running roughshod over SW's sensibilities like that.
Yeah, me too. I'm like, "Do not out your boyfriend to strangers!!!" Not cool!! (What if one of Shen Wei's students or their family members happened to be around?)
In the fan translation, it's "my wife", which I don't like in English, though it works great in Chinese because ZYL is punning - 外人 "outsider" is literally "outside person", and 内人, inside person, is a euphemism for wife.
Ohhhh, that's so cool and makes so much sense in that context. Thank you -- I didn't know that!! (In Korean, one word for wife is literally "house person".)
> > She had the feeling that she'd just seen the lord of incompetence claim his throne.
>I have no idea what that's supposed to mean ...
Is it that she thinks he's using bad logic to justify Shen Wei's presence? Like, he's pretending to be all capable and in charge, but solely for his own (stupid, childish) ends?
> > Realizing that he was being baited into becoming a tank to pull aggro
>And one more line I wish I had an explanation for.
Being used to draw fire? This sounds like a reference to a military strategy where you send a tank in so the enemy will attack it and use up their ammo, etc? Idk, I'm just guessing.
I do find it delightful that SW has 100% stopped even trying to pretend he's not an expert in front of the SID. And that he calls him "Yunlan" in front of everyone now!
I found the "Yunlan" really startling, especially given his discomfort with PDAs! And yes, love him prioritising the case over his own secrets/privacy.
Also, I love CSZ wanting to talk to SW about arrays! And DQ being worried about him! Great stuff. :D
Yes, those details were both really lovely. <333
Is that supposed to mean he's completely oblivious to her feelings?! WTF?
Maybe he doesn't realise how persistent her feelings are? After all, she propositioned him in a fairly pragmatic way. (Or maybe he's in deep denial about it, like in the drama.)
Thanks, as always, for the quotes from the fan translation! <333
Zhao Yunlan squeezes out an ounce of responsibility from his brain full of rainbows, butterflies and unicorns
LOLOLOL!
Poor Changcheng.
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Using the report as a coaster totally makes me shake my head at him too, but also I think that's when he still dismisses GCC wholesale and probably just thinks he didn't even see anything in the first place? So I think I could see it happening in the drama too, very early, before he realizes that GCC is actually reliable in his own weird way. (But also it's MEAN, lol, so I wouldn't want to see it in the drama. :P)
"which makes it sound less like SW is being homophobic, and more like he's just very old-fashioned"
Yep, but also he's just worried I think? In their situation being gay does make a difference.
"Ha! I love that he literally has ZYL radar. :D"
IKR?? :D (Which he uses to avoid him, aw.)
"(In the fan translation, it's "my wife", which I don't like in English, though it works great in Chinese because ZYL is punning - 外人 "outsider" is literally "outside person", and 内人, inside person, is a euphemism for wife.)"
Oooooh, the pun is A+++ and makes this line even better, hahah, I love it, thanks for sharing! :D (And I don't like the wife thing in English either, so I am glad it didn't make it here at least, and it's really not necessary without the pun.)
"I have no idea what that's supposed to mean ..."
I think she just thinks his explanation/reasoning doesn't make any sense (which it doesn't, as punny as it is :D) and he's being super incompetent by bringing an outsider and admitting that it's for no reason whatsoever.
"And one more line I wish I had an explanation for."
This is a gaming thing! :) "In MMORPGs, such as WoW, aggro denotes the aggressive interests of a monster/NPC." "Holding aggro is done by (usually) one person (the tank) who uses his abilities to make the enemy attack him and no one else." (From here.)
"I do find it delightful that SW has 100% stopped even trying to pretend he's not an expert in front of the SID. And that he calls him "Yunlan" in front of everyone now! And that he calls him "Yunlan" in front of everyone now!"
Yesssss. ♡ And I know in the novel the name doesn't even seem to be that much of a thing, but ikrrrr, I just melt every time. :D
"Zhao Yunlan squeezes out an ounce of responsibility from his brain full of rainbows, butterflies and unicorns"
Asdfghgfhdjskl. :D :D He moved on from the angst of the previous night with the speed of light (I mean, he already did with the noodles, but apparently not even the smallest feeling is left behind :D), hahah, I love him. :D
"He tries to get on board at the busiest station, but is crammed out of the carriage twice. Third time's a charm: a fierce old lady gives him a kick from behind, and he is jammed inside just before the doors close."
XIAO GUO ILY omg.
Yes, Shen Wei being worried about GCC, that's what I wanted to seeeee, and it's SO SWEET?? ♡♡♡ Thanks! :D
"They really haven't seen one so bossy and full of himself, and embarrassedly turn away."
BWAH, okay, this is funny, I definitely wouldn't mind it not being cut. :D :D
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Aww!! a) I love that GCC immediately classifies Shen Wei as ZYL's family; and b) I would have liked more of this in the drama, during the identity shenanigans: the team seemed to accept Shen Wei's authority and capability reasonably readily, a lot of the time, even before they knew he was the Envoy. (There was a little bit of push-back, but not much considering.)
GCC: works with ghosts and Yao.
Also GCC: sees something supernatural and thinks "What he was seeing was clearly impossible."
*headdesk*
I love that he's too scared to scream, and that this actually makes him more professionally functional, in a hospital setting. I also love that this time he immediately tells someone what he saw. Progress! <3 <3 <3
I sent a puppet to investigate the victim’s dorm room. The puppet left before daybreak, but later, when this young man climbed into the window, a fascinating connection sprang to life between him and my puppet. I felt him looking through the glass and seeing my puppet climbing out the window the previous night. That’s why I came. At the time, I didn’t realize you were there.
No explanation for why CC can see the past, but I love all the implied world-building about Shen Wei's MO (sending the puppet for recon) and that it was CC's past-sight that inadvertently brought Weilan together. <333 (In the drama, it was him dangling out the window.)
“You’re not going anywhere,” Zhao Yunlan cut off both his words and his retreat. “I’m not about to let you have second thoughts and disappear.”
Is it second thoughts about the relationship that he's worried about, or second thoughts about working with the SID? How long is he planning to keep Shen Wei at his side??
Is this some kind of Stockholm syndrome strategy? ;-pShen Wei calling ZYL "Yunlan"!!!
“I want to respect Shen Wei’s wishes,” he explained, “so I really can’t say much. But there’s no need to be concerned about him, so don’t worry. Just treat him exactly like you’d treat me.”
This is such an amazing statement to say to his subordinates. "I can't tell you who he really is. You have to trust me (even though you know I've been crushing on this guy for months and I'm probably thinking with my dick). Oh, and treat him just exactly like me, your boss, on my Completely Objective say-so!
(*Your boss who you have a massive crush on.)." No wonder Zhu Hong thinks he's a jackass. WTF!!What I loved about these chapters was Shen Wei coming along on a case and being one of the team, the two of them being partners, and all the team stuff. ZYL is so happy to have him there! But wow, happy exuberant in-love ZYL is still an asshole. Being in love really hasn't changed that at all. I didn't like his opening GCC's third eye without any consultation or warning. Or the way he treated the (admittedly very terrible) woman. Or his utter disregard for Shen Wei's personal boundaries. (His care wrt Shen Wei the Emissary's boundaries was great, though.)
ZYL doesn't tone anything down or make the slightest attempt to seem kind or decent in front of his new boyfriend. And, like, ot1h, I like that he's already secure enough in their relationship that he's not walking on eggshells. But otoh, I feel like a few eggshells might be good for him (and everyone around him)! ;-p
ETA: It's an interesting contrast to the drama, where their first "case" working together is dealing with Cong Bo, a situation where Zhao Yunlan confronts an antagonist and very real threat to Shen Wei's situation, and rather than treating him as a bad guy, he takes a compassionate route, showing Cong Bo the error of his ways and offering him a chance of redemption. It's possible my reading of the novel is suffering by comparison just because I love the compassion & redemption themes of the drama so much, and I'm really terrible at compartmentalising. (Sorry!! /o\)
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IKR! ♡♡♡
"GCC: works with ghosts and Yao.
Also GCC: sees something supernatural and thinks "What he was seeing was clearly impossible."
*headdesk*"
Lololol. :D And yesss, this time 'this probably didn't happen' doesn't stop him from telling someone!
"You have to trust me (even though you know I've been crushing on this guy for months and I'm probably thinking with my dick)."
Bwahhh. :D :D
"What I loved about these chapters was Shen Wei coming along on a case and being one of the team, the two of them being partners, and all the team stuff. ZYL is so happy to have him there!"
♡♡♡ All of this!
"ZYL doesn't tone anything down or make the slightest attempt to seem kind or decent in front of his new boyfriend. And, like, ot1h, I like that he's already secure enough in their relationship that he's not walking on eggshells. But otoh, I feel like a few eggshells might be good for him (and everyone around him)! ;-p"
Lolol, eh, Shen Wei knows him and likes him exactly this way. xD :D
"It's an interesting contrast to the drama, where their first "case" working together is dealing with Cong Bo, a situation where Zhao Yunlan confronts an antagonist and very real threat to Shen Wei's situation, and rather than treating him as a bad guy, he takes a compassionate route, showing Cong Bo the error of his ways and offering him a chance of redemption."
It's very nice of him but also I was honestly so confused by that originally, like, how do you even trust this guy? (Kind of the same as I feel about Sang Zan in the novel. Drama Sang Zan was relatively harmless to begin with, so eh, whatever, take him in if you wanna. But I would be far more wary about Cong Bo myself.) But it all worked out in the end, so yay, it was a good decision after all. :D
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I actually liked it in the drama because it felt like they subconsciously responded to his authority and competence, but I'd definitely have liked it if more attention had been drawn to it all!
I love all the implied world-building about Shen Wei's MO (sending the puppet for recon) and that it was CC's past-sight that inadvertently brought Weilan together. <333
Yes! That's great. :D
Is it second thoughts about the relationship that he's worried about, or second thoughts about working with the SID?
I thought it was definitely about their relationship, and that ZYL is actually a bit insecure about it, not really trusting it'll last, despite his surface behaviour. It just comes out in the worst way!
You have to trust me (even though you know I've been crushing on this guy for months and I'm probably thinking with my dick). Oh, and treat him just exactly like me, your boss, on my Completely Objective say-so! (*Your boss who you have a massive crush on.).
LOLOLOL, I love how you paraphrased that!
But wow, happy exuberant in-love ZYL is still an asshole.
100%!
And, like, ot1h, I like that he's already secure enough in their relationship that he's not walking on eggshells. But otoh, I feel like a few eggshells might be good for him (and everyone around him)! ;-p
I think he may actually be overcompensating for not feeling as secure as he'd like! But either way, a LOT of egshells would definitely be good for him! *grumbles*
It's possible my reading of the novel is suffering by comparison just because I love the compassion & redemption themes of the drama so much, and I'm really terrible at compartmentalising.
FWIW, I 100% agree with you on loving those central themes in the drama, and not being very pleased they're absent in the novel (so far).
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One thing that hasn't been covered - is ZYL now, finally, training GCC after *months* because he's learned he could see ghosts even without his third eye open? 'oh, he's only mostly useless, let's see if we can make some improvements'? (I feel like GCC would benefit from learning some anxiety breathing techniques though!)
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So glad the reading is working again and you're back with us!
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It theoretically says (only in the scene that got removed) that ZYL is training GCC because Da Qing has been bothering him about it, but why is he suddenly listening to DQ now and not before? This may as well be the reason!
"(I feel like GCC would benefit from learning some anxiety breathing techniques though!)"
Lol, aw! ♡ 100%, yep.
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is ZYL now, finally, training GCC after *months* because he's learned he could see ghosts even without his third eye open? 'oh, he's only mostly useless, let's see if we can make some improvements'?
Ahaha, that hadn't even occurred to me, but it seems entirely plausible. From team mascot to someone actually potentially useful...
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I like that when Changcheng gets lost at the hospital, he immediately figures out where to go, instead of wandering around like a lost duckling. Initiative! *pets him approvingly*
Priest is so good at horror! The description of the ghost (in your first excerpt) is really gross. *covers eyes*
Zhao Yunlan’s brow creased as he studied his underling. Nothing of what he knew about Guo Changcheng suggested that the little dumbass had the intellect and balls to successfully lie to his boss’s face, so he probably wasn’t bullshitting.
On reflection, I think this is just ZYL's snarky way of explaining his astute character assessment that Changcheng can be trusted. He refuses to compliment him, even in his thoughts, so he has to explain it as a negative, you know?
Shen Wei listened, then thought for a moment before answering seriously. “His third eye hasn’t been opened, but there’s something quite unusual about him. I feel as though he’s able to see echoes of the past through reflective surfaces.”
Coming back to your second excerpt again, it's interesting that Shen Wei chose not to relay this until now. I guess as Professor Shen, he couldn't without revealing his own identity, but still, he could have informed ZYL as the Emissary. Isn't it info the SID chief should have about his staff member?
To be precise, he’d been unaware because the shit-stirring Chaos King of the Gui had purposefully interfered with his ability to sense Zhao Yunlan’s location.
I'm unclear whether this is an authorial interjection or if Shen Wei knows (or, more likely, figured out?) that this is what happened. It hasn't come up before, right? Presumably the Yunlan-dar is fixed now, anyway.
Director Zhao’s eyes went a step further and conveyed pure lechery. Shen Wei, unable to endure that gaze languidly caressing him from head to toe, turned and escaped to the patients’ room.
Hm, maybe it's that the higher the (personal) stakes are, the worse he acts?
After showing each other their IDs, the officer who had introduced himself as xiao-Li grabbed hold of Zhao Yunlan’s arm and his expression turned bitter. “It’s a relief you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you all morning.”
Ouch. This made me go why didn't they intervene in the torment sooner?! But then later ZYL gets Zhu Hong to request authorisation to work the case, so maybe that's why they're being so casual about it at this stage? Idk. It's still pretty unpleasant, imo.
Unbelievably, this unpredictable boss was settling in to deliver a leisurely lecture while the victim cried out like a pig at slaughter. Guo Changcheng lacked the mental strength for it.
I wonder if ZYL is deliberately testing GCC here, to see if he'll object?
Also, does having his third eye open make GCC notice anything different about Shen Wei? I'm guessing not, because otherwise ZYL would have seen it sooner, right?
The part with the ghost energy coming out of the victim is so cinematic. Awesome!
Meanwhile, the stricken woman finally managed to do more than gawk at them. Moving with great difficulty, she knelt on the bed and bowed to Guo Changcheng. “Thank you, Immortal. Thank you, young Immortal!”
LOLOL! (So does that mean that when she starts her diatribe "Let me tell you, O Great Immortal..." she's still speaking to GCC? Because he's an even worse audience for her hate than ZYL is!
(I actually like that priest not only uses "being awful about people with disabilities" as a signifier of terribleness, but then tops it off with killing some guy's dog, just to be absolutely 1000% clear that ableism is The Worst. I don't know what attitudes to disabilities are like in China, generally, but I like the novel taking a stand regardless.)
Presumably she wasn’t poisoned by the dog she offed.
LOL! I love that that's something that has to be considered. :D :D :D
I do love ZYL slowing his speech so GCC can keep up with his note-taking, and the moment with GCC patting his baton in his jacket, and ZYL being amused by that. They're working well together, aww. <3
ZYL not wanting to leave Shen Wei an escape route does feel like a continuation of their lack of boundaries...
When Zhu Hong refers to a "joint operation", I'm not clear who the other party is. Is it the SID and the District Bureau (who don't do anything)? ;-p
“You’re not going anywhere,” Zhao Yunlan cut off both his words and his retreat. “I’m not about to let you have second thoughts and disappear.”
The fact that he says that in front of Zhu Hong -- she definitely understands what he means. And then Shen Wei says it's not appropriate for him to be there while they work. It's no wonder she challenges the situation later!
Dumbfounded, Zhu Hong turned away and looked blankly out the window. She had the feeling that she’d just seen the lord of incompetence claim his throne.
Maybe this is also about ZYL calling Shen Wei his wife (in the original Chinese)? Is that any way for ZYL to endear himself to his new bf??
I love the plan to capture the resentful spirit, everyone having a role to play. It's very satisfying and competence-porn-y.
And lol, poor Shen Wei now knowing how to react to teasing. *hearts*
“Then how can I help?” Shen Wei asked.
Zhao Yunlan replied, “I know a restaurant a bit south of here that’s pretty good. Come eat with me.”
Hahaha, he's SO SHAMELESS!
Chu Shuzhi looked him up and down. “Shen-laoshi knows all of this even though you’re just a university professor?”
“I’ve picked up a few things.” Shen Wei nodded politely at everyone, then addressed Zhao Yunlan. “I’ll be going, then. You be careful.”
This is awesome! The calm poise and polite disregard for their suspicion. (This feels very drama-y.) *hearts*
And I didn't quote this before because others already had, but I love this very much:
“To be honest, yes, there’s a story behind it all.” Zhao Yunlan chose his words carefully. “But I don’t think he’d want anyone else to know, so I’m afraid I can’t say more than that right now.”
It might be my fav part of the whole two chapters -- along with Shen Wei telling ZYL off for bullying GCC. :D :D :D
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LOLOLOL! Too true.
Coming back to your second excerpt again, it's interesting that Shen Wei chose not to relay this until now.
Did he know it before now, or did he only just put it together that it's more than a single instance?
Hm, maybe it's that the higher the (personal) stakes are, the worse he acts?
That would make sense to me! I'm not fond of it, but it makes sense.
Ouch. This made me go why didn't they intervene in the torment sooner?! But then later ZYL gets Zhu Hong to request authorisation to work the case, so maybe that's why they're being so casual about it at this stage? Idk. It's still pretty unpleasant, imo.
Extremely unpleasant. Why didn't they request authorisation as soon as CSZ saw what was going on? Why did they let people suffer for that long for no reason? It leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.
Also, does having his third eye open make GCC notice anything different about Shen Wei? I'm guessing not, because otherwise ZYL would have seen it sooner, right?
I was wondering that too! (IIRC there's a bit later about what ZYL can see on SW with his third eye open - maybe there'll be an explanation there for why he didn't notice anything off earlier?)
I actually like that priest not only uses "being awful about people with disabilities" as a signifier of terribleness, but then tops it off with killing some guy's dog, just to be absolutely 1000% clear that ableism is The Worst.
That's a very good point!
This is awesome! The calm poise and polite disregard for their suspicion. (This feels very drama-y.) *hearts*
Yeah, agreed, that's very drama!SW! :D
It might be my fav part of the whole two chapters -- along with Shen Wei telling ZYL off for bullying GCC. :D :D :D
♥ ♥ ♥
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"I like that when Changcheng gets lost at the hospital, he immediately figures out where to go, instead of wandering around like a lost duckling. Initiative! *pets him approvingly*"
Ikr, when he's not terrified out of his mind he's totally capable of just going 'hey, I've been here before' and proceeding without any problems. :D
"Priest is so good at horror! The description of the ghost (in your first excerpt) is really gross. *covers eyes*"
I was very impressed/taken aback when the bloody fetus ghost showed up near the beginning of the first volume, lol. I like gore in fiction, but also I didn't expect it from Guardian of all things. xD
"On reflection, I think this is just ZYL's snarky way of explaining his astute character assessment that Changcheng can be trusted. He refuses to compliment him, even in his thoughts, so he has to explain it as a negative, you know?"
Oh, yep, I definitely think so too, but also he's not wrong - if GCC wanted to lie to him, he'd just fail miserably. xD
"Coming back to your second excerpt again, it's interesting that Shen Wei chose not to relay this until now. I guess as Professor Shen, he couldn't without revealing his own identity, but still, he could have informed ZYL as the Emissary. Isn't it info the SID chief should have about his staff member?"
I think it's possible than Shen Wei only just fully figured it out himself? Like, he knew that GCC saw his puppet, but didn't know why, and he had other things to deal with at that point? And only now he put two and two together when another instance of the same thing happened. He "thought for a moment before answering", and I don't think he would be thinking about something else, like whether or not it should be revealed.
"I'm unclear whether this is an authorial interjection or if Shen Wei knows (or, more likely, figured out?) that this is what happened. It hasn't come up before, right? Presumably the Yunlan-dar is fixed now, anyway."
It is unclear if it's his POV or not, but Shen Wei kinda has to know, otherwise he would be a lot more confused why he met ZYL while actively trying to avoid him. (Yunlan-dar!! :D ♡ Well, there's no reason to mess with it anymore, now that they met.)
"Ouch. This made me go why didn't they intervene in the torment sooner?! But then later ZYL gets Zhu Hong to request authorisation to work the case, so maybe that's why they're being so casual about it at this stage? Idk. It's still pretty unpleasant, imo."
Because Zhao Yunlan was making noodles. xD No, I'm sure it probably has to do with the authorization too, but ALSO this means if Xiao Guo just went inside, he could have helped earlier?? (I know it was just half an hour later in the end, and not three hours, but still.) Like, I want to see that now!! :D Xiao Guo as the only one handling the case, accidentally killing the ghost, and not having the faintest idea what he's doing because no one is there to explain anything to him. xD
"I wonder if ZYL is deliberately testing GCC here, to see if he'll object?"
I kinda wish, but also I don't think so? Like, testing his morals is not necessary (because it's obvious he cares) and testing his courage is not really necessary either (because it's obvious he doesn't have any)? But idk, and I would love that, it would be better than just ignoring the victim's suffering in the fervor of training the newbie.
"Also, does having his third eye open make GCC notice anything different about Shen Wei? I'm guessing not, because otherwise ZYL would have seen it sooner, right?"
Yeah, whatever GCC sees at that point, is presumably what ZYL sees always, so Shen Wei must look completely normal.
"The part with the ghost energy coming out of the victim is so cinematic. Awesome!"
It reminded me of the Hanga arc descriptions, so sweeping and easy to picture, yes! :D
"LOLOL! (So does that mean that when she starts her diatribe "Let me tell you, O Great Immortal..." she's still speaking to GCC? Because he's an even worse audience for her hate than ZYL is!"
She is, lmao, soooo not the sympathetic audience you want for your bullshit. xD
"LOL! I love that that's something that has to be considered. :D :D :D"
Now I would kinda lowkey love if she was poisoned by the dog, like, the others are victims of the legless ghost and she just happens to also be there because she's an asshole. xD
"I do love ZYL slowing his speech so GCC can keep up with his note-taking, and the moment with GCC patting his baton in his jacket, and ZYL being amused by that. They're working well together, aww. <3"
Yessss, somehow they're kinda really sweet in the end. :D ♡
"This is awesome! The calm poise and polite disregard for their suspicion. (This feels very drama-y.) *hearts*"
IT DOES. ♡♡♡
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"I actually like that priest not only uses "being awful about people with disabilities" as a signifier of terribleness, but then tops it off with killing some guy's dog, just to be absolutely 1000% clear that ableism is The Worst.
Killing a disabled guy's dog because he's disabled and can't hear the dog barking. Yeah, it couldn't possibly be any clearer. *nods*
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