facethestrange: (guardian: zhao yunlan gesturing)
facethestrange ([personal profile] facethestrange) wrote in [community profile] 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.
trobadora: (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan - Hei Pao-gege)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-03-09 08:29 pm (UTC)(link)
the people only judged him for being annoying and not at all for being gay. :P It lowers the stakes.

Great point! Yeah, that line is canon for me now. :D

and just now I thought if he's simply worried that he can't control himself in public?

I think that definitely makes sense! He has self-control issues, as in, he always thinks he has less self-control than he actually does. And with ZYL being so shameless, there's no one else drawing any kind of lines for them.
cathyw: Gromit pouring tea (Default)

[personal profile] cathyw 2025-03-09 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not outside the realm of possibility they already knew ZYL was bi - he may not usually be *this* shameless in front of his coworkers, but he's not especially discreet.
cathyw: Gromit pouring tea (Default)

[personal profile] cathyw 2025-03-09 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
(hi all I have had a mental block about reading physical books for the past little bit? but I seem to have gotten through it and the words are actually lodging in my brain instead of going in my eyes and out my ears.)

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!)
trobadora: (Shen Wei - angry)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-03-09 09:23 pm (UTC)(link)
♥ ♥ ♥

I would find someone like ZYL unbearably stressful to be around. Shen Wei is lucky that he's in love with the guy. *g*
trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - four tens)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-03-09 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I think the SID definitely know, but this is in front of random outsiders at the hospital ...
trobadora: (Zhao Yunlan - not wrong)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-03-09 09:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Oof, yeah, that's a very good question! It's so bizarre to me that he's just not bothered to try and train GCC at all for months ... and if this is the reason why he's suddenly started, that doesn't really make it better.

So glad the reading is working again and you're back with us!
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 10:22 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

Me too. At that stage, I think he'd treat it like a self-criticism: the importance is in the writing, not the content.

Yep, but also he's just worried I think? In their situation being gay does make a difference.

Yes. And if he's not comfortable being out, he shouldn't have to be! *glares at ZYL* *is a bit stuck on this point, oops* ;-) I feel like ZYL treats the whole world as his theatre where he's the star -- whether it's being cool and snarky at evil spirits or cool and mocking at random strangers in the hospital. Whereas Shen Wei would prefer to kind of fade into the background a bit more, especially when he's not being the Emissary.

ETA: Actually, I wrote this a couple of hours ago, and having re-read some of the chapter since, now I'm wondering if part of Shen Wei's wanting to be discreet is for ZYL's benefit, because it could affect his standing. And ZYL is just blowing past that? Idk.

Thanks so much for the gaming explanation! I never would have guessed, lol.
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Initiation into the team!! :DDD
trobadora: (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan - jacket grab)

[personal profile] trobadora 2025-03-09 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
now I'm wondering if part of Shen Wei's wanting to be discreet is for ZYL's benefit, because it could affect his standing. And ZYL is just blowing past that?

Oh, that's a good point! If that's SW's reasoning, and (crucially) if ZYL knows that, then that would go a long way towards justifying ZYL's behaviour!
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
They seem far more ~scandalized~ in an amused way than actually literally scandalized, so think they're just gossiping about his sex life in this case. :D

Yeah, agreed. They throw the word "beast" (and other insults and aspersions) around pretty freely, I think. :-)
china_shop: Lin Jing laughing, holding a sex doll by its shoulders. (Guardian - LJ & sex doll)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
<3 <3 <3
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
and also I just realized that Chu Shuzhi literally only just taught GCC how to write a report at all, so his first report must have been a right mess. xD

True! And he was so scared -- if the first few pages didn't bear any relation to reality, I can easily see ZYL not bothering with the rest.

That's a really good question, but also at this point I think Shen Wei being an actual professor became more or less irrelevant?

Good point! Your saying this is part of why I started to wonder if Shen Wei is trying to protect ZYL's reputation as much as his own...
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:14 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean, sure he knows that SW is the Emissary and therefore not at risk in the same way a human would be, but he does have a human identity/life that's at risk! Have some care!

I think it's part of their general complete absence of boundaries with each other (in this case, ZYL publicly claiming SW) -- it just pings us differently because there are potential social consequences. Right? But idk, thinking about it in the context of SW literally biting his own wrist open the night before, maybe ZYL is just "I'm going to be cheerful and open and normal about this SO HARD that SW has to give in and be normal about it too"? ETA: And if that's the case, then it maps nicely onto the singing-in-the-car scene... ijs.

Haha, if that's what she's thinking she's definitely not wrong!

Well, except that from her POV, he's involving an ordinary person in SID business; ZYL knows better.
Edited 2025-03-09 23:23 (UTC)
china_shop: Close-up of Shen Wei looking at his jade pendant (Guardian - SW and pendant)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm also never sure what Shen Wei's reasons for avoiding PDA are, and just now I thought if he's simply worried that he can't control himself in public? He's always far too worried about that, so maybe that's the actual reason, or at least a part of it.

That would make sense!

I tend to read it just as Shen Wei being an inherently private person who doesn't want to air his laundry (dirty or otherwise) in public, and is falling back on conventions to justify that. Plus he's harboured this secret love for an unimaginably long time -- it must be so hard to suddenly have it in public view and treated almost jokingly (though ZYL is very sincere underneath).

But then, I'm not very good at taking novel!Shen Wei's nature into account. Your reading makes more sense in some ways!
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, I think they've all known at least since the mountain trip, and probably long before then, that ZYL has been pining for Shen Wei. :-)
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, my reading of this aspect continues to evolve, as described elsewhere. (But if it is this, then I think ZYL would absolutely pick up on it. Protective Shen Wei isn't exactly subtle. ;-)
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Lolol, eh, Shen Wei knows him and likes him exactly this way. xD :D

Yes, but how sure is ZYL of that? (I really like Trobadora's take that ZYL is being even more OTT than usual in an overcompensating way. He's like, slightly out of control himself -- which makes sense. He's in his first serious relationship; he's finally "landed" Shen Wei, who he's been pining after for months; Shen Wei bit his own wrist open the night before, so this is clearly not going to be a drama-free relationship; also, not to overlook the fact that Shen Wei is the Emissary and there's clearly history between him and ZYL's previous incarnations... it's all A LOT...

It's very nice of him but also I was honestly so confused by that originally, like, how do you even trust this guy?

I think partly because ZYL is confident they could (metaphorically) crush him like a bug if they needed to, and partly that (narratively, and maybe also in ZYL's heart/intuition) Cong Bo kind of represents ZYL's investigation into Shen Wei, and now that's resolved itself, Cong Bo will inevitably be resolved, too.

Mostly, I think ZYL's astuteness saw through Cong Bo's swagger and realised that under it all, Cong Bo has a conscience that can be weaponised against him. *g*
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
I actually liked it in the drama because it felt like they subconsciously responded to his authority and competence

That's true. That's very good. And there is some resistance to him joining the team (or maybe I read that in a fanfic), so that helps too. Plus, he's been helping out on cases for a while by the time he's officially onboard.

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!

*nodnod* If ZYL is acting out of insecurity (being all Zaphod Beeblebrox slightly-out-of-control) that makes it a lot better for me. :-)
china_shop: Guo Changcheng writing in his notebook (Guardian - rookie taking notes)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-09 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Hi there, and welcome back! Yay! :-)

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...
china_shop: Close-up of Zhao Yunlan grinning (Default)

[personal profile] china_shop 2025-03-10 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
I felt like I was a bit hard on these two chapters, so I just read them through again... and naturally had more thoughts. :-)

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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