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:
If you asked Zhao Yunlan, besides Shen Wei, he doesn't want to bring along a third wheel. But considering black cat Da Qing's vigorous protest the other day, Zhao Yunlan squeezes out an ounce of responsibility from his brain full of rainbows, butterflies and unicorns, and gives Guo Changcheng a call, telling him to come along, and help him learn through fun and games... Ah, no, it's practical training for the newcomer.
Pitiful little officer Guo Changcheng, it's been over half a year since he first started working for the SIU, but he still knows next to nothing. Till now, there is finally a tiny hint of basic training for him.
Guo Changcheng is a responsible and diligent kid, and naturally, he wouldn't have the Chief wait for him. As soon as he gets the phone call, he rushes out at the speed of light, and to avoid morning traffic, he sprints towards the subway station. 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.
All soaked in sweat, Guo Changcheng arrives at the hospital, and realises he is there too early. The day-shift doctors are only just arriving at work, as for their Chief, well, he is still too captivated in whatever paradise he calls home sweet home.
Guo Changcheng rubs his hands together, withdraws his neck, and waits in the freezing winter of Dragon City for more than two hours. A whole pack of tissues is used for his runny nose, and his whole body almost crystallises into a snowflake. Finally, the belated Zhao Yunlan arrives... oh, and Professor Shen too.
Guo Changcheng is so cold that he can't speak clearly anymore, "Chi... Chichichichichichi-Chief Zhao."
Zhao Yunlan is rather amused by his appearance, "When did you arrive? How long have you been waiting?"
"Al... almost three hours."
Zhao Yunlan doesn't ask things like "why didn't you call me" or "why didn't you go inside", he is used to it... if Guo Changcheng wasn't stupid, is he still Guo Changcheng?
But Shen Wei is quite surprised, "Why don't you go inside if you got here early?"
Zhao Yunlan locks the car, and carelessly tosses the car keys into Guo Changcheng's arms, and chuckles, "He doesn't dare."
Bingo. Guo Changcheng shamefully sucks up a trickle of snot, and glances at Shen Wei.
Shen Wei sees it, and patiently says, "Morning, have you had breakfast?"
A small difference - the second paragraph here is missing in the official translation:
Shen Wei looks at the two of them, and finally says something, "Don't bully him."
Zhao Yunlan doesn't say anything else, and instantly shows the good quality of "listening to one's wife". He lets go of Guo Changcheng, and stands upright. The sheer speed of his movements shows how well-trained he is; he can probably enter the next round of the "National Canine Championships".
And this is also missing - I was glad to see in the fan translation that they didn't forget about the other victims:
"Then, I'll go to ICU to check out the even more unlucky one."
He looks to Shen Wei, who knowingly nods, "I'll take care of the other victim."
And another bit missing - a shame, because I love it when the narrative makes fun of ZYL:
Zhao Yunlan hears, and immediately turns towards the people who are staring, staring back at them, and says without a care, "Whatcha looking at? You've never seen handsome gay guys?"
They really haven't seen one so bossy and full of himself, and embarrassedly turn away.
no subject
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: