Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 2, part 1

[china_shop]

Hi, and welcome back to the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch. Watch half an episode a week, at your leisure, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 2, up to 22:11

Summary
Shen Wei heals his shoulder while the fish in his aquarium look on. Zhu Jiu plays chess and schemes to get the Sundial. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei save Li Qian from falling off the building, then she faints. Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan take her to the hospital and discuss, among other things, Shen Wei's marital status. They make a lunch date. Lin Jing, Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong watch footage of the Envoy's appearance, until Chu Shuzhi makes them delete it. Guo Changcheng and cat!Da Qing stake out the hospital to protect Li Qian. Shen Wei shows up with food. Watching from the SID, Zhu Hong identifies Li Qian's necklace as the Longevity Dial, and Zhao Yunlan concludes Li Qian killed her grandmother. Changcheng tackles the hospital attacker, is knocked out, and then Shen Wei plain-clothes Envoys the attacker out of the ward just as Zhao Yunlan arrives. The hospital attacker and Chu Shuzhi fight in the street, and the attacker escapes.



Quote
ZYL: I'll treat you to lunch once this case is solved.
SW: No need... When that happens, it should be my treat.

Detail
I think this is the first time I've noticed that when Zhao Yunlan catches Xiao-Guo at the hospital, he repeats his "I've got your back" from earlier. Zhao Yunlan seems quite shaken, to me, realising he sent Xiao-Guo into genuine danger.

Questions
Do you have a favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 2? What is Shen Wei thinking when he sees Zhao Yunlan's graze? On a scale of 1 to 10, how sorry do you feel for Li Qian? How much bandage does a person need for a grazed arm? What do you think of Zhao Yunlan's management style? Were you surprised by the passing of time in this half-episode (at the hospital, we learn Li Yufen died two days earlier; at the SID, Zhao Yunlan says Xiao-Guo has been there for a week)? When Zhu Hong warns Zhao Yunlan about Shen Wei, do you think that's genuine suspicion or can she already tell which way the wind is blowing? Do you think Xiao-Guo manages to be successfully supportive at Li Qian's bedside? What's your impression of the hospital attacker, Gao Tianyu? Do you find him sympathetic? On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot is plain-clothes Envoy!Shen Wei?

If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares? The novel!SID team versus the drama!SID team? Anything else?

(As usual, these are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

And here is our schedule, where you can sign up to host a post!

Comments

[facethestrange]

Several of my favorite scenes are here, I didn't expect so many of them in only 20 minutes! :D (My comments also keep getting longer and longer, but idk if it's a general trend, or because of the amount of favorite scenes. ;D) These are not in chronological order because I refuse to liveblog - it would take approximately a trillion years. xD They're partially in order of preference and partially just random.

- Xiao Guo's speech and Li Qian crying while eating!! It was one of the most memorable thing to me on my first watch already, it's just so touching. ♡♡♡ (And I was hesitating if I wanted to link this or not, but now that you chose it as the main screencap of the post, I simply need to, hah - True Blood has another really memorable scene just like this one - crying while eating, after grandmother's death.)

- And during one of the rewatches I took so many caps of Shen Wei in this scene (all of them low quality and it's literally just his face so I'm not uploading xD) because these few minutes (not the whole episode) are my favorite modern Shen Wei look ever. ♡__♡

- Zhao Yunlan bleeding and Shen Wei trying so hard not to heal him! ♡___♡ There's a beautiful gifset of this scene here. (It always makes me wonder if it's meant to be another novel red herring, like the potential reincarnation - drama Shen Wei doesn't have any interest in blood, but we don't know that yet. :D)

- I adore Wang Zheng's face, I adore the entire scene where Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong giggle about Lao Chu being the Envoy's fanboy! ♡♡♡ I've said it so many times already but THEIR FACES. :D :D :D It's all so cute and so much fun! :D

- Zhao Yunlan sputtering when they talk about Shen Wei being interested in him! :D Not as much as he sputters later when they're on the cctv, but still quite a bit. ;D

- Instead of flailing and squeeing over Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei if he's married (okay, I am squeeing also :D :D), I'm going to wonder WHY does he ask that at this specific point, and without any kind of intro?? xD Liiiiike, I don't mind even a tiny little bit, but wow, does it feel like he can't put his infatuation away even when it's not relevant. ;D Is it because he wonders why Shen Wei has all the time in the world to sit at a student's bedside? Or because Li Qian doesn't have a family and he wonders if Shen Wei can relate?

- Is the "that time at the hospital" line a novel leftover? This is the first time they're at the hospital, right?

- Zhao Yunlan is so sprawled on the couch, like what else is new, but srsly, his knees are apart and everything, he doesn't give a single fuck about looking like a respectable boss. :D

- Xiao Guo is so excited for his task!! :D And it's such a perfect task for who he is as a person, and Zhao Yunlan seems to know that! ♡

- Cat Da Qing is so expressive! :D And occasionally cuddly. :D

- Shen Wei's adorable tiny wave is now second to Shen Wei's adorable pointing at the roof, on my scale of adorableness. :D :D Maybe because I don't think of the latter much so it took me by surprise. :D (And he was so adorable while being in so much pain. D:)

- And the way Zhao Yunlan narrows his eyes so visibly in this scene is wonderful too. xD

- I want to know how Jiajia found Shen Wei in the bushes - did he call for help or just kinda haplessly stood there? ;D

- Li Qian on the roof made me want to re-read the scene with the entire sequence of jumping girls in the novel - I don't remember much of it right now, but I remember it was wonderfully eerie.

- The way Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan act in Li Qian's hospital room, eyeing each other, and especially Shen Wei apologizing and saying "maybe we are too impatient", is like they're literally a unit, Li Qian's two dads or something. :D

- Last but not least, Xiao Guo valiantly protecting Shen Wei!

"I think this is the first time I've noticed that when Zhao Yunlan catches Xiao-Guo at the hospital, he repeats his "I've got your back" from earlier. Zhao Yunlan seems quite shaken, to me, realising he sent Xiao-Guo into genuine danger."

Oooh, I didn't notice that either! (And he definitely looks shaken up to me too!)

"Do you have a favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 2?"

SO MANY. :D I tried to put them in order but nah - Li Qian & Xiao Guo, Zhao Yunlan bleeding, Wang Zheng & Zhu Hong giggling, and 'are you married' are all top favs. :D And then everything else I mentioned. :D

"What is Shen Wei thinking when he sees Zhao Yunlan's graze?"

Hah, I answered this one. :D I know he's NOT thinking about the blood but I am. ;D I think he's having a tangle of soooo many feelings and trying to resist healing Zhao Yunlan is only one of them tho.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how sorry do you feel for Li Qian?"

11, damn, what an absolutely shitty deal.

"How much bandage does a person need for a grazed arm?"

Lolol, he probably did it for the aesthetic, and also I'm glad he takes care of himself at least in this way (and I'm sure Shen Wei is glad too). ;D

"What do you think of Zhao Yunlan's management style?"

It's not that there isn't anything wrong with it, lol, but 'it has worked so far' means that I don't really see a problem, and apparently no one else does either (not even Xiao Guo, kind of). ;D

"Were you surprised by the passing of time in this half-episode (at the hospital, we learn Li Yufen died two days earlier; at the SID, Zhao Yunlan says Xiao-Guo has been there for a week)?"

I totally didn't notice how much time has passed until you pointed it out, hah. Thanks! :D

"When Zhu Hong warns Zhao Yunlan about Shen Wei, do you think that's genuine suspicion or can she already tell which way the wind is blowing?"

From her expressions and the way he sputters, I am 100% sure they're having a different conversation than what they're actually saying out loud. xD

"Do you think Xiao-Guo manages to be successfully supportive at Li Qian's bedside?"

She starts eating (and grieving properly), so I think he's successful from her POV too, and I'm also touched in general because he shares all the heartfelt things and then he says that he's not good at speaking, not realizing at all how good he was just now. AW.

"What's your impression of the hospital attacker, Gao Tianyu? Do you find him sympathetic?"

Tbh there's so little information about him that I don't really have any opinion. (In canon, I mean - I can see the potential in fics. :D)

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot is plain-clothes Envoy!Shen Wei?"

This episode is the hottest that modern Shen Wei has ever looked to me (which btw wasn't my impression on my first watch, not even a little bit?? xD), but funnily enough it's not exactly when he's Envoying, it's mainly the Xiao Guo & Li Qian scene. Idek what it is about this look, but ♡_____♡ So like 11 for that, and 8-9 for Envoying. xD

"If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares? The novel!SID team versus the drama!SID team? Anything else?"

I'm finding myself having really few novel thoughts so far? Other than the 'many girls on the roof' scene that I mentioned. And I am thinking very fondly of novel Shen Wei in the bleeding scene. xD

[china_shop]

My comments also keep getting longer and longer, but idk if it's a general trend, or because of the amount of favorite scenes. ;D

Me too! I really need to rein myself in. /o\

And during one of the rewatches I took so many caps of Shen Wei in this scene (all of them low quality and it's literally just his face so I'm not uploading xD) because these few minutes (not the whole episode) are my favorite modern Shen Wei look ever. ♡__♡

Aww! I think it's ZYL's favourite modern Shen Wei look, too, given that's exactly what he doodles in his notebook. *g*

Zhao Yunlan sputtering when they talk about Shen Wei being interested in him! :D Not as much as he sputters later when they're on the cctv, but still quite a bit. ;D

Haha, I know. He has zero chill, it's so great! :D

Instead of flailing and squeeing over Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei if he's married (okay, I am squeeing also :D :D), I'm going to wonder WHY does he ask that at this specific point, and without any kind of intro?? xD

Ooh, I hadn't thought of the "is this why Shen Wei relates?" angle. I'm under the impression that asking about marital status is a bit less out-of-left-field in Asia (though I might be wildly mistaken!), and I'd guess that as a cop, ZYL has a bit more license to ask personal questions than a civilian. But given that ZYL follows up with, "It's nothing. I just feel that you are very talented and considerate as well. Many people must be chasing after you." I wonder if in fact ZYL is still trying to figure out whyyyy Shen Wei is so intense about him and reacting the way he does. There was the weird eye-lowering while they were stroking Da Qing together, then that handshake, and then Shen Wei saying quite earnestly, "Who knows, maybe we really have met before." The latter, especially, clearly made an impression on ZYL. Maybe he's looking for confirmation of whether or not Shen Wei is straight, in case that will hold an answer? (IOW, I think it's at least 50 or 60% ZYL trying to figure SW out, rather than hitting on him. And even if it were hitting on him, that's still ZYL trying to figure SW out.)

Is the "that time at the hospital" line a novel leftover?

I think it must be. Or they shifted the scenes around, or cut something.

but srsly, his knees are apart and everything, he doesn't give a single fuck about looking like a respectable boss. :D

I knooooooooooooow. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. :D

Cat Da Qing is so expressive! :D And occasionally cuddly. :D

I'm so amused by the cuddly, given how rude he often is in cat form. :D

LOL, you made me go rewatch the pointing to the roof -- I hadn't really registered that. AWW! Adorable! <3

I want to know how Jiajia found Shen Wei in the bushes - did he call for help or just kinda haplessly stood there? ;D

Maybe Li Qian shouting his name got her attention?

Li Qian on the roof made me want to re-read the scene with the entire sequence of jumping girls in the novel - I don't remember much of it right now, but I remember it was wonderfully eerie.

Oh, yes! ZYL exhausting himself trying to save this endless parade of ghosts in case one of them turned out to be human, and then one of them was. So good!

Li Qian's two dads or something. :D

LOL, yes!! And, well, they saved her life together -- they're basically responsible for her from now on. ;D

Last but not least, Xiao Guo valiantly protecting Shen Wei!

Yessssssssssss! (Oh, hey, this is like the mugging scene, but with Xiao Guo instead of ZYL... and also, a bit less successful. :D :D :D)

I tried to put them in order but nah - Li Qian & Xiao Guo, Zhao Yunlan bleeding, Wang Zheng & Zhu Hong giggling, and 'are you married' are all top favs. :D

ALL SO GOOD! :DDD

Lolol, he probably did it for the aesthetic, and also I'm glad he takes care of himself at least in this way (and I'm sure Shen Wei is glad too). ;D

I wonder if SW insisted. :D

but 'it has worked so far' means that I don't really see a problem, and apparently no one else does either (not even Xiao Guo, kind of). ;D

Ha, true. I suppose he smartens himself up a bit when Haixing Administration sends inspectors... ;D

From her expressions and the way he sputters, I am 100% sure they're having a different conversation than what they're actually saying out loud. xD

LOL, yes! :D

but funnily enough it's not exactly when he's Envoying, it's mainly the Xiao Guo & Li Qian scene. Idek what it is about this look, but ♡_____♡ So like 11 for that, and 8-9 for Envoying. xD

:D :D :D :D :D

[facethestrange]

"Me too! I really need to rein myself in. /o\"

LOL! *high five* Long comments are so good and fun, but they're also A TIME TRAP, especially during wishlist. ;D

"Aww! I think it's ZYL's favourite modern Shen Wei look, too, given that's exactly what he doodles in his notebook. *g*"

Heeee omg AW! ♡♡♡ I didn't put it together (it's a pretty generic Shen Wei that he drew ;D), but I'm high-fiving Zhao Yunlan so much. xD

I wasn't going to share, but damn, I can't resist. xD This is the best that modern Shen Wei has ever looked in my book, idek why-- Okay, it is the five o'clock shadow, but other than that idek why. xD ♡___♡



"I'm under the impression that asking about marital status is a bit less out-of-left-field in Asia (though I might be wildly mistaken!), and I'd guess that as a cop, ZYL has a bit more license to ask personal questions than a civilian."

Yeah, I've definitely been assuming that's the case - if it couldn't be interpreted as anything other than shamelessly hitting on Shen Wei, they wouldn't be allowed to put it in. :P So what I wondered was 'why this question now', like how/why did it even occur to Zhao Yunlan (because it's just not exactly the time to flirt this desperately, even when you're Zhao Yunlan xD), and I'm loving your theories!

"IOW, I think it's at least 50 or 60% ZYL trying to figure SW out, rather than hitting on him. And even if it were hitting on him, that's still ZYL trying to figure SW out."

Definitely both in my book too, yep! Either half/half, or fully hitting on him while also fully trying to figure him out. ;D

"Or they shifted the scenes around, or cut something."

I got 100% convinced by your other comment that the scenes got switched around, yes!

"I'm so amused by the cuddly, given how rude he often is in cat form. :D"

He feels bad for scaring Xiao Guo? :D

"LOL, you made me go rewatch the pointing to the roof -- I hadn't really registered that. AWW! Adorable! <3"

Heeee, yay! RIGHT?? :D ♡♡♡

"Maybe Li Qian shouting his name got her attention?"

Oh, true, that's very likely.

"LOL, yes!! And, well, they saved her life together -- they're basically responsible for her from now on. ;D"

AW!! :D I know she's an adult but now I want 'Weilan adopting Li Qian in spirit' to be a thing. :P (Like when people 'adopt' young adults who aged out of the system.)

"Oh, hey, this is like the mugging scene, but with Xiao Guo instead of ZYL... and also, a bit less successful. :D :D :D"

Oooh, or more successful, depending how you look at it - the muggers didn't have dark energy. :P

> > Lolol, he probably did it for the aesthetic, and also I'm glad he takes care of himself at least in this way (and I'm sure Shen Wei is glad too). ;D

I wonder if SW insisted. :D

I am completely floored by this concept, asdfghfjdkslfgjjkl;; ♡♡♡ I've never considered that Shen Wei could have said/done anything about Zhao Yunlan's wound other than look at it, but!!! *WANTS* *collects fic ideas like they're candy* xD

[trobadora]

I think it's at least 50 or 60% ZYL trying to figure SW out, rather than hitting on him. And even if it were hitting on him, that's still ZYL trying to figure SW out.

Well said! Totally agreed.

Oh, hey, this is like the mugging scene, but with Xiao Guo instead of ZYL... and also, a bit less successful. :D :D :D

Oh! Excellent parallel, great catch!

I wonder if SW insisted. :D

It looks like they didn't separate between rooftop and Li Qian's bedside, so probably, hee! :D

[china_shop]

More (far too wordy) thoughts about the "Are you married?" convo:

At LQ's bedside, we have SW saying, "Cheating death. A stolen life is hard to maintain." - which seems a bit suspicious, I think? Why is SW talking about stolen lives? And when doctor says, "She [LQ] has been the only one beside her," ZYL looks at SW, who's clearly having a reaction to that. All of which feeds into the ensuing conversation with ZYL asking if SW is married.

Theory A) ZYL can't help feeling there's something deeply suspicious about SW, but he has no grounds to investigate/interrogate him openly. So ZYL asks a question that sounds personal rather than investigative, in the hopes it will give him more context for SW's behaviour (he cannot abide a mystery). SW recognises his real intent and volunteers his age and place of birth (enough info to run a real background check?). Caught out, ZYL raises the subject of Dixingren, hoping to get a reaction -- but it just puts SW into professor mode. It's all a gentler version of their earlier jousting. SW even says, essentially, if you don't treat me like a suspect, I'll help all I can. But Zhao Yunlan can't shake his suspicion, so he automatically sees this as a strategy (now any time I ask you a question, you'll accuse me of treating you like a suspect).

So now I have a different question: When SW tells ZYL to be careful, Dixingren can be dangerous, what is Zhao Yunlan's reaction? Is he suspicious? Flippant? Dismissive? Defensive that the professor thinks he can't handle himself? I can't quite read him.

I'm pretty sure SW then softens the caution by asking him to return peace to DC, ie, by showing respect for ZYL and his ability to do his job. And it's that which gives ZYL the face to be able to suggest lunch.

Theory B) ZYL is checking nothing untoward is going on between Shen Wei and Li Qian?? I mean, the very next ep we get Zhang Ruonan and Wang Yike!!

Also, more evidence that this conversation is slightly out of the continuity: SW saying, "Why are Dixingren appearing so frequently?" (Haven't we only had the Shadow Man at this point?) "Return peace to Dragon City." (In what way isn't it peaceful right now?) "once this case is solved" (What case? They caught the Shadow Man already.) FTR, I'm still VERY GLAD the writers kept this scene in!!

[facethestrange]

Ahhh, I love your analysis of this scene - I don't have anything to add, but it flows SO WELL and I can totally see all of that, yes!

"So now I have a different question: When SW tells ZYL to be careful, Dixingren can be dangerous, what is Zhao Yunlan's reaction? Is he suspicious? Flippant? Dismissive? Defensive that the professor thinks he can't handle himself? I can't quite read him."

I'm so distracted by how earnest Shen Wei is when he says it that I also can't tell what Zhao Yunlan is feeling. (But whatever he's feeling, he's hiding it anyway? So I would say he's 'official' reaction is dismissive?) All of these sound plausible tbh.

SRSLY THO, I'm obsessed with Shen Wei's concerned frown, like 'I just found you, don't get yourself killed', asdfghfjdksl ♡♡♡ (It would work even better as a gif because he's only frowning when he says this one line.)





"Theory B) ZYL is checking nothing untoward is going on between Shen Wei and Li Qian?? I mean, the very next ep we get Zhang Ruonan and Wang Yike!!"

As much as I'm not sure why Zhao Yunlan would care (feeling protective of Li Qian already, maybe?), I could see that too!

"Also, more evidence that this conversation is slightly out of the continuity: SW saying, "Why are Dixingren appearing so frequently?" (Haven't we only had the Shadow Man at this point?) "Return peace to Dragon City." (In what way isn't it peaceful right now?) "once this case is solved" (What case? They caught the Shadow Man already.) FTR, I'm still VERY GLAD the writers kept this scene in!!"

!!!! This made me 100% convinced that this scene was supposed to be after the hospital attack! It would answer all the questions you asked and make it all fit perfectly, and of course it would explain 'that time at the hospital' too! :D

And now that I'm sure that the scenes got switched around, I'm seeing another reason for asking if Shen Wei is married - 'you're getting beaten up while helping a random student, how would your family feel about that?' Are there maybe other things about the hospital attack that would prompt this question?

[trobadora]

So ZYL asks a question that sounds personal rather than investigative, in the hopes it will give him more context for SW's behaviour (he cannot abide a mystery).

Yes! That's definitely how it reads.

SW even says, essentially, if you don't treat me like a suspect, I'll help all I can. But Zhao Yunlan can't shake his suspicion, so he automatically sees this as a strategy (now any time I ask you a question, you'll accuse me of treating you like a suspect).

Do you think he's wrong about that? I do think it's partially a strategy, as part of their verbal jousting.

When SW tells ZYL to be careful, Dixingren can be dangerous, what is Zhao Yunlan's reaction? Is he suspicious? Flippant? Dismissive? Defensive that the professor thinks he can't handle himself? I can't quite read him.

I think he's suspicious, but also reconsidering, because Shen Wei has spoken positively of Dixingren, but he's admitting that there is danger, and I don't think ZYL expected that at all. One or the other, not both! *g*

ZYL is checking nothing untoward is going on between Shen Wei and Li Qian??

Huh, that never occurred to me before! But I think he might have talked more about Li Qian if that were the case?

Also, more evidence that this conversation is slightly out of the continuity

Yes! It doesn't quite fit, but also, like you, I'm so glad it's here!

[amedia]

I adore Wang Zheng's face, I adore the entire scene where Wang Zheng and Zhu Hong giggle about Lao Chu being the Envoy's fanboy! ♡♡♡ I've said it so many times already but THEIR FACES. :D :D :D It's all so cute and so much fun! :D

I want more moments of Zhu Hong & Wang Zheng giggling together! And in general, putting up a united front against the icky boyz they're stuck working with. (I'm thinking in particular of Zhu Hong's protectiveness of Wang Zheng in the sex doll near the beginning of the Hanga arc.)

(It always makes me wonder if it's meant to be another novel red herring, like the potential reincarnation - drama Shen Wei doesn't have any interest in blood, but we don't know that yet. :D). Ooh, I had not thought about that!!! Now I will be watching Shen Wei's face every time someone bleeds. For science!

I totally didn't notice how much time has passed until you pointed it out, hah. Thanks! :D Same same! Something I really enjoy about the rewatches and readalongs - learning things I hadn't even noticed before. ♥

[trobadora]

Several of my favorite scenes are here, I didn't expect so many of them in only 20 minutes! :D

There's a lot of great stuff in this episode! :D

And during one of the rewatches I took so many caps of Shen Wei in this scene (all of them low quality and it's literally just his face so I'm not uploading xD) because these few minutes (not the whole episode) are my favorite modern Shen Wei look ever. ♡__♡

Awwww! It's an excellent look for him, true.

It always makes me wonder if it's meant to be another novel red herring, like the potential reincarnation - drama Shen Wei doesn't have any interest in blood, but we don't know that yet. :D

Oh, that's a good thought, yeah! That would make sense!

Is it because he wonders why Shen Wei has all the time in the world to sit at a student's bedside? Or because Li Qian doesn't have a family and he wonders if Shen Wei can relate?

Ooh, I like that idea! Yeah, it would make sense for ZYL to speculate in that direction, even if that's not the only reason for asking. *g*

Is the "that time at the hospital" line a novel leftover? This is the first time they're at the hospital, right?

Yes, this is the first time. Evidence of a previous version of the episode, IMO.

And he was so adorable while being in so much pain. D:

Right? And absolutely none of it showed! I mean, I figure it got more painful once he peeled off the shirt, but still.

I want to know how Jiajia found Shen Wei in the bushes - did he call for help or just kinda haplessly stood there? ;D

I figured people saw/heard him fall, and Jiajia just happened to be one of them and immediately rushed to help.

Li Qian on the roof made me want to re-read the scene with the entire sequence of jumping girls in the novel - I don't remember much of it right now, but I remember it was wonderfully eerie.

Yes, that was a great sequence! So cool.

From her expressions and the way he sputters, I am 100% sure they're having a different conversation than what they're actually saying out loud. xD

Haha, I love how you put that!

[china_shop]

More screencaps, including other contenders for Screencap of the Week.

1. I don't think I'd noticed before the little moment of Shen Wei and Li Qian checking in with each other after Shen Wei climbs out of the bushes. And then later he cradles her to him after she faints, too. (See pics under the cut.) Awwwww! These two! I wonder if what SW sees most of all in her is his own prior loneliness and isolation.

2. This is the second of Li Qian's three Biology Dept roof scenes: 1st - the Shadow Man's attack/the Envoy's first appearance; 2nd - Li Qian on the parapet, saved and then faints from emotional overload; 3rd - later in this episode. In this one, the "standing on the parapet, falling, going into a coma" echoes Shen Wei in YOHE falling into the energy seal and sleeping for 10k years. (I flailed a lot when I realised that.) I wonder if that means the first one is parallel to the first YOHE battle, with CSZ arriving in the nick of time instead of ZYL? Or is that too much of a stretch?

3. When LQ says, bitterly, "What do you people understand?" Zhao Yunlan tells her, "Us people? I'm telling you, I'm just like you -- a normal person with two eyes and a mouth." This feels like a facile precursor to his livestream in episode 36 ("[T]hey experience emotions like happiness, anger, and sadness, too. They get heartbroken and are willing to sacrifice. [...] We are all of the same kind.").

4. In the English subs, he says, "It's better to be alive than anything else!" In the Korean fansubs, this is translated to, "Even if I roll around in dogshit, this world is better than the next!" (I think that might be a saying, lol. Google gave me a lot of hits.)

5. EVERY TIME the "Shen Wei heals himself" scene pulls back to the fishtank, I think "Yashou fish!!" ;D

6. Zhu Jiu -- I love how succinctly the show demonstrates he's a strategic mastermind by having him be playing chess (presumably against himself?).

7. Ooof, Li Qian is having such a horrible time. I'm so glad she has Shen Wei to look out for her. I wonder if she really would have jumped, though -- she really only falls because ZYL startles her. And then -- does ZYL nearly fall himself, when he stumbles on the metal bars? Does Shen Wei actually save both of them? I could believe that.

8. ZYL has to physically work quite hard to save Li Qian. And then, later, he's lying on the SID couch with a magazine over his face. I know they're technically between cases (as far as they know), but it's pretty clear he's not up to scratch as SID chief/hero yet. He's not teaching his team to do better, like he told the Envoy he would, either, and he's not really taking any of it seriously. (I wonder how much the jogging in a few episodes' time is part of a self-improvement campaign. In his defence, I guess he did just quit smoking.)

9. Shen Wei repeats "Cheating death," and then adds, "A stolen life is hard to maintain." This seems ominous and suggestive, but I'm not sure who/what he's referring to. Does he think he should have died in the energy seal?

10. Ahhhhhhhhh, the "Are you married?" convo!!! *loves* Shen Wei lies about his birth and age without blinking an eye. And then says, "What are [the Dixingren] looking for?" trying to point ZYL towards the Hallow without admitting he knows anything. And of course, ZYL is all "you brilliant scholars; us simple folks" lol.

11. ZYL says, "No wonder last time at the hospital, and when you went against the shadow you were so calm." Which time at the hospital is he referring to? (Have we talked about this before?) (Argh, I'm only at 9:54 and I'm already at point 11. /o\)

12. Not only does Da Qing let GCC pick him up as a cat, but he allows GCC to pet him in the hospital corridor, too. What an honour!! And then SW just ignores him there? But SW is so kind and soft with GCC and then with LQ, awwwwwwwwwwwww! <333333333 And he calls ZYL "young", lol.

13. Changcheng, all innocent and unknowing, says, "I'm willing to exchange my life for hers!" and "Loved ones who pass away will look after us." Subsequent events will prove we can trust his intuition. <3 <3 <3

14. Meanwhile at the SID, ZYL is flustered by ZH mentioning Shen Wei's interest in him ("Enough. Don't talk about him anymore."), and ZH is already prickly and suspicious. I'm also entertained by ZYL immediately philosophising when the subject of Sundials comes up ("The sun rises once from East to West. And the process begins again. It represents the cycle of life." versus "What's lost is lost forever; what's past will never return."). Has he just been reading a book of random philosophical pronouncements or what?

15. The Hallows! Zhu Hong identifies the Longevity Dial by sight. Lin Jing has schematics on his computer. ZYL doesn't seem to have even heard of the Dial before. Huh.

16. Oh, hey, Lin Jing's surveillance cam can detect Dixingren. That seems like useful tech they could employ in other situations...

17. Changcheng is so brave! I will forever adore his determination to protect LQ and SW, and the way he clings to the attacker's leg, even as energy is being poured down on him. (The cap I took of this reminded me of Ye Zun using him as the wick in the finale.) I still think Gao Tianyu is moved by Changcheng's determination, too.

18. Did Shen Wei throw himself to the floor when ZYL arrived (and break furniture) just so that he could pick himself up again? LOL!!

19. ZYL is levelling up quickly, aww, but still not there yet! He runs to the scene, checks in with GCC... and then abandons the chase in favour of "checking" on SW. But then, perhaps he's relying on CSZ to stop the attacker.

20. CSZ's energy barrier -- another thing that seems like it could be useful in future eps. And I kind of love CSZ in the Envoy-homage hood. Oh hey, when Gao Tianyu throws those rocks at CSZ, does CSZ raise a protective shield? I can't see how else CSZ could have blocked them.

[china_shop]

Do you have a favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 2?
Hospital "Are you married" scene. :D

What is Shen Wei thinking when he sees Zhao Yunlan's graze?
Something about Zhao Yunlan being young and mortal (not in a gods and mortals way, but in a fragile human way), and how there's a lot of supernatural and mundane dangers around.

Were you surprised by the passing of time in this half-episode
Yes! It feels like the events flow on one after the other.

Do you think Xiao-Guo manages to be successfully supportive at Li Qian's bedside?
Yes. Now I want to hug both of them!

What's your impression of the hospital attacker, Gao Tianyu? Do you find him sympathetic?
I have always liked him unreasonably, given how little we see of him. I love his exasperation with Xiao-Guo, and how he still uses as little force as necessary to deter him (which turns out to be quite a bit!).

On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot is plain-clothes Envoy!Shen Wei?
It's a very good look on him!

[amedia]

12. Not only does Da Qing let GCC pick him up as a cat, but he allows GCC to pet him in the hospital corridor, too. What an honour!!

I love that moment! And someone did an episode tag referencing that moment ... Yes! I found it! It's part of the The Marvelous (Mis)adventures of Da Qing, King of Cats:
a Guardian Drama anniversary event to give each episode its own Da Qing epilogue.
The fic was Episode 2: Local Cat Yashou Experiences Microagression In The Workplace by JustAsSweet, and it's hilarious!

[trobadora]

AHHH so many great screencaps, I love them ALLLLL. ♥ ♥ ♥

the "standing on the parapet, falling, going into a coma" echoes Shen Wei in YOHE falling into the energy seal and sleeping for 10k years

Oh, huh! That's not a parallel that would have occurred to me, but I can see it, sort of. Do you think that means anything, or is it just a structural thing/repeated motif?

In the English subs, he says, "It's better to be alive than anything else!" In the Korean fansubs, this is translated to, "Even if I roll around in dogshit, this world is better than the next!" (I think that might be a saying, lol. Google gave me a lot of hits.)

LOLOLOL! What a saying. :D

Zhu Jiu -- I love how succinctly the show demonstrates he's a strategic mastermind by having him be playing chess (presumably against himself?).

Yeah, I feel like he's cosplaying a mastermind with that chess set! He's very image-concsious, LOL.

I wonder if she really would have jumped, though

Ha, I was wondering that too. Ultimately I don't think she was quite at that point?

Does Shen Wei actually save both of them? I could believe that.

I don't think ZYL could have pulled her up, not after slipping on those pipes. So he'd have either had to let go, or he'd have fallen too.

I wonder how much the jogging in a few episodes' time is part of a self-improvement campaign.

Yeah, here he doesn't quite realise yet that he'll need to take things more seriously, but by that jogging scene he presumably does.

This seems ominous and suggestive, but I'm not sure who/what he's referring to.

I always wonder that too, and I still don't have a good theory.

Shen Wei lies about his birth and age without blinking an eye.

Ha! Take that, everyone who thinks Shen Wei can't lie convincingly!

Have we talked about this before?

Yep, during the last rewatch.

Changcheng, all innocent and unknowing, says, "I'm willing to exchange my life for hers!" and "Loved ones who pass away will look after us." Subsequent events will prove we can trust his intuition. <3 <3 <3

Yes! I love how prescient all this is!

Did Shen Wei throw himself to the floor when ZYL arrived (and break furniture) just so that he could pick himself up again? LOL!!

He must have! Hee! :D

Oh hey, when Gao Tianyu throws those rocks at CSZ, does CSZ raise a protective shield? I can't see how else CSZ could have blocked them.

I figure it's the same as the energy barrier.

[veetvoojagig]

1. Shen Wei's hair looks very nice for someone who fell off a building into a bush. Just saying.

2. GASP he's not wearing a tie, he's practically naked. The slut. Who are you slutting around for, other men?

3. Oh, yeah, at this point in my first watch I couldn't recognize Shen Wei without his glasses because I am partially face blind, LMAO. I was like what's this all about? Who's hurt? But it all makes sense now. Poor Professor, doesn't have anyone but himself to tend his wounds...

4. There's ominous music and it focuses in on the fish tank. Hilarious :D

5. Yunlan and his slutty tight jeans.

6. "Are you married? You must have a girlfriend." Not very subtle, my man, just ask if he's available.

7. That is a lot of gauze.

8. Yunlan: Oh no, the pretty guy was talking about the plot and I wasn't listening because he's too hot.

9. Arguing about who'll pay for their first date...

10. Ohhhh nope you don't gossip about Chu-ge's hero. I still don't know if I think he has a crush on the Envoy or if he just respects him that much. Maybe some of both.

11. Awwww Chu-ge don't be mean about your future boyfriend, he's doing his best. His best is just not very good yet.

12. Changcheng is adorably excited to be given a mission, even one that's basically babysitting <3

13. Grief is hard. I don't know if Changcheng helped at all, but sometimes just knowing others understand what you're going through is good.

14. Changcheng being so scared but still insisting on protecting the others <3 My sweet perfect son, I will protect him forever. And falling down immediately but clinging to the guy's legs. So determined!

15. Shen Wei outright pretending he was actually in a fight and got hurt when he just pushed the guy out of the room so easily...

[china_shop]

1. His clothes are in pretty good shape, too. *pets him* I guess he's not used to falling off things, so it's hard to create the effect on the spur of the moment, and he doesn't want too much fuss. (I'm surprised no one drags him off to a hospital. ;-)

3. Haha, oh no. The reveal kind of falls apart if you don't know, doesn't it? :D (Otoh, the Superman glasses do work!)

4. I notice that every single time, lol. I'm sure those fish are Yashou.

7. That was my feeling, too. :D

9. Except they're not arguing, which I love. And ooh, this makes me realise that this tiny exchange is a fix for all the wrangling about topping/bottoming in the novel!!

ZYL: I'll top pay.
SW: No, no, I'll top pay.
ZYL: That works, too! I go either way.

That makes me so happy, lolol. Everyone wins! :D :D :D

10. I think he respects him too much to crush on him properly, like he just wouldn't let himself. But I like the idea of some unintentional/unacknowledged frissons, too. ;D

he's doing his best. His best is just not very good yet.

LOL!! :D

Changcheng is adorably excited to be given a mission, even one that's basically babysitting <3

Yes! And ooh, that makes me think that he's much better with people than in the novel. He's quite happy to talk to Shen Wei and Li Qian. :D

13. Yeah, agreed. I think Changcheng sharing his own experience helped Li Qian come out of her numbness and start to feel/grieve/process. <33333

14. I knoooow! I love him so much for that -- he gives everything he has, not stopping for a second to worry about his own safety!

15. :D :D :D :D :D

[amedia]

8. Yunlan: Oh no, the pretty guy was talking about the plot and I wasn't listening because he's too hot. BAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!! I had kinda the same problem myself the first time through. ;-)

11. Awwww Chu-ge don't be mean about your future boyfriend, he's doing his best. His best is just not very good yet. Chu-ge has NO IDEA how hard he's going to fall for Changcheng, lol! *rubs hands in anticipation*

14. Changcheng being so scared but still insisting on protecting the others <3 My sweet perfect son, I will protect him forever. And falling down immediately but clinging to the guy's legs. So determined! Yes yes yes! And poor Shen Wei when GCC says, No, this is my job, you stay back and I will protect you!!!

[facethestrange]

"Shen Wei's hair looks very nice for someone who fell off a building into a bush. Just saying."

Hah, could this be the main reason why Zhao Yunlan is being all suspicious even in this scene? :D I didn't think of that at all, lol.

"Oh, yeah, at this point in my first watch I couldn't recognize Shen Wei without his glasses because I am partially face blind, LMAO. I was like what's this all about? Who's hurt?"

*partial faceblindness high five* :D I don't think it happened to me here, but it happens so much with new shows! Like, 'hey, this guy was just there, why is he here now... oh wait, a different name, is it a different guy??' xD

"Poor Professor, doesn't have anyone but himself to tend his wounds..."

Technically no one could help him better than himself because no one could do the dark energy healing, but daaaaamn if your comment didn't just give me an instant fic idea, asdfghfdjskl;; ♡__♡

"There's ominous music and it focuses in on the fish tank. Hilarious :D"

I'm pretty much sold on china_shop's theory that the fish are Yashou, lolol, but it's not like that completely explains the ominousness. xD

"Yunlan and his slutty tight jeans."

RIGHT?? ♡__♡ I'm always looking so respectfully when this man is on screen. :D

""Are you married? You must have a girlfriend." Not very subtle, my man, just ask if he's available."

Lolol, he practically does. :D :D

"Yunlan: Oh no, the pretty guy was talking about the plot and I wasn't listening because he's too hot."

LMAO. :D :D This is the man who will make up the most ridiculous lie about old books just to get in Shen Wei's pants, so yeah, there's some truth to this. ;D

"Ohhhh nope you don't gossip about Chu-ge's hero. I still don't know if I think he has a crush on the Envoy or if he just respects him that much. Maybe some of both."

I think it's the latter but I like the former better. ;D

"Awwww Chu-ge don't be mean about your future boyfriend, he's doing his best. His best is just not very good yet."

D'awww. ♡

"Changcheng is adorably excited to be given a mission, even one that's basically babysitting <3"

Yesss, and he's so excited before he even finds out what the mission is - he's getting one, that's awesome enough! :D

"Grief is hard. I don't know if Changcheng helped at all, but sometimes just knowing others understand what you're going through is good."

♡♡♡ I do think it was good enough for Li Qian at least on some level - she started to eat and to cry, which she couldn't do before. ♡

"Changcheng being so scared but still insisting on protecting the others <3 My sweet perfect son, I will protect him forever. And falling down immediately but clinging to the guy's legs. So determined!"

Yesss, he stood no chance and he knew that, but was that going to stop him? Not even a little bit! ♡ He's quite literally the bravest character to me.

[trobadora]

Shen Wei's hair looks very nice for someone who fell off a building into a bush. Just saying.

Haha, you're definitely not wrong there. :D

Oh no, the pretty guy was talking about the plot and I wasn't listening because he's too hot.

Do you really think so? I'm pretty sure Zhao Yunlan is paying very close attention to everything Shen Wei says, for multiple reasons. (One of them definitely being "I need to figure out if I need to arrest him or if I can date him" ...)

Shen Wei outright pretending he was actually in a fight and got hurt when he just pushed the guy out of the room so easily...

RIGHT??? :D :D :D

[donutsweeper]

I hadn't noticed before how, in the beginning, after to explaining to Shen Wei it's all over, his face kind of falls with the innocuous smile dropping off the second no one's looking. Not sure if he's suspicious or confused (the next scene has him questioning where he'd seen Shen Wei before afterall) or what but it is some good acting.

Shen Wei's face though when he sees Zhao Yunlan's arm got all scraped up saving Li Qian is completely different. Definitely affected with a combo of concern and upseted-ness.

There are so many good Da Qing scenes in this bit, so many great faces captured and just general fed-up-catness, it's so great. That cat actor was so good.

Xiao-Guo trying to show his mettle, good job kid!

Re: the bandage on the arm, I don't know, it made sense to me due to how long it was and the fact arms are hairy and the muscles move a lot so trying to tape on numerous small or a few long bandages would be annoying.

I hadn't noticed the 2 day/1 week comments, oopsies, that seems like a mistake on their part (probably due to the book -> drama changes?)

favorite scene? ooh hard one, probably hero!ZYL saving Li Qian, that took speed, strength and skill.

[facethestrange]

"I hadn't noticed before how, in the beginning, after to explaining to Shen Wei it's all over, his face kind of falls with the innocuous smile dropping off the second no one's looking. Not sure if he's suspicious or confused (the next scene has him questioning where he'd seen Shen Wei before afterall) or what but it is some good acting."

Yessss, Zhao Yunlan narrowing his eyes in this scene is wonderful! I thought it was just suspicion (because Shen Wei is completely unharmed and even his hair/clothes aren't out of place?) but I could definitely also see confusion re: if/how they met before!

"Shen Wei's face though when he sees Zhao Yunlan's arm got all scraped up saving Li Qian is completely different. Definitely affected with a combo of concern and upseted-ness."

I love his reaction sfm. ♡♡♡ *stares at it some more*

"There are so many good Da Qing scenes in this bit, so many great faces captured and just general fed-up-catness, it's so great. That cat actor was so good."

Ikr, the cat is so expressive! :D :D

"Xiao-Guo trying to show his mettle, good job kid!"

He's SO BRAVE, I feel like this rewatch is making me realize that even more!

"Re: the bandage on the arm, I don't know, it made sense to me due to how long it was and the fact arms are hairy and the muscles move a lot so trying to tape on numerous small or a few long bandages would be annoying."

Yep, it definitely does make sense to me too, it looks like the most comfortable option (and also for the aesthetic :D). OH, and at work he clearly does a lot of physical stuff, so moving freely is very important.

"I hadn't noticed the 2 day/1 week comments, oopsies, that seems like a mistake on their part (probably due to the book -> drama changes?)"

Is it incorrect or are these just two different events?

"favorite scene? ooh hard one, probably hero!ZYL saving Li Qian, that took speed, strength and skill."

Ooooh, I had so many fav scenes that this one somehow didn't even make the list, but competent Zhao Yunlan = ♡♡♡!

[china_shop]

Not sure if he's suspicious or confused

I read it as 100% suspicion, fwiw. Like, really, what is up with this guy?

There are so many good Da Qing scenes in this bit, so many great faces captured and just general fed-up-catness, it's so great.

Yessssss! I enjoyed that so much, too. :D

it made sense to me due to how long it was and the fact arms are hairy and the muscles move a lot so trying to tape on numerous small or a few long bandages would be annoying.

That's true! Maybe it's standard procedure. :D

I hadn't noticed the 2 day/1 week comments, oopsies, that seems like a mistake on their part

I think it's just showing the passage of time in the episode. It's very easy for me to read things as happening one after the other, so I really appreciate indications that time has actually passed between events. :D

favorite scene? ooh hard one, probably hero!ZYL saving Li Qian, that took speed, strength and skill.

Ooh, yes! Great choice. So much determination, and he manages to snark at her a little, too, with his "Us people? I've got two eyes and a nose, just like you!" :D :D :D

[trobadora]

Not sure if he's suspicious or confused (the next scene has him questioning where he'd seen Shen Wei before afterall) or what but it is some good acting.

I figured it was suspicion and that moment was when he stopped hiding it. Yeah, great acting!

That cat actor was so good.

Yes! I wish we'd got to see the cat more often. Perfect for Da Qing!

that seems like a mistake on their part (probably due to the book -> drama changes?)

I think it's just a small timeskip between cases that didn't get signalled very clearly (or at all).

[trobadora]

Shen Wei heals his shoulder while the fish in his aquarium look on.

LOL! I always figure it's just doing things with framing, background and foreground, like so many other places in the drama.

and then Shen Wei plain-clothes Envoys the attacker out of the ward just as Zhao Yunlan arrives

SUCH a delight, that scene! :D

Zhao Yunlan: I'll treat you to lunch once this case is solved.
Shen Wei: No need... When that happens, it should be my treat.

I love that moment so much. Mutual pursuit! :D

I think this is the first time I've noticed that when Zhao Yunlan catches Xiao-Guo at the hospital, he repeats his "I've got your back" from earlier.

Oh! I totally missed that. You're right, it's exactly the same except that he originally says "we" (我们与你同在) and at the hospital it's "I" (我与你同在). And he does look tense - no more flippancy now; things are serious and he's starting to realise quite how much so.

Do you have a favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 2?

You quoted my favourite lines!

What is Shen Wei thinking when he sees Zhao Yunlan's graze?

*clenches hand into fist* MUST NOT REACH OUT TO HEAL, MUST NOT REACH OUT TO HEAL ... *g*

Were you surprised by the passing of time in this half-episode (at the hospital, we learn Li Yufen died two days earlier; at the SID, Zhao Yunlan says Xiao-Guo has been there for a week)?

A little, because I didn't remember it in detail, but I feel like it makes sense for there to be a bit of a break between the two cases. (I think the time skip happens in between Shen Wei's self-healing and Zhao Yunlan returning to the university, so, right where Zhu Jiu's scene is, with his plotting. Presumably it took him a little time at least to arrange for a new recruit, since he must have thought the Shadow Man was plenty enough?

When Zhu Hong warns Zhao Yunlan about Shen Wei, do you think that's genuine suspicion or can she already tell which way the wind is blowing?

I think both. (And Zhao Yunlan gets flustered at it, which must confirm her in her suspicions, hee!)

Do you think Xiao-Guo manages to be successfully supportive at Li Qian's bedside?

It does seem to be cathartic for her. I know people have said that Guo Changcheng makes it all about himself, but I feel like it's validating to hear from someone with similar feelings. And of course he inadvertently hits on her Sundial trauma when he talks about exchanging his life for his grandma's, which makes it really spot on! (I always forget that Xiao-Guo says it first ...)

What's your impression of the hospital attacker, Gao Tianyu? Do you find him sympathetic?

We know so little about him, but his whole attitude makes me think Zhu Jiu may have recruited him at the underground fight club, which does make him sympathetic to me since none of the people there seem to have great circumstances.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how hot is plain-clothes Envoy!Shen Wei?

Very! The only thing that could make it hotter would be if he took off his glasses. *g*

On to my notes:

• A detail I noticed in the opening credits this time: in the shot of Dragon City at night, right at the start of the credits, the visual effects make it look as if there are two moons. The actual shot as used in the drama elsewhere only shows one moon, but now I'm feeling like giving Haixing two moons anyway in my next fic or so. *g*
  
  


• I'm always so delighted that the person helping Shen Wei out of the bushes is Jiajia, even if we only get a fraction-of-a-second shot of her.


• The way Shen Wei just points towards the rooftop to ask about what happened up there (because of course he would want to know if he wasn't, you know, the Envoy) without actually saying anything! Hee!


• When I reach the healing scene it always hits me again that Shen Wei had these obviously painful scratches all the way through his appearance as the Envoy, and then as he climbed out of the bushes. And that he deliberately let the Shadow Man hit him so he could convincingly disappear from the scene!


• Our first Zhu Jiu appearance! We get right away that he fancies himself a mastermind, what with the xiangqi board. And our second soon-to-be attacker (Gao Tianyu) is talking himself up as better than the Shadow Man. I wonder if they actually knew each other, or if all he knows is what Zhu Jiu told him. (But Zhu Jiu might have recruited both of them at the underground fight club, in which case they might have known each other? Oh no, now I want fic about the two of them, and Zhu Jiu playing them against each other, and then possibly having a reunion after the Envoy captures them both ...)


• One of my favourite bits: Zhao Yunlan thinking about when he might have met Shen Wei before, proving that there really is something real there!


• I wonder what Zhao Yunlan would have done if Li Qian hadn't been on the roof. Some days have passed; what is he doing at the university? Presumably going to poke either Shen Wei or Li Qian or both of them some more.


• If Zhao Yunlan hadn't appeared and made her slip (and then saved her), would Li Qian have jumped? I don't think so, but I'm not sure. She's lost her grandma, and she feels guilty and desperate, and she's been at the end of her rope for some time. Poor Li Qian.


• Shen Wei's appearance on the roof, just in time: he must have either seen Li Qian, or heard some of the talk as other people noticed her up there, and then Wu Tian'en's teleportation power or a portal would have taken him up there very quickly. But from Zhao Yunlan's POV, his sudden appearance must be suspicious, too. Not that it seems nefarious, but that it's just a bit too convenient to be true?


• Such a great teamwork shot, Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan pulling Li Qian up together!


• I always feel extra vindicated when Zhao Yunlan is being demanding and abrasive with the doctor, and Shen Wei steps in to smooth things over. You don't see it as much nowadays, but it used to be very common for fandom to treat Shen Wei as socially inept, but he really isn't.


• You can see Zhao Yunlan coming to attention when the doctor mentions the grandma died from an overdose of sleeping pills! And then a second time when the doctor mentions the grandma cheating death a year ago and Zhao Yunlan sees Li Qian cry! (Is she really still unconscious at that point? I figure if Zhao Yunlan thought she wasn't, he'd push her.)


• "A stolen life is hard to maintain," says Shen Wei, and as usual I wonder what exactly he means.


• I adore the conversation in the corridor! The "my treat" bit especially, but also Shen Wei touching his previously-injured shoulder (for effect? or is it still aching days later? maybe a little of both), and the push-and-pull over Zhao Yunlan questioning Shen Wei. And the way Shen Wei redirects Zhao Yunlan from Dixingren biology (which is actually a reasonable thing to ask of Professor Shen!) to their future.


• As we talked about before, this scene doesn't quite fit with the continuity - the thing about Dixingren frequently appearing when there's been exactly one, and "that time at the hospital" ... It must have originally been elsewhere, and was shifted here for some reason. Perhaps because there were too many separate hospital scenes? *g*)


• Shen Wei has advocated for Dixingren before, and how he warns Zhao Yunlan about dangerous Dixing powers. He's not saying they're harmless, while still saying they're not so different - I think that makes Zhao Yunlan take him more seriously.


• LOL @ Lin Jing wondering why the Envoy was so lenient with Zhao Yunlan!
  
  The whole gossiping scene is a delight. And Chu Shuzhi so cranky, complaining about everything. *pets him* And Zhu Hong has no idea how true her words about Chu Shuzhi coming to appreciate the newbie are going to be!
  
  (Zhu Hong's teasing is a bit too mocking for my tastes, but then this is early on and Lao-Chu isn't fully part of the group yet. Lin Jing, Zhu Hong and Wang Zheng definitely are, though!)


• Zhao Yunlan is still messing with Guo Changcheng, telling him he'll have to improvise if there's an attack, and not-very-seriously saying they'll have his back. Only to then be almost too late to really have his back!


• Even GCC notices that Shen Wei seems to know Zhao Yunlan well, hee! And that's before Shen Wei gives him a speech about the difficulties of Zhao Yunlan's job, LOL.


• DQ seems to have gone off to warn Zhao Yunlan about Shen Wei taking too much interest in him, which is why he isn't on the scene when Gao Tianyu attacks. I wonder if he could have fought him?


• Every time I wonder where the schematics of the Hallows come from, and how Lin Jing knows about them when Zhao Yunlan doesn't. (And every time I LOL at the Sundial being upside down!)


• Zhao Yunlan is a cynic at this point. When he learns about the Sundial, he immediately suspects Li Qian of having stolen her grandma's life.


• I want to know what "abnormal vital signs" are, and how Lin Jing can measure them over a surveillance camera! (And also why no other Dixingren are detectable like that!)


• Everything about Shen Wei during Gao Tianyu's attack is a delight to me, right from him noticing the first attack/black energy usage from a distance. One of my favourite moments is when they face off: Shen Wei looks down and waits, and Gao Tianyu's power has no effect on him, and only after that attack does he look up and tell Gao Tianyu to stand down. That look! :D


• And Xiao-Guo being so determined and brave, rushing to protect Shen Wei and Li Qian! His initial appearance hit my embarrassment squick hard, but here there's nothing of that any more.


• I'm also fascinated by Chu Shuzhi's energy barrier, which (like the puppet fight) we don't see in the rest of the series. Gao Tianyu recognises it as puppet strings - that power must be very distinctive, to be so well known. And since Chu Shuzhi has been in prison for a long time, are/were there others from his family/clan with that power still active in Dixing?

[china_shop]

LOL! I always figure it's just doing things with framing, background and foreground, like so many other places in the drama.

Yes, but sometimes when they pull back to a plant or something, it's actually one of Ying Chun's spies. ;-p

And he does look tense - no more flippancy now; things are serious and he's starting to realise quite how much so.

Yess! Time to step up! :D

You quoted my favourite lines!

:D :D :D

(I think the time skip happens in between Shen Wei's self-healing and Zhao Yunlan returning to the university, so, right where Zhu Jiu's scene is, with his plotting.

That makes sense!

We know so little about him, but his whole attitude makes me think Zhu Jiu may have recruited him at the underground fight club

Oh, great point! I wonder how Zhu Jiu knew Gao Tianyu was Dixingren, though. (And how many other Dixingren are hanging around there?)

Aha, that two-moons shot is awesome! I've never noticed that before!! :D

But Zhu Jiu might have recruited both of them at the underground fight club, in which case they might have known each other?

Do you think the Shadow Man could have been at the fight club? I feel like he'd have been too conspicuous. I assumed Zhu Jiu or Ye Zun had brought him up from Dixing.

I wonder what Zhao Yunlan would have done if Li Qian hadn't been on the roof. Some days have passed; what is he doing at the university? Presumably going to poke either Shen Wei or Li Qian or both of them some more.

Ooh, good question. Maybe he was supposed to debrief the Chancellor. /o\

But from Zhao Yunlan's POV, his sudden appearance must be suspicious, too. Not that it seems nefarious, but that it's just a bit too convenient to be true?

Shen Wei is always there when there's trouble. I think that part is definitely suspicious!

Such a great teamwork shot, Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan pulling Li Qian up together!

Iconic!! I love it so much!! :D

I always feel extra vindicated when Zhao Yunlan is being demanding and abrasive with the doctor, and Shen Wei steps in to smooth things over. You don't see it as much nowadays, but it used to be very common for fandom to treat Shen Wei as socially inept, but he really isn't.

Yesss! (And it's not that ZYL is inept -- he just doesn't care. *g*)

(Is she really still unconscious at that point? I figure if Zhao Yunlan thought she wasn't, he'd push her.)

I thought she was unconscious and responding subconsciously to what she hears.

And the way Shen Wei redirects Zhao Yunlan from Dixingren biology (which is actually a reasonable thing to ask of Professor Shen!) to their future.

Yes, I love that! <3 <3 <3

LOL @ Lin Jing wondering why the Envoy was so lenient with Zhao Yunlan!

Ha, yes. The Envoy's reputation is STERN! :D (And agreed about Zhu Hong's teasing. But it makes their later teaminess so much sweeter that they're starting from this point. :D)

Zhao Yunlan is still messing with Guo Changcheng, telling him he'll have to improvise if there's an attack, and not-very-seriously saying they'll have his back. Only to then be almost too late to really have his back!

Yes! I think that's a bit of a (much-needed) wake-up call for him.

Every time I wonder where the schematics of the Hallows come from, and how Lin Jing knows about them when Zhao Yunlan doesn't.

Ooh yes, I have a poll question about that which I mean to recycle. Note to self!

I want to know what "abnormal vital signs" are, and how Lin Jing can measure them over a surveillance camera! (And also why no other Dixingren are detectable like that!)

Right??

I'm also fascinated by Chu Shuzhi's energy barrier, which (like the puppet fight) we don't see in the rest of the series. Gao Tianyu recognises it as puppet strings

I can't remember who is was who first theorised that the barrier might be a string stretched wide, but it's slipped irrevocably into my headcanon. :D

[belovedstill]

When I reach the healing scene it always hits me again that Shen Wei had these obviously painful scratches all the way through his appearance as the Envoy, and then as he climbed out of the bushes.
+
(...) Shen Wei touching his previously-injured shoulder (for effect? or is it still aching days later? maybe a little of both)

Yes! That's what hit me during the rewatch, too! He's sweating through his clothes, clearly in so much pain and it takes quite some effort to heal the injury. After the fall he's behaving as if nothing happened, you can see nothing in his face nor in his body language which tempts me now to let my brain default to "Shen Wei is in company + he's been previously hurt = he's in pain at any given moment and just not showing it". This makes the fact that he rubs at his shoulder (subconsciously?) when he's around just Zhao Yunlan all the more interesting. Does he have some intention behind it or is the memory of "you're not alone anymore (you've got me now)" Kunlun told him 10,000 years ago playing in his mind rn? I'm leaning toward the latter, I like that he has that little moment of slipping and showing he's not as unhurt as he pretends to be.
And! That gesture leads to Zhao Yunlan asking whether he's married. We have the progression of: [Li Qian and her grandmother were all the family each other had] > [this strikes a chord with Shen Wei (because of Ye Zun? because of Kunlun?)] > [Shen Wei rubs at his (hurt) shoulder and Zhao Yunlan notices.] > (ZYL's possible thoughts: "oh. he did get hurt.", "we're at the hospital and he's not getting it treated - is there somebody at home to help him with it?", "that would get me some clues on Shen Wei's situation") > ["Are you married?" :D]

Even GCC notices that Shen Wei seems to know Zhao Yunlan well, hee! And that's before Shen Wei gives him a speech about the difficulties of Zhao Yunlan's job, LOL.

I've watched that episode several times by now but because of this rewatch I'm paying extra attention and!!! I never thought much of this exchange beyond "aww, he's trying to defend Zhao Yunlan's image 😌 best PR agent for real" but now I can't stop and realise—he's speaking from experience. We learn much much later that Shen Wei is stuck in the position of a leader who's respected and looked up to, yes, but ultimately held on a pedestal, and that position has always been Shen Wei's loneliest. "That's right; it's not easy being a leader," Guo Changcheng says, and Shen Way looks down with a smile.