Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 7, 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 7, up to 24:30

Summary
Shen Wei starts to get serious with the muggers, but just then Zhao Yunlan shows up and "rescues" him... only to be caught unawares with a metal bar. They go to Shen Wei's place for first aid and verbal sparring.



Zhao Yunlan asks Shen Wei to be an official consultant to the SID, and Shen Wei refuses. Zhao Yunlan accidentally implies he's been in Shen Wei's place before. The next day at the SID, Lin Jing is telling ghost stories when a call comes about a new case: one of the muggers is dead. When the SID review nearby CCTV footage, they don't see much, but rewinding to earlier reveals that Zhao Yunlan met up with Shen Wei in that alley. Zhao Yunlan unconvincingly laughs this off. The "bears" call: Zhu Hong grudgingly conveys a laptop to Shen Wei for a Zoom call with Zhao Yunlan and the others. After Shen Wei's extensive and illustrated lecture on different kinds of bears, Da Qing pipes up to suggest the attacker might be a Youchu; Shen Wei produces a relevant sketch. Zhao Yunlan, Lin Jing and Chu Shuzhi visit the surviving mugger in hospital; he's out of his wits, babbling about a monster. Lin Jing sees the crime scene photos and makes the connection with his favourite web novel.

Quote
Shen Wei: There are some questions that, out of principle, I cannot answer. But when the safety of people around me are at stake, I will surely not watch from the side and hide information from you. You can count on me for that.

Detail
The moment they're inside his apartment, Shen Wei starts disrobing takes off his jacket and attempts, twice, to fold it while pressing Zhao Yunlan to stay.

Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7? Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei? Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers? Shen Wei doesn't show any surprise at the job offer -- do you think he was expecting it? Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"? We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he? We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them? What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage? Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it? Why a video call instead of Zhao Yunlan paying a visit? At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy? Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(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!)

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Comments

[china_shop]

An old picspam of mostly the liniment scene. :D :D :D

1. THE MUGGING SCENE IS SO GOOD! I love Shen Wei covertly fixing his collar & tie as ZYL approaches. I love ZYL sidelining SW, and SW just going with it. <3 <3 <3 (He even takes a little step back during the metal bar attack, later! I guess he knows that if ZYL gets hurt, SW can fix him.) I love that ZYL is more impressed with his own fighting ability than Shen Wei is (SW barely reacts at all -- does he already know ZYL's skill level from YOHE?). ZYL picks up the watch and returns it without question -- does he recognise it? LOL at Shen Wei tweaking ZYL about the "coincidence" of him showing up. (And ZYL totally can't admit he was tailing SW, but I think he was -- just a bit too far behind.)

2. AHHHHHHHH, THE LINIMENT SCENE, MY BELOVED!!! It took me more than half an hour to get through this scene because of SO MUCH REWINDING and GAZING, I love it so much!! ZYL is squirrelly, and SW keeps teasing him, hee!

ZYL: my house is right across the hall.
SW: *no reaction at all, like, he obviously knew this already and isn't even pretending otherwise*

SW seems completely unsurprised by the job offer, too (maybe saw it coming?), but ZYL seems taken aback by the refusal (or just the lack of hesitation?). I wonder if ZYL had theorised that SW's been angling for the position. Anyway, SW could have refused with reference to the Chancellor, ie, he needs to protect his uni position, but that might have made ZYL back off completely, so he doesn't.

There's no music in this scene until Shen Wei turns down the consultantship.

And then, ahh, we get ZYL's outrageous flirting. \o/ \o/ \o/ Shen Wei does actually seem slightly thrown (turned on?) by it, but he rallies quickly, deflecting by taking ZYL's words literally, and then ZYL just rolls with it and compliments him on his brain. *g*

This whole scene reminds me of a film-making Youtube video I watched about banter (heyjameshurst): Just like in tennis, you want to avoid simple, predictable shots that are easy for your opponent to return. Retorts like "What do you mean by that?” are soft lobs that need to be replaced. Each line must first respond to what was said, and then spin the ball back over the net with a new twist.

This scene does this in spades, eg, when Shen Wei invites ZYL to interrogate him ("If you have any questions for me, ask away."), ZYL's response isn't about Shen Wei's identity or suspicious behaviour, but rather to ask him to join the SID. :D :D :D

Also, everything Zhao Yunlan is doing with his hands in this scene ahhhh a;sdlfkja;dflkajsd;flkasdf;lkajsdf;kasdfadak :D :D :D

3. LOL, the muggers referring to ZYL as a gangster. Also, complaining even though they presumably still have all of Shen Wei's cash. /o\ Do they think the growling is ZYL back for another dust-up?

4. I love Lin Jing scaring Changcheng with ghost stories, and all the SID bickering. CSZ thinks ghost stories are boring, lol. (I wonder what CSZ's reading. Something work-related or something fun?) And then awww, ZYL comes in and cheerfully says they're in a lull and he'll buy them all a meal -- and then finds out about the case. He's in such a good mood, awww!

5. Changcheng is still squeamish. *pets him*

6. On the CCTV footage, is the monster invisible? Because it's semi-imaginary?? But anyway, I love this scene. EVERYONE KNOWS! :D :D :D (Here's an old picspam of ZYL's face-journey. :D)

7. The "bears" call!! Shen Wei actually smiles a greeting to Zhu Hong *and* waves when she leaves, but she's still mad about the interrogation and ignores him. Also, Shen Wei handles the tech more gracefully than ZYL, who is fiddling with the camera when the call starts (why??). Hee!

I wonder if this is a video call because ZYL read between the lines of SW's refusing the consultancy, and he wants to prove he can be discreet?

"When the safety of people around me..." <3 <3 <3 <3

Love that Da Qing just nodded off mid-bear lecture; I bet ZYL wishes he could have done the same (except for the visuals of Shen Wei, of course). And then Shen Wei trying to hear the other half of the phone call *through* the video call. :D :D :D

SW: (trying to be helpful) Wait! I keep having a feeling that the dead victim and his friend don't have qualities of an Undergrounder.
And it immediately comes back to bite him. But ZYL lets him off the hook. And then SW is all "Lmk what you find out," like the info sharing should go both ways. <3 <3 <3

8. CSZ is really grumpy at the hospital. I love him! I love ZYL lying on the bed even more. *screencaps madly* Very confused by Lin Jing making the connection with Lai Su, and then Wang Zheng immediately calling with the ?same? info. How did she know? Does she read web novels too?

[facethestrange]

"An old picspam of mostly the liniment scene. :D :D :D"

OMG *LOVE* :D :D :D

"Zhao Yunlan is torn between ow and nnnrgh." That's the most wonderful way I've seen his wince described asdfghfjdksl;; ♡♡♡♡♡

"That finger is not a lollipop. He's not offering me a lollipop." Lolol, awww! :D :D Doesn't mean you can't put it in your mouth, JUST SAYING. (Oh hey, Zhao Yunlan knows that Shen Wei doesn't like sweets, so he has a better offer. xD)

(I'll reply to more things once I have rewatched, lol. :D)

[china_shop]

OMG *LOVE* :D :D :D

*beams*

(Oh hey, Zhao Yunlan knows that Shen Wei doesn't like sweets, so he has a better offer. xD)

Hee!! :D

(I look forward to it! <3 <3 <3)

[china_shop]

I didn't answer the questions, so I should do that. (Actually, I should be asleep, pfft, whatever. ;-p)

Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7?
LINIMENT!! Every second of it, from the entrance to Shen Wei having a just-for-ZYL first aid kit to... all of it!!

Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei?
Tailing, but a bit too far behind. (And I think Shen Wei was well aware of it, too.)

Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers?
I don't think he shows any sign of having qualms. I love that he even steps back for the iron bar, thing. He's sure ZYL can take care of himself, and if ZYL does get srsly hurt, Shen Wei will either take him to a hospital or (if urgent) give up his secret to heal him, with or without a mindwipe afterwards.

Shen Wei doesn't show any surprise at the job offer -- do you think he was expecting it?
I think he must have been expecting it sooner or later, with the regularity with which ZYL keeps coming around to consult with him.

Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"?
Shen Wei -- finally getting his hands back on Kunlun after all these years!!! (I think ZYL being off-balance and squirrelly about the break-in is half-distracting him. But only half. And maybe the pain is a bit distracting, too, but that goes away ~surprisingly quickly~.)

ETA: I was being glib last night. Having slept on it, I think Shen Wei is probably a bit aroused by Zhao Yunlan's obvious arousal as well as the touching, but he's also distracted by the healing (how much concentration does it take to do that surreptitiously?) and more importantly, there's too many lies embedded in the situation to really do it for him: him having to pretend to be the rescued damsel, Zhao Yunlan pretending he hasn't broken in (and being very fidgety/squirrelly about it), and Shen Wei pretending he's not healing ZYL. Like, Shen Wei wants the genuine version of this, and while he might find himself turned on by the contact and stuff, I don't think it's 100% doing it for him.

Meanwhile, I think ZYL is very turned on, and that's contributing to his off-kilter squirrelliness. He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D (I forgot I'd written fic for this, ha. Holding Back (M-rated).)

Also, the way ZYL segues from "skilful hands" to "you academics are so smart" reminds me of CSZ and the Envoy: the Envoy makes overtures of friendship, and CSZ can't get past the status differential. With ZYL, he's always flattering SW for his big shiny academic brain. And Shen Wei's all, I'm trying to approach you as an equal!!

We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he?
I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)

We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them?
Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything.

What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage?
Stalking/pining.

Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it?
I can't decide. I think she doesn't trust SW *and* she's holding a grudge about the interrogation, but I don't know if that would make her want to scope him out at work (looking for cracks in his good-guy facade) or keep her distance.

At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy?
Because he's no longer partnered with ZYL, and this time it isn't even GCC. Now it's Lin Jing?!?! Bottom of the barrel!!

Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?
She reads everything. :-)

[facethestrange]

"Actually, I should be asleep, pfft, whatever. ;-p"

Lolol! :D *two-days-later high-five* xD

"And I think Shen Wei was well aware of it, too."

Hah, yeah, I don't think anyone can tail Shen Wei without him being aware of it. :D

"Shen Wei -- finally getting his hands back on Kunlun after all these years!!!"

I know you took it back, but I'm grabbing it anyway for my personal argument that they are both equally turned on, hah. xD :D (I also do think that with the way this scene goes later, Zhao Yunlan gets momentarily distracted away from his arousal which is probably a good thing because he needs to stand up, but then it switches right back on, as proven by him being in a really, really good mood in the morning and also tired at the hospital. :D)

"He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D (I forgot I'd written fic for this, ha. Holding Back (M-rated).)"

A lot of the time these are the reasons why Zhao Yunlan's body is on-board, lmao. :D :D (Turns out I've had this fic saved for a while. ♡__♡ *EYES IT SOME MORE*)

"I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)"

LOL YESSSS, and I'm sure he did. :D :D (Even more so because this scene is the equivalent of breaking into Shen Wei's 'bedroom' in the novel, and the reason novel ZYL originally does that is because he's still partially blind and didn't see Shen Wei's underwear in the closet. xD) And now I want to hear Da Qing's commentary. xD

"Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything."

Lol, I have no idea which genres they would read, but ITA that they all read web novels! :D (And unfortunately don't talk about them enough because Lin Jing was surprised by Da Qing. :P)

> > Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?
"She reads everything. :-)"

:D :D :D This is my favorite explanation by far! :D

[trobadora]

And I think Shen Wei was well aware of it, too.

Do you think he'd have dealt differently with the muggers otherwise? And do you think he took ZYL's presence in account when he decided to handle the would-be pendant thief?

Like, Shen Wei wants the genuine version of this, and while he might find himself turned on by the contact and stuff, I don't think it's 100% doing it for him.
Meanwhile, I think ZYL is very turned on, and that's contributing to his off-kilter squirrelliness. He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D

Ooh, yes, all this! I especially love how you put that, ZYL's body being on board. :D

Also, the way ZYL segues from "skilful hands" to "you academics are so smart" reminds me of CSZ and the Envoy: the Envoy makes overtures of friendship, and CSZ can't get past the status differential. With ZYL, he's always flattering SW for his big shiny academic brain. And Shen Wei's all, I'm trying to approach you as an equal!!

Ooh, what a neat parallel! I completely see what you mean, yes!

I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)

LOLOLOL!

Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything.

Yeah, totally! Do you think Zhao Yunlan reads webnovels too?

I can't decide. I think she doesn't trust SW *and* she's holding a grudge about the interrogation, but I don't know if that would make her want to scope him out at work (looking for cracks in his good-guy facade) or keep her distance.

I think overall it was ZYL's idea, but she might have volunteered to be the one to go, because of those reasons?

Because he's no longer partnered with ZYL, and this time it isn't even GCC. Now it's Lin Jing?!?! Bottom of the barrel!!

Awwww! :D

[facethestrange]

"He even takes a little step back during the metal bar attack, later! I guess he knows that if ZYL gets hurt, SW can fix him."

Oooh, I didn't catch that! *rewatches* :D It looks like he's giving Zhao Yunlan some space to fight properly, without having to worry about accidentally hitting Shen Wei. Which sounds really helpful and probably instinctual for a warrior in a situation when they both can't fight together.

"I love that ZYL is more impressed with his own fighting ability than Shen Wei is (SW barely reacts at all -- does he already know ZYL's skill level from YOHE?)."

Lol! :D He definitely knows it from YOHE, and he doesn't look very affected to be either, but also I feel like he wouldn't let it show on his face, so who knows how impressed he really is. xD

"ZYL picks up the watch and returns it without question -- does he recognise it?"

Asdghfjksljkl;; I would just assume it's Shen Wei's because who else's watch could it be (unless they're going around robbing people without putting the loot away xD), but now I love the idea that Zhao Yunlan knows what Shen Wei's watch looks like because he's been staring at his hands so much. ♡__♡ :D :D

"2. AHHHHHHHH, THE LINIMENT SCENE, MY BELOVED!!! It took me more than half an hour to get through this scene because of SO MUCH REWINDING and GAZING, I love it so much!!"

Saaaaaaaame. :D :D :D

"ZYL: my house is right across the hall.
SW: *no reaction at all, like, he obviously knew this already and isn't even pretending otherwise*"

Lolol, both of them aren't even pretending that they don't know exactly where the other one lives. :D

"And then, ahh, we get ZYL's outrageous flirting. \o/ \o/ \o/"

Omfgggg, your screencaps of this scene are killing me ded, the way he keeps lovingly gazing at Shen Wei's hands in different ways, asdfghfjdksl;; ♡♡♡

"Also, everything Zhao Yunlan is doing with his hands in this scene ahhhh a;sdlfkja;dflkajsd;flkasdf;lkajsdf;kasdfadak :D :D :D"

AND THIS TOO, damn, this scene + HANDS. *IMPLODES* :D :D ♡______♡

"Do they think the growling is ZYL back for another dust-up?"

Because of what Lin Jing says about the web novel, I think the muggers had seen the Youchu before they robbed Shen Wei, and then it came back for them. ("Oh, and in the latest chapter released five days ago a thug in the street accidentally sees the killer's grotesque face. Then he chases after the thug, hunts him down, and freezes him to death. Is that not what happened in our case?")

"I wonder what CSZ's reading. Something work-related or something fun?"

In the novel he's researching the stock market, so maybe that, lol, but that would be mostly online, so probably not. xD

"6. On the CCTV footage, is the monster invisible? Because it's semi-imaginary?? But anyway, I love this scene. EVERYONE KNOWS! :D :D :D (Here's an old picspam of ZYL's face-journey. :D)"

I've always thought it was out of the frame, but I like this idea a lot. :D If everything weird showed up on CCTV, people in Haixing wouldn't be so convinced that supernatural stuff doesn't exist. (And your picspam has always been my favorite thing. :D :D :D WTF ZHAO YUNLAN, this is sooooo not how you convince people that you weren't doing ~THINGS~ with Shen Wei. xD)

"Love that Da Qing just nodded off mid-bear lecture; I bet ZYL wishes he could have done the same (except for the visuals of Shen Wei, of course)."

Lololol, facts. xD Zhao Yunlan's face is a thing of beauty. :D :D



"SW: (trying to be helpful) Wait! I keep having a feeling that the dead victim and his friend don't have qualities of an Undergrounder."

This line confuses me a bit because doesn't the SID mostly investigate cases when the victims are Haixingren? So it should be already implied that the muggers are Haixingren too? (Also I'm assuming the reason SW knows that is because they attacked him in a mundane way? Which is something that he could openly tell Zhao Yunlan, who was also there after all.)

[china_shop]

Oooh, I didn't catch that! *rewatches* :D It looks like he's giving Zhao Yunlan some space to fight properly, without having to worry about accidentally hitting Shen Wei. Which sounds really helpful and probably instinctual for a warrior in a situation when they both can't fight together.

Yes! I just found it interesting that, even when someone's coming at ZYL with a weapon *and* ZYL is unaware, SW doesn't break cover and smite the attacker with an energy bolt or anything. Maybe there isn't time?

and he doesn't look very affected to be either, but also I feel like he wouldn't let it show on his face, so who knows how impressed he really is. xD

Maybe he doesn't want to praise ZYL for it because he doesn't want to incentivise ill-advised running into danger? ZYL does enough of that already!! ;D

unless they're going around robbing people without putting the loot away xD

I wouldn't put it past them? *g* But yes, hand staring, definitely. :D :D :D

Omfgggg, your screencaps of this scene are killing me ded, the way he keeps lovingly gazing at Shen Wei's hands in different ways, asdfghfjdksl;; ♡♡♡

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 :D :D :D

I think the muggers had seen the Youchu before they robbed Shen Wei, and then it came back for them.

Huh, wouldn't they be more freaked out, if that was the case? The survivor in hospital is scared out of his wits -- and Youchu are pretty scary even if they haven't killed anyone yet.

In the novel he's researching the stock market, so maybe that, lol, but that would be mostly online, so probably not. xD

Yeah, and novel!CSZ is quite different from drama!CSZ. Maybe he's reading histories or something from the library. He's the one who did research about the Hanga tribe before the trip, so he seems inclined to gather potentially useful knowledge. :-D

If everything weird showed up on CCTV, people in Haixing wouldn't be so convinced that supernatural stuff doesn't exist.

Oh, that's true. Great point! (Or, alternatively, it could just be out of frame. Ha, why didn't that occur to me?)

WTF ZHAO YUNLAN, this is sooooo not how you convince people that you weren't doing ~THINGS~ with Shen Wei. xD

LOLOLOL!! He has zero chill about this!! :DDDDD

Zhao Yunlan's face is a thing of beauty. :D :D

akdslfas;dklfjas;dflkjsadf HEEEE! :D

This line confuses me a bit because doesn't the SID mostly investigate cases when the victims are Haixingren? So it should be already implied that the muggers are Haixingren too? (Also I'm assuming the reason SW knows that is because they attacked him in a mundane way? Which is something that he could openly tell Zhao Yunlan, who was also there after all.)

Those are all EXCELLENT points, none of which had occurred to me. LOL!! Yeah, I don't know either.

[trobadora]

but now I love the idea that Zhao Yunlan knows what Shen Wei's watch looks like because he's been staring at his hands so much. ♡__♡ :D :D

YESSS :D :D :D

Because of what Lin Jing says about the web novel, I think the muggers had seen the Youchu before they robbed Shen Wei, and then it came back for them. ("Oh, and in the latest chapter released five days ago a thug in the street accidentally sees the killer's grotesque face. Then he chases after the thug, hunts him down, and freezes him to death. Is that not what happened in our case?")

Huh, I thought what happened after the mugging was them accidentally seeing the monster's face, and then being chased down. (It's not actually a youchu, though, going by how it manifests at the end of the episode. Which also makes more sense given the freezing power!)

I've always thought it was out of the frame

*high fives* Me too!

WTF ZHAO YUNLAN, this is sooooo not how you convince people that you weren't doing ~THINGS~ with Shen Wei. xD

LOLOLOL, right??? :D

This line confuses me a bit because doesn't the SID mostly investigate cases when the victims are Haixingren? So it should be already implied that the muggers are Haixingren too?

Yeah, it confused me too. I have no idea why he says it!

[trobadora]

1. I love Shen Wei covertly fixing his collar & tie as ZYL approaches.

YES! Such a lovely little note.

I love that ZYL is more impressed with his own fighting ability than Shen Wei is (SW barely reacts at all -- does he already know ZYL's skill level from YOHE?).

Yeah, I think for SW, ZYL's fighting ability is just a given ever since their first meeting; he's never questioned it at all, so he's never had occasion to be surprised by it. *g*

And ZYL totally can't admit he was tailing SW, but I think he was -- just a bit too far behind.

Yeah, it really would make sense! It always makes me wonder what would have happened if he'd been just a bit slower and SW had already dealt with the would-be pendant toucher. *g*

2. SW seems completely unsurprised by the job offer, too (maybe saw it coming?), but ZYL seems taken aback by the refusal (or just the lack of hesitation?).

My take is that SW did see it coming, and was ready for it, therefore the lack of hesitation. And yeah, IMO it's that immediate "no", taking not even a second to process, that has ZYL so flabbergasted.

I wonder if ZYL had theorised that SW's been angling for the position.

Ooh, yes, that would make sense! I could totally see ZYL speculating in that direction!

Each line must first respond to what was said, and then spin the ball back over the net with a new twist.

Ooh, yes, that's such a great way to explain this kind of thing, I love it!

6. On the CCTV footage, is the monster invisible? Because it's semi-imaginary??

I thought it just wasn't visible because of the camera angle.

EVERYONE KNOWS! :D :D :D

Or thinks they know, anyway! :D

8. Very confused by Lin Jing making the connection with Lai Su, and then Wang Zheng immediately calling with the ?same? info. How did she know? Does she read web novels too?

She says the connection is the reason their superiors decided to have departments cooperate, so presumably the connection has by now been drawn in public, but Lin Jing missed that for some reason! Hee!

[china_shop]

> Yeah, I think for SW, ZYL's fighting ability is just a given ever since their first meeting; he's never questioned it at all, so he's never had occasion to be surprised by it. *g*

I guess so. But ZYL could be yet to acquire Kunlun's skills -- SW doesn't know!

> It always makes me wonder what would have happened if he'd been just a bit slower and SW had already dealt with the would-be pendant toucher. *g*

SW would come up with some "I got lucky" kind of explanation/excuse, I'm sure.

> My take is that SW did see it coming, and was ready for it, therefore the lack of hesitation.

He must have been half-expecting it, yeah -- or at least aware it was a possibility, given ZYL's frequent visits to his office.

> I thought it just wasn't visible because of the camera angle.

I guess...

> Or thinks they know, anyway! :D

They know about his crush. *g*

> She says the connection is the reason their superiors decided to have departments cooperate, so presumably the connection has by now been drawn in public, but Lin Jing missed that for some reason! Hee!

Yeah, I guess so. It's less satisfying to me than LJ's deduction being how everyone else finds out, but it makes sense, yeah.

[facethestrange]

I'll be rewatching today, but I don't need to rewatch anything to know this scene by heart, so: SKILLFUL HANDSSSSS. ♡♡♡♡♡ One of my all-time favorite scenes, and also this line specifically, LIKE, Shen Wei is literally not doing anything with his hands, skillful or otherwise, other than touching Zhao Yunlan - if they didn't want it to sound suggestive af, they would have had Shen Wei putting in stitches or something. xD

(And yepp, I have written a fic about this scene that is just 2K of shameless smut: In Your Hands. And PacifisticHerbivore has illustrated it (no nudity, just a wonderfully debauched Zhao Yunlan): Blissful. ♡♡♡)

(Also literally the other day I made a tumblr incorrect quote thingy with this scene. :D Though I like your screencap better because he's looking at Shen Wei's hands so fondly and intently godsssssss ♡______♡ And yep, I just made an icon of it, thank you! :D :D)

"The moment they're inside his apartment, Shen Wei starts disrobing"

Lolol. :D :D FACT THO. I know about him trying to fold the jacket from the comm (your poll about the wincing probably ♡♡♡ need an icon of that too), and now I can never unsee it. :D ♡

"Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"?"

*DED* I so want to say both of them equally, lmao, but my actual answer is - until Shen Wei heals him, it's mostly Zhao Yunlan srsly give this poor guy a pillow to put in his lap, but I guess the way he's sitting is enough xD xD, because Shen Wei is too busy being concerned about the pain. Though allll the flirty af lip touching is doing things to him, and when he offers to be more gentle I feel like he's startled for both reasons too, so yeah, it is both of them, just not equally. xD And then when Zhao Yunlan is healed, all bets are off. :D :D

[china_shop]

aklsjfd;laksjdf;laksdjf;alksjdf;slkdjf;lsdkjfasd ICON!!

Yayay fic and art, and omg, that incorrect quote thingy! Perfect! LOLOL! (I totally think they wanted it to sound suggestive af. *g*)

:D :D :D :D :D

[autodach]

Zhao Yunlan accidentally implies he's been in Shen Wei's place before

I love how Shen Wei lets him think he’ll get away with this for just a moment, then calls him out anyway.

Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers?

He doesn’t seem very concerned when he neatly steps aside to let his shining knight ride into battle for him (my favourite moment btw). This is Zhao Yunlan’s job as police, and Shen Wei knows he can still interfere if it really becomes necessary. And it’s a good opportunity to prove just how harmless and helpless Professor Shen is.

Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"?

Zhao Yunlan. Look at his face! Covering his mouth to keep his moans in.

We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he?

He must have, right? Enough to know the view from the window at least. And it’s a place where people hide things, like under their beds.

We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them?

When Wang Zheng faints, Da Qing speculates she might have been too excited over a novel – maybe this is actually based on knowledge of her reading habits? She has a lot of alone time on her hands, too. I headcanon that she is 800 000 words deep into Proud Immortal Demon Way.

What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage?

Chief Zhao scored a date with the hot Professor after all! Not even wrong, I guess?

[china_shop]

I love how Shen Wei lets him think he’ll get away with this for just a moment, then calls him out anyway.

Ha, yes, Shen Wei is masterful with his torment. Little does ZYL know that if he just came clean, SW would be totally approving, heh.

He doesn’t seem very concerned when he neatly steps aside to let his shining knight ride into battle for him (my favourite moment btw). This is Zhao Yunlan’s job as police, and Shen Wei knows he can still interfere if it really becomes necessary. And it’s a good opportunity to prove just how harmless and helpless Professor Shen is.

Yes to all of this!! (Oh, and I wonder if he enjoys watching ZYL be competent? He's quite matter-of-fact about it, anyway, not all swoony and grateful. ;D)

Zhao Yunlan. Look at his face! Covering his mouth to keep his moans in.

You make a very compelling point!! :D :D :D :D :D

He must have, right? Enough to know the view from the window at least. And it’s a place where people hide things, like under their beds.

:D :D :D :D :D

When Wang Zheng faints, Da Qing speculates she might have been too excited over a novel – maybe this is actually based on knowledge of her reading habits? She has a lot of alone time on her hands, too. I headcanon that she is 800 000 words deep into Proud Immortal Demon Way.

Hahaha, awesome! :D

Chief Zhao scored a date with the hot Professor after all! Not even wrong, I guess?

Oh, good point. And ZYL doesn't put them right, either. Huh...

[facethestrange]

"He doesn’t seem very concerned when he neatly steps aside to let his shining knight ride into battle for him (my favourite moment btw). This is Zhao Yunlan’s job as police, and Shen Wei knows he can still interfere if it really becomes necessary. And it’s a good opportunity to prove just how harmless and helpless Professor Shen is."

Yep, this! It's not any more dangerous than what Zhao Yunlan already does every day. (Probably less dangerous tbh, the muggers are pretty inept, they just happen to have found a metal bar. :P)

"Zhao Yunlan. Look at his face! Covering his mouth to keep his moans in."

Asfghfjdksghjkl; this is now my favorite explanation for what his hands are doing. xD ♡_____♡ Well, this and the fact that he doesn't have a lollipop to draw Shen Wei's attention to his mouth, so he needs to find another way to do that. :D

"He must have, right? Enough to know the view from the window at least. And it’s a place where people hide things, like under their beds."

100%, yep!

"When Wang Zheng faints, Da Qing speculates she might have been too excited over a novel – maybe this is actually based on knowledge of her reading habits? She has a lot of alone time on her hands, too. I headcanon that she is 800 000 words deep into Proud Immortal Demon Way."

:D :D Yessss, I got it from that scene too. :D Wang Zheng has always been THE web novel reader to me, and I didn't even realize how not-strictly-canon it was!

"Chief Zhao scored a date with the hot Professor after all! Not even wrong, I guess?"

And Zhao Yunlan is sure not acting as if they are wrong. :D :D If anything his reaction makes it sound like they're underestimating the situation. xD

[trobadora]

I love how Shen Wei lets him think he’ll get away with this for just a moment, then calls him out anyway.

YES! That's so good. :D

Zhao Yunlan. Look at his face! Covering his mouth to keep his moans in.

You make an EXCELLENT point. :D :D :D

I headcanon that she is 800 000 words deep into Proud Immortal Demon Way.

LOLOLOL!

Chief Zhao scored a date with the hot Professor after all! Not even wrong, I guess?

They definitely think that! Especially with the way he came wo work whistling the next morning. :D

[facethestrange]

- One more thing that has only just occurred to me about the liniment scene - Zhao Yunlan doesn't even offer to do it himself even though he could reach this part of his arm really easily. xD They both just assume that Shen Wei is going to do it for whatever reason (TOUCHING, they just both really want to get to the touching obviously Shen Wei wants to heal him, but honestly it's Zhao Yunlan who should have said something xD) and then they just go ahead and do it this way, they don't communicate about it beforehand and never question it at all. :D

- Btw what IS the place outside Shen Wei's bedroom window that Zhao Yunlan is talking about?

- I can never get over Zhao Yunlan just completely and entirely losing his composure, sputterining nonsense and laughing awkwardly because he was seen at night with Shen Wei, like daaaamn, way to make it not weird and not suggestive at all. :D :D And the AHHHHH is my favorite Chu Shuzhi scene, and then Zhao Yunlan just keeps quietly dying inside for another five full seconds, asdshgfjdksljkl; :D :D

- Also Zhao Yunlan whistling and wanting to throw a party after his date with Shen Wei. xD :D

- The way Shen Wei's expression changes to this in the blink of an eye when the pendant is involved, DAMN.



I love it so much that the pendant is not a soulfire and has absolutely zero objective value, it always makes everything even better. :D

(And Zhao Yunlan doesn't even get to see the pendant at all, which afaik is different from the novel. I guess because in the novel it's his POV and the reader wonders what the pendant even is because Zhao Yunlan saw it.)

- Dammit, Zhao Yunlan, stop joking about getting yourself killed, do you see Shen Wei's face. :P

- I love how Xiao Guo's imagination sequence is filmed. :D :D

- The "Ghost Terror" nickname is wonderful in a universe in which ghosts don't exist. :D :D (And Shen Wei supposedly knows that Zhu Hong is talking about Zhao Yunlan? Or he doesn't know and just politely waits until something becomes clearer, and it immediately does because there's Zhao Yunlan on the screen. xD I adore Shen Wei's little flinch btw. :D)

- Also I only just realized that Zhu Hong just gives him the laptop with this weird explanation and without any greeting?? xD (And then she leaves without a goodbye, lmao, Shen Wei's little wave, AW.) And her annoyed lounging on the chair, and the epic eyeroll when Shen Wei starts playing a damsel in distress. :D

- Da Qing and Xiao Guo grinning at Shen Wei are the cutest! :D :D ♡ (And awww, they want to be the people who protect Shen Wei, and he smiles at it, and then he goes on to say that he wants to protect them people. :D)

- Xiao Guo writing down bear facts in his notebook! :D

- Lin Jing talking about his fannish obsession!! :D (And the tiny flashback of him chair-dancing at his computer, aww! :D) What is he waving around that Chu Shuzhi takes out of his hand? xD And Zhao Yunlan is so bored he just lies down on the hospital bed, like why the hell not. :D He's so beautifully flat too, lmao. ♡♡♡



- Also gratuitous smol Zhao Yunlan with big Lin Jing (I know ZYL is sitting lower, lol). :D :D



And the way Lin Jing goes grrrr behind Zhao Yunlan's back is adorable. :D

- I feel like "those web novel authors stay behind the scenes and don't like exposure" is some fourth wall breaking. xD

"Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7?"

SKILLFUL HANDS, the scene and the quote. :D :D But this half episode is SO GOOD that if this scene wasn't there, I have no idea what I would choose out of all the other awesomeness. :D

"Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei?"

Not sure, possibly tailing? Can't go with the novel where it was a coincidence because the other circumstances are so different.

"Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers?"

Nope, it's his job, he does it all the time, and he's clearly very good at it too at least when he's not distracted by bantering with Shen Wei.

"We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he?"

If he knows where the window is in a way that can't be explained by just knowing the layout of the apartment, he has definiely searched the bedroom. :D

"We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them?"

Before this rewatch I totally forgot that they read web novels, but I remembered that Wang Zheng did (or at least that's the assumption in the fainting scene). :D And I feel like everyone else does too. :D

"What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage?"

They probably start out thinking pretty tame things, and then Zhao Yunlan stammers epically and there's no limit to anyone's assumptions and imagination anymore. xD

"Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it?"

She's so pissed, I feel like she really doesn't want to be there. Unless keeping an eye on Shen Wei is more important to her than being super annoyed by having to be in his presence. :P

"Why a video call instead of Zhao Yunlan paying a visit?"

I honestly have no idea? Shen Wei just told him that he's really busy, but having Zhu Hong sit there doesn't make him any more free to do other things than if Zhao Yunlan was sitting there?

"At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy?"

Lol, I didn't notice him being more grumpy than usual - it's kinda just normal Chu Shuzhi to me? xD

"Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?"

I thought the superiors that she's talking about have told the SID about the connection.

"Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama? If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?"

(I was so focused on all the novel parallels that I can't think of any drama ones, but I'm curious to read other comments! :D)

The mugging is another thing from the novel that gets really neatly tied to a drama case, which is really cool. :D And the fact that they were needed for this explains why the muggers don't just get handed over to regular police. :P

The first mention of the youchu! And everything about them sounds so similar to the novel, but Shen Wei not being the same species makes it all very, very different. Btw did he actually not know that it was a youchu until Da Qing said it? Because in the drama he has no reason to hide it? (Well, at this point it sounds like Heipaoshi didn't do a very good job getting rid of the youchu, but that can't be reason enough, can it?) I'm also curious if the "Forbidden Place" is the same word/name as in the novel or a different one? (And the hardsubs don't even say Forbidden Place, they just say Dixing.)

And the entire 'please sleep with me' storyline being turned into 'please work with me' obviously. I give it to the drama that they made it work outside of censorship reasons - using it as a way to have Shen Wei reject something (since his presence is not harmful to Zhao Yunlan, so he would have no reason to reject him) is pretty damn brilliant. :D And it's even made super clear that he's not rejecting ZYL, only the job offer! (Same with the books later - in the novel it's literally just Shen Wei turning down the gift, without Zhao Yunlan making a ridiculous blunder, but drama Shen Wei would have been happy to receive this gift if it weren't for the blunder. :D)

[china_shop]

One more thing that has only just occurred to me about the liniment scene - Zhao Yunlan doesn't even offer to do it himself even though he could reach this part of his arm really easily. xD They both just assume that Shen Wei is going to do it for whatever reason (TOUCHING, they just both really want to get to the touching

Ahhh, that's such a great point! You're right! They really want that (not really necessary at all) physical contact. alsdkfa;sdklfjas;dkfjas;dflkjasdf!!!!

they don't communicate about it beforehand and never question it at all. :D

*heeeeeaaaaarts*

Btw what IS the place outside Shen Wei's bedroom window that Zhao Yunlan is talking about?

I'm guessing it's some kind of library? I have no idea, lol. I always gloss right over that part.

I can never get over Zhao Yunlan just completely and entirely losing his composure, sputterining nonsense and laughing awkwardly because he was seen at night with Shen Wei, like daaaamn, way to make it not weird and not suggestive at all. :D :D And the AHHHHH is my favorite Chu Shuzhi scene, and then Zhao Yunlan just keeps quietly dying inside for another five full seconds, asdshgfjdksljkl; :D :D

I knooooooooow, he's SUCH A DORK (ilhsm), and it's SO GOOD! :D :D :D

Also Zhao Yunlan whistling and wanting to throw a party after his date with Shen Wei. xD :D

LOL! (And okay, now I'm wondering what that's all about -- because it seems at odds with ZYL's awkward/hasty exit from SW's flat, to me. Is it just that he got to see SW last night and hang out for a bit? Did he erase everything from his mind about the evening except his heroic defeat of the muggers and SW's first aid? Huh.)

Ha, great screen cap. SW is fierce SW!!

I love it so much that the pendant is not a soulfire and has absolutely zero objective value, it always makes everything even better. :D

Yessss! :D :D: D

And Shen Wei supposedly knows that Zhu Hong is talking about Zhao Yunlan?

I'm assuming he figures it out from context and Zhu Hong's attitude?

Also I only just realized that Zhu Hong just gives him the laptop with this weird explanation and without any greeting?? xD

Haha, I know. SW smiles when she arrives AND he waves goodbye, and she ignores all the niceties and just glares. :DDD

Xiao Guo writing down bear facts in his notebook! :D

LOL, I never noticed that before. Awesome!! *pets Changcheng indulgently* ;D

What is he waving around that Chu Shuzhi takes out of his hand? xD

Those are the crime scene photos.

I screencapped ZYL lying on the bed, too. <3 <3 <3 (I don't think he's bored -- maybe just tired from staying up all night masturbating thinking about SW.)

Lin Jing is such a giant, lol!!

I feel like "those web novel authors stay behind the scenes and don't like exposure" is some fourth wall breaking. xD

Hee! Right? :D

SKILLFUL HANDS!!! :DDDDDDDDDDD

If he knows where the window is in a way that can't be explained by just knowing the layout of the apartment, he has definiely searched the bedroom. :D

:D :D :D :D :D

They probably start out thinking pretty tame things, and then Zhao Yunlan stammers epically and there's no limit to anyone's assumptions and imagination anymore. xD

Hahaha, right?!! Especially Lao Chu's. :D

Unless keeping an eye on Shen Wei is more important to her than being super annoyed by having to be in his presence. :P

Yeah, I was wondering about that. Or, ooh, maybe she heard about the late-night alley meet-up and is determined to keep ZYL and SW apart. Maybe the video conference was her idea?

I thought the superiors that she's talking about have told the SID about the connection.

So two groups of people make the connection in parallel? That makes sense, I guess (but I find it less satisfying than the SID's deduction leading to the development).

Btw did he actually not know that it was a youchu until Da Qing said it? Because in the drama he has no reason to hide it?

I assume it didn't occur to him because he wasn't expecting Youchu in Dragon City. I think Zhu Jiu let the ones in the Hanga arc loose in Haixing, but I'm not sure about this one. Since it didn't show up on CCTV, it might not be completely real?

And the entire 'please sleep with me' storyline being turned into 'please work with me' obviously.

lkasjdf;laksdjfa;skdlfja;sdklfjas;dlkfjas;dflkjasdflasdfadfafd Ahhhh, I totally hadn't put that together! That's brilliant!!

(Fwiw, the only drama parallel I noticed was with YOHE: ZYL appears and rescues SW, then needs first aid. Unfortunately, in YOHE it's Ma Gui who does the healing, with his special ointment -- but maybe the fact that that's magic implies that Shen Wei is using his healing power here?)

Same with the books later - in the novel it's literally just Shen Wei turning down the gift, without Zhao Yunlan making a ridiculous blunder, but drama Shen Wei would have been happy to receive this gift if it weren't for the blunder. :D

Yes, so true! If they were given genuinely, he'd have been delighted!!

[trobadora]

Zhao Yunlan doesn't even offer to do it himself even though he could reach this part of his arm really easily. xD They both just assume that Shen Wei is going to do it for whatever reason (TOUCHING, they just both really want to get to the touching

YES THIS!!!!!! It's just so good, it would be such an obvious thing for ZYL to say, especially since a moment ago he was trying to leave! But no, the moment this is on the page, he just can't bring himself to even think about pulling back. :D

Btw what IS the place outside Shen Wei's bedroom window that Zhao Yunlan is talking about?

ZYL says it's Dragon City's largest archive library? Though why he assumes SW wouldn't be aware of that, I'm not sure.

I can never get over Zhao Yunlan just completely and entirely losing his composure, sputterining nonsense and laughing awkwardly because he was seen at night with Shen Wei, like daaaamn, way to make it not weird and not suggestive at all. :D :D

RIGHT???? It's such a fantastic little scene, I love his flailing, and Chu Shuzhi's AHHH reaction. PERFECTION. :D

The way Shen Wei's expression changes to this in the blink of an eye when the pendant is involved, DAMN.

YES, that's so good!!!!

I love it so much that the pendant is not a soulfire and has absolutely zero objective value, it always makes everything even better. :D

Yeah, I'm 100% with you on this, it just being a memento without any intrinsic worth beyond what it means to Shen Wei is what makes it extra good! The drama writers were inspired when they came up with that.

(And Zhao Yunlan doesn't even get to see the pendant at all, which afaik is different from the novel. I guess because in the novel it's his POV and the reader wonders what the pendant even is because Zhao Yunlan saw it.)

Yeah, in a novel, if you want the reader to wonder about something, you have to draw the POV character's attention to it, you can't just do it directly like visual media. So fun how the choice of medium affects these things!

Xiao Guo writing down bear facts in his notebook! :D

Xiao-Guo writing down EVERYTHING is such a fun little background detail. :D

What is he waving around that Chu Shuzhi takes out of his hand?

Crime scene photos.

He's so beautifully flat too, lmao. ♡♡♡

LOLOLOL! He needs some meat on his bones, SW needs to feed him. *g*

If he knows where the window is in a way that can't be explained by just knowing the layout of the apartment, he has definiely searched the bedroom. :D

I think anyone could totally know where the window is just by knowing the basic layout of the flat, BUT Zhao Yunlan gives himself away by his "oops, said too much" reaction even before SW calls him on it. :D

I thought the superiors that she's talking about have told the SID about the connection.

Yes, exactly! I think more people outside of Lin Jing's little fan club must have noticed the parallels, and it went public. Only Lin Jing must have missed that, because he only just figured it out himself, hee!

The mugging is another thing from the novel that gets really neatly tied to a drama case, which is really cool. :D

Yes, good point! And I'd meant to go back and look at the mugging in the novel again, but I haven't found the time, oops ... Some other time, hopefully!

And the fact that they were needed for this explains why the muggers don't just get handed over to regular police. :P

LOL, my thoughts exactly!

The first mention of the youchu! And everything about them sounds so similar to the novel, but Shen Wei not being the same species makes it all very, very different.

Yeah, taht's a VERY good point!

Btw did he actually not know that it was a youchu until Da Qing said it? Because in the drama he has no reason to hide it?

It isn't a youchu, though - we see it manifest at the end of the episode, and it doesn't look like a youchu. It's some kind of fantasy monster with ice powers. The youchu thing is just Da Qing's theory, and I guess SW thinks it's not entirely impossible that there's a youchu involved somehow?

I'm also curious if the "Forbidden Place" is the same word/name as in the novel or a different one?

Oooh, good question! I just checked, and it's 禁地 (forbidden land) in both.

And the entire 'please sleep with me' storyline being turned into 'please work with me' obviously.

OHHHHH I hadn't thought of it in those terms, I love how you put that! So perfect! :D

using it as a way to have Shen Wei reject something (since his presence is not harmful to Zhao Yunlan, so he would have no reason to reject him) is pretty damn brilliant. :D

YES, 100% agreed! I love it to pieces. :D

Same with the books later - in the novel it's literally just Shen Wei turning down the gift, without Zhao Yunlan making a ridiculous blunder, but drama Shen Wei would have been happy to receive this gift if it weren't for the blunder. :D

All of this!!!! *flails* SO GOOD OMG.

[trobadora]

Back to the alley! It's been two weeks since I watched the first part of the mugging, but here I finally am. (This episode has so many great scenes!)

The mugging scene is still every bit as glorious as I remember.

I love that we get our first close-up shot of the pendant here. I had forgotten that one of the muggers thinks it's jade! Of course that's why it's the most common fan theory, too, duh. But I still love the idea of Dixing glass! Not like the muggers would know. *g*

And Shen Wei's pendant reaction is one of my favourite moments. He steps back to evade, he grabs the mugger's wrist, makes a really angry face and then twists the mugger's arm - only to let him go, hide his pendant under his shirt again, and then make his face all neutral again when Zhao Yunlan arrives on the scene! :D

Also how Zhao Yunlan pushes Shen Wei out of the way, and how Shen Wei lets himself be pushed, content to watch!

I never fail to notice that a) Shen Wei gets his watch back, but not his money, and b) Zhao Yunlan just lets the muggers go, rather than arresting them or anything! (So they can conveniently end up monster bait, I know. *g*)

I know we've talked about the theory that Zhao Yunlan was following Shen Wei, and that Shen Wei knew about it - did his pendant feelings override that for a moment, so he forgot to be careful and make sure no one saw his ability to physically defend himself?

Also the whole banter about the "coincidence" of Zhao Yunlan being there is delightful. :D

When they get to Shen Wei's flat, I wonder why Zhao Yunlan is trying to extricate himself instead of sticking around? Shen Wei did invite him inside.

And then the ointment scene! Everything about it is gold. Shen Wei quipping about giving Zhao Yunlan an opportunity to interrogate him, Zhao Yunlan turning it into a job offer, and Shen Wei's immediate, no-hesitation "no"! Zhao Yunlan is so taken aback by that, LOL. He doesn't know that Shen Wei has presumably seen this offer coming and had his answer ready. *g*

"Skilful hands"!!!!! :D

And then Zhao Yunlan trips himself up with the bedroom window! Just like the books, this is at least in part him offering something he thinks Shen Wei will like (and without a con here!) - but once it's out of his mouth, his expression says he realises he's said more than he should. Oops? But my favourite part of this is how Shen Wei doesn't let him off the hook about it, and Zhao Yunlan's expression at being called out! So delightful. :D :D :D

Back to the muggers, calling Zhao Yunlan "that thug"! And noting Shen Wei's fierce look! And then all we see of the monster is their reaction - which is definitely the more effective strategy. *g*

Lin Jing telling horror stories and frightening Xiao-Guo! And Da Qing calling him on the story coming from a webnovel! (Zhu Hong and Guo Changcheng clearly didn't recognise it. Do they not read webnovels, or do they just have different tastes?)

Zhao Yunlan comes in whistling! And then later the surveillance footage! Idk why Zhao Yunlan was so awkward about his team seeing him with Shen Wei (possibly because he let the muggers go?), but he totally dug his own grave there - now they all think he was on a date and got laid. And his flailing is super fun. :D

Tbh I think that may be why he has Zhu Hong bring the laptop to Shen Wei rather than visiting in person - he's trying to convince his team it's totally not like that. (Though why, I'm not sure!) And that's also why Da Qing jumps in to make sure Shen Wei knows he and Xiao-Guo are there too in the video call before the heavy-duty flirting can start! Hee!

(Also super fun: we had Chu Shuzhi bringing the banner, now Zhu Hong bringing the laptop - and she's so rude to Shen Wei, LOL. I wish we'd had the other SID member conscripted for similar tasks, too!)

Anyway, it's bears time! BEARS MY BELOVED. My all-time favourite Shen Wei trolling. :D

(I never quite thought of it that way, but - when the video comes on, both Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are leaning close to the camera! Nice.)

Zhao Yunlan complains that Shen Wei doesn't want to share the information he has - but in this case, Shen Wei has no info. He knows nothing about who or what attacked these muggers, and I think that's why the trolling. If Zhao Yunlan insists he's holding back nonexistent info, he'll spam him with the irrelevant info he does have.

Not that Zhao Yunlan is getting the hint - even after the endless list of BEARS and the promise to speak up when people are in danger (an important mission statement, which I think Zhao Yunlan does believe!), Zhao Yunlan still insists Shen Wei has something he should be telling him. I know it's hard to believe, but Shen Wei doesn't know everything, Zhao Yunlan! Boo!

And when Da Qing brings up the youchu, Shen Wei contributes what info he has. Ultimately, since it'll turn out the monster isn't actually a youchu any more than it's a bear, I think this is here to introduce them before they turn up in the Hanga arc.

Background worldbuilding details: there once were youchu attacking people in wine county near Dragon City, which caused a mass panic. The Envoy drove them back to the Forbidden Place. I wonder how they got to Haixing, and if that was also instigated by Ye Zun at the time, or if it was unrelated to any larger plots? Also, this incident is another reason why random outsiders might know about Dixing-related things! (It also explains why Zhao Yunlan already knows about youchu.)

I wonder why Shen Wei feels the need to volunteer that the muggers don't seem Dixingren? Why is that relevant? They're not the perpetrators, after all, and it opens him up to Zhao Yunlan's very reasonable return question ...

"Many are evil, few are good," Zhao Yunlan says about Dixingren. Oops? Still a long way to come! But at least he won't tar them all with the same brush; that's something.

Chu Shuzhi is so rough questioning the surviving traumatised mugger! Lin Jing recognising the parallel with the webnovel, and putting it together with online rumours that the stories are real! Lin Jing is president of a fan club! And can recite what happens in which chapter by heart!

(And the rumours contributed to the webnovel's popularity, so presumably Zhu Jiu helped spread them?)

And LOL, just after Lin Jing draws the parallel between murder and novel, Wang Zheng calls and casually mentions the same parallel as the reason their superiors decided to have departments cooperate on the case - I guess the info about the latest murder got out and the parallel was drawn in public - but Lin Jing missed that because he was reading webnovels rather than the news, LOL.

(Okay, partial catch-up achieved! I'll go through all the comments here tomorrow, and then I'll be back up to date.)

[trobadora]

And some responses to questions that I haven't already answered elsewhere:

Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7?

BEARS! Ointment! How can I possibly choose?!

Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei?

I think he probably was tailing him, yeah.

Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers?

Not at all. He knows Zhao Yunlan is competent. And if something had gone dramatically wrong he could have intervened from the sidelines just fine. (Even surreptitiously if necessary, like he did when Gao Tianyu stopped the car and dragged Li Qian out!)

Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"?

Zhao Yunlan, I think. Shen Wei was more emotionally overwhelmed because for him that part goes deeper.

We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he?

Yep, totally!

(And if nothing else, I subscribe to the interpretation that the balcony is in the bedroom, so at the very least he came through there while finding a hiding spot.)

We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them?

Everyone, except possibly Zhao Yunlan. (I had Chu Shuzhi read a Dixing classic masquerading as historical fantasy in The Lord Envoy's Man!)

At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy?

He didn't seem that much more grumpy than usual to me, just frustrated by the case and a useless witness.

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama?

This one just occurred to me: the mugger reaching for SW's pendant reminded me of SW reaching for Li Qian's pendant in episode 1. (Neither got to touch, though for different reasons!)

[china_shop]

Back to the alley -- yay!! :D

> I had forgotten that one of the muggers thinks it's jade! Of course that's why it's the most common fan theory, too, duh.

Oh, that makes so much sense. Hee!

> a) Shen Wei gets his watch back, but not his money

I know! But SW can probably afford it, and it's not like the muggers profit for long.

> I know we've talked about the theory that Zhao Yunlan was following Shen Wei, and that Shen Wei knew about it - did his pendant feelings override that for a moment, so he forgot to be careful and make sure no one saw his ability to physically defend himself?

I think it was just a hard line for him. He defended the pendant until he didn't need to. He had his back to ZYL, so there was time to cover (as we saw). But I don't know what would have happened if ZYL had arrived a little later, when one of them already had a broken wrist. ;-p

> I wonder why Zhao Yunlan is trying to extricate himself instead of sticking around?

I have a whole list of possible reasons in my comment below, but I'm not sure which one is right. I feel like a lot of it is guilt/discomfort about having broken in and searched the place before, but I don't know if that's all of it.

> (Zhu Hong and Guo Changcheng clearly didn't recognise it. Do they not read webnovels, or do they just have different tastes?)

Different tastes, I think.

> Zhao Yunlan comes in whistling! And then later the surveillance footage! Idk why Zhao Yunlan was so awkward about his team seeing him with Shen Wei (possibly because he let the muggers go?), but he totally dug his own grave there - now they all think he was on a date and got laid.

I don't think it's about letting the muggers go. (I don't think the show cares about that.) I think it's a guilty conscience because he *wanted* more to happen than did. And possibly also because him tailing SW was unofficial/off-book, so he basically got caught out stalking his crush. Not cool!

> he's trying to convince his team it's totally not like that. (Though why, I'm not sure!)

Because SW is/has recently been a person of interest? Because SW is completely out of his league? (I love the idea of DQ deliberately announcing his presence for that reason, aww.)

> Also super fun: we had Chu Shuzhi bringing the banner, now Zhu Hong bringing the laptop - and she's so rude to Shen Wei, LOL. I wish we'd had the other SID member conscripted for similar tasks, too!

Hee! (DQ does come along on the old books mission -- does that count? ;D)

> I never quite thought of it that way, but - when the video comes on, both Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are leaning close to the camera! Nice.

Oh true! Great point. :D

> I know it's hard to believe, but Shen Wei doesn't know everything, Zhao Yunlan! Boo!

Ha, I know. ZYL is blinded by infatuation. :D

> I wonder why Shen Wei feels the need to volunteer that the muggers don't seem Dixingren? Why is that relevant? They're not the perpetrators, after all, and it opens him up to Zhao Yunlan's very reasonable return question ...

Yes, it's weird. And I hadn't really thought about it before FTS drew attention to it.

> Chu Shuzhi is so rough questioning the surviving traumatised mugger!

Maybe because he saw the footage of the mugging, including the attack on ZYL? (I just thought of that.)

[china_shop]

More thoughts on the liniment scene! We never did a scene discussion on this, and it turns out I have a lot to say. I go through the scene from each of their POVs, and then I sum up. (Obviously this is just my take. Open to correction/persuasion. And very tl;dr!)

Zhao Yunlan
From the moment ZYL enters Shen Wei's flat, he's fidgety and faking: "So this is where you live. I've totally never been here before." He immediately tries to leave and plays down his injury (it's hard to get a sense of how bad it is; his "it's just a small bruise" could easily be minimising or it could be real). He's uncomfortable, and he wants out of there. (Is this just because he's searched the place before? Because the search wasn't official and case-related? Because being invited into SW's flat is crossing a boundary he's not ready for? Because he's not sure where this is going, and one of the possible places is sex with an extremely hot suspected-Dixingren? Is it the prospect of being the subject of Shen Wei's suspected powers? Some other reason?) Anyway, Shen Wei insists, and ZYL caves to that and takes a seat. I think he's not quite sure of Shen Wei's agenda, idk.

We know he still has questions about Shen Wei. But when Shen Wei literally says, "If you have any questions for me, ask away," with no reference to a particular case or crime scene, ZYL doesn't ask the obvious ("Are you Dixingren?") -- he gets right in Shen Wei's face and makes a job offer. And since he phrases it as "are you interested...?" not "would you...?" I think it's partly testing to see: is this why Shen Wei has been hanging around helping with cases? Does he have the SID file because he wants to work there?

(Oh, hey, I wonder whether Shen Wei's lack of violence at the mugging is another datapoint in ZYL's calculations re putting Shen Wei on the payroll.)

Shen Wei's refusal to officially consult surprises ZYL. He's visibly ?disappointed?. (Maybe he's been fantasising about working side-by-side (cf what he says he DQ in the street in ep 8), and he thought SW shared those fantasies too.) He sits back and tries a few counter-arguments, but SW parries them. (SW is still leaning forward.) Shen Wei says, "Now that I'm living across from you..."

And ZYL changes tack, leaning in again, telling SW off for not inviting him (as a neighbour) to a house-warming. I think this is ZYL putting Shen Wei on the spot for moving in across the hall without telling him. It's ZYL saying he knows this wasn't just coincidence (SW's lack of surprise must have confirmed that). But he's not telling SW off for *that* -- quite the opposite. He's saying, "If you moved to be near me, why didn't you take that final step and invite me over?"

Which puts Shen Wei on the back foot, which in turn restores ZYL's confidence. ZYL is pleased with himself now and pleased with Shen Wei. He's still not completely easy, but SW starts preparing the liniment, and ZYL goes along with it. (Incidentally, he's been leaning on his injury up till now; it can't be too bad!)

(At this point, I thought of Zhu Hong glaring ferociously at ZYL to make him take his cold medicine. ZYL isn't used to SW's kind of quiet, matter-of-fact concern, but he is used to people insisting he patch himself up.)

ZYL flinches at the touch. I think it hurts more than he expected, and he tries to hide it because it doesn't fit with his "tough guy" self-image. When Shen Wei apologises, he says breezily that it doesn't hurt, but SW sees right through that, shaking his head at the lie. So ZYL tries flirting to distract him. If SW doesn't want to work at the SID, what is it he *does* want? ZYL?

Shen Wei (who is already having a ton of feelings, btw, at having ZYL in his apartment and healing him, and probably the fact that he got hurt in the first place while "rescuing" SW) recognises this gambit and deflects by taking it literally. Which ZYL takes with good grace, offering a compliment and telling him about the archive, like the information itself is a thoughtful gift, while wagging his finger flirtily. But Shen Wei meets his eye and holds it, and ZYL can tell he's messed up. I don't think he realises how (or he'd prepare a response), but he definitely gets uncomfortable again. He breaks eye contact and tries to front with a smile. His fingers get fidgety.

Shen Wei asks how he knows about the window, and ZYL's cool completely deserts him. While he's flailing for an answer, SW announces the liniment is all done. ZYL manages to pull together an "explanation" for the window comment, but SW's eyebrow proves he's not buying it, so ZYL makes a break for it. He's messed up. Somehow Shen Wei knows about the break-in. ZYL wants out. "I'll leave you to your business." He bolts for the door.

"Wait," said SW, and ZYL has to reluctantly turn back, expecting to be called out again. Instead, SW gives him the liniment, which ZYL takes while carefully not making skin contact and leaves without another word. The playful confidence of their conferences in SW's office -- and of the mugging rescue -- is completely gone. (This may be part of the reason the bears convo is a video call?)

Shen Wei
Okay, back to the start. Shen Wei! Shen Wei brings ZYL into his home! He deliberately says, "Come in," to show that this time ZYL isn't trespassing; he's invited. SW wants him there -- and not just to heal his injury, but also because he *wants* him there. He says, "Make yourself at home." Maybe he thinks the vibe will be like all their office chats. Maybe he can have that at home, too, when they're off the clock. Maybe that's what he hoped for when he moved here. He takes off his jacket.

But ZYL is being weird and self-conscious, and SW has to keep stopping him from leaving -- which is so distracting that SW fails to fold his jacket twice. Shen Wei says, "Let me get the medicine for you."

Given ZYL's attitude, SW might be intending to give ZYL the medicine and let him go, but ZYL takes this as a cue to sit down. So okay. Yay! SW can heal the injury! They can hang out. Shen Wei smiles, tucks his tie away, and banters, "I'm just giving you an opportunity to interrogate me. If you have any questions for me, ask away." Which is absolutely a continuation of their usual office slightly charged teasing. It makes ZYL laugh louder than usual. Then ZYL tries to recruit him, and SW calmly refuses, making it clear he's available to unofficially consult at any time. He even says, "What's more, now that I'm living across from you..." which is essentially the same as ZYL's "If you need anything, come to me anytime." at the end of ep 14. :D

I'm never sure if SW's response to the house-warming rebuke is about SW agreeing he's committed a tiny social solecism, or if he feels that he's missed an opportunity to have ZYL over. How different would things be if he'd invited ZYL into his apartment to start with? If he'd just let him know? (ZYL was obviously going to find out sooner or later!) Or maybe there's something else there that I'm not getting. Anyway. After he says "next time", he's smiling, so he's pretty comfortable with how things are going.

He's startled by ZYL's wince, and apologises, and he's unimpressed by ZYL's downplaying his injury. (Pot, kettle!) And then ZYL starts blatantly flirting with him. I think there's a moment where SW feels/hopes/thinks this might be real, this could be the point when they both acknowledge what's between them. But ZYL is testing, that's so obvious when SW knows what his sincerity looks like, so he deflects by taking the words literally. (But he knows, I think, that he's given himself (his attraction) away, at least somewhat.) He focuses on the first aid until ZYL says "your bedroom". Then he looks up -- filled with ~awareness~ that ZYL has been in his bedroom already? Or just preparing to call him on it? Either way, SW slips into cat-and-mouse mode. He enjoys catching ZYL out, expects this to be part of the game between them. (I wonder if he's also giving ZYL a chance to come clean.) But it throws ZYL so much that the balance between them is clearly off. ZYL starts to bolt.

SW could say, "Wait, I'll make us some tea," and try to repair the damage, but I suspect he doesn't want a true rejection right then. He gives ZYL the liniment instead, and ZYL even reacts weirdly to that. No wonder Shen Wei is full of a lot of confusing feels and needs to ground himself with the pendant and think of Kunlun.

Overall
Overall, I think the two of them are in quite different scenes. ZYL is jittery, lying, testing, flirting-testing, possibly turned on and, ultimately, caught out (back to jittery/guilty). He tries to leave several times. For him, this feels like a test -- of Shen Wei and of himself. (And I really don't know how this leads into his excellent humour the next morning, when he offers to buy everyone at the SID a feast!) Meanwhile, Shen Wei is full of feels about having ZYL in his apartment, and he gives every sign of seeing this as an extension of their office chats. He tries to banter and tease, but because ZYL is all over the place, it doesn't land right, and ultimately, he's left with his memories of a closer, easier time. *pets*

[trobadora]

This is a fantastic comment! So much chewy stuff to think about. :D Okay, *deep breath* here's my essay in return. *g*

From the moment ZYL enters Shen Wei's flat, he's fidgety and faking: "So this is where you live. I've totally never been here before."

Yes! And it really stands out because he was so bouncy and cheerful during the mugging! Zhao Yunlan's trajectory this episode is really a rollercoaster:

• stalking SW and cheerfully playing hero against the muggers
• twitchy and trying to extricate himself when entering SW's flat
• relaxing during the conversation, only to say too much and give himself away
• all twitchy again when leaving
• bouncy and happy and whistling the next morning
• flailing and badly deflecting when caught on surveillance camera with SW
• avoiding SW in person and talking via videochat, sure SW is holding something back
• very much back to their previous rapport plus extra sincerity when he visits SW at the end of the case

There's a lot to unpack in there!

it's hard to get a sense of how bad it is; his "it's just a small bruise" could easily be minimising or it could be real

Yes, good point! I can never decide either.

Is this just because he's searched the place before? Because the search wasn't official and case-related? Because being invited into SW's flat is crossing a boundary he's not ready for? Because he's not sure where this is going, and one of the possible places is sex with an extremely hot suspected-Dixingren? Is it the prospect of being the subject of Shen Wei's suspected powers? Some other reason?

I think it is in fact because he's been in there before and he's feeling - hm, not guilty in an "I did a terrible thing" way, but guilty in an "here's something I can get caught out on" way, and fully aware that secretly breaking into someone's flat would be a deal-killer for most people. (And not at all aware that SW doesn't mind in the slightest!) He's severely on his back foot twice this episode, and each time he digs himself deeper rather than (as fanon would sometimes have it) smoothly talking himself out of it:

• when he's caught at knowing SW's bedroom, it's not because it's impossible to have that knowledge innocuously, but because he reacts like someone who's caught out,
• and similarly, when the SID discovers him and SW on surveillance camera footage, he reacts like they've found something incriminating and thereby makes their speculation about what happened much worse.

I do think that not knowing where this is going and what SW really wants from him contributes a lot; it's IMO why it gets worse again when he's leaving, because SW actually having discovered the very thing he was uncomfortable about is ten times as uncomfortable. And SW isn't even reacting badly, which ZYL at least would understand! He doesn't know what to do with at all, and it leaves him waiting for the other shoe to drop, anad extricating himself as quickly as he can.

I think it's partly testing to see: is this why Shen Wei has been hanging around helping with cases? Does he have the SID file because he wants to work there?

Yes! I think he's trying to figure out SW's agenda, and while he can't actually bring himself to think of SW as a villain, this kind of "ulterior motive" is plausible while not (or not necessarily) being villainous. But then SW refuses, and ZYL is so taken aback - by the immediacy of the refusal, but maybe also because he had half-way decided that that was SW's actual plan?

The funny thing is that ZYL wants SW to join the SID - but for the first time right now I'm considering that in this conversation he actually doesn't yet, not with any seriousness. That the entire "join the SID" thing starts out as him suspecting SW of an ulterior motive, and when SW refuses, that's when ZYL starts deciding that actually it would be a great idea!

Oh, hey, I wonder whether Shen Wei's lack of violence at the mugging is another datapoint in ZYL's calculations re putting Shen Wei on the payroll.

Oh! Yeah, I think it would make sense if that was a point in SW's favour.

And ZYL changes tack, leaning in again, telling SW off for not inviting him (as a neighbour) to a house-warming. I think this is ZYL putting Shen Wei on the spot for moving in across the hall without telling him.

Yeah, and it's also ZYL trying to gain the conversational upper hand again after SW's refusal to join the SID has thrown him off. As you say, it puts SW on the back foot a little, and ZYL relaxes enough to get confident and teasing again.

He's saying, "If you moved to be near me, why didn't you take that final step and invite me over?"

Yes! I love that. :D

Incidentally, he's been leaning on his injury up till now; it can't be too bad!

Ooh, great catch!

ZYL isn't used to SW's kind of quiet, matter-of-fact concern, but he is used to people insisting he patch himself up.

And this too!

I think it hurts more than he expected, and he tries to hide it because it doesn't fit with his "tough guy" self-image.

Yeah, 100% agreed.

Shen Wei (who is already having a ton of feelings, btw, at having ZYL in his apartment and healing him, and probably the fact that he got hurt in the first place while "rescuing" SW)

SO MANY FEELINGS!!!!!

like the information itself is a thoughtful gift

Yes! I said that in another comment too, that there's a parallel there with the books.

But Shen Wei meets his eye and holds it, and ZYL can tell he's messed up. I don't think he realises how (or he'd prepare a response), but he definitely gets uncomfortable again.

Here I completely disagree - I think he 100% knows exactly how he messed up, but just like when his team discover the surveillance footage of him and SW, he's so flustererd he can't react normally. And when SW doesn't let him off the hook (after that long pause where he really hoped he could stay in (im)plausible deniability space), he only ends up digging himself deeper when he actually tries to respond. Not because there isn't a reasonable explanation, but because all reasonableness has gone out of his brain. *g*

And then, as you say, he makes a break for it, trying to escape the awkward situation that he doesn't know how to deal with it. Because admitting the truth is clearly beyond him here - both because he's so used to fronting and allergic to sincerity, and because what if SW reacts badly to the admission? And then SW calling him back delays his escape, making it worse.

BUT we know the next morning he'll appear at the SID whistling and cheerful, so I think some time during the night (after probably a lot of not-feeling-great while insisting to DQ that everything's fine, he's totally not moping!) he manages to get past his own discomfort to look at what actually happened, which is that SW clearly was not calling him out in an accusatory way, and was intent on taking care of him even after. So looking at it clearly, apparently somehow none of this awkwardness has broken anything? And that's a huge relief! So ZYL recovers his cheer and glee from getting to play save-the-damsel with SW.

AND THEN his team discover the footage, and that "caught out" feeling from last night catches up with him again, and he gets all flustered. His relief and happiness are punctured, he discovers he didn't get over last night's awkwardness as completely as he thought, and also that there are things he can't really take being teased over right now. *g*

The playful confidence of their conferences in SW's office -- and of the mugging rescue -- is completely gone. (This may be part of the reason the bears convo is a video call?)

Yeah, now that you say it, I think that's part of it! After escaping from SW's flat, reconsidering, then being jolted back into that mindset, ZYL may just need a bit of distance. And he tries just a little too hard to get back to the consulting/interrogation/banter combo they had going before, and doesn't quite hit the balance right, which is why he keeps insisting SW knows something, and SW floods him with bear facts in return.

I think what breaks through the mess at the end is ZYL sympathising with Lai Su, and taking another step forward in character development by admitting that genuine feeling to SW - possibly even as a peace offer. And that's what gets them to the lovely scene in SW's office at the end. ♥

Maybe he thinks the vibe will be like all their office chats. Maybe he can have that at home, too, when they're off the clock. Maybe that's what he hoped for when he moved here.

Awww! Yes, I think you're right there - and he does offer that after he turns down the consultancy. He suggests ZYL talk to him at home, as neighbours and friends, not at work, as SID chief and professor. But ZYL is too deep into a) twitchiness about having broken into SW's flat, and b) confusion about SW's agenda to accept it there. Or to really recognise it - I think ZYL thinks it's a deflection, not a genuine offer.

which is so distracting that SW fails to fold his jacket twice

That is such a delightful detail. :D

He even says, "What's more, now that I'm living across from you..." which is essentially the same as ZYL's "If you need anything, come to me anytime." at the end of ep 14. :D

YES! This, exactly. :D

I'm never sure if SW's response to the house-warming rebuke is about SW agreeing he's committed a tiny social solecism, or if he feels that he's missed an opportunity to have ZYL over. How different would things be if he'd invited ZYL into his apartment to start with? If he'd just let him know? (ZYL was obviously going to find out sooner or later!) Or maybe there's something else there that I'm not getting.

Yeah, I'm not 100% sure either, but I think most of his reaction is that he's genuinely just never considered that possiblity and is taken aback by it.

I think there's a moment where SW feels/hopes/thinks this might be real

IMO it's not that he actually thinks it might be real, but that he really wishes it was.

Then he looks up -- filled with ~awareness~ that ZYL has been in his bedroom already? Or just preparing to call him on it?

I think that's the moment where they're both simultaneously thinking, wow, ZYL really said that out loud! I'm not sure, but I think SW takes it as a sign of openness on ZYL's part: he's not wary and careful, or that wouldn't have slipped. But ZYL isn't as open as SW might have hoped, he's totally flustered by his blunder, and he only gets more twitchy when he gets called out. I totally agree that SW doesn't try more and just lets ZYL leave after that because he really doesn't want an actual rejection. He must have SO many feelings about it all!

(I wonder if that's also a partial reason for the BEARS - harmless teasing that doesn't get close to anything even remotely personal, to let them get back to a more even keel and shows ZYL everything's good between them?)

Overall, I think the two of them are in quite different scenes.

Yes, that's a great way to put it! They're in very different places.

He tries to banter and tease, but because ZYL is all over the place, it doesn't land right, and ultimately, he's left with his memories of a closer, easier time. *pets*

*sniffles*

I do think that makes it sound a bit worse than it is. Yeah, ZYL is very flustered and twitchy, but there's also a bit in the middle of the scene where they're back to their normal banter, and SW being able to get under ZYL's skin like this also means something in its own right. He's already in very close! ZYL just hasn't quite caught up with himself yet. (The different parts of him, as we were saying in another comment.)